KAROL MARKOWICZ: Quit gaslighting us — elite groupthink drove the COVID disaster.
Toward the end of President Trump’s first term, groupthink on the left had become overwhelming, as virtue-signalers policed one another to make sure no one stepped out of line.
The COVID era collided with cancel culture and created a uniquely poisonous herd mentality.
In his new book “Abundance of Caution,” David Zweig lays out how one narrative developed to enforce the liberal line on COVID policies.
On June 29, 2020, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement to support reopening schools in the fall. The group “strongly advocate[d] that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”
But when conservatives cheered, the AAP realized that opening schools was becoming a Republican-coded ideal — and, to its horror, Trump started citing the AAP statement to push local political officials into following its recommendation.
Just two weeks later, on July 10, the AAP issued a coded about-face: “Public health agencies must make recommendations based on evidence, not politics.”
That statement was joined by three powerful special-interest groups that don’t normally act in concert with the AAP — Weingarten’s AFT, the National Education Association, and the School Superintendents Association.
Which is why earlier this week, Weingarten tried to deflect from her central role in keeping schools closed with a massive case of smug condescension: ‘Don’t Call Me Sweetheart:’ Martha MacCallum Blasts Teachers’ Boss Randi Weingarten Over Sexist Comment.
Fox News host Martha MacCallum blasted teachers’ union boss Randi Weingarten for the sexist comment she made to the anchor, calling her “sweetheart” several times.
During Tuesday’s “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” the host was talking to Weingarten about the major parental rights case being heard in the United States Supreme Court against the Maryland public school system that forces students to participate in “instruction” that includes LGBTQ readings and other LGBTQ-themed “education.”
“Martha, Martha, Martha, sweetheart, sweetheart, listen to me,” the teachers’ union boss said when MacCallum was winning the argument against the LGBTQ push by teachers in schools.
“Please, don’t call me sweetheart,” MacCallum interjected, as she shook her head and looked down furiously.
Flashback: The Smug Liars’ “Screw-You” Party.