Makers Quote by David Brooks
“The teachers union may not like Betsy DeVos, but she's clearly within the range of Republican policy-makers.”
About This Quote
Source Opinion piece: New York Times, "The Education Debate", 2020
The teachers union opposes DeVos, yet her policies align with mainstream Republican ideas.
In simple terms: Union dislikes DeVos but she fits GOP.
Key Takeaway
Assess policy beyond rhetoric.
Themes
politics
education
partisan dynamics
Mood
critical
balanced
Type
political
analytical
When to use this quote
- school board meetings
- public debates
- policy reviews
Key Concepts
union vs administration
policy analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- What policies matter most?
- How to bridge union‑admin gaps?
A Different Perspective
Political labels can oversimplify complex positions.
![“[Betsy DeVos] is quite a smart person, capable, pretty sophisticated in subtle thought. And so to me, that puts her in the realm of policy. But we're in a climate where, as today, she tries to visit a school, and she can't even do that because protesters are blocking that.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/886/david-brooks-644_block_betsy-devos-is-quite-a-smart-person-capa_1834524.jpg)
![“Would [Betsy DeVos] be my first pick? No. Is she someone who has dedicated her life to education policy? Yes, actually, she has.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0af/david-brooks-644_dedicated_would-betsy-devos-be-my-first-pick-no-is_2972455.jpg)
![“Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, calls [Betsy] DeVos the most ideological, anti-public education nominee since the creation of the U.S. Department of Education nearly 40 years ago.” quote by Claudio Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ea0/claudio-sanchez-35119_creation_randi-weingarten-head-of-the-american-fe_59388.jpg)
![“I have seen [Betsy DeVos] present a few times. I don't really know her. But I have seen her present on education policy, and she's not a stupid person.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9bb/david-brooks-644_education_i-have-seen-betsy-devos-present-a-few-ti_431069.jpg)
![“[Betsy DeVos] does care about charter schools, which are public schools. She does care about choice, which is a perfectly legitimate thing to care about. It's because it's the one issue where the Democratic donor base was really energized, which was the teacher unions.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d8e/david-brooks-644_care_betsy-devos-does-care-about-charter-scho_1106776.jpg)
![“[The Massachusetts constitution] resembles the federal Constitution of 1787 more closely than any of the other revolutionary state constitutions. It was also drawn up by a special convention, and it provided for popular ratification - practices that were followed by the drafters of the federal…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ebc/gordon-s-wood-13199_constitution_the-massachusetts-constitution-resembles_34263.jpg)