Glenn Youngkin's Win is a Victory over Wokeness

In Britain, we are not used to the razzamazz of a US election night. The unbridled enthusiasm and joy of supporters cheers, the music, the dancing, flag waving, singing. The winner smiling, arms around their families. When we watch it it can makes us cringe.

On occasion you can sense something momentous has happened. So it was when we watched former President Obama on stage in Washington after his first Presidential win and so it was, early this morning, when I watched Glenn Youngkin, in Chantilly, Virginia address his supporters after securing the Virginia State Governorship.

For the result of a win for the Governor in Virginia, by a Republican, is momentous. From 1952 until 2008 the state was strongly Republican, but since then it has voted Democrat in every Presidential elections. The majority of Governors have been Democrat since the early 1980s and a majority of other key political positions are Democrat

Furthermore, the demographics of Virginia has also become become more statist and Democrat. An influx of Washington insiders based around sinecured public sector officials, consultants and other political hangers on have tipped the state more to the left.

It is no wonder that at the beginning of the election Youngkin was described as a no hoper by most Democrat analysts. Yet Youngkin won and did so with a strong 3% lead.

His message really hit home to the vast majority of people who are fed up with the malaise and aggression in modern politics. His message was elegant, simple, practical but more importantly down to earth. It addressed the real issues facing Virginians not the conflated, manufactured, culture war issues the Democrats promote across their fiefdoms.

On his walks across the state Youngkin heard how parents were deeply concerned that their children were being taught history that appeared to hate the country they lived in or religion they believed in.

He listened as they explained hoe they were abused by educational authorities for challenging the nasty critical race ideology rammed into their children’s minds. This whilst schools buildings, infrastructure and investment had collapsed. Ideology over investment in real education.

Parents were horrified at the abuse of the father Sam Smith, who went to a Loudon County, Virginia school meeting to raise his concerns about transgender boys being permitted to use a girls toilet. He should know as his 14 year old daughter had just been raped by such a boy in such a toilet.

That boy has now been convicted, but at the time, the school board firstly denied the incident occurred before retracting in the press days later. They actually called the police onto Mr Smith, who was arrested and convicted with 10 days imprisonment.

The National Schools Association ramped up the attacks on parents who opposed critical race theory by calling them “Domestic Terrorists”. They wrote to President Biden and demanded he intervened against them. He did by instructing the US Attorney General to do so. The AG Anthony Merrick issued a memo that the FBI must investigate such parents. 

So whilst the President set the law on concerned parents. Youngkin listened and formulated policies that deals with those real issues. In his victory address he promised;

“Huge investments in schools and teaching, giving parents choice in the public school system, the creation of 20 Charter schools free from public Educational Boards and Unions control”. Real issues with real practical responses. Not a culture war issue in sight.

Similarly, on law enforcement Youngkin proudly proclaimed he would “fund law enforcement” not defund it. He would give powers to police to arrest criminals and on day one “replace the entire parole board”. Real issues with real practical responses to deal with the rising crime concerns of the Virginian people. 

On economics he was even more radical. He vowed that he would provide the largest tax refund in the states history, eliminate the grocery tax, suspend the green gas tax, cut retirement income taxes and those on veterans. Real issues with real practical policies to deal with the concerns of lowering incomes.

The message was clear. He had listened and his response was to be a true conservative and not enact socialist policies of taxing more and replacing it with benefits, grants and other methods of distribution. In doing so he was able to unify the electorate pulling in independents and Democrat voters too.

Virginia, is one of the original 13 colonies and birthplace of four of the first five U.S. presidents. It joined the United States Union in June 1788. It has a deep sense of history. Its statutes, buildings, street names and military cemetery, Arlington are deeply embedded in the psyche of the citizens of this Commonwealth State.

The recent rise of the defund the police, defacing of public statutes, calls of “White Privilege” and compensation to destroy the very historical fabric of America have had a profound effect on the people of America. In Virginia ,the Democrats believed they could enact the same cultural destruction that woke ideology demands.

Youngkin championed the spirit of their forebears. He captured the unity they needed to survive, grow and build a nation. That spirit of togetherness and of coming from behind. In doing so he beat the Democratic machine in one of their safe seats.

He did so with real issues for real problems. Educational investment, strong on law and order, low taxes, defending the nations history and military and not the culture war woken of his democratic opponent did bring the people together. 

The spirit of togetherness in liberty and freedom is a powerful message. It is a message that has been forsaken by Conservatives in the UK who ape the soft socialist policies of Blair and European social democrats.

In Virginia, those of us who hope for a world without wokeness. A world where conservatism is seen as a positive message of unity and growth can look across the water and cheer for Youngkin and hope this is the start of the fightback for freedom.