Northam & Stoney: Never Letting a Crisis Go to Waste

Never let a crisis go to waste right?

I guess in some peoples minds removing a statue will stop institutional racism that is overseen and fueled by the very government that tells us that it must be eliminated.

The very leaders who incited the riots and looting now will refuse to repair the statues that they themselves are complicit in having damaged. Instead they will now simply remove them.

Convenient right?

Who permits social injustice in the cities? Who permits its law enforcement to profile or violate civil rights in the cities where all the protest are happening? Why not have civilian oversight--non city employees-- of the internal affairs of local law enforcement right?

Go ahead remove the statue.

Then simply watch the next Governor of Virginia put Lee right back up at tax payers expense or will the city then oppose it? How aout the next Governor refuse to provide the City of Richmond with any state funding?

Is there a record of the City Council voting to remove the statues? Was not the new law passed not going into effect intil July 1 permitting statue removal?

Is Mayor Stoney or Governor Northam exercising abuse of power? Does a Governor have the aility to order the removal of a state monument without a vote by the Virginia legislature which is not in session?

Do the monuments that are controlled and maintained by the Commonwealth belong to all Virginians? How can a single locality like Richmond remove monuments that are located in a capital city that belongs to all Virginians?

It is high time that Virginians stop supporting anything in Richmond, Virginia. Stop contributing to the museums pushing liberal revisions and stop contributing to advocacy groups masquerading as charities in the city. Stop visiting every single musuem or facility run that supports the Richmond regime that in fact is the catalyst of institutional racism.

The City of Richmond and Commonwealth of Virginia since 2013 have done nothing to stem the tide of racism. NOTHING. They think removing concrete will address racism. They think that holding rallies and cheering will address racism......take a look at the footage of the cheers of the statue of Saddam falling and then look what happened years later. Did removing that statue remove the decades of civil strife in Iraq?

These leaders care little about history or the lessons from it. They are inviting future division which is exactly what they want. They have been trying to manipulate the issues for a decade now and want us all to believe that a cop in Minnesota is directly related to a staue in Richmond, Virginia. That only if that statue was never in place that George Floyd would be alive.

What they don't want to address is why did their own leader Sen. Amy Klobuchar not address this officer and this department when she had the chance years ago. Why? Answer that.

We have execuitve orders in place determining how we can live our lives yet Northam and Stoney will ignore them for a photo op and rally to remove the statues. The very same people who condemned Trump for a speaking in front of St. Johns Church in DC this week will hold their own rally in clear violation of social distancing and mask orders that they impose on everyone else.

.

If your governmment official seeks to ignore their own orders for political gain should not Virginia business ignore them for theirs?

Do not support the regime that is the City of Richmond any further. A regime that has perpetuated racism for decades and done nothing to address it within is institutions of government like its schools and its police department.

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Virginia's Capital Under Siege: Richmond Turns a Blind Eye

None of what transpired in Richmond, Virginia over this past weekend should have ever been a surprise to anyone paying attention at either the local or state level. While the government and media have danced the last few months over COVID-19 and whether cities were going to "re-open" little attention was paid as groups organized in response to the George Floyd death in Minneapolis, Minnesota over a week ago.

City leaders failed their citizens. It seems apparent leaders routinely fail to grasp history or recognize that there are always patterns that can be demonstrated and analyzed. How could city leaders not comprehend the siege upon Richmond that was coming? How could they not not see any signs that a storm was on the horizon? Was there no history of violence or rioting to point to to justify securing the city? Were not the examples of Ferguson or west Baltimore coming back to them? Charlottesville 2017? Once again major riots and violence under the leadership of Virginia Democrats.

Many Virginians have lost faith in government and rightfully so. Governments that would put clear political objectives over the public welfare. A city can virtually shut down due to "perceived threat" like Covid-19 but the city cannot be secured to prevent widespread impending violence and rioting? An annual permitted rally held at the State Capital by law abiding citizens can warrant a "State of Emergency" and citizens Second Amendment rights infringed through "Executive Order" in Richmond like in January during Richmond's annual "Lobby Day" yet the government when under siege cannot bring itself to take any measure other than a "curfew" to protect citizens and property from those bent on rioting and looting?

