The terminally woke Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger took to X on Thursday to showcase “the most diverse cabinet Virginia has ever seen.” She posted a photo of herself with her white chief of staff, surrounded by six black cabinet members.
The governor must have been shocked by the backlash that followed: her attempt at virtue signaling had failed in spectacular fashion. X users immediately noticed that 75% of her cabinet members were black, even though black residents account for approximately 20% of the state’s population.
Missing entirely were white males, Hispanics/Latinos, and Asians, who represent roughly 30%, 12%, and 8% of Virginians, respectively.
Spanberger deserved all the ridicule that came her way. Here are some of the responses:
Mocking the idea of “the most diverse cabinet in history,” one X user offered a “friendly reminder: when these people say ‘diversity,’ they just mean anti-White.”
https://x.com/quinn31960/status/2115850833149804825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://x.com/avidseries/status/2115853292391567532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://x.com/Trellraiser/status/2115888425106808869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Despite the barrage of criticism she faced on social media, The Richmond Times-Dispatch was happy to carry water for the foolish governor. In an article titled “In making history, Spanberger’s cabinet defies anti-DEI fervor,” the outlet covered the group’s Tuesday visit to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, praising her courage “at a time when diversity is under sustained attack by the Trump administration.”
Writer Michael Paul Williams noted that “diversity is flourishing in Capitol Square amid anti-DEI fervor elsewhere.” Reminiscent of all the “firsts” we heard about during the Biden administration, he pointed out that “Spanberger is Virginia’s first woman governor. Her chief of staff, Bonnie Krenz-Schnurman, is the first woman in the history of the Commonwealth to serve in that role.”
He lamented that, in his view, Spanberger’s Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin B. Figueroa “has attributes under siege on the federal level.”
During the visit, the governor praised Figueroa as “hands down the best applicant” for the position. After all, she said, “It also happens to be the case that he is a Black man, a Hispanic man, an immigrant, someone whose first language was not English.”
She noted he was a native of La Ceiba, Honduras. His mother worked as an educator before immigrating to the United States, where she became a home health care worker. Her son benefited from government assistance programs.
“That experience set is valuable in how he approaches his job,” she added.
But, conspicuously missing from her remarks was any mention of his education, professional background, or other credentials demonstrating his qualifications for the position.
Figueroa himself seemed oblivious to the fact that none of Spanberger’s accolades had anything to do with merit. In remarks during the lunch that followed, he said:
It’s a reminder that we probably worked twice as hard as anyone else to get this far, and that we belong here. And I think this cabinet is a direct contradiction [of] the story or the narrative that people are trying to push right now.
Do any of these people understand how ignorant they sound?
If Figueroa was “hands down the best applicant,” Spanberger should have no trouble explaining why in terms of his record and accomplishments. Instead, she offered a list of demographic attributes and called it a case for his appointment.
The racial composition of a governor’s cabinet is not something to boast about. There is no substitute for choosing members based on merit.
I’d like to say Virginians deserve better, but they handed Spanberger a resounding victory last November. It seems they’re getting exactly what they voted for.
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