Republicans in the Commonwealth need to take a collective Xanax or a weekend vacation in green Colorado. You’re walking into just about every trap imaginable.
Leave Congressman Taylor Alone
Democrats are demanding that Congressman Taylor endorse or outright reject PWC Supervisor Corey Stewart (VP). Republican Student Roger Herring is also demanding Taylor’s endorsement of Stewart (TCD). Read both these articles. They are designed to accomplish the same thing – to cost Congressman Taylor his seat come November.
Republicans are not required to endorse, support, or vote for any Republican Nominee. They are simply prohibited from supporting anyone running against a Republican Nominee (or supporting write-in candidates).
Mr. Roger Herring is young, so he probably doesn’t understand what endorsing Corey Stewart would do to Congressman Taylor’s chances of being reelected in the 2nd District. Roger clearly doesn’t care about Taylor’s own conscience.
Herring would rather demand absolute party unity than try to win every race across the Commonwealth. Republicans in moderate districts who embrace Stewart will lose in spectacular fashion. It may also not be the best idea to endorse Stewart in Districts that went heavily for Stewart’s primary opponent. fyi
Furthermore, Corey Stewart doesn’t need anyone’s endorsement. He won a tight Republican Primary against an opponent boasting far more endorsements than he did. Endorsements don’t matter in a general election unless you’re talking about the NRA or the Unions. Stewart has built his campaign on a unique and risky platform. He doesn’t need folks endorsing him who aren’t willing to use the same tactics or take the same risks.
Endorsements only matter when they come with massive campaign contributions anyway.
What frustrates me is that as soon as Democrats demand Taylor take a position that will cost him votes, whichever way he leans, Republicans come right behind them (predictably) and demand the exact same thing. It’s madness. The Democrats don’t need Republicans doing their job for them.
Don’t Think I Don’t See What’s Going on in the 7th District
Ex-establishment Republicans in the Virginia 7th are playing a dangerous game. They see a chance to pay back Congressman Dave Brat for beating Eric Cantor, who had made the 7th District one of the most powerful districts in America. The Democrats are running a weak, Deep State CIA Operative against Congressman Brat, and I have seen more than a fair share of Eric Cantor’s sycophants taking potshots at Brat across social media.
Why?
Because Abigail Spanberger is weak tea. Everyone knows that if she somehow pulls off an unlikely victory against Congressman Brat that she’ll lose in a landslide two years later. I wouldn’t be surprised if they aren’t already planning on who’d they’d run against her in 2020.
This is foolish. Congressman Brat may not be the great bastion of establishment politics that the 7th was used to and he may not be making the 7th district the financial home of national political favoritism, but he’s a prominent voice in the liberty movement and a rare voice of reason across national media platforms. Liberty-Movement Conservatives across the Commonwealth take great pride in knowing that Congressman Brat is a Virginia icon. Turning the liberty movement’s ire and Eye of Sauron back to the 7th District isn’t what moderates in the district ought to be begging for (excuse the preposition).
The only reason Abigail is on the ballot is because the DNC wants to run women in every possible district for as long as women are useful to them. It used to be African-American candidates, but the Democrat Party now feels that African Americans are less trustworthy and predictable (Thanks Kanye West!).
So, as Trump moves in to siphon off African-American votes, the DNC is placing all their faith on female identity politics. Everyone knows that this won’t last longer than an election cycle in the conservative 7th District.
The DNC knows that Abigail would be a one term Congresswoman; but so do the self-exiled Cantor folks. This is creating a very frustrating situation in the 7th.
Let me say this: If Dave Brat loses with less than stellar support from the old 7th District Establishment, I will personally make sure that there is a liberty-movement conservative on the ballot in a 2020 primary that will make Cantorites dream longingly of the era of Brat.
