On Friday, I noted that it was only a matter of time before the editorial writers of Virginia’s major newspapers would blame House Republicans for the legislative breakdown in the special transportation session. The Daily Press was quick to oblige. But not the Washington Post. One day went by, then another… and another… Now, finally, the pontificators on the Potomac have made up for lost time with a classic case of invective crowding out thought:
Led by a band of Republican obstructionists in Richmond — ideologues and anti-tax fundamentalists — the General Assembly has decided to let Northern Virginia commuters stew in their own juices for a couple of years. (My italics.)
So many insults in such a short space! Let the spittle fly!
I can respect those who take the trouble to understand the issues, weigh the pros and cons and then, considering the balance of the arguments, stake out a position opposite from mine. But the Post pundits have not even bothered to ascertain what arguments the House Republican Caucus might offer, much less to actually rebut them. There is no nuance — a characteristic held in great esteem when the issue was the presidential aspirations of John Kerry — to the Post’s rants whatsoever: It’s all black and white, good and evil. Why, if I didn’t no better, I’d think that the Post editorial writers were the ideologues!
As I explained Friday (“General Assembly Car Wreck — Who’s to Blame?) it takes two to compromise, and there is no evidence that the Axis of Taxes or any of its “acolytes” (to borrow another demeaning Post label) budged one iota.
Fortunately, a world of new ideas is fermenting beyond the mental horizons of the Washington Post. There is tremendous creativity flowing from both the low-tax, free-enterprise wing of the Republican Party and the conservationist/smart growth wing of the Democratic Party. Loads of new ideas are circulating. Lawmakers are transforming those ideas into legislation. Even some editorial writers — I would cite the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star and the Winchester Star — are taking the discussion of transportation issues beyond the traditional confines of tax-spend-build.
By remaining ignorant of these ideas, the Post is marginalizing itself. Its editorials really have nothing to offer.
Update: It’s nice to see that I’m not entirely alone. Washington’s Examiner offers much the same take on the WaPo editorial and the special session as a whole.