Heading into the 2013 Virginia statewide elections, many Democrats I spoke with were nervous about Terry McAuliffe’s prospects against a potentially reasonable, sane, relatively “moderate” Republican ticket (perhaps led by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling?). Instead, then-AG Ken Cuccinelli and his allies, having gamed the system to their own advantage by purging the more “mainstream” Republicans and opting instead for a party nominating convention rather than a primary. The result: Virginia Republicans ended up with the infamous “extreme team” of Cooch, EW Jackson and Mark Obenshain for governor, LG and AG, respectively. The rest, as they say, is history, as Democrats swept all three statewide offices in November.
Now, having made that huge mistake/debacle in 2013, it appears that Virginia Republicans have learned…quite possibly nothing whatsoever.
I am making the following proposal to the State Central Committee, on which I serve, and on which I have twice voted for conventions. In exchange for a Presidential primary to be held on March 1, 2016, RPV will nominate our 2017 statewide candidates by convention.
All I can say is, “pretty please with a cherry on top.” Seriously, if Republicans want to be that stupid, who am I – as someone who bleeds Democratic blue – to stand in their way? So sure, go ahead and hold a convention in 2017, one that is highly likely to select yet another “extreme team” that will likely lose to the Democratic ticket, and make all of us progressives, liberals, etc. happy. Plus, as an added bonus, I get great fodder for my blog for years to come, as whatever crazies the Republicans nominate say all kinds of outlandish, outrageous…uh, stuff. Hey, it works for me! 🙂
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