Remember when Democrats spent an entire election cycle talking about “affordability” as if that’s all they care about now? Well, if you bought that then there’s a socialist mayor in New York who’s got a bridge to sell you.
But New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani isn’t actually the one completely blowing up the affordability farce, it’s assumedly “moderate” Virginia Democrats.
Much of the media touted Abigail Spanberger as the moderate Democrat gubernatorial candidate who could lead the party back to power. The Wall Street Journal even called her the “anti-Mamdani.”
“Abigail Spanberger is seen as a potential moderate face for her struggling party,” read the Wall Street Journal’s subheadline.
Moderate face, Maoist heart, I guess.
The moment Virginia Democrats gained control of the legislature and the governor’s mansion they went hard to work at making Viriginia a California on the Potomac with a dizzying array of leftist bills that are sure to soon end up on Spanberger’s desk.
This was highlighted in a viral X post by conservative commentator Greg Price on Monday.
Nothing says “affordability” like a half dozen new taxes, free education for illegal aliens, and speed cameras on every corner, am I right?
It’s not looking so good on the affordable energy front either. One of Spanberger’s first acts in office was to, of course, sign an executive order to stop cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She also quickly opted to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, a nonprofit organization that places greenhouse gas restrictions. This project was well described by Virginia State Sen. Glen Sturtevant.
“RGGI forces its member states to buy emissions credits … from RGGI. It’s a non-profit-run carbon tax system,” he posted on X. “Those credits then get charged directly to you on your electric bill. Youngkin pulled Virginia out of RGGI and saved Virginian’s nearly a billion dollars on their electric bills.”
Many of these items seem like handouts to patronage groups. In fact, they aren’t even hiding it. One piece of legislation would make it easier for state nonprofits to rip off taxpayers. They apparently looked at all that Somali fraud in Minnesota that drained billions of dollars from taxpayers and said, “more of that, please.”
Even beyond the new taxes, green initiatives, and carve outs for crooks there’s clearly a renewed focus on returning Virginia to the cultural politics of the Great Awokening too. They aren’t just ushering in “Indigenous People’s Day,” they fully intend to double down on indoctrination in K-12 schools.
Don’t forget all the anti-policing stuff from 2020. There is legislation that removes mandatory minimum sentencing and another bill that would reduce penalties for robberies.
Just what the people have been clamoring for, I’m sure.
Another bill would allow for discrimination against white men when selecting government contracts. The Department of Justice may already be looking into that obviously illegal proposal.
Keep in mind, this will have to go through the courts if passed, so it’s not like there will be no harm if it’s signed into law. They’ll likely just pass the thing and see what happens.
To show just how serious they are about ensuring that Virginia has DEI now, tomorrow, and forever, Virginia Democrats are also looking to defund the Virginia Military Institute for daring to resist them.
Remember how the Left went nuts when the Trump administration aimed to defund some Ivy League schools? It was an unacceptable attack on research and education, they said. Notice they have no qualms about immediately defunding a school they don’t immediately control.
Now, I truly feel bad for the people of Virginia who oppose all this and now find themselves falling into the long night of leftist rule. As a native Californian I entirely understand the feeling. But there is a lesson to be learned here.
The Democrat Party is still wholly controlled by its left-flank. Even calling it a “flank” at this point is incorrect. This is simply what they are when they gain power, even if many voters are uncomfortable with it or don’t even support what they are doing. And these folks who wag the dog haven’t been chastened after their defeat in 2024. They haven’t learned a lesson from the public’s turn against unrestrained leftism except that, for strategic reasons, it’s sometimes smart to shut up about what they intend to do for a few months until they can regain power and go right back at it.
Is the Virginia Democrat agenda that much different than that of the unrepentant socialist Mamdani in New York? Maybe. One would hope that many of these bills won’t pass. But many will undoubtedly get through, and Virginia has a lot farther to fall than New York. Dark times ahead.
Consider Virginia’s plight as a warning for what’s to come if Democrats—and really the massive blob of leftwing nonprofits, activists, and donors who guide them—regain power on the federal level.
