Hello, friends. As I write this, the sun is shining, there’s a crisp fall chill in the air, and I am breathing a huge sigh of relief. We’re fresh off Election Day 2021, and Virginia (where I live) has elected a Republican governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Things are good. In the podcast episode we dropped on Wednesday, Sarah and I dove into our thoughts on the Virginia gubernatorial race - and the many ways in which it made us want to claw our eyes out. Give it a listen here. I won’t rehash everything we talked about in that episode, but suffice it to say: The Democrat Party missed the mark on this one. Big time.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe campaigned with a singular message: “Big Orange Man Bad.” Yes, ok, we know. What else ya got? Apparently, nothing but a bunch of cold water. And then he stepped into a sh**storm of his own making. It was McAuliffe who said, during a debate, that parents shouldn’t have a say in what their kids are learning in schools. In subsequent media interviews, he continued to double down on the assertion that parents need to sit down and shut up when it comes to public education. It gets worse. When Republican Glenn Youngkin talked about the dangers of Critical Race Theory - a concern shared by many parents - McAuliffe called it a racist dog whistle. When parents spoke out against the Loudoun County School Board covering up not one but TWO incidents of alleged sexual assault by a boy wearing a skirt in the girl’s bathroom, McAuliffe stood by while former President Barack Obama called it a “phony, trumped-up culture war” peddled by the “right-wing media.”
If that weren’t bad enough, each of McAuliffe’s most repeated attacks against Youngkin were so provably false, it was laughable. He’ll ban all abortion! He’ll ban books! He’s anti-vaccine! He’s Donald Trump 2.0! He stole Taylor Swift’s music! Um, no, no, no, no, and lmao no.
Pro-tip for anyone thinking about running for political office: Step 1 is to not lie to the voters. Step 2 is to LISTEN TO THEM. McAuliffe was so desperate to run the Joe Biden 2020 anti-Trump playbook, he failed both tests.
I believe it’s a deeply American thing to resist government control over our lives - and that’s a GOOD thing. As Americans, we want to forge our own paths; chart our own courses. In many ways, that’s what helped make the COVID-19 pandemic so difficult. Not only were we watching millions of our fellow Americans get sick, we were told to hand over control of our daily lives to government officials, unelected bureaucrats, and public health officials. “Trust us!” they said. And so we did. For a while, anyway, we let them tell us what to do, who to see, where to go, how to celebrate the holidays, and what to put into our bodies. We did these things because, as Americans, we’re comfortable with making short-term sacrifices to achieve a larger purpose. Then the veneer began to crack. What we saw underneath were ever-moving goalposts, lies, half-truths, and power-tripping politicians who wanted us to put masks on toddlers. Hard pass. And thanks to remote learning, many parents got a good look at what their kids were being taught in public schools. The more they saw, the more horrified they became. So parents pushed back. The result? They were met with the middle finger and a brick wall. Who do you think you are, concerned parent? How dare you question how we choose to educate your child?
Who. Do you think.You are.
Show me a good parent who is fine taking a backseat to their kid’s education, and I’ll show you a dog with four eyes. They simply don’t exist. I don’t often point to New York Times columnist David Brooks, but nonetheless, he nails this idea in a recent column:
Today a lot of parents have trouble knowing what’s going on in their kids’ classrooms. Is it a balanced telling of history or the gospel according to Robin DiAngelo?
When they challenge what they sense is happening they meet a few common responses. They are told, as by Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, that parents shouldn’t tell schools what to teach. They are told they are racist. Or they are blithely assured that there is nothing radical going on — when in fact there might be.
…
When people sense that those with cultural power are imposing ideologies on their own families, you can expect the reaction will be swift and fierce.
Lesson learned? Who knows. This is, after all, a Democrat Party that can’t seem to move its messaging beyond “vote against Donald Trump”; a Democrat Party that thinks it can stage a fake white nationalist “rally” (if one can call it that) in order to gin up minority turnout. Sometimes people never learn.
Each and every American has spent the last year and half becoming intimately familiar with every aspect of their own daily lives, and the ways in which the government controls them. It shouldn’t surprise anyone then, that voters are forming strong opinions about who and what they allow to take up space in their world. If we’re going to follow the edicts of public health officials, they better be telling the truth. If we’re going to send our kids to government-run schools, they better be getting a quality education. If they’re not… Well, as they say, there will be hell to pay.
The Nerve of White Women
They thought they had women in the bag. They were wrong. Indeed, before the race was even called, progressives were blaming a McAuliffe defeat on racism. But after the polls closed, it took about two seconds for them to take the finger pointing a step further and turn it on white women. The NERVE of white women to vote Republican!
According to exit polls, 57% of white women voted for Youngkin, compared to 43% who went for McAuliffe. In 2020, 50% of white women in Virginia voted for Biden. For those of you who are bad at math (like me), that’s a 15 point swing among white women IN ONE YEAR. That’s almost unheard of.
