2012.02.17
James K. Polk and Bob McDonnell
It’s almost 10 days old, but we thought our readers at the Blue Ridge Caucus might enjoy this post from Christian Trejbal over at the RoundTable.
We maintain a separation between the editorial department and the newsroom, but Trejbal took a Blue Ridge Caucus-style approach in this speculative post by examining a historical episode and then transposing it on modern politics.
It’s a fun post that puts Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in the shoes of former President James K. Polk in suggesting he could emerge as a dark horse GOP presidential nominee.
Go read Trejbal’s post and then return with your thoughts here. And if you need a primer on Polk, you could do worse than the They Might Be Giants ditty up top.
– Mason Adams
Desperate for clicks to the websites? Is that all this is about? Trejbal’s stuff reeks. His whole schtick is to poke the bee’s nest to get feedback. I’ve evolved beyond that, too bad his journalistic style has not.
Comment by crooked road — February 17, 2012 @ 10:50 am
It does appear that an awful lot of the TP/GOP does not like their choices so far. And by “a lot” I mean the majority.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — February 17, 2012 @ 11:26 am
The GOP election seems to be about pushing a religious agenda on average Americans who want no part of it. So, it is appropriate to quote JFK who was a Catholic on this matter:
“Whatever one’s religion in his private life may be, for the officeholder, nothing takes precedence over his oath to uphold the Constitution and all its parts — including the First Amendment and the strict separation of church and state.”
– John F Kennedy, Interview, Look, March 3, 1959, from Albert J Menendez and Edd Doerr, The Great Quotations on Religious Freedom
Be it Santorum or McDonnell who obviously believe religion should play a bigger part in government via the oppressive anti women’s legislation being pushed through McDonnell’s GOP dominated General Assembly, and Santorum’s anti contraceptive stance outside of marriage, either would be a terrible choice for the GOP.
Should it come down to a brokered convention, the 1/2 time Governor of Alaska has said she will serve if her nation calls. I doubt that she would be willing to do the heavy lifting it would require to be at the top of the ticket so I think she is holding out for a number 2 slot and really doesn’t care who is at the top of the ticket. However, I’m not suggesting the 1/2 time governor would be a plus for the ticket, her negatives are running in the 60% range.
All that being said, if it comes down to a brokered GOP convention, Christie just may be convinced by the powers that pull the strings in the GOP to run. McDonnell would not be a good fit for the New Jersey Governor based on the close proximity of Va and Jersey. Christie would demand he chose his own running partner which could possibly bring Rubio into the picture. That would be my guess at this point, but we are a long way out and the circus that is the GOP primary process changes daily.
Comment by Cold n P — February 17, 2012 @ 11:27 am
@1
Couldn’t agree more.
Comment by Jack Mcguire — February 17, 2012 @ 3:55 pm
Oh FGS, if you don’t like the Roanoke Times or their editorial staff, reporters or threads, let your fingers do the walking and leave them alone. Christian is SUPPOSED to “poke the bee’s nest to get feedback”, that is the professional intent of an editorial board. You may be confused because right wing media caters to their audience as opposed to challenging them, but again, that is his purpose at the paper. Honestly the way some of you clamor to live in a closed shell is frightening. If your ideals, beliefs, opinions and candidates cannot stand the heat of challenge maybe that makes you pretty lame.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — February 17, 2012 @ 5:03 pm