The Common Core Curriculum is being met with resistance from both the liberal and conservative sides of the spectrum, albeit from different perspectives. The "fair & balanced" Fox News has joined the opposition with pieces that, in representing the right side of the ledger, are blatant bias. On last week's Fox & Friends, Elisabeth kept the bias coming in a strange segment that combined the evils of Common Core with outrage about how, in one curriculum, Abraham Lincoln's religion was listed as OMG "liberal" - a listing that, as Hasselbeck let us know towards the end of the segment, was changed to OMG "nothing." Hasselbeck's consternation was validated by her guest whose radical right wing ties weren't mentioned by Hasselbeck. Poor Elisabeth. She just can't understand how these evil big government Common Core folks are re-writing history and dumbing down American students. Oh, the irony!
After the opening visual for Fox & Friend's patented "Trouble with Schools" series, Elisabeth Hasselbeck said, in incredulous tones, "Abraham Lincoln, a liberal? That's what one Common Core aligned math curriculum is set to teach your kids." As the chyron provided the requisite Fox agitprop message, "Ludicrous Lessons, Politics=Math in Common Core Aligned Classes" Hasselbeck showed a copy of a work sheet with names and other data pertaining to American presidents, listed in numerical order, with Lincoln's OMG religion listed as "liberal." In introducing her guest, *Glyn Wright, Executive Director of the Eagle Form, she asserted that this is "shocking to see when kids are supposed to be learning history but this occurred under a math curriculum?" Hasselbeck did not mention that the Eagle Forum is a far right wing organization that was started by radical right wing Phyllis Schlafly and her guest's grandmother.
Wright immediately jumped on the propaganda bandwagon with her comment that this is just more evidence of "poor quality of education found in Common Core. " Wright continued with an excoriation of Common Corre as the first step toward a "national curriculum." The chyron noted that this evil curriculum says that "Lincoln, a Liberal?! Common Core Site Listed Religion as Liberal." After Hasselbeck asked why this evil propaganda about Lincoln is part of a math class, she noted that because of the "outrage" over the "liberal" description of Lincoln's religion, it was removed from the site and OMG replaced with "nothing." The chyron let you know that the site was "Not Honest About Abe" and that the site "Secretly Removes 'Liberal' Reference."
Wright whined about how the political elites are "ignoring" those who oppose Common Core. Hasselbeck showed an another example of how evil lefties are rewriting history in a section about St. Ronald Reagan in which the authors cite, accurately, that Reagan's popularity slipped in 1982 as the economy took a downturn and support for supply side economics declined. She criticized the authors for not mentioning the "economic boom from 1983 to 1989." Wright wanted to know "who is controlling the messaging and under Common Core it's the federal government. "
Hasselbeck was dismayed over another lesson, about the 2000 election, that was titled "how could this happen." Hasselbeck doesn't seem to understand that the objective of the lesson was, most likely, an understanding of why this election went to the Supreme Court. Her voice rising, she said that "parents have an absolute right to be outraged." She even worked in some good, Fox anecdote with her comment that we've heard the lessons say nine plus three can equal eleven. Wright urged parents to fight the power.
Hasselbeck's information seems to have been sourced from two far right wing websites EAG News and Liberty Unyielding. In checking out the Common Core lesson site, the presidential information worksheet appears to be connected to a lesson in doing bar graphs - in conjunction with February's President's Day. And while Hasselbeck shares right wing outrage over Lincoln not being listed as some kind of bible thumper, the reality is that Lincoln, according to Lincoln's old law partner, was "an elevated pantheist doubting the immortality of the soul as the Christian world understands that term." In other words - unaffiliated - a status not respected by the very Christian Fox News. The propaganda here is so transparent - but wait, on a "fair & balanced" network - How could that happen! Oh, right, Fox is controlling the messaging!
*Perfect Fox guest as she hates the lie of feminism because she knows that "God made us different."
