Sucks for the people of Virginia, but it really sucks for all of us who will spend the next 3 months reading political reporters hot takes on why this is the end of the world for the Democratic party, and they should put Mitch McConnell back in charge or something. Gah.
2.
RaflW
Not really snark to say that VA is going to be treated as good news for Joe Manchin.
3.
JMG
Manchin will the Biden bill by lunchtime tomorrow.
4.
Suzanne
I really think we have to just accept the idea that it’s done. Even when we win power, we can’t (won’t?) exercise it. So what’s the point of winning it?
5.
Wyatt Salamanca
To John and everyone else:
Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I understand that history isn’t on our side, but we have to pull out all the stops to save the House and Senate from being taken over by the Rethuglican insurrectionists.
6.
Mai Naem mobile
Fuck Manchin and fuck the Dems for not showing up and fuck the Dems for piss poor messaging. Oh, and fuck the media for making everything the Dems fault.
7.
TeezySkeezy
@Suzanne: Desperate to not get disappeared by fascists is still good enough reason for me to vote.
8.
hrprogressive
The Countdown to Fascism is on.
The USA will cease to be a nominally free republic within 12-36 months, plus or minus.
I suggest preparing for that now.
9.
JMG
Looks like Dems might lose New Jersey, too.
10.
Lepercorn
@Suzanne: There’s a long list of good progressive things Va Democrats did.
11.
Omnes Omnibus
Okay, fuck it. I am out of here tonight.
12.
Suzanne
@TeezySkeezy: I’m always going to vote, but I am essentially grieving the country. It’s never going to be functional, it’s not going to produce a good life for my kids, and I’m going to die in debt despite a lifetime of working.
13.
Honus
Yeah, fuck it. I can’t believe people bought youngkins bullshit.
14.
PsiFighter37
Shitty. Good thing my flight to LA is about to take off and I can go to sleep with no Internet access.
15.
PsiFighter37
@Honus: Mitt Romney is kicking himself tonight for not thinking of this in 2012.
16.
CaseyL
@Suzanne: If you have kids, you really need to see if you can emigrate. Because you’re right: parts of the US will be uninhabitable, for various reasons, within the next 10 years.
Is there somewhere I can live where there’s no Republicans?
19.
raven
Cheese eating surrender monkeys!!!!
20.
prostratedragon
@hrprogressive:
“Prepare” how? Some might want to be ready to leave I guess, but I for one am not going anywhere, so I’m going to act like I’ve been aware of the possibility that Teezy describes just above you since the 60s (I have been) and chip in what meager resources and delicate spiritual balance I have toward working against that tide.
21.
Jeffro
Within the next 24 hours…24 minutes…Glenn Youngkin’s going to take a stage somewhere, celebrate, and then thank Amanda ‘trump in heels’ Chase and other assorted GQP loons for helping drive the loon vote while he winked and nodded at the rubes.
He’ll also take a call from trumpov, congratulating him on his trumpov-endorsement-driven win, and for the rest of the week we’ll hear calls from trumpov world to ‘audit’ the 2020 VA results, of all the fucking stupid things. His Orangeness’ ego won’t be able to take that he lost by 10 points last year but Youngkin – his own ‘endorsee’! – managed to eke out a win tonight. Oh well, that’s their problem.
It would be tempting to keep up with tying trumpov to the Republicans in future elections, but – perhaps as we’ve seen tonight – there’s no point. Prosecute the hell out of trumpov, sure. But everyone knows the GQP is tied to him until further notice, and he is out of office. The question going forward is, “What are you going to do for us, Democrats?”
Lots of things involved in that, one of which is not wasting most of a year dicking around with holdouts in our own party. Call the vote on this whole BBB package and let’s get going…we have traitors to prosecute, hopefully some successes to promote, and refs to ‘work’ here. My god do we ever need to work the refs…
22.
frosty
@Omnes Omnibus: Right there with you. Catch you all with OTR and the COVID news in the morning.
23.
Jeffro
@Honus: yeah but did he really even have to bullshit? Neither the media nor his opponent called him out on much of anything.
Media: “gee, you seem nice”
McAuliffe: “hello Hitler clone”
Didn’t really get the job done. =)
Next time (obvs) we’ll know to work harder at getting someone – anyone – to get a straight answer out of “Slippery Glenn” or “Stealth Glenn”.
Let’s take the week off and come back at it on Monday, though. It’s not easy taking a dumb loss like this.
24.
FelonyGovt
Kind of jealous of my “normie” husband and daughter, who while firmly on our side, have no idea there was an election for Virginia governor today. I’m going to need to tune out the news for a while.
25.
Tony Gerace
Virginia was the heart of Treason in Defense of Slavery. The legacy continues. I guess I’ll find out soon exactly how stupid voters in my home state (Jersey) are.
26.
senyordave
@CaseyL: Because you’re right: parts of the US will be uninhabitable, for various reasons, within the next 10 years.
States like AL, KY, OK, TN, MS, SC each have some areas you could live in, mostly tech areas, college towns and the like. Most of the rest would be extremely tough to live in if you weren’t a white Christian conservative.
27.
raven
Dansby crushes one!
28.
Mike E
Went local shopping and lucked into a phono preamp at some joint called Sam Ash, of all places, so now I can spin vinyl again… listening to Bonnie Raitt Sweet Forgiveness (and other dusty gems) play on my 30+ year old turntable.
29.
Zelma
I am going to give up following politics for a while. The country is in a dark place and I can’t see a glimmer of light. Fear trumps hope; lies win over truth. I will never again say the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s a mockery. Liberty and justice for all. What a lie.
30.
mali muso
@Suzanne: We applied for Canadian residency through their skilled worker fast track and got approved. Would have started the relocation process last year if not for the pandemic putting everything on hold. Definitely going to try to get those plans restarted now. Like you, I’ve got a young one’s future to protect.
31.
Tony Gerace
@Tony Gerace: Oh yeah. An awful lot of human beings are not much more intelligent than our ape ancestors. “Biden (who does not have de-facto control of the Senate) has FAILED to ‘bring the country together’. So let’s react by electing Republicans (less than 10 months after the January 6th attempted coup.” Not an intelligent species.
32.
Damien
I never thought I’d say this, but it really does seem pointless. I’m exhausted and it doesn’t look like America is gonna get its shit together. I love what this country used to mean, and I really thought we were headed the right way.
But Ireland seems like a nice place to live.
33.
Emerald
Republicans have figured out how to win elections in this country: appeal to racism. That’s really it. This is still a racist enough country that it will deliver for them almost every time.
34.
senyordave
@Tony Gerace: Bad news is that right now the Republican is slightly ahead. Good news is that almost no votes have been counted from Essex and Passaic counties. The FTFNYT has a good website with updating results by county.
so it turns out that proud, overt, quiet-parts-loud racism is the perfect message Republicans have been looking for. Took 50 years, but they got there.
36.
VeniceRiley
Never happier that I’m in California now and leaving the county soon. Because republicans are going to absolutely fuck the voter rolls and machine in Virginia, and pass one of those never mind wha the voters think we’ll send our own elector presidential laws. We will never win it again.
37.
CaseyL
@Suzanne: Here in the US? My own state, Washington, is very very liberal – as long as you stay on the Western side of the Cascades. Vermont is GOP-Free; I think Connecticut is, too, and Delaware.
But as liberal and prosperous and thriving as those places are, they’re not going to escape the tidal wave of belligerent, ignorant, violent bigotry the country is embracing. If you have kids, go elsewhere: Portugal, Panama, Spain… some countries aren’t impossible to get into, but few of them are English-speaking (though English is widely spoken in most of the metropolitan areas).
There are YouTube videos on which countries are easiest to emigrate to. The only reason I’m not selling everything I own and heading out is – well, the first reason is my two kitties. The second reason is my age. But if I had kids, I’d be exploring every avenue to get out.
38.
trollhattan
Well, fuck. Feel bad for the people of Virginia and remain dubious the former Confederacy will ever be free of these peckerwoods being in charge.
39.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
from yesterday, but still relevant:
Taniel @Taniel A reminder that Democrats won Louisiana & Kentucky in 2019, a year before Trump won them by 18% and 26%. Governor’s races are their own things: & they don’t need national stakes to matter immensely. The stakes for public policy in Virginia are pretty much huge enough. 7:08 PM · Nov 1, 2021
See also Doug Jones in 2017 and every other statewide race in Alabama. Candidates matter, as to events we can neither predict nor control, as I think Ramsay McDonald observed
40.
HalfAssedHomesteader
If McAuliffe loses, Manchin and Sinema cost us VA.
41.
The Dangerman
Things looking up in the baseball world. Braves looking good to win (Cheaters go down), don’t have to listen to that awful tomahawk chop bullshit.
42.
Mike E
Speaking of Dusty, sorry man… Atlanta Baseball Team got their groove when it counted and nobody else could keep up with them.
43.
Morzer
It’s an open question as to whether Manchin or Trump is happier at the Virginia result. Democrats apparently have learned nothing from the last 4 years. If you want nice things, you have to turn out and vote for them, whether it’s an off year or not. If there’s a glimmer of bitter consolation, it’s the collapse of the De Santis boomlet. Trump is definitely going to run in 2024 unless obesity and clogged arteries intervene.
44.
James E Powell
Very disappointed, not surprised. The energy in the electorate is all Trump’s Dolchstosslegende; the energy in the press/media is all “Democrats fail!”
As I mentioned a day or so ago, there are quite a few infuriated right-wingers and quite a few very stupid people.
Everyone is free to dish out their angry takes at everyone who is to blame, but don’t dwell on it. We have an election one year from now that we absolutely have to win.
As the ex-capital of the Confederacy goes at this particular moment, so goes the nation in 2022 and beyond. Do I have your take right?
46.
Czar Chasm
Sorry, but where are you seeing this? As of now (just a hair shy of 10 pm), I see no media outlet calling it yet for Youngkin.
Don’t give up yet…
47.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I mean, I’m not betting the farm that Tim Ryan will take Ohio, but I don’t think either Mandel or Vance can pull off the “friendly neighbor in a fleece quarter-zip” like Youngkin did. And Val Demmings has a hard slog, but I’m putting my money behind the Harley-riding ex-police chief taking on the underwhelming little man who’s barely crawled out of trump’s lap.
and Dems are doing well in New Hampshire tonight.
48.
Eolirin
@VeniceRiley: They don’t have the state senate, they aren’t passing shit. Not for a while yet.
Don’t think I’ve seen your nym before. I really like it.
52.
JMG
It is foolish and futile to try and predict what will happen in elections 12 months from now. There is such a thing as events that will take place between now and then.
53.
Jeffro
trumpov already out with a statement congratulating Youngkin on his win, due to his endorsement.
hey…he’s all yours, GQP…we’ll just be over here, trying our best to get the ‘refs’ to pay attention for once ;)
54.
Tony Gerace
@Emerald: The right pissed and moaned about that uppity “1619 Project” article a couple of years ago, but the main point of the article — that slavery was/is the central feature of U.S. History/the U.S. now — was exactly right. There are an awful lot of white Americans who will eagerly support any white person who uses the right ooga-booga rhetoric about scary non-white subhumans. Really a fucked-up shithole of a country.
You win some and you lose some. I am an American by choice so I am not going anywhere. Chin up. And democracy is not done unless we all give up. Losing one election != fall of democracy
I don’t do doom and gloom or I told you so dance when Dems lose.
McAuliffe’s campaign said officials in Fairfax County — Virginia’s most populous, by far — told them results would be delayed, though it’s unclear by how long. Democratic-leaning Fairfax is bigger than the next three largest counties in the commonwealth combined, so it will be difficult to get a complete picture of the race without it.
And TFG is questioning the results, or lack thereof, from Fairfax County, because OF COURSE he is. (C’mon, Fairfax! Win one for the not-a-Gipper!)
58.
Tazj
@FelonyGovt: I need to take that advice, to stay away from much of the news coverage. I tend to become too hyped up myself over negative situations that I have no control over.
At least some of the local politicians I voted for seem to be winning. There’s a long way to go until the 2022 elections, hopefully things will change for the better.
59.
