This Is Fine. It’s What Federalism Is All About.

Local trumps state. State trumps nation. That’s how it is supposed to work.

Glenn Youngkin Won’t Ban Local COVID-19 Mandates | The Daily Wire

I’m sure that lots on the right are upset about this, but they shouldn’t be. Local municipalities should be able to decide for themselves what they want to do.

Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) will not outlaw local COVID-19 mandates when he takes office in January.

While the governor-elect will be lifting some state-wide mandates when he gets into office, Youngkin clarified over the weekend that he would not stand in the way of local governments implementing their own COVID-19 restrictions.

“Localities are going to have to make decisions the way the law works and that is going to be up to individual decisions but, again, from the governor’s office, you won’t see mandates from me,” Youngkin told a local news outlet.

This is exactly right. If there’s a sudden outbreak in an area, and the people of that area think that a mask mandate will help them get through the outbreak, they should be allowed to do that, without getting interference from the Governor. I’m happy with this decision.

It’s the Education, Stupid

And parents are mad about it. We see how much our children are suffering. And we see how our education system has failed them, continues to fail them, and seems totally indifferent to the problems we see.

WATCH: Non-Republican Suburban Moms Reveal Why They Voted For Youngkin Over McAuliffe | The Daily Wire

Highlights of what the moms told CNN included:

• KAY GREENWELL: “Well, parents were very angry during school closures at the teachers’ unions. And for me the nail in the coffin was on [McAuliffe’s] last day of campaigning. He brought the head of the teachers’ union to his rally and she spoke and it was like someone just poked me right in the eye and said, you think you want to have a say in your education, well, you’re not going to.”
• SHAWNNA YASHAR: “We think our kids are in crisis. The learning loss is real. So we’re in a situation where our kids are really far behind and they need a lot of help. They need a lot of additional tutoring. They need a lot of additional time after school to help catch them up and they’re still not focusing on that. It’s like a situation where you’re in front of your house and the driveway is really dirty, but the house is also on fire and you’re using the hose to hose off the driveway instead of putting out the fire on the house.”
• DANA JACKSON: “I felt like it was really tone-deaf to just discount parents and the whole educational struggle and to make it about Trump all of the time. I mean, there’s a place for that but [McAuliffe] never really talked about what he was going to do to improve things. He just talked about how bad everyone else was and that was a real turnoff, especially, leaving our kids in the dust.”

Yep. That about sums it up.

Yes. Yes, They Can.

CNN Analyst: Republicans Can Win Across The U.S. If They Follow Formula Glenn Youngkin Used | The Daily Wire

“Look at the map, the rural counties not only came out, they came out huge,” Jennings continued. “So, it turns out that Glenn Youngkin has solved for this problem in that you can run a race based on issues, continue to attract the Trump base, get a path back in the suburbs, and take advantage, frankly, of the just enormous collapse, continued collapse of the Democratic Party in rural areas. That’s how we win. That’s how we’re going to be successful. When you can put the suburbs back together with rural areas the way we used to do.”

I think he misses the boat a little bit. He is from CNN after all, so he can’t resist a few digs at former President Donald Trump (R-USA), but other than that his analysis is spot on.

And There It Is

Only 8 days late, I have the results of the Virginia Governor’s Race.

Virginia Election Results Are In – PJ Media

Early on in the race, the typical issues of the economy and jobs dominated the discussion, but as the campaign drew to a close, education became a front-and-center issue. Concerns over critical race theory, combined with parents’ increasing concerns over how much say they should have in their children’s education, brought education into the spotlight. Scandals in Loudoun County, where a gender-fluid male student raped a female student in a bathroom, helped make education a hot topic.

McAuliffe stated several times that parents had no say in their kids’ education. When Youngkin pointed McAuliffe’s statements out in an ad, McAuliffe said that Youngkin had taken him out of context, which wasn’t true. McAuliffe’s problems became worse when former president Barack Obama described parents’ worries as “fake outrage.”

As education took center stage, the polls began to narrow. McAuliffe’s attempts to tie Youngkin to Donald Trump failed, but McAuliffe couldn’t shake the specter of Joe Biden, especially when he brought Democratic luminaries like Randi Weingarten into Virginia to stump for him.

Youngkin surged in the last days of the race, and he appears to have carried his momentum all the way across the finish line.

The GOP sweeps Virginia. Go turn on MSNBC. https://t.co/ZEwFUw7ryQ

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) November 3, 2021

First Black woman Lt. Governor.

First Hispanic and first children of immigrants as Attorney General.

This is the new Virginia GOP.

— Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) November 3, 2021

Congratulations to Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and to the rest of his incredible team. I’ll have many more thoughts in the coming days.

