So what do we think about the New Yorker article with the Cheverly moms?

[Anonymous]

So leaving aside the fact that I don’t buy for a minute that the GOP is going to meaningfully support families, what do we think about the depiction of Cheverly moms? Are they really raising their kids in an “alternative” way or are they just self-important?


https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/18/the-pro-life-movements-new-playbook

[Anonymous]

I live in the area and I’m politically liberal. There’s an element within the conservative religious politicos out here imo of wanting to use the government to impose religion on other people. But that’s mainly abortion and lgbtq issues. There’s tons of common ground to be found. I don’t think they’re that different from anywhere else, I just think a few churches with a lot of politicos concentrated in a few neighborhoods, and they like to give interviews about it and they are who a political reporter is going to end up talking to. That’s St Jerome’s and the Baptist one in Cheverly. Then St Jerome’s is kind of amplified because the Catholic Church just owns a crap ton of real estate over here on the east side of town. I mean I would love to read a New Yorker article about that.

[Anonymous]

I live in Cheverly and there has been a lot of more conservative families moving into town, many but not all associated with the Cheverly Baptist church, but the population is still overwhelmingly liberal. The Town Council is left of center and there aren't any members that identify as republican.

The conservative families moving to town often have similar stories. They wanted a more "traditional" home life. Stay at home mom, 4 or more kids, house with a yard...and they couldn't afford to do that in the District.
There has always been a large number of catholic families in town but most of them weren't super conservative.
The up side is that this influx of former Hill staffers have increased property values.

Some of the families are wonderful (including the person interviewed in this article), some don't really interact with people outside their church and some are real a$$holes.

[Anonymous]

A five year pool waitlist is chump change.
-Mt Rainier

[Anonymous]

Wow, really fascinating article. Thanks for posting, OP.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why anyone would want to live in Cheverly.The schools are terrible and the lots are tiny.

[Anonymous]

Are the local public schools in the area pretty good? My guess is the Catholic schools are popular, given the large Catholic presence east of town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why anyone would want to live in Cheverly.The schools are terrible and the lots are tiny.

This is what they can afford. Politics pays poorly, unless you run a PAC or are a lobbyist. These are the (rare) folks in national Republican politics who do not have trust funds.

Good for them for living within their means and raising the families they want.

-A Liberal

[Anonymous]

This is probably not a good place to have this discussion, but this article underscores something I've been thinking about quite a bit.

Conservatives are offering community in a way that progressives have not, and that's doubly true for people with young kids.

I've never been more vulnerable to conservative "marketing" as I was as a new mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is probably not a good place to have this discussion, but this article underscores something I've been thinking about quite a bit.

Conservatives are offering community in a way that progressives have not, and that's doubly true for people with young kids.

I've never been more vulnerable to conservative "marketing" as I was as a new mother.

This is so true!

[Anonymous]

I dont understand why the article keeps bringing up Vance and his wife, when they live in........Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand why the article keeps bringing up Vance and his wife, when they live in........Virginia.

Because Vance is the ideological vanguard of this new form of conservativism: opposed to hardnosed anti-family corporations, anti-monopolist, pro-family, wants to extend child tax credit, bonuses for babies, more money spent on childcare, expand Medicaid to pregnant women, paid family leave, school choice (including religious privates & home schooling)....while also stridently anti-abortion.

It has nothing to do with where Vance lives, but what they represents and believe. Let's see if honors his word by getting pro-family legislation across the finish line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are the local public schools in the area pretty good? My guess is the Catholic schools are popular, given the large Catholic presence east of town.

The local elementary school is ok, the middle school is brand new so the jury is out, the local high school mediocre.

Cheverly families generally send their kids to specialty programs or charters within PGCPS or private schools. Our kids did in bounds elementary but went to the specialty programs for middle and high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the local public schools in the area pretty good? My guess is the Catholic schools are popular, given the large Catholic presence east of town.

The local elementary school is ok, the middle school is brand new so the jury is out, the local high school mediocre.

Cheverly families generally send their kids to specialty programs or charters within PGCPS or private schools. Our kids did in bounds elementary but went to the specialty programs for middle and high schools.

And homeschool. There is a big STEM homeschool coop in town which is not religious and there are several homeschool groups in town that are more religious.

TBH many of these conservative families would not want their kids in public schools regardless of where they live. The relatively low housing costs in Cheverly makes that affordable.

[Anonymous]

Cheverly, MD is solidly blue.

https://bestneighborhood.org/conservative-vs-liberal-map-cheverly-md/