Cross-Party Voting, Crime Stat Myths, and Electric Vehicle Politics
IN THE NEWS:
Despite sensationalist media coverage, recent FBI statistics reveal that crime rates in Virginia, and nationwide, have actually decreased significantly over the past three decades--with blue states having lower crime rates than red states. So what causes the news reports and political rhetoric that says these are the most dangerous times?
Virginia doesn't require primary voters to register as Democrats or Republicans; and last week, Democrats were worried by Republican calls for their voters to vote in Democratic primaries potentially shifting the results. But those worries weren't borne out--and evidence shows that cross-party voting has never been an effective political rool.
With the primaries finished, both Democrats and Republicans are calling the other side extremists--with Democrats pointing to the MAGA movements and Republicans pointing to recent electric vehicle mandates that'll go into effect by 2030.
At the Watercooler:
- "Tiger King"'s Doc Antle was just convicted in Virginia for trafficking endangered lions
- Republicans House candidates have been especially quiet in their respose to last week's primary results
