First and foremost, I want you to consider going the extra mile for a kid whose only hope for a Christmas this year is you.
Stafford Junction is looking for just 64 — actually, 63 because I’m in! — Secret Santas willing to give someone’s Christmas a bit more sparkle this year.
Your gift is the difference between Christmas wonder or wondering why Santa never came this season:
- Maybe it is a $50 donation for Christmas dinner?
- Maybe it is $50 to buy some great presents?
- Maybe you have just a few dollars to help?
- OR… maybe you have enough to help make an entire family’s Christmas one to remember for a long time!
JOIN ME by CLICKING HERE and help be the sparkle in a young person’s eye this Christmas.
If you join me, that will mean we are just 62 people away (make that 61 – our Editor-in-Chief just joined!) from meeting Gail’s goal over at Stafford Junction — and they are doing tremendous work for deserving kids in the Fredericksburg area.
Just CLICK HERE to share a little Christmas.
The best part about Christmas isn’t the gifts or the commercialism or the stuff. We see the “Reason for the Season” signs all over the place, but Christmas should serve as a reminder that we might be the only Christ someone sees that day.
Or in this instance, the only Christmas these little ones might feel.
Of course — THANK YOU for being someone’s Santa this season.
Your heartfelt gift means more to these kids than we could ever possibly know. If you’ve been there yourself, then you know ten times over what this means. So from me to you and with every bit of respect and appreciation — thank you.
WSJ: Trump 37, Biden 31, Kennedy 8
This week’s poll from the Wall Street Journal has Biden back at his historic lows, with approval ratings at 37% and showing him behind former President Donald J. Trump by a widening gap of 6 points.
An admixture of third-party candidates takes a whopping 17% — a total not really seen since Perot ‘92 — with former Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking a notable 8% of the total. 14% of the electorate remains undecided.
The number that is crushing Biden right now is the economy:
Only 23% of voters say Biden’s policies have helped them personally, while 53% say they have been hurt by the president’s agenda. By contrast, about half of voters say Trump’s policies when he was president helped them personally, more than the 37% who say they were hurt.
The number that is hurting Bident and the Democrats writ large at present is the number 24 — meaning the 24% of Democrats who label themselves as disaffected by Biden’s policies, mostly black and Hispanic voters.
Some additional factors? Despite Democratic concerns about “the end of democracy” and Trump’s trolling on Day 1 authoritarianism, much of the rhetoric is not moving the needle on either Biden or Trump.
What is moving the needle? Immigration, inflation, and the state of the economy.
For the Democrats, there is one issue where there is a wedge of light in an otherwise gloomy poll. On abortion, voters go to Biden by a margin of 11 points. Yet abortion alone isn’t enough to accomplish two things: (1) keep the Biden coalition together in any meaningful form, and (2) overcome concerns regarding immigration, inflation, and the economy.
Of course, times change.
In 2012, Romney was over Obama. In 2016, Hillary had the inside track against Trump. Ten months is a lifetime in politics, and many of the disaffected Democrats could come back home to Biden when the choices are made stark and clear.
Do Biden’s No-Good Terrible Numbers Put Virginia in Play in 2024?
Maybe.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) is perhaps the weaker of the two Virginia Democrats representing the Commonwealth, though by no means a pushover. With over $7 million cash on hand as of the last reporting quarter, Kaine’s war chest combined with Virginia’s demographics should give any candidate pause after Trump’s drubbing in 2016 and 2020 respectively.
While Trump underperformed Mitt Romney’s 2012 performance, Trump made up the difference in 2020, earning 1.9 million votes in Virginia — nearly touching Hillary Clinton’s 2016 performance. There was just one problem with the math — Joe Biden nabbed a historic 2.4 million votes with 54% of the vote.
In 2021, Glenn Youngkin captured the Governor’s Mansion with 1.66 million votes compared to Terry McAuliffe’s 1.59 million.
Virginia’s 2022 proved to be a mixed bag for Republicans as the Dobbs decision overwhelmed what should have been a down year for the White House. Then, 2023 saw a return to hardened lines, but with Republicans adding votes statewide in a calculated push to make 2024 and 2025 hotly contested.
So should Kaine be worried? That depends. At present, there are no fewer than 10 Republicans vying for the nod, most notable among them Eddie Garcia, former VA-10 candidate Hung Cao, and former DeSantis chief of staff Scott Parkinson among many others.
Virginia Republicans would have to field a candidate which would be acceptable to both the Youngkin wings of the party as well as the Trump faction — a difficult task indeed. Former Governors such as George Allen and Jim Gilmore come to mind, yet it is difficult to find that unifying figure among Virginia Republicans today.
Then there is the omnipresent Trump factor. If there is a galvanizing figure among Democrats, it is Trump. Leftists love to label the man Cheeto Jesus (TM), but in Virginia his candidacy is more of a godsend to Democrats than Republicans. Simply put, the man is just hated.
Virginia in the Vanguard (Again)
The real question for Virginians is whether Biden’s abysmally low numbers will put the perennial three seats in play: VA-02 in Virginia Beach, VA-10 in Loudoun, and VA-07 in Prince William and Fredericksburg.
The poll serves as a reminder to giddy Democrats still breathing sighs of relief as redistricting saved their bacon in 2023. There is a wider world out there placing their policies in the balance and finding them wanting. Tired of a bad economy, tired of cancel culture, and tired of American prestige being squandered in places such as Afghanistan and Ukraine, most Americans will put up with a few bad tweets for a return to $1.99/gal gasoline and reasonable food prices.
James Carville — the renown Democratic strategist — used to remind Clintonistas that it was the economy, stupid.
Meanwhile, Democrats continue to cancel the Cassandras (yes, a reference to antiquity) at their peril. At some point in time, their neighbors figure out that they aren’t alone. They get a vote as well.
Angry about it? Prove it. . . by donating some gifts this Christmas by CLICKING BELOW.
Shaun Kenney is FXBG Advance Columnist