Dan B
As a gay man who grew up in an era in which I could be imprisoned followed by a successful era of liberation, followed by the plague, and then by marriage equality and some statewide protections it seems like we’re on the downward track because people are pushing back against change and for the status quo. There are many other factors especially that many people have no fear of suffering as democracy is eroded. They only notice the price of gas and their taxes. They’ve never actually had their freedom taken from them.
I feel we’ve allowed tech and the likes of Murdoch to fill the minds of many with tribal hatreds. That must be dealt with even if we go to far at times. The ship of state is leaking and on fire.
Dave Wasserman predicts Youngkin winning by low single digits. McAuliffe hasn’t been getting the margins he needs and Youngkin has overperformed in rural areas. The Democrats have seemingly lost pretty much every statewide office and might end up losing the Virginia House too.
64.
Karen
It was all about the schools and Independents. CRT wasn’t even being taught. Well, Virginia will now be Texas and Florida and gutted like Kansas. Apparently that wasn’t enough to motivate them. Somehow they’d rather lose public schools than the take the chance of schools teaching that racism existed. I feel really bitter and it’s not even my state. I’m in MD and saw those ads every day. I’m glad they’re gone.
Next year is gonna really suck.
65.
Honus
@Mike E: your turntable is at least 30+ years old. I went out to buy a new cartridge for my turntable 30 years ago and couldn’t find one, let alone an actual turntable. I bought a cd player instead.
Still have the (Thorens) turntable btw. Cartridges are readily available now.
66.
OGLiberal
@JMG: I don’t think that’s even close to being a foregone conclusion. Essex and Passaic counties are at less than 1% reporting. Bergen County at 40%. If Murphy even comes close to losing either I’ll eat my hat.
67.
karen marie
Unfucking believable.
I cannot believe the people of Virginia are that fucking stupid but I guess I’ll have to.
68.
Morzer
@Honus: I just don’t trust musical technology that doesn’t involve wax cylinders…
69.
Will
Assuming racism is the only reason Youngkin is winning shows how detached you are from the real world. Sure, there are racists that support him because he is the closest thing they will find to even being in the same building as far as values, but a great deal of the people that voted Youngkin do so for reasons as simple as taxes and small business regulation. Those are valid policy debates and aren’t end of the Republic issues.
Advocating moving to Europe? Are you for real? Have you ever stepped outside your bubble? Racism is worse in Europe than it is in the United States. Fear of outsiders and sending money to the continent were some of the key reasons douchebags voted for Brexit. France has been on the brink of electing its own Trump for several election cycles. Latin America is embroiled in racism, but instead of being white v black, it’s light shade of brown versus darker shade of brown. It’s not greener on the other side.
70.
CaseyL
@CaseyL: Holy shit – Re: Emigration to Portugal. Portugal does NOT require a quarantine of one’s pets as long as one has the required health documentation.
This could conceivably change everything…
71.
Dan B
@mrmoshpotato: The plaintiffs in the Social Security survivors benefits case had amazing history. The gay male couple had been together for 43 years! And the women had been together for decades plus the survivor had stopped working to care for an ill family member so her Social Security was far less. I wonder how Amy Coney would respond to these stories of devotion. We can imagine how several of the male justices would respond.
72.
Morzer
@karen marie: It is depressing – but, it should also be said, that 11 out of the last 12 races in VA have seen the party in the White House lose the governorship. This set of results is squarely in line with whatever passes for the same old same old these days.
It is foolish and futile to try and predict what will happen in elections 12 months from now. There is such a thing as events that will take place between now and then.
Taniel @Taniel 38m On New Jersey: Governor Murphy is down 2% so far, but *40%* of the counted ballots so far are from Ocean & Monmouth, the two biggest counties Trump carried in 2020. Very little if anything from Dem bastions Essex, Hudson, Union.
about the only numbers guy talking about anything other than VA tonight
Taniel @Taniel11m Larry Krasner has won a 2nd term as DA of Philadelphia. He’s been arguably the highest profile of the reform-minded DAs.
AP just called with Krasner up 73/27: Note the margin is very similar to his 2017 win; this comes after his large win (+28%) in the Democratic primary.
I don’t know much about Krasner, but that seems like good news
76.
Sideshow Bob
@Will: Yeeeeeep. Which is why humanity is pretty much doomed. While we yell about skin pigmentation for the amusement of the upper class, the planet is sinking, the animals are dying, the resources are drying up…
God, I hate feeling like this. But I really don’t see a way out. Even something like a World War wouldn’t be the culture shifting thing it had been in the past because I can’t even be sure we’d fight for the good guys anymore.
77.
UncleEbeneezer
@Karen: it will forever boggle my mind that so many Dems feel like stopping fascists is just NOT ENOUGH to be motivated.
78.
Juju
I suspect that Virginia voters will remember why they voted Democratic the past few years once the new governor is in office and tries to ban abortion and turns down Medicaid and promotes voting restrictions.
You’re going to argue that taxes & business regulation are what brought out the rural votes? Okay, but I don’t think CNN is looking for another pundit.
80.
Patricia Kayden
@Suzanne: Yep. When we win, our “moderates” stymy our agenda anyways and talk about loving Republicans. We can’t win for losing.
I know what is like to have ones freedom revoked and to live in fear of the authorities. And to be surrounded by death. Most financially secure straight white people equate feeling shamed by the 1619 project as being in mortal danger and impolite words to be a deadly threat.
82.
Morzer
@Patricia Kayden: Thanks to Manchin and Sinema we apparently can’t win for winning.
83.
Patricia Kayden
Virginia 2020 —> White women50% Biden (D), 49% Trump (R)Virginia 2021 —> White women57% Youngkin (R), 43% McAuliffe (D)A 15-point swing to the GOP with this group.(via @NBCNews Exit Polls)— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) November 3, 2021
84.
Juju
I think if the giant meteor hit soon I could probably cope.
To make myself feel better I donated to Sens. Warnock and Kelly. I think I might make my first donation to NC senate candidate Cheri Beasley.
85.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I have not followed this race at all, but Vance is leaving behind some very interesting files….
Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1 22m NEW YORK (AP) — Alvin Bragg elected Manhattan’s first Black district attorney, will oversee cases involving former President Trump.
@Honus: thank goodness for the youngs and their inscrutable tastes! My local School Kids record store right across the street from my apartment is doing steady business. I heard that Ringo has been selling his new EP on cassette but I sure won’t be running out to buy a new tape player, heh.
Nothing moves the needle for those white women like politicians sweet talking them with low taxes and less business regulation like the Youngkin campaign did.
89.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Juju: I’ve got Warnock and Demmings monthly donations set up, I think I’ll add Kelly and maybe one or two other incumbents
90.
Eolirin
@Patricia Kayden: The reason this keeps happening is because we keep failing to elect enough dems in enough places. The times we have elected enough dems we’ve passed massive society altering legislation. This is an electorate problem, not an elected officials problem.
91.
Dan B
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: There was a TV series about Krasner. He is both level headed and fierce in holding the police accountable. This is a great validation. There are powerful people who hate him.
92.
Fair Economist
@senyordave: It’s also tough for White Christian conservatives. They are the ones being tricked into dying of COVID by the tens of thousands.
93.
Dan B
@Morzer: It seems that we need a majority of Senators who are not owned by major corporations. D or R matters less, although having McConnell in charge would be horrifying.
94.
Juju
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s nice to hear that. You’re a good person. I just donated to Cheri Beasley. I feel a bit better doing that and hearing about your donations. I might have to start Val Demmings too
Is it impossible to transfer an architectural license? Since you’re highly skilled and young, I think you have options.
97.
Dan B
@Fair Economist: This is me with the world’s smallest violin playing the saddest song.
.
Hear much?
98.
OGLiberal
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Sadly, I live in Monmouth County. We have some really solid blue areas, especially where I live. (Neptune, right next to Asbury Park) But there is a big, white McMansion crowd there as well and they loves them some Trump. Think Staten Island but in NJ. (Ocean County has some of the McMansion crowd but also a sizeable hicks on meth population)
Essex and Passaic still way low in reporting percentage. I don’t think Murphy needs to sweat this but then a few weeks ago I thought the same about McAuliffe. But crap like CRT isn’t really an issue in NJ, nor is being safe about kids going to school during a pandemic. It’s almost always property taxes and teachers’ unions, the ultimate bogeyman. NJ voters see Murphy as competent. Christie would win points for yelling at female educators but don’t think that’s as big of a vote winner these days. We’ll see.
99.
Elizabelle
@Patricia Kayden: 43% of us did vote for McAuliffe. Should we have stayed home too??
100.
Mike E
@Dan B: it proves that being an unrelenting badass in the face of aggrieved white patriarchy can be a winning strategy…fire in the belly, the precious political commodity these days
101.
Morzer
@hilts: Economic anxiety, man. Or perhaps the fact that the biggest blue areas aren’t anywhere near in.
@khead: So they voted for Biden before over Trump but now voted Youngkin? What, they suddenly become racist in a year? Why didn’t they vote for the unabashed racist a year ago?
Some of you are out of your freaking minds thinking that everyone is motivated by racism in their voting. People vote for a multitude of reasons that are important to them personally but mean shit to the next person.
104.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@hilts: first votes counted come from solid red districts, the numbers people still seem pretty confident in a Murphy victory
Right now, more votes have been reported from GOP-leaning Ocean County (pop 607,000) than from extremely blue Essex and Hudson Counties (pop 1.4 million) COMBINED.
105.
Elizabelle
@Fair Economist: And may they continue to do so. Satan is calling them home. Of course, they don’t recognize it is he — and Mammon — they have been worshipping all along. Surprise!
106.
Karen
@Fair Economist: Somehow I have no sympathy for them. I have sympathy for the kids, it’s not their fault. But they got “tricked” because they like what they heard.
I’ve been wondering about those voters, who didn’t come out for Trump but did for Youngkin.
And it made me think about the Democratic voters who didn’t come out for Hillary: they thought her victory was assured, they could sit out the election and not vote for someone they so thoroughly disliked. Then… Trump won. Shock! Horror! And they turned out in droves to vote in 2018…
So here’s my latest thought about Youngkin winning back the anti-Trump voters: they never ever minded Trump’s policies; they actually like GOP policies. They just disliked Trump so thoroughly (for being a complete shit of a sort-of human) that – like the Anti-Hillary Democrats – the just couldn’t bring themselves to vote for him. Maybe they thought Trump would win even without their votes (which would also explain their frantic disbelief in the actual outcome of the election). So, like the Anti-Hillary voters, they thought they could have their cake and eat it too.
Then: Biden won. Shock! Horror! And so they turn out in droves to vote in 2021-2022.
Youngkin isn’t Trump: he is actually able to convincingly mimic actual human behavior. PLUS he has the policies they all want!
Win-win: they get the GOP fascism, but not the embarrassingly classless avatar of said fascism.
108.
Skepticat
For four generations, no one in my direct line has lived past 75. I recently turned 75, and all of a sudden, I want to keep the tradition going so I don’t have to see much more of this. Not only can “it” happen here, but apparently it already has.
109.
Patricia Kayden
@khead: Actually, it probably was the anti-CRT and “all those scary Black people fighting in schools” ads which pushed White women to vote for him.
I can see his first act being putting back up Confederate statues including the one in Charlottesville.
110.
OGLiberal
@hilts: Counties reporting. Monmouth and Ocean are almost fully counted and they are Trump land counties. (live in Monmouth – it is not rural, just white, privileged assholes) Essex still at less than 1% and Passaic at about 2%. Murphy will clean up in both. Bergen County is worrying me a bit, though.
111.
Karen
@CaseyL: Youngkin is terrifying because he’s a competent Trump.
112.
Elizabelle
@Skepticat: Please don’t say that. I am rooting for you to live to a healthy and happy 80, and beyond. Those potdogs (??) need you!
113.
Juju
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s a relief to hear. If I lived in NJ I’d vote for Murphy. He seems like a genuinely nice fellow, much like our current president.
114.
Patricia Kayden
@CaseyL: That describes my boss to a t. She was horrified that Trump won but is a Republican. I assume she voted for Younkin tonight while never voting for Trump because he was over the top crass.
115.
