Letters to The Burgs
Outsiders paid for Yost’s election
The commentary piece by Deena Flinchum (“Will Del.Yost serve big donors or his constituents?” Jan. 8) has drawn some criticism online for being negative. The only thing negative about it was the alarming fact it points out: Del. Joseph Yost’s campaign was almost totally funded by outside interests and lobbyists instead of local supporters.
In the same edition of TheBurgs, readers had the chance to reflect on the service provided by retiring Del. Jim Shuler and former Del.Dave Nutter. What a contrast those stories presented with Flinchum’s findings about Yost.
Nutter and Shuler convinced New River Valley citizens they were worthy of representing them in Richmond. All Yost had to do was convince party leaders that he would serve to their liking in the House of Delegates. In return, they poured more than $300,000 into his coffers so he could buy negative advertising and pander to voters.
It will really be interesting to watch this session of the General Assembly and see if Yost votes in the interests of the people who live in the 12th House of Delegates District or in the interests of the people who bought and paid for his election.
STEVE COCHRAN
Chairman, Montgomery County Democratic Committee
BLACKSBURG
Clarification (Jan. 24, 2012: 10:50 a.m.): Although Steve Cochran is chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee, he wrote the letter “Outsiders paid for Yost’s election” (Jan. 22) as a private citizen, not on behalf of the committee. | Our corrections policy
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Steve Cochran is forgetting one important fact – NRV voters elected Yost. No matter who funded Yost’s campaign, the voters voted and Yost won. That’s the problem with Liberal Democrats – they ignore the facts. They don’t give the voters the credit to view all the facts and candidates and make up their own minds. Steve is just mad the Democrats weren’t successful in buying the votes of the people who are dependent on the government for help through social programs. THAT is the way the Democrats buy their votes.
Comment by Matt Herring — January 22, 2012 @ 12:24 pm
No one is questioning that Joe Yost won, but I disagree that it doesn’t matter who funded his campaign. The issue is the role that large contributions – especially those coming from outside a district – play in politics. I personally would be just as concerned if Don Langrehr had won and had over 90% of his contributions coming from outside of the 12th district. The 12th district was ranked as the 15th most expensive Assembly district race in VA this year at a time when the average cost of an AD race fell by more than 1/3. See below for links.
As I said earlier, PAC’s do not give money to candidates, especially candidates with no voting records, without expecting something in return. My issue is simply this: When the interests of the people in the 12th district conflict with the interests of Del Yost’s financiers, whose interest will prevail with him?
I can see where it would be a ‘positive’ benefit to the PAC’s and interests with deep pockets for them to be able to influence elections in a number of districts, thus making the winners beholden to them. I fail to see how having these PAC’s finance over 90% of a winner’s campaign is a positive benefit to the people in the district. Will those Giles County voters who thought they were voting for posting the Ten Commandments on the wall of a school – an issue that Del Yost has no control over – now discover that they were voting for less state funding of health care, an issue that has a great deal of meaning in Giles County?
It will be very interesting to follow his votes this year. And Del Yost will not have the luxury in 2013 that he had this year: He can’t run with little resume and no voting record.
http://www.vpap.org/updates/show/927
http://www.vpap.org/updates/show/926
Comment by Deena Flinchum — January 22, 2012 @ 4:30 pm
Basically, these people are saying … “The people in the New River Valley are stupid for voting for and subsequently electing Yost.” That is all.
Comment by Elle — January 23, 2012 @ 10:19 am
The Democrats are assuming automatically that Mr. Yost will automatically vote the way his big contributors want, and not what is in the best interest of his constituients – you know, kind of like Obama and the unions. How cynical and sad, that a man who won his seat fair and square is not even given time to prove himself. But then the Liberals always see the ugly side of politics, possibly because they may be looking into a mirror. Yost won fair and square – get over it.
Comment by Matt Herring — January 23, 2012 @ 10:55 am
Yes, Mr. Herring, Joseph Yost got more votes than Don Langrehr. Was it “fair and square”? Based on today’s campaign finance laws, on the surface, it appears so. Is there a problem with a candidate spending $350,000 on a seat in the House of Delegates in southwest Virginia? Again, not legally, but it should cause concern among the citizenry. Do I think Delegate Yost is beholden to the people who gave him over $300,000? Absolutely! Oh – and am I going to “get over it” and be quiet? Absolutley not!
Comment by Steve Cochran — January 23, 2012 @ 9:19 pm
Steve – no one is saying you can’t express your opinion, but your comments above are blurring the lines between your opinion, and baseless accusations.
If you don’t like the current campaign finance laws, lobby to get them changed. The Democratic party has been just as instrumental in passing legislation that has shaped the current laws. You can’t whine and complain just because your candidate lost. Actually you can, but it just isn’t becoming.
Comment by Matt Herring — January 24, 2012 @ 11:36 am
Matt, great comments, but don`t waste your time arguing with a liberal ….you could hand any one of them a $100 bill, and they would bitch because it wasn`t quite the color green they had hoped for !
Comment by Jeff Doto — January 28, 2012 @ 9:39 am
Sounds to me like `ELLE` is unhappy with the people of the NRV..says we are stupid(what an immature statement)…Appears to me that anyone who choses to live in a place where the people are `stupid` is stupid in itself…she is free to leave anytime she chooses, but alas…moving away simply because a vote didn`t go your way would be….well, STUPID !
Comment by Jeff Doto — January 28, 2012 @ 9:44 am
Wow, succinct, insightful commentary from Doto and MH with name calling included for no extra cost.
The facts are that Mr. Yost won with a huge inflow of money from outside the region. And the logical question is whether he’ll vote to represent all of the district or vote for the moneyed interests outside the region.
Do those outside interests share similar interests with the folks that elected him, of course. But please, don’t for one second think that Mr. Yost’s supporters represent the majority of his district. To be generous, Mr. Yost represent a small majority, of a small percentage of the active or total registered voters in the district. On top of that, his base is limited to one county within the district. Mr. Yost election and beliefs align clearly with approximately 15% to 20% of the district. Not even close to a mandate. But he won fairly. Shame on all the active/total registered voters that chose to stay home.
The outside money and a poor turn out helped Mr. Yost win the election. The question remains how he’ll represent us.
Comment by StanZ1987 — February 27, 2012 @ 1:29 pm
Stan…that would be `at no cost`….and by the way, when someone chooses to call myself and the neighbors of the NRV `stupid`, yes, I`ll go on the attack. I don`t give a rats rear end whether you or anyone else likes it or not. And furthermore, if the liberal left $$ had been ABLE to `buy` the election, it would just have been `hunky-dory` , now wouldn`t it ?
Comment by Jeff Doto — March 17, 2012 @ 9:03 am