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Attention Republican Officeholders: Avoid this story at all costs
Guest Post by Citizen Seeker
“Lindsey Graham is all 5-foot-7 with his shoes on, but these days he towers above his Senate colleagues.” – Dana Milbank, Washington Post, after Graham’s vote in favor of Elena Kagan
If you are a Republican officeholder in the current environment and the above words are written about you, prepare for a career beyond politics. It’s over.
Very little is so damning for any politician as exalting praise from committed partisan enemies for selling out your own team – and few things are considered as unforgivable by either party’s base. With our own base completely out of patience these days, Republican officeholders need to understand that while they are still at liberty to take their 30 pieces of silver, their careers will not long survive the exchange.
Looking ahead to 2011, when the Washington Post‘s editors are making endorsement decisions in over 100 local and state races in Northern Virginia, this is a lesson worth bearing in mind locally, too.
While the Post occassionally endorses a Republican because they are thoroughly embarassed by the Democrat and there are some districts where a Post endorsement can be a benefit, it is worth remembering that praise from the Washington Post is as often poisonous. With the WaPo’s already tarnished reputation suffering further under Weigelgate, the New Black Panther story, the JournoList story, and others, the ideal outcome for a Republican may well be the one achieved by Ken Cuccinelli in 2007: the Post was too embarassed by Oleszek to endorse her, but could hardly bring itself to endorse a man who presented such a legitimate and unwavering threat to their agenda.
Oscar Wilde once wrote that “you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies”. The nakedly partisan Washington Post is as worthy as an enemy can get for any Republican – and your own friends and supporters make for poor substitutes.
The Washington Post Endorses Eric Brescia, Aaron Ringel, and Tom Rust
The Washington Post released their endorsements of the House candidates starting on Friday. I’ll have more criticisms of their list in tomorrow’s edition regarding the candidates they should have endorsed, but in the meantime, I will praise their efforts for today’s endorsements.
As you have read several times on this blog, Del. Tom Rust is the better choice to his opponent, who is a carpetbagger (currently represents the Dulles District on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, owns a house in the Broadlands, and rents an apartment in Sterling). The Post agrees, and they endorsed Rust in his re-election bid.
District 86: Thomas D. Rust, the incumbent, is one of the more effective lawmakers in the General Assembly, a pro-business Republican who has also gained backing for some of his initiatives from environmentalists. Mr. Rust has enacted important legislation that will ease the way for more toll roads to be built, and he’s played a constructive, responsible role in securing funding for education and other priorities that many in his own party opposed.
In Arlington, two rising stars in the Republican party have also received the endorsements of the Post. Both Aaron Ringel (who is challenging Bob Brink) and Eric Brescia (who is running in the 47th District) are excellent candidates, who will bring refreshing change in Richmond for their respective districts.
By contrast, Mr. Brescia, an economist who’s just 24, is a relative newcomer. However, he is exactly what the Republicans need in Northern Virginia: an independent-minded thinker who has fresh and specific ideas for how to save money in health care and make government work better.
Robert H. Brink, the Democratic incumbent, has held this seat for a decade, and in that time he’s barely faced a serious challenge. This year he has one in the form of Republican Aaron Ringel, a bright young combat veteran of the war in Iraq who works for a defense contractor. Mr. Brink is a competent legislator but he has opposed widening Interstate 66. That wins points with some homeowners who’d be directly affected but does little for the tens of thousands of commuters who suffer that road daily. Mr. Ringel takes a broader regional view of that issue.
This is definitely good news and could add two more pickups for the Republicans in Arlington, which is typically a Democratic stronghold.
The Washington Post and Fairfax Times Endorse Danny Smith
In the 38th District, Danny Smith has been working hard to get elected by sharing his vision for improving Fairfax County’s outlook on education, transportation, and the economy. From my first interview with Smith back in May, I knew that he stood a strong chance of winning this seat, especially after watching the performance of his opponent during a debate about a month ago.
Well, The Washington Post and Fairfax Times have endorsed Smith for Delegate.
Fairfax Times said:
We like what we’re hearing from Republican Danny Smith, who has some interesting thoughts on improving Fairfax County’s transportation, education, and economic outlook. Smith’s idea of setting smaller, more attainable transportation objectives in order to regain the trust of Fairfax residents who’ve been sending dollars to Richmond for 20-plus years certainly resonates with us. He also has strong opinions on tailoring K-12 education to our high-tech world, saying math and science need to be getting more attention in our classrooms.
The Washington Post said:
Danny R. Smith, the Republican candidate, is a bright, independent-minded civic leader who cares about promoting affordable housing. A Realtor and corporate executive, he would bring a refreshingly bipartisan sensibility to Richmond.
There’s still a lot more work to be done, and if you would like to help Danny to victory, visit his website.
Washington Post Endorses Creigh Deeds
The Washington Post endorsed Creigh Deeds for Governor. One has to wonder what they were smoking when endorsing Deeds, as he has no concrete proposals on what he will do for the Commonwealth. So, keep on the lookout for the road signs.
Why has The Washington Post remained quiet on this?
Ten years ago, a candidate who ran for re-election to the House of Delegates in Bath County made a comment on an ad that ran in the Bath County Register, which said:
“I don’t believe in discrimination, but I don’t believe in special rights for anyone. I have never voted to allow gay partners to receive medical insurance — or any other benefit — from the state. It’s sad that Mr. Collins has to resort to bigotry and hate-mongering.”
Now, who said this and who has placed Bob McDonnell’s 1989 thesis into the spotlight recently? That’s right, Creigh Deeds. Now, since The Washington Post has been ridiculing McDonnell on a thesis written 20 years ago, when will they ridicule Deeds on his statement, which appeared in a newspaper ten years ago?
H/T Virginia Virtucon, The Write Side of My Brain, and The Weekly Standard