The message from cities like Richmond, Va is clear. It will only impose restrictions on those that it deems as political adverseries. The media is not reporting that the very groups involved in Richmond and other urban centers across the country are funded by the very same groups and people as many of these leaders elected to office that are responsible for public safety. The media does not want to report this fact or how massive groups of armed "protesters" could get bussed in from multiple localities logistically and who is behind the funding and organization of events.

While the politcial class often wants to change the conversation and avoid having to address the very nature of these groups and the tactics they employ far too often the ties are clear. These ties represent a clear and present danger to the public safety of every Virginian. The very literature found on the ground in Richmond documents how the Democratic Party is in full suppoort of the destruction offering bail and bond services for any taken into custody.  This is where peaceful assembly turns into political endorsed rioting with no consequence as rioters and looters know they have the support of those in positons of authority.

Pay close attention to the news this week and look for stories where rioters and looters detained are released without prosecution only to return the the streets again because of the organized will not to hold them accountable. Remeember all those District and Commonwealth Attorney races last November that were bought by outside money in the Commonwealth of Virginia? It will be these individuals that determine whether the Commonwealth presses charges regarding felony property damage.

When the same people who fund the campaigns of the elected authority are the same ones funding the rioting organizations where does that leave justice?

Those that have doubts concerning the orgins of the riots should simply evaluate the weekends events in totality. The individuals in Richmond inciting violence and rioting were heavily organized. They were supporterd financially and provided enough funding to recruit and mobilize hundreds of individuals and have them bussed in. One such bus had license plates from Illinios. Individuals were assembled and organized into teams. One such group appeared to have clear defined leadership bearing ipads or tablets directing individuals while another group began moving cases of water bottles for staging throughout the city. These individuals were organizing and gearing up for nightfall not to participate with peaceful marchers in the city during the afternoon.

The siege to the city was an operation. Carefully planned and orchestrated on a city unprepared to hold back the violence. Teams were set about the city. It was not long before various quarters of the city from Monument Avenue to Virginia Commonwealth University area were almost completely under the control of the roaming teams set upon the city. In fact, near the Lee Monument one could visibly see rooftop spotters and at the base of the building detailed Antifa supporters providing what clearly was security. This is not the action of peaceful protesting but rather a coordinated military style operation using tactics employed by only those with the knowledge of how our military operations are conducted.


As literally hundreds worked diligently to deface the monuments it became clear they were the intial targets. Many groups like Monumental Lies have come into the city from elsewhere in the past regarding the Confederate Monuments and this weekend there were clearly coordinated efforts between those associated with Antifa, Black Lives Matters and BAM (By Any Means) to reek havoc upon the former Confederate capital. One such member could be heard chanting "Just like Charleston" which had come under siege the night before. Were these groups the very same that rioted in South Carolina the night before? Had they merely moved on to Richmond to continue the rioting?

These groups clearly came prepared. They created staging areas. They set up communications and moved groups from area to area while othewr groups clashed with police. They had small drones. Once police began to respond groups were directed to egresss and shift toward other objectives. It should have become clear that there was coordination. The city in effect for three nights was at the mercy of these groups which could target at will virtually any location.

Making matters worse the Mayor of Richmond sent the wrong message in an apology for the deployment of tear gas by police in an effort to keep units from  becoming seperated from one another amidst the escalating tension while a number of the rioters mixed in with peaceful protesters. Antifa elements merely became embolden by the messaging from the Mayor and even became more brazen by setting more fires.

Many leaders in the coming days will use the responses of the police as justifciation to reduce what they call the "militarization" of the police forces but of course this is exactly what Antifa, BLM and BAM hardliners and those supporting them want. These groups are unprepared today to clash with police if the police were permitted to use force. As tt stands today the main role being utilized by police has been a "show of force" and not actual force. If Antifa can strip the police of the bulk of its military style weaponery through the help of the political class than untilmately this last weekend's chaos will simply be a precursor to full insurrection in America.

