Many ‘Conservative’ Politicians Are Cowards – Why?

Conservative politicians talk a good game while they are running for office, but after the election they often undergo a “spinalectomy” where their backbone is removed and held in a secure location until the next election rolls around.

Why are our comb-over conservatives so timid?

The answer is there is a difference between grappling with straw men during the campaign and fighting entrenched interests once the politician is in office.

It’s easy to fight “waste, fraud, and abuse” on the campaign trail.

Trying to cut the budget of the fraudsters or incompetents after the election always means a fight.

These glad-handers simply aren’t up to it.

Oklahoma State School Superintendent Ryan Walters is different.

He fights the most entrenched leftist bureaucracy in the country: The people running government schools. And this is true even in Red states.

Government (public) schools are a blue, leftist beachhead in the reddest of states.

We wrote about Walters earlier this summer.

After the failed assassination attempt on former-President Donald Trump, a beyond-left Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporter in the Ardmore public schools wished the shooter “had a better scope.”

When Ardmore residents complained, the school district issued the usual bureaucratic CYA PR–speak, “The district has begun a thorough and swift investigation into the matter. At this time, the district cannot comment on what actions, if any, it will take as this is an ongoing personnel matter.”

It was obvious to us that district headquarters intended to kick this particular can as far down the road as possible, hoping the controversy will eventually die down, so the school district can return to whining about not having enough money.

Walters announced his office would be investigating also.

After only two days passed, Walters announced he’s revoking Alison Scott’s Sooner State teaching certificate. Please read the complete column here.

And take it to the bank, Walters has been busy on other (war) fronts.

Fox News reports, “Oklahoma State School Superintendent Ryan Walters [said] that his [office] would be enacting new policies to allow students to show their patriotism after an Oklahoma high school student was forced to remove an American flag from his truck by school staff earlier this month.”

“Walters also said that the state’s schools are ‘redeveloping our social studies standards to get more of an understanding of the American founding.’

“We need more patriotism. We’ve seen our schools become leftist indoctrination mills pushing hatred for country. That’s not going to happen in Oklahoma,’ he declared.”

Those instances are small potatoes compared to Walters’ latest initiative.

“The superintendent issued a memo to state schools in June directing them to incorporate the Bible and Ten Commandments into their curricula for grades 5-10, primarily for historical context.”

As late as 2007 that would not have been a controversial directive.

The Rev. Jerry Newcombe reminds us that in 2007 Time magazine had a cover story that asserted, “Should the Holy Book be on the public menu? Yes. It’s the bedrock of Western culture. And it’s constitutional — as long as we teach but don’t preach it.

“Simply put, the Bible is the most influential book ever written. Not only is the Bible the best-selling book of all time, it’s the best-selling book of the year every year.”

Even noted atheist and cultural hero Richard Dawkins said, “The King James Bible of 1611 — the Authorized Version — includes passages of outstanding literary merit in its own right, for example the Song of Songs, and the sublime Ecclesiastes (which I am told is pretty good in the original Hebrew too).

“But the main reason the English Bible needs to be part of our education is that is a major source book for literary culture.”

That is not the way Walters’ order is being greeted in 2024.

The superintendent of the Bixby school district, located in a Tulsa, Oklahoma suburb, has put $12 million into upgrading his football stadium, but doesn’t plan on spending a dime to upgrade his curriculum to include the Bible.

He told the AP, “If there is no curricular standard that ties with that particular classroom, what would be the purpose of a Bible if not for pure indoctrination?”

Walters is undeterred, “‘These are the districts that want pornography in front of kids under the name of inclusivity, but don’t want the historical context of the Bible,’ Walters said, referring to a failed effort by his education department to force a local district to remove the books “The Kite Runner” and “The Glass Castle” from library shelves because of sexual content.

“‘It’s outrageous. We will not allow it. Just because they don’t like it, just because they’re offended by it, just because they don’t want to do it doesn’t mean that they won’t do it. They will be held accountable.’”

Walters’ reward for fighting the left’s control of the culture?

Republicans in the state legislature who are evidently controlled by Oklahoma’s “educrat- borg” have joined with Democrat members and are trying to get Walters impeached.

And that’s why “conservative” campaigners stop fighting after the election.

They don’t have the stomach for confronting the entrenched left, the left-camp-controlled media, and weak Republicans who won’t support them in the legislature.

The job of conservative voters is to pay attention to primary contests and stop re-electing spineless, posturing politicians.

Defeat them and send reinforcements to help courageous, principled conservatives like Ryan Walters.

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read Michael Reagan’s Reports — More Here.

Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of “Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now With Added Humor!)” Read Michael Shannon’s Reports — More Here.

© Mike Reagan