Jennings LAYS Into Weingarten on CNN for Pandemic School Closings

April 27th, 2023 11:58 PM

On Thursday’s edition of CNN Tonight, GOP strategist and CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings spoke for millions of frustrated parents when he tore into the corrupt American Federation of Teachers union president Randi Weingarten for her lack of remorse regarding the irreversible damage school closures did to school children across America during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weingarten obviously only cared about the wellbeing of her union, not children since even while Jennings laid into her on national television, she sat there stonefaced. 

Jennings was but one of the assembled panelists who each had a turn to question Weingarten. When it was Jennings' turn, it was game on. "Speaking on behalf of millions of American parents, I have four at home. I had to teach them at home. My wife had to teach them at home. I am stunned at what you have said this week about your claiming to have wanted to reopen schools," Jennings said with indignation. 

 

 

 

Tearing into the soulless union boss, Jennings sent her a message on behalf of all the parents with school-age children who had suffered because of her: "I think you'll find that most parents believe you are the tip of the spear of school closures. There are numerous statements you made over the summer of '20 scaring people to death about the possibility of opening schools. And I hear no remorse whatsoever about the generational damage that's been done to these kids." 

With emotion in his voice, Jennings explained to her how her school closures have personally affected him and his own children:

I have two kids with learning differences. Do you know how hard it is for them to learn at home and not in a classroom that was designed for them? And for you to sit in front of Congress and the American people and say, oh, I wanted to open up them the whole time, I—I am shocked. I'm stunned. I'm stunned. And there are millions of parents who feel the exact same way. 

When Jennings was done, Weingarten lied through her teeth about wanting to reopen schools. "I knew and understood the importance of reopening schools and the importance of making sure that people were safe. And poll after poll that we did of parents—and I spent a lot of time with parents—said that they basically understood and supported that we needed to do both," she asserted,

Anyone who was sentient during the 2020 pandemic, knows what she said is obviously false. Here's one example of Weingarten cheering a court blocking Florida from reopening their schools: 

Jennings is a smart man and wasn't born yesterday. So naturally, he jumped in after she doubled down and said "nobody wanted to keep the kids at home."

He then ended by asking her: "Why did we fail? How did Europe and the rest of the civilized world get this right and we failed?"  

This CNN segment was made possible by Lincoln. Their information is linked. 

To read the transcript click "expand": 

CNN Tonight
4/27/2023
10:26:23 p.m. Eastern 

SCOTT JENNINGS: Yeah. We don't know each other. But speaking on behalf of millions of American parents, I have four at home. I had to teach them at home. My wife had to teach them at home. I am stunned at what you have said this week about your claiming to have wanted to reopen schools. I think you'll find that most parents believe you are the tip of the spear of school closures. There are numerous statements you made over the summer of '20 scaring people to death about the possibility of opening schools. And I hear no remorse whatsoever about the generational damage that's been done to these kids. I have two kids with learning differences. Do you know how hard it is for them to learn at home and not in a classroom that was designed for them? And for you to sit in front of Congress and the American people and say, oh, I wanted to open up them the whole time, I—I am shocked. I'm stunned. I'm stunned. And there are millions of parents who feel the exact same way. 

ALISYN CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Randi. 

RANDI WEINGARTEN: So, I don't know you, sir, and you don't know me. But I have worked for the last 20 or 30 years helping kids every single day. I have been a schoolteacher. I've been a union leader. I knew and understood the importance of reopening schools and the importance of making sure that people were safe. And poll after poll that we did of parents—and I spent a lot of time with parents—said that they basically understood and supported that we needed to do both. I'm really sorry about this— 

JENNINGS: You think parents wanted to keep the kids— 

WEINGARTEN: Nobody wanted to keep the kids at home. 

[crosstalk]

JENNINGS: Why did we fail? How did Europe and the rest of the civilized world get this right and we failed? 

WEINGARTEN: They had 

JENNINGS: How did that happen? 

WEINGARTEN: The schools in Europe that opened sooner than we did -- and most of them did -- had the mitigating circum— had the mitigating strategies that we were just talking about. And it wasn't negotiable. It wasn't, oh, well, it's inconvenient to have six feet or it's inconvenient to have masks. They had these things. And the other thing they did -- and I don't know if it was right or wrong. The other thing they did is they prioritized schools over commerce. They prioritized schools over bars and restaurants and things like that. They did.