NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday could have also been titled Wishful Thinking Saturday, as they touted "The waning influence of Moms for Liberty." NPR anchor Scott Simon began: "The right-wing group Moms for Liberty has been a force in clashes over what public schools can teach or not about sexuality and race, but its influence may be on the wane."
NPR reporter Jim Zarroli chronicled the heroic liberal activists in their story, starting with Karen Svoboda in Dutchess County, New York. She founded an opposing group called Defense of Democracy. Conservatives might joke it's Defense of Depravity, since both women are activists on the LGBTQ beat. NPR turned to another leftist group for "classification."
ZARROLI: The Southern Poverty Law Center has called Moms for Liberty a hate group. It supports efforts to oppose pandemic restrictions, suppress discussion of LGBTQ issues and remove books in local schools across the country. Many of the comments Svoboda read attacked her local school's teachings on gender and racial equity issues. One post in particular bothered Svoboda, who has gay and nonbinary kids in her family. It said a gay students group at the high school was indoctrinating students.
Then he turned to an academic expert, without explaining his leftist tilt:
ZARROLI: Political scientist Maurice Cunningham says the group appeals to people who feel disenfranchised from politics.
MAURICE CUNNINGHAM: And that may be more potent in blue areas where very conservative people may feel like they don't have a way to fight back. And Moms for Liberty gives them one.
Cunningham is a fervent opponent of the group NPR's attacking. He calls it "right wing tyranny." Zarroli explained that Svoboda's group is "part of a nationwide grassroots counteroffensive against conservative efforts targeting schools. Katie Paris, who founded a network of liberal suburban women called Red Wine and Blue, says the culture warriors running for school board in many places are out of step with most voters."
Paris claimed "They don't represent the majority, but they are very loud, and their views are very extreme. And we have seen what can happen when just a few people start to sow chaos in any individual school district."
On taxpayer-funded NPR, only the conservatives are "very extreme." The ones that champion amputation surgeries for middle-schoolers are the "normal" people. When they win, it's democracy. When anyone opposes them, it's "sowing chaos."
Zarroli naturally let Svoboda claim she got death threats on the phone (helps with the "hate group" spin). This was the oddest line. Zarroli said the group Defense of Democracy "lost some battles. Her group tried and failed to get Moms for Liberty barred from a local community day parade." Does that compute? The "democracy" group wanted to ban the conservatives from a parade?
The Dutchess County Moms for Liberty chapter didn't respond to NPR interview requests -- they knew the questions might be beanballs. NPR did locate former state assemblyman Kieran Lalor, a Republican, who "insists that many local parents share the group's views."
KIERAN LALOR: You need a club for sexuality in your high school, sponsored by the school? I don't know. That doesn't really reflect the values of this community, but it's there.
Zarroli concluded: "But in last week's elections, candidates Moms for Liberty endorsed lost numerous high-profile races. The group points out that some 40% of its endorsed candidates did win, which it says is not bad considering that many were running for the first time. And it's already preparing for next year's elections. But it will do so facing an energized and growing grassroots opposition."
NPR touts "energized and growing grassroots opposition" and conservative groups with "waning influence." There's a word for this: cheerleading.
PS: Here's a YouTube ad for Red Wine and Blue:
And here's one for Defense of Democracy:
