In Virginia, another wakeup call for Republicans

[ArnieBragg 1]

In Virginia, another wakeup call for Republicans

 

By Stephen Stromberg

November 5 at 11:44 pm

 

Virginia’s governors race was close — closer than the pre-election polls suggested it would be. Dissatisfaction with President Obama’s health-care law appears to have fueled a last-minute surge for Republican Ken Cuccinelli II. Analysts are latching onto how he exceeded expectations, and what a political liability Obamacare might turn out to be in next year’s midterm elections.

 

But Republicans must take the right lesson from their loss. They should have won this election. Why didn’t Cuccinelli pull it out?

 

In part, it was the presence of a third-party candidate, libertarian Robert Sarvis, in the race. But Sarvis’s success and Cuccinelli’s failure to win Virginia’s moderate swing counties both point to the same underlying problem: Cuccinelli’s severe politics. The state’s voters wisely spared themselves four years of extremism.

 

Terry McAuliffe, a weak Democratic candidate with little experience and a record of murky business associations, got nearly half the vote in the purplest of purple states, even with Sarvis nabbing his 7 percent. McAuliffe consistently led the RealClearPolitics average of polls from the beginning of September — as far back as the site will go. That in an off-year election during a second-term Democratic presidency that is in the midst of an incompetent health-care rollout.

 

Something drove centrists — and, no doubt, a fair number of typically Republican voters — away from Cuccinelli.

 

Maybe it was . . . Cuccinelli.

 

Just Google him. The top autofill results for “cuccinelli” are:

 

cuccinelli poll

 

cuccinelli sodomy

 

cuccinelli divorce

 

cuccinelli abortion

 

cuccinelli birth control

 

This is the man who tried to make divorce harder in Virginia, the man who used the state attorney general’s office to hound a climate-change scientist, and the man who favored a “personhood” measure that would have opened the way to restrict popular forms of contraception. This is the politician who declared, “Homosexual acts are wrong. They’re intrinsically wrong. And I think in a natural law-based country it’s appropriate to have policies that reflect that.”

 

He’s also the leader who fought an unspectacular but desperately needed transportation plan, reconfirming that he is more interested in ideology than pragmatic accomplishment.

 

Here’s the lesson for Republicans: They have to stop nominating ideologically pure right-wingers who scare lots of voters — Cuccinellis, Richard Mourdocks, Sharron Angles, Christine O’Donnells and Todd Akins. They don’t win outside of deep-red territory, and they would hurt the party even more if they did.

 

Most voters don’t want the tea party, or whatever you want to call the vocal swath of the uncompromising hard right that too often picks GOP candidates these days. They don’t want tea party tactics — like the shutdown. And they don’t want tea party policy, either. After several election cycles in which Republicans have surrendered winnable races to Democrats, this should be obvious.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/11/05/in-virginia-another-wakeup-call-for-republicans/?hpid=z5

 

 

[hoytdwow 202]

Seeing that Sarvis only ended up with 6% when he was polling over 10% on Monday, a lot of people chickened out in the booth.

 

The reason Cuccinelli lost is the same reason Romney lost: he's a moral crusader who doesn't believe in personal liberty.

 

Attorney general's race is crazy … fewer than 50 votes separate the two candidates as of this morning.

[NewbieJr 540]

Apparently, Virginians haven't been reading RP and Phurfur's 25 'liberals suck' threads a day.

 

I blame their promotions department. All this energy wasted on the 12 people who post here.

[posty 2,296]

How is this a wake-up call? Virginia has a Democratic governor a majority of the time...

[Reality 2,710]

How is this a wake-up call? Virginia has a Democratic governor a majority of the time...

Was going to post the same, sorry is pretty meh..

 

Good luck with 'ol Terry. Won't take long for buyers remorse to kick in on that crook.

[phillybear 364]

Seeing that Sarvis only ended up with 6% when he was polling over 10% on Monday, a lot of people chickened out in the booth.

