War Of Words In The House Of Delegates
I’ve always thought that it would be a humbling experience - and an immense honor - to be elected to serve in Virginia’s General Assembly, the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World.
To be part of the House of Delegates is to follow in the footsteps of great men of the Enlightenment: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry.
You’d think the history of the place alone would be enough to make members leave behind their bad manners, their hateful diatribes, their name-calling. It’s an institution that demands decorum.
You’d think that. But you would be wrong. Some partisan hacks can’t help themselves.
Just two weeks into the term of the 74th governor of Virginia, one delegate stood up this week and gave a gratuitous, despicable speech attacking Gov. Glenn Youngkin and accusing him of not being a Christian.
This was Democrat Del. Don L. Scott Jr.
From Portsmouth, of course. A city that seems to specialize in mean-spirited politicians.
Here, give a listen:
Del. Scott went too far. It is out of bounds for a member of the General Assembly to stand on the floor of the House and question the faith of another elected official. Scott ought to be sanctioned for it. He owes Youngkin an apology.
The delegate from Portsmouth can disagree with Youngkin’s policies. He can argue that the governor’s goals aren’t good for the commonwealth. He can vote against them.
But you leave a man’s faith out of such arguments. It’s cheap and it’s dirty and it has no place in the General Assembly.
Perhaps emboldened by November’s elections that restored a Republican majority in the House of Delegates and saw the GOP sweep the top three offices in Virginia, Republican Del. Nick Freitas of Culpeper returned fire with an oration worthy of that hallowed place and of the men who went before.
Bravo!
The left’s playbook is always to call names and accuse those on the right of racism and prejudice. It’s tiresome, but it’s all they have.
Freitas is right. It’s time to push back against those who are too cowardly to argue issues and instead launch personal attacks and slander their opponents.
Questioning a man’s faith because he wants parents to be involved in their kids’ education, because he wants Marxist ideology out of the schools and germ-encrusted masks off the faces of Virginia’s school children is idiotic.
Freitas told him so and put the rest of the left on notice: Stop the name-calling.
Freitas has had enough. And so have the rest of us.
