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Dissension in the Ranks: Virginia GOP Chairman Resigns, Fueling Speculation about Corey Stewart

Mike McCabe | July 3, 2018

Topics: Corey Stewart, Democrat, Democratic Party, Donald Trump, GOP, Midterms, Republican, Republican Party, Senator

John Whitbeck, the chairman of the Virginia GOP, resigned early Saturday afternoon, presumably because he didn’t want the proverbial shit storm of supporting Republican Senatorial Candidate Corey Stewart on his resume. More so, given the bigotry and charlatanism in the Republican Party has not yet returned to Reagan-era levels.

In a subliminal statement posted to the Republican Party of Virginia’s Facebook page, Whitbeck said, “I started this job with a message of party unity being the key to our success. I will end the job the same way. No matter what happens cycle after cycle, Republicans must stand together.”

Naturally, Republicans are emphatically not standing together on this one.

Bill Bolling, former Virginia lieutenant governor under Governors’ Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell–and a Republican candidate for governor in 2013 himself–tweeted after Stewart won the primary that he was “extremely disappointed that a candidate like Corey Stewart could win the Republican nomination for US Senate.” He went on to say, “This is clearly not the Republican Party I once knew, loved and proudly served. Every time I think things can’t get worse they do, and there is no end in sight.”

John Whitbeck

Stewart will now take on incumbent Senator Tim Kaine in the November midterm elections. His refusal to renounce ties with the white supremacist organizer of Unite the Right, Jason Kessler, along with his “I was Trump before Trump was Trump” comments have earned him derision from both parties. This has led many long-time conservatives, and many other Republicans on the ticket this fall, to not touch Stewart with a ten-foot pole. He has even been eschewed by the ultra-conservative Koch Brothers and their political funding. 

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, for one, chose not to endorse Stewart after his primary win. Their chairman, Cory Gardner, said they have “no plans” to spend any money on Stewart’s campaign. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) were both eager to distance themselves from Stewart; Sen. Cornyn effectively gave the “Who’s that?” response when asked about Stewart, and Sen. Paul said he was “disappointed” in the result of the primary. 

And then there are the incumbent representatives on the Republican ticket in Virginia this fall, all of whom will assuredly stay silent on Stewart until they are forced to make a public comment.  Susan Swecker, the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said that Stewart will bring out the true colors of his fellow Virginia Republicans. “There is no place to hide — you are either running with Corey Stewart and you condone his vile politics, or you don’t,” she said in a statement.

While party divide is the most likely reason for Whitbeck’s resignation, a dismal track record in elections since taking over as chairman in 2015 could also be a factor. Ralph Northam won the gubernatorial election last year by nine points, which was the largest winning margin by a Virginia Democrat since 1985. Democrats also flipped 15 seats in the House of Delegates, which was the biggest electoral shift towards the Democrats since 1899.

The midterm elections this fall will be in many ways a litmus test for the Republican Party in the age of Trump. Virginians will get an opportunity to show the rest of the country just how much they approve of their president with the Kool-Aid drinking Trump acolyte on the ballot this fall.

Republican Candidate Corey Stewart Tweets He’s Going to Kick Tim Kaine’s Teeth In

David Streever | June 14, 2018

Topics: Commonwealth, Corey Stewart, Democrat, election, Mid-Terms, Republican, Senate, Tim Kaine, virginia

Fresh off a disastrous appearance on CNN, GOP Senate candidate Corey Stewart took to Twitter to claim his primary win as a mandate to “kick @timkaine’s teeth in.”

Virginians wanted someone to kick @timkaine's teeth in.

I'm honored to have been selected for such a high honor. #VAsen #VAPolitics#FireKaine#TakeBackVA

— Corey Stewart (@CoreyStewartVA) June 14, 2018

Stewart is the current chair of the Prince William Board of Supervisors, but has struggled to win office outside of his county. He notably lost the Republican primary for the office of Governor to Ed Gillespie in 2017 by a slim margin, which Gillespie supporters ascribed to Stewart’s caustic, aggressive tone. After his narrow victory in the Tuesday primary over Nick Freitas, Stewart seems to have doubled-down on the often violent rhetoric he employs on the campaign trail.

