Rand Paul: Jeb Bush’s Common Core support would be ‘big problem’ in primary

[Okaloosa]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/12/16/rand-paul-jeb-bushs-common-core-support-would-be-big-problem-in-primary/


Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) fired a warning shot on education at Jeb Bush (R) Tuesday evening, saying the former Florida governor's support for Common Core education standards would be a "big problem" for him among conservatives in a Republican primary.

"I think most conservative Republicans think that education should be more at the local and state level. So yeah, I think it will be a big problem," Paul told The Washington Post in a brief interview in the Capitol.

Bush announced Tuesday morning that he has decided to "actively explore" a run for the presidency. Paul may also run. The senator's reaction to Bush's news: "I think the more the merrier."

"I think we've got a big party," he continued. "I think we have people from all different wings of the party."

Bush has been an outspoken supporter of Common Core, which is basically a national set of education standards in math and English most states have adopted.

Many conservatives, including Paul, oppose it. Even some previous Common Core champions have turned against it.

Bush offered a nuanced defense of Common Core last month, with advice for those who want a different set of standards.

“There is no question we need higher academic standards and — at the local level — diverse, high-quality content and curricula,” he said in a Washington speech. “And in my view, the rigor of the Common Core State Standards must be the new minimum in classrooms. For those states choosing a path other than Common Core, I say this: Aim even higher...be bolder...raise standards and ask more of our students and the system.”

[RonPaulFanInGA]

I hope Sen. Paul is right, but somehow I have trouble imagining most Americans even knowing Common Core exists.

[Matt Collins]

I hope Sen. Paul is right, but somehow I have trouble imagining most Americans even knowing Common Core exists.
"Most Americans" don't matter in elections.... in this race, it will mainly be Republican primary/caucus voters in Iowa and Hampshire. That's only several thousand people, and trust me they will all be sick of hearing about Common Core and Jeb's support for it by the tine January 2016 rolls around.

[Peace&Freedom]

The MSM will be pushing Jeb's views on this as part of the "mainstream Republican" framing of the race. "Jeb can stand up to the extreme right" and "conservatives will just have to get with the program" on the issue if they want to win, or similar memes will be sounded to paint Jeb as the most unifying candidate.

Rand will have to challenge the framework by presenting the anti-Common Core view as the better unifying position among GOP voters, in addition to arguing against it on the merits.

[Occam's Banana]

Bush offered a nuanced defense of Common Core last month, with advice for those who want a different set of standards.

“There is no question we need higher academic standards and — at the local level — diverse, high-quality content and curricula,” he said in a Washington speech. “And in my view, the rigor of the Common Core State Standards must be the new minimum in classrooms. For those states choosing a path other than Common Core, I say this: Aim even higher...be bolder...raise standards and ask more of our students and the system.”

I swear, as soon as I read "nuanced defense," I knew exactly what was coming ...

"Hey, if you don't like Common Core, that's okay! Just have your state goose it up, spruce it up, and call it something else."

It's just like Tom Woods' example of the difference between a top income tax rate of 35% and 39% defining the range of "allowable opinion."

Wondering if we could get by with an income tax rate of zero percent - or without "Common Core" in any shape or form - is strictly verboten.

But piddling around on the margins of the 3-by-5 index card of "allowable opinion" is laudably "nuanced" ...

[fr33]

The MSM will be pushing Jeb's views on this as part of the "mainstream Republican" framing of the race. "Jeb can stand up to the extreme right" and "conservatives will just have to get with the program" on the issue if they want to win, or similar memes will be sounded to paint Jeb as the most unifying candidate.

Rand will have to challenge the framework by presenting the anti-Common Core view as the better unifying position among GOP voters, in addition to arguing against it on the merits.

Good luck getting past the electability trope in the primaries. The average republican voter is opposed to many things including common core. A candidate supporting any of those things certainly is not a deal breaker.

Nuances work. Romney, as a 60 something year old man decided he no longer supported abortion. All Jeb has to do is criticize something about common core while agreeing with intentions for improving education.... blah blah blah. The primary voters will vote for him if the media makes them feel that they must.

[rich34]

I tell you one thing, the Bush family must have the word "integrity" patented or some shit, because I've already seen it being used to describe Jeb the same as it was for Bush. And those folks literally ate it up. I recall these two blow hards going at it on fox or cnn one in favor of George, the other Kerry, and the guy was like "George Bush has more "integrity" in his little pinky than John Kerry does in his whole body..." If they're already pulling that word out of the dictionary then you can kind of see about 25% of their game plan already. Forget the ideas and what you support, the media, especially fox/Bill O Riley will turn this into a who's got more integrity war... And of course once again it'll be the bush. And by using this strategy, they shut down 25% of the time that could be used to talk about real ideas/solutions to just shouting back and forth about how much integrity them bush boys have got. What am I thinking, to hell with ideas, give me that sucker that Bill just deemed as having the most integrity, hell yeah now that's a winner!!

[philipped]

Just gotta make the case to people.....do you dictate who you vote for, or do the people on your TV screen decide your vote for you?

[Natural Citizen]

Just gotta make the case to people.....do you dictate who you vote for, or do the people on your TV screen decide your vote for you?

I'll go with memes, philipped. Yeah. Memes...

[Matt Collins]

I tell you one thing, the Bush family must have the word "integrity" patented or some shit, because I've already seen it being used to describe Jeb the same as it was for Bush. And those folks literally ate it up. I recall these two blow hards going at it on fox or cnn one in favor of George, the other Kerry, and the guy was like "George Bush has more "integrity" in his little pinky than John Kerry does in his whole body..." If they're already pulling that word out of the dictionary then you can kind of see about 25% of their game plan already. Forget the ideas and what you support, the media, especially fox/Bill O Riley will turn this into a who's got more integrity war... And of course once again it'll be the bush. And by using this strategy, they shut down 25% of the time that could be used to talk about real ideas/solutions to just shouting back and forth about how much integrity them bush boys have got. What am I thinking, to hell with ideas, give me that sucker that Bill just deemed as having the most integrity, hell yeah now that's a winner!!
I assure you they have run polls and focus groups to determine the best words to use.

[DevilsAdvocate]

It will be a big problem if the conservative vote gets split a hundred ways, with Jeb riding in to take all of the moderate vote