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At McAuliffe HQ, a Trumpless Reality Sinks In
realclearpolitics.com ^ | 11/3/21 | Philip Wegmann

Posted on 11/03/2021 5:41:40 AM PDT by cotton1706

MCLEAN, Va. — The party faithful had been chatting amongst themselves for three hours, periodically craning their necks for a glimpse of the cable news playing on mute in the press pen, nervously refreshing their drinks at the cash bar, and quietly complaining about the lack of reliable wi-fi in the Hilton ballroom, when Terry McAuliffe finally arrived. He didn’t say much.

In a speech that barely lasted five minutes, the normally chatty politician thanked his supporters and his family and his staff before quickly leaving the stage. Notably, he did not concede. And, for the first time in a long time, the Democratic candidate for governor didn’t say a single word about Donald Trump.

McAuliffe’s strategy had been to tie his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, to the former president so often that the race would become a replay of the 2020 election in a state Joe Biden carried by 10 percentage points. Instead, McAuliffe wound up turning his own race into a referendum on whether Democrats could win without Trump in the picture. Prior to Tuesday night, there was measured optimism that this gambit would work. “We are very hopeful,” Debbie and Thomas Siebert said of McAuliffe’s chances. Longtime friends of the candidate, Debbie Siebert and her husband, a former ambassador to Sweden, added early in the night that “we are realists too.”

(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: elections; mcauliffe; whoops
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To: Flick Lives

ROTFLMChristianFreeAmericanSuccessfulHairyWhiteUnsodomizedAO!!


21 posted on 11/03/2021 6:06:02 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: cotton1706

You mean Trump wasn’t running for Governor of Virginia? Based on the way this imbecile was campaigning, I could have sworn he was.


22 posted on 11/03/2021 6:06:24 AM PDT by Durbin
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To: central_va

There are many issues with Youngkin, and I suspect you already know most of them.

But—McAwful was so much worse—that I have no problem celebrating the outcome.


23 posted on 11/03/2021 6:06:44 AM PDT by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: Migraine
To me it is unmistakable that Trump’s aura and dynamic prevailed and presided despite his not having been there to “make it about him”.

Trump would have beaten Youngkin by a margin of 54% to 46%

Trump outperformed Youngkin everywhere. The biggest difference is that the republicans took voter fraud more seriously. They had lawyers and poll watchers at the ready in every mail-in / walk-in polling place.

Youngkin did not beat Trump numbers that is a Fake News lie. Democrats underperformed because actual votes were counted.

24 posted on 11/03/2021 6:07:23 AM PDT by BushCountry (Fun Fact: Goods made in America do not get stuck on cargo ships.)
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To: central_va

Democrats in congress will be desperate to pass their “election reform” bill now. Got to enshrine the cheat into federal law.


25 posted on 11/03/2021 6:08:30 AM PDT by virgil (The evil that men do lives after them )
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To: central_va

Even the WiFi didn’t work …

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


26 posted on 11/03/2021 6:09:20 AM PDT by Col Frank Slade
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To: cotton1706

Terry McAuliffe campaigned against Donald Trump. Trump beat him.


27 posted on 11/03/2021 6:09:39 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
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To: cgbg

Go ahead and celebrate but this was no Waterloo.


28 posted on 11/03/2021 6:09:51 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: BushCountry
Democrats underperformed because actual votes were counted.

And who made that happen? Trump supporters.

29 posted on 11/03/2021 6:10:44 AM PDT by Jess Kitting
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To: cotton1706
In a speech that barely lasted five minutes, the normally chatty politician thanked his supporters and his family and his staff before quickly leaving the stage.

I think the long faces on CBS Mornings gave even less time to this MAJOR DEM defeat.

30 posted on 11/03/2021 6:12:55 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
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To: Jess Kitting

Most certainly. It’s just the news media, especially FOX was promoting hard that Youngkin outperformed Trump. I just wanted some reality to settle in.

Youngkin did worse than Trump in every republican district, the difference in the election was cheating, which the news media has failed to acknowledge.


31 posted on 11/03/2021 6:13:42 AM PDT by BushCountry (Fun Fact: Goods made in America do not get stuck on cargo ships.)
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To: Alas Babylon!
No real big gaffs for Murphy except his Covid tyranny over the past 18 months.

What do you mean? Project Veritas got a senior Murphy advisor on video tape saying they needed to hide their upcoming vax mandates until after the election because independent and undecided voters only care about "my rights, my sh!t." With any luck, that gaffe will end up costing Murphy his second term.
32 posted on 11/03/2021 6:15:17 AM PDT by Antoninus (Republicans are all honorable men.)
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To: cotton1706

My heart bleeds for William Kristol.


33 posted on 11/03/2021 6:16:10 AM PDT by djpg
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To: Recovering_Democrat

McAuliffe at that point was backing an elected totalitarian schoolboard sphincter who had greviously insulted a mama bear Karen who wasn’t taking no lip on the contenscious issues of CRT and Roberts Rules of Order. Secondly MacDaddy stepped in another steaming pile of fresh collateral doo-doo with another schoolboard trans-action and double assualts while in costume.

My conclsuion is the school board who the NOVACOMS elected, insulted a lefty taxpayer who was feeling the Bern... and the ill-timed frenzy continued on camera, not to mention shuffling a known rapist off to another school to rape again!

Great optics. And perhaps a lesson. Human nature is so predictable.

But NOVA really didn’t change its collective mindset and still voted gimmee last night. Enough early votes and a bit more effort last night may have carried the day. It’s still a squeaker, don’t believe the spin, hype and BS from either side until it is official.


34 posted on 11/03/2021 6:16:54 AM PDT by Clutch Martin (The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.)
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To: Qiviut
Agree 100%. What is also sick is the elitist beliefs of people like her and her husband - who actually believe they have the right to dictate to others how they should live.
35 posted on 11/03/2021 6:16:55 AM PDT by neverevergiveup
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To: central_va

Nice victory. You seem to know a lot more about this than I do, so I’ll leave it at that.


36 posted on 11/03/2021 6:22:56 AM PDT by Migraine
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To: BushCountry

I agree with you (I think).


37 posted on 11/03/2021 6:24:05 AM PDT by Migraine
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To: central_va

But given the fact that so much of NoVa is essentially dependent of the largesse of the fed budget, I’m still impressed.


38 posted on 11/03/2021 6:27:13 AM PDT by nascarnation (Let's Go Brandon!)
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To: Migraine

I agree with you (I think).

Youngkin ran a good mistake free campaign, but Trump did beat him in vote totals everywhere, however that is to be expected since it was a Presidential race. I just refused to let a Big Lie stand.

This more fairer election produce other results, a tied state congress, a new AG and Lt. Gov. With the new gov’s added power, the state needs to start acting more like Florida.


39 posted on 11/03/2021 6:37:08 AM PDT by BushCountry (Fun Fact: Goods made in America do not get stuck on cargo ships.)
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To: central_va

A moderate squishy R guy won in VA and gave bare lip service to Trump

* * *

In fact, another squishy R guy, Pence, was among the first to congratulate Youngkin.


40 posted on 11/03/2021 6:41:47 AM PDT by poconopundit (Hard oak fist in an Irish velvet glove: Kayleigh the Shillelagh we salute your work!)
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