Silver Lining of Youngkin's Victory
I don't normally post articles from the The Hill, but this one got me thinking:
https://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/579981-the-memo-trump-dinged-by-youngkin-win?rl=1
Politicians, especially seasoned ones, have to be attuned to their constituencies. One of the biggest problems that the Republican party has had is that TFG held the bludgeon of withholding his followers' support from those who might oppose him, even indirectly. For the last five years, that has meant that the GOP has been held hostage by its extremist fringe, in a decidedly anti-democratic fashion.
I don't necessarily think that Virginia is representative of a sudden rightward lurch. I've not been a big fan of McAullife's for a couple of decades now, and overall I think Virginians came to feel the same way. However, Youngkin managed to thread the needle with Trump - not alienating his followers, but not attaching himself to TFG's coattails either, and in a way this may prove to be a good thing long term. It means that TFG's influence is waning significantly, and it may be a sign that the GOP may actually be (slowly) moving away from the toxic extremism that has plagued it since the Tea Party emerged in 2010.
We, as Democrats, need the Republicans to become more moderate, more pragmatic. Polarization on both sides is killing this country, but Democrats, while not as heavily polarized as Republicans have become, are becoming more divisive as well. There is little room for compromise and as such it makes getting meaningful legislation passed nearly impossible. I think that as Trump's power wanes, so too will the extremism - TFG's attention gave the extremists far more power than they should have ever achieved.
I'm not saying I think Youngkin's win by itself is a good thing - it definitely hurt - but if it's a sign that the GOP is erasing the blight of TFG on the party, it's at least a silver lining.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Last edited Thu Nov 4, 2021, 03:40 PM - Edit history (2)
Look at Youngkin's background, beyond the tall, 'clean-cut' American appearance. And he was backed by billions, for good reason- the agenda.
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(Wiki- Ed). Glenn Allen Youngkin (born Dec. 9, 1966) is an American businessman and politician who is the governor-elect of Virginia. He is expected to be inaugurated as the 74th governor of Virginia on January 15, 2022. A member of the Republican Party, Youngkin defeated former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election. Prior to entering politics, he spent 25 years at the private-equity firm the Carlyle Group, later becoming its CEO. Youngkin stepped down from the Carlyle Group in September 2020, and announced his candidacy for the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election in January 2021.
- Early life and education: Glenn Allen Youngkin was born in Richmond, Va., on Dec. 9, 1966. His father worked in accounting and finance.. Youngkin attended Rice University on a basketball scholarship. In 1990, he graduated with a BA in managerial studies and a BS in mechanical engineering. He earned an (MBA) from Harvard Business School in 1994.- Career, Early career: After graduating from Rice in 1990, Youngkin joined the investment bank First Boston,where he handled mergers and acquisitions and capital market financing. The company was bought out by Credit Suisse and became Credit Suisse First Boston; Youngkin left in 1992 to pursue an MBA. In 1994, after receiving his MBA, he joined the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
*The Carlyle Group: In August 1995, Youngkin joined the private-equity firm The Carlyle Group, based in Washington, D.C. Youngkin played a major role in taking Carlyle public, supervising the initial public offering. In June 2014, he became co-president and co-chief operating officer with Michael J. Cavanagh, who joined the Carlyle Group from JPMorgan Chase.. Co-CEO: In Oct. 2017, the Carlyle Group announced that its founders would remain executive chairmen on the board of directors but step down as the day-to-day leaders of the firm; they named Youngkin and Kewsong Lee to succeed them, as co-CEOs, effective January 1, 2018.
*As co-CEOs, Youngkin oversaw Carlyle's real estate, energy, infrastructure businesses, and investment solutions businesses.. During Youngkin and Lee's tenure as co-CEOs, they oversaw the firm's transition from a publicly traded partnership into a corporation.. Youngkin announced his retirement after 2 1?2 years. In July 2020, Youngkin announced that he would retire from the Carlyle Group in 2020, stating his intention to focus on community and public service efforts..
.. Youngkin won the party's nomination on May 10, 2021. All the Republican candidates, including Youngkin, stressed their allegiance to Donald Trump and Trumpism, although other candidates for the nomination, such as state senator Amanda Chase, were the most vocally pro-Trump. > After winning the party's nomination, Youngkin was endorsed by Trump. Youngkin called the endorsement an "honor" but has sought to distance himself from some of Trump's most ardent supporters. The NYT wrote in Oct. that Youngkin had sought to localize the race. Youngkin openly courted both anti- and pro-Trump supporters. - Campaign sign for Youngkin: According to PolitiFact, before the GOP convention, Youngkin "toed a delicate line when asked if Biden was legitimately elected." He acknowledged that Biden was president but would not clearly say whether he thought the president was fairly elected. After the convention, Youngkin began acknowledging that Biden's election was legitimate."...Youngkin made a campaign appearance with Mike Pence in August, and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon spoke in support of Youngkin at an October rally...
More, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Youngkin
