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Messing With The Electoral College

Posted in Political Musings, tagged Barack Obama, Charles Carrico Sr., Electoral College, Gerrymander, Mitt Romney, Virginia Politics on January 25, 2013| 2 Comments »

Recently, some Republican leaders and pundits in Virginia have been floating the idea of changing the way the state awards its electoral votes in presidential elections. Currently, Virginia gives all 13 of its votes to the candidate who receives a plurality of the statewide popular vote. In both 2008 and 2012, Democrat Barack Obama claimed Virginia, the first Democratic candidate to do so since Lyndon Johnson did in 1964. This new plan, sponsored by State Senator Charles Carrico Sr. of Grayson County, gives the winner of each of the state’s 11 congressional districts one vote, with the remaining two votes going to the candidate who wins the most districts.

From nationalatlas.gov

There is no doubt that this proposed change would radically modify the outcome in Virginia. Taking 2012 as an example, Barack Obama only won 4 of the 11 of the congressional districts, with the remaining 7 going to Republican Mitt Romney. If Carrico’s plan had been in place, Romney would have ended up with 9 of Virginia’s electoral votes has opposed to the zero he actually received. The fact that Obama won 50.8% of the statewide vote would have been completely irrelevant.

Although there is some argument to be made that both the interest and will of Virginia’s voters would be better served under some other plan than winner-take-all, the Carrico solution is a particularly terrible suggestion.

The fundamental reason why this plan is poor deals with the ugly issue of gerrymandering. According to the Constitution, each congressional district must be roughly equal in population. Based upon the population of the Commonwealth, Virginia has 11 districts. However, the question becomes, how should the state be divided into these 11 pieces?

Given that the Virginia legislature draws these districts, they are often created, not based upon regional hegemony, but for political gain. For example, we know that, in general, the most heavily Democratic areas of the state are areas of fairly close population density, such as most of northern Virginia, and cities like Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, and Norfolk. Creating a district that included a majority of Arlington or Alexandria would almost certainly result in a Democratic heavy district, while crafted a district using the counties of Augusta and Rockingham in the Shenandoah Valley, or Powhatan and Hanover in central Virginia would have the opposite effect.

With these thoughts, and previous voting history in mind, one can combine like-minded areas to generate safe districts, much like the 3^rd & 8^th congressional are for the Democrats, or 9^th & 6^th are for the Republicans. It is also possible to dilute the vote, such as splitting the heavily Democratic city of Richmond between the 3^rd and the 7^th or to enhance the effects of a voting population as is done in the Virginia House of Delegates where four different Republican members of that body benefit from representing a portion of the Republican voting strength of Rockingham County. Simply add a city or subtract a county, and one can often safely assume a result long before voters head to the polls. Offer any politically savvy consultant a pen, a map, and a few statistics; with these tools he or she can draw lines that can easily serve the interests of either the Republican or Democratic Parties.

Now some people might say that given the fact that the Republican Party controls the state government, rank and file Republicans should not speak ill against this proposal, given that if it passes it will likely benefit the party. However, such a view is shortsighted and ignores the political health of the nation. Sure, Republicans are in charge today and this move could bolster the Republican presidential candidate’s chances in 2016, but what happens when the Democratic Party regains control? Would it be just for the GOP to speak out against a plan that they created when it no longer serves their political interests in the future?

Another factor to consider is the issue of political relevancy. For example, in 2008, Barack Obama gave a speech in Harrisonburg in order to gain support among the residents of the city and the student body of James Madison University. This move proved successful as he ended up winning this city. However, if the 6^th district voted as a solid block, then he would have had no incentive to go to Harrisonburg, for it would have been impossible for him to make any difference. Even if every citizen in Harrisonburg voted for Obama, those totals would have been insufficient to overcome the Republican heavy 6^th district.

The same logic would hold true for Republican candidates as well. If the 6^th were seen as a solid block, it would be foolish to waste time and resources in an area where victory was a certainty. Thus, under the Carrico system, no presidential candidate would set foot in the 6^th district ever again, all parties would largely ignore the region, and it is almost certain that political apathy and/or intolerance would become the norm throughout both the conservative and liberal segments of the Shenandoah Valley.

Therefore, for the twin concerns of gerrymandering and maintaining political relevancy, legislators, activists, and ordinary citizens throughout Virginia ought to oppose Senator’s Carrico’s plan to award the state’s electoral votes based upon the winners of each congressional district. Yes, it sounds quite tempting to many Republicans today, but the lasting consequences of this change will certainly offset any temporary benefits.

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Some Nights With the GOP

Posted in Political Musings, tagged Barack Obama, Bill Bolling, Fun., Ken Cuccinelli, Mitt Romney, Pop Culture, Republican Politics, Rick Sincere, Ron Paul, Some Nights on November 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Shortly after the November elections, I heard Fun.’s Some Nights and realized that many of the lyrics in this song apply to the current turmoil in the Republican Party stemming both from the nomination of Mitt Romney and his failure to win the general election on November 6^th.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking; gee, do you always draw ties between politics and pop culture? Well, I guess that connection is simply programmed in my brain. For example, when I watched the James Bond film Skyfall yesterday, I noticed a number of interesting theories at work, such as the question of when or if one should surrender his or her own needs and desires to the greater good of the state. But any discussion of Skyfall will have to wait for another day.

First, if you haven’t heard Fun.’s Some Nights, or if you don’t remember the song, I encourage you to listen to it again here.

For purposes of this article, I’ll quote a line from the song and then explain the current political significance regarding the controversies within the Republican Party. Is everyone clear on the format then? Okay. Let’s begin.

Right off, we have the line “Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck”.

A few Republican pundits blamed the results of the 2012 election on bad luck. Oh, if only Hurricane Sandy didn’t hit when it did…oh, if only Representative Todd Akin didn’t stick his foot in his mouth when it came to rape, Mitt Romney would have won. Although bad luck can certainly play a factor in all facets of life, including elections, the Republican Party lost for more important reasons than simply “bad luck”.

The next line of interest is “But I still wake up, I still see your ghost”.

The political ghost for the Republicans is the spirit of Ronald Reagan. Most Republican activists fondly remember the Reagan presidency in particularly idyllic terms. Oh, they think, if only we could only find another Ronald Reagan then we could return both the country and the party to some sort of golden age. Unfortunately, the standard practice is to whitewash history so we tend to forget that despite his greatness, Reagan did have his flaws and the country wasn’t perfect under his rule. Nevertheless, Reagan was a good president, but we must recognize the simple fact is that he is gone. The GOP must look to the future, not continually dwell on the past.

Moving on, we find the lines:

“Oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don’t know anymore…”

In these lyrics we find the crux of the GOP dilemma. What does the Republican Party stand for these days, if anything? Many conservatives I know would argue that the Republicans stand for a federal government restrained by the constitution, free markets, fiscal responsibility, personal liberty, a strong national defense, and a faith in God (see the creed of the Republican Party of Virginia). But one does have to wonder, if those principles guide the GOP, why did they select such a poor standard bearer in the form of Mitt Romney? After all, during his political career, he opposed the 2^nd Amendment, approved of judicial activism and fought against the right to life by supporting Roe v. Wade, spoke in favor of some aspects of government involvement in healthcare, and believes that government can deny citizens suspected of terrorism their basic constitutional protections. Are these the values that the modern GOP supports?

Then we have “This is it, boys, this is war – what are we waiting for?”

Both the Republican and Democratic Parties have been actively working to destroy political dialogue in this country. Differing political opinions are not tolerated; those who disagree, either domestically or internationally, are treated as enemies that cannot be reasoned with. Taken in its extreme form, you get thoughts much like President George W. Bush statement in 2001, “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” The prospect of any sort of political middle ground is treated with hostility. Once a people begin to treat their friends and neighbors as enemies based upon mere political disagreements, that country is no longer politically healthy. As fellow political blogger Rick Sincere stated earlier today, “People with whom I disagree are people with whom I disagree. They are not demons, mortal enemies, or the Antichrist. Disagreements about policy and culture are the lifeblood of representative democracy and pluralist society. They are not signs of the Apocalypse.”

“Why don’t we break the rules already?”

The Republican Party famously chose to modify many of its rules at the Republican National Convention in order to favor the establishment and exclude liberty activists. But it is okay, because the end justifies the means, right?

“I was never one to believe the hype – save that for the black and white”

Leading up to the election, some political pundits, like Karl Rove or Dick Morris, predicted a victory for Romney, apparently not based upon political reality, but predicated upon the mere hope that Romney would win. Should we leave objective journalism to the “black and white” newspapers?

“I try twice as hard and I’m half as liked”.

