I've been watching for signs of a political backlash against the aggressively "pushy" attempts by Democratic Party legislators to reshape their electoral districts, cities, states, and even the nation as a whole, in a progressive, far-left-wing, socialist image. A good example is Virginia, where despite massive protests and rejection from over 90% of the state's counties, the new Democratic majority government (elected by only a few counties around Washington D.C., with large numbers of people) passed new anti-gun legislation and imposed it on the rest of the population willy-nilly.
It looks like that's already having consequences at the polls.
Staunton, a usually reliable Democratic stronghold in the conservative Shenandoah Valley, went surprisingly Republican in Tuesday’s City Council elections.
The slate ... took the four seats up for grabs in the 2020 local election, giving the Queen City a conservative majority for the first time in recent memory.
. . .
How unlikely was this conservative sweep? Hillary Clinton won Staunton in the 2016 presidential election, Barack Obama had won the city in the previous two election cycles, and Democrat Jennifer Lewis pulled 56.5 percent of the vote in her 2018 Sixth District congressional race against Republican Ben Cline, who eventually swept to victory, winning 59.7 percent of the vote district-wide.
. . .
The result is a shocker, to say the least, and if people in Richmond are paying attention at all, this one should be a wakeup call times ten.
There's more at the link.
I'm hearing increasing rumors of a similar, but even stronger electoral backlash following the riots over the death of George Floyd. Many voters acknowledge the problems that exist in our society, and (like me) are more than willing to permit (even join in) peaceful protests to bring about change. However, when thugs and low-lifes take advantage of protests to start rioting and looting, their tolerance (and mine) is at an end. Matters should never have been permitted to get so far out of line. The sight of uniformed police officers "taking a knee" in solidarity with protesters is also a step too far. It's the job of police to maintain law and order - not to publicly adopt political positions or express political opinions. They're supposed to be neutral, "above the fray", impartial.
The result is increasing determination among some of the electorate to make their feelings known at the ballot box in November. I've heard many expressions of disgust, anger and resolve, and I know I'm far from alone in hearing them. Other bloggers with whom I'm in touch report the same things from their audience.
The response from the progressive left, of course, will be additional voter and electoral fraud, as we've posited in these pages in the past. They've become more and more blatant in their efforts to do that, including Congress' recent attempt to impose and fund "ballot harvesting", eliminate state and local electoral protections through national legislation, and other measures. Fortunately, it looks as though their "license to steal elections" won't go any further this year . . . but they'll try again. If they win control of the nation's government in November, look for that to become law next year, just as soon as they can ram it through.
As I've said many times before, I'm neither Democrat nor Republican - I vote for the individual, not the party. Nevertheless, I'm encouraged by the outcome of the Staunton, VA elections. If our politicians give us the metaphorical finger by forcing through legislation, we can return the favor at the polls. Let's hope more American voters do that in November.
Peter
14 comments:
Donald Trump is the last Republican President the USA will ever have.
Either the Democrats will complete their lock on the country, or the coming civil war will dissolve the country. One or the other.
I have a less tolerance for the protests when they block the interstates. All they succeed in doing is pissing off folks who might otherwise be sympathetic to their issue. If they get run over and killed doing that it is just tough shit. The feds need to crack down on the interruption of interstate commerce.
Voting the man rather than the party is high principle indeed. Unfortunately it seldom pays off. The "Man" you voted for turns out to have no principles, just a talent for persuasion that tops his opponent. Should a man with principles actually get elected, no sooner does he take his seat than the political equivalent of Guido and Nunzio come by and carefully explain his first choice to him: He can keep his principles or he can keep his seat, but not both.
Democrats have an unpublished agenda of "Power for me, but not for thee". Dissenters are summarily tossed under the bus. Republicans are a party on minimalist government and carry this philosophy through to party management. Dissenters are tolerated and become known as "Mavericks" (McCain) or "Moderates"(Romney) who go on to destroy any narrow margins of majority their putative party may hold.
Vote the silver-tongued devil of your choice, but in the end, you get the Democrat platform. Quickly or slowly, your choice.
When there is no law so trivial you cannot be murdered over it you have a problem. Republican virtue signaling by cheering the imposition of draconian drug and prostitution laws end enabling police brutality is matched by Democrat virtue signaling by cheering more onerous taxation and invasive regulation while disarming the people to make them easier targets. Only the Libertarians have a consistent platform of leave people alone to pursue their dreams and leave their money alone. The only the D's and R's can achieve their not totally irreconcilable goals is to employ violent and aggressive enforces to cow the populace into obedience. The Libertarians don't want or need obedience and the enforcers we need are defenders of the public peace not enforcers of the tyrants whim. You have a choice vote for more of the same D/R tyranny or vote to get the government out of the way so we can become the truly free and prosperous people the Founders envisioned. The constitution is not a suicide pact but the party power struggles have tried to make it one. They have twisted our founders dream of freedom into a nightmare by grabbing power and using it to create and control yet more power. Power that is destroying the fabric of civil society. Down with power.
