Category: Surrounding Counties

Recent campaigns were notable for the widespread use of alternate facts and stereotypes. This is the fuel that stirred up intense divisions between political parties and within families. Stereotyping also helped maintain the Jim Crow system, or discrimination against any minority or immigrant community. As the United States looks to fulfill its responsibilities to those who helped us in Afghanistan, we can expect new stereotypes to emerge.

One of the oldest stereotypes still in use is the cry, “socialism,” a great pejorative and conversation stopper. Technically, socialism in economics is the government ownership of an industry. After WWII, Britain nationalized the coal industry, and a few countries in South America nationalized some extractive industries. Which industries do Republicans think Democrats want to nationalize at risk to our democratic, free way of life?  To be honest, I think the American steel industry is safe. 

What Republicans really mischaracterize as socialism are programs designed for the common good or, as stated in the preamble to the Constitution, “to promote the general welfare.” Broad social programs would include education, infrastructure, law enforcement, and Ben Franklin’s Post Office. Social Security has been a prime conservative target since the 1930s. Often in public opinion, Social Security is confused with public welfare and is labeled as some kind of an “entitlement program” sometimes by the very people who are receiving the benefits. Like any insurance policy, beneficiaries pay into Social Security as they progress through their earning years. Your car, life, and home insurance work the same way. Everyone pays in and, when needed, beneficiaries receive an appropriate payout, after the insurance company takes its profits and executive salaries.

In recent years, conservatives have tried to update the “socialism” stereotype by shifting the discussion to “freedom,” as though the two ideas are in opposition. They argue that health insurance purchased from a private company will somehow set you free, while Medicare represents socialistic imprisonment. It is hard to argue that an impersonal for-profit provider, who can reduce your benefits because of its definition of “pre-existing conditions,” is providing freedom.  You get what you pay for, and freedom isn’t on the private health insurer’s menu.

The more progressive point of view supports and enjoys freedom in the form of good schools, safe roads, strong infrastructure, and health care for all.  These are common goods that can launch a career, get you to work, and enhance your well-being. Who among us does not deserve these benefits? We also support a strong (not “defunded”) police force, whose tool kit can be improved by adding a mental health professional to the crisis response team, as is being implemented now in the town of Culpeper.

Of course, a surefire way to defund the police, the schools, the fire department, or public health is to have the legislature cut their budgets. This is the tactic of Culpeper’s House of Delegates representatives, who always vote against the budget and take no responsibility for the consequences. They hide behind stereotypes and ideology so that they don’t have to make the hard decisions that are needed to build and maintain a strong community. If Culpeper is short of deputies or has schools with leaky roofs and ventilation, roads and bridges in dangerous disrepair, and contaminated water and food supplies, the responsibility falls on those who vote against the budget. That’s why we are told elections have consequences.

Please vote this November. Local elections are extremely important for the prosperity of our community. Early voting, by mail or in person at the Voter Registrar’s Office, starts Friday, September 17.

David Reuther
Culpeper

David Reuther, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, is a past chair of the Culpeper Democratic Committee. These are his personal observations. This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Culpeper Star-Exponent newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Who are the real Republicans?

Statewide, the answer is not clear. The Republican candidate for governor, Glenn Youngkin, is running multiple, soft, feel-good TV ads in the expensive northern Virginia market that do not reflect his party affiliation and former president Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Obviously, the Youngkin campaign’s objective is to create a fuzzy image to appeal to the suburban voters who may not support Trump. To avoid being questioned about his identification with Trump, Youngkin continues to shatter Virginia traditions. He has refused to participate in the Virginia Bar Association’s decades-long hosting of the first general election debate, as well as the subsequent debate hosted by the AARP.

It appears, however, that one Trump campaign theme Youngkin will run on is Trump’s unfounded allegation about election security, as seen by his participation in an “election integrity” rally at Liberty University.

If the statewide campaign’s focus is soft Youngkin ads, in Culpeper County, things are distinctly partisan, led by former Culpeper Republican committee chair Jon Russell and Marshall Keene, the county party’s current chair.

We all recall that Keene bragged about organizing and dispatching three busloads of Trump supporters from Culpeper to the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” event in Washington. Russell, now the Republican candidate for town mayor, watched the event on the right-wing One American Network and commented on Facebook that “patriots have breached the barricades at the U.S. capitol.” Since when is breaking and entering patriotic?

This June, Culpeper Republicans prepared a full slate for the nonpartisan Town Council by holding a “casting call” for the candidates they wanted to anoint with a GOP endorsement. Only four candidates were considered. Weren’t there others who filed and were either not considered or subsequently withdrew their paperwork?