Skepticat
People vote for a multitude of reasons that are important to them personally but mean shit to the next person.
I basically agree with your point, but I hate that it causes s**it to happen to the next person and many more people as well.
@Will: And I think some people are out of their freaking minds for ignoring race.
If white voting is up, black voting down, then something is up. If white voting is up very high in rural areas, and one of the reasons is education, then something is very up.
White people (and it IS white people we’re talking about) won’t vote for outright racism….but they’ll certainly vote for racist policies if they can deflect and blame it on something else; “rerverse racism” is very popular for a reason
@CaseyL: Yeah, Youngkin gives them plausible cover….
117.
CaseyL
@Patricia Kayden:
Exactly: they never minded the substance; just the form.
118.
Patricia Kayden
@Will: So what are the reasons to vote for a Trump-lite who ran on banning CRT when it’s not taught in schools? In one of his ads, he featured a White woman whose son was uncomfortable reading a Toni Morrison novel. Younkin is a professional dog whistler.
OK, just keeping my fingers crossed. It’s bad enough to lose the Virginia governor’s race, but losing Virginia and NJ would be too much bad news to process.
121.
Mary G
The backlash is strong with these cretins.
122.
VFX Lurker
@CaseyL: Here in the US? My own state, Washington, is very very liberal – as long as you stay on the Western side of the Cascades. Vermont is GOP-Free; I think Connecticut is, too, and Delaware.
Few people in the United States or other developed nations view American democracy as an example for the rest of the world to follow, a Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday shows.
In the Global Attitudes Survey this spring, Pew asked 18,850 adults in 17 advanced economies, including the United States, about their views of American society and politics. Countries surveyed included Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and South Korea.
… “Very few in any public surveyed think American democracy is a good example for other countries to follow,” Pew’s report said. Outside the United States, a median of 17 percent said U.S. democracy set a good example for other countries to follow, while 57 percent said U.S. democracy “used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years.” An additional 23 percent said the United States has never been a good example for democracy.
Respondents in the United States were just about as negative— with 19 percent saying American democracy provided a good example. A further 72 percent said their country “used to be a good example” of a democracy for the world, but “has not been in recent years.”
People in Taiwan, Italy and Greece were the most positive about the state of American democracy; Singapore, Australia and New Zealand the least.
The survey, which was conducted over the phone and online from Feb. 1 to May 26, came after President Trump spread the false claim that he, not President Biden, won the November election, and after a pro-Trump mob rampaged inside the U.S. Capitol. …
The survey also revealed a sharp partisan divide among U.S. respondents. Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party were twice as likely as Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party to say American democracy has never been a good model for other countries to follow, Pew noted.
Globally, America’s international reputation had improved since the election of President Biden, the report said, with a median of 75 percent saying they had confidence Biden would do the right thing in world affairs, compared with the 17 percent who said the same of Trump in 2020. The survey was conducted before the United States’ chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan, during which the Taliban took control of the country.
[Which the press wet their pants about like nothing I have ever seen. Talk about being embedded with the military industrial complex. And Democrats get how far our country has fallen. Republicans: USA! USA!]
You start out in 1954 by saying, “N-r, n-r, n-r.” By 1968 you can’t say “n-r”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “N-r, n-r.”
Well, my friend, you are free to focus on any of the multitude of reasons you would like. But I’m currently focusing on how Youngkin somehow seemed to spend a lot more time on the imaginary threat of CRT (oh wait excuse me – the “real issue” of education). I’m also wondering how anyone could think his message was taxes and regulations.
Without turnout numbers it is stretching to call it a swing. I thought I read that R turnout was much higher this time. @Will:
See above. And the day may come when racism is no longer a huge part of VA voting patterns, but I don’t think that day will come soon. Might be out of my mind, but I wonder whether you have ever lived in VA.
Sad tonight.
Will keep fighting.
131.
Will
I guess I must be racist cause I voted for the Republican running for mayor of Pittsburgh than the Democrat even though I voted for the Democrat nominee during the primary. Why? Because for whatever reason after he won the nomination he started questioning some developments in the Oakland neighborhood. It’s been these new developments that have kept my rent from going up crazy since they finally have some competition and they can’t continue to raise my rent unseemly or I’ll just move out to the new places. He lost my vote for sounding like he was going to slow down these developments. Why? Racism? I must be racist against my very brown Indian wife. I wonder how she can sleep in the same bed as a racist! ….or I voted because a particular policy means a lot to me and I felt that if somehow the Republican won, he wouldn’t be able to do much damage and then hopefully we’d get a better Democrat candidate next election.
132.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
With 2 outs in the 8th inning, I am now projecting the Atlanta Braves as the winner of the 2021 World Series
133.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
clearly the determining factor in this race was Critical Small Business Regulation Theory
134.
Arclite
Time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. Rightwing propaganda is killing us.
135.
Elizabelle
@Wyatt Salamanca: Thank you. Excited to be there over the holidays. I never tire of old cities festooned with lights.
And the gluhwein. (Hot mulled wine.). Yum.
136.
OGLiberal
@Patricia Kayden: I think that woman is a true Trumper and maybe even a Q loon but she played that “I don’t want my kid reading about rape and you shouldn’t make me!” No, you don’t want your kids reading about white slave owning dudes raping black female slaves because, well, that never happened….STATES RIGHTS! I’d go ballistic over somebody trying to censor Toni freaking Morrison but McAuliffe’s response about parents shouldn’t dictate curriculum was a made for Youngkin sound byte and tone deaf. Most of the white women who swung big from Biden to Youngkin don’t even know who Toni Morrison is. Not a knock on those white women – or Toni Morrison – most people don’t know who Toni Morrison is. They just don’t. Nor do they care – just no rape stories for my kids, please – especially when it makes white folks look bad.
That said, I’m a dude who could get fully behind CRT and I didn’t know what that was until it became the wing nuts’ cause celebre 1-2 years ago.
Yes it is. Literally. Enormous body count, from the pandemic.
Fairness Doctrine. Or regulate the “news” and “social” media.
Which may have just become harder. Propaganda should not be hiding behind the First Amendment. It is incompatible with democracy. Why did we not learn what a danger posed by Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister of the Third Reich?
OR: maybe Virginia will be a wakeup call for the midterms and 2024. To see.
I am happy to report that all three of the school board candidates I voted for won. Supposedly a nonpartisan race but all three Republicans lost (including an incumbent). And remember, this is a pretty much a Red suburb, with a few purple streaks.
I read elsewhere on the internet tonight something along the lines of: People who don’t know what Critical Race Theory is do know that they don’t like seeing Racists Criticized.
140.
Geminid
A state gave a decisive victory to a Democratic presidential candidate, and then turned around and voted in a Republican governor. When this happened in Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont it did not make me think of emigrating. It sucks that it’s happenened now in my state, but I’m not going to wake up tomorrow in fear of some wave of fascism sweeping my neighborhood. It’s basically the same bunch of people who gave Biden a ten point victory last fall, except six per cent of them swung back to the Republican side. Youngkin knew he needed to swing so many independents, he campaigned accordingly, and he pulled it off.
I’ve seen a lot of people low-rating Youngkin, but I never did. He’s a slick motherf$$ker who ran a sharp and shrewd campaign. His opponent did not.
I grew up in East Tennessee. My black girlfriend and I were out to eat when I was in college, a white family asked in front of us to be moved to another table so they didn’t have to see us. I’m well aware of racism, but the extent so many of you blame it for everything and assume everyone voting Republican is racist makes you sound as looney as the Q people to me.
144.
Juju
@Elizabelle: I like the or better and I have already started my donations.
It will be interesting to see how Virginians react when Youngkin turns out to be a Trumpkin?
145.
Leto
@Will: Haha, we found one; “I’ll vote Republican, that’ll show Dems! They’ll def nominate someone more to my liking next time!” And I thought I’d never live to see a unicorn in the wild.
Just an absolutely brilliant thought pattern. /chef’skiss
146.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
so this is a…. less-than-worst-case scenario?
Dave Wasserman @Redistrict 15m Wow: Dems hanging on by a thread in Virginia Beach. Per VB’s site, #HD85 Del. Alex Askew (D) now *ahead* 15,452 to 15,358. #HD21 Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D) still ahead 15,674 to 15,296. If that holds, and if Rs’ lead in #HD91 holds, we’re looking at a 50/50 tie in #VAHOD.
Breaking: pending late-arriving mail ballots, provisionals & possible recounts, Republicans pick up five seats in the Virginia House of Delegates for a 50D-50R tie. There is no tie-breaking provision for control of the chamber. #VAHOD
I wonder how that will play out. Is there a Speaker of the House of Dels? how will those sorts of questions be decided ?
(Looks like Murphy is narrowing the lead in NJ with Essex county (Newark) still counting, per Kornacki)
147.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Will: in all that petulant sarcasm I missed the part where you explained why Youngkin made banning “Critical Race Theory” from public schools– which don’t teach Critical Race Theory– the cornerstone of his campaign.
148.
Ohio Mom
@gwangung: *Cincinnati* (it took an effort for me to learn how to spell it when I first moved here).
I don’t live in the city proper but they had two solid candidates running for Mayor, both Democrats. Aftab was the younger, fresher face, and he’ll do as fine as he can. Cincinnati’s big problem is the havoc wrecked by term limits and a few other assorted “improvements” to Council’s structure, all brought by Republicans (spit) of course.
149.
Will
@Leto: Here some you all despairing about the death of democracy but you’re upset I voted for issues important to me but didn’t line up perfectly for you even if I voted Democrat for every position in the state or county.
Chef’s kiss
150.
Benw
Holy shit Braves!!!
151.
SiubhanDuinne
YUP YUP YUP YUP YUP!!!!
152.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
oh god, Al Franken just dropped the “he’s not LBJ” line on Biden on MSNBC.
And Mitch McConnel is no Everett Dirksen. And Susan Collins is no Margaret Chase Smith
@Will: Voting for short term gains while ignoring longer term problems and crowing about it will REALLY PISS PEOPLE OFF.
Some people can get away with it if they are astute and point out the elephant in the room….but NOT WHEN THEY IGNORE THE ELEPHANT THEMSELVES.
And, hint: redlining, school funding are local problems, too, but they ARE intimately tied up in race.
157.
Will
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: why do I need to explain it? I’m not arguing that there aren’t racist people voting for Youngkin, I’m saying that assuming they all are racists is friggin crazy. It’s also not my fault McAuliffe was incapable of pointing out that A) it’s not taught there and B) he doesn’t think white kids should be taught to hate each other. We all know that isn’t what CRT is here, but the fact he was so clueless or beholden to special interest to effectively neuter that argument is my not my fault or on me to explain.
When this happened in Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont it did not make me think of emigrating.
My impression is that Youngkin is no Charlie Baker, though I don’t like and did not and would not vote for Charlie Baker.
But it strikes me as the reverse of Virginia politics in the days when I lived there, when the state would often elect Democratic governors (not even old-time Dixiecrat ones) but was deep, deep Republican in presidential elections. Virginia politics is weird and always has been. I do hesitate to use it as any kind of bellwether.
159.
laura
@Mike E: I just patched together a stereo system with my Dad’s Teac CD/Ipod, sub woofer and teensy big sound speakers, a new Sony receiver and my early 80’s Technics close and play turntable. The record player had been marooned in the closet since 2002 and wouldn’t turn -all the lubricants had congealed into a solid and all belts brittle and slack. After a refurb (Stereo Advisor, Modesto CA) so many old and new records to play. The years momentarily fall away and the literal soundtrack of my life from my parents’ and my collection.
I hope that you are having as much fun spinning the big platters and cutting a rug or carrying on. It is a satisfying way to disconnect from the present and find some respite for the soul if only for a while.
I felt that if somehow the Republican won, he wouldn’t be able to do much damage and then hopefully we’d get a better Democrat candidate next election.
Yes the party of the deranged Q cult, white power/grievance, actively courting the fascist vote… well I’m sure they’ll keep your rent low. And again, I’m sure you voting for the Republicans will teach those bad ole Dems to take your vote more seriously. Because the only way we can elect better Dems is… elect more Republicans.
@Will: I’m saying that assuming they all are racists is friggin crazy.