All Politics is Local
Every District’s Congressional nominee needs to run a campaign tailored to their district. Corey Stewart needs to run the best Statewide campaign he can, pulling on the many marginalized and often-ignored factions from which he’s drawn so much of his support. Every member of a county-based Republican Party across the Commonwealth needs to make sure they are 100% committed to getting out the vote in November. If that means pushing Corey Stewart and carrying a Congressman or woman, so be it. If that means pushing a Congresswoman or man and carrying Corey Stewart, so be it.
But get it done. This nation has real concerns far greater than our own factional squabbles here in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Republicans in the 5th and 6th. I love you guys. After tonight, forgive each other and move on. Refocus. Get ‘er done.
SCOTUS
Trump picks his nominee in less than 3 hours. Get focused Virginia. It’s about to get real.
32 comments
In order to win the future, the Party needs to totally jettison itself from the fake political pro-Globalist stance which has characterized the Republican ‘leadership’ for decades. And increasingly, and within this context, endorsements are meaningless, that is unless they come from those who have also like-wise have totally severed themselves from Globalist corporate state modeling, and their propaganda and enslaving public policies. And those Dems who left their party … say to vote for the Donald? They were looking for a resonator who would come flat out and admit to stuff everyone already knows.
Bottom line: if the Party wants a future, it has to put the party elites out on the street where they have to hunt for real work to do for a living, just like you and me.
I actually enjoyed this write. It appears that SBT can write coherently if he put his mind to it.
Didn’t Corey just receive more votes in the primary then any other candidate for any race in Virginia? In the political world money equals bullets donate to Stewart at coreystewart.com.
Didn’t the 2nd use to be Ruby Red forever?
You mean like the 10th district, and the 11th district 35 years ago?
“No Republican is required to support or endorse…blah blah blah”.
Nope. Completely. Totally. Inaccurate.
You need to read RPV’s Party Plan Article I, Section A, Subsection 1: “…..if requested express in open meeting either orally or in writing as may be required their intent to support all of its nominees for public office in the ensuing election.”
Two persons have made such a request and if Mr. Taylor does not openly express his intent to vote for all candidates then his membership in the Republican Party could be in jeopardy.
Your journey into political punditry isn’t going very well since a quick google search could’ve gotten you the RPV POA. And the language for this requirement is literally the first subsection of the first section of the first Article……so this should be pretty basic who thinks himself an expert on politics.
If that’s true, our party will greatly diminish in size because so many will not support Corey Stewart. However, since Scott Taylor is an incumbent Republican Congressman, I don’t see the party kicking him out.
It’s self-executing I think. Maybe we can get him to quote John Jay to social media, that oughta do it.
We really have no use for Republicans that won’t support the nominee… rewarding or recognizing that inappropriate behavior does not result in a viable political party.
Jeanine:
Well it’s definitely true. That language has been in the party plan in black ink since forever. But, I truly hope nobody is kicked out of the party simply for not endorsing a controversial candidate. I fully believe a healthy and vibrant party always has room for conscientious objectors. And “excommunicating” people should only be done as an absolute last resort and only to members who are overtly supporting an opposition candidate with money and/or labor. But simply refusing to express support for a candidate should not be a reason to kick them out of the party. Politics gets complicated at times and our job is to win as many elections as we can. As William Buckley used to say: “we need to choose the most conservative candidate that can win”. Meaning we must find that equilibrium sweet spot between principle and reality.
That having been said everything in this universe comes with a cost. Making the conscious choice to join a political party has consequences. And, one of those consequences is to support the duly nominated candidate even if your guy or gal loses. Now what you do in the privacy of the voting booth is a completely different thing.
So you’re not familiar with the screeds of SBT?
Roc:
Steven is a good guy and he’s been through a lot health-wise so I respect him. But sometimes somebody who is a political veteran with the scars to prove it needs to tell him he’s not as smart as he thinks he is. One of the early and valuable lessons I learned in politics is the devil is always in the by-laws, rules and parliamentary procedure, i.e. Robert’s Rules. Immersing yourself in them and becoming intimately familiar with all of that gives you immense power. If Steven wants to become some kind of pundit expert it would behoove him to do so.
