Jake Miller of CBS News asked if Common Core would lead to a Republican civil war? He interviewed several Iowans (myself included) about what role Common Core will play in 2016.
It will be a significant issue for certain. As far as causing a “civil war,” well, the media always look at that angle as if Democrats never have policy differences.
I’m thankful that we’ll have a robust debate among the GOP field. Common Core will be a wedge issue as there are differences between the candidates, most notably Jeb Bush. That’s healthy. A coronation is not which is what seem to be getting with Hillary Clinton.
Those who favor Common Core will find they are going to have a problem in Iowa, from Miller’s article.
“Voters are very closely viewing it as a litmus test,” Tamara Scott, a policy adviser and lobbyist with the FAMiLY LEADER, an Iowa-based social conservatives’ group, told CBS News. “These are our children, and when you take parents out of the picture, which is what Common Core will do, most people find that offensive.”
John Brabender, a top adviser to former Pennsylvania Senator (and 2012 Iowa GOP caucus winner) Rick Santorum, told CBS News Common Core was among the first questions asked at every recent town hall meeting Santorum held in Iowa.
“It’s going to be a top tier issue. I think it’s really the sleeper issue going into 2016 in Iowa,” another GOP strategist predicted…
…Bush argued during a speech last November before an education reform group he co-founded that Common Core should be the”new minimum” in student achievement, and he challenged foes of the program to offer a better alternative.
Shane Vander Hart, a consultant with American Principles Project and Iowa RestorEd, an education reform group, told CBS News that kind of unapologetic support for Common Core is “a disqualifier for me.”
“Polling seems to indicate that it’s going to be a problem for him,” he said. “It’s our activists who come out to vote on caucus night. If you don’t resonate with the grassroots, you’re going to be in trouble here in Iowa, and I think Jeb Bush is getting off on the wrong foot.”
Shane Vander Hart is the online communications manager for American Principles in Action, a frequent contributor to TruthInAmericanEducation.com and the editor of Iowa-based CaffeinatedThoughts.com.