Mitt Romney did work diligently to win the election. However, far too many voters had a hard time liking a New England liberal elitist who was unable to relate to the plight of the average working man or woman. Nationally, he claimed less votes than the not particularly well-liked John McCain.

“…but here they come again to jack my style”

Here we have the establishment lament. Oh, those cursed Ron Paul supporters! If only they would have fallen in line behind the party nominee. Who cares what principles they may or may not hold? The victory of the party is of paramount concern. They only exist to cause trouble or to “jack” the style of the establishment.

“…who I am, who I am, who I am. Oh, who am I?”

As stated earlier, the GOP is a party with an identity crisis.

“Cause I could use some friends for a change
And some nights, I’m scared you’ll forget me again”

In order to survive as a national party, the Republicans will need to attract new voters or “friends”. A lot of these potential friends are youth associated with the Ron Paul movement but in order to attract these folks, the party must adopt a more pro-liberty slant.

“Some nights, I always win, I always win…”

A repetition of the mistaken belief and/or fantasy that Romney and the Republicans would enjoy a great victory on Election Day.

“Well, that is it guys, that is all – five minutes in and I’m bored again
Ten years of this, I’m not sure if anybody understands”

One of the great concerns of the establishment is the acquisition of power. To many of them, principles are a secondary issue. Without this power, they grow bored and don’t wish to wait ten long years (or, in this case, four years) to regain influence in Washington.

“So this is it? I sold my soul for this?

Washed my hands of that for this?

I miss my mom and dad for this?”

Some conservative activists are rightly upset that they compromised their principles in order to defeat the supposed greater threat of Barack Obama. The line, “I miss my mom and dad for this?” echoes the fact that many volunteers sacrificed their family life for the pursuit of this political goal. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, we don’t have a Republican victory, the GOP doesn’t seem to hold too closely to our principles any longer, and some of our personal relationships have become strained apparently needlessly.

“Who the %&*# wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?”

Unless the GOP returns to its principles and works to attract the new converts, sooner or later the party will die alone or be relegated to political irrelevance. This line could also refer to the neo-conservative foreign policy of George W. Bush, which was extended by Barack Obama. These conflicts resulted in many of our soldiers dying alone in the deserts of the Middle East.

“When I look into my nephew’s eyes…
Man, you wouldn’t believe the most amazing things that can come from…
Some terrible nights…ahhh…”

I’ve stated this fact over and over again, but the youth are the future of the party. If we could but understand their concerns and tie them into the greater Republican movement then perhaps some good could come from the terrible night of November 6^th.

Although I began writing this article before watching Fun.’s video, the backdrop of the U.S. Civil War is appropriate to the political situation. After all, the Republican Party is embroiled in its own civil war to determine who will control the party, the establishment or the conservative/liberty wing. This battle is clearly playing out in Virginia as Lt. Government Bill Bolling squares off against Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2013. One important question is yet to be determined. Is the modern Republican Party in the mold of Thomas Jefferson, who called for a limited federal government, or has it reverted to the party of Abraham Lincoln who promoted the expansion of federal authority?

Perhaps after reading this article, you might hear something new when Some Nights comes on the radio again. So what does the Republican Party stand for these days? Honestly, some nights, I don’t know. But I do know the direction that I’ll be pushing it. The GOP must be a strong advocate for liberty at all times.

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The 2012 Elections Postmortem

Posted in Political Musings, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, 2012 Senate Race, Abe Shearer, Andy Schmookler, Barack Obama, Bob Goodlatte, Christine Johnson, Gary Johnson, George Allen, Harrisonburg City Council, Jill Stein, Kai Degner, Mitt Romney, Richard Baugh, Tim Kaine, Virgil Goode on November 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »

In the days leading up to the November 6^th elections, predicting the outcome of the presidential seemed a bit murkier than one would expect. A few polls, like Gallup, had Mitt Romney ahead, while others, like Rasmussen, showed a very close race, and some, like Huffington, heralded another strong victory for President Obama. It seemed to me that a lot of news outlets reported on the outcome that they hoped would occur rather than what would actually happen; Republican pundits predicted a solid Romney victory and their Democratic counterparts made similar claims. Fellow Republicans were critical, but in 2008 I wrote about Barack Obama’s victory on the day prior to Election Day, as I believed the results were already a foregone conclusion. However, I wasn’t quite as certain this time around.

In the end, however, Mitt Romney stood no chance of becoming our next President. In the electoral count, he faired only slightly better than John McCain did in 2008. He won the tradition Republican states of North Carolina and Indiana unlike McCain, but failed to capture key battlegrounds like Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, and Florida. Curiously, both Romney and Obama failed to garner as many votes as the candidates did in 2008. It seems obvious that Obama’s numbers would decline as his presidency has not been particularly popular and the great excitement (or novelty) generated from electing our first black president in 2008 is gone. But what about Romney? Although some activists have been urging people to resist resorting to the “blame game”, ultimately I believe that voters had a hard time supporting a rich New England liberal who had difficulty relating to the plight of the average American. In addition, the actions taken by the RNC and the Romney campaign, which can only be described as unnecessary and spiteful, to exclude Ron Paul and his supporters at the Tampa convention tore open the growing rift in the Republican Party between the establishment and the liberty movement. As stated earlier, a majority of Paul supporters I know either voted for Gary Johnson, wrote in Ron Paul, or simply stayed home on Election Day. Speaking of the other party candidates, Libertarian Gary Johnson finished in third with almost 1%, Green Jill Stein was fourth with .35%, and Virgil Goode was fifth with .1%.

Moving on to Virginia’s U.S. Senate contest, as we approached Election Day it became increasingly obvious that George Allen would lose to Tim Kaine. The conventional wisdom was that an Allen victory hinged heavily upon Romney’s coattails. If Romney won Virginia by a large margin, then it was likely that Allen would also be victorious. However, if the election was close or if Romney lost the state, Allen would be defeated. Although the crossover wouldn’t have influenced the outcome, it is still important to note that Romney had the support of 37,766 more Virginians than did George Allen.

The House races in Virginia were not particularly exciting. Each incumbent won re-election with a comfortable margin with the exception of Scott Rigell in the 2^nd who won by 24,000 votes. In the 6^th, Republican Bob Goodlatte easily dispatched Democrat Andy Schmookler. However, Schmookler did best Goodlatte in the more urban areas of the district, capturing the cities of Harrisonburg, Lexington, and Roanoke, and boasting a fairly close contest in Staunton.

Given that Harrisonburg voted Democratic for president, senator, and representative, it should come as no surprise that the Democrats faired well in the city council election. With eight candidates on the ballot, three Republican, three Democratic, and three independent, Democrats Kai Degner and Richard Baugh were re-elected along with newcomer independent Abe Shearer. Only Degner and Shearer cracked the 6,000-vote mark. All but one of the other candidates was in the 4,000-vote range; Roger Baker finished in last place with less than 2,500 votes. Political newcomer Christine Johnson finished at the top of the Republican office seekers, missing out on third place by only 202 votes.

So what does the future hold politically for Harrisonburg, the 6^th congressional district, Virginia, and the nation as a whole? Well, it depends on a number of factors including the strength of the candidates and the overall political climate. Will the GOP learn anything from the 2012 elections? It is obvious that they didn’t figure anything out from 2008. Without strong conservative candidates that can clearly articulate the merits of a constitutionally limited government, the Republican Party will continue to suffer nationally, statewide, and locally. Let me end this article with a bit of advice: Past big government Republicans who lost in a previous election don’t somehow miraculously transform themselves into either conservatives or winners. So don’t retread on me. Don’t retread on me!

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Mainstreaming Mormonism

Posted in Political Musings, Theological Questions, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Billy Graham, Christianity, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John F. Kennedy, Mitt Romney, Mormon on November 5, 2012| 1 Comment »

One particularly interesting development regarding the 2012 Presidential Election is the possibility that Americans could elect a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known to many as a Mormon. Personally, I’m quite surprised that the issue of Mitt Romney’s religious faith has not played a larger role in public discussions.

If we turn back the clock a few decades, when John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, the fact that he was a member of the Catholic Church was a cause for concern for many citizens throughout the nation, sparking fears that he would owe his greatest allegiance, not to the United States and her people, but rather to a pope in the Vatican. Recently, in response to this potential 2012 Mormon controversy, the perhaps best-known evangelist, Billy Graham, tried to defuse the situation, offering some tactic support of Mitt Romney’s candidacy and his church. This news was a bit of a shock to many, given Graham’s previous declarations that the Mormon Church is a “cult”.

