Posted on 11/07/2013 12:10:24 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
My wife Beth and I went to vote yesterday at our usual polling place on the University of Virginia campus. I went with no enthusiasm, more out of a sense of duty, I suppose, and of bearing witness.
Outside the polling place were two pavilions for last minute canvassing. The Republican tent was, characteristically, empty, while the Democrat team, with blue and green McAuliffe banners flying, looked cool and smug.
For good reason. They had waged a ruthless, vicious, dishonest and brilliant campaign-- not just to elect Terry McAuliffe governor but to discredit and destroy the Virginia Republican Party, and Republicans both in Washington and Richmond let it happen.
The Cuccinelli campaign has to have been the worst for a state office I’ve seen in a long time.
But as I said, the Democrats were brilliant.
First, starting this summer they and the local media began destroying the reputation of our sitting GOP governor Bob McDonnell with a feeding frenzy of stories about how a wealthy backer had given McDonnell and his family gifts and financial help (which McDonnell later returned). That not only took McDonnell, who's been a successful and popular governor — some even considered him a presidential contender in 2016 — out as kingmaker for Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign. It also poisoned the well for all Republicans in the state, and made them look like the party of corruption and sleaze. And when you are running against Terry McAuliffe, that’s saying something.
Republican response: silence.
A host of liberal feminist groups like Planned Parenthood launched a barrage of ads portraying Cuccinelli as the second coming of the Salem witch trials.
Republican response: nothing.
Then a Texas Obama bundler named Joe Liemandt began bankrolling Robert Sarvis to run as a libertarian candidate for governor, fatally splitting the GOP vote.
Republican response: a long deer-in-the-headlights stare at polls that showed Sarvis wasn't going away until literally the day before the election the Cuccinelli campaign got Ron Paul to come out and denounce far too late Sarvis’s bogus campaign.
Fourth and equally fatally, the national GOP decided to pull the money plug on Cuccinelli in October, deeming him unelectable.
Given the feebleness of the campaign’s efforts thus far, that might have seemed justified. But it’s becoming clear the real reason was to be able to blame the looming debacle in Virginia on the Tea Party and the advocates of government shutdown like Ted Cruz.
That plan has backfired. Instead, the GOP missed the opportunity to seize on the growing disenchantment with Obamacare—disenchantment that almost upset the Democrats’ best laid plans here in Virginia at the last minute, and came to within 55,000 votes of pushing Cuccinelli over the finish line. Now even the mainstream media are saying the GOP made a major error in not backing Cuccinelli.
Meanwhile, here in Virginia we’re stuck with the equivalent of a Soprano family capo as governor –a liberal Soprano capo. We’re also stuck with a broken Virginia GOP and the same feckless GOP national leadership.
Sophocles said those whom the gods want to destroy they first drive insane. Today they just make them Virginia Republicans.
Correction: the author is Arthur Herman
We call it riding the gravy train.
Pink Floyd "Have a Cigar"
This is a well written, well done article. Thanks for posting it.
As far as I understand, they seem to be saying "we're not as bad as the Democrats," and "We won't bankrupt the country as quickly as the Democrats."
They are in short, Democrats-lite. Why, as many have pointed out here before, would anyone want a "cheap knock-off" (GOPe), when you can get the real thing? (Democrats).
Can someone - McCain, Romney, etc. please tell me why I should vote for you, rather than a Democrat? Can the GOPe even identify the difference between themselves and the Democrats?
They can go to hell.
The GOPe and RINOs always find backstabbing to be the “so much easier” option. Especially when it comes to actually slugging it out with the Alinskyites.
!again!
It really is illogical to think reform and restoration of freedom will emerge from these people. To them, our purpose as voters is to condone tyranny of the rat/GOPE ruling class.
Team Romney and Rove (supporters of RomneyCARE/ObamaCARE)
won. Like Obama, IT WAS A WIN.
Political consultants happily pushing anyone with a bank account.
The democrats understand what many people here on FR do not. You do not dilute your support by involving third party involvement. In this case, they did it for the Republicans by getting Robert Sarvis in the race. Remember Ross Perot?
A bit of history from an old timer. It is always much sweeter to elect your own candidate than theirs. There is an old saying in politics, which ironically I picked up in Virginia in the 60’s. “He is a son of a witch, but he’s our son of a witch.” That applies perfectly to the Governor elect in Virginia, but he’s theirs, not ours. Apologies to Witches.
It’s right out of the Clinton playbook - split the vote and get elected with less than 50% of the vote.
Absolutely.
I suspect that this is one of three overlapping reasons the GOP has so much trouble.
Door to door GOTV efforts do give consultants a big payday for little effort.
When they win they are expected by their voter to actually do what they promised their voters. Even those who are fairly conservative like McConnell seem to ignore that they need to explain how their deal making advances their voters concerns.
The Republican party allow themselves to be represented by their most liberal members. I think Mcpain and Lindy Graham are on the Sunday shows more than half the time.
Lead vocal by Roy Harper - the only non-Pink lead vocal except for the wailing on “Great Gig in the Sky”.
Very underrated PF album....
IMO The GOP is much more interested in screwing over Conservative Republicans than in beating Democrats.
Their answer to any subject that comes up is silence.
We see a statement from Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid constantly in the news and no response.
We see the Democrats beating up on something, and no response from Republicans.
Some here are not in favor of a third party because we cannot win with a third party for years-—well folks—I am telling you we are not going to win with a republican party that is fighting itself for control, and has no balls either.
Very well stated.
Lee Atwater, where are you now they we need you?
Reince Priebus needs to resign. What dirty dealings, and as always, the republican NEVER stand up against the lies of the left. When are they going to learn?
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