Comments on: Have The Democrats Peaked In Northern Virginia? http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/ Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:01:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Have the Democrats Maxed Out in Virginia’ | Hanover Republican Women http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-11645 Have the Democrats Maxed Out in Virginia’ | Hanover Republican Women Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:48:35 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-11645 [...] suspect there is a lot of truth to that.  H/T to Jason Kenney at Bearing Drift, who adds some valuable insight of his [...] [...] suspect there is a lot of truth to that.  H/T to Jason Kenney at Bearing Drift, who adds some valuable insight of his [...]

]]> By: Alter of Freedom http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10789 Alter of Freedom Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:24:03 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10789 True Little David, but it begs the question today if we should expect anything different from say the folks Obama is surrounding himself with from the Clinton days. Leadership is about making choices and providing direction to ones vision through influence and inspiration regardless of what the issue is or shift in the issue. In the end, the real issue is and always will be is whether the people at the end of the day were better served or not with the policy regardless were the idea or plan originated. Those that advocate from that perspective are true "leaders", the rest are mere partisans. True Little David, but it begs the question today if we should expect anything different from say the folks Obama is surrounding himself with from the Clinton days. Leadership is about making choices and providing direction to ones vision through influence and inspiration regardless of what the issue is or shift in the issue. In the end, the real issue is and always will be is whether the people at the end of the day were better served or not with the policy regardless were the idea or plan originated. Those that advocate from that perspective are true “leaders”, the rest are mere partisans.

]]> By: LittleDavid http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10777 LittleDavid Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:17:03 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10777 Alter of Freedom, Romney was effective in Massachusetts because he was centrist in his leadership at the time. Mind you that being a centrist in New England is actually fairly liberal. Romney the centrist might have won my vote. But when he ran for President he endeared himself to conservatives by suddenly changing course. Not only was he less then a genuine conservative he was a turncoat against centrism. It didn't matter what he thought yesterday, all of a sudden he found the light and there was not a conservative issue around he was not in favor of. What is the lesson here? New England Republicans should not have aspirations for the Presidency. You can't balance what got you elected locally with what it will take to get elected on the national stage. Alter of Freedom,

Romney was effective in Massachusetts because he was centrist in his leadership at the time. Mind you that being a centrist in New England is actually fairly liberal.

Romney the centrist might have won my vote. But when he ran for President he endeared himself to conservatives by suddenly changing course. Not only was he less then a genuine conservative he was a turncoat against centrism. It didn’t matter what he thought yesterday, all of a sudden he found the light and there was not a conservative issue around he was not in favor of.

What is the lesson here? New England Republicans should not have aspirations for the Presidency. You can’t balance what got you elected locally with what it will take to get elected on the national stage.

]]> By: Alter of Freedom http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10770 Alter of Freedom Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:14:34 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10770 Nova we are the only folks whio look at the House and those dynamics. Most of the voters do not. The buck stops at the Governor regardless of whom has control of the Assembly. Effective "leadership" has not been ceded to the blue chunk (Kaine) ; in fact given the shortfalls of government I would say the executive is void of any effectiveness. They do have a great hand at spin though. Ask yourselves, why is it a GOP Governor like Mitt Romney could work with a liberal legislature in MA with some success and yet niether kaine and to a lessor extent Warner have never even approached the vicinity of the success that Romney had. Is our Assembly that much harder to deal with than the legislature during Romney's time as Governor in MA? I wonder. Nova we are the only folks whio look at the House and those dynamics. Most of the voters do not. The buck stops at the Governor regardless of whom has control of the Assembly. Effective “leadership” has not been ceded to the blue chunk (Kaine) ; in fact given the shortfalls of government I would say the executive is void of any effectiveness. They do have a great hand at spin though.
Ask yourselves, why is it a GOP Governor like Mitt Romney could work with a liberal legislature in MA with some success and yet niether kaine and to a lessor extent Warner have never even approached the vicinity of the success that Romney had. Is our Assembly that much harder to deal with than the legislature during Romney’s time as Governor in MA? I wonder.

]]> By: novamiddleman http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10762 novamiddleman Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:10:12 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10762 Agreeeded fiscal conservatisim (red chunk) is a very strong plank of the purple people. Effective government is as well (unfortunatly this has been ceded to the blue chunk). When you look at the house of delegates both are lacking fiscal conservatisim and effective government are both lacking Thankfully McDonnel has done a great job so far. His education comment was spot on. Watching spending AND providing effective solutions. That right there is what has been lacking. We do that we have a supermajority and a Red state again :-) Agreeeded fiscal conservatisim (red chunk) is a very strong plank of the purple people. Effective government is as well (unfortunatly this has been ceded to the blue chunk). When you look at the house of delegates both are lacking fiscal conservatisim and effective government are both lacking

Thankfully McDonnel has done a great job so far. His education comment was spot on. Watching spending AND providing effective solutions. That right there is what has been lacking. We do that we have a supermajority and a Red state again :-)

]]> By: Jason Kenney http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10739 Jason Kenney Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:30:34 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10739 It's not a matter of being "super conservative" to win. Its a matter of sticking to the principles that matter to Republicans and Virginians - fiscal responsibility and smaller government. Democrats have had to shift to the Center to compete here. They aren't making new Democrats, they're appealing to the folks that want fiscal responsibility Republican leadership has lacked in a while. It’s not a matter of being “super conservative” to win. Its a matter of sticking to the principles that matter to Republicans and Virginians – fiscal responsibility and smaller government. Democrats have had to shift to the Center to compete here. They aren’t making new Democrats, they’re appealing to the folks that want fiscal responsibility Republican leadership has lacked in a while.

