Crash Course: Who's behind the right-wing book bans?

How much of the "parental rights" campaign is astroturf? none Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). none none So where did the book-ban mania come from — and who's behind it? Local media reporters, no doubt harried and on deadline, tend to present book-ban stories as compelling ground-level drama: Outraged parents protesting what they see as hostile or overly explicit material, educators retreating or defending themselves, students and sometimes authors pushing back. But as Jon Skolnik reports for Salon on Tuesday morning, these attacks on specific kinds of books are well funded, highly coordinated and part of a long-term national strategy: New reporting suggests that certain elements of this broad-based advocacy have been coordinated by some of the country's most influential deep-pockets conservatives, who stand much to gain from fanning the flames of the culture war, even at the most granular levels. ... a number of ostensible grassroots groups on the frontlines of the "parental rights" movement have connections to right-wing politicians and donor networks who are highly skilled at "astroturfing" local conflicts on a national scale. For instance, Moms for Liberty, the best-known such group — while it undeniably has attracted thousands of members across the country — was founded and originally directed by the wife of a leading official in the Florida Republican Party. Another purported "grassroots organization," Parents Defending Education, is led by Nicole Neily, who has multiple connections to the Koch family funding network and libertarian political groups. What's the true endgame here? That's up for grabs. But UMass Boston political science professor Maurice T. Cunningham, author of a book on the push for school privatization, tells Jon he has a pretty good idea: There is absolutely no doubt in my mind — zero — that what groups like Moms for Liberty and Parents Defending Education are doing is structural and aimed at the destruction and ultimate privatization of America's public school system. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDgvd2hlcmUtZGlkLXRoZS1yaWdodC13aW5nLWJvb2stYmFuLWZyZW56eS1jb21lLWZyb20tYmlnLW1vbmV5LWFuZC1hLWxvbmctdGVybS1wbGFuVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). Promotion from Neiman marcus [Learn more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdW5zdTZvemNsc1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) Get only the best [Learn more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdW5zdTZvemNsc1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) none none Befuddled by Whoopi's semi-clueless Holocaust comment? Join the club In a [thoroughly fascinating exchange](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RPaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDcvYmxhY2stamV3aXNoLXJhY2Utd2hvb3BpLWpvaG5zb24tYmVybGluZXJibGF1L1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) with Salon's Alison Stine, Georgetown professors Terrence L. Johnson and Jacques Berlinerblau — co-authors of the new book "[Blacks and Jews in America](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0QpaHR0cHM6Ly9ib29rc2hvcC5vcmcvYS8yNDY0Lzk3ODE2NDcxMjE0MDJXA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo)" and frequent Salon contributors themselves — struggle to make sense of WhoopiGate, the perhaps-inflated controversy that saw Whoopi Goldberg suspended from her hosting gig on "The View" after saying that the Nazi Holocaust was not "about race" but was a matter of "man's inhumanity to man." The bottom line might be that if you're not quite sure how to feel about what Goldberg said, or exactly what she meant by it, you're right. And that's because our ideas about race and ethnic identity and what categories like "Black" and "Jewish" actually mean, are totally confused and confusing. But the entire conversation is well worth your time, and will get you thinking about stuff that admittedly isn't easy to think about, today or ever. Here's our favorite part, from Berlinerblau: I'm going to take a very different approach to this question, one that I suspect is shared by many other Jews. I feel this entire episode was completely overblown. ... My mother, who watches "The View" religiously — and who is a Holocaust survivor — did not mention Ms. Goldberg's remark to me when we spoke that day. I suspect that's because, on the basis of experience, she understood Whoopi Goldberg to be a kind person, and a Jew .... I also suspect that my mother, like many Jewish viewers, detected exactly zero malice in the remark. While Goldberg's comment was clearly "inaccurate," Berlinerblau continues, an error of that sort, in that context, should not have prompted [the ADL and other Jewish organizations](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0R0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDEvd2hvb3BpLWdvbGRiZXJnLXJlcG9ydGVkbHktc3VzcGVuZGVkLWZyb20tdGhlLXZpZXctb3Zlci1oYXJtZnVsLWhvbG9jYXVzdC1jb21tZW50cy9XA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) to put down their beers, kit up, lock, load and turn this into