Yes, Virginia, there is an election

by | Oct 29, 2021 | Editor's Blog | 8 comments

I’ve been watching the Virginia governor’s race out of the corner of my eye. I haven’t been paying too much attention, but it’s hard to escape it with my Twitter feed. What I’ve seen has been ugly and misguided. Terry McAuliffe is trying desperately to make Glenn Youngkin a Trump clone. Youngkin is making the race about the direction of the public schools, in particular, who controls them and what will be taught. 

McAuliffe’s problem is that Youngkin doesn’t look or sound like Donald Trump. He’s not brash and doesn’t use the divisive, threatening language of the Trumpists. He looks a lot more like a traditional country club Republican. 

I think McAullife and the Democrats are running the wrong campaign. They shouldn’t be running against Trump and Trumpism. They should be running against the January 6 insurrection and the lack of accountability. Youngkin’s not Donald Trump. He’s Lindsey Graham. He’s Mitch McConnell. He’s another guy who would turn his back on any accountability for those who would attack and vandalize the Capitol. Like McConnell, Graham, and a host of other Republicans, he’s an apologist for extremism who will put politics before patriotism every time.

That’s the message that should have been running all year. Regardless of whether or not people agree with the policies of Trump, they almost certainly disagree with attacking the Capitol. Republicans who say we should move on should be saying it against a backdrop of non-stop videos of Capitol police being attacked and attackers euphorically claiming they are taking over.

Youngkin is talking about things that matter to families in the middle—schools. He’s denouncing Critical Race Theory to fire up the base and he’s hammered McAuliffe’s gaffe that parents shouldn’t dictate what’s being taught in schools. McAuliffe, of course, is right, but that doesn’t mean his statement is good politics. Youngkin is also siding with parents who don’t want masks in schools. Whether people agree with him or not, Youngkin has successfully painted himself as on the side of parents while McAuliffe is on the side of the education bureaucracy. In a world with no gray areas, Youngkin is probably on the right side the debate to win people in middle.

McAuliffe may still pull out a win. Virginia has been trending blue for more than a decade now, but the campaign he’s running looks tired from down here. He looks like just another politician talking about Donald Trump, a guy most people are trying to forget, while Youngkin looks more like a fresh face than the former president. Attacks need to ring true. Whether Youngkin is Trumpy or not, he doesn’t look or sound that way except on a few issues to keep his base engaged.  

8 Comments

  1. cocodog

    IIs there a difference between hate and anger? Some have suggested there is a big difference. You hate someone because of what they are, and you are angry at someone because of what they did. For example, a person can be angry at a school board because they enforce common sense mask measures to prevent the spread of a deadly disease. (COVID to date has killed over 700,000 of your fellow Americans ) It would stand to reason; measures should be employed to prevent further deaths.

    Another factor in this “hate” scenario is lack of specificity. To say you hate the school board as they are not responsive to parents’ wishes is not logical. Some parents are perfectly happy with teachers, staff and students wearing masks. They are aware how the virus spreads and understand vaccinations reduce the impact of the disease on themselves, their family and community. If you are a parent and wish your child to endanger himself or herself and others by not being vaccinated and wearing a mask, you are endangering that child’s life. Fortunately, society has passed laws to deal with such behavior. It would appear, the Democrat running for Governor of Arizona accepts the rational approach. This may have a dynamic effect at the polls. “We will see”!

    • cocodog

      Correction: Gov. of Virginia!

  2. Phoenix

    I have family in the area of NOVA and McAuliffe is HATED there. CRT despised, and the arrogance of and lack of accountability of school boards appalling. Loudoun had the best schools nationwide, when run by republicans. Democrats were barely in charge and now its a mess. ON PURPOSE because no one is that bad on accident. Parents are not stupid in Loudoun even if the haughty school board thinks they are. They weren’t paying attention Now they are. Too bad so sad for progressives.

    democrats have good ideas and many times their heart is in the right place ( unless a progressive who are completely heartless) but its pretty clear EVERYWHERE you look nationwide (New York, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Portland, LA, Sanfrancisco, Oakland, Houston, Saint Louis, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark) and on and on.

    They simply cannot be trusted with anything important. Despite their earnest efforts they are incapable of running anything of significance.

    Democrats in NOVA have gone too far, they have the nerve to say the silent part (and show their disdain for the taxpayer) out loud and for all to see. Covering up rape? Really? Sheesh

    They are counting NOVA first in this election so they will be in before anyone else. this is a good move since it will be there that any magic votes that ol terry ( really is he the best the dems could do? an old bad retread?) needs to win. Now hopefully its not possible. Everyone knows that with the democrats the cemataries vote.

    Ol terry is a scumbag and his ideals and ideas are bankrupt. I hope he loses. and that loss sends every progressive and liberal into the political wilderness for 100 years.

    We all could use some peace from their constant screaming and feigned outrage at everything all the time.

    We’ll see soon.

  3. cocodog

    The schools have become a hot bed of issues in the upcoming elections. For the Republicans, the schools are a way of firing up many ill-informed voters and set them on the path to action. This appears to be the latest approach updating and revamping the aging “strategy for the south” dating back to the Goldwater/Nixon days.

    In lieu of improving the way kids are taught by improving the facilities and hiring highly qualified teachers, paying reasonable salaries, improving continuing education for teachers , Republicans want to create an environment of unvaccinated students and teachers, not wearing protective masks.

    This is transforming schools into a glorified little league games with parents teaching the kid to hate and adopt violence to interact with the world.

    Qualified school board members who in many cases are paid nowhere near what they earn in their day job are resigning rather than suffer death threats and harassment over silly issues like wearing masks or obtaining vaccinations. So, when little Sally or Johnny grow up to be a good Republican but not knowing how to read, write or do business math, communicates by mush mouth, and suffers from brain fog, the party will be happy.

  4. Rick Gunter

    I am a Virginian and hardly nonpartisan. I voted for McAuliffe in early voting. Laugh at me on Election Night, but I believe he will win. I believe all those Democrats and swing voters in Northern Virginia (and I live in the depressed Southside part of the commonwealth) will pull him to victory. When Ralph Northam ran for governor four years ago, he was viewed as losing. He won big.

    Youngkin’s positions on book banning, abortion, etc., are appalling to many Virginians. Hell! He wants to ban Toni Morrison from school libraries. What a fool he is.
    For about 30 or so years, the party controlling the presidency has lost the Virginia governor’s race the year after the presidential election with one exception — Terry McAuliffe in 2013. I am betting he he wins again. We will see.

  5. jdeville

    Yep, yep, yeppity, yep.

  6. conchgal

    You’re spot on.

  7. Shel W. Anderson

    I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on how campaigns are influenced – who are the pushers? Donors? Poll numbers? state parties?

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