Bacon's Rebellion

A Goat for Lt. Governor

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Paul, one of our most passionate readers, made a good point in the comments section of the “‘Politics of Lies’” post. He said Virginians could elect a goat as Lt. Governor and it wouldn’t much matter, given the skimpy duties of the position.

Those who have read Steve “Blue Dog” Sisson’s profiles of the candidates (here and here)know that each has a different take on the office and different areas of focus, even though the job gives them no power to focus on anything but presiding over the Senate. The job isn’t “Ombudsman for Pet Causes.”

All that leads me to believe that perhaps we should not encourage ambitious pols to run for Lt. Governor. They would do the Commonwealth much more good in the General Assembly or (gasp!) the private sector. Respected, experienced public servants, perhaps retired from elective or appointed office, should be the kind of candidates who run for Lt. Governor, and maybe even “run” should be eliminated. They would agree to have their names put on the ballot by their party.

We don’t allow a Governor to run for re-election. Perhaps we shouldn’t allow a Lt. Governor to be elected just to give him or her a platform to run for Governor. This is no commentary on Lt. Gov. Kaine, who has done a fine job. What do we remember about Don Beyer and John Hager, other than that they didn’t become Governor despite frantic campaigning from the Lt. Governor’s office?

An “elder statesman” Lt. Governor, not seeking higher office, might even help reduce excessive partisanship in the General Assembly. Just something to think about for 2009. In Virginia, it’s never too early to think about the election after the next election.

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  1. Mattaponi Avatar
    Mattaponi

    Virginia is a “weak executive” state. A great deal depends on the person in the LG job and the circumstances surrounding him. Because there can be a party split, the LG can, if the right person gets the job, a kind of shadow Governor to whomever gets the top post from the opposite party. Because we are limited to one-term governors, the LG spot can also be (altho I admit ithasn’t really worked this way often) a way of maintaining continuity of policy over longer spans. It’s what the occupant makes of it, I guess. The fact is that it has frequently ended up being a parking space for folks who don’t quite have the juice to make it all the way. That doesn’t mean that it’s meaningless for talent on the way up. One thing’s for sure, these guys aren’t running for the pay. I don’t know how anyone can afford it.

  2. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    Are you sure Virginia is a weak-executive state? I thought the Governor had tremendous power – especially on appointments – and that’s what’s holding up the two-term governor amendments. In order for GA to go along with a removal of term limits, the Governor has to cede some power.

    Now Texas, that’s a weak executive state. Someone once tried to argue to me that the Lt. Governor is as powerful as the Governor in Texas.

    As to Will’s point, I think maybe the answer is to open up another important position to elections. Some states elect “comptrollers” and others elect a Secretary of State. I have no idea what these positions entail, but they sound more important than Lt. Governor.

    I do like the fact that we have split tickets in VA. I think it helps the electorate to be more open to both parties. In fact, it may have sped along Virginia’s shift from a one-party state to a Republican majority.

    I can’t wait for the “split ticket!” signs accompanying down ticket races. In 2001, I spotted dozens of Kilgore signs that had “Split ticket!” scrawled all over them.

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Good call, Will. I’ve been saying for years that I can’t imagine why anyone would want to be Lieutenant Governor…well, except for blatant, unchecked ambition.

    Heck, I’d like to be Governor as much as the next guy, but I don’t want it badly enough to waste my time as LG. Attorney General…well, we’ll see.

    Of course, this is coming from someone who has turned down multiple opportunities to run for the General Assembly because I like spending time with my family too much.

    I’ll stick with Commonwealth’s Attorney for now.

    John
    Commonwealth Conservative

  4. Will Vehrs Avatar
    Will Vehrs

    John, think of all the blogging you could do from the Lt. Gov’s office!

    Maybe each party should nominate their “best blogger” and the whole campaign could take place online.

  5. Nicksun Avatar
    Nicksun

    The answer is to turn out at the polls and Elect Emmett Hanger on June 14th. He’s about as close to an effective coprimiser as we are going to get. Plus, he’s just a good man.

  6. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    Oh by the way, I noticed the quotes around “Paul”. I actually am a Paul.

  7. Will Vehrs Avatar
    Will Vehrs

    Paul, so noted.

  8. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Good idea, Will.

    Since it’s a part-time position, I would have plenty of time to blog.

    Unfortunately, I’m not independently wealthy, so I’m forced to work for a living. Tough to take a part time LG job when you have a wife and kids.

  9. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    It’s too late to think about the election after this election and time to focus on the election after the election after this election….

  10. JMS Avatar
    JMS

    Yeah… what that guy said!

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