The Blue Ridge Forum, Richard Falknor

2010 Election & Conservatives Richard Falknor on 15 Nov 2009 NJ and VA: Building Blocks for Victories, Or A False Dawn? The Republican gubernatorial wins in New Jersey and Virginia have lifted party spirits in Maryland and Virginia as elsewhere. Party stalwarts and other enthusiasts chatter about taking back the governor’s mansion in Annapolis in 2010, or even lose themselves in the personality game as they handicap various Republican presidential candidates for 2012. Taking back the US House of Representatives in 2010 is a good possibility, but it is an open question whether the current House Republican leadership is up to putting such a providential gift to effective national use. And there will likely not be another chance if the House Republican leadership comes to power in the 2011-2012 session — yet is seen as not up to the job. Personality politics are apparently easier for too many of us than mastering the details of a sound alternative to Obamacare; or thinking through what should be our next steps toward Afghanistan and Iran (no, one cannot really discuss one without the other here, and no, its is not really just a question of how much one likes general McChrystal here); or how to right-size government in Annapolis or Richmond; or how to limit the growth of government and regulations in the mega-counties within Maryland and Virginia. Political correctness (”diversity”) has run amok in universities in both states, and this flavor of what is really cultural Marxism is apparently also hindering the Fairfax County and Virginia Republicans from coming to terms with what one recent book terms the Muslim Mafia. And today’s Washington Post takes the opportunity to try to make its own mischief in this quarter. Pelura’s Warning At last weekend’s Maryland GOP convention, outgoing chairman Jim Pelura warned the delegates - - “I disagree with the notion that in order to win elections, Republican candidates need to appeal to the moderates. What does that mean…? Unfortunately, to many in the Republican Party, that means watering down our beliefs and becoming more like the Democrats! That, my friends, will not win us elections. My belief is that the voters are looking for a candidate that is clear in his or her message, passionate about that message and, most importantly, is able to convince them that he will govern consistent with that message! We are on the verge of a Conservative resurgence. This movement is not, in my opinion, the emergence of a third party, but it is the re-emergence or re-birth of the Republican Party.” (Underscoring Forum’s.) We agree with Brother Pelura - - but he didn’t quite go far enough in diagnosing the Maryland Republican General Assembly disease. There seems to be only one thread binding all but a saving remnant of the Republican members of the General Assembly - - incumbency. Most Republicans who were elected in 2002 sadly voted for big Ehrlich budgets and Ehrlich tax hikes. (The Other Team is on to this - - their version won’t go away - - even if their message is, after clearing away the surplusage, a statist one.) Nearly all Republicans voted for pork (largely found in the capital budget) over the years. Too many voted for costly Green Statism, and for “political correctness” in Maryland colleges and universities. Too many fell in line with the former governor’s politically deadly attraction for slots, a state monopoly levying a non-transparent tax that hits the poor “disproportionately.” And John Wagner reveals in today’s Washington Post - - “But Marylanders are likely to get something a bit closer to Caesar’s Palace than the simple slots parlor many voters and lawmakers imagined when they authorized five venues: State officials say they probably will allow electronic versions of the banned games when casinos start opening next year.” A national third-party for conservatives is a very bad idea. But some kind of statewide conservative political organization should ensure that incumbent Maryland Republicans are held accountable in their primaries - - a statewide group that can also buy media advertising for conservative positions during the four years General Assembly members are in office, and one that can support conservative incumbents day-in-and-day-out against the bi-partisan but fiscally deadly embrace of the Annapolis Establishment. Should Maryland conservatives give campaign money to an organization where House Republican Leader Tony O’Donnell would have a voice in how it is spent? Faithful readers will recall how Mr. O’Donnell last April 23 endorsed sometime CASA Board president Tom Perez for Assistant Attorney General of the United States, and how Mr. O’Donnell’s endorsement here and here was part of the Senate floor debate on Mr. Perez’ confirmation - - undercutting Republican Floor Manager senator Jeff Sessions’ presentation here and here and here. Readers can come to their own conclusion on the severity of Mr. O’Donnell’s very public lapse in judgment. Fresh Talent for the New McDonnell Administration? In Virginia today, Tertium Quids blogger Norman Leahy in his “Arguing for the Status Quo” recommends as state Finance Secretary “Cato’s Chris Edwards. Right on taxes, state budgets (he puts together the Fiscal policy Report Card on Governors each year) and has a body of work that speaks directly to the issues McDonnell will face — namely, state budget problems and how to fix them.” We certainly concur. And a Chris Edwards would likely dispatch such McDonnell campaign missteps as a Green Jobs Zone. Next week we all look forward to the release of governor Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue.” We are Palin admirers recognizing that other conservatives may not be - - but we are not pretending that this lively read is urgent political work. Obamacare must be stopped - - that is next week’s priority (and whatever additional time is needed). Let us hope the November 2009 election victories in New Jersey and Virginia are indeed wins on which conservatives can build, and not a false dawn.

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