As always, thank you for taking the time to read and support my work here at SHERO and for helping to provide independent journalism for everyone. I appreciate you.
(Donald Trump (on the left) and Governor-Elect of Virginia Glenn Younkin (on the right). (Photos by Getty Images)
Last night, a prominent off-year election did not end well for Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey. Republican Glenn Youngkin won the governor's race in Virginia, which is a state that Biden won by 10 percentage points just a year ago. New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy also faces an uphill battle as he is trying to win reelection in the Garden State, which is something no Democratic governor has been able to do in the last four decades — the race in New Jersey is still too close to call.
There are significant arguments to be made about why these campaigns were so difficult for Democrats that don’t involve President Biden’s current approval ratings. Virginia has consistently tended to elect a US President from one party and then a year later, elected a governor from the opposite party. But, the race in New Jersey was not expected to be as close as it has become, despite the hurdles that incumbent Governor Murphy has faced.
Perhaps most alarming is the success of Republican campaigns this year focusing on state-wide issues that mirror national issues. Some of these topics, such as education, have traditionally taken a back seat to issues like the economy. Virginia, which always elects a new governor one year after presidential races, has long been seen as a political bellwether for both parties, which gives analysts an idea of the political terrain the country is facing in the next election. Timing is also essential in political races and it is impossible to predict what will be happening as we head into election week next year, or even two years after that for the next presidential election.
(Photo by Getty Images)
Yesterday’s election was no doubt a confirmation that Republican candidates have maneuvered a new path through the wreckage of Trump’s loss last year by slightly distancing themselves from Trump, while espousing his policies. The tactic of convincing some voters in Virginia that there was an issue with education, allowed conservatives to continue stoking the Trump flame by using a more covert version of the former president’s racist dog-whistle tactics.
Is the blow of last night an ominous tell for Democrats about what is to come? If so, can this information be valuable and useful now by giving everyone important intel on how the Republican Party is mutating? Will this strategy be significantly impacted if Donald Trump officially enters the 2024 Presidential Race? Please tell me what you think about all of this below — I am anxious to get your take on this to help inform my position on what comes next.
Paid subscriptions and one-time tributes embedded in each article, allow me to keep publishing critical and informative work like this, that is often made available to the public — thank you. If you like this piece and you want to further support independent journalism, you can forward this article to others, get a paid subscription or gift subscription or donate once, as much as you like today.
I'm tired of watching the MSM massage the issues to continue to present some wacky sort of "even-handed" coverage. Youngkin's racist, elitist messages were presented as plausible & his supporters were characterized as 'normal, every-day' parents & working people, when they were actually activists disguising their true motives. The MSM needs to accept their share of the blame while our country implodes - they aided and abetted this idiocy and the only way we can overcome even a portion of it is to pass a voting rights act, then enforce the bejeebers out of it.
The next step is to reinstate some form of the old 'Fairness Doctrine,' wherein both sides are guaranteed equal time on EVERY media platform, including the RWNJs like Brietbart, OAN, Right Side, Newsmax, and Fox. Until we take steps to combat the 'Yellow Journalism' that has overtaken our MSM, we will continue to see the entire country devolve into chaos in our governing, policies, and policing.
I think race is playing a much bigger role than anybody wants to admit or is willing to say, it's that simple. And racial identity among whites runs much deeper than we care to acknowledge. After the train wreck of the Trump years, you can still get white voters to vote against their own economic interests, job interests, retirement interests and healthcare interests just by assuring them of their perceived standing at the top of the racial hierarchy. Honestly I don't even know the way forward from here, the country is broken.
Democrats need to understand ONE THING and ONE THING only. INACTION has a price, MIXED MESSAGING has a price, failure to HAMMER YOUR MESSAGE at every opportunity has a price.
Let’s hope they understand this and deal with it.
@SpeakerPelosi @SenSchumer
Stop passing bills and just saying
“Look what we just did…”!
Be out there
EVERY SECOND OF
EVERY MINUTE OF
EVERY DAY REMINDING PEOPLE!
Use the MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA, YOUR AMPLE STAFF, EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF CONGRESS!
I actually turned off the tv last night because I was getting so depressed at the returns. I wasn't shocked by Virginia, where McCauliffe ran what I thought was a fairly uninspiring campaign. Further, Glenn Youngkin was laser-focused on the two issues; CRT (even though anyone who is well-informed knows that it's not even taught in Virginia schools) as well as "parental choice" (with respect to education and "health choices"). These resonated with many voters and it seems like McAuliffe had absolutely no answer to them. As well, his efforts to link Youngkin to Trump clearly fell flat.
Personally, I see the result in New Jersey as being even more ominous. Yes, I know that NJ has a pattern of electing governors who are from the opposite party as the President, but Murphy was fairly popular and had received plaudits for the way he handled the pandemic. Yet, he is barely ahead this morning (by a little over 1,600 votes) of a guy who appeared at a "stop the steal" rally.
