CPAC: Betsy DeVos Thinks First Amendment Rights of College Students Are Under Attack

Touts school choice at CPAC talk.

Olivier Douliery

Speaking at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos promised to back school choice policies while fighting for the free speech rights of college students.

DeVos focused on education reform during her brief remarks, stressing that the Obama administration's spending on school improvements did not yield encouraging results.

"Today we know the system is failing too many kids," she said. "Our nation's test scores have flatlined."

DeVos then turned to free speech issues on college campuses.

"They say if you voted for Donald Trump, you are a threat to the community," said DeVos, referring to the climate on campus. "But the real threat is silencing the First Amendment rights of people with whom you disagree."

Unfortunately, DeVos avoided specifics. She did not discuss the Education Department's role in fostering a climate of censorship via guidance from the Office for Civil Rights, which has stepped up anti-harassment measures over the last five years. Civil libertarians hope DeVos will reform the agency.

She also dodged a question about her alleged dispute with Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the decision to rescind the Obama administration's protections for transgender students. DeVos had opposed taking this step, but caved due to pressure from President Donald Trump.

It was not a very revealing interview, all told. If DeVos has big plans to fix schools and colleges, she certainly isn't showing her hand.

Comments

[mad.casual]

Civil libertarians

*facepalm*

[WakaWaka]

I don't get the facepalm. Didn't you hear Robbie? She wouldn't answer about her position on which pee-pee people should be mandated by the federal government to use! Are you not outraged!

Who cares about 'free speech'? Obviously just you cisgender heteronormative 'civil libertarians'. But what washroom do you use, bigot?

[Enough About Palin]

http://www.feelnumb.com/wp-con.....6_logo.jpg

[GILMORE?]

Unfortunately, DeVos avoided specifics

""The speech provides yet more evidence that Obama is a genuine proponent of free speech on campus, although his administration's policies have not always reflected this stated commitment. ..""

....[strangely?] She He did not discuss the Education Department's role in fostering a climate of censorship via guidance from the Office for Civil Rights, which has stepped up anti-harassment measures over the last five years.

[WakaWaka]

Call out Robbie on being an idiot is too easy.

[Fist of Etiquette]

She also dodged a question about her alleged dispute with Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the decision to rescind the Obama administration's protections for transgender students.

And wisely so. She's a target so it does her no good to toss her enemies any red meat.

[Libertymike]

Was this a speech or an interview? Does Robby know?

[GILMORE?]

She also dodged a question

[Libertymike]

I asked because I had heard that she had dodged questions regarding the transgender matter on her way into the CPAC conference. It was my understanding that she was to give a speech to the big government loving conferees.

[GILMORE?]

robby probably has been drinking wine in the food court, and just patched this together from his friend's tweets.

[WakaWaka]

She dodged the question, because it's a moronic question. Instead of asking about Amash's pending bill to redistribute federal funds for state voucher programs, Robbie is more concerned about Leviathan mandating which bathroom you should use.

[AlmightyJB]

You can't help children without hurting teachers. She's a monster.

[Volren]

I'm sure she has ideas, but like Trump, DeVos doesn't have any real experience operating the gears of government, especially since all her nominal subordinates are probably set to oppose her at every turn and she's going to have to waste time and energy dealing with attacks from the media and the Democrats.

Rolling out a federal school choice program is likely going to take a fair bit of finagling on her part or it'll wind up as dead in the water as Trump's immigration EO. Unless she does something very drastic like send out an email telling everyone in OCR that they are now "on leave" she's unlikely to achieve anything in the short term.

[Celexis]

DeVos is talking about promoting free speech, implementing school choice, and by all accounts strongly opposed Session's rollback of the bathroom bill, and this is the tone Reason is going to take?

"Avoided... Dodged... Caved"

Did somebody over at Glibertarians hire Robby to do PR for them or something?

[Sigivald]

I'm more confused by why Reason gives a crap about CPAC at all.

[Celexis]

DeVos is talking about promoting free speech, implementing school choice, and by all accounts strongly opposed Session's rollback of the bathroom bill, and this is the tone Reason is going to take?

"Avoided... Dodged... Caved"

Did somebody over at Glibertarians hire Robby to do PR for them or something?

[Zeb]

I think you might be reading too much into it.

Would it not have been better if she'd been more specific about the causes of and her solutions to the problem of campus censorship? Are we supposed to celebrate now every time some political appointee says something positive about free speech without providing any detail on what they are going to do about it?

[Celexis]

You have to admit there is a negative tone to the article. DeVos is speaking up in support of libertarian causes, and she basically told Jeff Sessions to eat a dick. For two weeks on the job, that seems like a damn good start, not cause to start shrieking "Where's the beef?"

[WakaWaka]

Two articles in one!

"Education Secretary Betsy DeVos promised to back school choice policies while fighting for the free speech rights of college students."

"If DeVos has big plans to fix schools and colleges, she certainly isn't showing her hand."

[C. S. P. Schofield]

And as to the last quote, why the hell would she show her hand? It isn't time to show her hand. With a little luck she can get the attack chihuahuas of the Left all frothing over something that exists only in their microcephalic heads, and then blindside them with her real intentions.

[WakaWaka]

This is arguably one of his worst articles, by far. And that's saying A LOT.

Apparently, the staff was sent to CPAC and told to write articles with feigned outrage

[Sigivald]

Oh, come now.

It's not feigned, it's just Ill-supported.

[DesigNate]

CPAC: Betsy DeVos Thinks First Amendment Rights of College Students Are Under Attack

That's because it is.

[WakaWaka]

Isn't that kind of Robbie's whole schtick and now he's pretending like he's never heard of such an absurd concept.

[$park? don't care bout yo mom]

And that's why she thinks so.

[$park? don't care bout yo mom]

I swear to fuck you people might get a little more out of this if you first dropped the chip.

[Not a True MJG]

Thanks for the concise summary, Robby. It is indeed disappointing that DeVos did not take this opportunity to hype up some specific policy changes, but then it's just some stupid conference where no one expects anything above fluff. Keep up the good work.

[Paulina]

I guess today students are considered to be the most important people in the country. So many campaigns and events are held in favor of the students, making sure that their rights are safe and followed well. These young people are our future, and we have to do everything it takes for them to be best educated as soon they will rule the country. I hope these learners will only have problems with their rights being neglected, rather not having an access to the MyCollegePaperWriting.com online. Because their first concern should be their academic performance.

[JulOz]

Do you know what are the best high schools in America? I was surprised!