Recently I have seen a lot of talk that vote-rich NOVA, combined with a good showing in Hampton Roads, will be enough for Democrats to win statewide elections in Virginia for the foreseeable future.
Recently I have seen a lot of talk that vote-rich NOVA, combined with a good showing in Hampton Roads, will be enough for Democrats to win statewide elections in Virginia for the foreseeable future.
Certainly, there is some amount of demographic logic to this. After all, those areas are growing in population, and as a general proposition, urban environment tend to support Democrats more than rural ones. I am sure there are various socioeconomic reasons for this, and gross generalizations are rarely valid in every individual case, but I think in the end it boils down to the fact that urban life by its very nature tends to be more dependent upon an active and competent government to run smoothly, while rural lifestyles tend to be more centered on individuals. As a result, Democratic and Progressive wordviews and approaches toward the role of government in society seem to fit the needs of urban dwellers more than that of Conservatives and Republicans.
But whatever the reason, a strategy that relies solely on vote-rich NOVA and HR will end up being a disaster for Democrats in Virginia. The key for long-term Democratic governance in the Commonwealth lies in ensuring that our state-wide candidates articulate a vision for all Virginians, rural and urban, small town and exurb.
I am delighted to see, therefore, that both Creigh Deeds and Brian Moran are trying to do so. Just yesterday, Sen. Deeds said the following about the Silver Line approval:
"While Metrorail service to Tysons and Dulles is a welcome development, it is only one piece of the puzzle: We must build a 21st century statewide system of transportation that allows our entire Commonwealth and economy to grow. As Governor, implementing a vision for a statewide transportation system will be one of my top priorities as part of my economic recovery and job creation initiative. Virginians have been stuck in traffic for too long and our continued economic success depends on building consensus and delivering results on this critical issue."
The same day, the News-Virginian reported:
Sen. Creigh Deeds, who grew up on a Bath County farm, told a breakfast gathering at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation convention at The Homestead that he has an intimate understanding of agricultural issues, noting that he's the only one to have been born in Virginia and born on a farm."Now is the time to stand with Virginia's farmers," Deeds said.
But Sen. Deeds was not alone in extolling the attention that needs to be paid to Virginia's rural areas. The News-Virginian reported this about Del. Moran's comments at the same gathering:
Del. Brian Moran, of Alexandria, told the group later in the morning that he has championed the federation's issues in the House of Delegates, even going against his own party to support ending the estate tax. America, Moran said, "was born on a Virginia farm."He said current challenges are related to one another.
"Strong agriculture policy can lead to healthier kids and less money spent on health care," Moran said. "Better land use planning can mean protecting generations of farmers. And our environmental policies can have a huge impact on our economic development plans."
These candidates have it exactly right. Sen. Deeds, raised on a farm, talks about the importance of mass transit to the entire state, not just to the specific areas served by that project, while Del. Moran, from the wilds of Arlington, discusses the historical and practical importance to the entire Commonwealth of supporting Virginia's farmers.