# Virginia election-talk me down off the ledge **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 29, 2021, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496 "2021-10-29T23:52:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/201 "2021-11-05T21:10:50Z")
It means parents having a say in what their schools teach, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/202 "2021-11-05T21:14:56Z")
Yeah, you would read it like that, wouldn’t you? Because the only things Dems know how to do is beat the racism/sexism/homophobia drum, then act surprised when people…don’t like being called those things. And that’s exactly what this campaign season was about, and the results were exactly what you’d expect from the same strategy that failed in 2016. Meanwhile, Virginia just elected its first black female Lieutenant Governor and a Latino AG, both Republicans. But yeah, you go ahead and No-True-Blackwoman your way to your “code for white” reading of my statement. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/203 "2021-11-05T21:21:38Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > It means parents having a say in what their schools teach, of course. Like telling schools to teach creationism and climate change denial in science classes? The reality is that virtually the same kind [of parent and AstroTurf activist](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/23/trumpworld-critical-race-theory-495712) against the imagined CRT in schools is coming from the same type of willful ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/204 "2021-11-05T21:24:02Z")
You’re trying to explain and argue, so you’re already losing. If you’re trying to convince me that parents shouldn’t have a say in their schools’ curricula, then you’re missing the point of this post. So take a step back for a second, and answer me this: Do you want to win elections or not? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/205 "2021-11-05T21:29:44Z")
Yes, by not lying to yourself and future generations. As much as McCain was maligned, one should remember when he confronted a Republican lady that was falling for the fake news that Obama was a radical foreign Muslim, McCain took her microphone away in a gentle matter and told her softly that she was wrong. Many republicans need to be reminded that if they think that they are not as radical as that lady, the truth is that by not telling their radicals to back off, Republicans of today are willing to let the radicals run the place now. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/206 "2021-11-05T21:32:20Z")
So, if a parent wants their school to teach that the world is 6000 years old, that slavery was actually a benefit to the enslaved, then that’s what the school should teach? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/207 "2021-11-05T21:33:47Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Because the only things Dems know how to do is beat the racism/sexism/homophobia drum, then act surprised when people I mean, those are the drums that the Republicans parade down the streets with. They get a whole lot of traction by voicing their racism, sexism and homophobia. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/208 "2021-11-05T21:39:41Z")
Republicans: Drum up fear about transgender bathroom use. Introduce legislation about that. Democrats: “Man, what’s your problem? It’s nobody’s business!” Republicans: “Democrats won’t stop talking about bathrooms!” ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2021, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/209 "2021-11-05T21:51:11Z")
I was both amused and appalled by Winsome Sears’s campaign photo where she was strapped up like an ISIS foot soldier. Yes, resentment from the right is totally the left’s fault. Maybe if Dems ran on tax cuts for the wealthy they’d have a better chance of reaching those fine patriotic folks. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/210 "2021-11-06T00:30:55Z")
Yeah, so apparently you still don’t get it. If Dems ran an advertising business, McDonald’s commercials would be “bah bahbah bah-bah, I’m getting what I paid for, let’s not kid ourselves.” And when someone goes “hey, you think you should try to actually entice people to come to the restaurant?” they’re like “Look, we’re just telling it like it is. If they’re not enticed, it ain’t my problem.” ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/211 "2021-11-06T00:34:09Z")
I think I get it now. If only the Dems were more racist and homophobic, then their brand would find a wider audience and they’d win more elections. Do I get a pony? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/212 "2021-11-06T00:39:33Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > So, if a parent wants their school to teach that the world is 6000 years old, that slavery was actually a benefit to the enslaved, then that’s what the school should teach? No, but on the flipside the schools are publicly funded and the school boards are elected in most districts, the State school boards in many States are appointed by Governors (who are themselves elected), the school system is not designed to be entirely segregated from the wishes of the public. So I would suggest a viable political action to take about concerns raised by parents is not to simply say “you have no say in how the schools are run.” ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/213 "2021-11-06T01:00:15Z")
I literally gave you a list of things Dems could run on to win elections. But you’re presumably a Democrat, so naturally, you don’t get it. Such is your nature. I mean, just look at the shock and confusion up and down this thread on why a guy who said “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what to teach” would lose an election. Like it’s some mystery. They get confused on simple things like “strong families” and it short circuits their brains so hard, they go into the default boot loop of “Racist! Homophobe! Racist! Homophobe!” and wonder why that just doesn’t seem to drive the poll numbers. Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/214 "2021-11-06T01:17:05Z")
Simple things like “strong families”? Holy shit, that’s stupid. Your definition of “strong families” is, and I’ll quote it verbatim: > [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > It means parents having a say in what their schools teach, of course. I mean, that’s fucking priceless. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/215 "2021-11-06T01:23:40Z")
You don’t think that the message that the skin color of a child makes the child inferior is not going to enrage parents? Wokeness, defunding the police, and other radical ideologies are going to be rightfully alarming to those who want a safe and meritocratic society. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/216 "2021-11-06T01:26:54Z")
Rofl. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/217 "2021-11-06T02:36:11Z")
I guess once again the Democrats overestimated the intelligence of the public. They assumed that if people hear McAuliffe’s quote they would look at the debate question and his answer and realize that he was talking about the ability of parents to remove books that they disagreed with from the school libraries. But apparently the majority of voters are either too stupid to look at context or actively in favor of any individual parent having the right to remove any book they disapprove of from school shelves regardless of what other parents think or want. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/218 "2021-11-06T02:51:49Z")
Funny thing about people is they have pride. I’m not certain shifting the message from accusations of racism and bigotry to one of condescension will result in the desired outcome of fawning adoration of one’s betters. I think resentment and antipathy are far more likely. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/219 "2021-11-06T03:19:40Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Funny thing about people is they have pride. Can’t really argue that. [![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1280/720/90/sites/default/files/20190810_BLP506.jpg) ](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1280/720/90/sites/default/files/20190810_BLP506.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496/220 "2021-11-06T03:48:48Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > They assumed that if people hear McAuliffe’s quote they would look at the debate question and his answer and realize that he was talking about the ability of parents to remove books that they disagreed with from the school libraries. Though OTOH I’d expect McCauliffe of all people to have had the political wits about himself to narrowly phrase his answer so it would not turn into that soundbite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginia-election-talk-me-down-off-the-ledge/953496.md?page=12)