Jim Acosta: Governor Glenn Youngkin Is Running a 'Soviet-Style Police State'
Supporting parents is akin to a “Soviet-style police state” in the eyes of CNN’s Jim Acosta, who recently slammed Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin for bringing parents in from the cold when it comes to the education of their children.
On Monday, Youngkin announced an email address — helpeducation@governor.virginia.gov — that Virginia parents could use to alert his office of “any instances where they feel their fundamental rights are being violated, where their children are not being respected, where there are inherently divisive practices in their schools,” according to WRIC-TV.
That grated on Acosta, who mocked it as Youngkin calling for Virginia residents to “turn in other neighbors.”
“I seem to remember Glenn Youngkin campaigning in a fleece vest in Virginia. He was running as a different kind of Republican. I was told there was going to be a vest, not a Soviet-style police state across the Potomac from Washington,” he said.
Liberal writer Molly Jong-Fast, who derided the parent tip email as a way to “rat out your teacher,” stated Youngkin had “really gone full Ron DeSantis right away,” Fox News reported.
Many said Acosta was wrong in his comments.
I’m a Virginia resident and am a daughter of folks who *actually* lived under a Soviet police state. I can assure you @GovernorVA isn’t Stalin or remotely Sovietesque. Actually, the opposite. Shame on you, @Acosta. Don’t invoke Soviet horrors that hurt many of our families…Evil. https://t.co/J4ZYZBSX2y
— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) January 26, 2022
LMAO someone tell little Jimmy that after two years of blue state lockdowns, no one is buying his silly hand wringing https://t.co/kOH6Se4Mxc
— Fulminare (@Fulminare6) January 27, 2022
But I don’t know why any Republican would want to go on with some of the anchors now who perform as if they’re auditioning for MSNBC. “Soviet-style police state” is a bridge too far for any level of credibility.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 26, 2022
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said Youngkin is simply emphasizing that parents matter and suggested Acosta might get his facts straight one of these days, according to WSFX-TV.
“I think what Jim Acosta said — listen, my family fled Communist Cuba. You want to talk about what ‘Soviet-style’ looks like? It’s the opposite of freedom. My mother has distinct memories of being forced to take classes in Marxist-Leninism,” he explained during a Wednesday appearance on the Fox News show “Hannity.”
Miyares went on to tell the story of one of his uncles who was arrested without cause, stating his family home was “nationalized: in the name of fairness and equity.”
“So clearly, Jim Acosta maybe needs to take some history classes of what Soviet-style communism actually looks like. And [Virginia is] the opposite,” he continued.
Miyares said the message is that, unlike the previous administration, parents will not be marginalized when it comes to education.
“What we have said is parents matter. Listen, if you’re a parent and you want to mask your child for six, seven, eight hours a day, you absolutely have that right. That’s your individual decision,” he said.
“The great irony of all this, is in Soviet-style communist states like Cuba, the state diminishes parents. They say, ‘Your loyalty is to the state,’ and parents have less control. This is about parental empowerment.”
Miyares said that if school boards ignore parents, the governor’s office is there to help them.
“[W]e just want to know what’s going on. Give us the information if you’re concerned,” he explained.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha said the real problem is that Acosta needs to be noticed.
“[W]hen you start comparing the Commonwealth of Virginia to a Soviet state, you’ve either A. never studied Soviet history or B. you’re seeking attention, and no one begs for attention quite like Jim Acosta, the heavyweight champ of cheesy hyperbole.”
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