 10 — Wednesday, December 8, 2021 
Opinion
 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 

E

arlier this month, Democrats lost unified 
control of Virginia state government to 

Glenn Youngkin, a mild-mannered, sweater 
vest-wearing Republican who loves to talk about 
schools. Leading up to the election, education was 
consistently ranked as one of the most important 
issues to Virginia voters. The Youngkin campaign 
addressed education by constantly denouncing 
critical race theory, which some, including Terry 
McAuliffe, called a “racist dog whistle.” Critical 
race theory, though, is not being taught in Virginia. 
Or in any other public school. And in other policy 
areas related to education and children, McAuliffe 
and his fellow Democrats have specific plans and 
superior records. 

Take a look at Glenn Youngkin’s education 

platform. Prior to his victory, his campaign 
website offered a page titled “Restore Excellence 
in Education” — it has since been removed. The 
section had seven sentences. One of them reiterated 
Youngkin’s desire to ban critical race theory, which 
— again — is not being taught in Virginia schools. 
The others included keeping schools open five 
days a week as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, 
getting students ready for college, expanding 
charter schools and increasing funding for special 
education and teachers. Virginia schools are 
legally obligated to offer in-person education, per 
a law passed by the Democratic state government 
last summer. Preparing students for college 
is an admittedly noble goal (if vague), and it is 
facilitated by the easy access to community college 
provided by the “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” 
program passed by the Democratic-controlled 
state government last year. This program makes 
community college free for middle-income 
students looking to work jobs in high demand. 
And, of course, there is increasing school funding, 
something McAuliffe also supports and actually 
did when he was governor of Virginia from 2014 to 
2018. Youngkin’s education plans, when not devoid 
of detail, address issues McAuliffe and Virginia 

Democrats have been working on for years.

Youngkin’s more expansive plan, found in a 

press release that has since been removed from 
his website, was slightly less vague. It included 
another bullet point about critical race theory, 
along with more vague goals, like “equip our 
students to be the top-performing students in 
the country.” Notably, neither his press release 
nor his campaign website say how he intends to 
accomplish any of these goals. Youngkin’s most 
specific points pertain to school accreditation 
standards, something McAuliffe adjusted as 
governor to deemphasize standardized testing. 
McAuliffe’s actions were bipartisan and stemmed 
from opposition to high-stakes standardized 
testing by teacher and parent groups. Youngkin’s 
plan also includes a promise to “ensure schools 
are never again closed unnecessarily for extended 
periods of time,” likely a reference to school 
closures last year, which were necessary to combat 
COVID-19. Beyond once again offering vague 
goals, Youngkin’s full education platform solely 
focuses on critiquing McAuliffe and incumbent 
Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s records, even 
when their records consist of bipartisan action or 
life-saving pandemic responses. 

McAuliffe’s education platform, found in 

a six-page document linked to his campaign 
website, emphasizes not only his past work on 
education and issues in need of a solution, but 
actual solutions. McAuliffe planned to address 
teacher shortages, something plaguing Ann 
Arbor as well as Virginia, by raising teacher 
salaries above the national average. He planned 
to include 3-year-olds in Virginia’s subsidized 
pre-K program. He planned to expand existing 
workforce training programs to allow Virginia 
students to immediately enter the workforce 
upon graduating high school. In addressing race, 
McAuliffe argued in favor not of teaching critical 
race theory, but of better integrating schools 
and addressing gaps in funding correlated with 
majority-minority schools. McAuliffe identifies 
real problems and proposes reasonable ways to 
address them.

Crucially, McAuliffe is not unique in his support 

for effective education plans. Michigan Gov. 
Gretchen Whitmer signed a $17.1 billion education 
budget plan last summer. It contained provisions 
to close funding gaps between Michigan schools, 
along with an expansion of state preschool 
programs. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 
a $123.9 billion education package, looking to 
increase school presence in commwunities and 
bolster special education programs, along with 
expanding access to preschool. 

When education is on the ballot, 
Democrats are the best choice

QUIN ZAPOLI
Opinion Columnist

Maddie Fox/DAILY

EAT.
SHOP.
PLAY.

DRYBAR, KENDRA SCOTT, 

MY URBAN TODDLER, LOVESAC, 

SPAVIA AND SO MUCH MORE!

SHOPARBORHILLS.COM

I

t’s the most wonderful time of the year: 
the holiday season is upon us. Streets 

are adorned with gleaming lights, stores 
play Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé non-
stop and your home is likely glittering with 
decorations. I don’t know what your holiday 
tradition(s) may be, but for me, it’s watching 
almost every Christmas movie before Dec. 
25. Each year, a few stand out — I can’t resist 
Macaulay Culkin beating up Joe Pesci and 
Daniel Stern in the “Home Alone” movies.

If you haven’t seen “Home Alone,” I won’t 

spoil it. Go watch it right now. Here’s a brief 
synopsis: a little boy played by Macaulay 
Culkin is left alone in his suburban Chicago 
house when his family goes on vacation and 
learns that two robbers, played by Joe Pesci 
and Daniel Stern, plan to break in. All hell 
breaks loose as he tries to protect his home. 
It’s hilarious, Christmassy and delightful. 
The entire cast shines. However, this article 
is not a “Home Alone” review. It’s about 
politics. Because, these days, what isn’t? 

