2020 candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) took a step back on Wednesday from her asserted position on federally mandated busing.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1233314
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1233314
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Oops.
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There is a difference between today and the 1960s and 70s. In those days school districts were actively working to keep schools segregated. In most of the country those days have ended. Many districts no longer work to keep schools segregated. As long as a district is doing its best to insure integration then the local district should have busing available as an option. One thing lots of us learned was Federal courts imposing busing on districts that wouldnât desegregate was often heavy handed.
If you want to desegregate districts, change housing patterns.
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Biden gave a most gracious response, no foot where it didnât belong.
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This is good news.
For Warren.
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National standards are a goal. At least for me. I happen to have American citizenship, not state citizenship.
Melding state and local wishes with the overall goal of national standards has been long overdue.
If the evils of race-based, and other ethno-racial, and economic inequities had not been allowed to proliferate for literally hundreds of years, people like Harris (or Biden) would not be having to tap dance over dealing with the best ways to make the United States the United States of America.
There are professionals who could streamline a system in which the U.S. would have an educational system in which busing (or not) would be an afterthought.
What I am curious about is why Harris seems to be focused so much on this issueâŚbut maybe it was a way to break out of the pack.
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Her folks have been trying to make her story more âpersonalâ, to connect with people. Reasonable to presume that her folks got ahold of her own story with busing, and thought that would be a great counterpoint on stage with someone who had opposed busing legislation.
And it worked, for the night and a bit after.
But this walkback to, well, Bidenâs exact position from the debate night⌠That could hurt a bit.
ETA: Iâm not a fan of all of those political advisers, they just get people into trouble. Think Harris is much better and just fine when she sticks to her element. Then she wonât have embarrassing walkbacks like this.
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I mentioned in another thread that the high school debate topic in 1973â1974 was âResolved: That governmental financial support for all public and secondary education in the United States be provided exclusively by the federal government.â
The main rationale for the idea is that as long as the primary funding for education comes locally and primarily from property tax the funding for schools is inherently unequal since rich school districts can provide more funding with a smaller percentage of taxation.
Having the federal government fund education is a way to counteract that.
It would be a completely different approach though because, instead of emphasizing desegregation and busing in order for minorities to have access to better schools, it would emphasize the funding itself.
It would approach it from the tack that the reason separate is unequal is because of funding.
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Here is what this is all about. Bidenâs position was taken back when he was starting out. In those days politicians were actively trying to keep schools segregated. Many of them resisted the idea of integrating their schools. They knew they couldnât do it the same way they did it before Brown v. Board so recognizing traditional segregation in housing they invented the notion of neighborhood schools. That kept white schools white and black schools black. The good teachers and most of the money went to the white schools and the black schools suffered. In much of the country the Federal Courts tried to desegregate schools using busing as their tool of choice. It was very expensive. The urban cores hollowed out as whites fled to suburban districts. It was a very ugly period.
I am not sure things are much better today, but they are better, mostly because a lot of blacks fled from the urban cores along with the whites. Those blacks effectively desegregated a lot of segregated school districts. Housing patterns are a little better than when I grew up. My schools were effectively all white. My kids and grandkids went to school with blacks. From generation to generation things are getting more mixed. That is a good thing. Could we do more. Hell yes, but to say there has been no progress overlooks just how bad segregation was back in the days when Biden was starting out in Congress.
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The main problem Democrats will have next year is that the base is actively pushing for positions that will likely be unpopular in the general election (thank you Bernie Sanders). This puts potential candidates in a very tough position. Thereâs only so much theyâll be able to walk back next year but, in the mad scramble to please the base, many candidates are starting to take positions that will be very hard to defend next year.
Never mind what you think about school segregation-- I know itâs a problem. If Trump gets re-elected, school segregation will be among the least of our problems in a few years. Federally mandated busing is an absolute third rail politically. Letâs not fuck this one up, okay?
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Anyone else feeling Harris/Biden 2020?
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So now that the polls have moved in her direction, she admits Bidenâs vote and his response that he pushed for busing at the local level was the right strategy for that time, AND for this time. How convenient.
I agree with VP Biden that Sen. Harris is a terrific politician with a great future, BUT the kneecapping of Biden on a false premise was wrong. I hope, at some point, she apologizes as graciously as VP Biden responded to her retraction.
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Watching Biden respond, I felt I was observing something I hope I am also capable of.
None of us are perfect. That was a moment of grace.
Interesting also to consider his treatment of a female opponent in light of the accusations of his being disrespectful to womenâs personal space.
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No.
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This right here is why I never wanted Harris to be President. Itâs just like when she was questioning Brett Kavanaugh. She kept implying that Kavanaugh did something unethical by conversing with someone about his opinions when he wasnât supposed to and she made a big show of it to everyone. But then nothing came out of it and Kavanaugh got confirmed anyway.
Itâs all about theatrics with her and she wonât solidify her plans.
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Oh, itâs a "backtrackâ, not a flip flop. Got it.
If this the issue we are going to be talking about this election, we are going to lose. Busing in the 70s is not a problem we need to fix.
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Vice versa, but yeah, Iâve been saying it from the beginning. I think its unbeatable and keeps Warren as our warrior in the Senate.
Also like I said, put busing in your platform as a promise or get the fuck off Joeâs back.
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Well, I went with WTF? when I first saw this. I was leaning toward Harris, but this gives me significant pause after she made it the debate topic and attacked Biden for it. I agree with Bidenâs campaign manager.
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Isnât this exactly how Joe Biden voted in the 70s? Isnât this what she criticized him for in the debate? He voted to make it a local decision, Berkeley chose to bus kids. Am I missing something?
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She didnât walk back a thing. The questions included the words âfederally mandated busingâ and her answer was âyesâ, a tool in the toolbox. She believes it should be used. She has said so in the debate, Bloomberg interview + a tweet from her campaign.
Biden is fumbling this issue again today at these picnics. Heâs looking more out of touch when he should just show some considered reflection on his past and move on.
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