Luria’s Curious Campaign Slogan

Congresswoman Elaine Luria

by Kerry Dougherty

I’ve seen some wacky political slogans in the past: “Be Best” was inane, “Build Back Better” was worse, especially considering the mess Joe Biden’s created in just 17 months.

But the most laughable? Elaine Luria’s unofficial campaign mantra as she runs for re-election to Congress:

“I don’t care if I lose.”

Here’s how The Washington Post reported her curious stand in one of its typical Democrat-valentines last week:

…the former Navy commander has said she is unconcerned about any potential political consequences that her role in unspooling the former president’s inaction on Jan. 6 could have in her own political future — a message that, rather than whispered to confidants, she has put front and center in her campaign.

“Getting this right, getting the facts out there and making some change in the future so that this doesn’t happen again, it’s so much bigger than whether you’re reelected or not,” Luria said in an interview.

For the second time in a year, Virginia voters are being asked to vote for someone who’s stuck in the past.

Terry McAuliffe was widely considered to be a lock for governor last year. Why else would the Democrats have elbowed several promising African-American hopefuls out of the way to give the old white retread the nomination?

But McAuliffe foolishly made his campaign all Trump, all the time. If I’d started an actual, instead of a virtual, campaign-long drinking game — taking a shot every time McAuliffe invoked the former president — I’d be on a liver-transplant list right now.

Luria is doing the same thing.

Instead of looking to the future, telling voters in the 2nd District what she’ll support to get inflation under control, to permanently lower gas prices and stem the flood of illegal immigration on our southern border, Luria’s fixated on Trump and his actions — and lack of actions — on January 6th, 2021.

Meanwhile, her opponent, another former Navy vet, Jen Kiggans is talking about inflation, energy costs, national security, stopping illegal immigration, transgenderism in schools.

You know, issues that matter to those looking ahead instead of backward.

No doubt Luria will be showered with donations from left-wing fat cats in New York and California who were dazzled by her prime-time performance on the January 6th committee show on Thursday.

But on November 8th we’ll find out if the 2nd District — like Luria — is consumed with the past. Or more concerned with the future and the future of their kids.

We know what happened when voters had the choice of a forward-looking Glenn Youngkin or a dour, Trump-obsessed McAuliffe.

Given that, perhaps Luria’s unofficial “I don’t care if I win” slogan is perfect.

This column has been republished with permission from Kerry: Unemployed & Unedited.


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Comments

37 responses to “Luria’s Curious Campaign Slogan”

  1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    Kerry want a representative whose primary focus is their re-election rather than doing the right thing… Trump, the perpetual campaigner is certainly your man, Kerry!!

  2. Kathleen Smith Avatar
    Kathleen Smith

    Kerry, let the best of the two win by the democratic process. They are both vets and more courage than you and I. Enough is enough. I totally agree!

  3. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Integrity. New word for you, Karen. You could apply it in your column writing, but odds are it will pay off big time the next time you play Scrabble first.

  4. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    Given the hand she’s been dealt (economy) and the voting record she has accumulated, it is a logical move. The goal is to drive home that growing wedge in Republican ranks, to make the people who are done with Trump (or dismissed him from the start) consider a vote for her or a non-vote. If Trump is an active ’24 candidate by September-October, the effect gets deeper.

    He needs to go away. Go back to the golf course and to rebuilding his business. If he does that, then indeed Luria is hanging there with no campaign. I agree that no minds remain undecided about what happened on January 6. I concluded that day that Trump was cheering it on and may have had a hand in organizing the mob, would have loved seeing Pence roughed up, and nothing since has dissuaded me. Count me in the “done with” column.

    1. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      You’ll see more of the opposition bring him and his supported politicos to front stage, as that only requires the message of I’m not Trump or his supporters.

    2. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      I’m in the “done with” column too. In fact, I never thought Trump was a good candidate. The question, however, was whether Trump was a better candidate than Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden. Nobody knows how Hillary Clinton would have done as president. However, we’ve all gotten to see the results of President Biden. If it’s Trump vs. Biden again in 2024 I’d have to seriously consider Trump.

      The Jan 6 “Commission” is a dumpster fire in my opinion. I see now that even Luria is talking about Trump’s “inactions” versus his “actions”. I guess the smoking gun isn’t there to be found.

      1. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        Nope. Cut outs and burner phones have protected plausible deniability. Learned that from Nixon, at least.

        1. Lefty665 Avatar
          Lefty665

          Thanks, I had never associated burner phones with Nixon before. Learn something new every day.

          1. Stephen Haner Avatar
            Stephen Haner

            Well the point being he and the plumbers in the basement didn’t HAVE any. 🙂

          2. Stephen Haner Avatar
            Stephen Haner

            Well the point being he and the plumbers in the basement didn’t HAVE any. 🙂

      2. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Trump/DeSantis 24 !

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          Don’t imagine Ron DeSantis would go for that.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Right..like Lindsey Graham and others were never-Trumpers then “converted”.

            Want 12 more years? Re-elect Trump then 2 more terms for De-Santis.

            You think they’re not talking about it? heh heh…

    3. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      He will. When there is no easy money in politics, he’ll return to wild eyed real estate investors for marks. Wait? Did I say, “When there is no easy money in politics”? Never mind. You guys are stuck with the next generation of Trumps now too.

