Talk Back to Scholar Here... Civil discourse required, but we value clarity over agreement.
If confirmation hearings are about competence, then there is no question The Commissioner should be sent packing.
I will have to check the law carefully, but I am concerned it is just about qualifications. She did go to school a lot.
I regret you see this as a partisan issue. The House republicans certainly did too.
I would hope that Senate Republicans would not play politics with our children and sacrifice them on the already bloody altar of partisanship.
(That is a good line, you have to admit!)
This Commissioner does not have the confidence of Minnesota educators, nor does she have the knowledge or ability to lead. She should go.
"The point is that confirmation hearings are about qualifications and competence, they are not a partisan litmus test (or at least shouldn't be)."
Everyone needs to settle down. The Senate will decide the qualifications, based on the testimony. Yecke's proponents seem eager to assume it's a political decision. Let's wait until AFTER the confirmation decision to play Monday-morning quarterback.
"Commissioner Yecke is well-qualified and should be confirmed."
"Well-qualified" remains to be seen. Take an OBJECTIVE look at Johnson's and Ortman's article (something I believe the authors fail to do). If Yecke is not confirmed, it will be due to a lack of qualification. Just because she has a Ph.D and followed friends to Washington does not make her qualified. I am sure that "who you know" plays as big a part in education as it does in the corporate world.
Commenting by HaloScan
