Happily (for us Democrats), the leadership among Virginia Republicans still don’t seem to understand why they keep losing statewide races. It’s a Republican state; every race is theirs to lose. In today’s Daily Press, Hugh Lessig writes about the annual Virginia Republican “Advance”, which was held this weekend. (Get it? Advance is the opposite of retreat, because retreat means both give up and withdraw to a quiet place, while advance means move forward and absolutely nothing else that is relevant to such an event.) It featured former governor Jim Gilmore saying of the Republican Party that “[i]f we ever have anybody break away, then we’re going to have trouble winning elections” and — this is my favorite for sheer audacity — that “[w]hen any piece of it breaks away and goes off and, God forbid, works with the other party, which is putting forward a bad agenda, then we get a bad agenda for the people of Virginia.”
The message to Virginia Republicans was a simple one: don’t just stay the course, actually move more to the right.
Yeah, y’all do that. We’ll just be over here, in the center. Don’t mind us.
The way I see it, this is still a Republican state (though, admittedly, northern Virginia is definitely shifting left), but this past election was missing one thing by Jerry Kilgore: criticism of Mark Warner. I believe that this race was a reward for Warner; Kaine reaps the immediate benefits while Warner will get to look good for a few more years. If more attention was brought to the economic rationale of Warner, Tim Kaine may have appeared weaker and Jerry Kilgore would have stood a better chance of winning.
This race was not about gay marriage, it was not about abortion, it was not about the death penalty. The perception is that Mark Warner improved our economy (rather than natural free market forces). A more conservative race this past election cycle would have produced a different result.
And in the end, what affected the Republicans is that they did not stay the course. They played it safe and did not take a stand against the tax raises. I applaud the leaders at the Advance this weekend for getting those in attendance to go back to their roots; I am now more confident that George Allen will continue to be our senator in 2006 and that a conservative (not a “moderate” or “centrist”, whatever the heck those words mean) will reside in the governor’s mansion in 2010.
I applaud them too.
I’ll join you in that applause, Mark.
It’s just like nationally, when Democrats say “we lost in 2004 and 2000 because we just weren’t far enough to the left.” Yeah, sure. The same Republicans who know that’s silly just can’t see why the same logic applies to their party in Virginia.
Just keep listening to Jim, y’all, he knows what he is talking about ;-)
The Republicans keep losing statewide races? Um, they lost the big one this year, but won the two others. Oh, and both U.S. Senators, um, and I think the electoral votes went to the President. Maybe the party apparatus is just ill-suited to nominating candidates for Governor – which would support your point just fine. Do you think Gilmore is getting ready for a 2006 U.S. Senate challenge? I can’t seem him frothing for four years in advance of a 2009 run for Richmond.
The Republicans keep losing statewide races?
They lost the governorship two years in a row. The AG race isn’t decided this year, and Lt. Gov. isn’t worth a bucket of warm piss. And I’m talking about state races here, not federal races — that’s a different discussion altogether.
We’ll just be over here, in the center
ROFL!! Gotta love it when far left wingers try to describe themselves as centrists.
Man, that was funny. Did you keep a straight face when you typed it?
Sorry, Waldo, I missed where you limited your claim to statewide races in your first post. Did you? And if the Lt. Gov. isn’t worth having, then I’m sure Tim Kaine received no bump from being able to claim the “Warner-Kaine” administration successes that he wouldn’t have had if he had been defeated in 2001 . And the AG’s race has been decided. It’s been certified. Now, that decision could change with a recount, but to say it’s not decided isn’t entirely accurate.
Gotta love it when far left wingers try to describe themselves as centrists.
ROFL!! If you don’t think that the Virginia Democratic Party is centrist, you’re so far to the right you’re about the wrap around on the other side.
Sorry, Waldo, I missed where you limited your claim to statewide races in your first post.
I’m telling you that’s what I was writing about. That’s the entire topic of the Virginia political blogosphere at the moment, and all that I’ve written about for months; if I were writing about federal statewide races, that would be something to call up. It’d be like if I were writing about “Kilgore,” and you wanted to know if I was talking about the country singer or the failed candidate.
And the AG’s race has been decided. It’s been certified. Now, that decision could change with a recount, but to say it’s not decided isn’t entirely accurate.
I really think that the readers of this blog are able to understand what I mean when I say that it hasn’t been decided. The certification in a race this close really doesn’t mean much, as nearly every newspaper article on the topic has acknowledged.
You’re quite the literalist. Just to eliminate any confusion, IP wasn’t actually rolling around on the floor and laughing. It’s an internet shorthand, used in this manner to indicate derision. No, no, don’t thank me. I’m just helping.
in the center? are you kidding?! I’m falling over, laughing. The only thing “center” about the Democratic Party of VA is, is..uh..NOTHING!
There is nothing in the center about telling lies to their fellow Virginians when it comes to the largest tax increase in VA history. Why couldn’t they just tell the truth and say “We can’t control our spending so we’re going to raise your taxes.” Center of the field huh? Hurumph. Merry *&%@ing Christmas to the taxpayers.
Point made.
Waldo, you’re a nice guy and all, but the center you and the Dem Party of Virginia ain’t! Maybe if the Dems’ policies matched their rhetoric (i.e., Mark Warner promising not to raise taxes, and then doing so anyway)….