Virgil Goode and Richard Pombo vs. the rest of us
There's probably no greater contrast than that between the global impact and significance of who controls the US House of Representatives and the local politics that drive so many of the races.
Simply put: so much depends on which party controls the House right now. So much is impacted by how the GOP holds on to power.
I wrote Starting with the Districts for exactly that reason. The GOP has wedged a "more conservative than the country" voting bloc into the dominant voting majority in the House. The only thing we can do about it is to win the chamber back.
"Fence 'em Out" Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode in VA-05 is a shoe-in for reelection in a district where John Kerry got 44% of the vote and Joshua Grossman characterizes as one of the few toss-up districts in the South...that's a toss up if Goode wasn't running, or the Democrats found a very credible local candidate who could capitalize on Goode's tainted money.
Goode, in addition to proposing a 2000-mile fence on the Mexico border, just returned $88,000 in tainted Duke Cunningham money. Goode led the list of those taking MZM related donations. Yet there's no Democrat running against him and a google search of his name links to postive Goode-sponsered web site after web site...of course, scan down the list and local blogs start to document how the bugs crawl out from under the carpet.
Goode, like so many GOP Congressional Representatives, has a free pass. He can do and say whatever he wants. The Democrats haven't framed a powerful national message about how a corrupt and deep-seated the culture of privilege and abuse of power has infected the GOP-controlled House.
We may not be able to unseat Goode this time around, but I'd sure like to see him get a credible opponent for when that day comes, and most importantly to see him used, like Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham and Richard Pombo, as examples of what happens when Americans give one party unchecked power in Washington.
Virgil Goode is a poster boy for everything that is wrong with the GOP. In 2006, that poster needs to be seen in the clear light of day.
It ain't pretty.
{Medley points out that Goode's 2004 opponent, Al Weed...IS running again. His website is pretty frank about how he got smoked by Goode last time. 64-36. I'm not going to make a snap judgment of whether he is "very credible" or not. But it's pretty clear he IS running...despite the DCCC not noting it.)
Simply put: so much depends on which party controls the House right now. So much is impacted by how the GOP holds on to power.
I wrote Starting with the Districts for exactly that reason. The GOP has wedged a "more conservative than the country" voting bloc into the dominant voting majority in the House. The only thing we can do about it is to win the chamber back.
"Fence 'em Out" Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode in VA-05 is a shoe-in for reelection in a district where John Kerry got 44% of the vote and Joshua Grossman characterizes as one of the few toss-up districts in the South...that's a toss up if Goode wasn't running, or the Democrats found a very credible local candidate who could capitalize on Goode's tainted money.
Goode, in addition to proposing a 2000-mile fence on the Mexico border, just returned $88,000 in tainted Duke Cunningham money. Goode led the list of those taking MZM related donations. Yet there's no Democrat running against him and a google search of his name links to postive Goode-sponsered web site after web site...of course, scan down the list and local blogs start to document how the bugs crawl out from under the carpet.
Goode, like so many GOP Congressional Representatives, has a free pass. He can do and say whatever he wants. The Democrats haven't framed a powerful national message about how a corrupt and deep-seated the culture of privilege and abuse of power has infected the GOP-controlled House.
We may not be able to unseat Goode this time around, but I'd sure like to see him get a credible opponent for when that day comes, and most importantly to see him used, like Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham and Richard Pombo, as examples of what happens when Americans give one party unchecked power in Washington.
Virgil Goode is a poster boy for everything that is wrong with the GOP. In 2006, that poster needs to be seen in the clear light of day.
It ain't pretty.
{Medley points out that Goode's 2004 opponent, Al Weed...IS running again. His website is pretty frank about how he got smoked by Goode last time. 64-36. I'm not going to make a snap judgment of whether he is "very credible" or not. But it's pretty clear he IS running...despite the DCCC not noting it.)
Comments
(It's not my district, so I only pay a little bit of attention, but I've liked Weed from what little I've read..)
I'll change the piece and link to the website...which shows he is likeable...as for credible, I don't know.
It doesn't appear he has won or run for office before. That's a tough one. What's his natural "base?"