Every year, prior to the Virginia General Assembly session starting up again, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee holds its big “Road to Richmond” event, usually attended in-person by hundreds, and with speeches by leading Virginia Democrats. This year, due to the COVID pandemic, the event was held virtually, but the speeches were no less passionate. See below, for instance, for a really strong speech, by Virginia Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn a little while ago, as she prepares to head to Richmond for the 2022 General Assembly, which begins on Wednesday. Here are a few highlights, followed by the video. Go Eileen Filler-Corn and Virginia House Democrats!
- “I remember, two years ago, standing before you, as the Speaker-Designee, I was asking if you were ready – ready to make it easier to vote in the Commonwealth? Ready to pass gun laws to make sure that we can keep our families safe? Ready to rid of our laws of discrimination? And ready to make Virginia not only the best place in the United States for business, but also for workers? Ready to raise the minimum wage in Virginia? Ready to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment? And I remember standing in the cheering room for every single one of those priorities, and so much more. And I have great news…we got every single one done.”
- “Together, we have literally transformed our Commonwealth for the better, passing legislation that would have been unimaginable even just five years ago.”
- “The elections in November clearly did not go the way we had expected nor hoped. Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin and the Republican leadership used fear…misinformation…division to ensure that they won the Governor’s mansion…by the smallest, smallest of majorities in the House. There’s no mandate, quite clearly. They stoked anxieties exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic that their lies have prolonged.”
- “Governor-elect Youngkin pushed out Virginia’s top health expert in the middle of a public health crisis…Republicans right now are pulling back the strategy that got us here [to the 10th-highest vaccination rate in the nation, etc.].”
- “Let us also be clear – Republicans, when they ran, they didn’t run on the issues, they didn’t win on these issues. Remember when they asked about reproductive choice, what did Glenn Youngkin do? He hid…Instead they relied on misinformation, falsehoods and distractions to hide their positions…On every issue, Republicans avoided fighting on the substance, because they knew that…we would win those fights.”
- “But you know what? Now we see who they are. Just this week, you all saw it, Governor-elect Glenn Younkin nominated Donald Trump’s EPA administrator to lead his environmental policy – Andrew Wheeler.”
- Governor-elect Youngkin’s intention to rescind the mask order in our schools is “a reckless decision; it endangers our ability to keep our kids in school. And let me be clear, we MUST keep our schools open.”
- “…have no doubt, I am here to tell you that the House Democrats will hold this administration and the House Republican leadership accountable every step of the way. If they come for reproductive rights, we won’t stand for it. If they come for the rights of workers, we won’t stand for it. And if they come to make our Commonwealth less welcoming, and choose the politics of exclusion over inclusion, we will not stand for it. And the next time we run – whenever that is – we will make sure Virginians know their record.”
- “Let me be clear right now: we will not stop pushing this session to make sure that Virginia is fairer and safer and stronger.“
- “Our House Democratic caucus stands firm with you to hold the line on everything we’ve accomplished together” and to “make sure that we keep Republican leadership honest and accountable…We have come way too far to turn back now. And I promise you that we will be moving Virginia forward before too long; we just need to keep our heads high, roll up our sleeves and get back to work.”
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