]]> By: Loudoun Insider http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10738 Loudoun Insider Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:15:56 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10738 Well said, nmm. As someone on the front lines it is painfully apparent that being super "conservative" is not the winning ticket. At least not up here. Well said, nmm. As someone on the front lines it is painfully apparent that being super “conservative” is not the winning ticket. At least not up here.

]]> By: novamiddleman http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10715 novamiddleman Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:17:40 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10715 As a follow on Where did Obama spend the most money and time???? Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax (nope) It was Prince William The democrats get it they are pushing outward and tailoring as they go As a follow on

Where did Obama spend the most money and time????

Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax (nope)

It was Prince William

The democrats get it they are pushing outward and tailoring as they go

]]> By: novamiddleman http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10714 novamiddleman Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:12:12 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10714 Slightly different view There is a chunk of people that always vote Red There is a chunk of people that always vote Blue I think many here think to win you need to turn out the Red Chunk. I agree that the Red Chunk is bigger than the Blue Chunk. However, as Alter alluded to I think the Purple chuck is pretty big too and you can't win without them. The purple chuck for me is Western Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince WIlliam, Henrico, Chesterfield, Rockingham (Area in and immediately around Harrisonburg) and some parts of HR/TW which people who live there know more about than I do. Basically the suburbs. Here is the issue then. The people invovled in the committees at these localities are obviously from the red chunk. Then the question becomes how do you broaden out the message to convince people from the purple chunk to support you. The democrats know they can't win by just being Blue they need to appeal to the purple. While debatable I belive the Republicans cant win by just being Red. They need to appeal to the purple as well. Perhaps we can be redder (more partisan than the Ds can afford to be blue) but you still have to figure out what drives the purple people and bring in a decent chunk of them on board to win. Slightly different view

There is a chunk of people that always vote Red
There is a chunk of people that always vote Blue

I think many here think to win you need to turn out the Red Chunk. I agree that the Red Chunk is bigger than the Blue Chunk.

However, as Alter alluded to I think the Purple chuck is pretty big too and you can’t win without them.

The purple chuck for me is Western Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince WIlliam, Henrico, Chesterfield, Rockingham (Area in and immediately around Harrisonburg) and some parts of HR/TW which people who live there know more about than I do. Basically the suburbs.

Here is the issue then. The people invovled in the committees at these localities are obviously from the red chunk. Then the question becomes how do you broaden out the message to convince people from the purple chunk to support you.

The democrats know they can’t win by just being Blue they need to appeal to the purple. While debatable I belive the Republicans cant win by just being Red. They need to appeal to the purple as well. Perhaps we can be redder (more partisan than the Ds can afford to be blue) but you still have to figure out what drives the purple people and bring in a decent chunk of them on board to win.

]]> By: Alter of Freedom http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10710 Alter of Freedom Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:33:35 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10710 The other issue that often gets missed is the growing number of self-professed "independents" which is growing rapidly in the burbs. I would characterize most of this voters as "split ticket: voters more so than true indepedents though. This can easily be indentified in the wide gaps of margins between the Obama victory and Warners victory. Many Republicans I have spoken with post-election voted McCain/Warner. There are some underlining issues that the GOP must work out if this is to be cleansed anytime soon and it certainly starts with the candidates and of course the process (primary better than convention). There were also many in the 7th Congressional that supported Eric Cantor (R) but cast a vote for Obama over McCain. Again split ticketing has been it seems increasingly an issue based on the voting data. How the GOP goes about bridging this gap is crucial for the future. The other issue that often gets missed is the growing number of self-professed “independents” which is growing rapidly in the burbs. I would characterize most of this voters as “split ticket: voters more so than true indepedents though. This can easily be indentified in the wide gaps of margins between the Obama victory and Warners victory. Many Republicans I have spoken with post-election voted McCain/Warner. There are some underlining issues that the GOP must work out if this is to be cleansed anytime soon and it certainly starts with the candidates and of course the process (primary better than convention). There were also many in the 7th Congressional that supported Eric Cantor (R) but cast a vote for Obama over McCain. Again split ticketing has been it seems increasingly an issue based on the voting data. How the GOP goes about bridging this gap is crucial for the future.

]]> By: James Atticus Bowden http://bearingdrift.com/2008/12/04/have-the-democrats-peaked-in-northern-virginia/#comment-10706 James Atticus Bowden Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:42:14 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=3525#comment-10706 Right. Look at the Geo Allen example. In the First District - ALONE - if he had run even with Marriage or with Cong. Jo Ann Davis he would have won. He was more than 9,000 votes behind on both accounts in this one district. Right. Look at the Geo Allen example. In the First District – ALONE – if he had run even with Marriage or with Cong. Jo Ann Davis he would have won. He was more than 9,000 votes behind on both accounts in this one district.

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