On a CNN appearance last night with Chris Cuomo, the candidate struggled to answer questions about his support for and from anti-semites and white supremacists. In 2017, he received an endorsement from Paul Nehlen, an anti-semite who Stewart described as “one of my personal heroes.” Although he tried to deflect when Cuomo asked him about Nehlen and other white supremacist supporters, Stewart eventually said, “I take support from whoever wants to give it to me. That doesn’t mean I support their views.”

After his failed GOP primary run for Governor last year, Stewart was singled out for praise by Steve Bannon, a one-time President Donald Trump advisor who associates with white supremacists under the title the “alt-right.” Bannon described Stewart as the “titular head of the Trump movement” in an interview with the Washington Post, where he maintained Stewart would have prevailed over Northam, and predicted he’d bring national attention to the race for Kaine’s Senate seat.

Northam had a different take on his victory that invoked both Michelle Obama’s “We go high” mantra and “The Virginia Way,” the idea that elections in the Commonwealth are won by candidates who maintain a positive image and platform. While Bannon’s prediction about national attention has come true, ultimately, it will be up to Virginia voters to decide between two candidates who for many exemplify opposite ends of the spectrum: Tim Kaine for Democrats and “The Virginia Way,” and Corey Stewart as a bellicose, Trumpian member of the GOP.

Photo from Corey Stewart FB

Opinion: Michelle Wolf’s Performance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is White Lady Goals

Chelsea Higgs Wise | April 30, 2018

Topics: comedy, Democrat, Michelle Wolf, National Correspondence Dinner, President Trump, Republican, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White Lady Goals

I don’t know much about Michelle Wolf, but I know a lot of white ladies could learn from what she did Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. 

With a smile, she stood in front of the political and media elite and gave it to the Republicans straight -no chaser. Wolf wasted no time and within the first minute noted the President’s absence for the second year in a row, “Of course, Trump isn’t here, if you haven’t noticed. He’s not here,” she said, before closing the joke with, “And I know, I know, I would drag him here myself. But it turns out the President of the United States is the one pussy you’re not allowed to grab.”

As her aim of attack scanned the room, Wolf targeted the women of the administration who have taken their privilege and morphed it into what I refer to as white lady toxicity. 

She summed up this feeling with another burner: “And I’m never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what’s Uncle Tom, but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know, Aunt Coulter.”

Let’s remember that this is what comedians at this dinner are sent to do, but last night we witnessed something critical for all women watching, especially white women. 

The comedic obliteration of the token privileged white ladies of the Trump administration: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kellyanne Conway, and even Republican pundit Ann Coulter, officially makes Michelle Wolf my Woman Crush of the Week (#WCW). 

Why is it so important that she demolished Sarah Huckabee Sanders in particular? Because Sanders and Wolf are both presumably white ladies. And to see Sanders be called out by one of her own gave me and the rest of spectating America all the thrills. Besides the entertainment value, this was important for white women to see, especially those who are leading the movement for gender equality. For them to see how white lady toxicity can be challenged at the highest levels of where government and media meet should provide examples as to how white ladies can confront one another at home. 

I talk to many white ladies, in fact, the day of the correspondents’ dinner, I facilitated a monthly intersectional feminism dialogue at a library in Richmond. Not to mention, I spend much of my time answering questions that white ladies have about black feminist perspectives as a professional racial equity facilitator in central Virginia. In doing so, I hear them calling out toxic masculinity and #metoo’ing predatory men without hesitation in 2018 (#RIPBillCosby, hey I’m here for it). But what we really need to bring to bear in the summer of 2018, is to use white lady privilege powers to call out toxic whiteness in our own neighborhoods. Recognizing white lady privilege, at a grassroots level, is the first step to realizing who is really at fault for what we have going on in the White House. 