I assume that there is generally little widespread knowledge regarding the Latter-day Saints, also known as the LDS Church. Before spending considerable time learning about the religion and meeting many Mormons while living in Charlottesville, VA, in the mid 2000s, I’ll confess that Mormonism put me at unease; this concern did not stem from a reasoned theological disagreement with the church, but rather a lack of understanding and general widespread prejudice. Now, I won’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but I’ll start off by saying that there are a number of issues that set Mormonism apart from what is generally regarded as traditional Christianity. Some of the best well-known distinctions of Mormonism include the Book of Mormon and the church’s previous support of polygamy.

Let’s start with the Book of Mormon. According to Mormon theology, Joseph Smith, the founder and first prophet of the LDS Church, through the assistance of the angel Moroni, discovered a number of golden plates on a hill in upstate New York. With the aid of “seeing stones”, Smith translated the writing on many of these plates into what is now known as The Book of Mormon. The text describes the ancient people of America as a lost tribe of Israelites and explores their history and theology. In addition, after his death in the Middle East, Jesus appeared to these early Americans to impart teachings, many of which are similar to the concepts found in the Bible. Some time later, two factions within these ancient peoples, the Nephites and the Lamanites came into brutal conflict. The last Nephite, the then human Moroni, wrote the final portion of the Book of Mormon and buried the text only to be discovered by Smith about 1500 years later. Besides the Book of Mormon, the LDS have additional extra-biblical texts including the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrines and Covenants.

Polygamy, (more specifically polygyny, the practice of a man taking multiple wives), was an early custom in the Mormon Church. Joseph Smith had a number of spouses as did Brigham Young, who led the Mormons on their trek to what is now the state of Utah. Perhaps not surprisingly, polygamy caused considerable tension with the non-Mormon population and the United States government, which was one compelling reason for the Mormons to move westward, away from the established American communities. Perhaps not surprisingly, Utah was not admitted as a state in the union until the Mormons renounced polygamy, which they did in the Manifesto of 1890.

Besides the Book of Mormon and early support for polygyny, there are a number of other aspects of the Latter-day Saints, which set them apart both in theology and in practice from traditional Christianity. For example, there is baptism for the dead, where a member of the Church can, by proxy, be baptized for a deceased person. The reasoning in doing so is to allow the deceased person an opportunity to enter into heaven, which would previously be denied to someone who had not participated in this rite while alive.

Most people consider a fundamental element of Christianity is the idea of Trinitarianism, the belief that God exists simultaneously in three separate but united persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, Mormons believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three separate gods. In addition, Mormons believe in the concept of eternal progression where men and women can become like God. As former LDS President Lorenzo Snow stated, “As God now is, man may be.” This theological distinction could lead some to claim that Mormons are not monotheistic, but rather either polytheistic or henotheistic.

Interestingly, I have found that many socially conservative Christians, like Billy Graham, who, all things being equal, I would assume would reserve the greatest criticism for Mitt Romney’s Mormon ties, are some of his more ardent defenders. Then again, I’ve also heard some of these very same people use the line that it is better to elect “a Mormon than a Muslim”; playing upon the fear that Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim and threatens to subvert our national interest to Islamic terrorists. Do they dislike Mormons still, but reserve a greater distrust of Muslims? For some people, is it simply another case of choosing the “lesser of two evils”?

One overarching question that needs to be asked is what makes a person or a church Christian? It is simply holding the belief that Jesus is the messiah sent by God for the redemption of mankind and that following him is the only path to salvation? Does it require a literal or figurative understanding of the Bible? What about acceptance or rejection certain texts like the deuterocanonical portion of the Bible, also known as the Apocrypha, or the Book of Mormon itself? Is baptism required and, if so, how and when should it be done? Must Christians adhere to follow the leadership of a certain spiritual leader? So, are Mormons Christians? How about other groups often labeled as cults such as Jehovah Witnesses, Christian Scientists, or Unitarians? Given their veneration of Mary and other differing beliefs, are Catholics Christian? Does supporting predestination preclude calling Presbyterians Christian? And can a person be a Christian even if the church to which he or she belongs is outside the traditional definition of the term? What about those who have no official church membership? Is there one simple answer to this question and can it be universally applied?

Anyway, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, it is quite possible that, like the 1960 election, this contest will re-define the American perception of what it means to be a Christian. Mormons, like Catholics before them, once viewed with suspicion and hostility, might slowly be welcomed into the larger Christian fold.

Although I appreciate the chance to improve religious dialogue, I am disappointed that this conversation seemingly arose, not from a desire to promote understanding, but rather as an afterthought to advance a particular candidate. Do conservatives, like Billy Graham, honestly now believe that Mormonism is simply another branch of Christianity and not a cult? Or are they willing to cast aside their longstanding beliefs for political gain? If the answer is the first, then I’m hopeful that this change will permit more people in this country to openly practice their religious convictions without fear of societal persecution. However, if the answer is the second, which I worry is the case, then the state of organized religion and politics in America is in a much more sickly state than I previously imagined.

Regardless of the circumstances and any particular personal preferences, as a result of the 2012 elections, Mormonism is being mainstreamed. Whether you adhere to a more traditional Christian tradition, you are a Mormon yourself, or you chart a path separate from either, this development does make for a lot of important theological and political ramifications in America today.

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Writing-In Ron Paul

Posted in Political Musings, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Gary Johnson, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Virgil Goode, Virginia on October 30, 2012| 4 Comments »

If you were to ask a political activist who strongly values the ideals of liberty and a constitutionally-limited government who was the best candidate running for president in 2012, chances are many of them would enthusiastically answer Representative Ron Paul of Texas. I know that I would! Unfortunately, due a number of issues, some relating the unfair tactics of the Republican National Committee, other due to errors on the part of the Ron Paul campaign, Dr. Paul is not the Republican nominee and will not be showing up on the ballot on November 6^th.

As a result, some die hard Ron Paul supporters are planning to write-in Dr. Paul as opposed to voting for one of the other candidates. However, I must caution my fellow Virginians, for I believe such a decision is a mistake.

Here in Virginia, we have five candidates on the ballot for president. Besides both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, who presumably everyone knows, we also have Virgil Goode, Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein. Although write-ins are technically allowed in the Commonwealth, they are of practically zero value, as the state board of elections does not report individual write-ins.

Don’t believe me? In the general election of 2011, I worked as an election official for a precinct in Rockingham County. At the end of Election Day, we dutifully recorded each and every write-in response for each office and there were a fair number of them. They ranged from potentially legitimate candidates to fictitious characters like Mickey Mouse and “anyone but the guy in there now”. Look at the official results for House of Delegates in Rockingham County. The only two options listed are Tony Wilt and the rather generic Write In candidate. And that race isn’t some sort of anomaly. Every race in 2011 is the very same way, so too are the election results for each year available on the state board’s website. Let me tell you that the only people who know whether a write-in vote is for a legitimate and real person or someone absurd like Homer Simpson are the voter who cast the vote and the election officials. They are the only ones.

So, now that we’ve established that a write-in vote is close to worthless in Virginia, why would anyone still write-in Dr. Paul? As I’ve already mentioned, we have five candidates running for president that will be on the ballot. Are any of them as great as Ron Paul? No. Although each has his or her merits and flaws, none are quite as good. However, given the fact that we do have a number of choices, at least one of them has to share a lot of our political principles. Now, as I’ve mentioned previously, if you don’t know much about them, I would recommend visiting iSideWith.com to find out with which candidate or candidates that you most closely align.

If, however, at the end of the day, you still feel compelled to write-in Dr. Paul, I will not condemn such an action. After all, I believe that the most important facet of voting is to never betray your convictions. Nevertheless, if you explore the candidates with an open mind, I’m pretty sure you’ll find one that is more than acceptable. I know that I did.

I encourage you to take heart. Remember! Regardless of the outcome on November 6^th, this great movement spearheaded by Ron Paul will not die so long as we faithfully promote the cause of liberty in our words, our deeds, and in our votes.

Best of luck to you on Election Day, fellow Ron Paul supporter!

For liberty and responsibility!

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JMU & The 2012 Presidential Race: Part II

Posted in Political Musings, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, JMU, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Virgil Goode on October 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

About a week ago, I wrote about the attitudes of James Madison University students regarding the 2012 presidential election. Although you should read the previous post below if you have not done so, the summary is that 42.6% of students surveyed support President Barack Obama, while Mitt Romney has 27.8%, Gary Johnson has 2.8%, Jill Stein has 1.9% and a large percentage, 24.1%, were undecided.

