Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis coined the phrase “laboratories of democracy” to describe how individual states could act as test cases for different policies and ideas. Judging by its recent track record, Virginia aspires to be the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
In November, voters of the Commonwealth elected Governor Abigail Spanberger – a so-called “Blue Dog Democrat” who used to serve in the CIA and railed against socialism and calls to “defund the police” after the Democrats underperformed in the 2020 elections. Virginia Democrats also retained control of the state’s Senate and House. Since then, Spanberger and her colleagues in Richmond have pushed through a controversial redistricting map which would hugely disadvantage Republicans – and could be struck down by the state Supreme Court.
If that wasn’t contentious enough, Virginia Democrats are now thinking up creative ways to punch the middle class. A bill under consideration in the state legislature involves increasing taxes on gym memberships, counseling, streaming services, data storage and dry cleaning. Because nothing says, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help” like charging a premium to citizens who want to avoid being fat and crazy.
“I think every idea, as long as it’s reasonable and makes some amount of sense, should be entertained, should be discussed,” Spanberger said, when asked about the bill in an interview with the Richmond ABC affiliate. “I think there are worthy conversations to be had about what revenue generation looks like into the future as our economy changes in so many ways.”
Perhaps there’s a glimmer of hope for the GOP, then, if punishing moms for going to Orange Theory meets the Democratic definition of “some amount of sense.” Previously Republicans have performed well in purple states by managing to seem more normal than the alternative. To Cockburn, it looks like Spanberger and her pals in Richmond are doing most of the work for their opponents.
On our radar
BRIDGE TOO FAR Guido Reichstadter, an anti-AI, anti-war protester, has been occupying the top of the Frederick Douglass Bridge in southeast DC for five days. He intends to climb down this afternoon.
STRAIT AND NARROW War Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed this morning that the US military is enforcing a “red, white and blue dome” over the Strait of Hormuz as a “direct gift” to the rest of the world.
JPMORGAN CHASER Chirayu Rana, the ex-JPMorgan banker who spuriously accused his female superior Lorna Hajdini of sexual harassment, has filed what he says is new evidence in his case. The bank found “zero evidence of wrongdoing” in its probe, with which Hajdini fully cooperated and Rana did not.
Mogul skiing
Who said Succession was over? James Murdoch, second son of Rupert, is in advanced talks to buy New York magazine and Vox Media’s podcast division, according to a Wall Street Journal report. James has charted his own path in media investments after stepping down as CEO of 21st Century Fox in 2019 and resigning from the NewsCorp board in 2020. He heads Lupa Systems with his wife Kathryn, which has invested in the Tribeca Film Festival and the parent group that runs Art Basel. Kathryn has also invested in the Bulwark, the Weekly Standard-successor Substack.
If the deal goes through, a Murdoch will be in charge of podcasts from Kara Swisher, Professor Scott Galloway, Maria Sharapova and Astead Herndon. A Murdoch will also be responsible for every first-person essay from the Cut that makes you think “who on God’s green earth commissioned this?” Fingers crossed…
The Snapchat King of Congress
CNN published an in-depth investigation yesterday into the open secret of former congressman Eric Swalwell’s conduct toward women over the past decade. Perhaps, the most surprising detail was that in 2012, when Swalwell was running for Congress in California, he had a habit of holding campaign meetings at his local Hooters franchise.
The revelation will doubtless come as a shock to Nick Adams, the “Alpha Male” social-media influencer turned Special Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values. In January 2023, Adams tweeted, “Eric Swalwell has never been to a Hooters in his life and boy does it show.”
A staffer who went on to be Swalwell’s district director recalled thinking, “I hope he stops meeting at Hooters.” Alas, he did not stop going to Hooters, just as he apparently did not stop sending X-rated videos of himself over Snapchat to women, later earning him the nickname, “the Snapchat King of Congress.” His flirtations with young women who were not his wife reportedly continued as well, including with a 19-year-old waitress who he hit on via LinkedIn and a congressional staffer into whose back pocket he slipped his business card. Old habits die hard.
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