As we do a post mortem of the Virginia gubernatorial race, unfortunately, many of my left wing colleagues in Washington D.C. haven’t gotten the message.
What happened in Virginia wasn’t a win for Republicans but a win for the American system. While many were demoralized about what transpired in 2020, Americans picked themselves up and politically engaged.
Many voted for Joe Biden believing he was a steady hand that would get America back to normal, only to be blindsided by higher gas prices, inflation, supply chain shortages, and bumbling in front of world leaders.
While many suburbanites were turned off by Donald Trump, they weren’t Communists. At first they embraced safety measures for Covid-19, but vaccine and mask mandates went too far.
The Democrats have become like the man that’s left his wife of thirty years — i.e., the working class — to chase after a stripper who thinks the New Deal was when Gucci bags were on sale at Neiman Marcus. Democrats, sooner or later you’re going to have to come back home to your Trump-supporting wife, only to discover she’s happily remarried and in love with the GOP.
If Democrats don’t right the ship, they may not win anything for decades to come. Wokeness is cancer and even if removed, Democrats have a credibility crisis. They went all-in on Covid-19, so they better turn up some receipts to justify destroying peoples’ lives for two years. They can’t point fingers — they run all of Washington D.C., and what policies can they show?
Democrats have become a coalition of interest groups that by nature aren’t harmonious. For decades, Democrats have tried to pander to African Americans, Hispanics, and single white women when these groups often have different priorities and interests. How can I relate to a white female making $60,000 living in Georgetown when I’m a descendant of slaves and she grew up in the privilege she claims to loathe?
The election in Virginia showed that the Democratic coalition is at war with itself. Terry McAuliffe ran as someone who thought being governor was a foregone conclusion. Glenn Youngkin masterfully used the former governor’s ties to special interests such as the teachers unions against him.
Democrats thought they could use Covid-19 to transform education, but remote learning became their albatross. Parents could now see what the schools were teaching their kids. That was until a September debate where McCauliffe told Virginia parents the quiet part out loud. Your kids don’t belong to you, he said, but to the school boards and teachers’ unions. With a ten-point lead in September, McAuliffe couldn’t help showing contempt for angry mothers.
Tuesday was a historic night. Not only was Virginia’s tallest governor elected, at 6’7’’, but the first woman of color was elected statewide — Winsome Sears. Jason Miyares, who is Hispanic, was elected Attorney General.
America is a republic, which means if you want meaningful solutions, whether you like it or not, you have to deal with the Ron DeSantises and Joe Manchins. Throwing a temper tantrum and trying to ram through your agenda without any dialogue has put Democrats in this position.
Jeffery Mcneil is an artist and vendor for Street Sense Media.