This kind of dramatic swing, in most circles, would be cause for some deep self-reflection. Not so in today’s Democratic Party. Instead, the left is busy accusing white women of, once again, aiding and abetting systemic racism by voting Republican. Never mind the fact that those women also voted for the first black woman to be elected statewide - ever. Never mind the fact that for the 18 long months schools were closed, women bore the brunt of overseeing online education and they came away with a few opinions. The nerve! Never mind the fact that no matter how much some may wish women just voted on the abortion issue, we actually care about the here and now. What’s happening today. What’s impacting our lives. Today. And yes, what our kids are learning in school. I, for one, am tired of being told by the progressive left and their lazy, drive-by commentary that my woman card is conditional upon which party I support on Election Day. I’m fed up with being told a decision to vote Republican is born out of an inability or unwillingness to accept my own racism. I suspect I am not alone.
The SLiP Q & A with Ericka Anderson!
I’m sooooo excited to feature another SLiP Q&A, this time with the one and only Ericka Anderson! Allow me to introduce you.
Though it took a LONG time for Ericka and I to officially cross paths, I think it’s fair to say we ran in the same “DC political circles” for quite some time. These days, she’s a marketing professional, author, and podcast host. Do yourself a favor and give her a follow - it’ll be worth your time! ;)
1. What does feminism mean to you, and do you consider yourself a feminist?
I always go back to the basic definition of a feminist: someone who supports equal rights for women. I 100% agree with and so in that sense, I am a feminist. I don't know many people who don't support that! Generally speaking, feminism doesn't mean much to me in my daily life because we live in the United States, where women do have equal rights. The fight, for me, is for women in other countries still waiting for theirs.
2. You write a lot about faith, and it obviously plays a big role in your life. What do you say to critics who believe religion or traditional values are antithetical to feminism?
That is such a broad generalization. If a woman is somehow demeaned or devalued within her faith, something is wrong with the community she's surrounded herself with. In the Christian faith, women are highly valued. So much so that God thought it important to make them key characters in the story of Jesus' death and resurrection at a time when the authority of women was not believed or respected. Women play an important role in Scripture and in life! God created us male and female -- of equal value -- with different roles (and within those a LOT of flexibility!). If anything, Jesus was a feminist.
3. How much does your personal faith influence your political views? Is that something you ever wrestle with and if so, can you tell us about it?
I view everything through the lens of my personal faith. However, I would say many of my political beliefs are rooted in common sense and rationality too. For example, I believe in free market economic policies because it makes sense to me that they are the best policies for the flourishing of the most people. I believe in Capitalism because it gives people the best opportunity for upward mobility. As a Christian, I want to see people flourish -- and so policies that give them that opportunity go hand in hand with my beliefs. I think where I do struggle, at times, is getting wrapped up in issues of the day -- being upset at what's happening around me without staying rooted in or focusing on God above all. I don't usually have trouble knowing which policies I support. But I do have trouble being consumed by the ones I think are harmful.
4. Can you tell our readers about a pivotal moment in your career, and what you learned from it?
Yes! Back when I was still early in my career, I had been working for a startup but ended up shutting down. I was looking for a job, thinking I wanted to get involved in this whole "social media" world as a profession. My Dad suggested I try to get a job with Mike Pence (who was then the GOP Conference Chairman). I am from Indiana, so that's where the idea came from, but I laughed it off thinking that would be impossible with no experience on Capitol Hill. On a whim, I searched Linked In to see if I knew anyone that worked for Pence. I happened to have a connection (someone I had met once for a reporting interview.) I reached out to see if the office was hiring for any positions. As it turned out, they were seeking someone to help with launching a social media program for the GOP Conference, but the job was yet unlisted. It was such a twist of fate that I had reached out for this specific role and they had it. I interviewed shortly after and got the job, which provided a ton of other opportunities later along the way. Definitely an example of how "you never know" can work out in your favor.
5. General mood about the future of our country: are you optimistic or pessimistic? Where do you see glimmers of hope in our culture of doom-and-gloom?
Sadly, I am pessimistic at the moment. I can't believe how quickly we've moved to such extremes -- on both sides of the aisle. I'm saddened by the division, the shutting down of speech, the cancel culture that can cost jobs and run lives. I'm tired by the lies and anger, the pitting against one another and judgement of our fellow man. Where I do see hope is locally. Watching the parents in Loudon County fight back against what the schools are feeding their kids, seeing communities get more politically involved and educated about issues...that's where we can begin to elect strong, character-driven leaders that can hopefully make their way to Congress in the future.
Now for some fun ones!
6. Go-to Starbucks order?
Grande mocha with skim milk (extra hot!)
7. Movie you've seen a million times but never get tired of watching?
Silver Linings Playbook
8. Dream vacation spot (if money were no object!)?
Fiji/Bali/Tahiti general area :)
Some products I’m loving lately.
Haven’t done this in a while, so please indulge me for a minute.
I recently discovered Haldi - a company that takes all the guess work out of creating a skincare routine. UM, YES. See, I am a product JUNKIE. I have a cabinet full of cremes, moisturizers, serums, masks, toners… It’s pretty much Marie Kondo’s worst nightmare. Problem is, I don’t always know how to use it all. Enter Haldi. Not only do they design a routine around my particular skincare concerns, they suggest new products while also taking into account what I already own. Love it. Anyway, here are a few things they suggested for me that I’m loving!
Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment
Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Oil
Skin Design Clinical-style blemish treatment
Got any tips or topics you want us to dig into more? Know someone that you would like to be featured in our next Q&A or on the podcast? Shoot us an email at hello@nyafpod.com.
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See you in 2 weeks!
-Amanda