Morning Wire XX
[0] A new Gallup poll shows a dramatic shift in the political preferences of Americans.
[1] Republicans now have a five -point advantage over Democrats, the largest leads since 1995.
[2] We dig into the reasons behind this historic shift.
[3] I'm John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
[4] It's Wednesday, January 19th, and this is Morning Wire.
[5] Are you in the market for a new career?
[6] One of the fastest growing jobs in the U .S. is diversity and inclusion manager.
[7] We take a look at the new demand and expectations of these new controversial positions.
[8] And Glenn Yonkin is already making waves just days after being sworn in as Virginia's governor.
[9] We'll take a look at what he's doing and whether he's keeping his campaign promises.
[10] Yes, we will remove politics from the classroom.
[11] And we will focus on essential math, science, and reading.
[12] And we will teach all of our history the good and the bad.
[13] Thanks for waking up with more.
[14] MorningWire.
[15] Stay tuned.
[16] We have the news you need to know.
[17] This show is sponsored by Dwell.
[18] As we move into 2022, don't forget to carve out space and time for your spiritual life.
[19] The Dwell Bible makes it fun and easy to get into the Bible by providing a world -class listening experience of scripture.
[20] Dwell offers all your favorite versions of the Bible recorded by real human voices that are delightful to hear.
[21] Today, you can try Dwell for free by going to Dwellap .io slash Morningwire.
[22] That's Dwellap .io slash Morningwire.
[23] In this new year, invest in your spiritual life.
[24] Let God's word be read over you using Dwell.
[25] New polling shows a dramatic shift in which political party Americans most identify with.
[26] Here with more on what's causing the shift and how it could impact future elections is Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
[27] So Cabot, this poll had a lot of people talking.
[28] Tell us about what's in it.
[29] Well, more Americans now identify as Republican than at any point in the last 30 years.
[30] That's according to Gallup polling, which found that 47 % of Americans say they consider themselves Republican, compared to 42 % Democrat.
[31] Now, the last time Republicans held a five -point advantage in this survey, the Gulf War had just come to an end.
[32] For context, back at the start of 2021, Democrats led in this poll 4940, which was their largest leading over a decade.
[33] So we're looking at a 14 -point swing in just a 12 -month period.
[34] Oh, so really significant.
[35] Yeah, that kind of volatility is just unheard of.
[36] How does President Biden's performance play into all this?
[37] Yeah, President Biden was at 55 % approval this time?
[38] last year, but as we've covered, he sunk to 47 in August and is now in the high 30s and low 40s in most polls.
[39] That dip does coincide for the most part with the overall dip and the number of Americans identifying as Democrat, but at the same time, polling experts have cautioned that Biden's performance isn't the only important factor to note here.
[40] Okay.
[41] They point to the general unpopularity of other Democrat leaders like Vice President Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, majority leader Chuck Schumer, who are all doing pretty poorly in polling also.
[42] And from policy perspective, they point out how Democrat positions like critical race theory and their stance on defunding the police and immigration as a whole have really become deeply unpopular with the majority of Americans, including most independents.
[43] So that can't all be put on the president.
[44] Right.
[45] More broadly, what do we know about the reasons for the shift?
[46] So Democrats would say that this sort of shift happens whenever one party controls Congress and the White House, as they do now.
[47] And to a certain extent, they're right.
[48] Historically, the party in power has declined in popularity after a year or two, but that doesn't really explain to shift this massive.
[49] Again, this is really unprecedented.
[50] If you look at the specific issues Americans care about right now, too, it gives a better idea of how we got here.
[51] For example, COVID and inflation have both shot to the top of many Americans' minds, and those are two issues Democrats have really struggled on with polling.
[52] Remember, Democrats and Joe Biden promised to end the pandemic if they got Trump out of office, and obviously that hasn't happened.
[53] Yeah, we haven't seen the progress many hoped for.
[54] Exactly.
[55] And the other huge factor here is inflation.
[56] A lot of political battles often aren't felt by the average American, but inflation is a big exception.
[57] People are feeling the impact of rising costs.
[58] Yeah.
[59] And according to polling, they're blaming Democrats.
[60] Big picture, what do polls like this tell us?
[61] What's the big takeaway here?
[62] Well, the big takeaway is that Republicans have a great shot at taking the House and Senate in November.
[63] Typically, midterms are less about the actual candidates on the ballot and more about how voters view the party who's in power.
[64] That's bad news for Democrats right now.
[65] And the other big takeaways that the Republican Party is, statistically speaking, far more popular than most people thought.
