The Balance in the House of Delegates

"Through the House of Burgesses, the Virginia House of Delegates is considered the oldest continuous legislative body in the New World. Originally having 22 members, the House of Burgesses met from 1619 through 1632 in the choir of the church at Jamestown.  From 1632 to 1699 the legislative body met at four different state houses in Jamestown. The first state house convened at the home of Colonial Governor, Sir John Harvey from 1632 to 1656. The burgesses convened at the second state house from 1656 until it was destroyed in 1660. Historians have yet to precisely identify its location."  wiki

----------------------------------------------------

The punditry in the corporate media is luxuriating in contemplation of the two gubernatorial elections today.

In New Jersey, Christie, a politically moderate and very Northeastern Republican will easily win re-election to a second term.  He is busily preening his over sized self in contemplation of an attempt to win  the Republican nomination for president in 2016.  IMO "that dog won't hunt" outside his home neighborhood along the Jersey Shore and New York.  There is too much about him that smells of the culture represented by "The Sopranos."  There is also the embarassing detail that for a while he was a lobbyist for Bernie Madoff.  Iowa?  The Mid-West?  "fugeddiboutit."  I would like to see him at a Shad Bake in Virginia.

McCauliffe will probably be  elected governor.  He can then sit in Mister Jefferson's chair.  The current membership by party in the House of Delegates consists of 67 Republicans and 32 Democrats.  Unless there is a truly seismic shift today it is unlikely that The Democrats will control the House of Delegates after this election.  That means that McCaulliffe will have very little chance of passing any legislation through the General Assembly. He is an intelligent man.  He must know that.  Therefore I conclude that what he wants is a "pulpit" from which to strike rhetorical and theatrical poses that will endear him to the left of center base of the Democratic Party across the country.  That means that  he is going to continue his vicious campaign of exageration and barrages of 30 second TV ads in the way that he savaged Cuccinelli.

All Virginians not contained in his claque of "progressives" will be his targets.  pl      

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_House_of_Delegates

Comments

[Will Reks]

I think you're right about Christie but wrong about McCauliffe's ambitions. He is not liked by "progressives" and his ceiling is limited to representing Virginia in whichever position. He is not Presidential material and the national electorate will not "settle" for McCaulliffe like Virginians have.

[William R. Cumming]

The line of Presidents from either party from the Northeast is nevermore! The Electoral College votes are what matters!

[turcopolier]

Will Reks

I can see that from the POV of real progressives in the US sense, McCauliffe is "faut" as his pal Bill C. was a faux bubba, but I think where you are mistaken is in the nature of the man himself. He believes that if he is outrageous and strident enough he can manipulate the left. To that end he will put us through the ringer here when he sits in Richmond. pl

[turcopolier]

WRC

That is probably true. The NE is in many ways a spent political force. pl

[David Habakkuk]

Should it secede?

[nick b]

Col., Are relations between the executive and legislative branches of the Va. govt as rancorous as they are on the federal level? I'm curious why you think, should McCauliffe win, he will have little chance of passing any legislation? Is that a campaign theme from the Republican majority?

Also I think you dismiss Chris Christie too quickly. He's definitely a product of his environment, but he's authentic, and authenticity sells. I'm guessing he'd do very well at a shad bake: second helpings, etc.. He will also have tremendous fundraising ability. I don't think he can make it through a Republican primary, but should it happen, I think he'd be a formidable national candidate. I had left New Jersey before he ran, and I wouldn't have voted for him anyway, but I have a very hard time not liking the man.

[turcopolier]

nick B

It is not a question of division between executive and legislative. When McDonnell was in good regard his problems with the legislature were minimal although the governor must always be careful to court the General Assembly. No, this is a straight party line struggle between the progressives, mostly immigrants, and those who like the commonwealth as it has been. For Virginians of the ruling class Christie is a fat, vulgar, buffoon. In my opinion his vulnerability will be demonstrated in primaries outside the Northeast. pl

[turcopolier]

David Habakkuk

If you mean New England, that would be fine with me but in fact any attempt to secede from the Union would be met with massive force. pl

[Jose]

Christie = Republicans for Hillary 2016

Some morons are comparing him to Reagan...lmao

Col., what is your analysis of SW Virginia turning blue?

[turcopolier]

Jose

From Abingdon SW to Bristol and up in the mountains to the west this is coal country. It has always been bluish but that does not mean that the interests of people who are not coal miners are not also represented. If you look at the most recent recent election results in "The Mountain Kingdom," you will see that those counties went Republican in 2009 and 2010. pl

[Charles I]

I saw a PBS report on your gubernatorial gladiators last night and it left me feeling sorry for the choices you face today, they both came off as. . . well pick an adjective. Hope I was mistaken.

