Ill-Chosen Words—or Excess Candor?

Politician hit with backlash over his remarks on charters.

Ever wonder what a politician really thinks, when the prepared remarks are put aside, the cameras turned off, and no one but a trusted friend or colleague is (apparently) listening? Colorado residents recently got a taste, it seems, of such candor from the now former chairman of the state House’s education committee.

In a private e-mail that eventually found its way into the public domain, Democratic Rep. Michael Merrifield wrote: “There must be a special place in Hell for these Privatizers, Charterizers, and...