Nothing you’e said actually supports your point, though. And you’ve not dealt with any of the evidence brought against it. All you’ve got is argument by assertion.
You’re going to have to work a whole lot harder to support your point. You’re being goddam lazy.
168.
Cameron
@barbequebob: Actually there’s a Sam Ash not too far from where I live.
169.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I have a feeling will is typing up a post about how during quarantine, he was shocked to hear his first-grader being led in a sing-song of “White people are the devil! And America is history’s greatest monster!” by a teacher with tattoos and nose-rings on the Zoom.
170.
Will
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Sure buddy, my ass is shown cause I understand how to shut down a dog whistle. Saying “CRT is not being taught here and it’s fucking crazy to think white kids should be taught to hate themselves” shuts down the debate in a way that puts a muzzle on the whistle. I mean if you want to keep losing elections cause you don’t understand how to talk to Americans on the fourth or fifth grade reading level most of them are on then by all means, keep going doing what you’re doing.
171.
Barbara
@Geminid: Yes, thanks. Trump was apocalyptic but I doubt that seeing the apocalypse in every negative result works in our favor.
172.
Leto
@gwangung: we’ve had better trolls come through here. I committed the cardinal sin. I should know better.
173.
Elizabelle
@Leto: I think Will actually had some good points re Virginia.
I did not see a single TV ad this year, not one, because I don’t have TV. But did see some late internet ads with Youngkin promising to cut taxes and “Yahoo News” said McAuliffe would raise a family’s taxes by $5400 or so.
@Will:Saying “CRT is not being taught here and it’s fucking crazy to think white kids should be taught to hate themselves” shuts down the debate in a way that puts a muzzle on the whistle
How fucking naive.
175.
Will
@Leto: News flash, the Republican nominee wasn’t a Republican, but a Democrat. I believe he was in third place in the primary. He won via a write in campaign on the Republican primary months later.
176.
barbequebob
@The Dangerman: Sorry I have to disagree. I have no love for either team but was rooting for the cheaters overs the racists.
177.
Barbara
@Matt McIrvin: If I thought that Youngkin weren’t itching to fight the culture wars I wouldn’t be so disappointed. He will be hemmed in but will probably be spoiling to torture and bully pregnant women righr out of the starting gate. His buzz saw will probably arrive when he tries to shift public education dollars to private schools. Not a big constituency for that kind of maneuver.
178.
James E Powell
Murphy trailing by ~17K in New Jersey. Not sure where the yet to be counted votes are.
179.
Geminid
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: If the House of Delegates ends up 50-50, I think the two sides will have to make a power sharing agreement. Should be interesting. This almost happened after the 2017 election, except one Delegate race was tied after the recount and a flip of a coin made the House 51-49 Republican.
One x-factor is that these elections were on the map drawn by Republicans after the 2010 Census. It’s possible that a federal court would order a new election on a new map. State Senator Scott Surovel has experience in election law, and he contends that a plaintiff from, say, fast growing Loudon County would have a good equal protection claim. I think the Democrats will at least try this route.
180.
Will
@gwangung: I am the naive one for saying you should communicate on the fourth or fifth grade level where Americans live than giving detailed high minded explanations. I weep for my party and their lack of ability to just cut through the bullshit with specific language that the people they need to vote for them can understand.
181.
glc
Nate Cohn 12m ago
The New Jersey governor’s race is proving tough to read. Many counties show great results for Republicans; others seem quite good for the Democrats. And there’s very little information on whether or where mail ballots have been counted.
Careful — you’re going to get branded an Eeyore by the usual suspects, and banished to DKos or LGM or whichever blog is on the “most hated” list this week.
184.
Leto
@Will: Haha, that’s even better. His message didn’t resonate with Dems, so he had the great idea: “I’ll run as a Republican!” With full support of the GOP. And still lost. Granted, Pittsburg hasn’t elected an R for mayor since the 30s, but still. Way to hype the guy who tried to run an end around. I hope you enjoy apples.
185.
Eolirin
@SFAW: It’s clearly coming from a place of frustration and grief so it’s not worth responding to, but the answer is pretty obvious if you look at the outcomes we’ve already gotten even without being able to move much legislation.
@Geminid: Basically, because the census results were delayed, so was state redistricting. I don’t follow this closely but I believe there’s a possibility that another set of elections might need to be held to reflect new districts.
@Will: No, you’re fucking naive for thinking it hasn’t been tried. They just dig in and ignore everything you say.
191.
Juju
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Impressive. I love it when someone can drop a word like cromulent in a comment. Polite golf clap to you.
192.
Elizabelle
Congratulations, Atlanta Braves.
And, FWIW, neither the NY Times nor the LA TImes has sent out a call on the Virginia governor’s race. Via email. I am avoiding news sites; haven’t looked at one since maybe 7:30 pm.
Plus: mail in absentee ballots. This may take longer.
193.
Will
@gwangung: That’s where you are wrong. I don’t need to convince all of them, most of them can dig in and ignore all they want. I’ve just got to peel enough of them away with the thought of “Hurmm, actually he did say he thought it was fucking crazy and he even used the word fuck when calling it crazy.” That’s how you win elections, you get just enough of them.
194.
OGLiberal
I still think Murphy wins in NJ but if he doesn’t we are in a world of hurt. I fucking hate my state – should not be worrying about a relatively popular Dem governor winning at this point.
195.
Barbara
@Suzanne: I’m not sure what you specifically are focused on, but at the federal level it’s a mistake to look only at big ticket legislation without considering every lever of government. And if that doesn’t help, try to remember people who were actually endangered by Republican policy.
Just so there’s no confusion: Suzanne is one of my favorite commenters. I was not chastising her, I certainly understand her frustration, and I find it hard to disagree with her sentiment in that particular comment. My comment was snark aimed at the burn the witches anti-“Eeyore” crowd, i.e., those who attack commenters who make “this is pretty fucking bad” comments.
@Will: yeah it really shouldn’t be that hard. Worked for Joe. Sometimes you don’t get to pick the channel and have to do counterprogramming. Unfair? So what?
198.
James E Powell
Murphy now about 10K behind in New Jersey.
199.
Eolirin
@Marshall Eubanks: I’m pretty sure they only do that to determine who holds a seat in the event of a tie between candidates. They need to come to a power sharing agreement in terms of how business is conducted in the case of a tied number of seats.
@Will: I voted for a single-issue anti-zoning libertarian for borough president. Completely irrelevant who I picked, this being manhattan, so I figured why not.
Schumer’s office sends me these numbers, which align with my own reporting on judicial confirmations under Biden. Bottom line is that Biden is crushing it on judges, filling vacancies much faster than any of his recent predecessors.
if the collective left had given more weight to judges than to… well, never mind…. we wouldn’t be where we are now
@Will: I’m thinking of this more as a turnout tool, much like the anti-gay marriage initiatives carried Republican efforts in the 2000s. As that tapped into homophobia to rally voters, this tapped into underlying racism to energize voters (and I’ll still laugh in your face if you think that’s not a force that drives a lot of white voters, whether it’s agains black, Asian or Hispanics).
203.
Will
@Major Major Major Major: Exactly, we don’t alway get to pick the battleground, sometimes it is already picked for us. We can hate the media and scream at the sky about them putting us on that battleground, but that doesn’t change that is is the one we have to fight on. When that happens, we can’t shy away scared, we have to use language that understands that battleground and peel enough away to win.
204.
Will
@gwangung: I’m having a hard time remembering who won the 2008 Presidential election. Was some guy that wouldn’t openly support gay marriage, professed Christian values, and suggested civil unions. I think that dude ended up helping bring about gay marriage afterwards.
@Will: Still doesn’t erase the Republican victories of the 2000s. And still doesn’t deny that race and racism is still very powerful. Like I said, don’t be naive.
History is on our side. (Not limiting consideration to midterm elections.) It’s the future that isn’t. That is the fault of the growing levels of stupidity and ignorance that is so widespread, even and especially among Democrats and people who should be voting for Democrats.
207.
Geminid
@Matt McIrvin: I would not say that Virginia is a bellwhether. This result does remind me that independents see thing differently. I don’t think Democrats need to cater to independents in terms of policy. But when it came to messaging I think McAuliffe had to speak to an audience of potential voters that included people who don’t neccessarily see matters the way a “good liberal” Democrat would. I thought McAuliffe was kind of complacent about this
But you are right that Youngkin is more dangerous than Baker. I don’t worry so much about how he’ll mess Virginia up, although maybe I should. But it’s a prosperous and well run state, one not hard to govern successfully. It would make a good step stone to higher office for the smart, ambitious Youngkin.
208.
TriassicSands
@Will: I think that dude ended up helping bring about gay marriage afterwards.
Let’s be honest. Obama was a follower, not a leader on that issue.
@TriassicSands: also it’s not like Obama appointed Kennedy, whose decision in Obergfell was the culmination of decades of work.
210.
Urban Suburbanite
Tonight was a big win for the status quo in Seattle. Incumbents held on (much of this is Democrat infighting), and a Republican who was part of that lazy “Walk Away” scampaign is poised to become a city official (her opponent had people denouncing her as the most dangerous woman in America while Tucker Carlson sat with that stupid fucking look of his).
211.
Cacti
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: oh god, Al Franken just dropped the “he’s not LBJ” line on Biden on MSNBC.
Yeah, LBJ was a genius at getting things passed when he had a 36 seat Senate majority.
212.
OGLiberal
@Cacti: Not to downplay that majority as it was formidable but he did get a lot of dudes who’d be fat right Republicans today to vote for stuff that would help brown people. Back then you could get Southern politicians on board with some strong arming and goodies for white folks, union folks,etc. These days those folks are Republican and anything that might help their white constituents but also brown folks must be fully rejected as a socialist handout to freeloaders.
213.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
My brother has been convinced for years that America is doomed, beyond saving, condemned to fascist dictatorship, and his reaction this morning to the news was “get used to it”. I’m not quite as convinced that the US is doomed, but I know it’s going to be a really heavy lift with no guarantee we’ll succeed at anything other than triggering a civil war, but I can’t handle much more talk of inevitable doom.
Still, the GOP’s got to be destroyed before it destroys America. The butcher’s bill is already too high as it stands. I just hope last night’s results shock enough people out of complacency to make a difference.
214.
Flynn
It’s the Louden County genderwoo thing, that’s what drove Virginia to the Right.
215.
Czar Chasm
@James E Powell: Cheers! I’ve been using it for almost my entire online life, so why stop now?
I also grew up in East Tennessee and became very tired of everything being tied to racism. But when politicians play that card it wins votes, every time. Remember Willie Horton. If it isn’t crime, it crops up in education. People cannot stand to hear the truth about the history of this country.
218.
AM in NC
@Will: As a suburban mom in North Carolina, I think I can speak with some bit of knowledge to the racism issue as it is plating out in elections for this demographic.
The racism deployed by the GOP under Trump was crude, and overt, and also anti-woman because it came in the Trump package. He bound all those gross things together and turned off Republican-leaning suburban white women.
Youngkin and that branch of the GOP is using racism far more subtly and in a far more targeted way, pitching their propaganda at moms who just want to protect their kids and have good schools. They used racist lies – eg.: about CRT being taught as history in public schools, or that teachers everywhere were making white kids feel horrible for being white – to scare white moms into thinking their children were under attack and their “once great” public schools are being dumbed down and/or being used as “woeness factories”. They are explicitly stoking racist fears in people who won’t respond to overt racism, particularly when that racism was coupled with sexism.
This is still racist propaganda being used by the right to great political effect. We need to understand it and figure out how to counteract it. I grant you that just saying “too many white ladies are racist” is not helpful. But neither is not recognizing how racist propaganda is being used successfully in nuanced ways that we need to counteract.
Dagaetch
Sucks for the people of Virginia, but it really sucks for all of us who will spend the next 3 months reading political reporters hot takes on why this is the end of the world for the Democratic party, and they should put Mitch McConnell back in charge or something. Gah.
RaflW
Not really snark to say that VA is going to be treated as good news for Joe Manchin.
JMG
Manchin will the Biden bill by lunchtime tomorrow.
