Thursday, July 09, 2009

Cynthia Dunbar to Governor Perry: No Thanks Rick

I love irony.

And in the story that appeared at the Fort Bend Herald’s website, I find irony oozing out of my keyboard.

Cynthia Dunbar, Texas State Board of Education Member from District 10, my district, was recently in the news when her name came up as a proposed replacement for rejected SBOE Chairman Don McLeroy.

I know, I missed it too. The story was “Michaeled” and “Palinized.”

But now it appears that she doesn’t want the appointment. That she is “seriously hesitant” about receiving the appointment.

But that’s not the irony. Oh no, that’s not even close to ironic. The irony is her stated reason why she doesn’t want the job.

From an email sent to the Fort Bend Herald:

“‘I would have to cease making and arguing motions in order to sit as chair,’ Dunbar said in an e-mail response to questions Thursday. ‘This is a vitally important activity and something at which I have been very effective. Numerous substantive actions have been taken by the board based upon my motions and I would be forced to play a less active and less vocal role if I were to serve as chair.’”

There, do you see it? Do you see how flighty this bird is?

Don McLeroy, as unconfirmed chairman of the State Board of Education virtually drove the conversation in the recent Science TEKS brouhaha. He set the agenda. He was the most active participant in the board’s decisions.

And by far the most vocal.

So all of those arguments, that being a mere board Member is far more vitally important than being its chairman is specious reasoning. The irony is all the reasons she gives for not wanting the appointment are reasons she should take it. It is one great big bully pulpit.

No, here is the real reason Dunbar doesn’t want the job.

The Senate would have to confirm her in 2011. And we all know what the State Senate thinks of religious nutjobs who try to push their personal religion on Texas public school children. As a mere Member, the Senate does nothing with her position, as chairman, they confirm the appointment.

Something we all know, as does Cynthia Dunbar, they would never do.

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