Breaking from the T&A, oh, I mean, TSA coverage, for some local political news…. It seems that George Allen of the “macaca” fame is trying to pull a fast one on the Republicans in Virginia.
Bearing Drift broke the story here. What it boils down to, is that all of the sudden, out of nowhere, Georgie-boy and his pals want to change how the process is done here in VA.
In Virginia the parties can select their nominees through the primary election process or through a convention. When choosing a state-wide nominee, the establishment generally prefers a primary as it favors establishment candidates with more name recognition and more money while conservatives prefer the convention.
via George Allen and The Virginia Republicans, I Don’t Believe They Get It! « Disrupt the Narrative.
See, George wants the nomination process for Senate in 2012 to be done by primary. Normally this would be discussed and the vote would be held sometime next year around March. But he wants the RPV (Republican Party of Virginia) to vote on it, and he wants that vote right now! /footstomp
Thing is, I actually prefer a primary. I disagree with those who think that a primary gives more advantage to the party-backed favorite. To those people I say, get off your duff and do something for the guy you want to win! Donate, either cash or time. Walk the streets, talk to the people, phone bank, etc. Don’t whine and cry about how unfair the system is, or how much money it takes. Go do something about it.
As Virginia Virtucon points out:
For those who believe that deciding on a separate primary early works best to George Allen’s advantage, I would caution that all it does is give potential opponents like Corey Stewart and Bob Marshall more time to raise their profiles statewide and fundraise.
I think Virginians, especially those of us in the Tea Party Movement need to realize that change has come, and not all change is bad. This could wind up being a good thing in the long run.
However. I do not like the feel of this hurry-up, backroom, vote-now-before-anyone-realizes-we’re-doing-this move. This looks too much like an attempt to influence voters and crown George Allen, a proven loser, as nominee 2 years in advance. Smells a little too much like Dede Scozzafava to me.
Memo to the RPV – the silent majority has been awakened, and ya’ll aren’t safe just because you have an “R” by your name.