[66] Following President Trump's departure from office, many experts have predicted that Republicans would face setbacks for a decade, but that just clearly isn't happening.
[67] We'd already seen signs of Republican momentum after the Virginia and New Jersey governor's races in 2021, which we covered pretty extensively.
[68] But now we're seeing a sustained shift in voter sentiment, and that's a big deal.
[69] Yeah, it definitely seems that way.
[70] Cabot, thanks for the reporting.
[71] Any time.
[72] That's DailyWire's Cabot Phillips.
[73] Coming up, diversity and inclusion managers top the job charts for 2022, and Virginia's new Republican governor takes office.
[74] The Daily Wire is proud to announce our exclusive partnership with Good Ranchers, the 100 % American Meat Company.
[75] Did you know 85 % of the grass -fed beef sold in stores and online is imported from overseas?
[76] With Good Ranchers, you help support local American farms and ranches while getting steakhouse quality cuts.
[77] Head on over to good ranchers .com slash wire or use code wire at checkout to get their biggest offer ever.
[78] $30 off of your first order plus free express shipping.
[79] Visit good rancher .com slash wire today.
[80] A new study released Tuesday on corporate hiring practices revealed that diversity, equity, and inclusion positions are now the second fastest growing job titles in the U .S. behind only vaccination specialists.
[81] Among the executive class, diversity officers are now the fastest -growing job with Chief in the title.
[82] Here to tell us why DEI executives are in such hot demand is Daily Wire Entertainment Reporter Megan Basham.
[83] So, Megan, 10 years ago, diversity trainings were like an annual HR department thing.
[84] But now it sounds like dedicated diversity executives are a must -have for large companies.
[85] Yeah, yeah, they are.
[86] And I think part of the reason those jobs are topping those recruitment lists is because so many companies felt that they got caught flat -footed by those activist demands after the summer riots of 2020.
[87] I mean, we'll all remember that push for corporate activism was then amplified by the establishment media.
[88] And that put a lot of pressure on companies to show that they were advancing the interests of groups like Black Lives Matter.
[89] But I think what we're seeing now is that companies have started turning to specialized diversity consultants, many of whom charge some pretty large fees.
[90] But, you know, that outside consultant approach still has some of its own risks.
[91] And how so?
[92] Well, to give you one example, when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dealing with bad press related to that lack of diversity at the Golden Globes, it hired several of these DEI consulting experts.
[93] But then, when the organization didn't implement the recommended changes quickly enough, the consultants cut ties with the HFPA and sort of trashed the organization to the press.
[94] So in the end, the HFPA ended up with an even bigger PR nightmare on its hands.
[95] And I think some companies make the calculation that if they just hire someone in house, they can potentially preempt all of that bad press and have some tighter control of their public image.
[96] And I think that's why everyone from NBC to Sesame Street is hiring those internal DEI executives.
[97] So in terms of job function, though, what kind of changes are these DEI executives implementing?
[98] Well, in the past, as you said, it was more kind of an ephemeral, educational seminar kind of thing about how to speak, what terms to use.
[99] Now, with the rise of in -house DEI executives, we're seeing much more in terms of concrete policies.
[100] Companies are openly looking at metrics and numbers in their workforce to make sure they have a certain number of minority and female staff.
[101] Now, to give you one example, ABC has announced that it has put in place a plan to ensure that all of its writers' rooms are 40 % black, indigenous, or people of color by May 2022.
[102] Now, those are the terms they use.
[103] In these cases, DEI executives will sometimes contract with hiring platforms that specialize in offering only candidates of color for open positions.
[104] Okay, but some of that sounds like it might not be legal.
[105] Right.
[106] And, you know, that was my instinct as well.
[107] So I reached out to a former entertainment lawyer who's now general counsel at a multi -billion dollar tech firm.
[108] And he told me he does think that this kind of activity is going to cause corporate America some major headaches in the near future.
[109] One, he straightforwardly said he doesn't think an overtly race -based quota in hiring is constitutional.
[110] And he believes we're going to start seeing some unlawful discrimination and termination suits.
[111] Now, he also thinks it's going to take some time, though, for those legal challenges to catch up to the DEI wave.
[112] Well, and it also feels like there's potential for bad press in the other direction as well when these corporate trainings get leaked to the press.
[113] You know, for example, Coca -Cola got caught telling employees to be less white.
[114] That was a really bad look.
[115] And then you also reported on a race -based training at Disney that really outraged a lot of fans.
[116] Oh, yeah, absolutely.
[117] And, you know, that's something that this attorney mentioned as well.
