American politics keep getting sillier. For a few months now fans at sporting events across the nation have taken up an obscene anti-Joe Biden chant. On 2 October, NASCAR driver Brandon Brown won the Xfinity Race series at Talladega Super Speed way, in Alabama. Alabama is a deep red state in the Deep South and a hotbed of anti-Joe Biden resistance. As Brown was being interviewed by NBC Sports Network, fans behind him took up the anti-Joe Biden chant. The interviewer said, ‘…as you can hear the chants from the crowd, let’s go Brandon…’ This claim was so ridiculous pranksters took up ‘Let’s go Brandon’ as the new anti-Joe Biden chant. One can now purchase ‘Let’s go Brandon’ T-shirts, hats, even masks. Congressman Jeff Duncan (R, South Carolina) wore a ‘Let’s go Brandon’ mask on the floor of the House of Representatives. Congressman Bill Posey (R, Florida) ended a speech on the House floor with, ‘Let’s go Brandon’.

The Biden Administration has bigger problems than obscene chants. This week the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that the economy grew at just 2% in the 3rd fiscal quarter. This represents a major economic slowdown, as the economy grew 6.7% in the 2nd fiscal quarter.

Despite the economic slowdown inflation wracks the American economy. Overall prices this September increased 5.4% over prices in September of 2020. The price of food is up 4.6%. Construction materials rose 22%. Energy prices rose 24.8%. New car prices are up 8.7%.  The price of gasoline rose a staggering 42.1% and every state in the union is now paying over $3 per gallon. Inflation is so bad, The New York Times warns Americans, ‘Thanksgiving 2021 could be the most expensive meal in the history of the holiday.’

In Virginia the gubernatorial race has national implications and remains close. As noted in previous articles, Virginia was once a red state, but has turned blue thanks to the population explosion in the state’s northern suburbs outside of Washington DC. These are ‘bedroom communities’ for government employees who work across the Potomac River in Washington or new industries along the Dulles Corridor. Northern Virginia, as the half dozen counties outside of Washington are called, could be a separate state and would be deep blue. Aside from Richmond and a few other urban areas, the rest of Virginia is rural, exurban and decisively red.

Democrats currently hold all Virginia state offices. But McAuliffe is not a particularly strong candidate. Like most of the people living in Northern Virginia, McAuliffe is not a native of the state. The former governor won his 2013 race 47.8-45.2 percent, hardly a decisive victory. McAuliffe was a 90’s and 2000’s era Clinton confident, a fixer. The Clinton’s ‘third way’ centrist politics are out of favor with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D, NY) and the rest of The Squad of young firebrands obsessed with intersectionality and demanding change now.

The Democrats see the gubernatorial race as a bell-weather for next year’s congressional elections. Despite near total name recognition and Biden having won Virginia by 10 points, McAuliffe does not have a commanding lead in the polls. The most recent poll taken by Emerson, shows McAuliffe and Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin tied at 49%. Last week former president Barrack Obama campaigned with McAuliffe in Virginia. ‘We don't have time to be wasting on these phony, trumped-up culture wars,’ Obama said.

Obama was referring to the battle fought by Loudoun County parents against the school board. At issue is the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools, gender politics, and the Loudoun County School Board’s cover up of a sexual assault in the girl’s bathroom by a male student claiming to be ‘gender fluid’. In a school board meeting on 22 June, Super Intendent Scott Zeigler claimed, ‘To my knowledge, we don’t have any record of assaults occurring in our restrooms.’ This was a lie. Emails show Zeigler new of the assault the day it happened and informed the board. When the assault victim’s father objected in outrage, the board had police pull him out of the meeting and arrested. This week students in several Virginia high schools staged a walkout to protest the sexual assault and cover up. On Monday a judge found the assailant guilty of sexual assault.

President Biden also campaigned with McAuliffe. In a long stump speech, the President compared Glenn Younkin to Donald Trump. ‘Just remember this,’ said Biden. ‘I ran against Donald Trump and Terry is running against an acolyte of Donald Trump. Biden invoked Donald Trump twenty-four times in the speech. In Biden compared Youngkin to the protestors that marched on Capitol Hill on January 6th, ‘Extremism can come in many forms,’ the president said. ‘It can come in the rage of a mob driven to assault the Capitol. It can come in a smile and a fleece vest.’ Youngkin often wears sleeveless fleece vests on the campaign trail. The election will be held on Tuesday 2 November.