After the second presidential debate, but before the third, I conducted another door-to-door poll of a different batch of off-campus JMU students to gauge how their opinions had shifted. The two questions asked were the same as before. Are you registered to vote in Virginia and, if so, which of the presidential candidates would you support if the election were held today? This time, 95 students answered. Like the last survey, their answers closely mirrored the previous results. Democratic candidate Barack Obama improved slightly, rising by .6% to 43.2%, while Republican Mitt Romney declined by 1.5%, falling to 26.3%. Libertarian Gary Johnson dropped as well by .5% to 2.1%. Interestingly, none of the respondents this time mentioned Green candidate Jill Stein as his or her top pick. As before, zero students made any comment about Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode. With this numbers, you will note that a considerable number of students were once again undecided, showing an increase of 4.3% to now rest at 28.4%. Continuing the previous trend, when considering just Obama versus Romney responses, Obama dominated with 62.1% to Romney’s 37.9%

With the two surveys combined, Barack Obama is the favorite of a plurality of James Madison students with 42.9%, Mitt Romney is second with 27.1%, Gary Johnson is third with 2.5%, Jill Stein is fourth with 1%, although not a candidate, Ron Paul is fifth with .5%, and a vast number of students are still undecided with 28.4%. In the Obama/Romney head-to-head, Obama gets 61.3% to Romney’s 38.7%.

Although I’m admittedly a political animal, I’m surprised that the number of undecided voters remains so high among JMU students. What explains this trend? Do they suffer from a lack of information, is apathy high, or is there simply a strong dissatisfaction with both of the two major party candidates? After all, as one undecided student commented, she didn’t particularly care for either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.

Given the previous results, I would assume that at this point a majority of undecided students will break along the same percentages as their brethren have done, unless something changes. But a lot of factors could alter this outcome in the 13 days that remain. I hope to have one final survey of JMU students before Election Day to gain a clearer picture.

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JMU & the 2012 Presidential Race

Posted in Political Musings, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Gary Johnson, Harrisonburg, Jill Stein, JMU, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Virgil Goode on October 18, 2012| 3 Comments »

On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of this week, I’ve visited three different off-campus JMU apartment complexes in Harrisonburg. Part of the purpose in doing so was to assess the opinions of the students regarding the 2012 presidential election. The general theory is that JMU students who registered to vote in Harrisonburg in 2008 supported Barack Obama by huge margins and helped him to capture the city last time.

For a bit of historical perspective, in the 2004 presidential election, when students had to vote in their hometowns rather than at their college or university, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections about 11,000 people voted in Harrisonburg. George W. Bush won about 6,100 or 55.9%. In 2008, John McCain had slightly less votes than Bush did four years prior, but only took 41.2% as around 14,500 people voted in the city. While about 1,000 more people voted in Harrisonburg in 2004 as they did in 2000, 3,500 more showed up in 2008 as compared to 2004. A large portion of this increase was no doubt due to changes in Virginia law, which allows students to vote where they attend university.

So one important question to consider is will JMU break heavily for President Barack Obama this November? With this thought in mind, I asked the JMU students two questions. Are you registered to vote in Virginia and, if so, if the election were held today, which of the candidates would you support?

Now, a considerable number of students were not at home at the time of my visit, a handful was not registered to vote, some were registered in their hometowns in other states, and still others refused to answer. However, 108 students did respond. Perhaps not surprisingly, Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, won a plurality, 46 or 42.6%. Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate, finished in second place with 30 votes or 27.8%. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, was a distant third with 3 votes or 2.8%, Jill Stein, the Green candidate, was fourth at 2 votes or 1.9%, and, although not a candidate, one student planned to write-in Representative Ron Paul. Even though he is listed on the Virginia ballot, none of the students mentioned Constitution Party candidate, Virgil Goode. However, you should note that a sizable portion of respondents, 26 students or 24.1% stated that they are undecided.

If these survey numbers are indicative of the entire student population, then the race is still pretty fluid at JMU. As expected, Barack Obama is ahead, but not by an insurmountable margin.

I assume that whichever candidate or campaign works the most diligently to court these undecided voters will not only win the JMU vote, but also likely claim Harrisonburg as well. Toward that end, rumors swirl that President Obama will visit JMU prior to the election as he did back in 2008. And what sort of impact did the second presidential debates make? What will happen? We’ll find out soon!

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Taking Sides

Posted in Political Musings, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Gary Johnson, iSideWith.com, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Virgil Goode on October 5, 2012| 2 Comments »

As Election Day draws closer, each presidential candidate looks to capture the ever-dwindling block of undecided voters. After all, as in many cases, the race will not be decided by either the hardcore Republican or Democratic activists, but rather the mass of swing voters that could tip the election in several ways.

Toward that end, I encourage you to check out a website called iSideWith.com, assuming you have not already done so. I first discovered this site in late May. After answering the questions, the results indicated that I had the most in common with Dr. Ron Paul, 99% in agreement to be exact. Not much of a surprise, huh? However, one oversight I noticed in the program was that it failed to include Virgil Goode, the Constitution Party candidate. After a few back and forth emails with the creator of the site, I was glad to see that they ended up including him. Now, I don’t necessarily plan to vote for Mr. Goode, but given that he is a candidate for president on a multitude of ballots across the county, I thought that he should be listed. After all, to be an informed voter, one should be aware of all of one’s choices.

Once the GOP nomination had concluded and Ron Paul was no longer an option, I returned to iSideWith several times to see what they had to say about the other candidates. Although my percentages fluctuate depending on which issues I believe are the most important on a given day, the results are always the same.

I suppose it shouldn’t come as any great surprise. Former Governor Gary Johnson was my second choice in the GOP contest after Ron Paul and I collected signatures for both men to be on the Republican ballot in Virginia’s March 6^th primary.

However, I should point out that I wouldn’t necessarily take your results as gospel truth; it should not be the only guide you use when pledging your support to one candidate or another. After all, if you happen to be a single-issue voter, it doesn’t really matter how much you agree with a candidate on a range of topics if he or she happens to stand in stark contrast when it comes to your most important issue.

So, whether you happen to still be undecided as to who you will be supporting on November 6^th, or you’re a died in the wool party person, I encourage you to try out iSideWith. Maybe you’ll match in perfect lockstep with a certain candidate or perhaps there will be several with whom you agree. Either way, I think you’ll find this site to be of interest. Try it out and, if you feel so inclined, list your results in the comments sections below. I’d be interested to discovering where my readers stand.

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The Obama Stagnation

Posted in Political Musings, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Economics, Mitt Romney, Unemployment on October 1, 2012| 1 Comment »

A guest article by Dan Wilson.

With the onset of the election, the economy continues to remain the number one issue on voters’ minds. President Obama would have them believe he turned the economy around from the abyss after the financial crisis of 2008, and were now on a forward path because of his policies. The problem with this story is that it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Almost every broad-based measurement of economic well-being shows stagnation or decline over his term. Given this, voters should look towards the Republican nominee for president, Mitt Romney, to lead this country towards economic revival.

For starters, look at the jobs market. 23 million Americans continue to remain unemployed, underemployed or stopped looking for work. The only reason the unemployment rate declined from its recessionary peak of 10% to its current level of 8.1% is from millions of Americans dropping out of the labor force. Since the unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the amount of people unemployed by the labor force, all it takes for the unemployment rate to drop is for individuals to become discouraged and stop registering their unemployed status to the government. The labor force participation rate stands at a 60 year low for males. Instead of finding a job millions of Americans have found it more convenient to live off the current administration’s expansion of the social safety net. In fact, the unemployment rate calculated with the same labor force participation rate held on January 2009 would be through the roof at 11.3%.

There has been 4.5 million private sector jobs added over the past 30 months that Obama likes to talk about. But, compared to other recoveries after a severe recession, 4.5 million jobs is disappointing to say the least. If this jobs recovery kept up with the pace of the Reagan recovery, roughly 7.5 million more people would have a job. Based on the past 20 years of job growth our economy is currently 13 million jobs below its trend line.

On top of that, a recent study demonstrated that most of the jobs lost during the recession were middle-class jobs while majority of the new jobs are lower class. In other words, not only have the quantity of jobs added under Obama undershot expectations, but they have also suffered in quality.

Given the dismal state of job and income growth, it’s no surprise that household incomes have actually fallen more during the so-called recovery than the actual recession. Under the latest estimations, household incomes fell 2.6% during the recessionary years and by 4.8% since.

