As I type this, MSNBC has the Virginia Governor’s race Too close to call, but it appears likely that yet another rich, white, racist GOP shitpoke will be Governor of Virginia. Not welcome, but not totally unexpected either.
Various talking heads have been blathering about how the Virginia vote might well be a GOP roadmap out of the post Trump era. Youngkin was after all a hybrid. A rich equity fund manager, he was as untethered to the GOP as Trump himself is. He was able to walk a tightrope, using dog whistles instead of air raid sirens to attract Trump rural base voters, and then pivoting to basically disavow Trump in the northern and Richmond suburbs that were anti Trump. He refused to appear on stage with Trump, and even skipped a fund raiser hosted by Steve Bannon. Even if McAuliffe pulls off a miracle, the GOP thinks that they’ve found the secret formula for 2022. Run Trump dog whistles, but stay at an arms length from Trump.
Sorry guys, but I call bullshit. Donald Trump is the dictatorial leader of the GOP. Not only does his voracious ego require it, but his ability to continue to soak the GOP suckers of the base requires it. I was amazed that Trump submitted as meekly as he did to Youngkin’s frequent slaps during the campaign. This is a mistake he will not repeat again.
If Youngkin lost, Trump could lambaste him as an ingrate loser for not accepting his help. But if Youngkin wins, then he becomes an apostate. And because Trump didn’t ramrod his way into the Virginia election, GOP candidates nationwide will feel free to copy the Youngkin playbook in 2022. Use gentler dog whistles on social issues, but keep Trump at arms length and avoid his personal presence like a plague. And that will be intolerable for Trump. because Virginia was one blue state miracle, but 2022 will be his national party.
Here’s how I see it playing out. Tomorrow morning, Trump will take complete credit for Youngkin’s win, based on his endorsement, and Youngkin will let him. But it won’t end there. Youngkin won’t even be sworn in yet when Trump starts publicly demanding that Youngkin call for an audit of a race that he won, just to feed into Trump’s vote fraud claims. And it will also force Youngkin into abject submission to The Cheeto Prophet.
But Virginia was a blue state Trump figured to lose, so he could let Youngkin fail and then slam him. 2022 is a national election for his party, and he will brook no insubordination. Starting with the primaries, especially for the Senate, Trump is going to have his thumb on the scale, and he’s going to push hard. Trump will dangle his endorsements subject to pledges of loyalty, and he will hold rallies and appearances when he wants to. These are his midterms, and the key to his triumphal return for 2024, and he isn’t going to allow a bunch of peons to get in the way. This is still the Party of Trump.
Glenn Youngkin is a freak, a one trick pony. I don’t know how he managed to make Trump sit down and shut up, but he did. But it bruised Trump’s ego, and he won’t go through that again in a national election. Which means that The Lincoln Project is going to come out with all guns blazing to tie every GOP candidate to Trump, whether they welcome it or not. This is going to get ugly, real quick.
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A rough night for Virginia, no doubt. As a guy who did his part texting for the campaign, it hurts like hell. But oh well…nothing to do but shake off the loss and get back to it.
As for Trump, well, he tries that nonsense with Youngkin, I personally guarantee you that “his” party will find ways to speed up is coming exit from freedom.
As long as a majority of voters are stupid, racist, immoral, half educated, Facebook addicted consumers, I don’t think any political analysis matters. They fucking ELECTED PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED THE INSURRECTION. All the pundits are in love with their own voices. Meanwhile nazis can kill & injure innocent people in Virginia, & then the voters fucking put them in the top political position in the very same state. Well at least it’s a short drive to Arlington National Cemetery so they can go & piss on the graves of heros & not miss faux news.