    4. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      He will. When there is no easy money in politics, he’ll return to wild eyed real estate investors for marks. Wait? Did I say, “When there is no easy money in politics”? Never mind. You guys are stuck with the next generation of Trumps now too.

    5. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
      James Wyatt Whitehead

      I saw this bumper sticker up in Front Royal a few months back. It might capture how many feel about modern politics.
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1333da31820678e35ca047a18e13ed5b1197d39b8c726c92bf74cf8d5b939f97.jpg

  5. WayneS Avatar

    I don’t know.

    I don’t like her politics, but at least she has the courage of her convictions.

    I wish all elected officials were willing to risk defeat to stand up for their principles.

    1. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      “I don’t like her politics, but at least she has the courage of her convictions.”

      I don’t know if its conviction or playing to a base at this point.

      1. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        Always a challenge to parse out. 🙂 On a personal level, she and Spanberger are great candidates, probably fairly honest and diligent and my only objection is how they vote. My issues with Trump will not stop me from pulling the lever for other Republicans, unless they are so deeply in his camp it really is like voting for Trump. He cost us the Senate majority 18 months ago and he is about to do it again.

        1. Matt Adams Avatar
          Matt Adams

          “He cost us the Senate majority 18 months ago and he is about to do it again.”

          We shall see what November brings, the Ragin’ Cajun’s words might ring true again.

          The only reason Trump is hanging around is because he keeps being thrust into the limelight from the opposition, which is their intent. They don’t have to run on anything outside of anti-Trump.

          1. Stephen Haner Avatar
            Stephen Haner

            Agreed. Give Hilary credit for getting one thing right: He has no self control and can be manipulated by a simple tweet. J6 is all about goading him into running and ripping up the GOP.

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Ripping it up? Not burning it down and rebuilding it? My suggestion to y’all is to do just that. Sacrifice 6 years to rebuild and be a force for a century. The other option is a two-year cycle of destruction.

          3. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Sacrifice the next 6 years to Joe, Kamala, Nancy and Chuck? Talk about a cycle of destruction.

            We’d be better off if they would all (Repubs and Dems) go away. We could start over with an honest to goodness American Populist Party, There’s an APP for that.

          4. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Rule number 1 — Never try to catch a falling knife. Ever.

            If the Republicans do take Congress, both houses, in some freakish election outcome in 2022, they have to not only stop inflation and prevent a recession, but reverse the economy without increasing unemployment. If they don’t, they can kiss 2024 good-bye.

            In short, the Republican leadership will have to have a positive plan, something they haven’t had since before 2008. Or, at least, they’ve not shown one. The massive stock buy-back of 2017 was not a beneficial plan.

          5. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            I’ve got no illusions the Repubs will be miraculous. They pretty consistently find ways to screw things up too.

            They will however be a different flavor of bad, and that is a feature. We’ve had about all of the current bad we can stand.

            “Prevent a recession”, ha. We are in one now and will be further in with another quarter before the mid terms.

          6. WayneS Avatar

            Even if you’re wearing chain mail gloves?

          7. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            She learned that the hard way from living with Bill. You’re right, it’s about all she got right.

          8. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            She learned that the hard way from living with Bill. You’re right, it’s about all she got right.

            Can they goose Trump enough to declare before November? That would not be a surprise considering his pathological narcissism.

        2. Lefty665 Avatar
          Lefty665

          Spanberger worked for Bloody Gina the torturer on the covert side at CIA. We have no idea what she did, or why she “quit”. Neither she nor the agency will be forthcoming. You have no idea if she is honest, diligent or competent.

          That is not a great candidate or someone with any place in governing us.

          1. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            “Spanberger worked for Bloody Gina the torturer on the covert side at CIA.”

            Possibly true, there is also the possibility that she didn’t do much, but they won’t comment on that either.

          2. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            She has said she was on the covert side and CIA confirmed that. That was when Bloody Gina was running that side of things.

            You are right, doing bad things or nothing are both distinct possibilities. Good spooks are career spooks and don’t use it as a career step to public office.

          3. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            “Doing bad things or nothing are both distinct possibilities. Good spooks are career spooks and don’t use it as a career step to public office.”

            You are correct in that assessment, if she jumped to public office she wasn’t good at her job.

            I’d also laugh at the notion just because the CIA confirming anything. Just for some clarification Spanberger was on OPS officer from 2006-2014. Gina Haspel was only the director of Clandestine Ops for 4 months in 2013.

          4. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Good poop! What was Haspel doing before and after that? Obama’s “Look forward, don’t look back” and not cleaning house was disappointing. It left the door open for Trump to appoint Haspel as director.

          5. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            Hope and Change was a farce, FPOTUS Obama like all others since 1947 are beholden to the MIC and the IIC.

            If you buck them, they will screw you 6 ways from Sunday.

          6. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            CHANGE=SAME Orwell would have loved it.

            Looks like Haspel held several Deputy jobs on the clandestine side between ’05 & ’13.

            Wikipedia is a little vague on dates, but:

            “Haspel served as the Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service, Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service for Foreign Intelligence and Covert Action, and Chief of Staff for the Director of the National Clandestine Service.[26]”

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Haspel

          7. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            Ms. Haspel is a product of the agency since the 80’s. Needless to say her actions should’ve warranted termination, but she was part of the system which isn’t hard to rid.

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