The Washington Post has an interesting article today about "a fight between two wings of the Republican Party" and how it's not just a minor squabble, but a huge, almost irreconcilable "difference over the future of Virginia and the role of investment and taxes."And it's not just money for relieving transportation gridlock. That's absolutely crucial, of course, but there's more. According to the Post:
The House and Senate also failed to reach agreement in other areas, showcasing philosophical differences between Republicans in the two chambers. Some of the session's bills received near universal approval in one body, only to crumple in the other.The Senate, for example, voted to ban smoking in virtually all public places, reflecting a cultural shift in attitudes about tobacco in a state whose rural economy has been built on the crop for nearly 400 years. But the proposal failed to pass even its first legislative test in the House.
The House passed guidelines to require abortion clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgery centers. As in the past, the idea died in the Senate's Education and Health Committee.
The House and Senate also disagreed on how to treat illegal immigrants who want to attend state colleges. House members voted to ban them. Senators offered a way for them to attend with reduced tuition. Both ideas fizzled in the opposite chamber.
The House also rejected several efforts by Republican senators to allow police departments to use cameras at intersections to catch red-light runners. Delegates said the cameras violate privacy rights.
The two sides could not even agree on a state song. After nine years of searching for a replacement for "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," retired because its lyrics are considered racist, the Senate voted to adopt the folk tune "Shenandoah" temporarily. Despite being serenaded by a college choir, a House panel said no, leaving the state songless.
Fixing transportation, increasing taxes, instituting smoking bans, tightening restrictions on abortion clinics, educating illegal immigrants, installing red light cameras, and agreeing on a state song. On all these issues, Virginia Republicans are strongly - almost irreconcilably - divided.
Cracking down on sex offenders and vicious dogs, providing a small tax break for back-to-school purchases, modernizing telecommunications laws, and barring same-sex marriage. Republicans were able to agree in all these cases and pass relevant legislation on the issues.
Is there any pattern here? It's hard to see, but I believe there are regional differences at work here - rural vs. suburban - as well as ideological - conservative vs. moderate. With the exception of the same-sex marriage amendment, the first list, where Republicans strongly disagree, is all about taxes, social issues, and immigration. The second list, where Republicans agree, is somewhat a hodgepodge, but is primarily focused on public safety and politically popular/non-controversial stuff. Again, with the exception of gay marriage.
On most issues, Democrats like Governor Kaine are on the same side as Republican state Senators. And, on most issues, they are on opposing sides to House Republicans. Not surprisingly, it was from the ranks of the Republican Senate that a moderate challenger to Jerry W. Kilgore arose. His name was Russ Potts, and he was vilified by the Republican right wing in this state - the same people who launched primary challenges to so-called RINO's ("Republicans in name only") last year. In the end, the challenges failed miserably, with 5 of 6 non-RINOs going down to defeat in the June 2005 primary, and the other one - Chris "Anything with a Pulse" Craddock - getting crushed in November 2005. Then, another right-winger, Dick "Baby Pesticides" Black's son-in-law and political protege Mick Staton, got absolutely crushed in a special election on January 31, 2006 (by Mark Herring, 62%-38%). Fascinating trend going on here, wouldn't you say?
Perhaps that's why House Republicans are so combative these days, including in their dealings with Governor Kaine, recently elected in a near-landslide. For example, House Republicans this past Tuesday "took the history-making step of rejecting a nominee for secretary of the commonwealth, touching off a furious response from Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and fellow Democrats." And, as Not Larry Sabato first reported, House Republicans sabotaged Gov. Kaine's nomination of David Ashe to head Virginia's Department of Business Assistance. As my colleague and friend Josh Chernila pointed out:
Irresponsible Government at its finest. House Republican seem to be at war with the idea of taking care of the issues that face Virginians, and would rather engage in this kind of spittin match.
Impotent infighting endangers our future.
George Allen's legacy: a bunch of spoiled babies with one hand on the wheels of government and a pacifier in the other.
pitiful
I couldn't agree more. House Republicans are living in a world of anger, petulance, ignorance, nastiness, far-right-wing ideology, and downright stupidity. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are busy dealing with reality and developing (generally) moderate, bi-partisan solutions to Virginia's problems. And Democrats are generally on the side of the moderate Senate Republicans.
The question moving forward is this: how, if at all, will the split in Virginia's Republican Party develop? Will it worsen even further and lead to divorce, or will the two sides reach some sort of modus vivendi. Will Virginia's Republican Party move even further to the right like the national party has done, or will they reach a "sensible centrist" solution to "moving Virginia forward" - together? We'll see, but I for one am not betting on the latter scenarios.