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Lonestarblue

(9,881 posts)
37. The message I got from the Virginia race was white grievance.
Wed Nov 3, 2021, 09:26 AM
Nov 2021

It wasn’t black parents protesting at school board meetings about CRT. Republicans are masters at using emotions and fear in their campaigns. We all know, and I suspect that many of Youngkin’s voters also know, that schools are not teaching CRT. Parents against masks for their children were part of this whole parents’ rights issue, but much of it centers on white backlash to what they see as the attempt by minorities to gain power at their expense. Perhaps some of them see the issue as Democrats trying to erase their history by bringing up the true horrors of slavery. The removal of Confederate statues, the term defunding the police, the huge protests after George Floyd’s murder, the census data showing a decrease in whites as a percentage of the total population—all have been used by Republicans to instill determination in their voters to maintain their privilege. Most of them do not recognize it as privilege because they simply want to continue their advantages and they do not care what happens to anyone else. As for exit polls, people lie. No one will say they voted because of racial resentment.

Obviously that wasn’t the only reason that people voted for Youngkin, but I think it was a big one because white parents in the rural areas and the burbs thought they—and not the state—should determine what their children are taught. It’s part of the anti-government attitude that Republicans have been cultivating since Reagan. It’s evident in Republicans refusing to wear masks or be vaccinated because the government has no right to tell them what to do. By promising that he would ensure that CRT was never taught in Virginia schools, Youngkin was promising voters that he was on their side and would not allow liberals to indoctrinate their children with a history that makes white people look guilty of heinous crimes—and it’s an easy promise for Youngkin to keep because CRT is not taught in any public school. What will happen, though, is that Virginia will do what Texas is doing now and insist that books on racial injustice be removed from libraries and classrooms.

We Democrats (or at least this Democrat) underestimated the significance of the whole CRT issue because we knew it wasn’t actually taught. But Republicans are very good at manipulating people and rousing them to anger with fabricated issues. We would do well to address the reality that Republicans win elections on emotions, and Democrats lose them by not appealing to emotions. Policies are good, but Republicans have no policies other than maintaining white privilege through their support of loose gun laws, anti-government rhetoric around personal freedom, and few restrictions on businesses to make as much money as possible on the backs of their workers.

The 2020 election was not a rejection of Republicans, it was a rejection only of Trump because he had done a terrible job with the virus. Without the pandemic, I believe Trump would have been re-elected. And in 2024, barring another wave of infections, he stands a strong chance of being elected again because he appeals to those who want nothing to do with resurrecting the history of slavery and those who want to enact their religious beliefs into law. Along with those who just don’t care what happens to the country so long as they get tax cuts and no restraints on whatever they want to do, that is a strong enough base to re-elect Trump. I’m not saying we should give up by any means, but I think we need to recognize the motivations of the other side and not just attribute our losses to the economy.

