Author: Jim

Louisa Dems Treasurer

Are Voters Turning to Competency Over Party?

The results of Tuesday’s snap election, authorized by the Board of Supervisors to the tune of $86,000, might signal political change in Culpeper and perhaps the rest of Virginia.

By an overwhelming margin, county voters chose Carson Beard, the only experienced candidate, to fill the clerk of the Circuit Court position. Mr. Beard ran a fact-based campaign on his qualifications and his long-standing ties to the community. He ran as an Independent. His opponent ran as a Republican, believing that his party affiliation guaranteed success. The voters proved him wrong.

In Virginia, voter registration does not require a declaration of party preference. We do not know how many Republicans, Democrats and Independents voted or for whom, but Beard could hardly have won more than two-thirds of the vote without support from all three corners. The Republican candidate lost despite touting the endorsements of local and statewide Republican officials and candidates. He was mistaken in assuming that a party label entitled him to a job for which he was clearly not qualified.

The election’s outcome is encouraging at a time in this country when partisanship has encouraged ugly actions at the Capitol and in speech. Words have fueled hatred and violence against “others” who may have different opinions, life-styles, religions, appearance, skin color, physical features and even disabilities. No one has seemed to be exempt. Perhaps the hatchet can buried in Culpeper.

Historically, few people vote in special elections, but those who did this time may foreshadow our local elections in November. Traditionally, candidates for town and county offices have not been affiliated with any political party. By law, in fact, party affiliation may not be designated on ballots below the level of the General Assembly.

The Chair of the Culpeper County Republican Committee has boasted that it will offer Republican-labeled candidates for all non-partisan local offices this year, whether Board of Supervisors, School Board, or Town Council. Perhaps the results of this week’s special election for clerk suggest that candidates should abandon partisan labels and focus on issues important to the community, offering policy options and stressing their qualifications.

The larger political picture is no different. This year, both parties have seen an unheard-of expansion in the number of candidates vying for the statewide offices. The Democratic Party will hold a statewide primary on June 8 for five candidates for Governor, eight candidates for Lieutenant Governor, and two candidates for Attorney General. These candidates represent considerable diversity in background and experience. All registered Virginia voters will be able to help choose the Party’s nominees in this primary.

The Culpeper County Democratic Committee has joined with surrounding county committees to organize a “Central Virginia Candidates’ Town Hall” so the voting public will have a chance to review the competence and experience of all 15 candidates. Candidates for Governor will present themselves on Wednesday, April 7. Candidates for Lieutenant Governor will appear on Wednesday, April 14, and Attorney General candidates will appear Wednesday, April 21. Check the Culpeper Democrat’s website for details: culpeperdemocrats.org.

Virginia Republicans, on the other hand, spent many months of messy internal debate before deciding to disenfranchise their party’s voters by holding a “disassembled” convention, rather than a primary, at 37 drive-through locations on May 8. This means that only convention delegates—the most ardent of the party faithful—will choose their nominees, in a ranked-voting process.

Culpeper’s new Clerk of the Circuit Court, Carson Beard, whose grandfather was Culpeper’s Republican delegate in the General Assembly, has shown definitively that voters will respond to competence and integrity over party ideology.

Let us hope that March’s example will carry into November.

Dave Reuther

David Reuther, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, is a past chair of the Culpeper Democratic Committee. These are his personal observations. This opinion piece was previously published by The Culpeper Star-Exponent at Will Culpeper persist in voting for qualified candidates rather than party affiliation?

President is dangerous, incited insurrection

The definition of insurrection is “acts of violence against the state or its officers.” On Jan. 6, 2021, we had a violent, deadly rebellion and mob scene at our Capitol.

At the rally beforehand, the president called for the mob to walk with him to the Capitol. The mob went, but the president went to a room to watch what the mob did. Really.

The president has been dangerous for the past five years, yet everyone has taken a blind eye to his words and actions. The president has lied, bullied, made racist and sexist statements these last five years. Is he the leader of a criminal enterprise? Or the leader of a free nation?

His followers have chosen; have you?

Nancy Syntax
Bumpass

The Central Virginian

More criticism of the president

Cancer, a virulent killer, knows no limits of time, toxicity or destruction, as it thrives by ravaging. By its very name, cancer defies the value of descriptors, rendering all redundant as it inflicts harm, pain, and depraved infection. It defiles all it touches, requiring thorough, aggressive excision and disposal.

Donald Trump has become a cancer. Tragically, he exceeds the metaphor. Once out of office, he will carry with him our most secure secrets, available to the highest bidder for his gain and for our peril. Trump’s recent invitation to and incitement of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol, and their intercepted communications before and after the insurrection document this truth. Trump is truly a cancer.

Bill Walling
Louisa

The Central Virginian

Capitol Attack Exposed Weaknesses

The breach of the Capitol Building by rioters highlighted a huge weakness in our national security that could now be exploited by professional terrorists. Look how easy it was for a group of people to breach the Capitol without really trying.

Think about what it would have looked like if this attack were carried out by professional terrorists embedded with those rioters who breached the Capitol building. As it was, there were individuals who successfully entered with guns, zip tie-style handcuffs, and Molotov cocktails. Pipe bombs were planted a short distance from the Capitol.

I know more D.C. and state capital protests are being planned in the days leading up to the inauguration. Consider that terrorists or foreign actors may well use those protests and plans to their advantage, especially if more breaches are planned. If you go, can you be sure everyone else in attendance is who you think they are? Can you be sure you won’t let your anger be used in ways you didn’t intend?