[118] He says that if you look closely, you're already beginning to see some retreat in the cutting -edge industries like tech and cryptocurrencies who were, ironically, the ones at the forefront of DEI a couple of years ago.
[119] So he in particular pointed to a story last year about the tech firm Coinbase, very boldly announcing that it's not going to allow political activism at work anymore.
[120] Right, and Whole Foods recently pushed back on BLM masks as well, if you remember.
[121] Exactly.
[122] Megan, thanks for reporting.
[123] Yeah, anytime.
[124] That's Daily Wire Entertainment reporter, Megan Basham.
[125] This past November, in a highly anticipated election, Glenn Yonkin beat Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe to become the new governor of Virginia.
[126] Yonkin was sworn into office over the weekend and he's already having a major impact.
[127] Here to tell us what the new governor has been updated.
[128] two in his first week as Daily Wires Charlotte Pince Bond.
[129] Charlotte, if you would, give us the rundown.
[130] Absolutely.
[131] So Yonkin got right to work on day one, immediately fulfilling some of the campaign promises that got him elected.
[132] On his first day, Yonkin issued several executive orders, including an end to critical race theory in public education, in order to combat human trafficking, and another to request an investigation into wrongdoing in Loudoun County related to the sexual assault of a young girl in the girl's bathroom at school.
[133] Right.
[134] We've reported a lot on that case.
[135] Yes.
[136] and he's also pushing his team to get tough on crime.
[137] His new attorney general, Jason Mierrez, fired 30 employees and started an investigation into the parole board.
[138] And possibly his most controversial executive order was his move to allow parents to decide whether or not to mask their kids at school.
[139] It's parents that should decide the health measures taken for their children.
[140] That's why I signed an executive order that allows parents to opt out of mask mandates and schools.
[141] This is a matter of individual liberty.
[142] Arlington Public Schools, a district in northern Virginia where I actually attended and graduated from high school, put out a statement shortly after, saying they, quote, will continue to require all staff and students to wear masks inside on school grounds and on buses as part of our layered approach to safety.
[143] Okay.
[144] Other counties and school officials have made similar statements about planning to keep requiring masks for now.
[145] But we should note that many of these counties are very blue and, voted Democratic.
[146] Yonkin was asked about Arlington's move, and here's what he had to say about it.
[147] Well, first of all, we wrote the order specifically to give all of the school systems basically eight days to get ready, to listen to parents.
[148] And the fact that that tweet came out from Arlington County within minutes of my executive order, well, what that tells me is they have listened to parents yet.
[149] And if there's one thing that hopefully everybody heard in November is it is time to listen to parents.
[150] Yonkin is making it clear that he's listening to parents, the demographic which really rallied behind him and whose support was crucial to his election win.
[151] My message to parents is this.
[152] You have a fundamental right enshrined in law by this general assembly to make decisions with regard to your child's upbringing, education, and care.
[153] And we will protect and reassert that right.
[154] Look, the Virginia governor's race was one of the most watched races in the country this year, and it's largely because it was seen as a referendum on some of these culture war issues, especially with schools.
[155] So what can we infer about the midterms, if anything, based on this new direction in Virginia?
[156] Well, as Georgia said, Yonkin won in a state that had become reliably blue in recent years, and he did it by campaigning on some of these culture war issues.
[157] That was all just back in November.
[158] Since then, we've seen a significant shift toward Republicans, on things like inflation, school closures, and immigration.
[159] So if anything, the red wave that put Yonkin in office last fall might be even stronger now.
[160] That being said, a lot can happen between now and November.
[161] Right, it sure can.
[162] Charlotte, thanks for the reporting.
[163] That's DailyWire's Charlotte Pince Bond.
[164] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[165] Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke on Monday about the future of COVID -19, saying that we're only in the first phase of five phases of the pandemic.
[166] He also said that we've only eradicated one in front of the pandemic.
[167] infectious disease, smallpox, and that's, quote, not going to happen with this virus.
[168] And Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday that he will not be running for governor.
[169] The former mayor of New York City said he is, quote, going to devote every fiber of my being to fighting inequality in the state of New York.
[170] If you like this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and give us a five -star review.
[171] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[172] Thanks for waking up at us.
[173] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.
[174] If you like this podcast, subscribe to our Morning Wire newsletter, available exclusively to Daily Wire members.
[175] Get the Morning Wire newsletter delivered straight to your inbox when you join at dailywire .com slash subscribe.
[176] Use code MorningWire to try a Reader's Pass membership and get your first month for only 99 cents.