And insurrection is the true goal of Antifa.

In effect Antifa elements for four nights used peaceful protesters as "human shields". Mixed with them and agitated and incited violence along the way and even "jumped" those they identify as anything counter to thier movement.

And the only response that the city would get from Mayor Stoney would be a curfew order.

Further proving the fact that Stoney and his fellow Progressives never understand or comprehend that criminals do not obey laws or orders. The nation has witnessed Antifa in the past and the destruction it leaves behind. One would think they would learn lessons regarding all the gun control laws that never seem to reduce gun violence but they never seem to. They either ignore the facts or simply place political agendas before the public safety of those living in the city.

Over the weekend even members of the Virginia General Assembly like Delegate Lee Carter (D) not only praised the results of the protest but participated himself in confronting police. Others like Delegate Joshua Cole (D) tweeted resources to those participating should they be taken into custody and require bail. Many legislators will use this weekend to advance further political agendas just as Presidential and Congressional candidate of both parties while cities are left to recover from the chaos. Many which will not recover for a decade.

The people are losing trust in the cities. Many will leave the cities once again. Its happened before. Richmonder's knopw this all too well. It took the city twenty years to see people return to live in the city and now city leaders have placed all that progress in jeopardy.

IThe events of the alst week will expose once again the extreme "activism" that supercedes "leadership" in the Virginia General Assembly and state government. The majority sat on their hands while the fires blazed.

The mere notion that law abiding gun owners from all over Virginia converging on Richmond for an annual event in January was a "perceived threat" to the public but riots that began Friday night were never in fact treated with the same level of concern. It took three days for the local and state government to respond but by that time the Antifa elements had already been successful at implementing the targeted siege organizationally.

Richmonders need to to take a hard look at city leadership. A leadership that apparently is willing to put politcial expediency before public safety and property.

The City Police stated the following:

"We do have anti-fascists, we have some anarchists, to a large degree, but there's people from outside of this state and outside of this area that we know that are involved and we're doing our best to identify them and backtracking what their affiliations are," he said. "I think that's clear. When you look at the things that they're targeting... I think we can all understand attacking the symbols of the past and of the racist past. But when you look at trying to burn down a VCU dormitory, or burn down people's homes, or burn down and loot the stores that we depend on every day. Those things don't correlate at all. So, you know, I think there is a much more organized effort, and we're doing our very best to determine where that's coming from and who's pulling the strings."

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Republicans Demand Delegate Lee Carter (D) Resign

The the wake of the riots this weekend and the involvement of Delegate Lee Carter (D) the Republican Party of Virginia is demanding that the legislator resign from his seat. Republicans released a statement found here:

https://virginia.gop/rpv-calls-for-delegate-lee-carters-immediate-resignation/?fbclid=IwAR21dSoI3ZkUyGCH6R7RNGcExnfM1bFIbn-AyveZAvXm81pJNdwdpzi979E

Carter represents the Virginia 50th House of Delegates District which is comprised of Manasssas City and part of Prince William County. Carter was elected in 2017 and again in 2019 to represent the district.

Delegate Carter has proven time and time again that he is an "activist" in a suit more than a true legislator. Carter participated in protests over teh weekend following the George  Floyd incident where police officers used excessive force resulting in the death of Floyd in Minneapolis, MN.

The following are screenschots of Delegate Lee Carter's enagagement with police officers over the weekend:

Carter clearly antagonized and provoked police in his interactions with law enforcement in an attempt to bait them into confrontation. Again Delegate Carter like so many of the newly elected Assembly members of the Democratic Party of Virginia cut their teeth as "community activists" and have  brought that kind of mentality to Richmond.

