WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): As a variety of bills move forward in the Tennessee General Assembly, local ballots are shaping up. With us again is political analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you, Chris. Good to be with you.
BLANK: Otis, before we talk about legislation, Memphis State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, who has been in office since 2013, appears to have failed to get on the ballot in his district, meaning there's no candidate running for office there at this moment. He is well known, he gets things done for Democrats. What happened here?
SANFORD: I was told by some knowledgeable sources that he just failed to have the requisite 25 signatures. He was one short. So he may be able to appeal, but if the appeal is not successful, he'll have to do a write-in campaign. He could probably get enough votes. It's a strange thing though. For an incumbent to do this, it's kind of strange.
BLANK: Well, education issues have been important to lawmakers this year from every angle. But one that really stands out is the effort by Republicans to spread Christianity in schools. We've seen bills to put more voucher money into private Christian schools, bills that would put the Ten Commandments into classrooms, another that would require Christian religious promotion in American history classes. Otis, why is proselytizing so trendy with Republican lawmakers this session?
SANFORD: Apparently, they think that conservative Republicans are the only ones who have a market on Christianity. Hey, look, let me just say straight up: I'm a Christian. That's my faith. But this is discriminatory against other faiths. But it's just something that the Republicans think is a political winner for them.
BLANK: Well, state lawmakers also want to get more right-wing talking points on campuses. And the name Charlie Kirk keeps coming up in bills that would help do that. One early proposal was to force every college and university to name a prominent area of campus after him. They said this celebrates the First Amendment. Of course, the same lawmakers are trying to ban pride flags from those same campuses. Lawmakers are proposing an annual day in Kirk's honor every September and they want to have Kirk's viewpoints taught in classrooms. Otis, I'm not sure how Charlie Kirk warrants a lesson plan in Tennessee schools, but maybe you can help me.
SANFORD: I cannot help you at all on this one, Chris. This is unbelievable that Republicans in this state are trying to deify Charlie Kirk the way they are, a guy who didn't live here, and quite frankly, espoused a lot of racist and intolerant views. And we know how Charlie Kirk felt about equal opportunity for African-Americans. He repeatedly denigrated African-Americans, questioned Martin Luther King's credibility, and we're going to honor him like this? It is a ridiculous thing, but again, it's another one of those Republican movements that they think will get them votes.
BLANK: Well, we could have a whole conversation about education bills this year from vouchers to the state takeover at Memphis-Shelby County Schools. But let's talk for just a second about Civics.
SANFORD: Okay.
BLANK: Previously, Otis, I emailed you an example of the civics test that immigrants have to take to get citizenship.
SANFORD: You did.
BLANK: A lot of questions about how government works. Were there any stumpers for you on that test?
SANFORD: I think I knew most of them. But yeah, there were three or four that I would have had to think about before giving an answer. For example, I'm not sure I knew why members of the U.S. House of Representatives have shorter terms than than senators off the top of my head. I couldn't remember why that was the case. And I'm sure that any immigrant who is trying to gain citizenship would stumble on a lot of these questions, Chris.
BLANK: Well, state lawmakers have discussed making this Civics test a requirement for a teaching license in Tennessee. Now, I'm in favor of making everybody pass a Civics exam every year, but I suppose that could get very expensive. But say I'm a math teacher. Why is it so important to lawmakers that I can explain the Federalist papers to my students?
SANFORD: I don't think anybody in the legislature can effectively answer that question for you, because I know I can't. I mean, what if I'm an auto mechanics teacher in a vocational school. Why do I need to know some of these questions? And I went through all 128 questions. And while I know most of them, it is totally useless to try to force somebody, in order to get a teacher's license, to answer those questions. I just think it's very subjective, it's unnecessary. And yes, people should know Civics. There's no question about that. But we know a lot of people don't. So, while we should be teaching more Civics in school, let's not have it as a litmus test the way they're planning to do it for pretty much everything that comes down the pike.
