Terry McAuliffe is in trouble in Virginia, and he’s been bringing in help from heavy hitters in the Democratic Party to boost turnout in his favor. But former President Barack Obama’s campaign appearance over the weekend may do more harm than good, as comments that he made regarding the recent controversies involving local school boards have been panned for being tone-deaf.
“We don’t have time to be wasting on these phony trumped-up culture wars, this fake outrage that right-wing media peddles to juice their ratings,” Obama said. “Instead of stoking anger aimed at school boards and administrators, who are just trying to keep our kids safe…. [W]e should be making it easier for teachers and schools to give our kids the world-class education they deserve, and to do so safely while they are in the classrooms.”
Former President @BarackObama: "We don't have time to be wasted on these phony trumped-up culture wars, this fake outrage, the right-wing media's pedals to juice their ratings." pic.twitter.com/bmMnet8q5X
— The Hill (@thehill) October 23, 2021
In Loudoun County, Virginia, the school board has been under fire for covering up the sexual assault of a female student by a gender-fluid male student. In May, the male student wore a skirt and followed the girl into the girls’ restroom, where the assault took place. Rather than refer the case to law enforcement, the school board decided to handle the matter internally. The girl’s father was justifiably outraged, and the school administration called the police on him when he confronted them. He was later arrested at a school board meeting for talking about the assault. The National School Boards Association cited the incident in their now infamous letter likening concerned parents at school board meetings to domestic terrorists.
Related: COVER-UP: Loudoun County Schools Failed to Report Multiple Rapes Over Years
Obama didn’t mention Loudoun County specifically, but the situation there was undeniably a part of the “fake outrage” that Obama declared wasn’t “a serious problem that affects serious people.” Parents in the state panned Obama’s remarks for being tone-deaf. But on Monday, just two days after Obama’s campaign appearance, a Virginia court ruled that there is sufficient evidence that the gender-fluid teen sexually assaulted the girl in the school bathroom.
So, Obama referred to the outrage over a girl’s sexual assault (and the school board’s attempt to cover it up) as “fake outrage.” Obama cares more about McAuliffe’s political career than the safety and privacy and children.
It’s hardly surprising that Obama has this attitude. He was the one who unilaterally redefined Title IX to force schools to allow boys who identify as girls to play on girls’ sports teams and use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms under the threat of losing funding.
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