Elections have consequences. On the positive side, let us look at what the Virginia Democrats did after winning control of the House and the Senate in 2019 for the first time in 25 years.
They abolished the death penalty in Virginia, which most Americans supported.
They passed the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which provided more legal protections of voting rights.
They raised teacher salaries by five percent.
They passed a package of gun reforms, including universal background checks, supported by 84 percent of voters nationwide.
They repealed numerous medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion access which 60 percent of Americans support.
After almost gaining control of the legislature in 2017, Democrats led the Virginia legislature to institute Medicaid expansion, which provided medical insurance to half a million people.
So how could the electorate ignore those kinds of developments on November 2?
Let’s consider what the Republicans were doing. In Virginia, they had blocked the provision of federally paid medical insurance coverage to half a million of the State’s citizens. And they created or supported the situations described above that the Democrats tried to correct.
Nationally they had given a $2.3 billion tax cut to the rich, and many supported the January 6 insurrection. In Virginia a big Republican rally had pledged allegiance to a United States flag that had been carried in DC on Jan. 6. So, there should be no wonder Republicans were going the other way—electorally.
However, in looking for reasons for the statewide Republican voter turnout on November 2, we must consider the irrefutable fact that race was on the Virginia ballot this fall. Race trumps these other issues that many Republicans might support.
Few issues in the U.S. are more substantial than the race (anti-Black) effect on policies and practices—and voting. That is often the case in elections, and there are the usual ploys. This time the deception was the Critical Race Theory (CRT) lie. No one taught CRT in any K-12 school in Virginia. But the lie about that fact served as the trojan horse for what is charitably called “White grievance.”
Some call this attitude and orientation amongst many White Americans “White resentment,” the resentment from believing that White supremacy might be slipping away with the changing times.
The massive multiracial protests after the George Floyd murder appeared to be a sign that the country might be making a step forward in racial and social progress. But the national bullhorn about CRT is likely a racist reaction to that idea.
That is our history. Every time we have a moment that looks like the further inclusion of African Americans in American life, there is a national racist reaction. Thus, for example, the election of Obama produced the Tea Party, substantial growth in hate groups and Donald Trump as president.
White resentment and its protection are so strong that it has caused many White Americans to believe that they are the aggrieved race. Earlier this year, the Pew Research Center reported on a survey of Americans on their beliefs about discrimination. Asked if there is “a lot” of discrimination against Black people, 17 percent of Republicans said yes. Yet more Republicans, 26 percent, said there is “a lot” of bias against White people. An additional 37 percent of Republicans noted that there is “some” discrimination against White folks.
Yes, dear people, most Republicans think White people more than Black people are the targets of racism?
As we used to say during the Black Power era, “you proceed as you perceive.” Thus Whites, including suburban moms, wrongly perceive minorities to be taking away some of their birthrights. Therefore, they proceed to block those developments—at all costs.