Carters colleague in the House of Delegates Joshua Cole posted on his twitter feed this during the weekend:
\

One thing is clear if the aftermath of a violnet weerkend in Virginia and that is that oth Carter and Cole virtually signaled their support for the destruction and violence that ensued and at no time attempted to calm any tensions over the weekend.

Is this how Virginia Legislators should act? Is this the role legislators are to play going forward? Is it appropriate for a legislator to incite violence let alone participate in it as it unfolds?

Is Virginia Rising or Falling?: Can Republicans Find A Way Back

The blame game is alive and well in Virginia. It was only a matter of time for blaming to go mainstream given the Republican Party of Virginia appears in complete disarray following the November elections last Fall.

The Virginia GOP has been in a virtual tailspin for over a decade now. Some would argue even a freefall. Virginia has been turning "bluer" in the last decade not unlike the very same occurrance experienced in Maryland over a decade ago. Only difference is Maryland has elected a Republican Governor the last two election cycles whereas Virginia has failed to elected a Republican Governor since 2009.

Isn't it time Republicans all across the Commonwealth begin to address why that is? How is it liberal leaning states like Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire have elected Republican Governors and Virginia has been unable to since 2009?

A decade is a lifetime in politics. The Democratic Party of Virginia successfully managed to capture and leverage social media in its opposition to Virginia Republicans. The Virginia GOP failed to invest appropriately in the infrastructure required and rested on the fact that Virginia had supported Republicans for decades. The Virginia GOP became convinced it could weather any storm when it won the Governorship in 2009 the year after President Obama was elected in 2008.

Yet how many outside the political historian community has examined how that 2009 victory came to be? How was the messaging so different and appeal so broad that Governor Bob McDonnell earned almost 59% at the polls? And how subsequent candidates have earned on average 10-12 points less than McDonnell at the polls?

It really comes down to outcomes and lessons. The lessons of the last decade are in plain sight but far to many continue to blame others instead of examining the truth.

Virginia has a knack for going against the national election trends. 2013 was one of the cycles in which Virginia elected a Democratic Governor while there was a sitting Democratic President. Typically voters in Virginia elect the opposite party from the one in the White House. Many see it as a hedge but it proves just how broad the "middle" truly is in Virginia and how it is the real force that determines victory in Virginia and not the extremes.

Have Republicans stopped talking to independents and moderate centrists who care very little for legislating morality? It appears so.

Any political scientist will tell you that Virginia is a solid "blue" state based on statewide elections. That however does not mean of course that Virginia is not still a mostly "conservative" state in large portions of the Commonwealth. The issue facing Virginia Republicans is an inability to win in  suburban Virginia where population has exploded the last decade.

The election of President Obama in 2008 brought sweeping changes to the ground game for Virginia Democrats. Democrats made inroads into the suburban communities that were long held by Republicans. New voter registrations and an appeal to suburban families has continued with the overwhelming political movement centered around healthcare. Republicans on the federal level managed to cede healthcare to the Democrats even when many aspects of the Democratic initiatives mirrored former Republican positions. The result was devastating to the Republican Party of Virginia.

The eelction results demonstrate that following the election of President Obama, the majority of statewide races have been won in Virginia by Democrats securing over fifty percent of the vote. Some will argue that the election of 2013 was the real turning point given it broke the trend of electing the opposite party into the Virginia Executive than the controlling party of the White House. Historically speaking the Virginia Republicans should have won the election in 2013 and some have argued that had that occurred than in all likelihood most of the elections that followed would have been influenced to the advantage of Republicans.

Victory however alluded Virginia Republicans in 2013 and many political pundits blamed the third party candidate Robert Sarvis (L) who earned 6.52%  or Lt. Governor Bill Bolling (R) for the Demcoratic victory. This however is very simplistic at its core as the real issue that drove the election of 2013 away from the grasp of Republicans was the very fact that many fiscal and libertarian conservatives reject the social conservativism that is very prevalent on the far right within the Republican Party of Virginia. This coupled with the fallout between Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sealed the Republican fate in 2013. Bolling to this day is villified by many social conservatives and even now in 2020 was recently targeted by the campaign manager of State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase(R) running for Governor in 2021 in a clear attempt to re-open old wounds to advance the campaign's own agenda.