I'm surprised that nobody among either the governments involved or among the protesters has noticed that "taking a knee" is symbolically re-enacting the killing that started this whole mess.
My gut reaction to the riots has been "The Antifa campaign to reelect Donald Trump is impressive".
I hold if your extreme rightist or leftist your not helping.
Fanaticism and radical anything tends to go badly.
I do not buy into the Democrap socialist anti-gun. At the
same time I'm Repubthug of the far right. Its the extremists
that will cause all the problems as they are so biased they
can't compromise as in their minds the other wins if they
do that.
I believe there are however a larger group that are more
moderate and even independent starting to say enough!
That said the police should not be disbanded and maybe some
parts should be defunded. To that I'd say demilitarize
the police. The very idea that they can bash in the
wrong door, kill the dog and maybe an occupant or two then
Oops, wrong address, should not go unprosecuted. Even
doctors check to see they have the right patient and
correct surgery or procedure and its reported if they
don't!
As to Floyd, I saw the video. I don't buy he is innocent
but I also believe that the officers were over the top in
their handling and subsequent death. They are neither
judge nor jury, their role is investigation and enforcement.
Like many stop me on the highway and approach my truck, the
assumption is your a highwayman [old school assault and
robbery] and wish me ill intent. OSHA does not protect
criminal actions, so it should not be safe for you to
do that! The difference is words and signage vs actions.
Hold your fist high and I may support you, shake it in
my face you have become the wrong side. It always ends at
the tip of my nose.
Eck!
Hey! My daughter got her Masters degree at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton.
Maybe not. As the Democrats go further to the left and to the not whites, more whites will flock to the Republican party.
@McUpchuck- you are delusional. They (communist democrats) tried a coup (Obamagate) they tried a smear campaign, they tried impeachment they tried the Chinese virus and ripping up the entire economy, and none of it worked. Now they are trying rioting in the streets and burning down grocery stores , drug stores, whole neighborhoods, and looting them.
The voters will reject you and on election night, you all will be crying again.
P.S.- some of your heroes from the Obama administration will be going to jail. Folks you have heard of and whose names you are familiar with.
@dogsledder - Reading comprehension and logical thought are hard.
Don’t get your hopes up. Virginia, and northern Virginia in particular have a diversity problem. Democrats outnumber Republicans + Libertarians + alt-right + just-leave-me-alone types 3 to 1. I’ve been surrounded in an island of a republican majority neighborhood for 15 years. In Alexandria, democrats have won with 80+% of the vote. It’s not close, it’s not competitive, it’s not really even a question any more -if- a democrat will be elected, but rather which democrat.
What you see in Staunton here is flight from Fairfax county and Loudon county. 10 years ago, Loudon was reliably conservative with minimal government intrusion into day to day life. What happened?
Loudon got “Fairfax’d” with an onslaught of density and high density housing designed to target buyers who need to be close to DC but can’t afford Fairfax. In Fairfax county, you can be eligible for housing assistance if you’re single and make under $120,000 per year. <-- that’s made the local news several times, but subsidies and the push for “affordable” housing, requiring low cost, high density - democrat - housing. This, and the resulting increase in crimes that accompany overcrowding drives republicans and libertarians out further and further, while attracting immigrants from New York, in particular. You can’t swing a stick in northern Virginia without hitting someone with a New York accent. Not only do you have out of country immigrants migrating to the sanctuary counties from Mexico and countries further south, you have New Yorkers fleeing to the sanctuary counties/cities in NoVA.
The Republican party no longer invests money in local or state races north of prince William county, and only minimal now. That’s a clue.
Virginia is now New Jersey south. The Republicans simply don’t have the numbers here to avoid veto proof majorities any more. Over the course of the next 10 years, more and more republicans will fall to democrat foes in Stafford, Fredericksburg, and further and then there is simply no stopping the full left agenda.
1st up is NoVA toll roads. Think “Garden State Parkway” . Penalties for operating internal combustion engines and taxes for owning your own vehicles ( already have that, but they’re going to make it punitive )
magazine capacity bans, military style firearm bans, ammunition possession limits and taxes.
penalties for doctors who do not perform abortions, even if it’s not their specialty.
taxes, taxes, taxes.
quotas for hiring, college, loan issuance, etc.
and on, and on.
Virginia is lost to the left and it’s not coming back.
I worked that election and the thing that maybe isn't getting enough attention is that there was record turnout, despite the Wuhan Flu cutting down in-person voting. I'm not sure if the turnout was because there were some contentious issues locally, including renaming R. E. Lee High School, or if Northam's flood of gun control legislation a few weeks before mobilized the pro-2A people to vote since the Dem city council never did make a firm commitment to become a 2A sanctuary.
The Republican primary is in a couple of weeks; it will be interesting to see what the voter turnout will be since it's pretty much a lock for Trump already. A high turnout would suggest that people who are normally non-voters will show up for the November election.
I think the normal citizens are sick and tired of waiting for the Republican elected to do something. I hope the swing to normalcy signals a demand for change from the silent majority.
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