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“The
difference between moral dilemmas and ethical
ones, philosophers say, is that in moral issues
the choice is between right and wrong. In ethics,
the choice is between two rights.” -- Pamela
Warrick quotes, American Journalist.
Virginia’s
10th Congressional District, is a conservative
district where not long ago GOP candidates used to
run unchallenged. Located in the northwest corner
of the state, it includes the counties of
Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Loudoun, and parts of
Fairfax, Prince William, and Fauquier counties.
The
Republican incumbent representing this district
for 26 years now is Rep. Frank Wolf (R). Although
he had promised in his early campaigns to impose
upon himself a limit of four or five terms, he later
changed his mind and has continued running for
this office since the early 1980s.
Wolf
once was the darling of the conservative
establishment. He earned a reputation as an
ethical, no-nonsense politician whom his
constituents could rely upon to represent them
honorably and reliably.
As
population shifts in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince
William counties created a more liberal-minded
electorate, Wolf began attracting Democrat
challengers. For example, in the 2004 elections,
J.R. Socas, a virtual unknown, ran against Wolf
and received 36 percent of the vote. Socas spent
just under $1.0 million, while Wolf was forced to
spend more than $1.6 million to get re-elected
with a comfortable 63 percent margin.
This
time, Wolf is getting a stiffer challenge from
Judy Feder, a former Clinton appointee at the
Department of Health and Human Services who
promoted the Clinton Administration’s widely
discredited effort to nationalize the health care
industry. She is currently the Dean of the Public
Policy Institute at Georgetown University.
Irrespective
of the policy differences between Wolf and Feder,
the Democrat challenger appears to be getting
traction. If elections were decided on fundraising
results, Wolf would win by a slight margin; as per
recent FEC filings, Wolf has raised $1.3 million
to Feder’s $1.0 million.
Nonetheless,
the 10th District remains a solidly Republican
district, which gives Wolf a big advantage. For
example, in the 2004 elections, President Bush
easily won 55 percent of the votes in this
district — better than the 53 percent overall
return for the Bush/Cheney ticket across the
state.
Recently,
Wolf has run into serious problems with his
conservative base. As some of his constituents
have taken a closer look at his voting record,
they are wondering if he has abandoned the
conservative reservation.
Consider
the following accusations lodged at Wolf by some
of his constituents:
-
He
refuses to sponsor the Life at Conception Act
with other Virginia Republican
Representatives, Bob Goodlatte (R-VA 6th
District), Randy Forbes (R-VA 4th District),
and Jo Ann Davis (R-VA 1st District). (Click here
for details.)
-
He,
along with most Democrats, voted against the
Online Freedom of Speech Act. As Republican
Speaker Hastert said after the vote,
"Today's action marks a sad day for one
of our nation's most sacred rights: freedom of
speech.” (Click here
for details; a 2/3 majority was required to
suspend the rules.)
-
He
voted against allowing American Citizens to
own guns in crime-infested Washington, D.C.,
depriving District residents from a
fundamental constitutional liberty that most
of us take for granted. Instead, in a typical
bureaucratic fashion, Wolf called for another
crime commission. (Click here
for details.)
Wolf’s
vote against disclosing earmarks is particularly
disturbing to fiscal conservatives, who continue
to be shocked by earmarks like the Bridge to
Nowhere, sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska),
or the “mother of earmarks” proposed by Rep.
Tom Davis (R- 11th), a $1.5 billion slush fund for
Metro.
Furthermore,
Wolf’s continued and unabashed support for
extending the Metro to Dulles Airport, a $4
billion boondoggle before considering cost
overruns that could double the cost of this
project, has alienated fiscal conservatives who
remain in shock and awe over this proposed lavish
expenditure of scarce taxpayer dollars for the
benefit of a few well connected landowners (See
“Metro
Monomania” and “Bottomless
Pit,”). According to government studies, the
rail extension will do nothing to alleviate the
traffic gridlock, while siphoning billions from
other viable transportation projects in the
region.
Wolf’s
recent endorsement by the Washington Post, a
liberal newspaper that consistently endorses
Democrats over Republican candidates, also has
prompted conservatives to take notice.
Whatever
happens November 7, voter frustration with Rep.
Wolf makes a good argument in support for term
limits. Prolonged exposure to Washington’s
corrupting environment alters the basic nature of
the people we elect to represent us. The
Republican candidate running in 2006 appears to be
a very different person from the candidate first
elected to represent the 10th District some 26
years ago.
So,
on Election Day, conservative voters are left with
a major dilemma: Vote for an incumbent who
increasingly ignores them or vote for a liberal,
big- government Democrat. Wolf probably will win
no matter what conservative voters do. On the
other hand, if conservatives cut into Wolf's
margin by refusing to vote for either candidate,
he just might take notice of the silent majority
that has provided the foundation of his support
over the years.
--
October 23, 2006
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