State Senator Chase was a staunch supporter of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in  2013 before moving on to supporting Representative David Brat (R) in the 7th Congressional District campaign and later would challenge State Senator Steve Martin (R) of the Virginia 11th in a primary.  Chase has made a reputation for herself as being loose with the facts and quick with the blame when its comes to political posturing.

Recently, Senator Chase claimed on facebook that Govenror Ralph Northam (D) was vacationing during the pandemic crisis in Manteo, NC. Chase in yet another clear attempt at a "gotcha moment" informed her followers that she had been provided evidence from law enforcement as to Northam's travels and stays in North Carolina. Chase never managed to provide any such evidence and many have clamored on social media that the evidence Chase alluded to never actually existed. Chase routinely uses her offcial page as a platform for conspiracy theories and misleading information regarding matters pertaining to Northam or the pandemic. Chase emersed herself and her followers in the two month long "Recall Northam" saga that never materialized. The media characterized the effort as yet another one of the various political stunts orchestrated by Chase to elevate her profile outside her district.

Chase called on all Virginians to join her in Richmond on May 6, 2020 to "Re-Open Virginia" and stated that Governor Ralph Northam (D) had "overstepped his authority by imposing restrictions" yet refused to elaborate specifically how the Governor has overstepped or violated the trust of Virginians in executing the duties of his office with regard to public safety. One thing is clear however and that is Chase has apparently done a complete one eighty with regard to mask wearing in Virginia.

Chase seen here at her "Re-Open Virginia " rally in Richmond earlier this month wears a mask and gloves yet just weeks later fails to wear a mask nor follows the social distancing mandate of remaining six feet apart while participating in a subsequent event called the "Great American Tailgate". A week or so later Chase was condemed Governor Northam for not wearing masks while visiting Virginia Beach. At the time of course there was no mandatory mask order in place. The mask mandate actually goes into effect today May 29, 2020. Chase deemed it appropriate to wear mask and gloves early in May but clearly has since changed her position given her lack of any masks, gloves or social distancing in Petersburg while attending an organized event.

Recent polling by Virginia Commonwealth University reveals that the majority (76%)of Virginians polled believe Northam has done an effective job managing the crisis in Virginia as reported by the Daily Progress here:
https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/state/vcu-poll-76-of-virginians-approve-of-northams-response-to-pandemic/article_9e5a0ec8-b8e3-571f-8686-c68dbc24650b.html

This is not a very good sign for Senator Chase or the Republican Party of Virginia should it chose to nominate Chase next year. Chase has repeatedly challenged just about every thing Northam has enacted in response to the crisis. The majority of suburban families are following the mandates prescribed not only by Northam but by the CDC while it is apparent that Chase is leading the charge in opposing such efforts. The question remains why did Chase flip flop on masks and social distancing? Chase determined to wear masks and gloves just weeks ago and now has shifted her position and ignored both masks and social distancing. So the question remains is this simply yet another "stunt" by Chase given Northam has now mandated mask wearing. Chase wore the masks before they were "mandated" but now refuses to wear them because they are now "mandated" by Northam appears to be the message.

State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase (R) with Tim Anderson taking part in the "Great American Tailgate" held in Petersburg, Va.

State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase (R) in Olde Town Petersburg

The Republican Party of Virginia leadership has largely remained quiet during the crisis however it has released statements from time to time expressing its position regarding measures that Northam has enacted. That being said the simple fact is Senator Chase has attempted to take the oxygen away from fellow Republicans by pressing forward with what appears to be very divisive positions for the suburbs and suburban women especially. This should raise alarm bells for all Virginia Republicans.