What does a brilliant holiday movie have 

to do with politics? In this case, there is a 
clear link between the original film’s sequel, 
“Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” which 
is almost as magnificent as the first, and the 
nightmare looming larger with the passing 
of every year — the 2024 presidential 
election. The connection is that in both 
“Home Alone 2” and 2024, history repeats 
itself. 

“Home 
Alone 
2” 
features 
Kevin 

McCallister, the protagonist, replicating 
the same mistakes from the first film. The 
family forgets about him once again, there 
is no way to reach him and Kevin’s mom, 
played by Catherine O’Hara, is worried 
sick for most of the movie. Except this time, 
Kevin ends up in New York somehow, living 
like a king while staying at The Plaza Hotel. 
The two robbers, Harry and Marv, are 
back too, aiming to steal the Christmas Eve 
earnings of a famed toy store. McCallister 
learns of their plan and aims to stop them 
anew. The 2024 election will, similarly, be a 
repetition of 2020’s election, except the plot 
will be much, much worse.

No one wants to redo 2020. Literally no 

one. Democrats want to win the election 
without having to respond to claims of 
fraud, moderate Republicans don’t want 

to deal with those claims either and the 
Trump wing of the Republican Party 
wants to actually emerge victorious this 
time. Nevertheless, the most likely scenario 
is that we will see a facsimile of 2020, or 
something more horrible. It is unlikely that 
either candidate will win with a significant 
majority of the popular or electoral college 
vote. Republicans just showed they have 
an impressive hand heading into 2022. 
Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe 
in the race for the governor’s mansion in 
Virginia. Jack Ciattarelli outperformed 
nearly everyone’s expectations in New 
Jersey, narrowly losing against Democratic 
Gov. Phil Murphy, who won a second term. 
Other, less nationally recognized elections 
illustrated the GOP’s current electoral 
strength. If the circumstances don’t change 
— for example, if President Biden doesn’t 
manage to stop the country’s inflationary 
trends — next year could be a bloodbath 
for Democrats. And even if Biden does, 
Republicans are still poised to win back the 
House and Senate, just by a smaller margin.

But 2022 is not 2024. Trump will not 

just make a short appearance as he does in 
“Home Alone 2” — he is a fantastic tool to 
make Republicans go out and vote for the 
candidates he endorses (except in Georgia), 
yet Democrats get energized when he’s the 
one on the ballot. And there is no doubt in my 
mind that he will run again and will become 
the nominee. 2024, regardless of where the 
country is politically — with Biden at a 30% 
or 60% approval rating, we don’t know — 
will be a close race. Closer than 2020. 

With that in mind, think of this: the 

“Home Alone 2” scenario in three years is 
Trump declaring that he won, even though 
Biden has been reelected by the skin of 
his teeth. Trump supporters blare out 
statements about election fraud. Republican 
legislative 
majorities 
in 
battleground 

states seek to overturn the results. This 
time, no one’s there to protect democracy. 
Democrats are entrenched. Republicans are 
entrenched. It’s a stretch to say that “Civil 
War” could begin, but violence would ensue. 
So how can this be avoided? 

For the time being, Biden needs to get 

moving. He has to become an LBJ-type 
figure who controls the Senate, and he needs 
to do so now. Implement the infrastructure 
bill. Continue working with moderates like 
Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Susan 
Collins, R-Maine; they’re the answer. 

Extol the bill’s bipartisan merits until 
November 2024. Curb inflation by hiking 
interest rates — a necessary evil — while 
publicizing the sinking unemployment 
levels. Support the police by following 
the Eric Adams model. Doing so means 
focusing on taming crime, which can be 
done by expanding the police force and 
training them adequately. Stop talking about 
taxing corporations and the rich. It may not 
be socialism, but it certainly sounds like it 
— and politics is all about communication 
and marketing. Instead, talk about tax cuts 
for the middle and lower classes. Laud the 
progress this administration has made 
on vaccines. Communicate openly about 
issues regarding immigrants and the 
southern border and don’t let situations like 
the whipping of a Haitian migrant occur. 
Finally, avoid blunders like the France-
Australia debacle.

In the long run — stop weakening 

democracy. That goes for both parties. 
Let’s not forget that Stacey Abrams, the 
Democratic candidate for Georgia governor 
in 2018, never conceded when she lost 
against Brian Kemp. Did she have valid 
reasons to speak out on election fraud? 
Maybe. Still, she should have conceded. 
Imagine how different the narrative would 
be — how different Jan. 6 would have been 
— if Trump had said that he believed some 
“sketchy” stuff happened (it didn’t), yet 
conceded anyway. Democracy wouldn’t 
have suffered as much. Neither happened, 
because neither party is currently willing 
to accept that they lost. Democrats spent 
four years throwing impeachments at the 
wall — even if only two formally reached 
the House — attempting to make one stick. 
It’s hypocritical for Democrats to assert that 
they’re the only party defending democracy 
when they’re also assaulting its processes. 
Trump was an awful president; he was not 
illegitimate. 

So let’s learn from “Home Alone 2.” Let’s 

not echo the errors made so far and replicate 
the 2020 incubus. We don’t need to be 
Kevin McCallister in New York. 2024 does 
not need to be a 2020 redux. And if you’re 
thinking that it’s too soon to be talking about 
this, as Christmas begins, it’s not. A year 
has already gone by; the situation hasn’t 
changed. Talk to your family this holiday 
season — especially those you never agree 
with — and find common ground. If you 
can, maybe the country can too. 

What can “Home Alone 2” teach us about 

2024? A lot, apparently.

MIGUEL CALLE
Opinion Columnist

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

