Sunday School 7/10/22: Extra Credit

For Sunday School, we heard from Vice President Kamala Harris. Her videotaped interview with Robert Costa was featured on Face the Nation, the Spotlight Classroom this week.

Now, let's hear from Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and see if he did a better job answering questions than Madam Veep.

Costa asked Youngkin if he agreed with Harris, who said you don't need to abandon your faith to believe in a woman's right to choose. To me, a reasonable answer would start with, or at least include, either 'yes' or 'no.'

Youngkin said he's pro-life and life begins at conception; he agrees with the Supreme Court decision that it should be up to the states; he asked the legislature to craft a bipartisan "15-week pain threshold bill;" and said

I think this is what it's all about is, this is a moment for our country to have a discussion around this. And each state will decide something different. And I think that's the -- that's the real value of the Supreme Court's decision.

Um, the "real value" of the SCOTUS decision is separate but unequal classes of pregnant women? And that's somehow "our country" having a discussion?

Costa asked, twice, if he'd change his 15-week proposal to a full ban; given Youngkin's "reality" of having a split legislature, I don't see a full ban without a unified legislature. That said, he believes his job" is to get something done," and he thinks the 15-week bill is what's going to fly. 

Costa brought up Youngkin's ban on teaching "inherently divisive concepts," and asked for an example. Youngkin alluded to Critical Race Theory, without using those words. It's not about forgetting history, he said.

But we shouldn't... play 'privilege bingo' with children. We shouldn't teach children that they should judge one another, and one group is privileged and another group is going to find it hard in life necessarily. And we shouldn't blame someone and have them form a view that they're inherently racist... 

Costa asked what Youngkin would do if the Board of Education came to him and said the term 'Civil War' is too divisive and they want to use 'war between the states' instead. First Youngkin said he didn't think that would happen, then he said he didn't believe they will do something like that. And then, he said

...I think what we all recognize is that slavery was an absolute -- was an absolute black spot in our history. I mean, it is so, so abhorrent. We have to teach it.

Not the question he was asked, but if he can't answer a simple example like this, what's he going to do with a hard one? 

Because it was a long interview, here are Youngkin's answers from the second half.

• Judges in Virginia are "adequately" protected; he's got state resources on it, and he's called on AG Merrick Garland to do more, apparently assuming that protests are intended to "influence" judges, rather than to express anger. At the same time, he said, "Broadly speaking, this is about democracy."

• Asked if he'd codify same-sex marriage in Virginia, he said the Dobbs decision protecting the rights of lawmakers to legislate is "consistent with what we know the Constitution stands for." When pressed, he said "we actually do protect same-sex marriage... that's the law in Virginia." However, it's only protected if Obergefell stands; the state struck down a ban on same-sex marriage in 2020, but did not codify a right to have one. 

• He had "really great fun" visiting Nebraska, which had literally nothing to do with what he was asked: whether Donald Trump should stop saying the 2020 election was stolen. Nor did his "this is not a 'or' moment but an 'and' moment..." ramble. Nor did his "this is the Republicans who - that can win." Nor did his talk about 5,000 volunteers at elections. I'm sighing bigly, here, I am.

• Virginians don't want to talk about January 6th, they want to talk about "run-away inflation, gas prices... crime in their communities...education and the rights of parents to be engaged in their kids' schools." He also said," while I think it's important to the media, is really not what voters are focused on." He also said Trump's going to do whatever he's going to do.

• As to how he'll spend his 'political capital' as a "rising star," he wants to focus on electing GOP representatives; he thinks "the road to the majority in the House... comes through Virginia." After that, there are gubernatorial races where he thinks he "can make a difference." He refused to answer whether he'll support election deniers like Doug Mastriano in PA, even though Costa asked him twice.

Finally, on whether he and his family are open to a run for president in 2024, he's "hugely humbled" and

the reality, of course, is, I think it's based on the fact that I won in a state that was blue and we turned it red. I ran on a platform that we're delivering. And I often find it shocking that people are surprised that a person runs for office and then goes to work to deliver on what they promised they were going to do. And so, I think my job is to be a great governor in Virginia.

Cost asked again if he's open to the idea,

That's not a decision that we have even begun to undertake. The reality, of course, is I've been in - I've been governor of Virginia for six months. We've got an extraordinary amount done. $4 billion tax cuts. A record budget for education. $400 million in to law enforcement to raise salaries and keep our communities safe. This is where I'm focused.

Am I the only one seeing those comments as foundational to his '24 campaign bio? And does everyone agree he answered fewer questions than Harris?

See you around campus.