Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

We Don’t Rank on the Rove-O-Meter

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James A. Bacon
in

Let’s see, Richmond as Chula Vista, a large, 220,000 population or so suburb of San Diego? Or maybe Aurora, Col.?

“It’s not a big town,” said Republican political maven Karl Rove of the former Capital of the Confederacy on CBS’s “Face the Nation” this Sunday.

Or how about Tim Kaine being an OK but not especially remarkable governor? “He’s able but undistinguished,” added Rove, who was head of George W. Bush’s “Brain Trust,” which itself might be considered a misnomer.

Of course, Kaine is being considered as a possible running mate with Barack Obama just as Republican Congressman Eric Cantor is being considered as a possible running mate with John McCain. However, leading conservative editorial pages, such as the Wall Street Journal, tend to leave off Cantor’s name when they review possible candidates. One could also describe Cantor as OK, but undistinguished, but at least Kaine seems to get mentioned more freely and without caveat as being VP material.

My question is: where is the outrage among all the conservatives who read and write on this blog?

Aren’t you offended that this Rove character has insulted the sanctity of Richmond, which should be considered on the level of Charlotte, Raleigh, Birmingham, Atlanta or any urban center of the Old South? After all, Richmond is more than 220,000 people — it is the center of a region with more than one million people. Even more important, it is a state of mind. Just read Jim Bacon who has perhaps done more to encourage his own imaginative idea of “Richmond” than dapper, white-suited Tom Wolfe, the famous author.

I love and hate Richmond. I love its physical beauty and its multifaceted cultural diversity. Name me a place its size that has more home-grown music or Class V whitewater downtown. I also hate Richmond for its smug, pompous and irrelevant would-be ruling elite. I have lived elsewhere in the South and have enjoyed its open, friendly nature. Except for Richmond, which is cold, exclusive and snobbish. And, Richmond is actually a cesspool of poverty — a point that was made tellingly at a seminar hosted by Style Weekly magazine last week.

But whether you love it or hate it or both, Richmond sure as hell isn’t North Las Vegas. Karl Rove thinks it is.

What are we going to to about this?

Peter Galuszka

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8 responses to “We Don’t Rank on the Rove-O-Meter”

  1. Norman Leahy Avatar
    Norman Leahy

    I did write about the Rove comment on Richmond:

    Good work there, Karl. The one sure-fire way to unite Richmonders is to point out how small and insignificant they are in the grand scheme of things. Smaller than Chula Vista? North Las Vegas? Brilliant.

    I don’t happen to like Rove, as he is one of the architects of the current Republican swoon (or death spiral, take your pick).

    Yes, Richmond has its down side, and it is significant. But it is little different than that of other cities (and as for snootiness, try Charleston).

    The funny thing about Rove’s “with all due respect” remark about River City is that similar remarks were tossed around when Bill Clinton ran in 1992. And we all know how that turned out.

  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Way to go Karl. You have come a long since growing up in Sparks, Nevada, poulation 66,346. Who is the Mayor of Sparks now.

    Victor Laszlo

  3. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    I’m no particular fan of Karl Rove, and I’m certainly not going to defend him if he disses Richmond. But it’s hard to dispute the factual accuracy of his statement:

    “[Tim Kaine] was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. And again, with all due respect to Richmond, Virginia, it’s smaller than Chula Vista, California; Aurora, Colorado; Mesa or Gilbert, Arizona, or Henderson, Nevada. It’s not a big town.”

    The City of Richmond *is* a relatively small city, with a population somewhere around 200,000.

    Of course, “Richmond” is also the name given to a larger metropolitan area of roughly one million. We’re the 63rd largest MSA in the country. Better than 105th, but not exactly a chart topper. That’s just a reality we have to live with.

    Rove’s point is to minimize the significance of Kaine’s experience as mayor of a city of a mere 200,000 people.

    Kaine defenders could retort, “Hey, 200,000 may not sound a lot, but you don’t know how *crazy* some of these people are. Getting anything done is like herding cats — rabid cats! Kaine deserves credit just for keeping the lid on!”

  4. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Rove’s comments were perfectly reasonable. I don’t like Karl Rove much but Kaine is a weak sister as a VP nominee. Another poverty lawyer with no foreign policy or military experience. He has a total of 14 years experience in politics moving from city council to mayor to lieutenant governor to governor. As governor he has accomplished very little. His latest mishandling of an almost surreal special session on transportation only confirms his unsuitability as governor let alone VP.

    Picking a VP nominee will be Barak Obama’s first big decision as he heads to election day. If he choses a weakling like Tim Kaine he will lose votes from voters like me. I like Bark Obama’s agenda but I wonder if he has the leadership skills to execute that agenda. Picking a mediocre governor who has accomplished little to nothing in his home state will call Obama’s decision making skills into question.

  5. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    “ready to take over if need be”?

    Kaine and Cantor both are so far over their heads it ain’t funny.

    I’m pretty amused of supporters of either…. talk about wishful thinking…

    IF either Obama or McCain actually picked one of these guys – it would be a major hit on their judgment IMHO.

    The VP don’t need to be a former diplomat but they need to have some basic experience or background and neither of these guys have much and besides if you asked folks in Montana or Maine about either of these guys … they’re gonna score -10 on the name recognition meter….

  6. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    You guys are overlooking the politics of the whole thing.

    Virginia is in play….like it or not it could go either way.

    That said, there's no better way to keep it in play and keep the voters interested then to "float" the names of politicians that are from Virginia for VP.

    It's an ego thing….it makes us (D's & R's) feel important even though we all know neither Kaine nor Cantor is going to be on the ticket.

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Norman.
    Glad to see you are on the ball. Now what about the rest of you conservatives?
    I must say, I am disappointed with these comments. I expected a much bigger harrumph.

    Peter Galuszka

  8. Darrell -- Chesapeake Avatar
    Darrell — Chesapeake

    Ego? The past few election cycles we’ve been beating the living crap out of the Republicans because their heads got too big for their tiny brains. Between them and the Dems, they have managed to make Richmond the epitome of small town politics.

    Which ever candidate picks Kaine or Cantor is going to be the one who blows the election. They have zero name recognition or credibility even in backwater VA. Cross the state line and it’s even less.

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