Education chief misstates Reagan ‘government help’ line
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona might want to take a refresher course in history.
A newly unearthed clip of Cardona has revealed the Biden Cabinet member shamelessly borrowing — and changing the meaning of — former President Ronald Reagan’s famous attack on big government during a meeting with Western state governors in Wyoming earlier this month.
While riffing about how he wants to make the Department of Education more “accessible” and provide “technical assistance” to states,” Cardona told his audience Nov. 8: “As, I think it was President Reagan, said — ‘We’re from the government, we’re here to help.’”
Cardona briefly paused after the remark and looked around as if he expected laughter, but there was no trace of sarcasm in his voice.
In contrast to Cardona’s endorsement of Washington intervention, Reagan’s original statement from Aug. 12, 1986, was a warning against it.
“I think you all know that I’ve always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help,’” the 40th president told reporters while discoursing on US agriculture policy. “A great many of the current problems on the farm were caused by government-imposed embargoes and inflation, not to mention government’s long history of conflicting and haphazard policies.”
The Education Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether Cardona was joking.
Conservatives and other critics were not amused by the 48-year-old’s comment.
“I actually find it chef’s kiss perfect that the Education Secretary is this ignorant of history,” The Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway wrote on X.
“The ‘education secretary’ misstating a well-known quote regarding bureaucratic incompetence is too on-the-nose even for absurdist fiction. Any good editor would send it back and say, ‘Too much,’” columnist T. Becket Adams wrote.
“Imagine how little exposure to conservative ideas one would have to have while garnering various college degrees to possibly make this mistake,” added columnist David Marcus.
“When the people responsible for teaching history don’t know history,” groused BASEDPolitics co-founder Hannah Cox said.
“I am screaming!!!!” posted Post reporter Jon Levine.
“I think it was Orwell who said, ‘We’re like a big brother. We’re here to watch over you,’” tweeted Reason magazine’s Jesse Walker, referencing the British author’s most famous work, “1984.”
Cardona was confirmed as education secretary in March 2021.
He previously worked as a fourth-grade teacher in his hometown of Meriden, Conn. before rising through the ranks to elementary school principal, assistant superintendent, and commissioner of education in the Constitution State.
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