|
I
thought
that the ploy to play social wedge issues, the
death penalty and illegal immigration, would
take Republican Jerry Kilgore to a very, very
slim victory for Governor. I was wrong.
I’m
sorry for the loss for a decent man and his
fine family. Yet, after a few more years of
bad times for Virginia Republicans, it may all
turn out quite well for Virginians. Our Old
Dominion will be on the road to its
destiny.
Congratulations
go to Governor-elect Tim Kaine. He
can’t do too much damage in four years while
the Republicans find their soul, back bone,
guts, brain, heart, vision, voice, feet, arms,
and sufficient male genitalia. Kaine is cut
from the same cloth as Ex-President Bill
Clinton and Gov. Mark R. Warner as an
ideological liberal, but pragmatic politician.
Kaine
has the same situational ethics affinity for
temporal truth, so he may be newsworthy for
four years. He got elected by promising to set
aside deeply held religious views to both support and thwart the Will of the People
through laws. Meanwhile, Republicans can get
ready to govern.
Note
the difference between ‘Republicans’ and
the ‘Republican Party of Virginia’. The
bad times Republicans face includes the
‘Party’ as only one of the factions.
First, Republicans will go through the blame
game with explanations serving every agenda.
Meanwhile conversations behind closed doors
will determine the first steps towards
redemption or more long jumps to political
hell.
Sen.
George Allen, Virginia Congressmen -
especially Tom Davis and Eric Cantor, Lt. Gov.
Bill Bolling, Attorney General Bob McDonnell,
Speaker of the House Bill Howell and his
leaders, state Senator His Lordship Sir John
Chichester and his lackeys will chat in
different combinations. Or, not. Frankly, I
don’t know if Sen. John Warner will care or
get involved. The leaders will make their
alliances.
The
state leaders will make some key decisions. If
leaders decide to offer a legislative agenda
– plans for transportation, health care
reform, illegal immigrants, etc., then the
hemorrhaging of Republican support will slow.
If leaders decide how to stand up to the
coming tax hikes for transportation, then the
differences between Republicans and Democrats
may be made visible again.
Meanwhile,
the Republican Party of Virginia will pursue
the court cases to bring closed party
primaries to the Commonwealth. If the Party
doesn’t deliver the preponderance of money
or votes to elections, it’s merely a
cheerleader to the politicians. The city and
county committees and congressional district
committees are a long, long way from producing
enough bucks or ballots to be more important
than the candidates’ own election committees.
The
Republicans, the elected officials who count
and the Party people who care, will decide
through the unpleasant budget battles of '06
and '08, the contested Party nominations of
'07, the division or unity of the Presidential
race of 08, and other issues that appear as
fast as thunder clouds in summer, to be the
more conservative or more liberal - with a
vision, principles and practical solutions.
Virginians will judge the Republicans. The Red
State of Virginia is not Republican at its
core. The Old Dominion is more conservative
than not.
Candidates
who run on their political label, ‘R’,
only – lose. Candidates who run as social
conservatives only – without pragmatic plans
to fix problems – lose. When Republicans
offer the Good People of Virginia a choice to
vote ‘FOR’ coupled with social
conservatism we all win.
Virginia
has a winning, wonderful destiny to seek and
achieve. It’s time to start thinking of the
Commonwealth as the sovereign state the U.S.
Constitution says it is. Virginia should lead
the Nation in its economy, education,
environment, health, security and, most of
all, liberty and opportunity. It’s all
achievable.
But,
it will take bad times for Republicans to get
enough of the right elected leaders and a more
powerful Party to make Virginia’s best
vision real. The struggle is worth the
name-calling intramurals, the MSM mockery and
pernicious Liberal (calling themselves
Moderate) treachery. Just like this election
loss for the Governorship was more than
balanced by the win of two reliable, promising
leaders in Bill Bolling and Bob McDonell.
It’ll all work to good for Virginia.
Like,
how right it is for Virginia to not allow governors
to get re-elected to consecutive terms. We
limit the power of a powerful office on
purpose. Virginia’s Constitution is correct.
Let the other 49 states follow our lead in
limited government. The other states should
get used to following Virginia forward.
--
November 14, 2005
|