Building on this, it is no secret who got us into this mess. All the women who voted for Trump were very white. Over half of y’all women voted for this guy, 52 percent of white women to be exact. It is time to take responsibility for those that look like you in a political world that now revolves around identity politics. 

So as the work week starts, think about the water cooler chats at your corporate job – or your trendy co-working spot – or as you meet up at the café for what I call “secret white lady meetings” in the middle of the day to sustain world domination – think about these teachable moments – like those given to us by Wolf this past weekend.  

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Attending many daytime meetings with women’s organizations, I hear a lot about damning the patriarchy. Together We Will – RVA and other white women’s groups organized a public shaming of Dave Brat so severe that he went into hiding. This is a perfect use of white lady powers against men, but are you calling out one another if a toxic white lady moment happens?  

Have you followed your instincts to speak out when your friend in the group makes a comment about “someone” being too “aggressive” in their perspective? “Aggressive” being a coded word for black women showing emotion. These moments are uncomfortable and must be handled with care – but this is the reality – white ladies have a secret language that only other white ladies can translate. This is a commonality amongst those that are categorized under the same social constructs of gender and race. For example, I can translate a black women’s words, looks and body language better than most white women because I, too, am a black woman. 

Democrats, progressives, whatever you want to call us also need a kick in the ass for action. “Republicans aren’t easy to make fun of you know it’s like shooting fish in a Chris Christie. But I also want to make fun of Democrats. Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don’t do anything.” Wolf is right, without real action we could mistake all white ladies for looking alike and falling in the category of an aunt Lydia from The Handmaid’s Tale. 

#TimesUp white ladies… GET.YOUR.PEOPLE! The Chelsea Challenge starts this week.

As you trigger the white fragility and confront white lady toxicity, be wary of the secret weapon though. The oh, so powerful white lady tears, which have trapped men of all races into submission for centuries. 

Speaking of white lady tears, last year Michelle Wolf addressed the power of her’s on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. “I know I’m white, you know how I know I’m white, I can cry myself out of a parking ticket. Hell, I can cry myself out of a murder charge.”  

Hear that pink pussy hat wearing white ladies? You must channel your inner white lady privilege and turbo boost those powers into a full takeover of American White Womanland! That might be a lot, but white ladies need a real plan about how to not only check their own racism, but the racism of other white women in their social circles and groups. 

Creatives like Wolf used her comedic talents to call out white lady toxicity. Yet the moral of the story is use whatever lane of expression you have to do your part without forgetting the simple stuff; like the power of your words, as you sit in the café of your gentrified neighborhood. 

The most important impact you can make on a daily basis is developing the muscle memory (of the mind and tongue) needed to dismantle toxic white lady privilege – this is the work of all white women claiming to fight for change in 2018. 

Just as Michelle Wolf did in a room full of Republicans: Black women, women of color, and non-binary people are watching and waiting for you to take the same brave step to disrupt white toxicity embedded in every industry from the breweries, yoga studios, and even down to your super do-gooder non-profits. Good luck, and report back. 

As I challenge white ladies, I’ll also address white ladies in journalism specifically. I encourage y’all to not only work on not being racist like the rest of the white ladies, but also add a sense of humor to your to-do list. The effort to paint Michelle Wolf’s genius as mean-spirited is another example of how Sarah Huckabee Sanders qualifies for protection under the unwritten clause of white lady privilege. No one wants a journalist invited to the party that reports on fake news AND can’t take a joke. C’mon, what are y’all good for?   

This has been an important message brought to you by a biracial, black woman whose work includes expending a great amount of emotional labor talking to white ladies about intercultural communication. Now, run off into the sunset white lady progressives… this is your work to do. 

Respect My Vote, Virginia!