Though the scariest picture of them all is the coming sovereign debt crisis this country faces similar to the situation facing many European countries. The current administration’s appetite for debt fueled government spending in the name of stimulus and wealth redistribution may be the final straw that breaks the back of our economy, equalizing us with the debt ridden, depressed economies of Europe. Since taking office, the Obama administration has run four consecutive trillion dollar deficits, increasing the national debt by 5.6 trillion in less than four years. The national debt as a percentage of GDP, which measures our liabilities against assets, has risen from an already too high rate of 70% when Obama took office, to over a whopping 100%. Under current budget projections, this ratio only worsens under an Obama second term, as the national debt continues to grow faster than the economy.

In short, economic statistics clearly reveal that the US economy has stagnated under the current administration’s policies and faces financial ruin in the near future if we don’t reverse course. Ultimately, voters will decide whether we stay with the status quo of misery or turn the corner and select a new set of policies with a Romney administration, which will foster prosperity that this country is so used to.

Daniel Wilson is a recent graduate of James Madison University and holds a degree in economics.

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Ryan in Rockingham County

Posted in Political Musings, tagged 2012 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Bob Goodlatte, Gary Johnson, Helen Shibut, Jill Stein, Jim Gray, JMU, John McCain, Madison Liberty, Mark Obenshain, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Rockingham County Fair, Steve Landes, Tony Wilt, Virgil Goode on September 16, 2012| 2 Comments »

Paul Ryan in Rockingham County
Photo by Helen Shibut

Paul Ryan, the Republican Representative for Wisconsin’s First Congressional District and Mitt Romney’s running mate, made a campaign stop at the Rockingham County Fair Grounds on Friday. His visit marks the first of any presidential or vice presidential candidate to the central Shenandoah Valley.

Besides Representative Ryan, speakers also included: Delegate Tony Wilt of Rockingham County, Delegate Steve Landes of Augusta County, State Senator Mark Obenshain of Harrisonburg, and Representative Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke.

The event itself was quite well attended. Most estimates I’ve read peg the audience about 3,000. Like the recent Obama rally in Charlottesville, each person had to pass through “airport style security” overseen by both the Secret Service and the TSA.

Reaction to the gathering was mixed. Although most of the people that I spoke with enjoyed Ryan’s speech, the event was plagued with a number of shortfalls.

First, no one could bring in liquids, which was expected. However, the fact that one could not even get a cup of water without paying for it seemed completed absurd. Would a person have to suffer through their thirst if he or she could not pay $2.00 for a beverage?

A view of a portion of the crowd and the fence that segregated attendees.

Second, the venue did not allow for a majority of the spectators to see Paul Ryan. The organizers set up a ring of fences around the platform and only a portion could enter this circle. Although raised, the platform was not nearly high enough for many people to even catch a glimpse of the man who could very well be our next vice president.

However, one positive aspect, as compared to the Obama event, was that the police did not close down traffic in a highly central location for the better part of an hour, which would have wasted the time of countless residents.

Overall, I would rate Ryan’s event a success even though, as mentioned, there were several aspects that could have been and should have been handled in a better manner.

So the next question is will any of the five presidential candidates: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Gary Johnson, Virgil Goode, or Jill Stein, make a stop in the Shenandoah Valley between now and the election? If you will recall, four years ago Barack Obama won the city of Harrisonburg after making a speech at JMU while John McCain merely sent a relative to the local GOP headquarters. After all, personal campaigning is an important element to electoral success and Ryan’s visit on Friday should serve to bolster the local Republican effort. Now how will the other candidates respond? Our first answer comes tomorrow when Libertarian Party candidate Judge Jim Gray speaks at JMU.

As a final note, I want to shout out a special thanks to Helen Shibut of Madison Liberty for the picture of Paul Ryan. As mentioned, I happened to be one of the countless spectators who could not get close enough to get a usable shot.

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Romney & Allen Win Hob Nob Poll

September 7, 2012 by virginiaconservative

This evening, the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber of Commerce held their annual Hob Nob event in Middletown, Virginia. Unlike last year, which was marred by rain, overall attendance was up by around 30 to 40%.

The main attraction was both former Governors Tim Kaine and George Allen. Each gave a brief speech, as did two members of the General Assembly who spoke on behalf of the campaigns of President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Although not offered a speaking role, Representative Frank Wolf, his Democratic and Independent opponents, Kristin Cabral and Kevin Chisholm, some of the statewide 2013 candidates, and a host of office seekers from either the city of Winchester or Frederick and Clarke Counties were also brought up on stage.

Each attendee to the Hob Nob had the option to participate in the 14-question straw poll with 211 choosing to do so. For president, Mitt Romney emerged victorious with 127 votes or 60.2% as compared to Barack Obama’s 76 votes or 36%. Unlike Virginia’s November ballot, none of the other candidates were listed. Nevertheless, write-in candidates garnered 8 votes, but it is unknown whether one candidate won all eight or if it was spread among several or many.

Former Governors Allen and Kaine

In the U.S. Senate race, George Allen claimed 131 votes or 62.1% of the votes cast while Tim Kaine captured 80. There were no write-ins in this race.

Moving on to the 10^th district House of Representatives, Incumbent Frank Wolf easily won this straw poll with 72.7% of the votes as compared to Cabral’s 24.9% and Chisholm’s 2.4%. As for the remaining contests, as the races were specific to certain cities and towns and likely unfamiliar to just about every reader, those results are not included in this report.

So does tonight’s straw poll herald a victory for Republicans in Virginia in November? Or are a majority of the polls, which predict an Obama and Kaine, more accurate? In less than two months we’ll have our answer.

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged Barack Obama, Frank Wolf, George Allen, Hob Nob, Kevin Chisholm, Kristin Cabral, Mitt Romney, Tim Kaine | Leave a comment

Labor Day in Buena Vista

September 3, 2012 by virginiaconservative

Although a small city in western Virginia, Buena Vista plays host to an important political event every Labor Day. Earlier today, politicians, their campaigns, and throngs of grassroots activists descended upon the community to participate in their annual Labor Day parade. This year, attendees included: Senator Mark Warner, former Governor and Democratic Senate hopeful Tim Kaine, former Governor and Republican Senate hopeful George Allen, former Representative and Constitution Party Presidential candidate Virgil Goode, Representative Bob Goodlatte, and his Democratic challenger Andy Schmookler.

The event had the one of the greatest concentrations of yard signs anywhere; from Interstate 81, the road into Buena Vista was lined. Along the parade route, signage was even thicker, forming a virtual fence between the spectators and those walking in the procession in many places. But which campaign was best represented in this aspect? Of all of the candidates, Tim Kaine easily won the sign war; his total number of signs more than doubled his next closest competitor, George Allen, while Bob Goodlatte placed third. Curiously, there were relatively few Mitt Romney signs and close to zero for President Barack Obama. This trend could lead one to think that no one had much of an interest in the race at the top of the ticket.

Unlike previous years where I promoted either a candidate or the GOP, today I walked in the parade on behalf of We rVirginia, a conservative grassroots organization based outside of Richmond. Although our group was considerably smaller than either the masses of Democratic and Republican volunteers, our folks were quite efficient, carrying our banner down the streets of Buena Vista while distributing hundreds of leaflets explaining both the purpose of the organization and comparing the stances of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

As the Buena Vista Labor Day continues to grow in attendance and importance, it is becoming a virtual can’t miss event for those seeking office in either the 6^th Congressional district or statewide in Virginia. Surprisingly, neither Lt. Governor Bill Bolling nor Ken Cuccinelli attended the gathering this year, but it is all but certain that whichever of these two men captures the GOP nod for Governor will have a huge showing in Buena Vista 2013 along with whoever wins the Democrats nominatation for Governor, as well as the various candidates for Lt. Governor and Attorney General.

See you again in Buena Vista on September 2, 2013!

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged Andy Schmookler, Barack Obama, Bob Goodlatte, Buena Vista, George Allen, Labor Day, Mark Warner, Mitt Romney, Tim Kaine, Virgil Goode | 1 Comment

Obama Comes to Charlottesville

August 29, 2012 by virginiaconservative

Earlier today, President Barack Obama visited downtown Charlottesville, Virginia as he continues his campaign for re-election. In 2008, Charlottesville proved to be one of Obama’s most favorable cities in Virginia, as he garnered 78.35% of the vote.

Prior to Obama’s speech, the Jefferson Area Tea Party and Americans for Prosperity held an “Oust Obama” rally at Lee Park, which began at noon, three or four blocks from the Pavilion where Obama’s event was slated to be later in the day. Featured speakers at this meeting included: former Republican Party of Virginia Chairperson Kate Obenshain, Delegate Rob Bell of Albemarle County, and E.W. Jackson, a former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. The crowd at this event was estimated to be approximately 160 people, most came from either Charlottesville or the surrounding Albemarle County, but there was also a sizable contingent from Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro as well.

