Opinion: The Wasserman Schultz Double Standard

By Deneen Borelli

Remember the controversy over that conservative congressman’s remark that any toddler who isn’t in school will likely end up in jail? Remember the liberal acrimony over this obviously racist insinuation that black kids can either shape up or be shipped off to prison?

Of course not. That’s made up. Had it happened, one would have had to live on the moon not to have heard about it.

But the insinuation was made — just not by a conservative. On March 3, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schulz (D-FL) took to the floor of the House to promote “how vital early education is in the development of children” and “how 50 years of solid research has shown that early education reduces crime.”

Since Wasserman Schultz was complaining about Republican legislation she alleged would cut early education funding, and since the National Center for Children in Poverty estimates that 34 percent of black children live in “poor families” (compared to just 10 percent of white children), she must have meant that, without federal aid, black kids are likely to turn into criminals.

Yet there was no outcry. In fact, President Obama selected her to run the Democratic National Committee about a month later.

There’s a definite liberal-conservative double standard when it comes to race and politics, and Wasserman Schultz should be the poster child for the problem.