Lessons Not Learned

Posted by Larry Miller on September 3, 2009 under Why | Read the First Comment

Where has the principled courage of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) gone? Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds has been raising a ruckus about a thirty year old thesis written by his Republican opponent Bob McDonnell. This thesis, written in youthful enthusiasm, said such terrible things as killing unborn babies was wrong and that children raised by stay-at-home mothers tended to fare better than those whose mothers worked outside the home. Deeds questions how anyone with such outdated ideas could be taken seriously. RPV has no defense, only a strategy of duck and cover.

While times have changed, principles have not. Former Attorney General McDonnell may express himself differently these days, but I would hope the ideals of the young student have not changed significantly. Instead of defending ideas that have broad appeal in the normally red state of Virginia, RPV Chairman Pat Mullins issued a statement complaining that Mr. Deeds has introduced divisive social issues into the campaign. One has to wonder if this is the milquetoast leadership the party insiders were looking for when they ousted Jeff Frederick from the position and replaced him with Mullins a few weeks before this summer’s convention in Richmond. A recent Rasmussen poll shows that 74% of Republicans believe that their congressional representatives have lost touch with the voters. Is it much of a stretch to believe the same of party leaders as well?

The Republican candidate, who is a good man and has compiled a strong conservative record during his years in the General Assembly, is now running as a jobs and energy moderate… not that there is anything wrong with either issue. They are about making a living… not a life. As this is written, McDonnell is up by seven points over Deeds… down from double digits a few weeks ago. Unfortunately it appears that his political gurus are working to mellow him down the same road of defeat that they showed previous candidates for this position, Jerry Kilgore and Mark Earley. Read more of this article »