Republicans Turn Shooting in DC Into an Attack on Douglas County Teachers

On its Facebook page over the weekend, the Douglas County Republican Party tried to take political advantage of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner by warning that Douglas County teachers, like the shooter, are potentially dangerous — and “parents should never be told to just trust the system.”

Why?

Because 1) the suspect who appears to have been trying to shoot Trump or others was an educator, and 2) Dougco teachers allegedly “bring their beliefs to the classroom.”

“The suspect has been identified as Cole Allen, once a part-time teacher and a tutor who was even named ‘Teacher of the Month,” wrote Douglas County Republicans on Facebook Saturday night. “Let that sink in. Someone trusted. Someone working with students. Someone recognized and praised.

“We see this here in Douglas County, where teachers bring their beliefs into the classroom. This is why parents should never be told to just trust the system.”

George Jackson, the 1st vice chair of the Douglas County Democrats, responded by saying that Dougco teachers are professionals.

“DougCo teachers, like any professional, bring their personal values with them wherever they go,” wrote Jackson via email. “However, that does not mean they teach those beliefs to their students. The teachers I know clearly understand that their role is to teach the curriculum rather than personal values, regardless of their political leanings.”

The shooter was a tutor and received the Teacher of the Month award from the company he worked for.

Comments beneath the Douglas County Republicans’ Facebook post illustrate the polarized politics of the country, with some commenters expressing support for the GOP sentiment and others denouncing it.

“So you turn this into an excuse to bash teachers,” wrote one commenter. “Maybe the right should look at their interpretation of the 2nd amendment.”

“That right there is why my kids attend private school,” wrote another.

Longtime GOP consultant Sean Tonner shared the Dougco Republican post to another private GOP Facebook group, Colorado Republicans.