Susan and Renee discuss their deep-dive into a right-wing legislator's social media and the patterns they noticed. In this candid episode of Advocacy Bites, hosts Renee Sekel and Susan Book take listeners inside what they call the anatomy of a right-wing legislator, not by naming names, but by dissecting the recurring patterns, priorities, and contradictions that show up again and again in state-level politics.

Drawing from an extensive deep dive into a legislator's social media presence, Renee unpacks how Second Amendment absolutism collides with so-called "school safety" policies, exposing the absurd cycle of putting more guns into communities and then demanding millions for armed officers, metal detectors, and security theater in public schools. Susan adds personal perspective on the real harm these policies cause, especially for students with disabilities and other marginalized kids.

The conversation expands into education policy, highlighting performative "pro-education" messaging, school privatization, resistance to teacher pay increases, and the obsession with pork projects and oversized ceremonial checks, funded by taxpayers and used as campaign props. Renee and Susan question what true fiscal responsibility looks like when public schools remain chronically underfunded.

As always, the episode leads back to the courts and the ongoing failure to enforce Leandro v. North Carolina, connecting legislative hostility toward public education with efforts to cap property taxes, weaken county funding, and undermine libraries and other public goods. The hosts explore how these moves are not accidental, but part of a broader strategy to starve public institutions while shifting blame to local governments.

Despite the frustration and righteous anger, the episode closes on a note of hope, reflecting on community, tradition, and the power of collective action to sustain everyday advocates through difficult political moments.

🎧 In this episode, you'll hear about:

Second Amendment absolutism vs. school safety reality
Why armed SROs don't make schools safer
Education privatization and performative advocacy
Pork spending, "big checks," and political theater
Property tax caps, local funding, and the Leandro case
How courts and legislatures enable systemic neglect
Finding hope, community, and resilience in advocacy