Why did Nick Pardue present political rhetoric as ‘history’ at last night’s MVUSD school board meeting

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When Murrieta Valley School District Board President Nick Pardue cited the so-called “45 Communist Goals” as “history” during Tuesday night's MVUSD school board meeting, he wasn’t just making a casual error — he was peddling a decades-old piece of political fiction as fact. 

This isn’t a matter of differing interpretations; it’s a matter of documented truth versus ideological invention.

And why did he tell this fable to Murrietans? To justify voting against $800,000 in funding for mental health programs for the school district.

“You know there was an American communist party, you guys might not have known this,” Pardue said. “And they had a list of goals, you can go online and look it up, ‘cuz I did. And this was the communist goals, back in the day. Right, so this is just a history lesson.”

Pardue went on to read selected excerpts from the “45 Communist Goals,” written by far-right Canadian conservative author W. Cleon Skousen.

W. Cleon Skousen, the man behind “The Naked Communist,” compiled this list — not Karl Marx, not Lenin, not any Communist Party operative. Skousen was a Canadian-born conservative nationalist closely associated with the John Birch Society, an ultraconservative, far-right organization infamous for promoting fringe political theories. 

The “45 Communist Goals” is not a historic document authored by communists; it is Skousen’s distillation of what he claimed were communist aims, drawn from his interpretations of more than a hundred books and treatises — filtered through his worldview, not through objective historical consensus.

The list has no official source in communist or Marxist literature. It is not a party platform, not a manifesto, not even a pamphlet from a legitimate communist organization. 

In fact, Skousen’s work has been criticized for promoting extreme views, including a 1987 claim in another book that “American slave children were freer than white non-slaves.” That alone should prompt anyone with a genuine respect for historical accuracy to approach his writings with skepticism, not reverence.

By framing the “45 Communist Goals” as historic fact, Pardue misleads the public — and worse, undermines trust in the school board’s commitment to teaching real history grounded in evidence. 

And make no mistake: by referencing these alleged “goals” in the first place, Pardue is not engaging in a neutral history lesson. He is using this list as a political cudgel to attack policies enacted in Sacramento by California’s state government, painting them as part of some alleged communist infiltration rather than addressing them on their actual merits. 

It’s a tactic meant to inflame, not to inform. 

History is a discipline built on documented sources, verifiable records, and credible scholarship. Claims, no matter how loudly or frequently repeated, do not become history simply by declaring them so. 

Pardue’s self-professed enthusiasm for history rings hollow if he cannot distinguish between an ideologically motivated interpretation and an actual historical record.

The role of a school board president is to safeguard educational integrity, not substitute partisan talking points for authentic scholarship. Murrieta Valley students — and their parents — deserve a leader who can tell the difference. 

For those worried about ‘communist indoctrination’ in our schools, California has prohibited advocacy or indoctrination of communism in public education since 1976 (Ed Code § 51530). This might be news to Pardue, who continues to spread disinformation on the topic.

If Pardue wishes to inspire confidence in the district’s historical instruction, he should start by acknowledging the truth: The “45 Communist Goals” is not history. It is a political artifact of the far-right, not a factual roadmap from communists themselves. 

And in a time when misinformation already runs rampant, our children’s classrooms should be protected from such distortions — not legitimized by those in charge.

Pardue knew on Tuesday night that what he attempted to present as historical was, in fact, fiction or opinion, and chose to present it anyway to further his political rhetoric attack.

Or he didn’t know — which is even more concerning from a high school educator.