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Letter
to Jim Gilmore
Frankly,
Virginia Republicans have been a mess since you
left. Who else but you can put the pieces back
together again?
Hon.
James Gilmore
The
Once And Future Governor of
Virginia
Dear
Jim:
To
paraphrase my friend ‘Chip’ Woodrum, there comes
a time in every politician’s life when you have to
lay principle aside and simply do that which is the
expedient. Jim,
that time is now. You
have to get back in.
Believe
me, I never thought I’d be saying this, but here
is my thinking on it.
Since you left, things have gone sideways for
the Republican Party of Virginia.
There has never been such disarray.
There has never been such dispersion of
thought and effort. There
has never been such an aversion to political
prosperity.
Let’s
review the tape.
Of
course, we had all that late unpleasantness with
Vance Wilkins and that chick staffer.
And then there was that eavesdropping thing
and all the fallout from that.
I forget now who all had to resign and face
indictments, or both — but, seems to me there were
several of them.
Let’s
see. What
else?
There
was that budget fiasco for the second year running.
Good grief. To
shoot yourself in the foot once in a while is one
thing, but to reload and keeping pumping them in is
something else. Some
of these folks were using those banana clips.
Then
there was that breakaway bunch, the 17 renegades.
To be honest, Jim, I, for one, applauded
them, but being the balanced, fair-minded columnist
that I am, I know the specter of Republicans ramming
through the largest tax increase in the state’s
history may have caused… well… some heartburn in
some quarters. I
can see that, Jim.
(What
was the strategy on that one?
Get together and do everything that you
possibly can to make Mark Warner look like a genius?
Was that the idea?)
Now
we’ve got this out-of-state fruitcake sending all
those posters around.
Though it warms my heart to see Republicans
flaying Republicans like that, I understand how that
may cause… well… some heartburn in some
quarters.
And
the Speaker, bless his heart, he’s even setting up
his own stink tank. I’m
sorry. I
misspoke. Speaker
Howell is setting up his own ‘think’ tank.
What are they going to ‘think’ about?
How ‘bout this for a starter — how to get
relevant again?
(I’ve
got a suggestion here — just a suggestion — you
don’t have to take it.
Bring Wilkins back for a seminar on how to
run a caucus.)
Jim,
what happened to the good old days when Virginia
Republicans actually had an idea?
It wasn’t but one, but it was a hummer.
You know my views on ‘No Car Tax,’ Jim,
but I’m talking tactics here.
What happened?
Kilgore
seems to be all over the block — at least to me.
Is that the way you see it, Jim?
Are you having as hard a time pinning him
down as I am? Where
is he? On
education? On
transportation? On
taxes?
Let’s
consider that taxes question for just a moment.
Hey, I know where you are.
Where is Kilgore on that one?
For? Against?
Indifferent?
Do
you see what I mean when I say that Virginia
Republicans have managed to get themselves sideways?
That’s
why, Jim, I think you’ve got to step in and help
sort this thing out.
I
used to think that Virginia Democrats were somewhat
fractured, but since you left, the Republican Party
of Virginia looks like Humpty Dumpty — and not
just after the fall. But
after the fall, and after a car has run over him.
I
don’t know if you can put the pieces back together
or not, Jim, but somebody needs to.
Think
about it like this: If
not you, who?
--
October 4, 2004
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