Waldo on "The rise and fall of the RPV"

By: Lowell
Published On: 2/24/2008 7:31:27 AM

Check out Waldo Jaquith's take on "The rise and fall of the RPV," it's right on the money:

I'm likewise pleased by the news that Jeff Frederick is looking to become the new RPV chairman. (For those playing along at home, yeah, the RPV replaces its chairman, like, weekly.) Frederick is a far-right Republican, precisely the sort of guy whose positions are losing Republicans the majority.

The other night I had a chance to chat with a dozen Republican friends and newly-made Republican friends, some of whom are pretty prominent in the world of Virginia politics. To a man, they vented frustration about how far right the party has become, about how certain they are that the state is about to have two Democrats in the U.S. Senate, and how certain they are that the HoD is about to flip to Dems. They all agreed that Republicans' continual crunch to the right is the source of this, and all anticipate vindication in the very near future. Interestingly, several actually agree with these far-right positions, but recognize that they're just too far out of the mainstream for the party to promote...

So, do Democrats take back the House of Delegates in 2009, do we have to wait until 2011, or is Waldo's analysis flawed somehow?  What do you think?

Comments



the flaw is (Brian Kirwin - 2/24/2008 9:46:00 AM)
Waldo doesn't point out which of these supposedly non-mainstream ideas he's talking about, except the Senate budget vote.

On that, Democrats voted to raid transportation funding and then increase the gas tax while raiding the lottery profits.  I'd call that pretty out of the mainstream, and I'd bet any poll about it would side with the Republicans.



It's in the Eating (Waldo Jaquith - 2/24/2008 12:32:11 PM)
If Virginia Republicans' ideas are in the mainstream, why an ever-growing majority of the mainstream now supporting Democrats?

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, Brian.



Pudding (Brian Kirwin - 2/24/2008 2:29:57 PM)
Democrat pudding tastes curiously like pork.


That's It? (Waldo Jaquith - 2/24/2008 4:54:49 PM)
So...you've got nothin'?

I'm a big believer in capitalism. The free market tells us a lot. And, right now, the free political market in Virginia supports Democrats' ideas and, inherently, opposes Republicans'. Do you have any evidence to the contrary?



Free Market? (Brian Kirwin - 2/24/2008 6:02:16 PM)
Yeah....that's a knee slapper.  Your party is pushing universal government-paid health care and government-paid pre-K for all.

Get back to me when you figure would a way to make that sound like free market capitalism.



Why Would People Vote Against Republicans? (Scott Surovell - 2/24/2008 11:16:59 AM)
1 - We're growing hay in Virginia's medians because we're out of transportation money

2 - Bridges are falling down in Minnesota because of lack of infrastructure investment.

3 - We can't find $900 million for a rail line to Dulles while we send that much to Iraq about once a week.

4 - We spend more time in the General Assembly fighting about illegal immigrants, gay marriage, and abortion, than say, helping to do something about helping mitigate the mortgage crisis or hold those responsible accountable.  Check out this:

Here's a look at the ratio of foreclosures/REOs and short-sales to total inventory in Ashburn as of today...

Actives:

   * There are 446 total active properties for sale (listed in the MLS)
   * Of those, 121 are either foreclosures/REOs or short-sales
   * Distressed properties account for 27 percent of the available inventory in Ashburn

Under Contract:

   * There are a total of 130 properties currently under contract in Ashburn
   * Of those, 63 are either foreclosures/REOs or short-sales
   * Distressed properties account for 48 percent of the properties currently under contract

As you can see, about half of the properties that sold recently have been distressed. Buyers and investors are looking for the best deals and are willing to put some money and sweat equity into the property once they've bought it.  Ashburn Foreclosure/REO and Short Sale Update

5 - Their best thinkers on transportation funding think the best long-term solutions is to sell off the public's revenue generating assets.  See Howell, Albo Remarks, March 27, 2006 Press Conference, Bacon's Rebellion

6 - The National Debt has ballooned to $9 Trillion under the party "of fiscal responsibility.

7 - We're funding both sides of the War on Terror, the Dolllar is collapsing driving oil prices up (and more money to terror-supporting countries), while they take our money and buy back our debt and assets at depreciated values.

Republican governance is just great.  Starving the beast and refusing to invest in our own country just does wonders.  

Voters understand.  That's why they are losing.



And because they're obsessed with (Lowell - 2/24/2008 11:27:12 AM)
having the government snoop around our bedrooms, spying on us, starting wars for no reason, blocking crucial medical research because of their fundamentalist/theocratic agenda, demagoguing every issue, stirring up animosity and divisiveness (see Karl Rove Politics), suppressing scientific facts in the name of ideology and also to protect their Big Oil and other business buddies, racking up enormous national debt for our children and grandchildren to deal with, refusing to deal with global warming and other critical environmental issues, keeping us addicted ot Saudi oil, tilting the playing field to favor companies that outsource our jobs as opposed to keeping good jobs in America, etc., etc., etc.  Shall I go on?


News Update: Hager likely to stay on as RPV chair - Bob Gibson (aznew - 2/26/2008 10:50:59 AM)
Gibson's article here:

http://www.mydailyprogress.com...

Main points:

1. All 11 congressional district chairs have signed a letter asking Republican Party of Virginia Chair

*  *  *

2.  "I think Paul [Harris] would be a great future leader," Hager said. "It's just not a good time to make a change."

*  *  *

3. Del. Jeff Frederick, R-Woodbridge, is running for the position, the Prince William County Republican lawmaker confirmed. ...   GOP legislators give Frederick little chance of unseating Hager.