Progressives on the march in the Old Dominion
Debate about Virginia sees four argue about commonwealth virtues
Progressives are on the march in Ol’ Virginny and I admit to a certain fascination with this, because it’s hard to say where this thumping energy may land us. Has Virginia stopped being Virginia?
This thought (not mine alone, by any stretch) emerged watching a clunky, we’re-here-in-thefamily-room “Virginia People’s Governor Debate,” which aired online last week. It wasn’t exactly a marvel of 21st century communications technology, more a video version of CB radio in the early days.
In other words, you can do it, but the idiosyncrasies of the participants are manifest.
It took a while for the debate managers to just list all the sponsoring progressive/liberal organizations — about 35 — and that alone suggests some higher level of left-wing engagement within Virginia.
Many of these participating groups seem to like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and have already issued endorsements for governor. So their interest in new information may have already crested.
(By the way, Joe Biden collected more than twice as many votes than Bernie in last year’s Virginia Democratic Party primary.)
So, between their done-deal endorsements and their less-then-centered orientation, you can understand why former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the leading candidate in this year’s gubernatorial contest, found something else to do on the evening of this production.
Four Democratic candidates for governor did join in: former Prince William Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, Richmond state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, Prince William Del. Lee Carter and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.
The set-up included a lot about justice. As in, we need that. Criminal justice. Racial justice. Environmental justice. Along with “other issues of justice and good government.”
Forgive a digression, but it was the first months of 1986, year one of Gov. Gerald Baliles’ administration. and His Excellency had been asked to drive a few blocks from the State Capital to the old John Marshall Hotel and give greetings to the AFL-CIO representatives attending.
It was in the elegant-as-far-asit-goes Virginia Room, as I recall, where there’s a stage and balconies above the floor. There were many happy functions there in those days; more wedding receptions lately, it appears.
Danny LeBlanc was a leading labor figure back then — a good guy, all in all, and we were Democrats, you know — and he was already exhorting the troops when we arrived just off-stage.
Danny was bellowing, “What do we want?” and the crowd was yelling back, “Justice!” Over and over again. Justice. Justice. Justice.
So, upon his introduction, the governor walked straight to the podium and said, “Hi, I’m Fred Justice.”
Well, I thought it was funny, but I was the only one. That was Baliles’ sense of humor, which he tended to rein in and that incident reminded him to do so in the future. No one even cracked a smile.
Maybe some smiles would have helped last week’s effort in justice-seeking. Everyone seems so crushingly sincere, determined to prove that, yes, I am the people’s tribune, that I don’t take no money from nobody, and would never think, not ever, of doing anything but good government.
The organizers insisted on a “lightning round” of only “yes or no” answers.
That would have been a splendid opportunity for one of the candidates to say go stuff it — that being governor does not involve binary options. Just consider Gov. Ralph Northam’s last 12 months, for instance.
Nevertheless, assorted progressive enthusiasms, combined with the undeniable traction lately gained by liberal proposals before the General Assembly, requires us to watch, observe and take notes.
The Guardian has been doing so. This British bastion of liberality with a heavy on-line subscriber-base, recently considered the New Virginia in amazement and turned to Professor Larry Sabato, a proud Norfolk native and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, for guidance.
“I have to admit, as a young man I would never have believed it was possible for Virginia to move in such a strong progressive direction,” Sabato told the Guardian. “Virginia has taught the country and the world that America can change, and sometimes can change rapidly, and in a very progressive direction.”
Yes, but how far and is there a reaction waiting down the road? That’s the question that stumps me.
The first formal Democratic Party debate will take place on April 6, followed by three others in May and June, and McAuliffe will be on-hand.
Who won last week’s debate? Jennifer and Jennifer, easy. Both have promising futures. Lee Carter has cornered the socialist-Marine vote (he’s both) for sure.
After writing editorials for the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot in the 1980s, Gordon C. Morse wrote speeches for Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, then spent nearly three decades working on behalf of corporate and philanthropic organizations, including PepsiCo, CSX, Tribune Co., the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Dominion Energy. His email address is gordonmorse
@msn.com.