Democrats Win Big in Virginia: Is the Tea Party Wave Over?

Give a voice to the voiceless!

Democrats Win Big in Virginia Is the Tea Party Wave Over

Democrats just won a Southern state in an off-year election.

Let’s all think about that.

Virginia sent a clear message to the tea party. Enough is enough. Crazy time is over. And though it was no landslide for the Democrats (McAuliffe, 1,064,093, to Cuccinelli, 1,008,554), the lesson here should be clear to the Republican Party.

Let’s begin with Ken Cuccinelli. Here’s a clip of him in 2009, pledging to bring back the “Real Virginia.”

Well, last night, one of the Virginias (I’m guessing the real one) just sent the darling of the far right packing home. Here’s why this is important:

First, most women vote, and most voters are women. This is something the GOP should have tattooed on their foreheads. But despite this, the GOP in Virginia and elsewhere still offer bill after vagina-centered bill that only rankles the female electorate. Remember the ultrasound bill that the GOP put forth in Virginia last year? Well, as it turns out, so did a lot of women. Terry McAuliffe carried the women’s vote by 14 points. In comparison, Obama took this by only seven over McCain and 11 over Romney.

Secondly, the choice of Terry McAuliffe himself. To say that McAuliffe was a lukewarm candidate is an understatement. The GOP hammered away at McAuliffe, labeling him as a Clintonista of the old school. A charge that is pretty much true. McAuliffe still won, however, and now the GOP is left holding the tea party bag. When it comes to the GOP and the tea party, I’m reminded of the old fable of the turtle and the scorpion. The scorpion asks the turtle to take him across the river on the turtle’s back if he promises not to sting him, and the turtle agrees, but en route the scorpion stings him anyway, saying that’s his nature and the turtle knew that. But in my version, the GOP turtle is stung by the tea party scorpion, and the tea party scorpion goes on to overthrow the mayor of Turtletown in a crazy, ill-conceived coup. All turtles later die from lack of basic healthcare coverage.

Lastly, some 40,000 voters in Virginia were purged from voter rolls, despite the Virginia Democratic Party suing to have them reinstated. Who were these voters exactly? I think it’s a safe bet that they were of what the GOP refers to as the “miscellaneous” category of voters. Can Republicans not get elected the old-fashioned way? Apparently not.

There are, of course, a host of other reasons: a terrible GOP nominating system, the rapid growth of DC suburbs that tend to vote Democrat, to name but two.

But the real problem for the GOP is the tea party, and the tea party’s utter refusal to produce sane, likable candidates. Look beyond Cuccinelli to the GOP nominees for attorney general and lieutenant governor. Mark Obenshain (as of this morning, also losing) backed a bill that would require women to report miscarriages to their local sheriff’s office, you know, in case a woman performed some at-home abortion on herself. Never mind that miscarriage is a very trying and emotional time for a woman. Let’s also add investigating her for possible criminal activity.

And then there is candidate for lieutenant governor E. W. Jackson. I won’t add anything else here; he’s already said that quoting him verbatim is violating his constitutional rights. I’ll just mention that in the past, Jackson has suggested that children with birth defects are a punishment from God. Seriously.

The modern GOP is looking anything but modern. The party has some real thinking to do. But, as this post suggests, thinking is not the party’s strong suit.

My money is on the GOP learning all the wrong lessons from last night.

Give a voice to the voiceless!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Is Chris Christie Real Disgrace to New Jersey

Is Chris Christie Real Disgrace to New Jersey?

An Exclusive Interview With Oscar-Winning Director Kevin Macdonald

An Exclusive Interview With Oscar-Winning Director Kevin Macdonald