Chairman of the RPV, Ed Gillespie, motored a long way for the Hampton Republican Committee fellowship breakfast on Sat. 24 Feb. He had to hurry home for his daughter’s basketball game. It was a long round trip to hear voices he, apparently, hasn’t heard in Richmond or NoVa.
Mike Wade, Chairman of the Hampton Committee and the 3rd District, hosted. Sprinkled among the 50 or so folks were visitors from Va Beach, Portsmouth, Newport News and Poquoson.
The whole time was very Tidewater. Respectful. Polite. Closing with a standing ovation. Yet, it showed some of the fault lines across the General Assembly, the Party and The People. It exposed some of the political thinking which may make the Republican Party the minority party across the Commonwealth soon enough.
Gillespie talked about winning the ‘grand slam’ of ‘07, ‘08, ‘09 elections and controlling re-districting in ‘10. He mentioned the Virginia Republican Creed’s principles of limited government and lower taxes. Then, he praised the Republican ‘compromise’ Transportation bill as a contrast to what the Democrats would do and the absence of action from Democrat Gov. Kaine.
Then, the questions began. No one is buying the Party line. No one in that room.
The starkest comment was a fellow who said, essentially, “Quit threatening us with the Democrats. It’s not going to work. It’s not going to work with the voters.”
The other comments ranged from sending a message to Sen. John Warner to support the war or don’t run again, to get the National Park Service involved in the Ft. Monroe closure issues, to how a candidate for city council in Portsmouth can build voter identity other than the ‘Republican’ guy, to a fellow from Hampton University who said quit pandering to minorities but include them on the basis of issues – and the absence of a Reagan Conservative front-runner for President.
The comments on what I call the ’07 Transportation Tax Panic criticized the pouring concrete that won’t reduce congestion, failure to add to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and several comments about unelected Regional Governments we rejected TWICE before and that the Republican bill violated the very principles Gillespie had lauded. All said kindly, but firmly.
The Republican ‘stra-tege-ery’ emerged as this – in my words:
The plan saves Republican seats in NoVa because the GOP did something on transportation. Now, any failure to pass a plan can be blamed on the Democrats.
Furthermore, the bill requires the cities and counties to raise the taxes ($209m in year One in Hampton Roads), so they will be blamed for raising taxes, not Republicans. In fact, it creates an opportunity for Republicans to run Conservative candidates in cities and counties to NOT raise the taxes and create unelected, unaccountable Regional Governments the Republicans put in the compromise bill.
(When I told my apolitical, school counselor wife this, she said, “What? Say that again.” “Okay, dear. The Republicans in Richmond put new taxes, and Regional Government – we’ve already rejected TWICE, for a plan that doesn’t decrease congestion in a law, so that Republicans can win elections in the cities and counties running against it.” She said, “Surely, they don’t think the voters are that stupid.”)
In ’02 the Republicans – same cast of characters in the Caucus – passed the buck to the voters. In ’04 the RINOs raised taxes with the Dems. Now in ‘07, the Caucus passed the buck to the cities and counties.
Ed Gillespie indicated he will ask the State Central Committee to vote to support the plan. That’s ironic. I was on State Central when we voted almost unanimously to ask, respectfully, the Caucus to not raise our taxes in 04. I heard how they laughed at the notion. Senators Norment and Chichester made some pointed comments about ‘gnats on the butt of an elephant’ etc. I look forward to the SCC meeting in March.
So, the logic is this: When the State Central Committee, the Party, asks the Caucus to honor the principles of the Virginia Republican Creed they are ignored by the Caucus. Yet, when the Caucus passes legislation directly in violation of Republican principles, they demand the Party support them.
It shows the fundamental relationship of power and divisions across the Commonwealth. The Party doesn’t deliver the money or the votes that gets politicians elected. Party discipline is a wet noodle (see what the 28th State District decides on Monday about His Lordship Sir John Chichester). The Party faithful who are useful fools and loyal eunuchs are patronized with the modest petting they require to prop up politicians at election time.
Meanwhile, the different political sub-cultures of NoVa and RoVa ignore state politics until election time. The RINOs can serve the special interests who support them financially with few consequences. Except, as my wife suggested, the voters aren’t that stupid.
When a Republican candidate says, “Liberal! Liberal!”, and the Democrats and MSM say not so (the truth doesn’t matter) – and the Republican doesn’t provide reasons to vote FOR him, then the GOP loses. When the GOP raises taxes or insults the voters by not listening to their NO votes on Regional Governments, etc. the base of loyal Party voters bleeds.
When the Democrats make inroads in ’07 and, maybe, carry Virginia in ’08, don’t look to those 50 people in Hampton. They, as activists, can produce almost 10,000 votes. But, when they can’t or don’t try – look to Richmond. There’s trouble in River City