Suzanne
I really think we have to just accept the idea that it’s done. Even when we win power, we can’t (won’t?) exercise it. So what’s the point of winning it?
Wyatt Salamanca
To John and everyone else:
Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I understand that history isn’t on our side, but we have to pull out all the stops to save the House and Senate from being taken over by the Rethuglican insurrectionists.
Mai Naem mobile
Fuck Manchin and fuck the Dems for not showing up and fuck the Dems for piss poor messaging. Oh, and fuck the media for making everything the Dems fault.
TeezySkeezy
@Suzanne: Desperate to not get disappeared by fascists is still good enough reason for me to vote.
hrprogressive
The Countdown to Fascism is on.
The USA will cease to be a nominally free republic within 12-36 months, plus or minus.
I suggest preparing for that now.
JMG
Looks like Dems might lose New Jersey, too.
Lepercorn
@Suzanne: There’s a long list of good progressive things Va Democrats did.
Omnes Omnibus
Okay, fuck it. I am out of here tonight.
Suzanne
@TeezySkeezy: I’m always going to vote, but I am essentially grieving the country. It’s never going to be functional, it’s not going to produce a good life for my kids, and I’m going to die in debt despite a lifetime of working.
Honus
Yeah, fuck it. I can’t believe people bought youngkins bullshit.
PsiFighter37
Shitty. Good thing my flight to LA is about to take off and I can go to sleep with no Internet access.
PsiFighter37
@Honus: Mitt Romney is kicking himself tonight for not thinking of this in 2012.
CaseyL
@Suzanne: If you have kids, you really need to see if you can emigrate. Because you’re right: parts of the US will be uninhabitable, for various reasons, within the next 10 years.
MomSense
Ugh. We need to go after the media more.
Suzanne
@CaseyL: Yeah.
Is there somewhere I can live where there’s no Republicans?
raven
Cheese eating surrender monkeys!!!!
prostratedragon
@hrprogressive:
“Prepare” how? Some might want to be ready to leave I guess, but I for one am not going anywhere, so I’m going to act like I’ve been aware of the possibility that Teezy describes just above you since the 60s (I have been) and chip in what meager resources and delicate spiritual balance I have toward working against that tide.
Jeffro
Within the next 24 hours…24 minutes…Glenn Youngkin’s going to take a stage somewhere, celebrate, and then thank Amanda ‘trump in heels’ Chase and other assorted GQP loons for helping drive the loon vote while he winked and nodded at the rubes.
He’ll also take a call from trumpov, congratulating him on his trumpov-endorsement-driven win, and for the rest of the week we’ll hear calls from trumpov world to ‘audit’ the 2020 VA results, of all the fucking stupid things. His Orangeness’ ego won’t be able to take that he lost by 10 points last year but Youngkin – his own ‘endorsee’! – managed to eke out a win tonight. Oh well, that’s their problem.
It would be tempting to keep up with tying trumpov to the Republicans in future elections, but – perhaps as we’ve seen tonight – there’s no point. Prosecute the hell out of trumpov, sure. But everyone knows the GQP is tied to him until further notice, and he is out of office. The question going forward is, “What are you going to do for us, Democrats?”
Lots of things involved in that, one of which is not wasting most of a year dicking around with holdouts in our own party. Call the vote on this whole BBB package and let’s get going…we have traitors to prosecute, hopefully some successes to promote, and refs to ‘work’ here. My god do we ever need to work the refs…
frosty
@Omnes Omnibus: Right there with you. Catch you all with OTR and the COVID news in the morning.
Jeffro
@Honus: yeah but did he really even have to bullshit? Neither the media nor his opponent called him out on much of anything.
Media: “gee, you seem nice”
McAuliffe: “hello Hitler clone”
Didn’t really get the job done. =)
Next time (obvs) we’ll know to work harder at getting someone – anyone – to get a straight answer out of “Slippery Glenn” or “Stealth Glenn”.
Let’s take the week off and come back at it on Monday, though. It’s not easy taking a dumb loss like this.
FelonyGovt
Kind of jealous of my “normie” husband and daughter, who while firmly on our side, have no idea there was an election for Virginia governor today. I’m going to need to tune out the news for a while.
Tony Gerace
Virginia was the heart of Treason in Defense of Slavery. The legacy continues. I guess I’ll find out soon exactly how stupid voters in my home state (Jersey) are.
senyordave
@CaseyL: Because you’re right: parts of the US will be uninhabitable, for various reasons, within the next 10 years.
States like AL, KY, OK, TN, MS, SC each have some areas you could live in, mostly tech areas, college towns and the like. Most of the rest would be extremely tough to live in if you weren’t a white Christian conservative.
raven
Dansby crushes one!
Mike E
Went local shopping and lucked into a phono preamp at some joint called Sam Ash, of all places, so now I can spin vinyl again… listening to Bonnie Raitt Sweet Forgiveness (and other dusty gems) play on my 30+ year old turntable.
Zelma
I am going to give up following politics for a while. The country is in a dark place and I can’t see a glimmer of light. Fear trumps hope; lies win over truth. I will never again say the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s a mockery. Liberty and justice for all. What a lie.
mali muso
@Suzanne: We applied for Canadian residency through their skilled worker fast track and got approved. Would have started the relocation process last year if not for the pandemic putting everything on hold. Definitely going to try to get those plans restarted now. Like you, I’ve got a young one’s future to protect.
Tony Gerace
@Tony Gerace: Oh yeah. An awful lot of human beings are not much more intelligent than our ape ancestors. “Biden (who does not have de-facto control of the Senate) has FAILED to ‘bring the country together’. So let’s react by electing Republicans (less than 10 months after the January 6th attempted coup.” Not an intelligent species.
Damien
I never thought I’d say this, but it really does seem pointless. I’m exhausted and it doesn’t look like America is gonna get its shit together. I love what this country used to mean, and I really thought we were headed the right way.
But Ireland seems like a nice place to live.
Emerald
Republicans have figured out how to win elections in this country: appeal to racism. That’s really it. This is still a racist enough country that it will deliver for them almost every time.
senyordave
@Tony Gerace: Bad news is that right now the Republican is slightly ahead. Good news is that almost no votes have been counted from Essex and Passaic counties. The FTFNYT has a good website with updating results by county.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/02/us/elections/results-new-jersey.html
robmassing
so it turns out that proud, overt, quiet-parts-loud racism is the perfect message Republicans have been looking for. Took 50 years, but they got there.
VeniceRiley
Never happier that I’m in California now and leaving the county soon. Because republicans are going to absolutely fuck the voter rolls and machine in Virginia, and pass one of those never mind wha the voters think we’ll send our own elector presidential laws. We will never win it again.
CaseyL
@Suzanne: Here in the US? My own state, Washington, is very very liberal – as long as you stay on the Western side of the Cascades. Vermont is GOP-Free; I think Connecticut is, too, and Delaware.
But as liberal and prosperous and thriving as those places are, they’re not going to escape the tidal wave of belligerent, ignorant, violent bigotry the country is embracing. If you have kids, go elsewhere: Portugal, Panama, Spain… some countries aren’t impossible to get into, but few of them are English-speaking (though English is widely spoken in most of the metropolitan areas).
There are YouTube videos on which countries are easiest to emigrate to. The only reason I’m not selling everything I own and heading out is – well, the first reason is my two kitties. The second reason is my age. But if I had kids, I’d be exploring every avenue to get out.
trollhattan
Well, fuck. Feel bad for the people of Virginia and remain dubious the former Confederacy will ever be free of these peckerwoods being in charge.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
from yesterday, but still relevant:
See also Doug Jones in 2017 and every other statewide race in Alabama. Candidates matter, as to events we can neither predict nor control, as I think Ramsay McDonald observed
HalfAssedHomesteader
If McAuliffe loses, Manchin and Sinema cost us VA.
The Dangerman
Things looking up in the baseball world. Braves looking good to win (Cheaters go down), don’t have to listen to that awful tomahawk chop bullshit.
Mike E
Speaking of Dusty, sorry man… Atlanta Baseball Team got their groove when it counted and nobody else could keep up with them.
Morzer
It’s an open question as to whether Manchin or Trump is happier at the Virginia result. Democrats apparently have learned nothing from the last 4 years. If you want nice things, you have to turn out and vote for them, whether it’s an off year or not. If there’s a glimmer of bitter consolation, it’s the collapse of the De Santis boomlet. Trump is definitely going to run in 2024 unless obesity and clogged arteries intervene.
James E Powell
Very disappointed, not surprised. The energy in the electorate is all Trump’s Dolchstosslegende; the energy in the press/media is all “Democrats fail!”
As I mentioned a day or so ago, there are quite a few infuriated right-wingers and quite a few very stupid people.
Everyone is free to dish out their angry takes at everyone who is to blame, but don’t dwell on it. We have an election one year from now that we absolutely have to win.
topclimber
@hrprogressive:
As the ex-capital of the Confederacy goes at this particular moment, so goes the nation in 2022 and beyond. Do I have your take right?
Czar Chasm
Sorry, but where are you seeing this? As of now (just a hair shy of 10 pm), I see no media outlet calling it yet for Youngkin.
Don’t give up yet…
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I mean, I’m not betting the farm that Tim Ryan will take Ohio, but I don’t think either Mandel or Vance can pull off the “friendly neighbor in a fleece quarter-zip” like Youngkin did. And Val Demmings has a hard slog, but I’m putting my money behind the Harley-riding ex-police chief taking on the underwhelming little man who’s barely crawled out of trump’s lap.
and Dems are doing well in New Hampshire tonight.
Eolirin
@VeniceRiley: They don’t have the state senate, they aren’t passing shit. Not for a while yet.
khead
First chance wypipo had to throw an election tantrum since Trump lost and – oooohh boy – they sure threw a big one.
SiubhanDuinne
@Czar Chasm:
Thank you.
James E Powell
@Czar Chasm:
Don’t think I’ve seen your nym before. I really like it.
JMG
It is foolish and futile to try and predict what will happen in elections 12 months from now. There is such a thing as events that will take place between now and then.
Jeffro
trumpov already out with a statement congratulating Youngkin on his win, due to his endorsement.
hey…he’s all yours, GQP…we’ll just be over here, trying our best to get the ‘refs’ to pay attention for once ;)
Tony Gerace
@Emerald: The right pissed and moaned about that uppity “1619 Project” article a couple of years ago, but the main point of the article — that slavery was/is the central feature of U.S. History/the U.S. now — was exactly right. There are an awful lot of white Americans who will eagerly support any white person who uses the right ooga-booga rhetoric about scary non-white subhumans. Really a fucked-up shithole of a country.
schrodingers_cat
You win some and you lose some. I am an American by choice so I am not going anywhere. Chin up. And democracy is not done unless we all give up. Losing one election != fall of democracy
I don’t do doom and gloom or I told you so dance when Dems lose.
TheTruffle
@Wyatt Salamanca: Since when is history on anyone’s side?
JWR
Is the VA race still too close to call? NBC:
And TFG is questioning the results, or lack thereof, from Fairfax County, because OF COURSE he is. (C’mon, Fairfax! Win one for the not-a-Gipper!)
Tazj
@FelonyGovt: I need to take that advice, to stay away from much of the news coverage. I tend to become too hyped up myself over negative situations that I have no control over.
At least some of the local politicians I voted for seem to be winning. There’s a long way to go until the 2022 elections, hopefully things will change for the better.
Dan B
As a gay man who grew up in an era in which I could be imprisoned followed by a successful era of liberation, followed by the plague, and then by marriage equality and some statewide protections it seems like we’re on the downward track because people are pushing back against change and for the status quo. There are many other factors especially that many people have no fear of suffering as democracy is eroded. They only notice the price of gas and their taxes. They’ve never actually had their freedom taken from them.
I feel we’ve allowed tech and the likes of Murdoch to fill the minds of many with tribal hatreds. That must be dealt with even if we go to far at times. The ship of state is leaking and on fire.
mrmoshpotato
Ugh. :(
Here’s some good news. :)
prostratedragon
Breathe.
E.
@Dan B: Well said.
Morzer
@JWR:
Dave Wasserman predicts Youngkin winning by low single digits. McAuliffe hasn’t been getting the margins he needs and Youngkin has overperformed in rural areas. The Democrats have seemingly lost pretty much every statewide office and might end up losing the Virginia House too.