TFW You’re a Democrat Candidate for Governor and Even Politico and CNN Call You Out for Lying

‘Desperate’: McAuliffe Caught In ‘Lie’ By CNN, Politico | The Daily Wire

The momentum has shifted so dramatically against Terry McAuliffe in Tuesday’s Virginia governor’s race that numerous establishment media outlets — including CNN and Politico — have called out the Democrat for closing out his campaign with “a lie.”

“Guess how Glenn Youngkin is finishing his campaign?” Terry McAuliffe asked the attendees of his final campaign rally at a Fairfax brewery Monday night. “Glenn Youngkin is doing an event with Donald Trump here in Virginia, where he brought the hatred, the divisiveness that Donald Trump brought to this country. We’re going to put an end to Donald Trump’s future plans right here in Virginia.”

Only one problem: no such event happened. None was ever planned. As far as I know, Donald Trump has not been to Virginia since he flew over it after leaving the White House on January 20.

“TERRY MCAULIFFE wanted GLENN YOUNGKIN and DONALD TRUMP to campaign together so badly that when it didn’t happen, McAuliffe simply invented a Youngkin-Trump event that didn’t exist,” said the Politico Playbook this morning. “That was a lie. Trump wasn’t in Virginia and he never campaigned with Youngkin.”

Ouch.

It Was a Stupid Play, and He Should Pay the Price

Today's deep question: Just how badly will the tikis torch Terry? – HotAir

You made a bonehead play. Or your allies did. With or without your direction. Doesn’t really matter. You can’t escape being tarnished by it. This kind of thing might be funny and make the point you’re trying to make if it’s two or three months out from the election. Just days out and it smacks of lying desperation.

Lying desperation isn’t usually a good tactic to win elections.

The real question after yesterday’s bizarre and incredibly incompetent dirty trick is this: Did Terry McAuliffe get screwed by his own pet ratf****rs? The answer to the latter question is indubitably yes, but that may let Team McAuliffe off too easily. Whether it does any real damage to his election prospects is tough to suss out, but his allies are worried, Newsweek reports today:

The action on Friday by the PAC has prompted concerns that it could harm the election prospects of the Democratic candidate, Terry McAuliffe, whom it had intended to help.

Lis Smith, a former senior advisor to Democratic primary candidate Pete Buttigieg tweeted: “What a massive, massive screw up. The last thing that the McAuliffe campaign needed this weekend. A total disservice to the hundreds of hard-working staffers on the ground.”

Meanwhile, Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, told The Washington Post: “The overreach backfires because it is so ridiculous in its execution it hurts the point they’re trying to make.” …

Virginia legislator Sally Hudson tweeted: “Charlottesville is not a prop. Our community is still reeling from years of trauma—especially this week. Don’t come back, @ProjectLincoln. Your stunts aren’t welcome here.”

The journalist, Jordan Fischer described the timing of the stunt as an “extremely gross thing,” while Josh Jordan tweeted that the action “was horribly executed and probably helped Youngkin.”

Pretty Desperate

I had hoped to be caught up to November 2 today and be talking finally about election results in Virginia, but I’m still not there.

This is from October 29.

How Desperate Is the McAuliffe Campaign? | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

Pretty desperate:

.@TerryMcAuliffe’s comms hack declaring it disqualifying for Youngkin that Democratic activists are standing outside his bus pic.twitter.com/qp2kPtGpJq

— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) October 29, 2021

For some reason, Jen deleted that tweet. I can’t imagine why.

Maybe because it was fake?

Now, @ProjectLincoln is claiming credit for this "demonstration." Here's the statement: https://t.co/YlNCbL9fl3 pic.twitter.com/VJUImZPzXz

— Elizabeth Holmes (@holmes_reports) October 29, 2021

Oops.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Quality Conservative Candidate

Ok, just one post ago, I said there were non-Virginia topics.

And yes, I still realize this election is already over. I’m still trying to catch up.

Pence Speaks in Virginia as Youngkin Takes Lead in Polls – PJ Media

This is what happens to a Democrat, even in a blue state, when you tick off parents.

Fox News Poll: Glenn Youngkin has taken an 8 point lead among likely voters heading into next week's election, 53-45.

In just two weeks he's flipped a 5 point deficit into an 8 point lead. It's just one poll, but Fox News use good pollsters and this is a big move. pic.twitter.com/bL7J77JRyA

— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) October 28, 2021

As I Keep Saying, the Left Has Left the Door Wide Open for the Right on Education

Shock Poll Reveals Just How Little Virginia Democrats Care About Kids' Education – PJ Media

Look at these numbers.

