RICHMOND, VA – Last night’s CNN Town Hall with Governor Youngkin proved two things: his record on education as governor has been an indefensible series of blunders, and he’s more focused on preparing for a nationwide campaign for the presidency than he is on governing Virginia.
The governor spent a full hour on national television, dodging questions, refusing to speak in specifics, and taking credit for the work of others.
Taking Credit for Ralph Northam’s Budget Success
During the program, Glenn Youngkin took credit for a 10% raise given to teachers. In reality, this 10% raise was included in Governor Northam’s outgoing biennium budget, and was pushed and passed by Virginia Democrats.
Saying It’s The Parents’ Job To Keep Kids From Getting Shot, Not His
Youngkin took his usual “the buck stops over there” approach to gun safety.
The governor, when asked about the 6-year-old boy who took a gun to his classroom and shot his teacher, demurred on his own responsibility as the Commonwealth’s executive, instead saying that “parents have a responsibility to keep guns out of their young children’s hands.”
Youngkin also touted his willful misunderstanding of – and opposition to – gun safety legislation, saying “if people don’t follow the law, then the laws aren’t as powerful as they otherwise could be.” Applying this same logic, we wonder: is the governor in favor of ANY laws at all, since they could all be broken?
Dodging Questions From Virginia’s Students
A transgender student addressed Governor Youngkin, asking him if he thought the girls in his school would be comfortable sharing a restroom with him, as Youngkin’s model policies required.
Youngkin cowardly gave a classic non-answer to the student’s question, instead telling the transgender boy that it’s “non-controversial” that he should be playing on his school’s girl’s teams.
Coming Out In Favor Of Banning Books
When asked by a student about his stance on HB 1448, a bill which would serve as the first step towards a Governor DeSantis-style book banning in the Commonwealth, Governor Youngkin kept his eyes firmly fixed on his presidential aspirations, announcing he would have signed the bill supported by his far-right MAGA base, were it not killed by Virginia Senate Democrats.
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