Karen
It was all about the schools and Independents. CRT wasn’t even being taught. Well, Virginia will now be Texas and Florida and gutted like Kansas. Apparently that wasn’t enough to motivate them. Somehow they’d rather lose public schools than the take the chance of schools teaching that racism existed. I feel really bitter and it’s not even my state. I’m in MD and saw those ads every day. I’m glad they’re gone.
Next year is gonna really suck.
Honus
@Mike E: your turntable is at least 30+ years old. I went out to buy a new cartridge for my turntable 30 years ago and couldn’t find one, let alone an actual turntable. I bought a cd player instead.
Still have the (Thorens) turntable btw. Cartridges are readily available now.
OGLiberal
@JMG: I don’t think that’s even close to being a foregone conclusion. Essex and Passaic counties are at less than 1% reporting. Bergen County at 40%. If Murphy even comes close to losing either I’ll eat my hat.
karen marie
Unfucking believable.
I cannot believe the people of Virginia are that fucking stupid but I guess I’ll have to.
Morzer
@Honus: I just don’t trust musical technology that doesn’t involve wax cylinders…
Will
Assuming racism is the only reason Youngkin is winning shows how detached you are from the real world. Sure, there are racists that support him because he is the closest thing they will find to even being in the same building as far as values, but a great deal of the people that voted Youngkin do so for reasons as simple as taxes and small business regulation. Those are valid policy debates and aren’t end of the Republic issues.
Advocating moving to Europe? Are you for real? Have you ever stepped outside your bubble? Racism is worse in Europe than it is in the United States. Fear of outsiders and sending money to the continent were some of the key reasons douchebags voted for Brexit. France has been on the brink of electing its own Trump for several election cycles. Latin America is embroiled in racism, but instead of being white v black, it’s light shade of brown versus darker shade of brown. It’s not greener on the other side.
CaseyL
@CaseyL: Holy shit – Re: Emigration to Portugal. Portugal does NOT require a quarantine of one’s pets as long as one has the required health documentation.
This could conceivably change everything…
Dan B
@mrmoshpotato: The plaintiffs in the Social Security survivors benefits case had amazing history. The gay male couple had been together for 43 years! And the women had been together for decades plus the survivor had stopped working to care for an ill family member so her Social Security was far less. I wonder how Amy Coney would respond to these stories of devotion. We can imagine how several of the male justices would respond.
Morzer
@karen marie: It is depressing – but, it should also be said, that 11 out of the last 12 races in VA have seen the party in the White House lose the governorship. This set of results is squarely in line with whatever passes for the same old same old these days.
dogsinc.
Fuck it, Dude, let’s go bowlin’.
Bill Arnold
@JMG:
Yes.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@OGLiberal:
about the only numbers guy talking about anything other than VA tonight
I don’t know much about Krasner, but that seems like good news
Sideshow Bob
@Will: Yeeeeeep. Which is why humanity is pretty much doomed. While we yell about skin pigmentation for the amusement of the upper class, the planet is sinking, the animals are dying, the resources are drying up…
God, I hate feeling like this. But I really don’t see a way out. Even something like a World War wouldn’t be the culture shifting thing it had been in the past because I can’t even be sure we’d fight for the good guys anymore.
UncleEbeneezer
@Karen: it will forever boggle my mind that so many Dems feel like stopping fascists is just NOT ENOUGH to be motivated.
Juju
I suspect that Virginia voters will remember why they voted Democratic the past few years once the new governor is in office and tries to ban abortion and turns down Medicaid and promotes voting restrictions.
James E Powell
@Will:
You’re going to argue that taxes & business regulation are what brought out the rural votes? Okay, but I don’t think CNN is looking for another pundit.
Patricia Kayden
@Suzanne: Yep. When we win, our “moderates” stymy our agenda anyways and talk about loving Republicans. We can’t win for losing.
Dan B
@E.: Thanks.
I know what is like to have ones freedom revoked and to live in fear of the authorities. And to be surrounded by death. Most financially secure straight white people equate feeling shamed by the 1619 project as being in mortal danger and impolite words to be a deadly threat.
Morzer
@Patricia Kayden: Thanks to Manchin and Sinema we apparently can’t win for winning.
Patricia Kayden
Juju
I think if the giant meteor hit soon I could probably cope.
To make myself feel better I donated to Sens. Warnock and Kelly. I think I might make my first donation to NC senate candidate Cheri Beasley.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I have not followed this race at all, but Vance is leaving behind some very interesting files….
Juju
@UncleEbeneezer: I don’t get that either.
Mike E
@Honus: thank goodness for the youngs and their inscrutable tastes! My local School Kids record store right across the street from my apartment is doing steady business. I heard that Ringo has been selling his new EP on cassette but I sure won’t be running out to buy a new tape player, heh.
khead
@James E Powell: @Patricia Kayden:
Nothing moves the needle for those white women like politicians sweet talking them with low taxes and less business regulation like the Youngkin campaign did.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Juju: I’ve got Warnock and Demmings monthly donations set up, I think I’ll add Kelly and maybe one or two other incumbents
Eolirin
@Patricia Kayden: The reason this keeps happening is because we keep failing to elect enough dems in enough places. The times we have elected enough dems we’ve passed massive society altering legislation. This is an electorate problem, not an elected officials problem.
Dan B
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: There was a TV series about Krasner. He is both level headed and fierce in holding the police accountable. This is a great validation. There are powerful people who hate him.
Fair Economist
@senyordave: It’s also tough for White Christian conservatives. They are the ones being tricked into dying of COVID by the tens of thousands.
Dan B
@Morzer: It seems that we need a majority of Senators who are not owned by major corporations. D or R matters less, although having McConnell in charge would be horrifying.
Juju
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s nice to hear that. You’re a good person. I just donated to Cheri Beasley. I feel a bit better doing that and hearing about your donations. I might have to start Val Demmings too
Cheri Beasley is running for Burr’s seat.
hilts
@Tony Gerace:
All of the polls I’d seen showed Murphy with a comfortable lead. WTF happened there?
Elizabelle
@Suzanne: Sweden? Denmark? New Zealand?
Is it impossible to transfer an architectural license? Since you’re highly skilled and young, I think you have options.
Dan B
@Fair Economist: This is me with the world’s smallest violin playing the saddest song.
.
Hear much?
OGLiberal
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Sadly, I live in Monmouth County. We have some really solid blue areas, especially where I live. (Neptune, right next to Asbury Park) But there is a big, white McMansion crowd there as well and they loves them some Trump. Think Staten Island but in NJ. (Ocean County has some of the McMansion crowd but also a sizeable hicks on meth population)
Essex and Passaic still way low in reporting percentage. I don’t think Murphy needs to sweat this but then a few weeks ago I thought the same about McAuliffe. But crap like CRT isn’t really an issue in NJ, nor is being safe about kids going to school during a pandemic. It’s almost always property taxes and teachers’ unions, the ultimate bogeyman. NJ voters see Murphy as competent. Christie would win points for yelling at female educators but don’t think that’s as big of a vote winner these days. We’ll see.
Elizabelle
@Patricia Kayden: 43% of us did vote for McAuliffe. Should we have stayed home too??
Mike E
@Dan B: it proves that being an unrelenting badass in the face of aggrieved white patriarchy can be a winning strategy…fire in the belly, the precious political commodity these days
Morzer
@hilts: Economic anxiety, man. Or perhaps the fact that the biggest blue areas aren’t anywhere near in.
karen marie
@Morzer: Ugh.
Will
@khead: So they voted for Biden before over Trump but now voted Youngkin? What, they suddenly become racist in a year? Why didn’t they vote for the unabashed racist a year ago?
Some of you are out of your freaking minds thinking that everyone is motivated by racism in their voting. People vote for a multitude of reasons that are important to them personally but mean shit to the next person.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@hilts: first votes counted come from solid red districts, the numbers people still seem pretty confident in a Murphy victory
Elizabelle
@Fair Economist: And may they continue to do so. Satan is calling them home. Of course, they don’t recognize it is he — and Mammon — they have been worshipping all along. Surprise!
Karen
@Fair Economist: Somehow I have no sympathy for them. I have sympathy for the kids, it’s not their fault. But they got “tricked” because they like what they heard.
CaseyL
@Patricia Kayden:
I’ve been wondering about those voters, who didn’t come out for Trump but did for Youngkin.
And it made me think about the Democratic voters who didn’t come out for Hillary: they thought her victory was assured, they could sit out the election and not vote for someone they so thoroughly disliked. Then… Trump won. Shock! Horror! And they turned out in droves to vote in 2018…
So here’s my latest thought about Youngkin winning back the anti-Trump voters: they never ever minded Trump’s policies; they actually like GOP policies. They just disliked Trump so thoroughly (for being a complete shit of a sort-of human) that – like the Anti-Hillary Democrats – the just couldn’t bring themselves to vote for him. Maybe they thought Trump would win even without their votes (which would also explain their frantic disbelief in the actual outcome of the election). So, like the Anti-Hillary voters, they thought they could have their cake and eat it too.
Then: Biden won. Shock! Horror! And so they turn out in droves to vote in 2021-2022.
Youngkin isn’t Trump: he is actually able to convincingly mimic actual human behavior. PLUS he has the policies they all want!
Win-win: they get the GOP fascism, but not the embarrassingly classless avatar of said fascism.
Skepticat
For four generations, no one in my direct line has lived past 75. I recently turned 75, and all of a sudden, I want to keep the tradition going so I don’t have to see much more of this. Not only can “it” happen here, but apparently it already has.
Patricia Kayden
@khead: Actually, it probably was the anti-CRT and “all those scary Black people fighting in schools” ads which pushed White women to vote for him.
I can see his first act being putting back up Confederate statues including the one in Charlottesville.
OGLiberal
@hilts: Counties reporting. Monmouth and Ocean are almost fully counted and they are Trump land counties. (live in Monmouth – it is not rural, just white, privileged assholes) Essex still at less than 1% and Passaic at about 2%. Murphy will clean up in both. Bergen County is worrying me a bit, though.
Karen
@CaseyL: Youngkin is terrifying because he’s a competent Trump.
Elizabelle
@Skepticat: Please don’t say that. I am rooting for you to live to a healthy and happy 80, and beyond. Those potdogs (??) need you!
Juju
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s a relief to hear. If I lived in NJ I’d vote for Murphy. He seems like a genuinely nice fellow, much like our current president.
Patricia Kayden
@CaseyL: That describes my boss to a t. She was horrified that Trump won but is a Republican. I assume she voted for Younkin tonight while never voting for Trump because he was over the top crass.
Skepticat
I basically agree with your point, but I hate that it causes s**it to happen to the next person and many more people as well.
gwangung
@Will: And I think some people are out of their freaking minds for ignoring race.
If white voting is up, black voting down, then something is up. If white voting is up very high in rural areas, and one of the reasons is education, then something is very up.
White people (and it IS white people we’re talking about) won’t vote for outright racism….but they’ll certainly vote for racist policies if they can deflect and blame it on something else; “rerverse racism” is very popular for a reason
@CaseyL: Yeah, Youngkin gives them plausible cover….
CaseyL
@Patricia Kayden:
Exactly: they never minded the substance; just the form.
Patricia Kayden
@Will: So what are the reasons to vote for a Trump-lite who ran on banning CRT when it’s not taught in schools? In one of his ads, he featured a White woman whose son was uncomfortable reading a Toni Morrison novel. Younkin is a professional dog whistler.
zhena gogolia
@FelonyGovt: Haha, same story around my house.
hilts
@OGLiberal:
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
@Morzer:
OK, just keeping my fingers crossed. It’s bad enough to lose the Virginia governor’s race, but losing Virginia and NJ would be too much bad news to process.
Mary G
The backlash is strong with these cretins.
VFX Lurker
Vermont has a 97%+ white population, an Independent Senator and a Republican Governor. Vermont also harassed their only Black female lawmaker out of office in 2018.
That said, I live in California, which has more MAGA voters than any other state. ?
