State Central Meets Saturday: Primary or Convention? (SPOILER: Primary, Duh)

Another State Central meeting on the books, and we’re going through the same tired motions: convention or primary?

It’s a tired argument, something that proponents and opponents on each side have done little to resolve. Honestly, while it was exciting in 2011, now it’s just mundane. Neither side’s argument has really changed, while reality continues to fly past the Republican Party.

2016 has the Trump-Publican Party on the ropes. We’re dying in the polls, lacking in enthusiasm, exasperated with the system…and that’s the good news. We’re likely to lose the White House, in danger of losing the Senate and could, in a worst case, lose the House. It is nearly getting that bad.

Now, with 2016 not even behind us yet, State Central has been put in a position of taking yet another stand on primaries or conventions. It’s nearly too early (not as early as the Bolling-primary vote in 2011, which remains absurd), but with statewide campaigns already underway for 2017, sure, we need to know, we need to vote.

Except that we already know.

Primary. Primary. Primary.

This isn’t hard. It’s not rocket science. We need a WIN. A big ole W. Virginia Republicans will have their tails handed to them in 2016, same as we had them handed to us in 2013. Do we REALLY want to go FOUR more years without a statewide elected Republican? That’s what we’re looking at.

First, there’s this nonsensical ‘compromise’ that some are pointing to as a matter of ‘integrity.’  Horseshit. The idea of a Presidential Convention was one of the worst in the party in decades, right ahead of Loyalty Oaths and mandatory delegate fees. It was never going to happen, was never realistic, yet it was wrapped in the idea that we side-stepped disaster, allowing a primary (GASP) to determine our Presidential candidate, then in return we’ll have a convention for 2017. After some self-deprecatingly modest back-slapping each other, now it’s time for a new vote, and those back slappers are begging for ‘integrity’. Me? I’d rather have the Governor’s Mansion, Senate Seat (when Kaine becomes VP), LG and AG seats. It’s not a matter of integrity, each vote is independent of the other. And, with new district conventions, many of the State Central seats are filled with new people. It was one vote then, one vote now. One has nothing to do with the other, no matter how some people may try in vain to portray it.

Second, we’ve already seen a preview of what Republicans will run internally for the nomination, racing to the right in hopes of a convention. Are you really ready for a years’ worth of headlines about transgender issues and bathroom rights? That’s what we’re looking at when the media and Dems get their hands on the 2017 cycle. And how do you think that’ll play with Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, etc?

Third, and most importantly, and repeating, because it bears repeating: WE NEED TO WIN. We need data, we need impressions, we need name ID (how well do you think Rob Bell is known in Northern Virginia right now), we need party structure, we need money, we need a fresh restart. A convention is the worst possible way to accomplish everyone of these things.

Let’s look at more reasons why a convention is a terrible idea:

1) RPV is physically incapable of running an efficient, expedient convention. It has been proven time and again, and 2016 was the straw that broke the camel’s back. With 3 offices on the ballot, it took more than 8 1/2 hours. Imagine a convention with 3/4 AG candidates, 5-8 LG candidates and 2-4 for Governor? 15+ candidates for 3 offices, with as many as 8 ballots needed? Best bring a sleeping bag to Richmond, because we’ll be there all day, all night, then into the early morning. Also, bring food and water, because there won’t be food after 7 PM.

2) We need data. Trump’s candidacy and Hillary’s dumpster fire is likely to push voter turnout to the lowest in decades. We need fresh data and voter information on who is likely to turn out in November.

3) There’s likely to be a Senate seat in play. With Trump having nearly abandoned Virginia and Hillary already pulling out of the state, we’re nearing 90%+ chances of Hillary winning. That means Tim Kaine moves on, and the Senate seat opens, with a special appointment holding the seat until election in conjunction with Governor/Lt Governor/Attorney General in November 2017. Any chance to assist grabbing a Senate seat for the first time in 11 years, we need to grab. Any chance we have of hurting our chances (convention), we need to ignore.

It’s not complicated.

Vote primary.