Suffolk/USA Today Virginia poll

McAuliffe (D) 45.6%
Youngkin (R) 45.2%https://t.co/4R2rlgAdNC

— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) October 26, 2021

This is a winning issue for the GOP, and one that nearly everyone cares about. We all have children or grandchildren or recently were children. Education is important to nearly every single person in America.

The GOP needs to pound this issue into the midterms. And keep pounding it until they can’t get any more mileage out of it.

Biden Has Just One Word for Virginia Voters

Biden for Terry McAuliffe: Trump Trump Trump Trump pic.twitter.com/AF8t6U0Kat

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) October 27, 2021

The problem with this strategy is that I think it only works for the other side. Youngkin has not embraced Trump, has not had him in to campaign, and hasn’t mentioned him. Tying Trump to Youngkin is a stretch.

Meanwhile, McAuliffe can’t escape Biden. Tying those two together is far easier, and a serious problem for McAuliffe.

And It’s Not Going to Get Any Better

Youngkin On Biden: This Is ‘What A Failed Presidency Looks Like’ | The Daily Wire

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin, who has pulled dead even with his Democratic opponent, is targeting President Biden, saying he has a “failed presidency,”

“You can’t help but look at President Biden and recognize what a failed presidency looks like,” Youngkin said on Fox News. “I mean, you look at Afghanistan, you look at the border, you look at our economy, you look at the fact that everything he’s doing seems to be making America worse, and I’m going to go to work and make Virginia better.”

He’s smart to tie former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) to President Joe Biden (D-USA). Biden is flailing around miserably, and is an anchor for McAuliffe.

And it doesn’t hurt that everything Youngkin is saying is true. Can McAuliffe really deny it? Is he going to try to convince Virginians that Biden is doing well? Good luck with that.

“Murky” Would Not Be a Word They Would Use if the Roles Were Reversed Here

AP Slams Youngkin For Citing of "Murky Case" of Rape - Victory Girls Blog

Glenn Youngkin wants voters in Virginia to hear an urgent message: Your children are in danger.

In a speech in Northern Virginia’s suburbs last week, the Republican candidate for governor highlighted the murky case of a student who allegedly committed sex crimes in two area schools.

Murky? Murky? While it is proper for an alleged news organization to report charges that have not reached final adjudication as “alleged”, the word murky implies that there is something suspicious or dishonest about those charges.

So much for “Believe All Women”

Suddenly, it’s “murky” when a Democrat is in trouble.

The girl was raped.

She was raped because Virginia schools allow boys in girls bathrooms.

This is not murky.

This is a failure of policy. One that was entirely predictable, and in fact was predicted by many.

But Democrats decided that appealing to a minority constituency was more important than parental concerns about their children’s safety.

And now that the predictable has happened, they want to distance themselves from the whole situation. They can’t. And Youngkin is right to hammer McAuliffe on this. He should hit him hard. Over and over and over.

And AP is stupid to try to cover for McAuliffe on this. They make themselves looks ridiculous.

Education Issues Have Become an Albatross Around Terry McAuliffe’s Neck

Make no mistake. These are self-inflicted wounds.

Youngkin Expects to Ride Education Issues to victory – PJ Media

Terry McAuliffe wanted to shore up his support among the powerful teachers’ unions. The teachers and their allies on school boards have had a pretty rough go of it recently. Concerned parents had been showing up at school board meetings to complain about the curriculum their kids are being taught.

The arrogant school board members sought to silence the parents, basically telling them to sit down and shut up. The president of the national school board association had sent a letter to the president asking the federal government to treat the threats from some parents as “domestic terrorism.”

And then McAuliffe stuck his foot in it. “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” he said during a debate with Youngkin.

That remark opened the floodgates of passionate opposition by parents and gave a power boost to Youngkin’s campaign.

Virtually overnight, Youngkin flipped the board on McAuliffe. After losing by double digits to the Democrat among independents in most polls. Youngkin now has a double-digit lead among indies. And Youngkin has drawn nearly even with McAuliffe among female voters after trailing badly.

This was entirely predictable. Parents are protective over their children. If you tell parents that they are terrorists or even just plain wrong for protecting their children, they’re not going to vote for you.

Brutal Ad. Just Brutal.

[WATCH] McAuliffe Hit With Scathing New Ad Ahead of Election Day – PJ Media

I Can’t Imagine Why He Wouldn’t Want to Talk About It

I mean, this is the Democrat dream, right? Boys in girls bathrooms everywhere.

EXCLUSIVE: Terry McAuliffe Evades Reporter Asking About Loudoun County Sex Case | The Daily Wire

How they couldn’t have seen this coming is beyond me.

