The Washington Post has several clips from yesterday’s debate up on its website, starting with the opening statements. We don’t need no live TeeVee. Judge for yourself if Kilgore should have seen Russert’s punch coming. Kaine on faith and the death penalty. Closing statements.
Who Needs Live TeeVee? Link to Debate Clips
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Your blog is great If you a health issue, I’m sure you’d be interested in colon cancer Stop colon cancer
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Don’t take that piece of spam down, Jim. Campaigns and colon cancer — certain ring to that….
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It’s scary what Jerry will do when he doesn’t have his handlers around.
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Is Kilgore the first Virginia candidate for statewide office that is truly a packaged creation more like what we see with national elections?
Has their been a candidate for governor in the past that has been so programmed with speaking points?
Again, not trying to be funny or snide, but it seems like Jerry is legitimately the creation of polling data more than self-made. I honestly can’t tell the difference between his owns thoughts, if he has any, and those created for the campaign through focus groups and message development.
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Without granting the premises behind your questions, Anon 5:23, the answers to your questions are no and yes. The most packaged I can remember was the Clean Marine
Chuck Robb (in his pre-scandal days) and they all have been programmed with talking points — some follow them a bit more closely than others, but they all do it. Perhaps it was more obvious a quarter century ago to reporters who had to listen to them over and over and over, and now in this instant com 24 hour news channel blog age the rest of you poor slobs have been let in on the secret. -
what’s beginning to happen at the state level is the transfer of national political tricks to second, third and fourth-tier political talents. A lot of this is driven by the political consultants who assume that whatever tricks worked in the last national elections will work just dandy at the state level. In Virignia, we’re very undemanding on the quality of our candidates (most of our citizens who have the intellect and character to really run a big government are already succeeding in business, law or the military)so we get a massive imposition of technique on rather modest beasts of burden candidates. The results are often amusing and almost never edifying. Until we get two-term governors and adequate compensation for legislators and elected officials, the primary participants in these races will be people who can’t do other things. That’s why you get cyphers like Leslie Byrne and Bill Bolling cluttering up the system. Kilgore has chosen state politics as a career path also. I think he could succeed at something else, but I don’t really know and he doesn’t either.
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Anon 6:28. I really take issue with half of what you said. I agree that professional pols for the most part in VA are folks who maxed out in the real world and are not making it where they never would otherwise. Most, but not all. Very, very, very, very important distinction.
Two term Governors and higher paid GA will NOT improve the situation one whit. No cause and effect. The professional political class in NY and CA is as disgusting as any group you would met in a Jerry Springer TV special.
The better path, still taken by a small but significant minority of Virginia politicians of both parties, is the ideas once taught of obligation, citizenship, service, duty for educated persons in Virginia by The University, William and Mary, VMI, Hampden-Sydney and Washington-Lee to name the most prominent. Goes along with the idea of student run honor code and what it means to be an educated Gentleman and Lady in the Commonwealth.
We need citizen-legislators and Governor more than professional pols beholden to Government clients for taxes.
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Shouldn’t we have a frontrunner for governor who can think a little better on his feet?
For me, the debates are important for Virginia. I believe they are an indicator of intelligence, independence, and statesmanship in our candidates. Too bad I just don’t see much of any of those in this case.
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JAB: I agree with you on the disappearing but not dead ideal of public service. In three decades of close observation of state government I have seen it often and admire it always — liberal or conservative. I do think the GA salary of $18,000 is SO low that some potential candidates are discouraged because the “opportunity” cost is so high.
The real problem is that so many firms are owned out of state, the pressure on personnel and profits is so great, the legal profession so concentrated, that many employers simply won’t let good people take the time to run and serve. The bean counters who drive many corporate decisions don’t spend alot of time reflecting on the ideals of public service. Their bonus is based on cutting costs.
Years ago, the legislature met every other year, and it wasn’t a full time year round job (because of constituent demands back home and the need for the constant campaign.)
That said, at the recent Virginia FREE interviews the overall quality of the candidates was pretty good, and there are several districts where two good people are running and the voters will be well served either way.
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