While many in the Republican Party of Virginia have recognized the shift underway in Virginia there are still those like Chase and her social conservative right that fail to grasp that Virginia no longer is the Virginia of the 1990's and the demographics have shifted. The suburban and urban areas are less attracted to the very issues that leaders like Chase are advocating especially when it comes to opposing equal justice  and equal rights for all Virginians regardless of religious beliefs, national origin, identity, gender, race, creed etc. Many voters see Chase as nothing more than an extension of the 1990's wrapped up in a "morality police"  platform where public policies should be determined by religious convictions---Christian-only convictions that are more closely associated with Pentecostalism or evangelical positions than the belief sytems of the majority of Virginians.

So while many see the Republican opposition in Virginia as in a state of "RISING" there are those who also see the future of the Republican Party of Virginia  "FALLING" further into the minority. In 2019 the Republicans lost control of the Virginia General Assembly after refusing to hold Governor Northam accountable for his "blackface" scandal while the Virginia GOP controlled the majority. No hearings and no investigations into the matter were ever undertaken. One could argue the merits of the political calculations made to not pursue any inquiry but the result ultimately was a sound defeat in November at the polls.

The Virginia GOP has a real opportunity in 2020-21 should it decide to embrace it. Republicans must determine to stop nominating unelectable candidates statewide and rebuild the trust it once had with suburban voters. It will not be successful in enagement efforts if it choses to continue to repeat the same mistakes of the past and deny the ground that is before them. The Virginia GOP must work in coordination to recruit and listen to Virginians seeking less morality messaging and more family-centric, education, healthcare, lower taxes and ecomomic messaging.

These results depict the net result of poor focus and messaging in Virginia by Republicans:

2008-Obama (D) 53%

2008 Sen. Mark Warner (D) 65%

2009 Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) 59% Bolling (52%) Cuccinelli (57%)  

2012- Obama (D) 51%

2012- Sen. Tim Kaine (D)- 53%

2013- Gov. McAuliffe (D) 48%  Northam ( 55%) Herring (50%)

2014- Sen. Mark Warner (D) 49%

2016- Hillary Clinton (D) 50%

2017- Gov. Ralph Northam (D) 54%  Fairfax (53%)  Herring (53%)

2018- Senator Tim Kaine (D) 57%

2019- Loss of the majority in Virginia House of Delegates

2019- Loss of the majority in Virginia Senate

Whether Virginia is indeed "RISING" or "Falling" will continue to play out over the next election cycle. Some have pointed to some local success for Republicans this month as promising but many of those local elections were very small turnout results in the middle of the pandemic.

For Virginia Republicans have any real success moving forward,  the Virginia GOP must evolve and reshape its messaging or accept the fact that it will remain solely a "principled minority" for years to come.

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Libertarians Nominate Presidential Candidate in Historic Convention

The fastest growing politcial party in Virginia and one that most Americans still largely are unfamiliar has nominated its candidate for the 2020 Presidential Election this November.

The Libertarian Party has nominated Dr. Jo Jorgensen to run on the Libertarian ticket and did so in historic fashion earlier this month. While the other two major politcial parties appear in disarray over nominating conventions and alternative methods of nominations for Congressional races throughout much of the country, the Libertarian Party held an online nominating convention. This is what can happen when a party does not have layer upon layer of committee structure and burdensome red tape and can work in an efficient manner even in times like the pandemic. The online convention format undertaken by the Libertarian Party is the first ever for any political party in the United States.

Delegates to the Libertarian Convention met virtually from all over the country and were afforded the opportunity to learn more about not only the party platform but fabout all the potential nominees. Dr. Jorgensen holds a doctorate and currently is a lecturer at Clemson Univesity. Jorgensen attended both Baylor University and Southern Methodist University in Texas before earning her Ph.D from Clemson in Industrial/Organizational Psychology in 2002.

The countless era of big government and even bigger government programs coupled with the current pandemic crisis has elevated the Libertarian Party nationally. Long overlooked and often condemned by the other two parties as the "bastard stepchild" of the American political experience, the continued failures of the Democratic and Republican Parties to set realistic budgets and service debt has ultimately created an unsustainable spending programs contrinuting to massive deficits.