Attendance to Barack Obama’s speech was far more tightly regulated that the relatively informal tea party event. Each person had to have a ticket, which meant filling out a form that requested a name, address, phone number, and email address. Once the gates opened at 1:00 PM, the line quickly grew to stretch from one end of the downtown mall to the other, a distance of about a half a mile. As warned, the attendees had to path through “airport style security” which included emptying pockets and passing through a metal detector. Fortunately, neither full body scans nor removing shoes was required. However, as no outside beverages were allowed, many people simply threw their trash on the ground as opposed to finding a proper trashcan.

Although it was difficult to gauge a specific number, attendance had to have been in the thousands. People were packed as tightly as sardines within. A vast majority of the area was standing room only; ticket holders gathered both inside the structure and on the grassy slopes around.

After a bit of live music and some brief introductions from some of the local Obama field staff, the politicians spoke. First up was Tom Perriello, the former member of the House of Representatives for the Charlottesville area until he lost his re-election bid in 2010. Next was former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine who is looking to claim a seat in the U.S. Senate in November. He made a handful of jabs against George Allen, his Republican opponent.

Around 3:30 PM or so, Barack Obama took the stage for about a half an hour. He spent quite a bit of time reminding folks of the November election, as well as his accomplishments and plans for the future. He spoke on an abundance of topics that would please the mostly liberal audience such as: Obamacare, his support for abortion, and his desire to increase fuel efficiency of automobiles. One surprise, however, had to be his call to begin the complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan beginning in about a month’s time.

Although it was not difficult to leave the downtown area via car, the Charlottesville police did close off traffic in or out of Route 29, one of the busiest arteries of the city, for over an hour until the presidential motorcade had passed by. One does have to wonder how many thousands of citizens had their schedules disrupted by this unexpected delay.

Even though WSLS 10 reports that enthusiasm for Barack Obama has waned from its high water mark four years ago, today’s event in the liberal bastion of Charlottesville showed that there are still a vast number of people in Virginia who are willing to wait for hours on a fairly hot summer day and in a packed crowd to hear him speak.

Statistics show that Virginia will be one of the most important battlegrounds in the November 6^th race for the President. Whether Barack Obama carries the Old Dominion, as he did four years ago, remains to be seen. However, as we draw nearer to the election, Virginians should expect more visits from Obama and Mitt Romney as well as counterbalancing gatherings of their detractors.

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged 2012 election, Americans for Prosperity, Barack Obama, Charlottesville, E. W. Jackson, George Allen, Jefferson Area Tea Party, Kate Obenshain, Mitt Romney, Rob Bell, Tim Kaine, Tom Perriello | 4 Comments

The Council Contest

July 20, 2012 by virginiaconservative

Besides the three federal positions that Virginians will elect in November, citizens of Harrisonburg, Virginia will also choose members to serve on city council. This year, three of the council’s five seats are up for grabs.

There are eight candidates vying for these positions. The three Democratic candidates are: two current council members Richard Baugh, who also serves as the current Mayor of Harrisonburg, and Kai Degner, a realtor, as well as Deb Fitzgerald, an associate professor of economics at Blue Ridge Community College. The three Republican candidates are: Christine Johnson, the owner of the University Outpost Bookstore, Anthony Bailey, the Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, and Rodney Eagle, owner of Eagle Carpet and former Harrisonburg Mayor. The two independents are: Abe Shearer, a math teacher at Skyline Middle School, and Roger Baker, the former City Manager of Harrisonburg.

Now, unlike most federal or state elections in the Shenandoah Valley, city council seats are not a virtual lock for any particular political party or individual. For example, on November 4^th, 2008, the three Democratic candidates swept all of the seats besting three Republicans and two independents including both Rodney Eagle and Roger Baker. One should note that Barack Obama also won the city that day. In 2010, the next time seats were available; there were six candidates running, two Republicans, two Democrats, and two independents. In that election, one Republican and one independent emerged victorious.

However, as was the case in 2008, I would expect the outcome of the city council race to hinge heavily upon the up-ticket races, especially the presidential. Left untouched, there will be a large number of voters who will be heading to the polls solely to vote for or against Barack Obama. I assume that they will know little, if anything, of the council candidates and will end up voting for all of the Democratic candidates if they support Obama or for all of the Republican candidates if they oppose him.

As a result, I would argue that the two party candidates enjoy a significant advantage, but also a distinct disadvantage, when it comes to their independent opponents. If their presidential candidate does well, then that result should bolster their chances of victory. Conversely, if their candidate does poorly in the city, then it will make their success all the more difficult.

At this point, any of the candidates should have a reasonable chance of being elected. But a strong campaign is a critical element that ought not be neglected. Should a candidate surround him or herself with competent advisors, have a strong organization for fundraising, a base of volunteers loyal to the candidate, and a coordinated plan for voter contact and organization, he or she should do well. On the other hand, as stated earlier, should a council candidate rely heavily upon the outcome of the presidential race and party activists, trouble could be in store. If the winds of fortune favor his or her party’s presidential nominee, he or she ought to do reasonably well. But, if national current runs contrary, and the candidate makes little independent effort on his or her own, he or she shall be destroyed.

All voters in Harrisonburg owe it to themselves and their fellow citizens to educate themselves about their eight choices for city council. Sure, it might not be as glamorous or high profile as the well-known races, but I assure you that the men and women we select to help run the government of our city will make a tremendous impact, either for good or ill, upon all of us.

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged 2012 election, Abe Shearer, Anthony Bailey, Barack Obama, Christine Johnson, City Council, Deb Fitzgerald, Harrisonburg, Kai Degner, Mitt Romney, Richard Baugh, Rodney Eagle, Roger Baker | Leave a comment

The Romney Bus Comes To Harrisonburg

July 11, 2012 by virginiaconservative

Yesterday evening, Mitt Romney’s “Hope For America” bus pulled into the parking lot of the Republican headquarters on Neff Avenue in Harrisonburg. Although there were rumors that either Mitt Romney or another member of the Romney clan would be on board, they proved to be unfounded. Instead, the bus held quite a few members of Romney’s Virginia campaign team.

Despite the lack of the candidate, a throng of enthusiastic Republicans showed up at the victory center including three Virginia state legislators: Delegates Rob Bell, Dickie Bell, and Tony Wilt.

After a short presentation, the Romney campaign invited the crowd to step aboard their vehicle. The tour bus seemed to contain every possible feature and amenity. For example, a section of the floors were inlayed with polished stone, there were a handful of televisions, and some of the padded chairs were embroidered with the Romney logo.

In less than one hundred and twenty days, voters will go to the polls in November to vote for electors who will choose our next president. During the 2008 election cycle, Barack Obama personally came to Harrisonburg; John McCain sent his relatives. Obama ended up winning the city by about 2,400 votes, a feat no other Democratic presidential candidate has been able to claim in over thirty years.

So how much effort will the Romney and Obama campaigns put forth in winning Harrisonburg? And which, if either, of the candidates will make a personal campaign stop in the friendly city? After looking at all of the data, it seems impossible for Mitt Romney to win the presidency if he does not capture Virginia’s 13 electoral votes. Therefore, I would expect that there will be quite a few more visits throughout the Commonwealth from both of the campaigns between now and November.

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged 2012 election, Barack Obama, Harrisonburg, Mitt Romney | Leave a comment

The Phony Recovery

June 27, 2012 by virginiaconservative

Guest Post by Daniel Wilson

With an election rolling around the corner, President Obama is out on the campaign trail touting himself as an economic savior for the homeland. Though, it’s hard to imagine how anybody could possibly run on an economic record as lousy as his own. After all, the majority of Americans still believe the economy is in a recession.

Technically, the recession ended in the second quarter of 2009, but the so-called recovery has been too weak to reverse much of the catastrophic damage done to the average household during the recent economic collapse. For example, since the alleged recovery began real gross domestic product growth has averaged an anemic 2.4 percent, with 1.9 percent for the first quarter of 2012.

Given the depth of the economic contraction from the financial crisis, economists would expect a much larger rebound in growth rates. Historical evidence compiled by many economists, including Milton Friedman, clearly shows that deep economic downturns are followed by rapid expansions. For instance, at this same point in the 1980s recovery following the deep contraction at the start of the decade, GDP growth averaged a much more robust rate of 6 percent.

What about on the jobs front? The picture remains the same, no real recovery to speak of. True, the private sector has added 4 .3 million jobs over the past 27 months, which is around 160,000 jobs a month. However, that’s hardly enough jobs to keep up with the growth in the labor force and private sector jobs are still 4.5 million below their 2008 peak. Hence, employment statistics continue to remain in the dumps.

