There are just 4 days to go until the Democratic Party of Virginia holds its convention at George Mason University and, among other things, votes for Virginia’s delegates to members of the Democratic National Committee. One of the candidates, as you know, is Ben Tribbett, a long-time Democratic political activist and operative who is, arguably, best known for his unique and well-read Virginia politics blog, Not Larry Sabato. What always made NLS interesting (and yes, sometimes infuriating) was that it combined hard-core analysis of Virginia politics – among the best out there in terms of crunching the numbers and calling the races – with a big dose of pure entertainment (“gossip and scandal!” “Weenie of the Week!” stuff like that). Of course, in pursuing the “gossip and scandal” stuff, no doubt Ben ruffled some powerful feathers over the years, including at least one member of the Virginia Democratic “establishment” who is now pulling out all stops to prevent Ben from being elected to the DNC.
That leads to my (partly tongue-in-cheek) “deep thought” for the day, at least if you’re a big Star Trek geek like myself. So, in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” you know how the “Borg” are a nearly-indestructible, ruthless group of “cybernetically-enhanced humanoid drones of multiple species, organized as an interconnected collective, the decisions of which are made by a hive mind,” and whose goal is “to achieve ‘perfection’ by adding the biological and technological distinctiveness of other species to [their] own?” You also recall how the Borg would leave you alone if they didn’t see you as a threat – or of any interest – to them, but if they did come to see you as a threat, they’d attack you with everything they’ve got and blow you to kingdom come? Well, my deep thought is that this could very well be what’s happening here in Virginia, metaphorically speaking, in that the DPVA equivalent of the Borg has now identified Ben Tribbett’s candidacy as a real threat (to them, that is), one that could come away with a victory next Saturday, and therefore something that must be utterly crushed before that happens.
But why, you ask, don’t the DPVA “Borg” just assimilate Ben? Because, clearly, they don’t believe that this is possible, that Ben would ever be a compliant “species,” let alone one that would ever tolerate being assimilated into the DPVA “hive mind.” Personally, I see that all as a good thing, and as a strong reason to vote for Ben on Saturday, as I believe the DPVA “collective” is badly in need of serious “biological diversity,” not to mention a major shakeup, reform, etc. (recall that the DPVA “hive mind,” in its infinite wisdom, overwhelmingly elected Brian Moran as its chair – ’nuff said). But to each his own – the Borg or Ben, you decide. 🙂
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