The midterm elections are a year away, so there is still some time for the Democrats to get SOMETHING done on a national level (PLEASE forget about BBB for the time being and focus on voting rights, guys? PLEASE?????). If they don't, what happens in 2022 will dwarf what happened in 2010.
I am so angry and disheartened. It’s like every single cliche about Dems is being proven true. Between the last night election and the BBB fights, Dems are proving “Dems in disarray” is real. It’s as if dems in congress do not understand the precipice our democracy sits upon. I know a lot of other dems who feel the same way - a lot of disgust and disappointment in our party, even to the point of wanting to leave the party. Also, I am thoroughly angry at MSM. They amplify dem culture wars because dems aren’t trying to over turn something popular like ACA. Headlines everywhere this morning make it sound like Biden has no chance of being re-elected. My disgust with this whole system and the dems inability to have any control over messaging, makes me turn away from all of it. Like many, all I can think about is what the state of our country will look like in with another Trump prez.
How to win back white women who just voted, convincingly, for a Republican conservative candidate a day after the SCOTUS heard a case, that Republicans championed, to eradicate their right to reproductive health care? Damn good question.
I'm tired of watching the MSM massage the issues to continue to present some wacky sort of "even-handed" coverage. Youngkin's racist, elitist messages were presented as plausible & his supporters were characterized as 'normal, every-day' parents & working people, when they were actually activists disguising their true motives. The MSM needs to accept their share of the blame while our country implodes - they aided and abetted this idiocy and the only way we can overcome even a portion of it is to pass a voting rights act, then enforce the bejeebers out of it.
The next step is to reinstate some form of the old 'Fairness Doctrine,' wherein both sides are guaranteed equal time on EVERY media platform, including the RWNJs like Brietbart, OAN, Right Side, Newsmax, and Fox. Until we take steps to combat the 'Yellow Journalism' that has overtaken our MSM, we will continue to see the entire country devolve into chaos in our governing, policies, and policing.
I think race is playing a much bigger role than anybody wants to admit or is willing to say, it's that simple. And racial identity among whites runs much deeper than we care to acknowledge. After the train wreck of the Trump years, you can still get white voters to vote against their own economic interests, job interests, retirement interests and healthcare interests just by assuring them of their perceived standing at the top of the racial hierarchy. Honestly I don't even know the way forward from here, the country is broken.
Democrats need to understand ONE THING and ONE THING only. INACTION has a price, MIXED MESSAGING has a price, failure to HAMMER YOUR MESSAGE at every opportunity has a price.
Let’s hope they understand this and deal with it.
@SpeakerPelosi @SenSchumer
Stop passing bills and just saying
“Look what we just did…”!
Be out there
EVERY SECOND OF
EVERY MINUTE OF
EVERY DAY REMINDING PEOPLE!
Use the MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA, YOUR AMPLE STAFF, EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF CONGRESS!
I actually turned off the tv last night because I was getting so depressed at the returns. I wasn't shocked by Virginia, where McCauliffe ran what I thought was a fairly uninspiring campaign. Further, Glenn Youngkin was laser-focused on the two issues; CRT (even though anyone who is well-informed knows that it's not even taught in Virginia schools) as well as "parental choice" (with respect to education and "health choices"). These resonated with many voters and it seems like McAuliffe had absolutely no answer to them. As well, his efforts to link Youngkin to Trump clearly fell flat.
Personally, I see the result in New Jersey as being even more ominous. Yes, I know that NJ has a pattern of electing governors who are from the opposite party as the President, but Murphy was fairly popular and had received plaudits for the way he handled the pandemic. Yet, he is barely ahead this morning (by a little over 1,600 votes) of a guy who appeared at a "stop the steal" rally.
The midterm elections are a year away, so there is still some time for the Democrats to get SOMETHING done on a national level (PLEASE forget about BBB for the time being and focus on voting rights, guys? PLEASE?????). If they don't, what happens in 2022 will dwarf what happened in 2010.
I am so angry and disheartened. It’s like every single cliche about Dems is being proven true. Between the last night election and the BBB fights, Dems are proving “Dems in disarray” is real. It’s as if dems in congress do not understand the precipice our democracy sits upon. I know a lot of other dems who feel the same way - a lot of disgust and disappointment in our party, even to the point of wanting to leave the party. Also, I am thoroughly angry at MSM. They amplify dem culture wars because dems aren’t trying to over turn something popular like ACA. Headlines everywhere this morning make it sound like Biden has no chance of being re-elected. My disgust with this whole system and the dems inability to have any control over messaging, makes me turn away from all of it. Like many, all I can think about is what the state of our country will look like in with another Trump prez.
How to win back white women who just voted, convincingly, for a Republican conservative candidate a day after the SCOTUS heard a case, that Republicans championed, to eradicate their right to reproductive health care? Damn good question.
Is it terrible of me to wish horrible things for Virginia in the next four years? Probably. But give me 24 hours to change my mind, OK?
They had 3 plans none of which played just so one senator could make a profit for his family