See below for video and highlights from a VERY interesting – and also entertaining! – conversation between UVA Professor Larry Sabato (founder/director of UVA’s Center for Politics) and VA Speaker Don Scott. They covered a lot of ground; check it out!
- Speaker Scott said he feels sorry for Virginia Republicans, “because you aren’t going to win for a while…a lot of losing, a lot of losing.” He added that Democrats ran a “very tight, disciplined, organized race, made no huge mistakes.”
- Speaker Scott said voters basically gave Democrats the driver’s license over the “drunk driver in DC” (Trump), so Democrats shouldn’t be patting ourselves on the back for being chosen by voters over a “drunk driver,” that now it’s time for Democrats to “exercise a type of political restraint and judgment and gravitas to continue to deal with these real issues.”
- Speaker Scott said Democrats’ focus will be on healthcare access and costs; driving down energy costs while keeping it reliable; investing in public education. He added that Democrats can “do more…once Youngkin checks out of here…he was an impediment to our progress here in Virginia.” That includes a “reset with higher education” from the “chaos” at UVA and other schools during the Youngkin administration and now the Trump administration.
- On US House redistricting, Speaker Scott said the only reason Democrats are doing this is because of Donald Trump trying to rig the electoral maps in Republicans’ favor. “We have a bully, and he has a bully pulpit, and he’s bullying folks in these states” – including “punch[ing] back” (we have an “obligation” to do so). Speaker Scott said a 10-1 map is “not out of the realm…but we’re going to take a look at it.” “We have to push back.” “Ultimately, the voters will decide.” “We cannot allow folks to rig the system.” “Maybe two [House Republicans from Virginia] will survive.”
- Speaker Scott said he agrees with Governor-elect Spanberger that UVA should suspend the process of a presidential search until Spanberger gets her folks in place, because the Youngkin people have “totally undermined the process…they have no credibility.” If a new president were hired prior to Spanberger’s inauguration, they probably won’t be there long, “probably ought to keep his or her clothes in a suitcase.”
- On having 64 Democratic delegates, Speaker Scott said “you can lose some votes” (e.g,. people in “swing districts”) and still get things done – “I got some votes to burn.” “Some people that I may not like I don’t need to vote, I don’t care…I don’t need to kiss some people’s asses that I used to kiss.” The potential downside is a “split in the caucus…some different wings on different issues.” “My whole thing is winning…when you win, you become real good friends – my jokes got funnier, I got cuter, handsomer…taller – that’s what winning will do.” “Hopefully my caucus will continue to want to win, and I think if we do that we’ll be able to continue to maintain our discipline.”
- What if VA House Republicans are nasty, angry on a daily basis? “Oh, I love it…that’s my love language.” “Hopefully, they’ve learned something…if I got a shellacking like that, my morale would be down, I’d be trying to figure out how to regroup.” “I think the lesson for Republicans right now – they’re not going to take my advice but they should – there’s nothing wrong with standing up to Donald Trump…When you’re too terrified to say something wrong that’s happening in your own state…and you’re still saying it’s ok…and they got a beating because of that…I hope when they come back they’ll have some lessons learned…If they continue on the path that they have, the confusion and chaos and cruelty…they’re going to continue to lose votes.” “We won 64 seats, and I’ve got like another 10 seats that I want to try to compete in next cycle… I call them the Trump Terrified 10…I’m trying to get 74 seats next cycle, and I think it’s doable because they won’t stand up, they won’t differentiate themselves…away from the Trump model…“
- “You can do smart criminal justice reform that makes people better when they come out and holds people accountable and improve public safety…same thing with probation reform.” “You can walk and chew gum.”
- The #1 quality for doing public service is empathy – “you have to care about what you’re doing and care about helping…if you don’t give a damn about…people…why are you doing it?” Also, “wanting to get things done” is crucial – “what can I win today?” “how can I move this thing from the 10 yard line to the 20 yard line?” “The meanest people on Twitter are running the White House.”
- Speaker Scott says he’s a gun owner, but he’s also a supporter of common-sense gun safety reform.
- Federal-level cuts to healthcare could add several hundred million dollars to the state’s costs.
- Asked about redistricting, Speaker Scott said he thinks it’s important that Democrats tell voters what the maps are likely to look like, that right now “we’re working with some map drawers.” “There will be a lot of community engagement.”
- Speaker Scott said reproductive rights is a top issue among House Democrats, that there are more female House Democrats (37) than there are House Republicans (36). The constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom is a top priority “and we’ll get it done.”
- Speaker Scott said what Democrats nationally can learn from the Virginia elections “it’s ok to just run against [Trump’s] terrible policies…the anxiety that’s being created…the cruelty…the chaos…the lies…[Democratic candidates need to] stay focused, stay normal…stay away from cray-cray…stay focused on the kitchen-table issues…make America boring again.”
- Trump “has brought out the worst in people.”
