Linked here: Lew Leadbeater
Last week came the news that Dr. Keith Hummel, the Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives from the 1st District, suspended his campaign. Once again the Republicans had found the mole hole and discovered fertile dirt in the Democratic Garden of Eden. And once again the Democrats watched while their plant was totally destroyed by a GOP vole that lusted after the rooty succulence of Hummel's past financial difficulties.While at least one local Democratic leader has admitted that she knew of one Hummel bankruptcy case, the fact is that, according to The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, Hummel was involved in three bankruptcy suits in 1992, 1993 and 2003.
According to filings in the 2003 case, Hummel owed more than $700,000 to 47 creditors, and much of that in conjunction with a $550,500 home, where he runs a vineyard, and several vehicles. The case was settled in 2007.
Settled or not, the point is that whatever Democratic operatives either failed to fully vet Hummel thought that, despite his freewheeling financial follies, the rug under which they would shovel all this was securely tacked down. As penance, they should appear publicly with their egg-smeared faces and apologize for yet another inexcusably embarrassing boo-boo.
In a note to James City County Democrats, chairman Ralph Bresler admitted that, "Given the experience of the past two years, a stronger vetting process of candidates is needed." Let it not be said that Democrats are oblivious to the obvious.
There is no reason to believe that Wittman's stolidity toward moderation will change. The ramifications of his intransigence for the 1st District could be disastrous in terms of its disconnected and moribund representation in Congress.If the Democrats hold the House in November and Barack Obama is elected president, the hidebound neo-conservatives to whom Wittman pays such loyal obeisance will be so totally marginalized as to be utterly ineffective.
Whether any Democrat could have beaten Wittman in November is questionable. As things stand now, we'll never know. Thanks to yet another incident of incredibly sloppy grunt work on the part of Democratic machine oilers, those who disagree with the dank doctrines of Bush and Wittman will have no choice but to leave the polls without voting for a more enlightened point of view.
Now with Fredericksburg up in arms against some of the regional party leadership, there are some in the south of the District that see Fredericksburg's call-to-action as "unhelpful" and "wrong". While I cannot say that I necessarily see the wisdom in removing Suzette Matthews from Chair of the First District Democratic Committeee, clearly the Democrats of this district need to improve their leadership or the vetting process or something. We seem to have been promised that before.