JF In the News: Ranked Choice Republican Recap By Chris Saxman
Well, the Republican Party of Virginia actually pulled it off. Their Ranked Choice Voting Unassembled Convention Through the Legs off the Backboard with Twist (which lasted lemme see…one… two…three…no, FOUR days) finally ended and ended well.
Not only did RPV manage to pull it off, but their statewide ticket of Glenn Youngkin, Winsome Sears, and Jason Miyares is the most diverse in the history of the Commonwealth. National Republicans are thrilled, but more importantly for the GOP, Virginia Republicans are united, well-funded, and energized for the 2021 campaign season. They also have a month head start on their Democratic opponents.
Since I attended the Phillies/Nationals game in DC yesterday, you’re probably going to read more than a couple of baseball references. But since politics and baseball are so similar the references usually work, I offer no apology.
Like the movie, Mr. Baseball starring Tom Selleck pointed out – every batter has a “hole in their swing.” That’s the place in the strike zone a pitcher looks to throw the ball because, for some reason or another, the batter just can’t hit a ball thrown there. Swing mechanics, stance, hands, hips, shoulders …. all create holes. The problem Selleck’s character had was not just a hole in his swing, but more importantly, he had a hole in his attitude. His Japanese manager and the Japanese culture-filled those holes. It’s a fun movie with a nice storyline.
Anyway…
Governor
Glenn Youngkin – I wrote a longer column about the Republicans rising star as seen through the eyes of three suburban women with whom I live and/or raised. Suffice it to say, this guy is talented, well-funded, and focused on winning. Best candidate I have seen in almost thirty years of Virginia politics. But, it’s early. The holes in his swing are there and his team should be able to see them. My sense he’s looking them, too.
Pete Snyder – Radio show host John Fredericks asked me to join him and his panel on his Monday morning radio show to cover the convention from the Richmond Marriott. During a break in the show, we were both in line at the lobby Starbucks and he asked me, “Why do you hate Pete?” I was taken back because it is the very rare person that I actually hate. Mom used to say, “Hate’s a strong word.” And as I said to Fredericks, “I don’t hate Pete. I didn’t like his campaign. There’s a difference.”
Snyder did an interview during his Virginia 30 Day Fund initiative, on a national CBS show I think, in which he revealed a side of himself that if he had shown more of in this campaign, he could have won. It was incredibly moving and powerful. If that Pete decides to run again, Snyder stands a much better chance of winning. He’s smart, ambitious, successful, and hard-working. But he’s a got a hole in his swing and for some reason, the people on his campaign either don’t see it or won’t show it to him. Like John McCain and Al Gore, Pete’s best, and perhaps truest, self was in his gracious concession.
Read the full story here, courtesy of Bacon’s Rebellion