Abigail Spanberger: bait-and-switch Democrat

Years ago, I said that the definition of a moderate Democrat was "a Democrat running for office." In other words, Democrats sounded moderate until they'd gotten elected, at which time they turned into 'Grandpa' Bernie Sanders. That's the biography of Virginia Gov. Abigail SCAMBERGER Spanberger. She campaigned on the mantra of 'affordability', then turned into a tax-hiking Democrat machine.

Hugo Gurdon's latest column opens by saying "In her trim blue suits, she gives or gave the impression of being ready to govern the commonwealth efficiently and effectively. But looks deceive, and you cannot judge this book by its cover. If you had never seen her kempt conventional exterior and were to base your expectations only on reading a list of her actions since taking office on Jan. 17, you’d picture a radical leftist of the most repellent kind, perhaps replete with purple hair and a pierced eyebrow." In Minnesota, her type of Democrat would be called a "Tarryl Clark Democrat," in honor of 'moderate' Tarryl Clark who became 'Taxin' Tarryl Clark:

Pardon me while I tell this MPR article:

On Monday, DFL Sen. Tarryl Clark was the final vote on a budget balancing bill that would have cut government spending and raised income taxes on Minnesota's top earners. It usually doesn't matter when a person votes unless the vote is tied 33-33. For roughly twenty minutes the board was held open as the Senate waited for Clark to vote. Clark was out of the Senate chambers attending to what she said was a medical emergency for her child.

The vote could be considered a political liability for Clark, the DFL endorsed candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. On Tuesday, GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign manager, Gina Countryman, worked to display the difference in an e-mail to supporters: At a time when the people of Minnesota and the 6th Congressional District are looking for solutions to the economic crisis, a clear distinction has been made between Michele Bachmann and her opponent.

While Michele was touring the 6th Congressional District talking about job creation and other ways of improving the economic conditions around the district, her Democrat opponent cast the final and deciding vote in the State Senate to put $435 million in new taxes on the backs of the hard-working Minnesotans. Not only would this vote give Minnesota the distinction of the 5th highest tax bracket in the nation, but it would affect more than 40,000 small businesses across the state. At a time when the economy is already suffering, the last thing we should be doing is placing burdens on the job creators of our state.

The difference between Michele and her opponent could not be clearer. While Michele has a record of fighting for lower taxes, reducing government spending and ensuring that Minnesotans have the tools they need to succeed, "Taxin'" Tarryl Clark has had a career of voting for tax increases that would hit families and small businesses the hardest.

Tarryl Clark didn't lose to Michele Bachmann because of that vote. She lost because she was a bad fit for the district. Abigail Scamberger is a terrible fit for Virginia or any other state. The difference between Clark and Scamberger is that Scamberger hid her radicalism until after the election:

Back in the mists of time, the autumn of 2025 to be precise, Spanberger carefully made it seem as though she would focus on middle-class economic concerns, such as about the price of everything from groceries to housing.

But that hasn’t happened, and the reason it hasn’t is that the new governor is the very model of a modern bait-and-switch Democrat. Her party loves her for it. The gulf between her presentation and reality is the measure of her cynical approach to elections, treating them as confidence tricks in which winning is all and honor is nothing.

Whether in Minnesota, Virginia or another state, voters should insist that their candidate be honest. If honesty becomes the coin of the realm, Republicans would win comfortably this Novbember.