THATS THE FOCUS OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY AT THIS MOMENT.
DAVID JOLLY IS A FORMER
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN WHO
REPRESENTED FLORIDA FROM 2014 TO
2017.
TRACY McMILLAN IS A PROFESSOR
AND AUTHOR OF "LOWER ED."
AND THEY BOTH JOIN ME NOW.
TRACY, YOU HAVE WRITTEN AND
THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THE POLITICS
OF EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY
HIGHER EDUCATION.
I AM JUST CURIOUS WHRX I HEARD
DeSANTIS SAY PARENTS ARE TELLING
ME THEYRE WORRIED, I HEARD A
REAL COMPLAINT THAT HE HAS HEARD
FROM PARENTS, WHICH IS THIS IDEA
THAT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS.
WE HAVE OUR PRECIOUS KIDS AND WE
BRING THEM UP WITH OUR VALUE AND
THEY GO TO COLLEGE AND THEY COME
BACK WITHOUT THEM.
>> I DONT DOUBT THAT IS A REAL
CONCERN, BUT A REAL CONCERN THAT
HAS BEEN DIRECTED AT DeSANTIS
DOES NOT MAKE IT A LEGITIMATE
CONCERN.
ONE GROUNDED IN REALITY.
AND THATS THE DISTINCTION.
CHRIS, WE HAVE TWO THINGS
HAPPENING HERE.
WE HAVE A CAMPAIGN AND A
DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN.
AND YOU SEE THE MERGING OF THESE
TWO THINGS COME TOGETHER IN THE
MORAL PANIC OVER CRITICAL RACE
THEORY.
RIGHT?
SO ON ONE HAND, YOU HAVE THE
MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN, WHICH
MISCHARACTERIZES A LEGITIMATE
SUBFIELD OF ACADEMY STUDY.
CRITICAL RACE THEORY HAS ITS
TENETS, HAS ITS PROPONENTS, HAS
ITS SCHOLARSHIP.
IT IS, HOWEVER, NOT TAKING OVER
HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUMS.
ARGUABLY, ECONOMICS PERHAPS HAS
DONE THAT, BUT NOT CRITICAL RACE
THEORY.
IT IS LEGITIMATE, BUT ITS NOT
THE CENTRAL WORK OF MOST
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
TODAY.
BUT THE MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN
CONFUSES PEOPLE ABOUT THE
LEGITIMATE TENETS OF WHAT
CRITICAL RACE THEORY MEANS.
THEN THE DISINFORMATION
CAMPAIGN, THATS THE CAMPAIGN
THAT LABELS ANY IDEA THAT THE
CONSERVATIVES FIND DISAGREEABLE
AS CRITICAL RACE THEORY.
THIS MISINFORMATION AND
DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN, AS YOU
SO ELOQUENTLY POINT OUT, IS THE
SORT OF LIKE LAST, YOU KNOW,
GASP OF A POWERFUL PARTY THAT IS
STILL, HOWEVER, INTELLECTUALLY
IMPOTENT.
RIGHT?
AND AN INTELLECTUALLY IMPOTENT
PARTY AND IDEOLOGY, YOU KNOW
WHAT IT WILL DO?
WHEN IT CANNOT WIN, IT WILL
CHEAT.
IT WILL CHEAT.
AND SO IF YOU CANNOT COMPETE IN
THE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS, WHAT
YOU FUNDAMENTALLY DO IS WHAT
DeSANTIS IS DOING, YOU ASK FOR
MARKET PROTECTIONISM.
IT DOESNT WANT TO COMPETE
AGAINST IDEAS ABOUT LEARNING
ABOUT POVERTY OR LEARNING ABOUT
THE REAL HISTORY OF THIS NATION
OR GLOBAL CAPITALISM.
SO IT WANTS TO CHEAT.
THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH MODERN
DAY REPUBLICAN POLITICS.
BUT IT IS INCONSISTENT WITH
INTELLECTUALISM.
>> THAT IS VERY, VERY, VERY WELL
PUT.
DAVID, YOU KNOW, THE SORT OF,
THE ANXIETY HERE, AND THIS
DRIVING FACT THAT EDUCATION
POLARIZATION INCREASINGLY IS ONE
OF THE BIG STORIES IN AMERICAN
POLITICS, ACTUALLY A STORY
ACROSS THE ENTIRE OECD WORLD.
