The Democrats' deception on critical race theory

Karine Jean-Pierre.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

After Republicans swept all the statewide offices in bluish Virginia with a successful campaign that partially turned on critical race theory in public schools, Democrats are gravitating toward a response: There is either no such thing as critical race theory or it's not being taught in public schools.

This argument has made it all the way to the White House briefing room. "We need to be honest here about what's going on," Karine Jean-Pierre, President Biden's deputy press secretary, said from the podium. "Republicans are lying. They are not being honest. They are not being truthful about where we stand. And they're cynically trying to use our kids as a political football." Reporter April Ryan summarized the objections to critical race theory as "not wanting to hurt white people, white children because of facts."

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W. James Antle III

W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.