In today’s spin room, my friends from the Democratic party express faux concern over the GOP’s unity here in Virginia, stating that our early decision to support McDonnell-Bolling-(ahem…Cuccinelli…not that I’m telegraphing or anything) “belies” the real battle for the heart-and-soul of the GOP going on right now between Gilmore and Marshall/Hager and Frederick.
On Monday, I complete the rounds of interviewing GOP candidates by interviewing Del. Frederick. Therefore, for VPOD, you will have heard what each candidate is saying about the other to an average, everyday, rank-and-file Virginian.
In these discussions, the candidates have certainly pulled no punches, but it’s not as if the party is disintegrating, much to my friends on the left chagrin. Besides, Virginia Democrats have their own little intramural contest only just beginning to heat up. Not to mention that little, oh, national thing they have going on.
However, this is pretty good fiction, so it’s worth the read:
In seeking to snatch the RPV Chairmanship from John Hager, Del. Jeff Frederick is pulling out all stops to deal a fatal blow, going so far as to make up endorsements. That’s caused Hager to jump in with bare knuckles saying, “For the last few weeks, I have listened to accusations from Jeff Frederick about my leadership, the staff at RPV, the district leaders that support my reelection, and my allegiance to this party. Each of his accusations is laughable, and we dismissed them as his typical rant. But when he is willing to blatantly mislead Republicans in Virginia by claiming false endorsements, enough is enough.”
Meanwhile, the battle to be the Republican Senate nominee isn’t much tamer as Bob Marshall and Jim Gilmore race to the extreme right of the Party. In particular, news reports say Marshall’s campaign is telling Virginians, including Gilmore, that they aren’t “conservative enough” if they don’t oppose abortion even in the cases of rape and incest.
“If this is party unity, it’s no wonder Virginians are voting for Democrats,” said Democratic Party of Virginia Executive Director Levar Stoney. “This kind of bickering about who is more Republican is exactly what Virginians are consistently voting against. The last few elections show Virginians want leaders who will work toward solutions, not the most extreme base of a party.”
So what do you think? You’ve heard the interviews. Are the candidates bickering? Is the GOP moving to the extreme?
