Rick Scott expects critical race theory backlash to change school boards

rick scott
Scott, like DeSantis, sees a political payoff for Republicans on CRT backlash.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott says he thinks a consequence of critical race theory backlash will be the transformation of school boards.

“We’ve got to talk about it. But I’ll tell you one thing: It’s going to change. It’s going to change school boards all across this country,” Scott said.

The Senator then hearkened back to a recent speaking gig to young conservatives to illustrate where he thinks these transformational candidates may come from.

“I gave a speech to Turning Point USA, 4,000 national college kids. They are revved up to make sure they get better school board members. That’s where that’s going to get fixed,” Scott said.

Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, made the comments Thursday on the “Hugh Hewitt Show.”

Scott’s concern about critical race theory, an academic approach that suggests that long-standing institutional racial inequities continue to be perpetuated in today’s systems, is well-documented. Earlier this year, Scott filed a Senate resolution condemning it.

“The far-left wants Americans to believe that our nation is inherently racist and bad. They want to discredit the values America was founded on. They’re wrong. We can’t stand by and allow ’woke’ liberals to divide our nation. Students in Florida and every state across this nation deserve better and I’m proud to lead my colleagues today in a resolution to stand up against this dangerous policy,” Scott said in a press release.

Scott was joined by Republican Sens. Mike Braun and Marsha Blackburn in that effort.

In Florida, the approach is officially banned from classrooms after a decision of the Board of Education earlier this year.

Yet the issue will clearly be live in 2022. Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to use critical race theory and “mandatory masking” as litmus tests in traditionally nonpartisan school board races.

On a June episode of “Unfiltered with Dan Bongino,” DeSantis vowed to turn his “political apparatus” against Republican school board candidates who oppose his educational reforms.

“Local elections matter. We are going to get the Florida political apparatus involved so we can make sure there’s not a single school board member who supports critical race theory,” DeSantis added.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


14 comments

  • Tom Palmer

    July 29, 2021 at 9:24 am

    This is a manufactured issue.

    • zhombre

      July 29, 2021 at 11:35 am

      LOL!!! Sure it is.

  • Frankie M.

    July 29, 2021 at 9:41 am

    Everything these jokers do is about politics. Doesn’t matter if it’s CRT, covid vax/mask wars, or transathletes as long as the base swallows it whole. #culturewars #dontduhsantismyflorida

  • Matthew Lusk

    July 29, 2021 at 11:23 am

    The whole idea behind CRT is to deceive young people into hating others and keeping blacks in the Democrat Party. The Democrats use trickery to try to maintain a majority from an alliance of blacks-homosexuals-women-poor-Hispanics. They isolate and victimize each group then give out a couple biscuits. Democrat policies actually work against all Americans taking away freedom and incentives to work.

    • Michael Hoffmann

      July 29, 2021 at 9:38 pm

      from Charles M. Blow, NYT columnist: “We could go through how Republicans are using a faux campaign against critical race theory to prevent the accurate teaching of history, or how it is unmistakable that America is a racist country and that doesn’t require most individual Americans to be consciously racist, and how “defund the police” is a completely logical proposal that, in most cases, is not about abolition of the police force but the reallocation of funds from the police to social services. But there is no use or need.”

      • zhombre

        July 30, 2021 at 8:30 am

        LOL! What case are you trying to make quoting crazed liberal NY columnist like Blow? Is this offered as a rebuttal?

        • Michael Hoffmann

          July 31, 2021 at 9:45 pm

          The Charles Blow quote is offered as a succinct dissection of the CRT red herring.

          The good news, according to Charles Blow, is that you don’t have to be a racist if you are white. Racism to Blow and others, like Ibram X. Kendi, is determined by actions. Thus, it is anti-racism that ought to be the paradigm — not CRT.

          It’s your humanity that is on trial these days — not your skin color. This should be something even a contrarian like you can accept.

          • zhombre

            August 1, 2021 at 9:02 am

            I’ll take contrarian as a compliment, thanks. What the pompous ass Blow offers is pure bullshit of this country being irredeemably racist, and if you can’t see through his bullshit, I pity you, and will pay no more attention to whatever comments you leave here.

    • PeterH

      July 31, 2021 at 8:09 pm

      Are you the Matthew Lusk ….. famous in Florida for his admiration and following of QAnon? Just asking for a friend who wants to know.

      • Michael Hoffmann

        July 31, 2021 at 9:47 pm

        I would like to know more, too, as I am mis-represented in the Florida Legislature by a Q-Anon and Poor Boy follower who wants so-called Constitutional carry. My guy, Cord Byrd, won’t comment, but perhaps Mr. Lusk will sing.

  • Sonja Fitch

    July 30, 2021 at 1:43 pm

    Lol Nazi Rick don’t care lol

  • Michael Hoffmann

    August 1, 2021 at 10:14 am

    Read the quote from Chas. Blow, Zhombre, instead of improvising from your limited sources:
    “or how it is unmistakable that America is a racist country and that doesn’t require most individual Americans to be consciously racist,”

    Or, are you unable to put yourself out there as an anti-racist, that is, someone who agrees that there are inborn differences among individuals but no racial or ethnic or religious groups that are entirely one thing or another?

    Which side are you on? I’ll take your silence to mean you are a white supremacist.

    • Zhombre

      August 1, 2021 at 8:09 pm

      Take my silence any way you choose. I really don’t care what you think. Your opinion means nothing to me.

      • Michael Hoffmann

        August 2, 2021 at 9:55 pm

        No problem — guess you’re satisfied with ear-biting and eye-gouging.

Comments are closed.


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