Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is more dangerous than Desantis because he knows how to triangulate many political factions.
Gov. Youngkin is dangerous.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been getting all the attention as either the heir apparent to Donald Trump or one who could challenge him in a primary. But the one to watch is Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Governor Youngkin appeared on CNN’s State Of The Union’s Jake Tapper. His poise was impeccable. Tapper pointed out that Youngkin is very popular on the trail as he campaigns for Republicans, including MAGA Republican Kari Lake, who is running for governor of Arizona. She is a 2020 election denier.
Tapper played a clip from Liz Cheney, who said that while Youngkin is doing a fine job in Virginia, he erred in supporting Kari Lake.
Youngkin’s response was slick. He claimed he was bringing all factions within and without the party together. He also used our airwaves to lie, and Tapper did little to set the record straight.
The Virginia governor claimed that states governed by Republicans do better than states run by Democrats. Why didn’t Jake Tapper correct him? The Red States generally receive more money from the federal government than they put in. The Blue States put in much more than they take out. Yes, using Romney’s parlance, the Red States are takers. As California Governor Gavin Newsom stated, the crime rate is higher, and middle-class taxes are higher in the Red States.
There are no policy differences between Trump, Kari Lake, DeSantis, or Youngkin. They continue to support voodoo economics, aka Reaganomics, aka supply-side economics, aka trickle-down economics. They took control of women’s bodies. Even as we have labor shortages, they continue to demonize immigrants as they promote xenophobia.
But Glenn Youngkin is dangerous. He has positioned himself to claim all factions of the Republican Party. And with his eloquence and preparedness, Youngkin comes across as competent. He knows how to put a beautiful facade on policies that maim, kill, and dehumanize. He does it with a modicum of class.
Youngkin’s triangulation is near perfect. He answers questions with either plausible lies or misinformation. He appeases the MAGA faction by actively campaigning for them. And he continues his eloquent and disciplined false narrative of Republican policies.