Rev Yearwood | October 6, 2017

Topics: Democrat, Governor's Election, hip hop, Hip Hop Caucus, Republican, Respect My Vote, Rev Yearwood, virginia

“It’s time for America to get right.” – Fannie Lou Hamer

The civil rights legend Fannie Lou Hamer would be 100 years old today.

While other civil rights leaders of the 20th century – like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.- might have been the face of the movement, Hamer was certainly the heart. She was never afraid to speak her mind in the face of injustice and face the harsh consequences. She was a grassroots leader who fought for the basic rights we sometimes take for granted, including the right to vote. She was a movement inside the movement.

It was people like Hamer who inspired me to travel to Charlottesville in August to stand up to hate and bigotry. It was in the Fannie Lou Hamer spirit that Heather Heyer marched in the street the day she was killed. And it is in that same spirit that we will continue pushing ahead for a better future for all.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Our country is sitting at a crossroads right now. There are so many pressing issues of today – from a rise of radical white supremacists, mental health issues, drug epidemics, healthcare, immigration, criminal justice reform, to climate change – there are too many to talk about and so much to be done. The question is whether we are willing to do anything about them. Can we take our passion for the issues and turn it into real change?

This fall, many of us around the country will have a chance to do so. We can vote on Nov. 7.  And the Virginia elections are of particular importance.

The choices made that day at the ballot box not only have drastic implications at every level of government within the Commonwealth, but they are also being seen nationally as a gauge on whether people are willing to make their voices heard following the 2016 presidential election. Non-presidential election year turnout is traditionally low, so the question is whether the citizens, including young people and communities of color, are enraged and engaged enough to make their voices heard in our democracy. Are people going to show up and vote in 2017? We know the movement to make change in 2017 and beyond is growing – and the first test just how much people care is in Virginia.

My team at Hip Hop Caucus is hitting the ground running throughout Virginia. Through our Respect My Vote! initiative, we are teaming up with some of the most influential artists and young leaders across the Commonwealth to make sure people know that they have the power to make the change they are seeking.

We have artists like No Malice, formerly of the acclaimed rap duo The Clipse and Virginia Beach native, leading the movement to get people registered to vote and preparing them for election day. Our grassroots network and leadership will also be out talking to young people on campuses, meeting people at concert venues, and appearing on local radio and TV shows.

A key focus in Virginia this year will be reaching the 150,000+ ex-offenders who now have the right to vote. After a backwards ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court to undo automatic voter restoration for ex-offenders in July 2016, Gov. McAuliffe took bold action to re-enfranchise them. Ex-offender disenfranchisement is the only set of Jim Crow laws that has actually expanded since the Jim Crow era, making the Governor’s action to re-enfranchise these voters truly historic. One in four African Americans in Virginia who have convictions can now vote, which equates to nearly 20 percent of the African American community of voting age that are now eligible to cast their ballots. This is a big deal.

No Malice

From Northern Virginia, to Charlottesville, to Richmond, to Hampton Roads, this is your time to take action and exercise your most precious right. The first step is to make sure you are registered to vote. The deadline to register in Virginia is October 16, and you can easily do so by visiting RespectMyVote.com.

Hamer’s spirit must live on today. We need Virginia to be that movement within the movement across America. Vote on November 7.

It’s time for America to get right.

About: Respect My Vote! is a non-partisan, voter registration, education, and mobilization campaign of the Hip Hop Caucus, a national, non-profit organization founded in 2004. We organize the people and institutions that create and promote urban and pop culture in order to reach, engage, and mobilize our communities, register them to vote, and empower them within democracy. Respect My Vote!’s core activities are voter registration, voter education, get-out-the-vote, and voter protection. The work, however, does not end after Election Day. Hip Hop Caucus is a multi-issue organization with a progressive agenda focused on: strengthening democracy, civil and human rights, climate change and environmental justice, and, economic empowerment. Hip Hop Caucus works to hold elected officials accountable to our issue agenda and keeps young voters engaged in the advocacy and civic process.

 

 

Virginia Politics Sponsored by F.W. Sullivans

 

 

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