Are Virginia Republican legislators the most arrogant, vindictive S.O.B.'s you ever saw in your life? First, they take revenge on former Del. Jim Dillard (R-Fairfax) - kicking him off the Board of Visitors at the College of William and Mary - for his heresy of endorsing a Democrat over a right-wing extremist. To quote the Virginian-Pilot:
...Dillard?s heresy was in endorsing a Democrat over a hard-line, anti-taxer in the election for his successor. The Democrat won. Off with Dillard?s head.In a shameful moment, 51 members of the House GOP caucus banded together to strip Dillard of his appointment to the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary, where Dillard?s grandfather served as rector. A handful of Republicans, including Bob Tata of Virginia Beach, had the decency and the good sense to reject the massacre.
Here's Jim Dillard himself on the subject:
It reflects rather poorly on the [GOP] caucus. It's demonstrative of the cancer that's eating our party from the inside...What are they thinking? I'm heartsick about what's happening to Virginia and where [the Republican Party] is going.
Yeah, so are we all, Jim. Sick of where the Republican Party is going, I mean.
Now, here's Russ Potts (R-27) on the subject:
The political climate in which we serve becomes more vindictive and meaner. Whatever happened to principle and courage?
Good question, Russ. Answer? The Virginia Republican Party went off the (far-right) deep end.
Now, as if what they did to Jim Dillard wasn't bad enough, the Virginia Republicans have decided to take an almost unprecedented action and reject a Governor's cabinet appointee. What do Republicans have against Daniel G. LeBlanc? Is this guy an axe murderer or something? Oh no, something much worse. Daniel G. LeBlanc is...GASP....pro-union! Not only that, he's a former president of the state AFL-CIO and a member of the Democratic National Committee. Ee gads. And worst of all, LeBlanc had the sheer audacity to criticize Virginia's sacred "right-to-work" law, or as Leslie Byrne calls it the "right-to-be-poor" law. Or, as Daniel G. LeBlanc calls it, the "right-to-work-for-less" law.
So much for the fact that Tim Kaine was just elected by 6 points over Jerry W. Kilgore. So much for the fact that even former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) says "I believe a governor ought to be able to pick a Cabinet." So much for the fact that this move, combined with the Dillard backstab, makes the Republicans look like all they care about is playing petty partisan politics. And so much for the fact that all this does is make the Democratic Party of Virginia look like the sensible, pragmatic party focused on good government. Which it is, of course.
Next time you vote, remember Jim Dillard and Daniel LeBlanc. And remember which party is obsessed with spite, revenge, nastiness, giving huge tax breaks to a few hundred rich families, and (stopping) sex. Then vote accordingly.