 

You are most likely correct. The chickening out thing is still out there rearing it's ugly head. I still see it as significant progress. In the presidential election, Gary Johnson only got 1% of the vote.

 

The Libertarian party may be getting some traction. While also keeping the party's candidates on the ballots for future elections.

[Phurfur 70]

Democrat Terry McAuliffe won the Virginia governor’s race on Tuesday, in a surprisingly close victory over Republican rival Ken Cuccinelli -- who was heavily outspent and trailed in the polls for much of the race.

With nearly all precincts reporting, McAuliffe was ahead with just 48 percent of the vote, to Cuccinelli’s 45 percent. Though McAuliffe previously held a double-digit lead, exit polls showed voters opposed to the federal health care law overwhelmingly backed Cuccinelli, helping him narrow the gap on Tuesday.

"Despite being outspent by an unprecedented $15 million, this race came down to the wire because of ObamaCare," Cuccinelli said in his concession speech. "That message will go out to the entire country tonight."

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/06/democrat-terry-mcauliffe-projected-to-win-va-governor-race-in-surprisingly/

Too bad the republicans are so liberal, they would have won if they had captured the Libertarian vote.

[NorthernVike 2,080]

Was going to post the same, sorry is pretty meh..

 

Good luck with 'ol Terry. Won't take long for buyers remorse to kick in on that crook.

This. McAluiffe is as dirty as they come. Be proud liberal shitbags, he's one of yours.

[Sho Nuff 719]

Too bad the republicans are so liberal, they would have won if they had captured the Libertarian vote.

 

Too bad this candidate for the reps hates personal liberty...yet you still wanted him to win despite claiming to be a Libertarian.

[posty 2,296]

Good luck with 'ol Terry. Won't take long for buyers remorse to kick in on that crook.

Yep... Not sure who the lesser of the two evils were in this election...

[Recliner Pilot 61]

The Libertarian candidate was a plant to pull votes from Cucunelli. He was bankrolled by an Austin millionaire libtard who is an Obama bundler.

 

Dipsqueeze Virginians were duped and got stuck with a corrupt shitbag.

[Phurfur 70]

 

Too bad this candidate for the reps hates personal liberty...yet you still wanted him to win despite claiming to be a Libertarian.

LINK

[drobeski 3,061]

 

Too bad this candidate for the reps hates personal liberty...yet you still wanted him to win despite claiming to be a Libertarian.

So he was for obamacare ? The nsa, the irs etc etc etc. ?

[ArnieBragg 1]

How is this a wake-up call? Virginia has a Democratic governor a majority of the time...

 

 

 

Of note, in every Virginia gubernatorial election starting with 1977, the governor elected has been from the opposite party as the President elected by the nation in the previous year, even when Virginia had voted for the President in office, as with Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. This trend stopped in 2013 with the election of democrat Terry McAuliffe, following the re-election of President Obama in 2012.

 

 

[hoytdwow 202]

McAuliffe is the suck, but at least we have term limits here and he will only serve 1 (consecutive) term. #silverlining

[ArnieBragg 1]

McAuliffe is the suck, but at least we have term limits here and he will only serve 1 (consecutive) term. #silverlining

 

If he even gets a through a term without a scandal prompting his arrest/resignation.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Hah. I had a front row seat for this one. McAuliffe out spent him 2-1 and EVERY SINGLE AD was about abortion. Nothing else. And he BARELY won. Scaring women can be a very fruitful political strategy.

[posty 2,296]

Hah. I had a front row seat for this one. McAuliffe out spent him 2-1 and EVERY SINGLE AD was about abortion. Nothing else. And he BARELY won. Scaring women can be a very fruitful political strategy.

I think every ad I saw was McAuliffe trashing Cuccinelli or vice versa... But McAuliffe EASILY had five times more ads... Did either of them run an ad that was only about them and was positive?

