After the Governor delivered his pandering-filled State of the Commonwealth address, Delegate Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) and Senator John Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake) gave the official Republican perspective of Northam’s hour long virtue signal of a speech.
Thankfully for the Governor, he was able to distract from his rather boring delivery style with a handy slideshow that was aired during the program. However, little can distract from the web of deceit Ralph Northam spun before an empty House chamber last night.
If you missed the State of the Commonwealth, it is accessible on the Governor’s social media feeds (and barely worth watching).
The address, composed of cringe-worthy jokes and misguided policy proposals, coincidently omitted the ongoing failures evident in an administration plagued with inadequacy and exacerbated by lackluster Democratic majorities in the General Assembly.
However, Cox and Cosgrove filled in the gaps Northam failed to cover.
In his speech, the Governor prided himself on Virginia’s strong COVID-19 response, along with a vaccine distribution process that only a fool would deem impressive. It was Cox who reminded the public of the reality of the situation:
“The Northam Administration’s ability to distribute and administer vaccines has been extremely disappointing. Ranking in the bottom third of states nationally, every state we border is doing a better job than Virginia in administering this life-saving vaccine. West Virginia is actually ranked first nationally. This is simply unacceptable.
“This is not the only critical area where Virginia failed to live up to its once-coveted status as America’s best managed state. Thousands of Virginians have had to wait endlessly to receive unemployment benefits, unnecessarily extending their hardship.”
While Northam was sure to praise abortions, fitting for Governor “Make the Infant Comfortable”, he forgot to mention the array of shortcomings his Democrat trifecta has been responsible for.
“In 2020, Governor Northam and the Democrat-majority in the General Assembly abandoned the policies that made Virginia a national leader,” Cox said. “They enacted nearly $2 billion in new taxes. They implemented an energy scheme that will cost families hundreds of dollars more every year. And, they imposed new onerous regulations on our businesses struggling to survive.”
After a summer filled with winking and nodding at rioters, looters, and metropolitan arsonists, the Governor failed to mention the all-out assault Virginia Democrats launched on law enforcement.
Thankfully, Senator Cosgrove was given a microphone to remind Virginians that Democrats in the state actively oppose law enforcement.
“In 2020, what had been near-unanimous support for our law enforcement professionals became a political issue. Slogans like ‘Defund the Police’ became actual policy in some large American cities – with devastating consequences to personal safety and property in those communities.
Here in Virginia, there was actually an effort to end the essential protections law enforcement agencies must have to retain and recruit officers. While this misguided proposal did not advance to the Governor’s desk, its dispiriting effect could be felt by the women and men who carry a badge.”
The failure to maintain the Commonwealth’s previously impressive level of safety has not just been limited to an intentional undermining of law enforcement officers, but rather a top-to-bottom disregard for law and order in every form.
“Releasing murderers long before their sentences were complete – including those who had received life sentences – the Parole Board acted without notifying the families of the victims of these horrific crimes. The Northam Administration concealed – and in some cases continues to conceal – the devastating reports of investigations by the State Inspector General of Parole Board misconduct.
“Placing the interests of violent criminals above those of innocent citizens who are the victims of crime isn’t just wrong, it’s unconscionable. It is evidence of an administration with misplaced priorities and misguided values.
“Now, Democrats are spearheading a new initiative to end mandatory minimum sentences for serious crimes. These policies were enacted to fight crime and they worked. Unilaterally abandoning proven measures that have made Virginia safer for all its citizens endangers our neighborhoods and our quality of life.”
Unlike the Democratic Party of today, fixated on screaming about problems without offering any real solutions, Delegate Cox and Senator Cosgrove outlined what needs to be done to right the veering ship which is presently Virginia.
“Republicans will be advancing policies to improve the lives of Virginians and the quality of life in Virginia. We will be advancing an agenda that gets our kids back in school, and provides assistance to parents who have been forced to take on added responsibilities to ensure their children are learning,” Cox said.
“Having spent 30 years teaching in our public schools, I know first-hand the severe and lasting consequences of having a child fall behind. We cannot condemn an entire generation of Virginia’s students to the enduring effects of an inadequate education.”
Cosgrove echoed similar feelings regarding the present reality of the Commonwealth,
“As we enter the 2021 session, Virginia is no longer the national leader we had been for so long. By adopting common sense policies that open our schools, strengthen our economy, and protect our citizens, we can become a national leader once again.
Republicans hope to earn your support as we fight for the people of Virginia we are honored to serve.”
Delegate Kirk Cox — a former House Speaker and present candidate for Governor — is all too familiar with the importance of steady leadership and looking to provide that opportunity to check Democratic ineptitude. In Cox’s words:
“As Democrats refuse to enact policies that would grow our economy, an election that results in new leadership is our best hope to change this trajectory.”
That is a sentiment clearly shared by every Virginia Republican suffering under the ineptitude of Northam’s failed leftist agenda.