Repealing “Obama Core”: How Bipartisan Solutions are Undone by Activist Revolts

In this chapter, I adopt a multi-method approach to study thelegislative consequences of nationalization. The chapter takes a closer look at the politics of education, the book's second casestudy, to examine how members of Congress lead or obstruct legislative action in response to the pressures of policy activists.Like criminal justice, education policy is squarely within the purview of state policymakers, but is increasingly the terrain onwhich national political debates are fought. To that end, the chapter details how organized interest groups and engaged “local”activists drove a swift reversal on whether to adopt the Common Core curriculum standards. Initially championed by statesrights advocates, the standards were later dubbed “Obama Core” by conservative activists hostile toward the nationalgovernment. Backlash to the initiative reveals how members of Congress cautiously approach policymaking amid nationalizedpolitics. The struggle to “repeal” Common Core further demonstrates how members of Congress are often propelled to engagein obstructionism and gate-keeping to satisfy policy-demanders.