The word "deficit" is no longer a dirty word to either Demcoratic or Republican leaders in Washington. The second "stimulus" package will simply provide another example of spending programs that the governement will employ without having the ability to pay for or any expectation of servicing.

With over 23 trillion in debt and even more in unfunded liabilities, there appears little dicsussion any longer regarding debt and deficits in Washington. All those discussions over unfunded mandates and entitlement programs left the conversation when Paul Ryan (R) left Congress.

In Virginia the Libertarian Party continues to grow. The LPVA has often become the scorn of media and political pundits with like agendas given at times the Libertarian candidate  in Virginia has been depicted as the "spoiler" in previous election cycles.  Robert Sarvis (L) was a factor that many believed delivered both a U.S. Senate seat and a Governorship in Virginia to the Democratic Party.

Parties often like to blame others for its own failures at the polls.

Voters are constantly fed  the narratives that the two major political parties are "mainstream". This narrative implies any other organization like the Libertarians are outside the mainstream however most Libertarians consider themselves often taken for granted by the Republican Party of Virginia and moving forward such action very well may be their undoing.

Sarvis in his race for Virginia Governor back in 2013 earned 6.5% which constituted the largest percentage ever in such a race in Virginia. The arguments from the establishment will always be that Libertarian candidates "pull" support "away" from the other two parties  but this view merely exposes the underbelly of the entrenched nature of Virginia politics.

As long as the Republican Party refuses to address the morality over liberty driven social conservative nature of many of its nominees and candidates, Libertarians will run for offices and challenge Republicans for every single vote. Moderate and Constitutional Republicans often share more of the same values as Libertarians than they do social conservatives in Virginia. As it stands today, should the Republicans nominate State Senator Amanda Chase (R) for Governor one could certainly expect a Libertarian candidate in the 2021 Gubernatorial Race in Virginia.

Robert Sarvis stated as far back as 2012 :

 "I realized that the Republican Party, at least in Virginia, in the current era, is not a good vehicle for liberty candidates. Republicans are very strident on personal issues. When they talk about liberty, they don't mean any personal issues, there is very little respect for personal autonomy."

Jorgensen on the issues can be found here:
https://joj2020.com/issues-jo-jorgensen/
@JoforLiberty

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Governor Ralph Northam Forms Education Working Group: Path Forward for Schools

Governor Ralph Northam (D) of the Commonwealth of Virginia has formed a working group comprised of Virginia educators from the elementary and secondary sytems of both public and private schools as well as adminstrators, special needs and collegiate professionals.



The Education Work Group held its first meeting last month on April 23, 2020 to begin to explore ways that the Commonwealth can re-open schools for the upcoming school year. Northam's hope is the group can assist the Executive Branch with drafting a path forward and includes members from every region of the Commonwealth with varies levels of expertise.

Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni chairs the Education Work Group that will continue to meet throughout the crisis to address the issues that schools and colleges are facing in the current environment. One area that must be addressed is the disparity regarding broadband access between the suburban areas and the rural areas.
On March 23, 2020 Govvernor Northam (D) ordered all Virginia schools closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year after intially closing schools for two weeks. Both public and private schools throughout the Commonwealth complied with the order as well as most universites and collges. One university that would remain open following then order was Liberty University. Liberty just completed the semester with no COVID-19 cases on campus. The Virginia Health Department actually inspected the university after it refused to comply.

The ultimate goal of the group is to ensure a safe environment for the return on in-person education.

