Rep. Virgil Goode just never ceases to surprise me. TPMmuckraker reports that Goode will be appearing on Neil Cavuto’s show on Fox News at 4pm today to discuss his anti-Muslim attack on Rep. Keith Ellison. You’ll recall that I’ve confidently asserted that Goode wouldn’t do any interviews about this. I have no recollection of him ever doing a sit-down TV interview, though it must happened at some point. I’m not sure what to make of Goode’s change in tack — this might be the first time he’s done any sort of an interview about something controversial.
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it is Fox News though….
I’m surprised, too, as I agreed with what Duane said about all this getting thrown away with the wrapping paper after Xmas if it didn’t get legs from somewhere. Now he may be providing them himself.
Whaddya think he’ll do? A grudging apology for a poorly-worded e-mail? A staunch defense of his anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim position? Or something else entirely?
I’d bet on something in between. “I’m sorry IF I offeneded anyone, but I strongly feel…yada, yada, yada.”
So he’s positioning himself as a new “Jessie Helms.” A new republican star with national name recognition who’s happy to be reviled by multitudes of liberals. Confident and secure that he can’t be voted out of office.
I have to suspect that he felt emboldened by the letters that he received from the district’s tiny minority of scary racists, which is why he felt comfortable writing his letter in the first place, by confusing a single letter-writing campaign with the will of his constituents. Perhaps the same echo chamber effect is taking place now, where he’s paying attention only to those people defending him, and has concluded that he’s going to get out there and speak truth to power.
Of course, the smart thing to do would be to use this venue as his opportunity to offer a real apology, and not the sort of bullshit contingent apology that J.S. suggests. A total reversal on position would end this firestorm before it even gets up to speed.
Given that I couldn’t have forecast he’d speak out on this in the first place, though, I’m hardly qualified to speculate on what he’ll have to say for himself. I’ll be glued to the TV come 4pm, though.
I don’t at all agree with what he said. But I don’t think he should apologize. All an apology would serve to do is to allow millions of the offended to feel smug and self-satisfied, and make him look weak (and as with a school of sharks the weak are quickly cannibalized). It’s not November anymore, he’s safe for another two years- at which point most of this will have been forgotten by the public. An apology accomplishes nothing.
Besides, how many times did Jessie Helm’s say, “I’m sorry.”
As an aside: I hope someone U-tubes the interview- I don’t have access to Fox and would like to see it.
I think that Goode is kinda sorta thinking about running for another office in the next few years. Starting next month, his current job is about to get much less pleasant than it has been for him in the past. Not only will he be in the minority but he may also be the subject of particular enmity from his new Democratic party overlords because of the fact that they see him as a turncoat.
I’m not saying that I 100% predict that he will run for another office. Just that he’s probably thinking about his options in case his current situation becomes intolerable. With that in mind, it would be smart for him to start trotting himself out in front of Virginia Republicans outside of his own district. Going on Fox news is one good way of doing that.
‘Safe’ for what? He doesn’t do anything now, except use the USDA Rural Development Fund as his personal election piggybank. Tra-la-la-ing around the district for the last two months before the elections for photo ops, being present for the fish hatchery, the clock dedication.
Where’s the next ‘great deal’ he has for this district? What’s that, you say? Oh yeah, the Democrats control the house. Virgil is a lame duck before the 110th even starts.
Also, this would assume that he isn’t indicted for either/or Abramoff/Wade-MZM.
He can’t leave soon enough. I am embarassed to know he is my congressman, and to read and hear what others think of us ‘hicks in the sticks’ now that he has inserted his foot into his mouth.
I plan on making sure this sick bastard is in the news for the next two years.
Sick.
Well I was thinking- Allen style voter backlash, assuming of course that the majority of the 5th district was offended enough to vote him out.
Yes this would assume he isn’t indicted for Abramoff/MZM (and I’m not confident that he will be).
That has absolutely nothing to do with the comment I made.
TrvlnMn:
I didn’t mean to connect the two parts. That paragraph was meant as the rest of my comment. And not directed at anyone in particular.
Cheers.