Teachers’ union president critical of conservative activist

Teachers’ union president Randi Weingarten is a prolific user of social media, in particular Twitter. Last week, Weingarten tweeted a story that The Intercept did on conservative education activists Christopher Rufo, who is a controversial figure among the Left because of his exposure of their stranglehold on public education and higher education.

The Intercept’s article claimed that so-called “dark money” groups are funding Rufo’s work. “Dark money” is the phrase coined by the mainstream media to create a nefarious tone about conservative and libertarian donors who correctly use tax laws to shield their identity from investigation by left-wing journalists and activists. Liberal groups and politicians also use dark money groups for their own benefit, which instances are rarely covered by the mainstream media.

Early in the article, The Intercept said, “Today, Rufo is credited as the main architect of conservatives’ weaponization of critical race theory, using his skills as a director and investigative researcher to stoke panic in the GOP base, while simultaneously using critical race theory as a catalyst to introduce curriculum-altering bills in state legislatures across the country.”

It took issue with the Documentary Foundation, which is a registered non-profit that pays Rufo a salary of $300,000 a year as his national profile rises in the media and among conservative circles. The Intercept criticized how non-profit finances are nigh impossible to trace, which is common for non-profits of all political stripes. None of this is new to those who know about non-profits and tax law.

If The Intercept took issue with Rufo’s work and current non-profit tax law, it should also highlight left-wing groups such as Arabella Advisors. Arabella is one of the most prominent progressive organizations whose financial records are shielded by law, similar to the Documentary Foundation.

Also, it is important to note that “panic” which The Intercept refers to is the nationwide, grassroots movements led by parents to counter the Left’s use of gender identity ideology (i.e. LGBTQIA+ rhetoric in curriculum) that has emerged post-pandemic.

But Weingarten’s tweet highlights the oft-repeated phrase in politics, “you’re living rent-free in his/her head.” This phrase appears to apply to Weingarten when it comes to Rufo’s work in exposing the Left’s stranglehold on public education and the Marxist roots of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Weingarten is the long-tenured president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which teachers’ union consistently promotes liberal policy platforms and praises liberal politicians. In other words, her partisanship is well-documented and it is no surprise that she is criticizing a conservative like Rufo.

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