Elizabelle
I read this a few hours ago. It holds:
‘Very few’ believe U.S. democracy sets a good example, global survey finds
Few people in the United States or other developed nations view American democracy as an example for the rest of the world to follow, a Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday shows.
In the Global Attitudes Survey this spring, Pew asked 18,850 adults in 17 advanced economies, including the United States, about their views of American society and politics. Countries surveyed included Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and South Korea.
… “Very few in any public surveyed think American democracy is a good example for other countries to follow,” Pew’s report said. Outside the United States, a median of 17 percent said U.S. democracy set a good example for other countries to follow, while 57 percent said U.S. democracy “used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years.” An additional 23 percent said the United States has never been a good example for democracy.
Respondents in the United States were just about as negative — with 19 percent saying American democracy provided a good example. A further 72 percent said their country “used to be a good example” of a democracy for the world, but “has not been in recent years.”
People in Taiwan, Italy and Greece were the most positive about the state of American democracy; Singapore, Australia and New Zealand the least.
The survey, which was conducted over the phone and online from Feb. 1 to May 26, came after President Trump spread the false claim that he, not President Biden, won the November election, and after a pro-Trump mob rampaged inside the U.S. Capitol. …
The survey also revealed a sharp partisan divide among U.S. respondents. Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party were twice as likely as Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party to say American democracy has never been a good model for other countries to follow, Pew noted.
Globally, America’s international reputation had improved since the election of President Biden, the report said, with a median of 75 percent saying they had confidence Biden would do the right thing in world affairs, compared with the 17 percent who said the same of Trump in 2020. The survey was conducted before the United States’ chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan, during which the Taliban took control of the country.
[Which the press wet their pants about like nothing I have ever seen. Talk about being embedded with the military industrial complex. And Democrats get how far our country has fallen. Republicans: USA! USA!]
Wyatt Salamanca
@Karen:
Unfortunately, I think there’ll be more than a few competent Trumpensteins in 2022.
gwangung
Hm. Interesting if the numbers are true….
The margin for college educated white women vs. non-college educated white women
Chetan Murthy
@Will: Go read Lee Atwater’s interview where he explains how what you said is precisely racism: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/
You start out in 1954 by saying, “N-r, n-r, n-r.” By 1968 you can’t say “n-r”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “N-r, n-r.”
Wyatt Salamanca
@Elizabelle:
Great link! Look forward to hearing your account of your Germany visit when you return. Have a safe trip.
khead
@Will:
Well, my friend, you are free to focus on any of the multitude of reasons you would like. But I’m currently focusing on how Youngkin somehow seemed to spend a lot more time on the imaginary threat of CRT (oh wait excuse me – the “real issue” of education). I’m also wondering how anyone could think his message was taxes and regulations.
Professor Bigfoot
@Chetan Murthy: thank you.
It’s right there in plain English; but I suspect there are a lot of white men who’ve never read, heard, or certainly internalized what Atwater said.
Most white people will glom onto and support ANYTHING as long as Black and brown people suffer more; but they’re able to say “it’s not about race.”
It’s ALWAYS about race.
Lyrebird
@Patricia Kayden:
@khead:
Without turnout numbers it is stretching to call it a swing. I thought I read that R turnout was much higher this time.
@Will:
See above. And the day may come when racism is no longer a huge part of VA voting patterns, but I don’t think that day will come soon. Might be out of my mind, but I wonder whether you have ever lived in VA.
Sad tonight.
Will keep fighting.
Will
I guess I must be racist cause I voted for the Republican running for mayor of Pittsburgh than the Democrat even though I voted for the Democrat nominee during the primary. Why? Because for whatever reason after he won the nomination he started questioning some developments in the Oakland neighborhood. It’s been these new developments that have kept my rent from going up crazy since they finally have some competition and they can’t continue to raise my rent unseemly or I’ll just move out to the new places. He lost my vote for sounding like he was going to slow down these developments. Why? Racism? I must be racist against my very brown Indian wife. I wonder how she can sleep in the same bed as a racist! ….or I voted because a particular policy means a lot to me and I felt that if somehow the Republican won, he wouldn’t be able to do much damage and then hopefully we’d get a better Democrat candidate next election.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
With 2 outs in the 8th inning, I am now projecting the Atlanta Braves as the winner of the 2021 World Series
Jim, Foolish Literalist
clearly the determining factor in this race was Critical Small Business Regulation Theory
Arclite
Time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. Rightwing propaganda is killing us.
Elizabelle
@Wyatt Salamanca: Thank you. Excited to be there over the holidays. I never tire of old cities festooned with lights.
And the gluhwein. (Hot mulled wine.). Yum.
OGLiberal
@Patricia Kayden: I think that woman is a true Trumper and maybe even a Q loon but she played that “I don’t want my kid reading about rape and you shouldn’t make me!” No, you don’t want your kids reading about white slave owning dudes raping black female slaves because, well, that never happened….STATES RIGHTS! I’d go ballistic over somebody trying to censor Toni freaking Morrison but McAuliffe’s response about parents shouldn’t dictate curriculum was a made for Youngkin sound byte and tone deaf. Most of the white women who swung big from Biden to Youngkin don’t even know who Toni Morrison is. Not a knock on those white women – or Toni Morrison – most people don’t know who Toni Morrison is. They just don’t. Nor do they care – just no rape stories for my kids, please – especially when it makes white folks look bad.
That said, I’m a dude who could get fully behind CRT and I didn’t know what that was until it became the wing nuts’ cause celebre 1-2 years ago.
Elizabelle
@Arclite:
Yes it is. Literally. Enormous body count, from the pandemic.
Fairness Doctrine. Or regulate the “news” and “social” media.
Which may have just become harder. Propaganda should not be hiding behind the First Amendment. It is incompatible with democracy. Why did we not learn what a danger posed by Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister of the Third Reich?
OR: maybe Virginia will be a wakeup call for the midterms and 2024. To see.
James E Powell
@gwangung:
WHITE WOMEN COLLEGE GRADS
VA 2020: 58% Biden, 41% Trump
VA 2021: 62% McAuliffe, 38% Youngkin
WHITE WOMEN NON-COLLEGE
VA 2020: 56% Trump, 44% Biden
VA 2021: 75% Youngkin, 25% McAuliffe
Had to be the taxes & the business regulations
Ohio Mom
I am happy to report that all three of the school board candidates I voted for won. Supposedly a nonpartisan race but all three Republicans lost (including an incumbent). And remember, this is a pretty much a Red suburb, with a few purple streaks.
I read elsewhere on the internet tonight something along the lines of: People who don’t know what Critical Race Theory is do know that they don’t like seeing Racists Criticized.
Geminid
A state gave a decisive victory to a Democratic presidential candidate, and then turned around and voted in a Republican governor. When this happened in Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont it did not make me think of emigrating. It sucks that it’s happenened now in my state, but I’m not going to wake up tomorrow in fear of some wave of fascism sweeping my neighborhood. It’s basically the same bunch of people who gave Biden a ten point victory last fall, except six per cent of them swung back to the Republican side. Youngkin knew he needed to swing so many independents, he campaigned accordingly, and he pulled it off.
I’ve seen a lot of people low-rating Youngkin, but I never did. He’s a slick motherf$$ker who ran a sharp and shrewd campaign. His opponent did not.
gwangung
On the other hand, we seem to have our first POC mayors in Boston and CIncinatti; Michelle Wu and Aftab Pureval seemed to have won their races.
Betsy
@Suzanne: I am, right, there, with you.
Will
I grew up in East Tennessee. My black girlfriend and I were out to eat when I was in college, a white family asked in front of us to be moved to another table so they didn’t have to see us. I’m well aware of racism, but the extent so many of you blame it for everything and assume everyone voting Republican is racist makes you sound as looney as the Q people to me.
Juju
@Elizabelle: I like the or better and I have already started my donations.
It will be interesting to see how Virginians react when Youngkin turns out to be a Trumpkin?
Leto
@Will: Haha, we found one; “I’ll vote Republican, that’ll show Dems! They’ll def nominate someone more to my liking next time!” And I thought I’d never live to see a unicorn in the wild.
Just an absolutely brilliant thought pattern. /chef’skiss
Jim, Foolish Literalist
so this is a…. less-than-worst-case scenario?
I wonder how that will play out. Is there a Speaker of the House of Dels? how will those sorts of questions be decided ?
(Looks like Murphy is narrowing the lead in NJ with Essex county (Newark) still counting, per Kornacki)
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Will: in all that petulant sarcasm I missed the part where you explained why Youngkin made banning “Critical Race Theory” from public schools– which don’t teach Critical Race Theory– the cornerstone of his campaign.
Ohio Mom
@gwangung: *Cincinnati* (it took an effort for me to learn how to spell it when I first moved here).
I don’t live in the city proper but they had two solid candidates running for Mayor, both Democrats. Aftab was the younger, fresher face, and he’ll do as fine as he can. Cincinnati’s big problem is the havoc wrecked by term limits and a few other assorted “improvements” to Council’s structure, all brought by Republicans (spit) of course.
Will
@Leto: Here some you all despairing about the death of democracy but you’re upset I voted for issues important to me but didn’t line up perfectly for you even if I voted Democrat for every position in the state or county.
Chef’s kiss
Benw
Holy shit Braves!!!
SiubhanDuinne
YUP YUP YUP YUP YUP!!!!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
oh god, Al Franken just dropped the “he’s not LBJ” line on Biden on MSNBC.
And Mitch McConnel is no Everett Dirksen. And Susan Collins is no Margaret Chase Smith
Franken should fucking know better.
Ha
@Will:
Yes, you’re racist because you enable racism. You don’t mind racist policies as long as you can save a buck. You’re a true Propertaian.
Benw
@SiubhanDuinne: wooooo hoooio
Steve in the ATL
@Benw: @SiubhanDuinne: HELL YEAH!!!!
gwangung
@Will: Voting for short term gains while ignoring longer term problems and crowing about it will REALLY PISS PEOPLE OFF.
Some people can get away with it if they are astute and point out the elephant in the room….but NOT WHEN THEY IGNORE THE ELEPHANT THEMSELVES.
And, hint: redlining, school funding are local problems, too, but they ARE intimately tied up in race.
Will
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: why do I need to explain it? I’m not arguing that there aren’t racist people voting for Youngkin, I’m saying that assuming they all are racists is friggin crazy. It’s also not my fault McAuliffe was incapable of pointing out that A) it’s not taught there and B) he doesn’t think white kids should be taught to hate each other. We all know that isn’t what CRT is here, but the fact he was so clueless or beholden to special interest to effectively neuter that argument is my not my fault or on me to explain.
Matt McIrvin
@Geminid:
My impression is that Youngkin is no Charlie Baker, though I don’t like and did not and would not vote for Charlie Baker.
But it strikes me as the reverse of Virginia politics in the days when I lived there, when the state would often elect Democratic governors (not even old-time Dixiecrat ones) but was deep, deep Republican in presidential elections. Virginia politics is weird and always has been. I do hesitate to use it as any kind of bellwether.
laura
@Mike E: I just patched together a stereo system with my Dad’s Teac CD/Ipod, sub woofer and teensy big sound speakers, a new Sony receiver and my early 80’s Technics close and play turntable. The record player had been marooned in the closet since 2002 and wouldn’t turn -all the lubricants had congealed into a solid and all belts brittle and slack. After a refurb (Stereo Advisor, Modesto CA) so many old and new records to play. The years momentarily fall away and the literal soundtrack of my life from my parents’ and my collection.
I hope that you are having as much fun spinning the big platters and cutting a rug or carrying on. It is a satisfying way to disconnect from the present and find some respite for the soul if only for a while.
trollhattan
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Meaning he’s never conducted an interview while dropping a deuce? Okay then.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Will:
your ass, it is shown
barbequebob
@Mike E: Think Sam Ash is a music and electronics store from decades ago. Haven’t seen one in a long time
Is this the equivalent of finding the last Blockbuster?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@trollhattan: I think the narrative that it’s all about presidential “balls” is extremely toxic to politics in general and Democrats in particular
ETA: d’oh! I think I misread your comment, but I’m leaving what I typed above because I believe it remains cromulent
Leto
@Will:
Yes the party of the deranged Q cult, white power/grievance, actively courting the fascist vote… well I’m sure they’ll keep your rent low. And again, I’m sure you voting for the Republicans will teach those bad ole Dems to take your vote more seriously. Because the only way we can elect better Dems is… elect more Republicans.
