Why don’t Democrats like voters?
By Brian Kirwin | Sunday, November 30th, 2008 | PoliticsYet again, Republicans let the people decide who runs for office as Republicans, as shown yesterday in the election that Barry Knight won over Paul Lanteigne and Tom Keeley. What are the Democrats doing?
Hand-picking in a smoke-filled room perhaps?
Virginia Beach Democratic Committee chairman Ollie Bates said the party will decide by midweek whether to field a candidate in the Jan. 6 general election. “We are talking to someone,” Bates said Saturday.(Virginian-Pilot 11-30-08)
I see this over and over in Virginia Beach politics. Never any competition for Democrat nominations. The “party” will decide whether anybody is going to run in the 81st. Republicans hold campaigns and contests where voters choose the winners.
That says more about Virginia Beach politics than anything.
Tags:
Contribute for Conservatism!
Share this post
About the author
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
We're 75% there! Thank you to everyone who has so far contributed! Just $2000 to go!
Comments
11 Responses to "Why don’t Democrats like voters?"
Brian,
I would imagine that if more then one person was interested in running there would be an election to determine who would get the nod.
Truth is they are probably having difficulty even getting one person to run, since the odds against the Democratic candidate are going to be pretty long.
I find it a little odd that you try to make this argument (“Democrats don’t like voters”) in view of the following:
1) The RPV held a convention this year, instead of a primary, to select its U.S. Senate candidate. That was less than a year ago: is your memory that short?
2) Your RPV chairman was widely criticized for trying to tell people to not register to vote at a moment in time when the Democratic Party was registering huge numbers of new voters that would later provide us with a big part of our margin of victory.
3) Weren’t some College Republicans down your way nabbed for distributing flyers aimed at suppressing at least part of the vote.
I could go on, but there is so much. Too easy. Your argument is obviously, comically false.
David, I’m sure there’s more than one Democrat in each district. If all the nominees are hand-picked, how the heck would they know who’d run? Candidates have a way of coming out when they know there’s an election they can file for.
Richmond,
1) Unless you know something I don’t know, conventioneers are voters.
2) My post said “Virginia Beach.” Reading is a good skill to learn. And if you think my opinion is that RPV is just the model we should all strive to emulate, you don’t know me well.
3) Were they? I don’t know. It wasn’t in Virginia Beach, which was what my post was about.
I agree it’s too easy….too easy for you to create points for yourself to refute that I didn’t make and refute them. You do some wonderful work with yourself.
When you title your post: “Why don’t Democrats like voters?” It’s reasonable for the reader to assume that you think Democrats, in general, don’t like voters, and that the post that appears below that title will explain why you think that’s true. That’s especially true when no language of your own limiting that to Virginia Beach Democrats appears until the second half of your post.
It’s reasonable for people who jump to conclusions before reading the entire post, which isn’t that long.
Chesapeake has done it right. I’ve seen them schedule and publicize a voting procedure and cancel it if no more than one candidate files. That gives people a public chance.
Brian,
If a candidate for the Democratic nod is not smart enough to know how to get his hat in the ring, then I am not sure he is worthy of anyone’s vote.
Democrats are probably going to find it difficult to get anyone to run in the election you point to because the odds are pretty overwhelming that the Republican nominee is going to be victorious. Who want to run on principal alone with little chance of his/her efforts being successful?
“Who want to run on principal alone with little chance of his/her efforts being successful?”
There are so many in this town that fit that description, I don’t know where to start.
Yeah, and a heck of lot of the people that fit that description are Republicans. Grin.
I’m going to espouse on that last point only because JR has pointed out I need to sometimes do so.
I’m saying the Republican candidate seems to stand like a surfer in front of the wave. Whatever principals he/she needs to be in favor of to get elected are the ones we hear about from the candidate. Meanwhile what we like least gets implemented and what we desire most goes the opposite way. Often the Republican ends up being a complete hypocrite.
Was I clear enough this time?
Tell me that again as Obama throws “out of Iraq in 16 months” out the window.
If the Republican Party in our area had their way there wouldn’t have even been a Canvass in the 81st…it would’ve been just like when Ed Schrock went out. A silly little panel interview where the Kings decide who to handpick…
Wait a minute! That even happened in the Canvass when Terrie Suit told Barry Knight about a year ago that she was leaving…hmmm…
Leave your response