Tim Craig and Jeff Schapiro on the November Elections

The GOP has little margin for error because Democrats did a better job recruiting candidates. Few incumbent Democratic delegates or senators are facing serious Republican challenges. But at least eight GOP-held Senate seats and a dozen Republican-held House seats could be up for grabs, political strategists say.

This is about in sync with Governor Kaine's comment the other day that there are 7-9 Senate seats and as many as 15 House seats that are competitive.  The key in this off-off year election is going to be turnout: which side will get out its base to the polls?  Favoring the Democrats is anger over abuser fees, which were concocted by Republicans and rammed through by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.  Potentially favoring Republicans is anger against illegal immigration. 

On the latter, see Jeff Schapiro's Richmond Times-Dispatch article about how "Republicans are ratcheting up the rhetoric now because they don't have much to talk about."  I believe it's known as "utter cynicism."  Even worse, Schapiro notes that "GOP lawmakers in this state are coming across as less interested in repairing the system -- one that is the responsibility of a federal government led by Republican George Bush -- than in reviling those who are overwhelming it." All while continuing to take wads of money from corporations like Smithfield Foods that employ and exploit illegal immigration for their own profit.

Utter cynicism and hypocrisy, combined with a willingness to divide and "revile" people by employing dangerous and highly emotional "wedge issue" language, all in the desperate hope of saving their abuser fee asses?  Yeah, that's the Virginia Republican Party nowadays. But what else are you going to do when you've got absolutely no positive accomplishments or constructive ideas to brag about - "nothing to report," as Jim Webb said of George Allen?  Wedge issues it is!

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