It's Still the Economy, Stupid... But Don't Sleep on Parental RightsBy Joe Cunningham
August 19, 2023
I'm in Atlanta, Georgia, at Erick Erickson's Gathering this weekend. We're at the point where I wanted to hear from many of the presidential candidates who will be on the debate stage next, and I wanted to hear from them in person.
One of the reasons I wanted to specifically hear from them at this event was the format. It's conversational, this on-stage interview between Erickson and the candidates, but it's also completely devoid of the biggest distraction of the campaign cycle.
There hasn't been a single question directly about Trump or his indictments. And the results are telling.
I mentioned this in my radio show podcast yesterday, but I wanted to dive a bit more into it for y'all because there is a lot of noise surrounding many of the other topics. From Hunter Biden to Trump to the economy, there is a lot for the average voter to chew on. The economy is the issue that is first and foremost in the minds of voters, and that hasn't changed, given these candidates spent time talking about it on stage.
And this weekend isn't the first time.
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But what has been most telling is the issue that four of the candidates have mentioned so far, with three of them really hammering it: Education.
Tim Scott proudly stood by his stance on school choice, and given the backdrop of his campaign's theme of American opportunity, it tied in perfectly. Ron DeSantis focused on parental rights, especially in education, without getting too caught up in the woke part of the cultural fight. He very carefully noted that teachers and Democrats don't want parents involved in education. And Chris Christie, most people have forgotten by now, famously tackled the issue of teachers' unions when he first became Governor of New Jersey. He is still adamant that we need to fix our education system.
Nikki Haley, too, referenced education. As did Mike Pence. Vivek Ramaswamy, who is set to go on stage later this morning (as of publication time), will likely have something to say about it as well.
I do not think it's any coincidence that the candidates are directing the conversation to education issues right now. Education was a top motivator in places where Republicans made the biggest gains in 2022. Parents care deeply about the opportunities their kids need in order to succeed academically, and the Democrats have been openly at war with parents on the issue.
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Source:
https://redstate.com/joesquire/2023/08/19/its-still-the-economy-stupid-but-dont-sleep-on-parental-rights-n2162803
