Yesterday afternoon, Oklahoma Senate leadership – a.k.a. Republicans – announced they will not hear SJR 20 – a bipartisan Senate resolution that would have rejected the new batshit crazy social studies standards whipped up by Ryan Walters.
They did this because either A) they're spineless cowards who are too afraid to cross Ryan Walters and his crazy Moms for Liberty MAGA fringe, or B) they belong to that fringe.
Via KFOR:
Oklahoma Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) said the Senate would not consider a joint resolution against the new social studies guidelines by the May 1st deadline.
Paxton, along with Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond), filed SJR 20 last week. It asked lawmakers to take a second look at social studies standards, approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. It also questioned the $33 million price tag for taxpayers for new textbooks and the lack of transparency on the approval process of the new guidelines…
Paxton sent News 4 a statement Tuesday about why his resolution was not heard.
“Following a lengthy conversation Monday, the caucus was not on board with rejecting the standards based on the process by which they were presented to the board of education.”
Yeah. I guess that’s not a surprise.
Oklahoma lawmakers have had multiple opportunities over the years to go after Ryan Walters, hold him accountable, and possibly force him out of office—but why would they want to do that?