English Teacher Turned Congressman Dusts Off Red Pen, Grades Majority Leader McConnell’s Op-ed on GOP Tax Bill
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Mark Takano, an English teacher for more than two decades, dusted off his red pen today to grade Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s op-ed on the Senate Republican tax bill, which was published in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend.
The final grade: “F.”
In his edits, Rep. Takano identifies several flaws in the substance and style of Mr. McConnell’s prose and reminds the Senate majority leader of previous discussions about waiting until the last minute to write major pieces of legislation.
“I thought we agreed you can’t keep doing this last minute,” Rep. Takano wrote alongside the failing grade. He concludes his edits by warning Mr. McConnell of other potentially problematic subjects. “When we are done discussing your writing, please see your math teacher,” Rep. Takano advises. “I fear you are at risk of failing both subjects.”
Rep. Takano – who taught in Southern California public schools from 1988 to 2012 – first used his red pen in 2013 on a letter written by then-Congressman Bill Cassidy regarding immigration policy. Two years later, he edited an op-ed published by Sen. Marco Rubio on Net Neutrality.
A full copy of the letter is available here.
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