On Friday, 161 MAGA Republicans in the House voted for Thomas Massie’s amendment to abolish the Department of Education, a long term goal of a conservative movement that doesn’t believe— has never believed— in public education. Massie’s amendment failed 161 to 265, with every single Democrat plus 60 Republicans, mostly Republicans in swing districts, like Don Bacon (NE), Ken Calvert (CA), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR), Juan Ciscomani (AZ), Anthony D’Esposito (NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Andrew Garbarino (NY), Tony Gonzales (TX), Carlos Gimenez (FL), Ashley Hinson (IA), Thomas Kean (NJ), Jen Kiggan (VA), Kevin Kiley (CA), Young Kim (CA), Nick LaLota (NY), Mike Lawler (NY), Nancy Mace (SC), Marc Molinaro (NY), Mariannette Miller Meeks (IA), Zach Nunn (IA), Maria Salazar (FL), Michelle Steel (CA), Bryan Steil (WI), Mike Turner (OH), David Valadao (CA), Ann Wagner (MO).
Don’t get the wrong idea. Everyone on that list of House Republicans is a conservative. It’s just that they represent swing districts and can’t win reelection without independent voters. What’s more interesting are the Republicans who live in swing districts and who voted to abolish the Department of Education anyway. It’s certainly an issue that can be used against them in 2024. These are the 10 idiots who have probably put themselves at risk for no good reason, since there was never any chance the bill be become law.
Lauren Boebert (CO)- won with 50.08%
John Duarte (CA)- won with 50.21%
David Schweikert (AZ)- won with 50.44%
Mike Garcia (CA)- won with 53.2%
Monica De La Cruz (TX)- won with 53.3%
Scott Perry (PA)- won with 53.8%
Chuck Edwards (NC)- won with 53.8%
George Santos (NY)- won with 53.8%
Laurel Lee (FL)- won with 58.5%
Jefferson Van Drew (NJ)- won with 58.9%
Massie’s bill to abolish the Department of Education is just one sentence long: “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2023.” He had 8 original co-sponsors: Andy Biggs (AZ), Dan Bishop (NC), Lauren Boebert (CO), Eric Burlison (MO), Harriet Hageman (WY), Rich McCormick (GA), Mary Miller (IL), and Chip Roy (TX).
Lily García, President of the National Education Association, responded to the MAGA lies about the Department of Education: “The federal government has a critical role to play in ensuring that every child in America has access to a quality education. Abolishing the Department of Education would be a disaster for our schools and for our country.” Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) also responded: “As a former teacher, I can tell you that education is the great equalizer. Abolishing the Department of Education would hurt our most vulnerable students, and it would be a giant step backward for our country.”
This is some information from a post about conservative education policy that I put together a few weeks ago. Conservatives have always had an agenda regarding education— most of all, bolstering the existing social order. It’s what conservatism is all about. Historically, conservatives who have believed in educating the masses at all have favored the idea that schools should promote traditional values and existing social norms, such as patriotism, respect for authority, and a focus on religious and moral principles, not critical thinking. Edmund Burke, for example, believed that the goal of education should be the preservation of tradition and social order. Regarded as a key figure in the development of modern conservatism, Burke was skeptical of the idea of universal education to begin with, arguing that it could undermine traditional values and social order by promoting skepticism and radicalism. He believed that education should be focused on the moral and intellectual development of the elite, who would then serve as leaders and examples for the rest of society. In his book, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) the father of conservatism argued that education should be reserved for the elite, whom he believed were better suited to govern society.
Joseph de Maistre, an 18th century philosopher, often associated with the Counter-Enlightenment movement and the reactionism, also opposed education for the masses. He believed that education should be focused on transmitting traditional values and culture, rather than promoting individualism and rationalism. He argued that universal education could lead to moral relativism and social disorder, and that only a select few individuals were capable of handling the responsibilities of leadership and intellectual inquiry. In Considerations on France (1797) he was clear that the masses were incapable of grasping the complexities of society and should be kept in their place. Like modern proponents of reactionary thought— say Russell Kirk and Pat Buchanan— he advocated a return to an earlier or “more idealized” version of society.
Reactionaries tend to reject the changes brought about by modernity and advocate for a return to traditional values and institutions, often through authoritarian means. Charles Maurras was a French political theorist who lived from 1868 to 1952, a leading figure in the Action Française, a far-right movement that advocated for a return to the traditional monarchy and Catholicism. Julius Evola was an Italian philosopher who lived from 1898 to 1974 and was a leading figure in the Italian Fascist movement and later became associated with the far-right Nouvelle Droite movement. Francisco Franco put their philosophies into action in Spain until his death in 1975.
Today Aleksandr Dugin, a Russian philosopher and political theorist who was born in 1962, is associated with the Russian far-right and has advocated for a return to traditional values and institutions (as well as a greater role for Russia in global affairs). He has been a tremendous influence on Putin and both men view education as a crucial aspect of shaping society and promoting the values they advocate for. In his book, The Fourth Political Theory, Dugin argues that education should focus on cultivating a sense of identity and belonging in students. He believes that education should be centered around the cultural and historical traditions of a particular society, which he sees as the foundation for social unity and stability. He emphasizes the importance of moral education, which he believes should be grounded in a traditionalist worldview. He advocates for an education system that promotes values such as duty, honor, and sacrifice, and encourages students to develop a strong sense of responsibility towards their community and nation and is extremely critical of what he sees as the Westernization of education, arguing that the emphasis on individualism and liberalism in Western educational systems is damaging to society. He advocates for a more holistic approach to education that takes into account the spiritual, cultural, and historical dimensions of human experience.
Russell Kirk’s best known book, The Conservative Mind, argued for a revival of traditionalist conservatism and was a key piece in the formation of modern American reactionary politics. He believed that education should be grounded in tradition and aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of Western civilization and argued that the purpose of education was not only to impart practical skills and knowledge, but also to cultivate moral and spiritual values. In his book The Roots of American Order, he wrote that "education must be the discipline of the soul, not merely the training of the mind and the memory."
One of his disciples was Pat Buchanan who reintroduced xenophobia into the DNA of the Republican Party. He’s been aggressively critical of what he claims is liberal bias in education, and has advocated for a greater emphasis on teaching traditional values in schools. Buchanan demanded that schools should prioritize teaching "the moral code that guided our ancestors," and has criticized the perceived decline of moral values in American society.