The northeastern counties of Virginia did not walk away from Richmond or Washington D.C. when the time came. Some tried. Most did not. There was too much historical inertia built up over the decades for them to reverse the flow of history in a few days or weeks. Those that tried were crushed under the weight of a bureaucracy that would not accept any competition. Even hemorrhaging money and power on a world-wide scale, the American Federal government could still take care of matters closer to home. They wielded what law enforcement, military, and media capabilities they retained to jail any political enemy they could, and destroy the fortunes and lives of those they could not. It was not a happy time for those who did not sufficiently support and acknowledge the very fair and honest election of the new President.