Bacon's Rebellion

by The Jefferson Council

Any discerning observer paying attention to the ongoing barrage of unprecedented attacks on the University of Virginia Board of Visitors (BOV) and its leadership cannot help but notice a striking similar pattern. The same allegations—largely manufactured, repetitious, and thinly sourced—are recycled again and again, apparently in the belief that if a proverbial “big lie” is repeated often enough and echoed by multiple voices, it will eventually be accepted as fact. This naturally raises two questions: Where is this campaign coming from, and why are its participants acting with such unusual aggression and hostility?

A closer look at developments in Charlottesville, coupled with information from knowledgeable inside sources, provides the answer. There is little doubt that these attacks are part of a highly coordinated and well-financed effort. This effort appears to be led by both friends and supporters of former president Jim Ryan and former UVA officials, further joined by Democrat members of the Virginia Senate, the Spanberger political team, certain members of the faculty and administration, and several student organizations (all collectively referred to hereafter as the “Cabal”). Much of this activity appears to be synchronized and amplified by a professional public relations firm.

Why are they doing this? The immediate objective is clearly to intimidate and delegitimize the BOV during the current search for a new university president. The broader objective, however, is plainly political: to prevent the selection of any president who might depart from the highly politicized progressive agenda that has dominated the University Grounds for roughly the past fifteen years.