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Why Northam Is Such An Important Governor

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Peter Galuszka
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By Peter Galuszka

This is a bit like throwing chum at a school of sharks, but here is my latest in Style Weekly.

I wrote an assessment of Gov. Ralph Northam that is overall, quite positive. My take goes against much of the sentiment of other contributors on this blog.

They are entitled to their views but, to be honest, I find some of the essays shrill and not really fact based. If Northam wants to delay elective surgeries at hospitals for a week or so, some want to empanel a grand jury.

An acute care health facility in Henrico County becomes one of the most notorious hot spots for coronavirus deaths and it is immediately Northam’s fault even though the care center has had serious problems that long predated the governor’s term in office.

He’s a trained physician who served as an Army doctor in combat during the Iraq War yet he is vilified as being incompetent and incapable of understanding the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s like the constant repetition of the “Sins of Hillary” on Breitbart and Fox News about emails and Benghazi.

Like him or not, Northam is bound to be one of the most consequential governors in Virginia history given the gigantic problem of the pandemic. He’s not a showboat salesman like Terry McAuliffe nor a smarmy, small-time crook like Robert F. McDonnell.

Anyway, here’s the piece.

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32 responses to “Why Northam Is Such An Important Governor”

  1. CrazyJD Avatar
    CrazyJD

    >>I wrote an assessment of Gov. Ralph Northam that is overall, quite positive. My take goes against much of the sentiment of other contributors on this blog.

    They are entitled to their views but, to be honest, I find some of the essays shrill. >>>

    Well, Peter, I’m amazed, but I guess it’s also time for me “to be honest”. Shrill? Here, I’m fond of quoting that formerly famous tennis player last seen doing toenail fungus commercials: “You cannot be serious”

    Several days ago you waxed poetic and wallowed in your pride at being shrill. Though I don’t recall “shrill” being the precise word you used, your comments surely amounted to the same thing. Hypocrisy may be the word that applies. You may have worked for Bloomberg and been correspondent in Russia, as you are fond of pointing out, but I wonder if you aren’t now in the same shoes as that tennis player.

    Let me suggest that it may be time to get over yourself.

    1. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
      Reed Fawell 3rd

      Crazy, yes, what intrigues me about Mr. Peter is how he never fails to be such an agreeable, friendly, thoughtful and informed guest on UVA radio then, turning on dime, morphs into a flamethrower here, a banshee akin to Glenn Close’s Alexandra “Alex” Forrest in Fatal Attraction.

      Though I must say style article:

      “Man of the Hour, After a term filled with triumphs and turmoil, Ralph Northam is now being tested like no Virginia governor since segregation,” huffs and puffs, falls flat then dies.

      Blackface dressed up in Churchillian Prose, Really? The real story here is can Blackface extricate himself from his mess without doing ever more damage to Virginia.

  2. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Is that McEnroe?

  3. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    no, it was Toe Fungus… didn’t realize he was a “thing”! 😉

  4. Fred Costello Avatar
    Fred Costello

    Consequential, but to what consequence? Abortion up to and shortly after birth. Increased opportunities for voter fraud, including bloated voter rolls. Increased taxes. Promoting, rather than being passive about, sexual aberrations. Fostering the National Popular Vote so Virginians are disenfranchised. Taxing the uneducated poor by fostering gambling. Granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Etc.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      Yep, that’s a message sure to win votes in places like NoVa?

      You must be advising the GOP!

  5. James Wyatt Whitehead V Avatar
    James Wyatt Whitehead V

    Mr. Peter. If Virginia could, would you vote to reelect Northam to a second term?

  6. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Not sure who i would vote fir. Is this a trick question?

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      Geeze Peter, after all the bad stuff you’ve read here in BR, how COULD you vote for Northam? Geeze Guy!

    2. James Wyatt Whitehead V Avatar
      James Wyatt Whitehead V

      No tricks Mr. Peter. I read your article. It was well done. You point out something important. Northam has indeed presided over sweeping change in Virginia. He has done so under the most unusual circumstances and with the support of people who wanted him to resign. I can’t think of anything like it in Virginia’s political history. The story of John Letcher is the only one remotely close.

  7. djrippert Avatar
    djrippert

    Peter – you need better editing. You misspelled impotent in the title of your article.

  8. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    well.. impotent or a dictator… which is it? lemme see…

    oh wait… he’s an impotent dictator…

    got it!!!

  9. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Ripper. You have nailed me to the cross!

  10. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Reed. Is this an”ad hominem” attack? Why don’t you address the points I raise? Don’t you realize this is the lowest point on the pyramid?

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      He apparently gets a pass from Jim on some stuff…

  11. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
    Reed Fawell 3rd

    “Crazy, yes, what intrigues me about Mr. Peter is how he never fails to be such an agreeable, friendly, thoughtful and informed guest on UVA radio then, turning on dime, morphs into a flamethrower here, a banshee akin to Glenn Close’s Alexandra “Alex” Forrest in Fatal Attraction.”

    Peter, simply go back to your comments on this blog, just that alone, going on for years, insulting people right up to this week and last on and off record.

  12. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Your problem, Reed, is that you can’t stand a contrarian view.

    1. James Wyatt Whitehead V Avatar
      James Wyatt Whitehead V

      Contrarian views are important. It reminds me of apple cider vinegar. It tastes bad but ends up being good for you.

