Back in 2017, early in the Trump administration, a right wing Twitter account posted a picture of a drag queen sitting next to a Muslim woman wearing a niqab on a New York City subway, with the caption “the future liberals want.” The attempt to troll liberals immediately backfired and inspired an avalanche of tweets about the inclusive, progressive future we do want.*
I mention this incident because as I review what the Democrats in Virginia have accomplished since winning majorities in their state House and Senate two years ago, it looks an awful lot like the “future liberals want” for the country.
Here’s a short list of reforms Virginia citizens have seen enacted since voting in a Democratic state legislature and governor:
Virginia ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, becoming the pivotal 38th state to do so.
The state expanded voting rights drastically, including making Election Day a state holiday and allowing same day registrations.
They raised the minimum wage requirement so that all businesses pay at least $13/hr by 2023, and outlining a path to get to $15/hr thereafter.
They abolished the death penalty.
They’ve passed several bills addressing climate change, including the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which puts Virginia on the path to using 100% renewable energy by 2050.
They legalized marijuana.
They passed several gun reform laws that went into effect this summer including limiting the ability of domestic abusers to possess guns, banning guns from the Capitol grounds, and giving school boards more ability to restrict guns on their premises.
Virginia has their next statewide elections in just under 2 weeks — Tuesday, November 2. Early voting is already underway and it is crucial that we help get out the word and boost turnout so that the Democrats preserve their majorities and retain the governor’s seat.
I hope you’ll help by sharing this article on your social media and/or take one of the several suggestions in this article to help us win: How You Can Drive Turnout in Virginia
Thank you for taking action!
* You can catch up on the 2017 meme story here: This Far-Right Tweet About “The Future That Liberals Want” Backfired Into A Huge Meme Also, it might interest you to know that Twitter ended up suspending that account about 2 months later for violating its terms and conditions.
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I may move to Virginia! Beats the hell out of Texas these days.
Tokyo, this former Republican also sees his former party as being detrimental to key problems – climate change action, better gun governance, a holistic response to the COVID pandemic and aggrandizement of liars and vilifying of truthtellers. This is not a party who is worth supporting right now, in my view. I also read another op-ed from a Republican county commissioner who said something similar. Keith
Tokyo, this editorial by a former Republican Mecklenburg County Commissioner (Charlotte, NC area) is worth the read. Keith
https://musingsofanoldfart.wordpress.com/2021/10/21/former-republican-county-commissioner-calls-his-party-out-for-a-new-playbook/