The apparent conductor of the four endorsed Republican candidates for the council positions, mayoral candidate Russell, is running his own campaign on a platform of “New Energy for Culpeper.” Responsible independents who may vote as Republicans have served on the Town Council for years, so Russell’s platform could be considered an insult directed at a former generation of local leaders. Then again, it might be a meaningless, pandering slogan.

Note that Russell’s yard signs are Democratic Blue, not Republican Red. Because Russell has already made clear he wants to “protect” Culpeper’s heritage, like Lake Pelham, it is not clear where he and his four endorsed colleagues will differ from the preceding generations of local leaders.

Despite their claim of new energy, Culpeper Republicans have fallen in line with ultra-radical Republican themes. The Republican County Committee recently passed a meaningless resolution, signed by Keene, demanding that the Virginia General Assembly order a full forensic investigation of the state’s 2020 general election. There has not even been a whisper that Virginia’s election procedures need review. So why is it important for Culpeper Republicans and others, like Amada Chase, to show their fidelity to the unfounded claims of Trump?

Where were our patriotic Republicans at this year’s traditional Independence Day celebration in Yowell Meadow Park? Held at the park’s Monuments to Freedom site, the Minute Men program celebrated the founding of our nation and honored the people who fought the British for our freedom and right to self-governance. Instead, the Republican committee held its own event in the parking lot next to its headquarters, in response to a personal invitation on social media from state Del. Nick Freitas.

Who are the real Republicans? Youngkin, who dominates television and social media with blank happy talk, or the Culpeper GOP hardliners who are comfortable ignoring the Virginia tradition of nonpartisanship in Town Council races? Voters in November may have the answer.

David Reuther, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, is a past chair of the Culpeper Democratic Committee. These are his personal observations. This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Culpeper Star-Exponent newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

The 2020 Presidential election was noted for its massive turnout of voters. President Biden received 81,268,924 votes, while former President Trump received 74,216,154. It appears the Republican party views the loss as the result of too many Democratic voters, and its solution is to swamp state legislatures with voter suppression measures.

One example of recent voter suppression was to create long lines at polls by closing rural polling places, then to make it illegal for poll workers to give water to those standing in line. There is no well-run, customer-friendly business anywhere that could perceive long lines as good customer service. Why would we want to discourage voter participation this way?

Indeed, across our nation courts are striking down the recent efforts of several Republican-dominated legislatures to create restrictive voting laws in their states. Virginia’s legislature, however, with its Democratic majority, is not following the voter-suppression mob. The election this November for all 100 seats in the House of Delegates will be enormously important in blocking voter-suppression efforts by the regressive Republican minority.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s win in the November 2020 election shows us that voters in the 7th Congressional District are looking for competence above party affiliation. She has proven again and again that she is willing to reach across the aisle to represent all residents in her district.

Here in Culpeper, the recent election for Clerk of the Circuit Court resulted in 71 percent of the vote going to the only candidate with the qualifications and experience for the job. Voters understood that ideological posturing alone was insufficient to qualify an individual to run this important constitutional office.

Even so, our local Republican committee’s recent actions indicate that it wants ideological candidates up and down the ballot. They have endorsed candidates for the four open non-partisan Town Council seats this November. Former Culpeper County Republican Committee Chair Jon Russell, running for the non-partisan position of Culpeper mayor, has himself been endorsed by Republican office holders, as well as the local committee. Again, is absolute party loyalty more important than what is best for Culpeper? Should a party demand that their chosen candidates agree to promote that party’s creed and uphold “other values?”

Yes, Virginia is changing. There are more Democratic candidates running for House of Delegates this year than ever before. In our area, Annette Hyde, the Democratic candidate for the 30th District, has been introducing herself around Culpeper, Orange, and Madison counties. Those county committees are hosting a fundraiser and rally for Hyde at the Lake of the Woods Community Center at 3 p.m. this Saturday, July 24. 

Rep. Spanberger will be the guest speaker. Attorney General Mark Herring will also be there, and other Virginia notables will offer video tributes. Culpeper’s independent-minded voters can get more information about how Annette would represent us in the House of Delegates at annetteservesva.com. Sign up for the fundraiser at to meet her and hear her ideas. In addition, concerned Culpeper citizens in the northern part of the county will want to educate themselves about 18th District challenger Doug Ward.

Yes, something is in the wind. There is a huge pool of voters from all sides of the political spectrum looking for competence. 

There are several highly qualified, intelligent, and independent Town Council candidates who have the best interests of the community at heart and who are not bound by regressive political creeds, party affiliation and endorsements. Voters understand that dogmatic posturing is not the same thing as governing effectively.

Educate yourselves about the candidates at all levels of the commonwealth and vote in your own best interests this November. 

David Reuther
Culpeper

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Culpeper Star*Exponent newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

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?