You're wrong... PoliticAverse Nov 2021 #1
I don't think they are completely wrong. FrodosNewPet Nov 2021 #5
As someone once said "It's the economy stupid"... PoliticAverse Nov 2021 #8
Agreed SmittyWerben Nov 2021 #58
The Virginia economy has done very well under Northam Marius25 Nov 2021 #68
Well, they will be the ones most hurt by their idiotic votes. ananda Nov 2021 #89
agreed, they didn't care about any of that Amishman Nov 2021 #28
Let's all take a couple of deep breath's.... Omnipresent Nov 2021 #2
Not enough people see the Republican Party as the evil entity it is. BlueStater Nov 2021 #3
I'm an independent. mahatmakanejeeves Nov 2021 #15
I'm starting to think like you moose65 Nov 2021 #32
I think if we can get our "allies" to stop comparing Biden to a BOWL OF SHIT; and... NurseJackie Nov 2021 #4
+++ brer cat Nov 2021 #45
I'd say that you have it wrong - even backwards FBaggins Nov 2021 #6
AGREED. And this was a win for the Republican Establishment in Virginia. onenote Nov 2021 #54
Re: that "time will tell" FBaggins Nov 2021 #76
Parents drexelkathy Nov 2021 #7
We have a winner!!!! Jon King Nov 2021 #56
Except they didn't have to stare evil in the face BeyondGeography Nov 2021 #9
Very well said. Evolve Dammit Nov 2021 #60
Just wrote to Senator Mark Warner saying basically the same thing, plus Mike 03 Nov 2021 #10
We suck at Politics! njhoneybadger Nov 2021 #11
I think you're dead right. Reading Ezra Klein's book "Why We're Polarized" Mike 03 Nov 2021 #17
Well said. njhoneybadger Nov 2021 #18
".....how each provision in a bill might save us a few dollars a month." jaxexpat Nov 2021 #19
McCauliffe didn't generate excitement bucolic_frolic Nov 2021 #42
+1 uponit7771 Nov 2021 #65
That's for sure. Mike 03 Nov 2021 #67
+1, we can "Go High" while stoking emotions and tell the truth !! uponit7771 Nov 2021 #62
That is seriously a good book Sympthsical Nov 2021 #73
THIS !!!! ☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾 We blame our bad message on slogans from the poor and oppressed then run uponit7771 Nov 2021 #21
Sometimes, it seems like it moose65 Nov 2021 #33
We are so busy trying to not be like the Republicans we've crippled our avenues of response. hadEnuf Nov 2021 #47
Like 1994 and 2010? Wednesdays Nov 2021 #82
That's apples to oranges. We're coming off of one of the worst presidencies in history, hadEnuf Nov 2021 #84
So you Rebl2 Nov 2021 #61
No, we can "go high" stoke emotions and tell the truth. We leave out the "stoke emotions" part for uponit7771 Nov 2021 #66
We've got enough truth to smash them to bits. We don't need to lie. hadEnuf Nov 2021 #85
Sometimes, Democrats underestimate how deeply entrenched racism is in our country dlk Nov 2021 #12
I think you can add ignorance to that list. luvtheGWN Nov 2021 #48
Cultivated ignorance... dlk Nov 2021 #83
I listened to fourteen hours of coverage and Joy Reid was the ONLY Mike 03 Nov 2021 #13
THANK YOU !!! uponit7771 Nov 2021 #23
It does seem Younkin didn't want any part of Trump except Tomconroy Nov 2021 #14
If my sister marries a pedophile maxrandb Nov 2021 #16
... markie Nov 2021 #20
What would you expect her to do? Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #27
Except, apparently the Retrumplicans do want him at the party maxrandb Nov 2021 #69
Metaphorically speaking, if Youngkin sleeps with Trump on Monday, it will not go well with his Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #79
I'll let you know if I figure something out, but I am BootinUp Nov 2021 #22
The exception would've been the dem winning in VA and he almost did closing the gap ... uponit7771 Nov 2021 #24
So if its a predictable thing because of national politics BootinUp Nov 2021 #29
We got voters out, the turnout numbers were record IINM. The issue is 15% swing in white women uponit7771 Nov 2021 #34
McAuliffe's entire campaign was painting Youngkin as secretly Trump Sympthsical Nov 2021 #71
So McA defined Youngkin early AND HARD as a Trumper? I didn't see that, how was Youngkin able uponit7771 Nov 2021 #77
You are wrong Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #25
100% agree that VA rejected Trump again seeing Youngkin ran away from him like he stank uponit7771 Nov 2021 #26
Youngkin will do what his constituents tell him to do Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #31
Like Abbot, like DeathSentence, like Ducey? tia uponit7771 Nov 2021 #35
No, there is a detectable difference between them and Youngkin. Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #78
Most Texans don't want to get rid of abortion, Abbot did it because he doesn't have to pay a price uponit7771 Nov 2021 #87
Most Texans are OK with Trumpism. Most Virginians are not. Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #88
Nope! atreides1 Nov 2021 #46
Then he will do so at his peril. Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #80
He will do what Donnie Dipshit tells him to do maxrandb Nov 2021 #70
Apparently not in Virginia. Beastly Boy Nov 2021 #81
I am the a acceptance point CrackityJones75 Nov 2021 #30
Yes there is messaging that can change that and dems need to implement it the way the GQP does uponit7771 Nov 2021 #36
Ok get back to me when you figure that out. CrackityJones75 Nov 2021 #38
I posted it already, stoke emotions like the GQP does but with truth. We don't do that ... uponit7771 Nov 2021 #40
They are good at it BECAUSE they lie CrackityJones75 Nov 2021 #41
100% agree that the GQP doesn't have to tell the truth to stoke but we can stoke AND tell the truth uponit7771 Nov 2021 #43
That seems like a good plan but... CrackityJones75 Nov 2021 #50
I feel like you do but relating more to implementation than tactic, the tactic works ... look at uponit7771 Nov 2021 #53
"Trump the traitor" is not a lie. Justice matters. Nov 2021 #74
The message I got from the Virginia race was white grievance. Lonestarblue Nov 2021 #37
Really, there's a soft coup going on, and Trump is all over it wildman76 Nov 2021 #51
Biden has spent the year cleaning up the Trump mess, including the pandemic bucolic_frolic Nov 2021 #39
No your not wrong, the devils walk among us wildman76 Nov 2021 #44
Yup. The voters had a simple choice. old guy Nov 2021 #49
Retrumplicans: "When do we finally start killing these people"? maxrandb Nov 2021 #72
Suburban parents hated the Covid closures and blamed Democrats. Jon King Nov 2021 #52
Virginia voters voted their values. i don't get the shock over this. Autumn Nov 2021 #55
Maybe we need to face the fact that we are a greedy, vindictive and fascistic nation that world wide wally Nov 2021 #57
As far as I know, Trump wasn't running for governor Steelrolled Nov 2021 #59
Also, ancianita Nov 2021 #63
Empty Greene, Hawley, Ted Cruz, and a host of others Bettie Nov 2021 #64
I think you would have to look at exit polling to reach any conclusions Apollo Zeus Nov 2021 #75
It's the party moondust Nov 2021 #86
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