Major Major Major Major
How shocking that the race that has done this all but once in my lifetime did this. Shocking!
trollhattan
@barbequebob:
Dear lord, gonna keep my eyes peeled for a Pacific Stereo and Tower Records. Jonsing for a pair of Advent speakers.
gwangung
Nothing you’e said actually supports your point, though. And you’ve not dealt with any of the evidence brought against it. All you’ve got is argument by assertion.
You’re going to have to work a whole lot harder to support your point. You’re being goddam lazy.
Cameron
@barbequebob: Actually there’s a Sam Ash not too far from where I live.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I have a feeling will is typing up a post about how during quarantine, he was shocked to hear his first-grader being led in a sing-song of “White people are the devil! And America is history’s greatest monster!” by a teacher with tattoos and nose-rings on the Zoom.
Will
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Sure buddy, my ass is shown cause I understand how to shut down a dog whistle. Saying “CRT is not being taught here and it’s fucking crazy to think white kids should be taught to hate themselves” shuts down the debate in a way that puts a muzzle on the whistle. I mean if you want to keep losing elections cause you don’t understand how to talk to Americans on the fourth or fifth grade reading level most of them are on then by all means, keep going doing what you’re doing.
Barbara
@Geminid: Yes, thanks. Trump was apocalyptic but I doubt that seeing the apocalypse in every negative result works in our favor.
Leto
@gwangung: we’ve had better trolls come through here. I committed the cardinal sin. I should know better.
Elizabelle
@Leto: I think Will actually had some good points re Virginia.
I did not see a single TV ad this year, not one, because I don’t have TV. But did see some late internet ads with Youngkin promising to cut taxes and “Yahoo News” said McAuliffe would raise a family’s taxes by $5400 or so.
They may have been effective.
gwangung
How fucking naive.
Will
@Leto: News flash, the Republican nominee wasn’t a Republican, but a Democrat. I believe he was in third place in the primary. He won via a write in campaign on the Republican primary months later.
barbequebob
@The Dangerman: Sorry I have to disagree. I have no love for either team but was rooting for the cheaters overs the racists.
Barbara
@Matt McIrvin: If I thought that Youngkin weren’t itching to fight the culture wars I wouldn’t be so disappointed. He will be hemmed in but will probably be spoiling to torture and bully pregnant women righr out of the starting gate. His buzz saw will probably arrive when he tries to shift public education dollars to private schools. Not a big constituency for that kind of maneuver.
James E Powell
Murphy trailing by ~17K in New Jersey. Not sure where the yet to be counted votes are.
Geminid
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: If the House of Delegates ends up 50-50, I think the two sides will have to make a power sharing agreement. Should be interesting. This almost happened after the 2017 election, except one Delegate race was tied after the recount and a flip of a coin made the House 51-49 Republican.
One x-factor is that these elections were on the map drawn by Republicans after the 2010 Census. It’s possible that a federal court would order a new election on a new map. State Senator Scott Surovel has experience in election law, and he contends that a plaintiff from, say, fast growing Loudon County would have a good equal protection claim. I think the Democrats will at least try this route.
Will
@gwangung: I am the naive one for saying you should communicate on the fourth or fifth grade level where Americans live than giving detailed high minded explanations. I weep for my party and their lack of ability to just cut through the bullshit with specific language that the people they need to vote for them can understand.
glc
James E Powell
@Will:
On that part, I agree with you.
SFAW
@Suzanne:
Careful — you’re going to get branded an Eeyore by the usual suspects, and banished to DKos or LGM or whichever blog is on the “most hated” list this week.
Leto
@Will: Haha, that’s even better. His message didn’t resonate with Dems, so he had the great idea: “I’ll run as a Republican!” With full support of the GOP. And still lost. Granted, Pittsburg hasn’t elected an R for mayor since the 30s, but still. Way to hype the guy who tried to run an end around. I hope you enjoy apples.
Eolirin
@SFAW: It’s clearly coming from a place of frustration and grief so it’s not worth responding to, but the answer is pretty obvious if you look at the outcomes we’ve already gotten even without being able to move much legislation.
Marshall Eubanks
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: They flip a coin. No, I am not kidding.
Barbara
@Geminid: Basically, because the census results were delayed, so was state redistricting. I don’t follow this closely but I believe there’s a possibility that another set of elections might need to be held to reflect new districts.
SFAW
@Suzanne:
Samuel Butler can answer that. Well, close to an answer.
Will
@Leto: I do enjoy apples, I try have at least one green and one red a day, thank you!
gwangung
@Will: No, you’re fucking naive for thinking it hasn’t been tried. They just dig in and ignore everything you say.
Juju
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Impressive. I love it when someone can drop a word like cromulent in a comment. Polite golf clap to you.
Elizabelle
Congratulations, Atlanta Braves.
And, FWIW, neither the NY Times nor the LA TImes has sent out a call on the Virginia governor’s race. Via email. I am avoiding news sites; haven’t looked at one since maybe 7:30 pm.
Plus: mail in absentee ballots. This may take longer.
Will
@gwangung: That’s where you are wrong. I don’t need to convince all of them, most of them can dig in and ignore all they want. I’ve just got to peel enough of them away with the thought of “Hurmm, actually he did say he thought it was fucking crazy and he even used the word fuck when calling it crazy.” That’s how you win elections, you get just enough of them.
OGLiberal
I still think Murphy wins in NJ but if he doesn’t we are in a world of hurt. I fucking hate my state – should not be worrying about a relatively popular Dem governor winning at this point.
Barbara
@Suzanne: I’m not sure what you specifically are focused on, but at the federal level it’s a mistake to look only at big ticket legislation without considering every lever of government. And if that doesn’t help, try to remember people who were actually endangered by Republican policy.
SFAW
@Eolirin:
Just so there’s no confusion: Suzanne is one of my favorite commenters. I was not chastising her, I certainly understand her frustration, and I find it hard to disagree with her sentiment in that particular comment. My comment was snark aimed at the
burn the witchesanti-“Eeyore” crowd, i.e., those who attack commenters who make “this is pretty fucking bad” comments.Major Major Major Major
@Will: yeah it really shouldn’t be that hard. Worked for Joe. Sometimes you don’t get to pick the channel and have to do counterprogramming. Unfair? So what?
James E Powell
Murphy now about 10K behind in New Jersey.
Eolirin
@Marshall Eubanks: I’m pretty sure they only do that to determine who holds a seat in the event of a tie between candidates. They need to come to a power sharing agreement in terms of how business is conducted in the case of a tied number of seats.
Major Major Major Major
@Will: I voted for a single-issue anti-zoning libertarian for borough president. Completely irrelevant who I picked, this being manhattan, so I figured why not.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Barbara: amen, and a ferrinstance
if the collective left had given more weight to judges than to… well, never mind…. we wouldn’t be where we are now
gwangung
@Will: I’m thinking of this more as a turnout tool, much like the anti-gay marriage initiatives carried Republican efforts in the 2000s. As that tapped into homophobia to rally voters, this tapped into underlying racism to energize voters (and I’ll still laugh in your face if you think that’s not a force that drives a lot of white voters, whether it’s agains black, Asian or Hispanics).
Will
@Major Major Major Major: Exactly, we don’t alway get to pick the battleground, sometimes it is already picked for us. We can hate the media and scream at the sky about them putting us on that battleground, but that doesn’t change that is is the one we have to fight on. When that happens, we can’t shy away scared, we have to use language that understands that battleground and peel enough away to win.
Will
@gwangung: I’m having a hard time remembering who won the 2008 Presidential election. Was some guy that wouldn’t openly support gay marriage, professed Christian values, and suggested civil unions. I think that dude ended up helping bring about gay marriage afterwards.
gwangung
@Will: Still doesn’t erase the Republican victories of the 2000s. And still doesn’t deny that race and racism is still very powerful. Like I said, don’t be naive.
TriassicSands
@Wyatt Salamanca:
 
History is on our side. (Not limiting consideration to midterm elections.) It’s the future that isn’t. That is the fault of the growing levels of stupidity and ignorance that is so widespread, even and especially among Democrats and people who should be voting for Democrats.
Geminid
@Matt McIrvin: I would not say that Virginia is a bellwhether. This result does remind me that independents see thing differently. I don’t think Democrats need to cater to independents in terms of policy. But when it came to messaging I think McAuliffe had to speak to an audience of potential voters that included people who don’t neccessarily see matters the way a “good liberal” Democrat would. I thought McAuliffe was kind of complacent about this
But you are right that Youngkin is more dangerous than Baker. I don’t worry so much about how he’ll mess Virginia up, although maybe I should. But it’s a prosperous and well run state, one not hard to govern successfully. It would make a good step stone to higher office for the smart, ambitious Youngkin.
TriassicSands
Let’s be honest. Obama was a follower, not a leader on that issue.
Major Major Major Major
@TriassicSands: also it’s not like Obama appointed Kennedy, whose decision in Obergfell was the culmination of decades of work.
Urban Suburbanite
Tonight was a big win for the status quo in Seattle. Incumbents held on (much of this is Democrat infighting), and a Republican who was part of that lazy “Walk Away” scampaign is poised to become a city official (her opponent had people denouncing her as the most dangerous woman in America while Tucker Carlson sat with that stupid fucking look of his).
Cacti
Yeah, LBJ was a genius at getting things passed when he had a 36 seat Senate majority.
OGLiberal
@Cacti: Not to downplay that majority as it was formidable but he did get a lot of dudes who’d be fat right Republicans today to vote for stuff that would help brown people. Back then you could get Southern politicians on board with some strong arming and goodies for white folks, union folks,etc. These days those folks are Republican and anything that might help their white constituents but also brown folks must be fully rejected as a socialist handout to freeloaders.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
My brother has been convinced for years that America is doomed, beyond saving, condemned to fascist dictatorship, and his reaction this morning to the news was “get used to it”. I’m not quite as convinced that the US is doomed, but I know it’s going to be a really heavy lift with no guarantee we’ll succeed at anything other than triggering a civil war, but I can’t handle much more talk of inevitable doom.
Still, the GOP’s got to be destroyed before it destroys America. The butcher’s bill is already too high as it stands. I just hope last night’s results shock enough people out of complacency to make a difference.
Flynn
It’s the Louden County genderwoo thing, that’s what drove Virginia to the Right.
Czar Chasm
@James E Powell: Cheers! I’ve been using it for almost my entire online life, so why stop now?
Czar Chasm
@SiubhanDuinne: I was still wrong, but…
Denali
@Will,
I also grew up in East Tennessee and became very tired of everything being tied to racism. But when politicians play that card it wins votes, every time. Remember Willie Horton. If it isn’t crime, it crops up in education. People cannot stand to hear the truth about the history of this country.
AM in NC
@Will: As a suburban mom in North Carolina, I think I can speak with some bit of knowledge to the racism issue as it is plating out in elections for this demographic.
The racism deployed by the GOP under Trump was crude, and overt, and also anti-woman because it came in the Trump package. He bound all those gross things together and turned off Republican-leaning suburban white women.
Youngkin and that branch of the GOP is using racism far more subtly and in a far more targeted way, pitching their propaganda at moms who just want to protect their kids and have good schools. They used racist lies – eg.: about CRT being taught as history in public schools, or that teachers everywhere were making white kids feel horrible for being white – to scare white moms into thinking their children were under attack and their “once great” public schools are being dumbed down and/or being used as “woeness factories”. They are explicitly stoking racist fears in people who won’t respond to overt racism, particularly when that racism was coupled with sexism.
This is still racist propaganda being used by the right to great political effect. We need to understand it and figure out how to counteract it. I grant you that just saying “too many white ladies are racist” is not helpful. But neither is not recognizing how racist propaganda is being used successfully in nuanced ways that we need to counteract.
Cheers
eddie blake
@Will: yeah, ooookay, ruskie.
eddie blake
@Will: democratIC, you fucking tool. democratIC.
what, they don’t teach you that in GRU school?