[Eliot]

"For Virginians of the ruling class Christie is a fat, vulgar, buffoon."

How can anyone take him seriously? He's a Giuliani redux with even less charm.

"No, this is a straight party line struggle between the progressives, mostly immigrants, and those who like the commonwealth as it has been."

McAuliffe is the first governor for those people. We'll soldier through but I can't help feeling a little sad. So much for civility and consensus.

[toto]

Sir,

Never mind the Virginian ruling class, I would be very surprised if the Republican base forgave Christie for consorting with the devil in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Since Jon Huntsman is obviously a knife-biting Bolshevik and Jeb Bush is, well, a Bush, that seems to leave Marco Rubio as the least "encumbered" GOP candidate.

[Jose]

Great place to go Turkey Hunting..lol

[Jose]

Benedict Christie will never be forgiven, Marco Rubio is no match for Hillary. The GOP will have to lauch a Cruz Missle..lol

[turcopolier]

toto

From your use of "Virginian" as an adjective, I suppose that you are European and probably British. Well, friend, In Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana and a few more there ARE ruling classes. They normally operate in a discrete way up at the end of stone walled driveways and their influence is profound. Evidently this does not apply in Texas where oil men, lawyers and bankers evidently run everything. pl

[jonst]

McCauliffe, sitting in Jefferson's chair. There is no true progressive that could tolerate that. He is a metaphor for all that is wrong today. It like some cosmic joke..

[Fred]

" No, this is a straight party line struggle between the progressives, mostly immigrants, and those who like the commonwealth as it has been."

I would extend this insight to other states besides Virginia. While I was living in Florida there were plenty of transplanted Northerners, virtually none 'assimilated' into the local culture. They tried to recreate exactly what the left behind, or for many retirees, they wished to leave behind any obligation to the younger generations of Floridians to follow. This makes me wonder how any voters, politicians or even any political "scientists" can honestly believe that those 11million or so illegal immigrants are going to abandon their cultural heritage and become 'Americans' the instant they get legal status or citizenship is beyond me. I'm sure however that the 'progressives' are certain all these folks will be fine progressive Democrats for generations to come.

[MM]

What makes Christie a moderate?

He's against Gay-marriage...

He shot down the tunnel expansion project linking NJ and NY which would have created a huge amount of jobs in the state...

He refused to raise any taxes on the wealthy elite in he state...

No gun control measures...

Takes Facebook money from Zuckerburg to fund charter schools in Newark...

Anti-union loud mouth bully...disbanded Camden Police Force and rehired "new" police with reduced benefits...

His reputation as a "moderate" is a cover for an A**hole of a person.

[Jose]

Congrats, I dedicate this song to Virginia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icfq_foa5Mo

[Paul Escobar]

Mr. Lang,

Slap me if this is the product of my imagination...but I thought you were supportive of Mr. Christie.

I have this vague image in my head of you recommending him for national Republican leadership...based precisely on his northeastern "appeal". May have been during the height of "Tea Party" fervor, or during the last Republican leadership selection process.

Anyways, I am curious to see who/what the Democrats will rally around. I have always wondered about their true nature. It seemed to me that Obama was like some orgasm to them...he released their wildest "leftist/progressive/whatever-it-is" fantasies. But afterwards, they are left disappointed & spent. I don't know, maybe power & domination for the sake of it is enough to keep them coming back for more. Maybe it's not and many will just turn to third parties.

Okay, I just realized the bizzare imagery at the end, but I am too far gone to correct it.

Yours in curiosity,
Paul Escobar

[turcopolier]

Paul Escobar

I don't remember ever supporting Christie for anything. FWIW I think he perfectly fits in Sopranoland. Do you have a citation on Christie? http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2010/12/how-about-this-man.html

Is this what you mean? pl

[William R. Cumming]

Sorry Fred! But both major parties winding up their long runs!

[nick b]

You didn't even get into the really interesting stuff. Check out: Spear, Leeds and US Atty David Kelly.

Who said the man was a moderate?

[Matthew]

Curiously, Col., we do have a ruling (oil) class but the history of our millionaires makes them more similar to the Tea Party activists than in other states. Hence, the money people and the conservative activists are, often, one in the same.

For some background on Texas's "gift" of ultra-conservative politics, you can't do better than "Big Rich." See http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Rich-Greatest-Fortunes/dp/0143116827