ITS HAPPENING IN ALL KINDS OF
PLACES.
ITS AMAZING FOR ME TO WATCH
REPUBLICANS TURN AGAINST
COLLEGES EN MASSE.
AS A CULTURAL THING.
YOU HAVE PARENTS WHO ARE MIDDLE
CLASS, UPPER MIDDLE CLASS,
AFFLUENT FOLKS, WHO LIKE I WANT
MY KIDS TO GO TO COLLEGE, WHO
ARE NOW TURNING AGAINST THE
INSTITUTION.
LIKE I DONT LIKE THIS THING.
>> YEAH, CHRIS.
LOOK, EACH WEEK BRINGS CONTINUED
AFFIRMATION THAT THE REPUBLICAN
PLAYBOOK FOR 2022 WILL BE
CULTURE WARS.
IT WILL BE A WAR ON EDUCATION.
IT WILL BE DESCRIPTIONS OF
CRITICAL RACE THEORY.
IT WILL BE ISSUES AROUND
IMMIGRATION AND CRIME.
AND IN LARGE PART, THEY WILL
MANUFACTURE THESE ANXIETIES AND
REPUBLICANS WILL FOLLOW ALONG.
I FIND IT FASCINATING THAT
GOVERNOR DeSANTIS SAID THE
PREMISE OF THIS IS THAT PARENTS
WORRY ABOUT THEIR KIDS GOING TO
COLLEGE AND BEING INDOCTRINATED.
I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IF PARENTS
FEEL SECURE IN THEIR BELIEFS AND
IN THE BELIEFS THEY HAVE
INSTILLED IN THEIR CHILDREN, IF
THEY FEEL SECURE IN THE BELIEFS
OF THEIR FAMILY, THEYRE OKAY
WITH THOSE BELIEFS BEING
CHALLENGED.
IN FACT, THE GREATEST VALUE IN
PUBLIC EDUCATION WOULD BE
TEACHING THEIR OWN CHILDREN TO
THINK CRITICALLY, TO BE
CONFRONTED BY DIVERSE IDEOLOGY,
DIVERT THOUGHT.
I WOULD SURGE IF THE GOVERNOR
WERE SECURE IN HIS OWN BELIEFS
AND HIS OWN CONVICTIONS AND IF
OF THE NINE PEOPLE IN THAT
FRAME, IF ALL EIGHT WHITE MEN
AND THE ONE WHITE WOMAN FELT
SECURE ABOUT THEIR CONVICTIONS
AND THE WAY THEY BROUGHT UP
THEIR CHILDREN, I THINK THEY
WOULD WELCOME THE DIVERSITY OF
THOUGHT THAT OCCURS IN OUR
COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
THATS NOT WHATS AT PLAY.
ITS PERFORMATIVE POLITICS AND
GEARED TOWARD 2022, TOWARD RON
DeSANTISS PRESIDENTIAL RUN.
I WILL SAY ONE THING ABOUT HIS
PRESIDENTIAL RUN.
RON DeSANTIS IS MORE SUCCESS
SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTING TRUMPISM
THAN DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF HAS.
HE ABSOLUTELY HAS.
HE MAY NOT BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES, BUT WHEN
THERE IS A NEXT REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENT, I DO BELIEVE IT WILL
BE RON DeSANTIS.
>> I THINK THATS TRUE.
I WOULD ALSO NOTE, THIS IS AT
ONE LEVEL STUNTY, BUT AT THE
OTHER LEVEL, GENUINELY CREEPY
WHEN THE SURVEYS COME OUT TO
ANSWER YOUR VIEWS AS POLLED BY
THE STATE, WHICH IS SURVEILLING
THEM.
YOU KNOW, I WANT TO PLAY THIS
BIT OF SOUND WHICH IS AJACEABOUT
TO
ANT TO THIS.
I SAID CONSERVATIVES ARE
TRADITIONALISTS WORRIED, ITS
MILLENNIAL OLD, BUT TURNING THE
SAME CULTURE WAR ON THE MILITARY
IS REMARKABLE TO ME.
NOW, THE ARGUMENT IS NO, ANOTHER
BASTION OF, LIKE, WOKE
RADICALISM IN AMERICA, IS THE
PENTAGON.
AND THIS WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN
EXCHANGE TODAY WITH MARK MILLEY,
WHO IS AN ARMY GENERAL AT A
HEARING TODAY.
TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT HE HAD TO
SAY.
>> I DO THINK ITS IMPORTANT,
ACTUALLY, FOR THOSE OF US IN
UNIFORM TO BE OPEN MINDED AND BE
WIDELY READ, AND THE UNITED
STATES MILITARY ACADEMY IS A
UNIVERSITY.
AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE
TRAIN AND WE UNDERSTAND, AND I
WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHITE RAGE.
AND IM WHITE.
I WANT TO UNDERSTAND IT.
SO WHAT IS IT THAT CAUSED
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO ASSAULT
THIS BUILDING AND TRY TO
OVERTURN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
WHAT CAUSED THAT?
I WANT TO FIND THAT OUT.
I WANT TO MAINTAIN AN OPEN MIND
HERE, AND I DO WANT TO ANALYZE
IT.
ITS IMPORTANT WE UNDERSTAND
THAT BECAUSE OUR SOLDIERS,
AIRMAN, MARINES AND GUARDSMEN
COME FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SO
ITS IMPORTANT THE LEADERS NOW
AND IN THE FUTURE DO UNDERSTAND
IT.
I HAVE READ MO SETONGUE.
I HAVE READ KARL MARX.
I HAVE READ LENIN.
IT DOESNT MAKE ME A COMMUNIST.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH
UNDERSTANDING, HAVING SOME
SITUATIONAL UNDERSTANDING ABOUT
THE COUNTRY WE ARE HERE TO
DEFEND.
I PERSONALLY FIND IT OFSDIVE
WERE ACCUSING THE UNITED STATES
MILITARY, OUR COMMISSIONED AND
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF
BEING WOKE OR SOMETHING ELSE
BECAUSE WERE STUDYING SOME
THEORY OUT THERE.
THAT WAS STARTED IN HARVARD AND
PROPOSED THERE WERE LAWS IN THE
UNITED STATES, ANTIBELLUM LAWS
PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR THAT LED
TO A POWER DIFFERENTIAL WITH
AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO WERE THREE
QUARTERS OF A HUMAN BEING WHEN
THIS COUNTRY WAS FORMED AND WE
CHANGED IT AND BROUGHT IT UP TO
THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, TOOK
ANOTHER 100 YEARS TO CHANGE
THAT.
LOOK, I DO WANT TO KNOW, AND I
RESPECT YOUR SERVICE AND YOU AND
I ARE BOTH GREEN BERETS, BUT I
WANT TO KNOW, AND IT MATTERS TO
OUR MILITARY AND THE COHESION OF
THIS MILITARY.
>> MATT GAETZ, DEFINITELY NOT A
GREEN BURAEERETBERET.
BUT I JUST THOUGHT, LIKE, THAT
WAS A PRETTY GOOD DISTILLATION
OF THE RESPONSE.
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS EXCELLENT.
I CANT BELIEVE I FIND MYSELF
AGREEING WITH THE GENERAL, BUT
PRETTY MUCH CAPTURED NOT ONLY
WHAT CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS,
BUT WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO BOTH
THE INTELLECTUAL ENDEAVOR AND TO
PUBLIC LIFE.
AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TERM
THAT I THINK DEMOCRATS ARE GOING
TO HAVE TO MAKE THAT I DONT
THINK THAT THEY HAVE YET MADE
FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
BUT CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS
ANTI.
IT IS PERFORMATIVE MASSIVE
RESISTANCE.
ITS IN THAT GRAND TRADITION.
IT IS AGAINST A LONG LIST OF
THINGS.
WHAT THE GENERAL DID THERE THAT
IS ACTUALLY, I THINK, REALLY
GOOD POLITICS, AND JUST REALLY
GOOD FOR THE HEALTH OF PUBLIC
DEBATE, IS THAT HE MADE AN
AFFIRMATIVE CASE FOR WHAT
CRITICAL RACE THEORY CONTRIBUTES
TO PUBLIC LIFE.
AND I THINK MORE PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO DO THAT, MORE
POLITICIANS ARE GOING TO BE
CALLED ON THE CARPET TO DO IT,
AND IT CANNOT JUST BE PEOPLE OF
COLOR.
IT HAS TO BE SOMEONE, THE MOST
POWERFUL THING HE SAID THERE, TO
MY MIND, WAS IM WHITE.