Why I’m leaving politics—but not the conversation
Reflections on power, principle, and the parents driving the school choice revolution in Texas
I never thought my upbringing would prepare me for life as an elected official. But, I’m happy to be stepping off the political ship soon.
My Dallas Morning News column from earlier in the month
“Recently, I finished author Michael Tackett’s book The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party. A quote attributed to Paul Ryan, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, stopped me in my tracks for how he described Sen. McConnell.
‘His best weapon, among all, is that he doesn’t care what people think about him.’”
“Growing up in rural south Mississippi, I frequently heard my mom, incensed at my stubbornness, say, “You need to care more” about chores, friends, church and such. I had a statement at the ready, even as a 12-year-old.
“There’s an inverse relationship between caring what people think of you and success,” I’d say, further angering my mom. “I do care — just not about what everyone else cares about.”
What everyone seems to get wrong about school choice in Texas
My latest Dallas Morning News column bubbled to the surface after reading lots of contentious comments regarding school choice across the Web. I never saw mention of an obvious fact: Texas parents might agree with arguments against vouchers, but they will use them if they’re available.
This should tell everyone that Abbott realizes the issue is a winner among his constituents. Remember: Wise politicians don’t get behind losing efforts.
So, when I hear/see residents saying “Texans don’t support vouchers,” they are missing the point. Voters do support, and will use, vouchers—overwhelmingly so
From my the column:
“The latest battle over Texas education has been framed as a political power struggle: Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican lawmakers and deep-pocketed donors pushing school choice while public school advocates fight to stop them. But that narrative misses the mark.
“The real push for education savings accounts in Texas isn’t driven by politicians or billionaires — it’s a rising tide of parental frustration. Parents, fed up with failing schools and broken promises, aren’t just filling the sails of this movement; they’re the storm itself, surging forward and demanding change.
“As a local elected official with a front-row seat to this movement over the last half-decade, I saw a light breeze turn into a howling gale in 2020, when COVID-19 shutdowns forced parents to take a hard look at what their kids were learning. And for many, the view was alarming.”
There won’t be many tears for the Department of Education
A recent WSJ editorial shared what a lot of folks are thinking regarding Pres. Trump’s push to abolish the DoE.
“Before you cry a tear about abolishing the department of education, consider that last year 33% of eighth-graders scored below basic on reading, according to the National Assessment for Educational Progress. The pandemic shook many parents out of contentment with their schools.”
I couldn’t have written it better myself. Folks are fed up with wasteful spending, and those who aren’t are sick of the lack of results and the lack of accountability of our federal agencies. As I told a friend last week, the previous administrations were privy to the same data regarding the DoE’s lack of success.
“If they had wanted to prevent such drastic measures, they should have fixed the problem when they had the chance.”
Quote I’m thinking about a lot
Chris Stirewalt, The Dispatch:
“Like all human endeavors, the problem in politics isn’t that people don’t learn from past failures; it is that they learn the wrong lessons.”