CNN reporter Jake Tapper drew attention after he pondered why there’s been no “national conversation” about the harm caused to children across the United States following school closures in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I have to say that I’m surprised that there hasn’t been a national conversation about the damage done to kids because of these school closures,” Tapper said on his show. “We can’t just pretend that fifth graders, who are now seventh graders, that didn’t happen… And not with a blame game; look, it happened, it was criticized. … But here we are. … There needs to be like a bipartisan movement, you know.”
Jake Tapper: "I have to say I'm surprised that there hasn't been a national conversation about the damage done to kids because of these school closures" pic.twitter.com/JHdrIQElbY
— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) October 22, 2022
Christina Pushaw, who is the press secretary of Republican Governor Ron Desantis (R-FL), noted on Twitter that Tapper pushed back on the idea of keeping children out of school longer before many others in the left-wing mainstream media.
Another commenter countered, “But he works with people who called mothers fighting for their children grandma killers. @CNN was not on the side of children or their families during Covid.”
“Oh definitely agree on CNN,” Pusha replied.
@jaketapper was talking about this issue long before other liberal media. I always thought the rest of them should listen but i suppose it was too hard to admit they were wrong.
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) October 22, 2022
National trends seem to indicate that parents around the country are tired of the treatment their kids are receiving in schools. The most notable bellwether for this was perhaps the election of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in Virginia, who beat his opponent Terry McAuliffe by over 63,000 votes. The state was a Democrat stronghold shortly before, with Joe Biden winning the state by 10 points after the 2020 election.
Many believe that the Democrat candidates’ approach to education ultimately sealed their fate. McAuliffe said the quiet part out loud during a debate between him and Youngkin, asserting to viewers, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”
He later doubled down on the statement, calling any and all opposition to critical race theory, a racist left-wing ideology that seeks to frame whites as oppressors and blacks as victims, a “racist dog whistle.”
Polling has revealed that parental influence in education remains a top priority for American voters. In the example of Virginia, Youngkin has enjoyed a majority approval rating in over 55% of polled voters since he assumed office. Similarly, a total of 67% of voters support school choice, according to recent survey by the American Federation of Children.
