News & Brews November 26, 2024
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Gerrymandering helped Dems keep Pa. House
Spotlight PA has a story on how redistricting helped Democrats maintain their 102-101 control of the Pa. House. The story notes, “Experts say the current state House map was drawn so the majority reflects statewide party preferences.” But no, not really. According to statewide vote totals, Republicans won 53% of the state House vote, to Democrats’ 47%. Were the maps reflective of this vote (rather than drawn to benefit Democrats), the GOP would have won 108 seats to Democrats’ 95.
‘News’ groups take $$ from unions, give positive coverage
The Washington Examiner reports, “A trio of liberal publications has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from teachers unions over the past couple of years, a fact that is not disclosed in their positive coverage of those same unions.” The story continues, “The New Republic, American Prospect, and Courier Newsroom have collectively accepted $905,000 since 2022 from the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, according to the unions’ financial disclosures. After accepting funds from the two largest teachers unions in the nation, each of these outlets went on to publish pieces painting them in a positive light without disclosing the funding arrangement.” (Of course, the Courier Newsroom is little more than a Democrat propaganda machine.)
Op-Ed: How the Dep’t of Ed threatens education
The Commonwealth Foundation’s Elizabeth Stelle and the Cardinal Institute’s Adam Kissel write that the U.S. Department of Education “wants to remove asynchronous learning — online courses that allow students to complete class requirements on their own time — from the bureaucratic definition of a ‘clock hour’ of learning. This move would make these unique, student-centric courses ineligible for federal aid.” They explain that this “new regulation conflicts with what’s best for students.” And they express “hope the department finally stops its opposition to asynchronous learning.”
With apologies … a 2028 poll
As if we’re all not exhausted enough by campaign season and in need of a break, but alas, it’s not to be. 2028 looms. According to a nationwide Emerson College poll of 1,000 registered voters, Gov. Josh Shapiro polls at just 3% in terms of whom Democrats want to see as their presidential nominee in 2028. Of course, take this poll with many, many grains of salt, as 37% of voters want VP Kamala Harris to run again (apparently learning nothing from their loss). and 35% of Dems are undecided.