Endorsing Pat Herrity’s Reelection Is Another Piece of Evidence That the WaPo Editorial Board Has Sh*t for Brains

Over the years, the WaPo editorial board hasn’t exactly represented the best and the brightest in journalism. For instance, for many years – even as the Republican Party moved further and further into far-right extremism – the WaPo continued to endorse, election after election, Republicans in Northern Virginia, whether for House of Delegates or U.S. House or whatever. It’s almost like the WaPo editorial board can’t comprehend that the old Republican Party was replaced by “Tea Party” extremism (in 2009 and beyond) and Trumpism/authoritarianism (from 2015 to present). It’s really mind boggling how the WaPo editorial board can somehow “compartmentalize” the Republican Party, somehow thinking that you can still be a member of the Party of Trump without being a Trumpist – or at the minimum, failing to fight back against this mortal threat to our democracy. Bizarre.

With that in mind, see below for some of the top-rated comments in reaction to today’s editorial, about how Fairfax County voters supposedly should reelect right-wing Republican Pat Herrity to the Board of Supervisors. But first, here’s a bit of background on Herrity.

• With His Nasty, Xenophobic, Trumpian Campaign, Fairfax Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) Demonstrates Why Republicans Keep Losing Badly in Northern Virginia (Evidence? Check out the following Pat Herrity mail pieces, in which he: 1) says “Fairfax County Can’t Afford An Entirely Democrat [sic] Board” because of its supposedly “extreme policies” (that’s a flat-out lie, of course); 2) argues that one of the reasons for this is that Democrats might push for “State Action On Gun Control” (horrible, eh?); 3) also argues that Fairfax should vote Republican because, if not, the county might “approve budget for legal fund for illegal immigrants”; and 4) ratchets up the fearmongering, xenophobia and demagoguery with the “USE YOUR DOLLARS TO FIGHT DEPORTATION FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS” language, in ALL CAPS no less.)
• Fairfax Republican Pat Herrity Continues His Anti-Immigrant Demagoguery, Is Voted Down 7-3
• In Increasingly Blue Fairfax County, Supervisor Pat Herrity (R) Demagogues on Illegal Immigration, Overstates Legal Defense Fund Money 1,000-Fold
• Video: Fairfax Supervisors James Walkinshaw, Dalia Palchik, John Foust Rip Trump EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler For Opposing 5-Cent Plastic Bag Tax (“Fortunately, other than right-wingnut Republican Pat Herrity (who spewed out a bunch of lies), all the other Fairfax County Board members care about the environment and aren’t anti-environment extremists like Wheeler and Herrity, so the measure passed 9-1.”)

Now, the top-rated comments in response to the WaPo editorial endorsing Pat Herrity fore reelection:

• 86 “Likes”: “If this guy had changed to Independent, I may think about it. But if you’re still a Republican after Trump, you are evil. End. Of. Story. There are no two sides. Trump is a rapist, a racist, an insurrectionist, a bigot, a thief, and a traitor. A politician playing dumb as to the horrors Trump has wrought? Ah… Nope. No pass given. Vote them all out.”
• 66 “Likes”: “Bad try WaPo. No one should ever vote for a Republican after the last 7 years at any level of government for any position.”
• 57 “Likes”: “When is WaPo going to stop with the bs that Repubs are fiscally conservatives? Like Trump is a successful businessman is a straight up lie, most Republicans are only fiscally conservatives when Dems are in control. But funny how you don’t argue to keep Dems on the elected city, county, state legislatures when Repubs are in the majority.”
• 46 “Likes”: “This editorial was obviously written by someone not very familiar with Fairfax County and Mr Herrity’s history…Mr Herrity’s difficult election is a reflection of how the county has changed, not gerrymandering. The WAPO editorial staff also hasn’t looked carefully at Mr Herrity’s record. Mr Herrity hasn’t brought much to the Board of Supervisors. Mr Herrity is an antigovernment and anti tax Republican. He has never voted for a budget increase (I am not sure if he has ever voted yes to any budget). He has never voted to increase employee pay or benefits. He is not a problem solver but merely a penny pincher. During his tenure he has worked hard to dismantle the county’s retirement systems. Despite calling himself a fiscal conservative, he pushed strongly for the county government to privatize services which in most cases has cost the county more for inferior services. The privatization of the county’s bus and auto repair shop was one of Mr Herrity’s signature projects. It was a colossal failure, costing the county more than the county run shop. In addition, the private shop was unable to keep the vehicles on the road because they didn’t want to keep a supply of parts on hand. The contract was cancelled within the year when supervisors’ office phones were flooded with calls from angry parents whose children were stranded. The county workers were brought back and the problems quickly resolved. The lesson learned was that for profit businesses can rarely compete with well run government services. Unlike some of the other Republicans that have served on the Fairfax County Just because he happens to be the lone Republican on the Board is not a good reason to re-elect him and the WAPO editorial staff shouldn’t be endorsing him on such weak reasoning.”
• 42 “Likes”: “When the Board of Supervisors has some kind of proclamation or statement honoring LGBTQ citizens, Mr. Herrity leaves the room. I’ll be glad to see the end of him, sooner rather than later.”
• 30 “Likes”: “Here is the editorial board again saying Republicans are not so bad. He is a thoughtful moderate. Until the Republican Party rejects authoritarian government and facism, a hard no on any candidate with a R affiliation. 200 Republicans voted for Jim Jordan who has no other purpose in life than to destroy the government and install Trump as a dictator. They are intimidated by the mob and will follow the mob. Despite the warm feelings for this gentleman, he will fall in line with the mob.”
• 25 “Likes”: “Someone who chooses to remain in a club rife with bigotry, delusion, incompetence, cowardice, and hell bent on ending American democracy is a heck of a choice. Mr. Herrity may be a good guy in every other way, I don’t know. But his choice to keep that R behind his name shows horrible judgement disqualifying for governance.”
• 22 “Likes”: “Why keep supporting Republicans? Republicans keep voting to be the ones deciding which birth controls women can use. Republicans ignore the criminal aspects of Trump and support him whole heartedly. Republican radicalism is what has brought Virginia and the US to the place we stand now. So, why is the WaPo suggesting anyone support Republicans in this day and age?”
• 21 “Likes”: “Until the Republican Party rejects Trump and MAGA fascists don’t select one even as a dog catcher.”