This week's Virginia Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi was one of the liveliest I've ever heard. Perhaps that's because we're only 8 days out from the Primary election on June 14, but that's just wild speculation on my part of course. :)Seriously, though, this was a highly enlightening hour of Virginia politics. First of all, it was interesting who showed up for an interview and who didn't. The show today was pretty much all Republicans, and not surprisingly gubernatorial candidate George Fitch was there. In addition, Bob McDonnell and Steve Baril participated. No Lt. Governor candidates were to be heard, possibly because of time limitations (?), and...big surprise: there was no Jerry Kilgore. Now, isn't that a shock? Apparently, Kilgore had his usual, recurring, unspecified "schedule conflicts." Rough life, I guess.
Anyway, here are highlights from the people who actually showed up:
*George Fitch says he's running as a true Reagan Republican, and that Jerry Kilgore won't debate him because that would force him to "come out into the open and out from behind sound bites."
*Steve Baril says that Bob McDonnell is running a campaign of "political entitlement and political endorsements," while he is running to "keep Virginia safe."
*On immigration, Baril says that it's a Federal issue and that Virginia doesn't have jurisdiction on the matter. However, he would ensure that "people who are here illegally are not going to get benefits."
*Baril says that McDonnell is "extremely weak on the Second Amendment," and that this will be a big problem against Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds in the general election, especially given that Deeds has an "A+ rating from the NRA."
*Baril accuses McDonnell of "trading off his political leadership in order to make a living."
*Baril does not welcome the Russ Potts' endorsement of him as a "moderate." Baril considers himself "much more conservative than Bob McDonnell [on guns], and also strongly "pro-life."
*Bob McDonnell says he has "experience my opponent does not have," plus a "better plan for what I'd do in office" on sex offenders, terrrorism, pedophilia, and other issues.
*McDonnell's top priority is public safety. He advocates the use of GPS tracking/electronic monitoring for sex offenders, saying that Creigh Deeds "borrowed my idea" on this subject.
*McDonnell bashes Baril as having "no law enforcement experience, no military background, no record of service in elective office." McDonnell adds that Baril "knows he's very well behind" and is "desperate," so it's "predictable" that he's "turned to attacking the character of the other candidate."
*McDonnell says that Baril's attacks on him, including "concocting a conspiracy theory about [my] circumventing campaign finance laws" in order to help save "a failing campaign," are "extremely disappointing" and "absolutely false."
*Finally, Congressman Jim Moran opines that Mark Warner will not run for Senate against George Allen in 2006, since he "wants to run for President" in 2008. *Moran adds that Warner has "real capability to be a national leader," and that a race against Allen in 2006 would not help him set up for 2008.
*Moran says that former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer would be a good choice to run for Senate against Allen in 2006, the only question being whether Virginia is "receptive" to a "more moderate, pro-business...enlightened individual in terms of social issues."
*Moran definitely discourages his "youngest brother" Brian from making the "big sacrifices" that he himself has made in order to seek the US Senate seat next year. Essentially, Jim Moran is saying that Brian has a perfectly good law practice and a "beautiful family," so why mess it up by running against Allen?
As I said, it was an extremely interesting hour of Virginia politics today on WAMU radio. Who said politics wasn't fun?