the media spectacle/circus that they invariably knew it would become. Whoopi Goldberg is not the enemy. Far from it. Not every small error or misstatement has to be corrected in the name of the six million. The ADL does some great work. This was not an example of that. none - [Documents from the Trump White House](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0R2aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDcvdHJ1bXBzLWxvdmUtbGV0dGVycy1mcm9tLWtpbS1qb25nLXVuLXNwaXJpdGVkLWZyb20taG91c2Utc2VpemVkLWF0LW1hci1hLWxhZ28tcmVwb3J0L1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~), including his "love letters" from Kim Jong-un, were recovered from Mar-a-Lago, without a struggle - Comic and journalist W. Kamau Bell talks to D. Watkins about reckoning with the [sordid legacy of Bill Cosby](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDYvdy1rYW1hdS1iZWxsLWJpbGwtY29zYnktc2Fsb24tdGFsa3MvVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). - [Ron DeSantis thinks he has a reason](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0R3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDcvZGVzYW50aXMtdG8taW52ZXN0aWdhdGUtZ29mdW5kbWUtZm9yLXdpdGhob2xkaW5nLW1vbmV5LWZyb20tYW50aS12YXgtY2FuYWRpYW4tdHJ1Y2tlci9XA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) to "investigate" GoFundMe. (He doesn't.) - Just three ingredients! And it's the [juiciest chicken breast](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RfaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDQvYS0zLWluZ3JlZGllbnQtbWFyaW5hZGUtZm9yLXRoZS1qdWljaWVzdC1jaGlja2VuLWJyZWFzdHMtZXZlci9XA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) ever. - The [Black role model](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0Q-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDYvY2hlZXItamFkYS13b290ZW4tcm9sZS1tb2RlbC9XA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) on "Cheer" who was deemed "too much." Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0QgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL25ld3NsZXR0ZXJXA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) to receive Crash Course. none none Mike Pence speaks out against Trump — but the GOP is leaving him way behind Mainstream media types love to make a huge production out of it when literally any Republicans criticize Donald Trump, as Salon columnist [Heather Digby Parton observes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDcvbWlrZS1wZW5jZS1maW5hbGx5LXNwZWFrcy11cC0tdG9vLWxhdGUtdGFrZW92ZXItb2YtaXMtdmlydHVhbGx5LWNvbXBsZXRlL1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). And we suppose when the Republican in question was literally Trump's running mate, it really is a big deal. But Pence's pusillanimous youa culpa directed at the ex-prez is less important, Heather argues, than the Republican National Committee's enthusiastic censure of Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the House Jan. 6 committee, a "Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse," as the RNC put it. Say what? Yeah, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel immediately tried to spin things — they hadn't exactly meant it that way — but Digby isn't having any: [According to the New York Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wMi8wNC91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9yZXB1YmxpY2Fucy1qYW4tNi1jaGVuZXktY2Vuc3VyZS5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), however, the language of the resolution had been carefully negotiated over several days, and was voted on first by the executive committee and later by the full conference. So unless the Republican leadership has reading comprehension problems (which they might!) if they hadn't mean to embrace the insurrectionists surely someone would have raised an objection before the whole thing went public. That resolution was apparently the handiwork of "notorious right-wing operative" David Bossie, who goes clear back to the Reagan-Bush I years and was an early Trump adopter: He made his bones as an anti-Clinton character assassin working with the notorious Floyd Brown, who was famous for producing the racist "Willie Horton" ad in the 1988 presidential campaign. Brown's group was called Citizens United, which Bossie later took over, and which brought the infamous [lawsuit](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RRaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJlbm5hbmNlbnRlci5vcmcvb3VyLXdvcmsvcmVzZWFyY2gtcmVwb3J0cy9jaXRpemVucy11bml0ZWQtZXhwbGFpbmVkVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) to the Supreme Court that opened up unlimited big money in politics. ... Bossie worked with Corey Lewandowski on the 2016 Trump campaign before getting kicked to the curb over a fundraising scandal — but like Steve Bannon, he's all the way back now: Bossie's latest task, shepherding the censure of Cheney and Kinzinger, has to have him fully back in Trump's good graces. Nothing is more important to the ex-president than that and Bossie handled it smoothly, including the inflammatory language that McDaniel was forced to amend, but no doubt had delighted Trump, who is now [fully supportive](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDMvZG9uYWxkLWlzLWRvbmUtcHJldGVuZGluZy1oZS1pcy1ub3ctb3Blbmx5LWNlbGVicmF0aW5nLXRoZS1jYXBpdG9sLXJpb3QvVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. ... Considering Bossie's very special set of skills, it's not unrealistic to suspect he may be setting up McDaniel for a fall. [According to Vanity Fair](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudmFuaXR5ZmFpci5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDIyLzAyL3RydW1wLWFkdmlzZXItZGF2aWQtYm9zc2llLWxvb2tzLXRvLXRha2Utb3Zlci10aGUtcm5jVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~), he wants the RNC chair for himself. That would be the zenith of his career as a right wing operative and would signal the final and total takeover of the party by Donald Trump. none - Emmanuel Macron flies to Moscow in a last-ditch effort to fend off Ukraine invasion, [NPR](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0Q7aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9saXZlLXVwZGF0ZXMvbW9ybmluZy1lZGl0aW9uLTIwMjItMDItMDdXA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). - Leader of U.K. Labour Party swarmed by protesters, two arrested, [BBC News.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0QtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvbS9uZXdzL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTYwMjk0NDgzVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - Peloton stock soars to new highs — but analysts aren't convinced, [MarketWatch](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0SbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFya2V0d2F0Y2guY29tL3N0b3J5L3BlbG90b24tc3RvY2stcm9ja2V0cy10b3dhcmQtYmlnZ2VzdC1nYWluLW9uLXJlY29yZC1hbWlkLXJlcG9ydGVkLWRlYWwtaW50ZXJlc3QtYnV0LW5vdC1hbGwtYW5hbHlzdHMtYXJlLXNvbGQtMTE2NDQyNTQ3ODhXA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). - "Matrix" producer blames HBO Max for poor box office, [New York Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9ueXBvc3QuY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDcvbWF0cml4LXByb2R1Y2VyLXN1ZXMtd2FybmVyLWJyb3Mtb3Zlci1sb3ctdGlja2V0LXNhbGVzL1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). - Bones of Ice Age mammoth, woolly rhino, hyena uncovered on construction site in England, [LiveScience](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RJaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGl2ZXNjaWVuY2UuY29tL2ljZS1hZ2UtYW5pbWFsLXJlbWFpbnMtZm91bmQtaW4tZGV2b24tZW5nbGFuZFcDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). none none Will Spotify ever dump Joe Rogan, or is this true love? C'mon, we know the answer. After the weekend brought news that the audio streaming platform we all love to hate (but pretty much all use) had deleted a bunch of Joe Rogan's old podcasts over the way-popular host's way-too-frequent use of the N-word (in time-honored "I'm not a racist, but ..." fashion) it seems like Rogan's days at Spotify might be ... oh, who are we kidding. Salon's [Joy Saha has the story](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RHaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDIvMDcvc3BvdGlmeS1qb2Utcm9nYW4tYXJ0aXN0cy1zdWJzY3JpYmVycy9XA3NwY0IKYgFbWwJimNmMwlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), which begins with Rogan's reasonably sincere-sounding (and lengthy!) Instagram apology: "I never used it to be racist because I'm not racist, Rogan said. "But whenever you're in a situation where you have to say, 'I'm not racist,' you've f**ked up. And I clearly have f**ked up."I can't go back in time and change what I've said. I wish I could. Obviously that's not possible," he continued. "But I do hope that this can be a teachable moment for anybody that doesn't realize how offensive that word can be coming out of a white person's mouth in context or out of context. My sincere and humble apologies. I wish there was more that I could say, but all of this is just me talking from the bottom of my heart. It makes me sick watching that video." Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who until this week had embraced Rogan as a friend, [posted a tweet](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9UaGVSb2NrL3N0YXR1cy8xNDg5Nzg0ODk5Mzk3NTcwNTYxVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) saying "I've become educated to [Rogan's] complete narrative" on racial matters and clearly backing away. Has Spotify backed away from Rogan? Um, no. "I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer . . . canceling voices is a slippery slope," CEO Daniel Ek wrote on Sunday. As Saha puts it, "It's clear that Spotify wants to stay in the Rogan business, no matter what he does or says" — even after Variety reports that nearly one-fifth of Spotify subscribers say they've canceled over the Rogan controversy, or intend to. Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, 19801 DE [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmIBW1sCYpjZjMJSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRj5OBZP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpiAVtbAmKY2YzCUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)