“As we make decisions about the path forward, this panel will help ensure that we are best supporting rural students, English language learners, students of color, and students with special needs. School closures have been necessary to protect health and safety, but lost class time has a disproportionate impact on Virginia’s most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged students. That’s why equity will remain at the forefront as we determine when and how we can safely and responsibly return to in-person learning.” (Gov. Northam)

Members of Virginia’s COVID-19 Education Work Group include:

Steering Committee

• Atif Qarni, Secretary of Education, Chair of COVID-19 Education Work Group
• Fran Bradford, Deputy Secretary of Education for Higher Education and Museums
• Peter Blake, Director, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
• Dr. James Lane, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of Education

Work Group Members

• Jenna Conway, Chief School Readiness Officer, Office of the Governor
• Holly Coy, Assistant Superintendent for Policy, Communications, and Equity, Virginia Department of Education
• Dr. Laurie Forlano, Deputy Commissioner for Population Health, Virginia Department of Health
• Jennifer O. Macdonald, Director, Division of Child and Family Health, Virginia Department of Health
• Dr. Lynn Clayton Prince, Director of Special Education, Powhatan County Public Schools and President-Elect, Virginia Council of Administrators of Special Education
• Pam Simms, Program Director, Gladys H. Oberle School
• Dr. Donna Henry, Chancellor, University of Virginia’s College at Wise and Chair, Council of Presidents in Virginia
• Dr. Michael Rao, President, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Taylor Reveley, President, Longwood University
• Dr. Makola Abdullah, President, Virginia State University
• Dr. Sharon Morrissey, Senior Vice Chancellor, Virginia Community College System
• Dr. John Downey, President, Blue Ridge Community College
• Dr. Eric Williams, Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools
• Dr. Jared Cotton, Superintendent, Chesapeake Public Schools
• Dr. Dennis Carter, Superintendent, Smyth County Schools
• Kathy Burcher, Representative, Virginia Education Association
• Melinda Bright, Representative, Virginia Education Association
• Dr. Travis Burns, Principal, Northumberland High School and President, Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals
• Dr. Andrew Buchheit, Principal, T. Clay Wood Elementary School and President, Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals
• Ann-Marie Ward, Council Treasurer, Virginia Parent Teacher Association
• Pamela Croom, President-Elect, Virginia Parent Teacher Association
• Teddy Martin II, Member, Henry County School Board and Regional Chair, Virginia School Boards Association
• Karen Corbett-Sanders, Chair, Fairfax County School Board
• Grace Creasey, Executive Director, Virginia Council for Private Education
• Robert Lambeth, President, Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia
• Dr. Larry Stimpert, President, Hampden-Sydney College
• Dr. Tiffany Franks, President, Averett University
• Dan Gecker, President, Virginia Board of Education
• Marianne Radcliff, Representative, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
• Jared Calfee, Executive Director, Virginia21
• Rich Conti, Director, Science Museum of Virginia
• Dr. Betty Adams, Executive Director, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center
• Ingrid Grant, Member, Governor’s African American Advisory Board
• Hyun Lee, Member, Governor’s Asian Advisory Board
• Diana Brown, Member, Governor’s Latino Advisory Board
• Ashley Marshall, Chair, Virginia Council on Women
• Shan Lateef, Rising Senior, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and Governor’s STEM Phenom Award Winner

More on Atif Qarni:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1275546

Virginia 7th Congressional District Convention Set

The Virginia Seventh Congressional District has determined to reschedule the VA7 nominating convention originally scheduled for April 25 at the The Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center in Richmond due to the pandemic crisis. The district committee also recently file lawsuit against Governor Ralph Northam's pandemic orders regarding gathering sizes that would prevent the convention from taking place in a normal manner.

The committee will have to determine alternative measures for nomination should the Governor continue to limit gatherings in the future months ahead. There appears little support for mail in or digital options in terms of balloting leaving only a drive thru option.

The committee has decided upon a July 18th date for the convention at Meadow Park Event Center in Doswell. Some members supported a June 20th date at Richmond Raceway. These members expressed the belief that  delaying another month would only benefit the Demcoratic incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D).

The current front runner appears a dead heat between Tina Ramirez and Nick Freitas. While Freitas appears to have the majority of the rural county delegates, Ramirez has amassed more suburban support as delegates in Chesterfield and Henrico Counties.

Spanberger won the suburban vote in Henrico by 18 points in 2018 and by 13 points in Chesterfield in 2018.


J. Scott