WATCH: Terry McAuliffe evades reporter after being asked about Loudoun County sex assault case pic.twitter.com/0FATZEiR1D

— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 21, 2021

Someone should write a book about McAuliffe’s campaign and call it “Running Scared”.

I really hope he gets trounced.

Anti-Semitism Is Primarily a Problem on the Left

And they don’t consider it a problem. It’s a good thing except when they’re attack the Right with false charges of it.

Critics might question whether this is antisemitic. Glenn Youngkin says “George Soros-backed allies” from the “left, liberal, progressive movement” have inserted operatives onto school boards. @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/vuQ0oOOoaa

— Bruce Leshan (@BruceLeshan) October 20, 2021

Laughable. It is not anti-Semitic to call George Soros a threat to our democracy. I’ll go one better. The reason it’s not is because Soros is anti-Semitic.

So, it’s the complete opposite. What a stretch Smells like fear.

 

Panic Occurs When You Realize You Have a Problem and It’s Too Late to Do Anything About It

The polls have closed in Virginia. By the time you read this, they will likely have announced a winner. I don’t know who that will be. This blog for the next week or so will be like living in the 19th century. It will take a week or so before I announce the winner of the Virginia Governor’s race as I get caught up.

So, more week old news!

Democrats Panicking in Virginia as Youngkin Draws Even – PJ Media

Another reason for Democrats in the state to panic: reliable Democratic regions in the state aren’t giving McAuliffe the margins he needs to win statewide.

Fox News:

The poll also suggests geography’s at play – Youngkin increased his already enormous lead in western Virginia – the reddest part of the state – while McAuliffe’s large lead in heavily-blue Northern Virginia has slipped slightly. The new survey indicates that McAuliffe retains single digit advantages in the Tidewater and Richmond/I-95 areas of the commonwealth.

“Suburban women, especially in Northern Virginia, have been crucial to the sizable victories Democrats have enjoyed in the commonwealth since 2017. However, their support is not registering at the same level this time around. This is due partly to a shift in key issues important to these voters and partly to dampened enthusiasm among the party faithful,” Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray said.

Looks bad. But I still don’t know if Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) can overcome the margin of fraud.

I Told You This Was a Losing Issue for the Democrats and McAuliffe

Youngkin Hits Back at McAuliffe's 'Out of Context' Claim in Virginia Governor's Race – PJ Media

It’s in context. Former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) said it. Parents shouldn’t be involved in their kids education. He can’t walk it back now.

Good for Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) for not letting him.

VA Gov Race Looking Very Interesting in the Closing Days

As I mentioned previously, I’ll be blogging late on several real time events as I catch up. This will be the primary one. I don’t expect to be caught up to real-time by November 2, but I want to keep a historical record, even if it’s late.

Earlier posts referred to Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) as the incumbent governor. This was incorrect. He is a former governor.

Democrats Desperate in Virginia : The Other McCain

They do look desperate, and I’ll have more posts about this.

Terry McAuliffe would have been cruising toward a November landslide, were it not for the disastrous failure of Joe Biden’s presidency. Since early August, Biden’s job-approval number in the RCP average has dropped about 7 points, while disapproval has risen by 9 points. Biden has been “underwater” in the polls for six weeks and, now that Americans are increasingly concerned abourt shortages of basic consumer goods because of the supply-chain issue, there is little hope of recovery.

There are real policy issues in Virginia — particularly the controversy surrounding Critical Race Theory, which McAuliffe has bungled — but the toxic cloud looming over the gubernatorial campaign is the stench of Biden’s failure, as even McAuliffe himself acknowledges[.]

Biden won the state by 10 points, just one year ago. And Youngkin is a nobody. The fact that this race is even close should be very disturbing to Democrats, not just in Virginia, but nationwide.

It Sounds as if the Left Is Panicking in VA

Virginia has gone reliably blue. President Joe Biden (D-USA) won the state by 10 points, a mere 11 months ago.

But now?

In Virginia governor's race, Dem group 'posing' as Republicans to try driving wedge into GOP: report | Fox News

A political committee tied to Democratic strategists is reportedly posing as a conservative group to try to drive a wedge between Virginia gubernatorial nominee Glenn Younkin and Republican base voters in November’s closely watched election.

During the past week, some voters in Virginia have been targeted with ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google and Snapchat questioning Youngkin's commitment to the Second Amendment, Axios reports.

"While the NRA backs Donald Trump, they REFUSED to endorse Glenn Youngkin. We can't trust Glenn Youngkin on guns," one of the ads says.

These are left-wing groups attacking Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) from the right. They are trying to lessen Republican turnout. That is a panic move from a state that the incumbent Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) should win easily.