Steven is a TBE treasure, it is virtually impossible to read one of his submissions without getting cranked up one way or another — like buttered toast strapped to the back of a cat — so right, so wrong, absofrickenlutely maddening that requires, no mandates, responses in comments. Better than articles on other publishing blogs for jelqing and prostate massage.
Perhaps a good follow-up to this well-argued post would be to call out the northern Virginia SUV GOP group. They call themselves the Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition, with the tag line: “An organization promoting the GOP to a suburban audience.” (That’s also what the Fairfax County Republican Committee does, only the SUV GOP thinks it does it better.) In truth, the SUV GOP is a thinly veiled attempt by the GOP “Establishment” in northern VA to hold onto power ever since their guy (Mike Ginsberg) lost the Chairmanship of the FCRC to Tim Hannigan last March. Within weeks of Hannigan’s election, the SUV GOP popped up with their own website, signage, tables at farmers’ markets and polling locations, and candidate endorsements (most notably for Barbara Comstock and Nick Freitas). Ever since Tim Hannigan won the Chairmanship, Barbara Comstock has been nowhere to be seen at an FCRC meeting or event, despite being invited. Occasionally, someone from the SUV GOP will show up. Oh, did I mention that Mike Ginsberg is in the SUV GOP leadership? So, while I certainly appreciate and respect Steven Brodie Tucker’s call for unity in the Commonwealth, his admonition apparently is falling on deaf ears among a certain contingent here in northern Virginia.
It’s a shame that members of splinter groups will find themselves apart from actual Republican events. It’s clobberin’ time.
Barbara will get the support she deserves from GOP voters in Fairfax.
A lot of wisdom here.
“Republicans are not required to endorse, support, or vote for any Republican Nominee…” – what kind of bleep is this? We are not required to support Scott Taylor either, and one of these days he is going to ask for party support. He also dissed Virginians who want to preserve our heritage. Tell Scott Taylor to go pound sand.
Republikarma.
I see what you did there…”the many marginalized and often-ignored factions from which he’s drawn so much of his support”. Spot on.
Excellent post.
Hate to admit it, but every once in awhile SBT nails it
If you are correct 1 time out of a hundred you could sing it from the treetop that you like SBT are a 1%er.
AKA even a broken clock is right 2x a day?
It’s too late for any Republican to play cutesy games with respect to Corey Stewart, Donald Trump, or anyone else in the party he/she may not like very much. If a candidate refuses to take a position on Stewart, that candidate will just invite more demands to take a position; Are you a Never? or are you a Stewart supporter? There is no recovery from that weasel position.
I don’t see why any Republican candidate in Virginia should have trouble saying something to the effect that “Corey Stewart would make a helluva better Senator than Tim Kaine, and I sure hope he wins so we can advance the Republican agenda for the benefit of every Virginian.” You don’t have to defend every thing Stewart’s ever said. You don’t have to go out of your way to talk about him. But you sure aren’t going to get away with taking some kind of weak, neutral position on your fellow Republican candidate. That doesn’t fool anyone, and only helps Tim Kaine.
Speaking of Tim Kaine (and Mark Warner), let’s all flood their offices with emails and phonecalls to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. I tried with Gorsuch and i’ll try again with Kavanaugh.
Good idea, great way to use your time. Little else to do, right? Not like there’s an election coming up or anything important.
Just an independent trying to suppress Republican efforts. So clever. SIgh.
Wasn’t my idea, but it was my idea to mention that it will squander time without result. I am fine with this judge joining the Supreme Court, which will happen.
Such emails would probably take all of one minute to write and send. Not exactly a massive time-drain away from the midterms.
“let’s all flood their offices with emails and phonecalls”
Again, not productive, but have at it. Maybe you can convince Rocinante.
I hope I’m not shattering any illusions here, but writing/calling your state and federal level reps is a complete waste of time.
Great points, Steven! No Republicans need grant their endorsements to Corey Stewart! He’ll sink or swim as he has without them!
Our candidates need to focus on their constituents and we need to focus on sending our Republican incumbents or their replacements back to DC!