Video: Just Over the Past Few Days, Youngkin Told Whoppers (aka, LIES) on National TV About Trump’s Tariffs, DEI, Thomas Jefferson, etc.

The smarminess, dishonesty, Trump boot-licking/groveling, race-baiting, etc. continues for Glenn Youngkin. See below for just two prime examples from the last few days…

• “This is being done to rebalance unfair trade practices with countries around the world. And that has been his primary objective.” – Glenn Youngkin

FACT CHECK: Just because Trump incorrectly *believes* this crap doesn’t make it true, and Youngkin – who prior to Trump was a big free-trade guy, presumably – should and probably DOES know this. But it’s all about groveling to Trump, kissing up to him, hoping to be given Trump’s blessing whenever Youngkin runs for his next office. But no, trade wars are simply damaging, to both the other countries AND to America, and there’s really no upside to any of it. And remember, for decades, Republicans – Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, etc. – strongly supported free trade, because they believed that it would strongly benefit our country and the entire world, really. But now, the GOP is led by a mercantilist, protectionist, someone who moronically believes that America was better off under President McKinley, who “as a congressman in 1890, he authored the highest and most protectionist tariff act in US history.” Note that those tariffs “had far-reaching impact on the economy, and were ultimately widely unpopular among voters, leading him and other Republican congressmen to lose their seats in the 1890 midterms. Even McKinley himself changed his mind on foreign trade by the time he became president.” So…yeah, we’ll see how this works out for Trump and the MAGA GOP, not to mention the US economy, but the chances of it working out well are really, REALLY not good!)

• As for Youngkin gloating that “DEI is *done* at UVA,” and that doing so represents “a huge step to restoring the values of Mr. Jefferson who founded the university, who understood that we are all created equal,” that DEI supposedly “violates the constitution” and/or is “illegal discrimination,” that he also removed “CRT” from public schools – except that it wasn’t even taught there! – where does one even start? 

For one thing, let’s get this straight – diversity, equity and inclusion are all very good things, definitely not “illegal discrimination” or “unconstitutional.” To the contrary, what they are about is raising people up, and helping to combat the massively tilted playing field against African Americans for most of this country’s history (certainly in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly prior to the 1950s/1960s Civil Rights Movement, Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act, etc.). As for “the values of Mr. Jefferson,” of course he was a historic figure and did many great things, but it’s also simply a fact that Jefferson “enslaved over 600 human beings throughout the course of his life. 400 people…at Monticello; the other 200 people…held in bondage on Jefferson’s other properties.” Also, “People at Monticello were physically beaten. Several overseers had a reputation for cruelty and violence.” As for Sally Hemings, you can read about her story here, including how she “became Mr. Jefferson’s concubine” in France, then “arrived back in Virginia and slavery at the age of 16…pregnant with Jefferson’s child.” Yet when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, this is who Youngkin thinks should be a model for our society, today? Brilliant, huh?

BTW, note that Youngkin can just go on national TV, lie through his teeth, and literally this gets ZERO media coverage from the WaPo, RTD, etc, etc.  Because of course it’s not at all newsworthy that the governor of Virginia is a pathological liar, and because of course it’s not important that the people of Virginia should be informed as to that reality.  Great job as always, “mainstream media!” LOL

P.S. In his column this morning, the brilliant David Rothkopf explains VERY well what the Republican war on “DEI” is actually all about: “Attacking DEI first was a strategic move, designed to feed the baser impulses of the MAGA base and to send a message that puts them in lock step with Putinist, right-wing, ethno-nationalist movements worldwide.“; “This is a sweeping effort to end free-speech and academic freedom and the diversity of thought because they are a threat to those in power, because they are obstacles to those in power remaining so.”