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