For instance, the unemployment rate has been above 8 percent for over 40 consecutive months, the longest since the 1930s. The labor presentation rate has plummeted to multi-decade lows as millions of discouraged workers have stopped looking for work and are no longer part of the official unemployment rate. In fact, if you calculate the unemployment rate using the same labor participation rate held on January 2009, the unemployment rate would be 10.9 percent.

So what’s holding back the economy? John Taylor, a prominent economist from Stanford University, believes the current administration is most to blame through their interventionist economic policies. Taylor argues that the increased regulatory burden of government over the last few years, including but not limited to, Obama care, Dodd- Frank, an overzealous EPA and NLRB, have stifled business expansion, causing resources to remain idle instead of being used in productive manners that foster job creation. To validate this view, a recent poll done by the Chamber of Commerce found that 74 percent of small businesses say that Obama Care makes it harder for their business to add employees. Another recent poll by Gallup found that the number one problem small businesses face is complying with government regulations. Just since 2008, the amount of federal workers employed in regulatory activities has increased by 20 percent.

Another blatant impediment to a genuine economic recovery is the profligate spending in Washington D.C. The increase in federal outlays since 2008 did not stimulate the economy, but rather sedated it. The more the government spends, the less the private sector can invest. As Milton Friedman put it, a government taxes what it spends, so spending increases have the real effect of higher tax rates on the private sector. Since governments have no resources of their own, they have to obtain their fundings by robbing the private sector of its capital. That is, when governments spend money, whether through taxing, borrowing, or inflating they displace resources from the productive sector of our economy and squander it on wasteful projects, such as Solyndra.

A recovery built to last must come from the only productive part of our economy, which is the private sector, not the public sector. In order to allow the private economy to fire on all cylinders, producing a recovery strong enough to reverse the damage done from the recent financial meltdown, the federal government must remove its grip on the economy with large-scale cuts in spending and onerous regulations.

Daniel Wilson is a recent graduate of James Madison University and holds a degree in economics.

Posted in Guest Post, Political Musings | Tagged Barack Obama, Daniel Wilson, Economics, Unemployment | Leave a comment

Primary Musings

June 17, 2012 by virginiaconservative

Karen Kwiatkowski at the Keister Precinct in Harrisonburg

Well, nearly a week has come and gone since Virginia’s Tuesday primary. I suppose that the end result did not yield any great surprises. Across the Commonwealth each incumbent House of Representatives candidate emerged victorious. In the Senate contest the virtual incumbent, former Senator George Allen, also won.

According to the Virginia State Board of Elections, with all precincts but one reporting, George Allen captured the GOP nomination with 65.45% of the vote. Tea Party favorite Jamie Radtke finished second with 23.05%. Delegate Bob Marshall and Bishop E. W. Jackson finished a distant third and fourth with 6.76% and 4.72% respectively.

George Allen polled relatively well throughout Virginia. He only lost two cities and counties; Jamie Radtke won a plurality in Charles City County and Bob Marshall did likewise in Manassas Park. Other notable results showed very close contests between Radtke and Allen in Amelia, Hanover, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Northampton, and Powhatan Counties. Although Radtke captured a clear second overall, E. W. Jackson took runner up in Albemarle and Botetourt Counties while Marshall boasted second in and around his House of Delegates district, Prince William and Manassas.

Although Jamie Radtke attempted to secure the title of the conservative alternative to George Allen, the fact that both Jackson and Marshall were competing had to hurt both her fundraising and numbers at the polls. However, given his monetary and virtual 100% name recognition, it still would have been a monumental hurdle for Radtke to defeat Allen one-on-one. Now that the dust has settled, one important question to ask though is, given their low vote totals, why were Jackson and Marshall in the race?

Except during the final months of the campaign, it did not appear that Jackson was actually trying to win the nomination. He had a pretty small campaign staff and I’ve heard that he made a number of speeches where he didn’t actually reference his candidacy for Senate. One popular theory is that he was trying to build name ID in order to establish himself for a future political run.

As for Delegate Marshall, it is clear that he entered the race far too late. If you will recall, he didn’t make an official announcement of his candidacy until late January or early February of 2012. By comparison, by that point, the Radtke campaign had already been in full swing for more than a year. Although I cannot comment on the rest of the state, the fact that Marshall spent very little time or effort campaigning in the Shenandoah Valley made his poor showing here a virtual inevitability.

Moving on to the 6^th district House of Representatives race, incumbent Bob Goodlatte turned back a conservative/libertarian challenge from retired Lt. Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski. With 100% of the vote counted, Goodlatte captured 66.49% of the vote as compared to Kwiatkowski’s 33.5%.

With her campaign headquarters based in Harrisonburg, Kwiatkowski won my hometown with 50.57% of the vote. She also did quite well in Rockingham County, losing by 240 votes and in Page County where Goodlatte won with 13 votes. However, Goodlatte finished very strong in most of the higher population centers, winning Roanoke County with 76.95%, Lynchburg City with 75.65%, and Roanoke City with 70.93%.

The burning question here is what will happen in 2014? First, what will Bob Goodlatte do? After all, Tuesday marked his first Republican primary challenger in twenty years. Will he move in a more conservative direction, repudiating his earlier efforts to expand the size and scope of government through SOPA/CISPA, federal prohibitions curtailing online gambling, and liberty-weakening measures like the Patriot Act? And, if he does not, will Kwiatkowski, as she hinted earlier, challenge him again? Or will a new challenger emerge?

Here are my predictions for November. Given past trends, the race for the House was more or less decided last week. The 6^th district is far too conservative and Bob Goodlatte has a massive campaign war chest, so he should roll over his colorful Democratic challenger, Andy Schmookler. However, polls have shown the Senate race to be a tight affair. Although the outcome of the presidential contest will certainly influence all down ticket races, at this point, I believe Tim Kaine will be our next Senator. George Allen still has a number of fences to mend on the right and conservatives do not share the great fear for Kaine as they do for Obama. As for the Obama vs. Romney fight, I think the race is too close to call. Virginia is a toss-up between the two. However, I cannot envision a path to victory for Romney that does not involve him capturing the Commonwealth. Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t require a Virginia victory to gain four more years. For that reason and several others, I would give a slight edge to Obama…at least at this point.

Let me end by thanking all of the candidates who ran, the activists who volunteered, and the citizens who voted on Tuesday. As we saw, unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, the most conservative candidates don’t always win. However, if we remain true to our principles and remain organized and active, we will prevail in the long run. We must continue to fight because it is good for our party, good for Virginia, good for our nation, good for our children, and good for their children. The sake of the present and the future demands no less of us.

The primaries are over. Onward to victory!

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged Andy Schmookler, Barack Obama, Bob Goodlatte, Bob Marshall, E. W. Jackson, George Allen, Jamie Radtke, June 12th, Karen Kwiatkowski, Mitt Romney, Republican Primary, Tim Kaine | 1 Comment

The 2012 GOP Nomination is Over?

April 13, 2012 by virginiaconservative

Since Rick Santorum’s sudden and frankly rather unexpected departure from the Republican presidential nomination, pundits seems to be scrambling to claim that the process is now over; Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee. However, for the Republican nomination to be truly over, at least one of three things must happen: Either one candidate accumulates the required number of delegates so that it is mathematically impossible for any other candidate to claim victory, every other candidate seeking the nomination must withdraw, or a vast majority of voters are convinced that one candidate has already won.

Given that there are 2,286 delegates at stake in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, that figure means that one candidate must accumulate 50% plus one in order to become the nominee, or 1144 delegates. So have any of the candidates reached this magic number? Although estimates vary given that some primaries and caucus were mere beauty contests and did not actually award delegates, Mitt Romney is the closest. As of April 6th, the RNC had Romney’s pledged delegate at 573. However, some more up to dates sources have him at 656, a little over half of what he needs to seal the deal. Yes, either way Romney has a greater number of delegates than any other candidate, but remains well shy of the mark. So, the answer to the first point is no. No candidate has an outright majority of delegates.

What about the second point? Although the process has eliminated a large number of contenders such as Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, Gary Johnson, Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain, and, most recently, Rick Santorum, there are still three candidates seeking the Republican nomination. Besides Mitt Romney, there is also Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. Although Romney is leading by a healthy margin, he is not the only choice left. Therefore, the answer to the second point is no as well.

So what about the third point then? Ah, here is where media outlets and establishment Republicans shine. Each have been making and continue to make the point that with Rick Santorum’s departure from the race, Mitt Romney has such a lead as to make the rest of the primaries, caucuses, and even the Republican convention itself to be a waste of time. To these people it is irrelevant that over half of the delegates have not been awarded. Given that neither point one or point two is satisfied, they seek to subvert the will of the folks in states that have not voted.

