Having successful secured the majority in both the House and Senate of the Virginia General Assembly last November and currently holding the Governorship in Richmond, Democrats have what is politically coined the "trifecta" and they intend to use it.
Virginia Democrats now have the "power" and "control" for the first time in over twenty years and the Republican Party in truth is locked out with regard to legislation and there appears little hope that there will be very much bipartisan solutions. The Republicans are now simply the "opposition" Party in Virginia.
Governor Northam's recent actions that have infuriated Virginia gun owners were hardly necessary politically for him to achieve his desired outcomes. Instead of simply opening up a dialogue with Virginia gun owners through statewide town halls or open hearings, the Governor determined to ram rod legislation by the Progressive wing of the Democrat Party of Virginia. Though not widely reported, such action has made many rural Democrats in the House of Delegates very nervous.
At first Democrat House members only had to deal with irate gun owners who flooded legislators emails, phones and social media expressing their frustration with the extreme measures being undertaken in Richmond. There are many proposals at least last Fall that Republicans may have supported that were "reasonable" reforms but now the Democrats have alienated the entire gun ownership in Virginia.
The level of frustration has reached such a level that now Virginians living in the western portions of the Commonwealth have been offered by the state of West Virginia to leave the Commonwealth and join them. West Virginia State Senator Charles Trump recently introduced legislation in the Senate of West Virginia offering Frederick County, Virginia the pathway to join West Virginia and leave Virginia.
Those historians among us understand the full history of the birth of West Virginia and the fact that its mother was in fact the Commonwealth of Virginia. The area that makes up West Virginia was primarily part of Virginia as the nation approached the Civil War period. One could argue that there is a similarity today as in that period as to why the mountain areas broke with Virginia. In the 1850's the plantation or agrarian economy dominated by plantation owners in Richmond's General Assembly did not reflect the mountain west anymore than Northern Virginia influence in Richmond today does.
Places like Frederick County, Virginia look nothing like Northern Virginia. The people have different value systems and lead very different kind of quality of life in the western portion of Virginia. A greater number of families have at least one legal firearm in their homes and criminal elements are far below the state and national averages when compared to the wealthy Progressive counties controlling leadership in Richmond.
One of the biggest issues facing Virginia Democrats is the fact there is a rising contempt for them in rural Virginia in large part because they are no longer perceived as advocates for them and appear to be attacking their very way of life. This is why such an offer from West Virginia on its face seems compelling to many.
What are counties like Frederick actually receiving from Richmond. Is it truly being represented? Does it have any of its elected officials in leadership positions? Virginians living west of Charlottesville see that the entire leadership in Richmond is comprised mostly by officials from Northern Virginia.
Many of these Virginians see "self determination" as a critical aspect of their lives. Residing closer to West Virginia than either Richmond or Northern Virginia, many are more closely related to West Virginia than Virginia. It doesn't help that West Virginia appears poised to invite them to join their state while Richmond ignores them.
Are not these areas of the Commonwealth entitled to self determination when they perceive Richmond to no longer represent them or even attempting to represent them. Not only in Richmond but places like Frederick County have been marginalized by redistricting of Congressional seats as lines have been redrawn over the last century. Frederick County is part of the Virginia 10th Congressional District whose seat is held by Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) who only received roughly 30% of the vote in Frederick County. Yet because the county is within a district that incorporates Fairfax and Loudoun which are now heavyily suburban counties. Frederick cast just over 30,000 votes in the 10th in 2018 whereas Fairfax cast 100,000 and Loudoun almost 170,000. Frederick supported President Trump with 66% of the vote.
This is what has been happening all over the Commonwealth in recent years. Rural localities in effect have been disenfranchised by the establishment who sees "votes" and "numbers" has the only consideration. Rural voters are folded into large municipalities or suburban areas that traditionally now vote opposite than they do. They live different lives and have differing value systems. For example, simply review hunting licenses in the Commonwealth of Virginia as far as gun ownership goes as an indicator. Though not all Virginia hunters use a firearm of course but the majority are gun owners. Compare rural Virignia to places like Fairfax, Richmond, Arlington, Norfolk, and Henrico. All of these are liberal/progressive voting areas and have far lower gun ownership and hunting licenses per capita (population). This is why the Virginia Democrats no longer represent rural Virginia like they once did. Virginia Democrats have consolidated statewide power in the urban and suburban centers and isolated places like Frederick or Clarke County and their voters.
Maryland has done the same EXACT thing when it gerrymandered the state to include Alleghany and Washington Counties in Maryland's 6th Congressional with heavily populated and liberal Montgomery County (see maps). Maryland is considered one of the most gerrymandered states in the country and IS the model that Virginia Democrats WILL attempt to employ in the coming year with an Amendment to the Virginia Constitution regarding redistricting.
Many rural Virginians see this administration assaulting their way of life. That cannot be understated. Frederick County in fact does have one single Democrat in Delegate Wendy Gooditis however only 20% of the voters in the VA-10 House District reside in Frederick or Clarke County. The remainder again is located in Loudoun. The other Delegates that have precincts in Frederick County are Chris Collins (R-29) and Dave LaRock (R-33). State Senator Jill Vogel (R) represents the VA27 with very limited exposure to Loudoun compared to rural areas and represents Frederick County in Virginia Senate.
As Richmond expands its power and control over the Commonwealth and focusing more on the needs politically of Northern Virginia and neglecting the remainder on the Commonwealth with its Northeastern Progressive legislation many rural Virginians who were born and raised in Virginia are questioning just how far these non-Virginian native legislators are planning to move Virginia to the far left.
The battle over the Second Amendment and the Constitution going on right now is merely crystallizing just how different this Democrat agenda is from the average Virginian living in the Valley or the western counties. Is it any wonder that these Virginians would consider the West Virginia invitation? Are they more aligned culturally with West Virginia than Northern Virginia or Richmond? Do they share the same politics and quality of life concerns?
The more that Virginia Democrats exercise its power and control in Richmond in direct violation of the Constitution with its gun control legislation the further it alienates rural Virginia. Democrats are seeking to eliminate parent/child hunting throughout Virginia, close shooting ranges and eliminate shooting or gun clubs and this does not even consider the assaults on belief systems like faith and the issue of abortion where most rural Virginians are pro-life.
Elections certainly have consequences. The one consequence of election victory for the Virginia Democrats is that they risk losing 2/3 of the Commonwealth long term however they have consolidated their power in the urban areas and Northern Virginia are appear set on ignoring those Virginians outside those areas.
While they seem to have forgotten these counties. I say that might be a good thing let them in the drug invested areas full of crime that they have created my home is up for sale and moving west they made their bed let them sleep in it
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