[Sho Nuff 719]

LINK

 

Its in the OP...maybe learn to read.

His positions on birth control, gay marriage......are all opposite of what you would claim to believe as a Libertarian.

Pretty similar to most republicans you end up "supporting" by just whining about democrats constantly.

[hoytdwow 202]

I kept waiting for the McAuliffe ad about how Cuccinelli tried to have the state seal changed because it shows a woman's boob. Gasp!

What a fucktard

[Recliner Pilot 61]

So the race hinged on abortion? Newsflash you dipshit Virginians: Governors can't ban abortion.

 

Dumbest issue ever to base your vote on, for any office.

 

Good luck with shitstain Terry.

[hoytdwow 202]

Governors can't ban abortion.

 

 

Somebody needed to tell Ken Cuccinelli this, since that's exactly what he spent just about his entire term as attorney general trying to do.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

I think every ad I saw was McAuliffe trashing Cuccinelli or vice versa... But McAuliffe EASILY had five times more ads... Did either of them run an ad that was only about them and was positive?

Cucinelli had a few, McAuliffe had some sort of generic "will create jobs" one that ran about 3 times. Cucinnelli for better or worse actually has some history of service, McAuliffe is a textbook carpetbagger.

 

McAuliffe is the perfect Democratic candidate, completely incompetent, so he'll blame everything on the Republican controlled legislature. (It's working in Washington).

[NorthernVike 2,080]

Cucinelli had a few, McAuliffe had some sort of generic "will create jobs" one that ran about 3 times. Cucinnelli for better or worse actually has some history of service, McAuliffe is a textbook carpetbagger.

 

McAuliffe is the perfect Democratic candidate, completely incompetent, so he'll blame everything on the Republican controlled legislature. (It's working in Washington).

Or the last govenor

[hoytdwow 202]

Or the last govenor

I'm really disappointed McDonnell got involved in all these gift shenanigans at the end of his term, because he was a very successful and popular governor. He really jacked up his legacy and what was a promising future career.

[ArnieBragg 1]

 

His positions on birth control, gay marriage......are all opposite of what you would claim to believe as a Libertarian.

 

 

Don't Tread on Me!

[Sho Nuff 719]

 

Don't Tread on Me!

Its expected from phurfur...he only believes in the Libertarian principles that oppose the democrats views...on other words, he is a republican.

[Frank M 181]

Cucinelli had a few, McAuliffe had some sort of generic "will create jobs" one that ran about 3 times. Cucinnelli for better or worse actually has some history of service, McAuliffe is a textbook carpetbagger.

 

McAuliffe is the perfect Democratic candidate, completely incompetent, so he'll blame everything on the Republican controlled legislature. (It's working in Washington).

 

I understand that you're a right wing hack, but isn't that the point of the OP? That a fringe right Tea Party candidate can't even beat a shiotty Democrat candidate?

 

Despite the evidence to the contrary coming from the long list of Tea Party candidates who have gotten crushed in the past, guys like you will insist it's the media, not the fact that most people don't want fringe candidates in office.

[ArnieBragg 1]

So the race hinged on abortion?

 

No the race hinged on Obamacare.

 

Oh wait....

[Recliner Pilot 61]

Good luck with your lunatic fringe Governor.

[phillybear 364]

Its expected from phurfur...he only believes in the Libertarian principles that oppose the democrats views...on other words, he is a republican.

 

I need to point out that the Republicans and Democrats agree on nearly every issue. They may disagree on many 4 or 5 things, which they argue over endlessly. I'd hardly call the opposite of a Democrat a Republican and vice versa. In the end, after all the pageantry of Hulk Hogan and The Iron Sheik fighting in the ring, after show you can see them behind the arena sharing a joint and a six pack, laughing at all the rubes. Ron Paul was asked about the two party system in this country, and he corrected the reporter with "you mean the one party system".

[TimmySmith 2,782]

 

I understand that you're a right wing hack, but isn't that the point of the OP? That a fringe right Tea Party candidate can't even beat a shiotty Democrat candidate?

