The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
As he introduced Prince William County Republican Del. Bob Marshall on Saturday at the state GOP convention, former state party chair Patrick McSweeney called for a return to conservative roots.
“It is our duty to reshape our party … we must once again be a party of principle,” he said, moments before Marshall took the stage. “Frankly, we’ve lost our brand. We’ve lost the confidence of the voter.”
The message was an appeal to Republican delegates from across Virginia to award Marshall the party nomination for a U.S. Senate bid.
The staunchly pro-life Marshall narrowly lost the nod to former governor Jim Gilmore – about 66 votes separated the two in a contest that saw nearly 10,400 ballots cast.
But ardent conservatives ended the day with a victory when Del. Jeff Frederick, R-Prince William, won the state party chairmanship over current chairman and former Lt. Gov. John Hager.
Those fractious contests reveal a philosophic and strategic divide in the state party at a time when the Republican brand has lost some luster.
The fight is not new, but rather a recurring battle for the soul of the party that this year is set against the backdrop of a presidential election and several statewide contests.
It also raises questions about whether Republican red remains the color of Virginia, a state last carried by a Democrat when President Lyndon B. Johnson won re-election in 1964.
“Virginia is more in play now than it’s ever been in play for the Democrats in a presidential election,” said former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore.
“We have our work cut out for us,” continued Kilgore, who lost the 2005 election for governor to then-Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. “We’ve got to get back to basics in the Virginia Republican party and that means working grass-roots.”
Intensifying GOP concerns are the recent successes of Democrats in Virginia: The party has won the last two gubernatorial elections, the state’s most recent U.S. Senate race and gained seats in the General Assembly.
Additional baggage comes from public worries about the economy and escalating gas prices, the ongoing American military campaign in the Middle East and the low approval ratings of President George W. Bush.
Despite those concerns, Republicans expressed optimism about the party’s prospects this fall.
“I think the Republican Party is going to be in good shape,” said House of Delegates Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford. “We’re going to come out of this thing united. We’ve got some pretty active campaigns we’re going to have this fall and I think we’ll be working together.”
Republican in-fighting works to the advantage of Democrats, Democratic state party officials said during a Saturday afternoon conference call.
“They can’t even agree with each other. How can you govern when you don’t have agreement?” said state Democratic Party chair C. Richard Cranwell. “What’s going on in Virginia is a microcosm of what’s going on with Bush and Cheney.”
Still, predictions that U.S. Sen. John McCain will carry Virginia en route to a presidential election win were common at the convention.
“I don’t think the brand is as bad as we think it is,” said Kenny Golden, chairman of the Virginia Beach Republican Party. “I think we’ve got a good shot. People will start to wake up over the summer.”
Others suggested that Gilmore will prove a tough opponent for Mark Warner, another former governor who is running as a Democrat for the Senate seat. Polls of likely voters indicate Warner is a heavy favorite in that race.
But many Republicans acknowledged that the party needs to change.
“We have to fix it and that takes years of work and commitment. It doesn’t happen in one election,” said state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, who is seeking the GOP nomination for the 2009 attorney general race.
Some activists described Frederick’s win over Hager – who just a few weeks ago watched his son, Harry, wed President Bush’s daughter, Jenna – as a rejection of current party operations.
Conservatives contend that a platform built on the planks of small government, a pro-life stance, and protection of gun and property rights can revive the flagging party.
“Whenever you are committed to standing on principles, people will rally around you,” said House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem. “It’s hard to rally around principles built on a bowl of Jell-O.”
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564 julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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Politics
The party lines have always been an issue with me. I find them to be the reasons why nothing is done on the Hill (or nothing productive anyways). All these politicians hiding behind their battle lines and cozying up to their high-dollar interests and leaving the common American exposed. Have y'all ever seen the movie 'Man of the Year'? I'd prefer to elect a President who has a real grasp on human society and not the antequated agendas of either ruling party. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Wash out the old, unprogressives up there and put in younger, more balanced and free-thinking progressive folks to take us where we should be...
Maybe the GOP should have
Maybe the GOP should have remembered some of Ronald Reagan's great lines, including: "Government cannot solve our problems, Government IS the problem". It's a long way from that philosophy to "compassionate conservatism"!
AVOID EXTREMES
The Republican Party should have learned from the last election that Americans don't want either extreme conservatism or liberalism. The GOP might have retained control of Congress if they had a more middle-of-the-road message.
I am not a lover of the Democratic Party, However, I find it difficult to embrace the Republican Party because of its too close alignment with the so-called "Religious Right." I get very uncomfortable whenever I see a politician cozying up to Pat Robertson or giving a speech at Liberty College.
re: This weekend I received a
silcnlayc wrote:
...after the poll, at the end of the page there was a request for a donation...
Should have sent them Monopoly money and mention it's worth more than the dollar nowadays...
This weekend I received a
This weekend I received a poll in the mail from the Republican party...after the poll, at the end of the page there was a request for a donation...
I laughed so hard all I could think of was..how dumb do they think I am? They have stepped on all my rights without a question and have reduced this country's accountability and have reduced our choices by passing laws in the middle of the night without a whisper to the people..
Do I want a secretive, conniving government like that? Just look how the UIGEA was passed..it was shoved into a must pass Ports Security bill the last minute and without the Americans voice or choice we were then TOLD we cannot enjoy playing games in the privacy of our own home!
Sick, sick people the Repubs have become..power hungry and encroaching into my life..GET OUT! I do not need to be told whats bad for me..I can decide on my own..this is why we have BRAINS!
Even Bush fired this guy ...
Does anybody recall that Gilmore was canned as national GOP chair after a brief but disastrous run? That he was forced out by George W.? Does anybody realize how badly you have to screw up to be fired by George W.?
"the general Assembly and Democratic Governors"
"the general Assembly and Democratic Governors failed to finish getting rid of the car tax"
Funny how Reid doesn't mention that is has been mostly the 'republican' majority general Assembly and cb blames the "RINOs". Accountability does not seem to apply to the lies of republicans and their own tax-and-spend policies.
Return to the Center, or Keep Losing
How long will it take for Virginia Republicans to wise up? This state does not want far right or far left candidates. They find extreme Republicans to be just as out of touch as any extreme liberal. Until the party realizes this, and returns to moderate conservatism, they will keep losing, and rightly so. Also, they need to show leadership, and not just say "NO" to everything.
Yes, in essence, Gilmore
Yes, in essence, Gilmore nearly bankrupted the Commonwealth; it was a letter from Standard and Poors that finally convinced even diehard members of the House of Delegates that the Commonwealth would lose its coveted triple A bond rating if they did not increase revenue. Of course, now the revisionist's have taken over and written an entirely new script; problem is, mainstream republicans do not buy the cover up, and frankly, no party has done more to convert voters to the other party than have the christian right and libertarian dominated republicans. Frankly, as a moderate who has seen the extremism that occurs when eithr party has a majority in both houses, I would have preferred a moderate, mainstream republican against Warner who is a moderate mainstream democrat. But the republicans, with leaders like Bush, Cheney, Bill Howell, Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and past voices who keep popping up like Patrick McSweeney, clearly have a wish to disintegrate. With Howell threatening to "fire" any republican member of the House who wants to solve the transportation dilemma, who will lead in the future?
Money is the name of the game.
Just think people... all these millions funded into campaigns to win a $400,000 a year job. We elect them to represent who really? How many of these "elected" officials have children in Iraq? How many are really effected by the housing flop or fuel prices? Who?