Pamela Wilkinson
Mineral

The Central Virginian

Seeking a smooth transition to end 2020

American voters’ support for democracy in this election was overwhelming. Joe Biden received almost 5.8 million more popular votes than did Donald Trump, the most votes for any presidential candidate ever. Biden’s Electoral College margin, 306 to 232, is the same as Trump’s in 2016. At the time, Trump called that a “landslide.”

One of the strongest traditions in a stable democracy is a smooth, transparent transition of power. However, the United States, the greatest constitutional democracy in the world, is having problems finding its transitional feet.

President Trump has refused to concede and is falling back on claims of widespread voter fraud, for which there is no evidence. His lawyers have lost 20 of the 21 cases they have filed so far, for a lack of evidence. Attorney General William Barr issued an order that the FBI can investigate when there is evidence, but this is a mere fig leaf to escape Trump’s wrath.

Just last Tuesday night, Trump Twitter-fired Christopher Krebs, his administration’s most senior cybersecurity official responsible for securing the presidential election. The New York Times has reported that Krebs systematically disputed Trump’s unfounded declarations that the presidency was stolen from him through fraudulent ballots and software glitches that changed millions of votes.

As president, almost daily Trump demonstrated that he was devoid of graciousness. Both his tweets and public appearances revealed a taste for insult, an unrelenting boastfulness and arrogance, and a general coarseness.

To this we could add his hyperbole, his lies, and his want of generosity. My Depression-era mother taught me that there is always a role for courtesy. She also taught that a person’s reputation is a precious commodity and that lying and cheating quickly dissolve the respect one can hope to receive.

Some Republican governors and legislators are beginning to acknowledge that Biden won the election and that the country should move on, recognizing that a transparent and orderly transition has been the custom in every previous presidential election. Firing the Secretary of Defense, abruptly drawing down our overseas deployments, threatening to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, and abusing federal employment regulations are dangerous moves and have no place in any lame-duck period between administrations.

Perhaps there is something to the idea that Trump is salting the soil to make governing impossible for Biden, while preparing for his own political and financial comeback. Claims of election fraud seek to delegitimize the elected president and end up reducing respect for the Constitution. If Republican voters and legislators buy that myth, the effects could be far-reaching for both parties.

Senator McConnell’s pledge to make President Obama a one-term president may be on rewind. In fulfilling this pledge, McConnell gave us legislative gridlock. Hundreds of bipartisan House bills have been forwarded to the Senate, where they piled up and died, and will have to be re-legislated starting in January. What better demonstrates the GOP-controlled Senate’s lack of commitment to the general welfare?

Trump’s refusal to allow an orderly transition is exacerbating the consequences of his mishandling of the pandemic, stalling the economic recovery, and endangering our national security. Nevertheless, Biden’s response has been to soldier on in the face of these obstacles and put together his administration. As we watch this unfold, perhaps we will have a greater appreciation for the motto, “Keep Calm and Carry On.”

On this date in 1962, President Kennedy was assassinated. His administration committed itself to the hope and promise of America. Let us rededicate ourselves to that vision. January 20, 2021—Inauguration Day—cannot get here too soon.

[Reuther] Seeking a smooth transition to end 2020

TRUMP GETS WRONG RESULTS

I’m looking forward to relief from the constant barrage of real “fake” news and insults from the Trump Administration. The Mainstream Media, which has been under attack for doing what it can to provide accurate news, may finally be rid of its 1st Amendment oppressor. This country doesn’t need to be lied to. Its voice doesn’t need to be ignored. But that’s exactly what’s been happening with daily blare of noise from the White House.

If Trump could accomplish anything, it should be to leave office quietly and never be heard from again. For the last four years, this country has suffered over 20,000 lies and misleading statements. This was reported by the Washington Post. McSweeneys.net has catalogued almost 300 pages of Trump’s cruelties, collusions, corruptions, and crimes. On October 20, 2020, Dana Milbank of the Washington Post also listed 41 items that presented a more than adequate case to VOTE – but not for Trump!!

The previous references aren’t exhaustive. Any credible media source will likely offer the same kind of information based on investigative reporting. Probably the biggest fear of someone who habitually and easily lies, is to be exposed with facts. We should all fear the propaganda bombardment, not just from the source, but also from the echo chambers.

It seems that Dan Braswell may have relied on Trump’s Twitter feed instead of researching reliable sources for information. If he’d done that research conscientiously, he would’ve had a list completely different from what he presented. In fact, Braswell never mentioned:

· Putin’s bounty on American soldiers without any admonishment from Trump.

· Trump’s belittling of the “Suckers and Losers” in our armed forces, like John McCain who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. That was the war Trump avoided because of a bone spur handicap.

· Trump’s dismantling of the EPA website of Climate Change data and information because it doesn’t suit his agenda.

· Trump’s foot-dragging at the start of the “China virus” that led to over 220,000 American lives being lost. Injecting bleach and ingesting hydroxychloroquine were being touted as the cure for COVID-19. (And no one really calls it the “China virus” except Trump.)

· Trump secretly funneling money from a charitable organization into his own bank account.

· Trump’s excuses about the tax cut that was really to benefit the rich while the middle class will be waiting to feel the impact. The disparity between wealth and income continues.

Doesn’t anyone pay attention to this kind of information, understand it, and know how to act on it?

For all of Braswell’s past LTEs, the most recent is the worst portrayal of misinformation and disinformation. This is something that we need to be aware of whenever Braswell’s name appears in print. I’m certainly interested in what he has to say and I’ll be watching closely for his misstatements.

Stacy Lee Briley