The 2012 Republican presidential primaries as of April 12th. Graphic by Gage Skidmore on Wikipedia.

Are there many grey-colored states left where people have not voted? Well, guess what New York voters? You don’t matter! Neither do voters in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and any other state who has not yet apportioned their delegates. It doesn’t matter voters in these states could affect the outcome of this race, if enough people are told and believe that their voice is irrelevant, then it truly becomes irrelevant. After all, if someone believes that his or her vote will not make any difference, how many people would waste his or her time to go to the polls?

Yes, it is undeniable that Mitt Romney has a significant lead in delegates over both Gingrich and Paul. But the simple fact is that, at this point, he still has competition and he does not have enough delegates to claim the title of Republican nominee. To claim otherwise is wishful thinking at best, and an outright lie at worst.

Many Republicans want the nomination process to be over so that Republicans of all stripes will stop attacking examining and criticizing the GOP candidates and rally behind the banner of stopping Obama at all costs. However, calling the process before it is truly over, as many news outlets and pundits are attempting to do, will likely create feeling of disenfranchisement and crack open greater fissures in the Republican base. After all, if a Gingrich or Paul supporter thought the system rigged or that his or her candidate were cheated through early disqualification, that belief might cause scores of typical Republican voters to abandon the Republican nominee. Therefore, the end result of such tampering could be four more years of President Barack Obama. How many Republicans could claim that they desire such an outcome?

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged 2012 Presidential Primary, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul | 6 Comments

President Obama, please put JOBS under the Christmas tree this year!

December 18, 2011 by virginiaconservative

VC Note: I’m pleased to share a guest post from Melody Scalley, a Virginia talk-show host and entrepreneur who resides on the Eastern Shore.

Image from gettyimages.com

Unless you have a high paying government job, and even if you do, you are probably well aware that the majority of American’s are deeply impacted by the ongoing devastation to the United States economy since President Obama took office.

While overall the unemployment rate hovers close to 9%, minority unemployment remains consistently near 15% and these figures show no indication of significant improvement in the near future. Meanwhile, the current administrations lack of a positive Energy Policy is not only hamstringing companies that could add much needed AMERICAN JOBS to the economy; it is also compromising our long term national security and unnecessarily delaying our economic recovery.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released a report that shows the U.S. is on track to actually export a net increase in gasoline, diesel and other oil-based fuels in 2011 for the first time in 62 years. This is due to the fact that while our economy is stalled, the economy in emerging markets is booming. However these record exports are not forecast to continue. EIA is also predicting domestic oil production will fall 240,000 barrels/day through 2012, mainly due to the continued Gulf “energy freeze” imposed by our current administration.

The United States has the highest standards for environmental protection in the free world. Other countries do not endeavor to protect the environment for future generations as we do, yet their lack of concern for the environment will affect all of us. We have the desire to be good stewards of the environment as well as the technology to extract our resources in a safe and efficient manner. The U.S. also has the most stringent work place safety requirements of any nation. We have the energy resources right here within our borders. If President Obama wanted to put American’s back to work he has an entire industry waiting for the green light to help him turn around our economy.

I grew up in New Orleans and my Dad worked on the oil rigs. I can attest first hand that oil industry jobs keep food on the table, the lights on and the rent paid. If we simply used the God-given resources we have in our great Nation, many American’s would not be needlessly losing their homes and struggling to keep their lights on and their families fed.

We still import over half of our oil and petroleum products. Instead of selling our debt to China we should be selling our OIL to China and reducing our national debt. We do not lack the resources in America. What we lack is leadership and the political will to demand our administration put forward an energy policy that is beneficial to Americans and the United States. Let’s start the New Year on the right path. It is time to resume drilling within American borders and stop exporting American jobs.

If you are interested in hearing more of Melody Scalley’s commentary, reports, and interviews, you can find her on the radio at WESR FM on Thursday from 6 PM to 9 PM or also by visiting her website, http://melodyscalley.com/.

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged Barack Obama, Energy Policy, Melody Scalley, Unemployment | 2 Comments

Our Libyan Nightmare

March 21, 2011 by virginiaconservative

Is anyone else troubled by the recent developments regarding Libya? Now I’m not talking about the clashes between pro-Gaddafi forces and the rebels who seek to overthrow him. I assume we can agree that Gaddafi is an unjust despot, as are many of the leaders of non-democratic countries around the world. We can freely disagree concerning whether or not the U.S. should intervene in this conflict.

Instead, the most disturbing element of current events was President Obama’s unilateral decision to launch a military strike against the nation. Be they no-fly zones, missile attacks, or a ground force invasion, any violation of Libyan sovereign territory puts us at war with the nation. However, according our Constitution, if you read Article One, Section Eight, only Congress has the power to declare war. Did Obama seek and was he granted such authorization? No.

On this topic, I present to you today’s (March 21, 2011) thoughts of Democrat Dennis Kucinich (OH-10).

Isn’t President Obama’s actions a clear violation of the Constitution? Now some people erroneously believe that the War Powers Resolution supercedes the Constitution and transfers this authority to declare war away from the Congress and to the President. Although I don’t believe the War Powers Resolution is constitutional, that issue is a matter for another day. To be clear, assuming the War Powers Resolution is valid, it reads:

The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to

(1) a declaration of war,

(2) specific statutory authorization, or

(3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.

So was there a declaration of war? No. Was there a specific statutory authorization? Not that I can find. How about a national emergency? With Gaddafi desperately struggling to control his own nation, I sincerely doubt anyone can make the claim that he currently possesses either the will or the military forces necessary to pose any sort of threat to our country.

Now I want you to compare Kucinich’s words to Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (VA-7) from Hardball on February 8, 2007.

Scary isn’t it? I certainly hope that Representative Cantor has changed his opinion in the four years since this recording. Unfortunately his website and blog are silent on these recent developments. Granting one man the ability to declare war without any real oversight or approval marches the nation toward the spectre of endless conflict and a totalitarian state.

At the end of the day, whichever party happens to be in power, they all must obey the Constitution. Clearly with this action in Libya, Obama has grossly overstepped his authority. I would not support an executively created war whether it happens under a Republican or a Democrat. You know what is destroying this country? This event serves as a prime example. Outside the rule of law we have given one man far too much power. And what we do not give him willingly, he takes in the name of our own best interest, in our supposed national security, or for international peacekeeping efforts.

We must not look at this matter through the lens of whether you support or oppose the use of military force in Libya. After all, history may judge this intervention to be a great idea or a horrid mistake. Nevertheless, it is clear that our President has blatantly disregarded our Constitution.

You may already realize that this matter is not a partisan issue but one where pitting those who defend our laws against those who ignore them. As Republican Representative Justin Amash (MI-3) wrote on Sunday:

It’s not enough for the President simply to explain military actions in Libya to the American people, after the fact, as though we are serfs. When there is no imminent threat to our country, he cannot launch strikes without authorization from the American people, through our elected Representatives in Congress. No United Nations resolution or congressional act permits the President to circumvent the Constitution.

Perhaps you remember the words of Democrat Rep. Steve Israel (NY-2) in which he stated in the second video, “Congress has a constitutional responsibility to decide whether we are going to war or not.”

So what will be the end result of this affair? Looking back, will this moment be the defining time in which Congress stands up for the Constitution and rule of law or will it surrender to the executive branch? Do you want to know why our country is heading toward oblivion? You need look no further than Obama’s response in Libya.

Posted in Political Musings | Tagged Barack Obama, Constitution, Dennis Kucinich, Eric Cantor, Justin Amash, Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, Steve Israel, War Powers Resolution | 4 Comments

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The Virginia Conservative

"The most important goal in my life is to have some significant impact in preserving and expanding the realm of personal freedom in the life of this country.” Richard D. Obenshain

Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’

Messing With The Electoral College

Some Nights With the GOP

The 2012 Elections Postmortem

Mainstreaming Mormonism

Writing-In Ron Paul

JMU & The 2012 Presidential Race: Part II

JMU & the 2012 Presidential Race

Taking Sides

The Obama Stagnation

Ryan in Rockingham County

Romney & Allen Win Hob Nob Poll

Labor Day in Buena Vista

Obama Comes to Charlottesville

The Council Contest

The Romney Bus Comes To Harrisonburg

The Phony Recovery

Primary Musings

The 2012 GOP Nomination is Over?

President Obama, please put JOBS under the Christmas tree this year!

Our Libyan Nightmare

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