 

Despite the evidence to the contrary coming from the long list of Tea Party candidates who have gotten crushed in the past, guys like you will insist it's the media, not the fact that most people don't want fringe candidates in office.

How is the fact that a candidate can run a campaign completely on a single distorted issue that has nothing to do with the day to day operations of his office a wake up call for one side? It should be a wake up call for everyone. Cucinelli absolutely schooled McAuliffe in the debates, even the Washington Post said so. Sad state of affairs. Not just for Republicans.

[hoytdwow 202]

Ron Paul was asked about the two party system in this country, and he corrected the reporter with "you mean the one party system".

I found it interesting that Paul endorsed Cuccinelli instead of the Libertarian candidate. If Sarvis could have gotten a little more support from the Libertarian brain trust, the party would have been officially recognized next election, thus setting up a real 3-party race.

[Recliner Pilot 61]

I found it interesting that Paul endorsed Cuccinelli instead of the Libertarian candidate. If Sarvis could have gotten a little more support from the Libertarian brain trust, the party would have been officially recognized next election, thus setting up a real 3-party race.

Paul knew Sarvis was a dem plant to split the vote. Fortunately for the rest of the country, VA voters weretoo dumb to figure it out and we get to mock you for shitstain Terry's entire term.

[DankNuggs 305]

LOL... two piss poor candidates. Hillary banking on an endorsement from a bum makes me

[DankNuggs 305]

How is the fact that a candidate can run a campaign completely on a single distorted issue that has nothing to do with the day to day operations of his office a wake up call for one side? It should be a wake up call for everyone. Cucinelli absolutely schooled McAuliffe in the debates, even the Washington Post said so. Sad state of affairs. Not just for Republicans.

John Connolly made Marty Walsh look like an incompetant child in debates, but the unions bought the vote... Im not a Connolly fan as he is an out there progressive lib... Walsh was bought and paid for by the unions.

 

Disease of prosperity.

[Sho Nuff 719]

 

I need to point out that the Republicans and Democrats agree on nearly every issue. They may disagree on many 4 or 5 things, which they argue over endlessly. I'd hardly call the opposite of a Democrat a Republican and vice versa. In the end, after all the pageantry of Hulk Hogan and The Iron Sheik fighting in the ring, after show you can see them behind the arena sharing a joint and a six pack, laughing at all the rubes. Ron Paul was asked about the two party system in this country, and he corrected the reporter with "you mean the one party system".

 

My point is that phurf likes to claim to be a libertarian...but he does not seem to be one on most social policies...he seems to be not only fiscally conservative...but also socially (which is not quite a Libertarian platform...but more a Republican platform).

[Frank M 181]

How is the fact that a candidate can run a campaign completely on a single distorted issue that has nothing to do with the day to day operations of his office a wake up call for one side? It should be a wake up call for everyone. Cucinelli absolutely schooled McAuliffe in the debates, even the Washington Post said so. Sad state of affairs. Not just for Republicans.

 

Most people are moderate. Tea Party candidates are not, especially right wing Christian conservative candidates.Once Republicans drop the idea that the voting public isn't interested in them because they're "not conservative enough", maybe they'll have the kind of success that's based on real issues.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

 

Most people are moderate. Tea Party candidates are not, especially right wing Christian conservative candidates.Once Republicans drop the idea that the voting public isn't interested in them because they're "not conservative enough", maybe they'll have the kind of success that's based on real issues.

Like abortion. Which is all McAuliffe ran on, without ever proffering his opinion on the subject. This election had nothing to do with real issues.

[hoytdwow 202]

Like abortion. Which is all McAuliffe ran on, without ever proffering his opinion on the subject. This election had nothing to do with real issues.

Abortion is all Ken Cuccinelli cares about. It's been his personal crusade for years and basically all he spent his time on as attorney general. HTH!