      1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
        Dick Hall-Sizemore

        I will take the cider any day.

        1. Nancy_Naive Avatar
          Nancy_Naive

          Switchel?

      2. Nancy_Naive Avatar
        Nancy_Naive

        Try cleaning a window without it. Visibility goes way up. Besides, streaking was fun in its day, but no one has a sense of humor anymore.

  13. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    I thought it was a good article. At first I thought the allusion to “facing the biggest test any Virginia governor has faced since school integration in the 1950s” was a good one and one that had not occurred to me. But, the more I think about it, I am not sure it is a good comparison. After all, those governors failed that test. They all listened to Harry Byrd and failed to lead Virginia, but fought to hold the state back. It was not until Linwood Holton walked with his daughter to enter her into a Richmond public school that a Governor led on that issue.

    The article was a good summary of the situation Northam is facing and some of the mistakes (“plodding”) he has made.

    It is easy to quarterback from the sidelines. I think most do not appreciate the delicate situation facing the Governor: go too slow and further hurt the Virginia economy and its residents unnecessarily; go too fast and increase the number of seriously ill people and deaths unnecessarily. I prefer a cautious doctor over a politician listening to the loudest voices.

    1. Nancy_Naive Avatar
      Nancy_Naive

      “After all, those governors failed that test.”

      Fat lady ain’t sung yet, no matter how much the VGOP, TP, and VLP think she has. Can’t wait for the “Protest Spike”. Happened in Wisconsin 14 days after voting.

    2. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
      Reed Fawell 3rd

      I am a huge fan of Linwood Holton. I knew Linwood Holton, and Ralph Norham ain’t no Linwood Holton.

      1. James Wyatt Whitehead V Avatar
        James Wyatt Whitehead V

        Holton was superb! He left behind a strong and positive legacy. Not bad for a fella from all the way over in Big Stone Gap. He is 96 years old. I wonder what Mr. Holton thoughts are of today’s world?

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          Moderate GOP – no longer tolerated by RPV – total RINO.

          Brought the state forward from Massive Resistance.

          Pro-education, pro-environment, pro-mental-health

          This kind of shows you where the GOP has shifted after Holton.

          A GOP candidate like Holton could actually win NoVa and other blue regions in Va, probably take Govenor if RPV allowed them in the party.

          And I bet you few agreeing with you here in BR.

    3. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      There are essentially two tracks on assessments of Northam :

      1. – how is he doing relative to the critics think he should be doing
      2. – how is he doing compared to Gov in other states dealing with similar issues.

      I can’t help but notice that some of the criticisms of Northam are also criticisms of Gov in other states – and, in fact, some of the critics think that all the Govs in states like Virginia are – all wrong – all of them but the argument against them is made on a state-by-state basis as if it’s only an issue in each of the states.

      Ergo – we see the similarity in the “protests” that all have a similar theme.

      Next – you have to look at how Virginians feel about Northam’s performance and there you see the “divide” and it’s roughly about 80-20 with the 20% being fairly vociferous in their views and the 80% not so critical.

      But then we have this other view that most folks are gullible and easily led by the MSM and if they were more independent thinkers, they’d surely agree with the critics that he is a “terrible” Gov.

      One has to wonder if the criticism is really warranted or just the views of people who already don’t care for Northam.

      It would be interesting to see a county by county poll of Northam to see where people like him and where they don’t but my guess is it’s pretty much going to align by rural/urban, blue/red.

      If that’s really true then a lot of the criticism is basically partisan and not really substantiative. That’s what the polls are showing.

  14. SGillispie Avatar
    SGillispie

    This is the real Galuszka, a consistent DNC propagandist who bristles at ad hominem attacks while sprinkling them liberally throughout his writings, to wit-“He’s not a showboat salesman like Terry McAuliffe nor a smarmy, small-time crook like Robert F. McDonnell.”

    Certainly a “smarmy” comment itself; but “smarmy, small-time crook” might better be applied to the Obama prosecutors who had their case against McDonald vacated by a unanimous Supreme Court but probably don’t care because they accomplished the damage they sought, as continues to be the case with smear merchants like Galuszka and his like who are damaging the Democrat party and the country beyond measure with their bigoted political partisanship.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      “smear merchants” Obama… bigots… good lord!

      McDonnell – Headline: ” SCOTUS says it’s not illegal to be White Trash even if Gov in Va”.

      All the SCOTUS really proved was how sleezy a GOv can be and still not break Va law.

      And if Northams kids were stealing liquor and other stuff from the Gov mansion and his wife going on lobby-paid-for shopping trips to New York , I’d say the same exact thing.

      The McDonnell tribe sounds like a real piece of work – and yes, there is a really good reason why he is not the leader of the Va GOP right now much less leading them to retake Virginia.

  15. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Sgillispie. Give me a break! The lians? .The watch? The daughters wedding? Trips to a fancy Massachusetts resort? I thought the earthquake was sex?Wowsa!

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      But Peter – you such a CAD for bringing all that stuff up because this is about YOU and how you are such a partisan! NOT!

      Gillespi – geeze guy… who are you? Are you with the RPV?

  16. TooManyTaxes Avatar
    TooManyTaxes

    Good News. https://nypost.com/2020/04/28/gannett-layoffs-continue-as-photographers-complain-they-lack-coronavirus-protection/

    Fewer propagandists for the left.

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