VA-2017: Herring won't run for Governor

[smoltchanov]

Northam is the guy who barely tried against E.W. Jackson (still won easily because EW is terrible) and who nearly switched parties several years ago. No thanks.

You are unlikely to vote in that election or even to have a big say about who is nominated, don't you? Let Virginians decide))))

[smoltchanov]

Northam is the guy who barely tried against E.W. Jackson (still won easily because EW is terrible) and who nearly switched parties several years ago. No thanks.

You are unlikely to vote in that election or even to have a big say about who is nominated, don't you? Let Virginians decide))))

Neither do you, so stop trying to force your Moderate Heroism down the voters' throats.  Let Virginians decide!

I never expressed any preference in this race, so your accusations are baseless..

[smoltchanov]

Northam is the guy who barely tried against E.W. Jackson (still won easily because EW is terrible) and who nearly switched parties several years ago. No thanks.

You are unlikely to vote in that election or even to have a big say about who is nominated, don't you? Let Virginians decide))))

Oh sure, I don't actually have a vote in the election, but if I did, it wouldn't be for Northam (at least in the primary or convention).

Sure. And i respect that. Just as i would vote for Northam and expect other to respect that. But neither of us will vote there..

[smoltchanov]

Northam is the guy who barely tried against E.W. Jackson (still won easily because EW is terrible) and who nearly switched parties several years ago. No thanks.

You are unlikely to vote in that election or even to have a big say about who is nominated, don't you? Let Virginians decide))))

You mean the party insiders?  That is how it works in Virginia.

Not necessarily. But in this particular case this 2 politicians already decided who will run in 2017 and who will not. It seems to me they had full right to do so, and were not obliged to ask anyone else about it.

[smoltchanov]

Northam is the guy who barely tried against E.W. Jackson (still won easily because EW is terrible) and who nearly switched parties several years ago. No thanks.

You are unlikely to vote in that election or even to have a big say about who is nominated, don't you? Let Virginians decide))))

You mean the party insiders?  That is how it works in Virginia.

Not necessarily. But in this particular case this 2 politicians already decided who will run in 2017 and who will not. It seems to me they had full right to do so, and were not obliged to ask anyone else about it.

...

shua is from Virginia, he probably knows more than you do about how Virginia politics work.

Well, i know the fact: these two agreed that only one of them will run (and decided - who). So, it makes no sense to weep that it could be other way. It could, but it will not. And what shua wrote doesn't change THAT fact.

P.S. May be - enough? I have as much rights here as you and any other person does. I understand that you don't like my posts, and you have all rights to ignore them. Belive me - i will not be too disappointed in such case.

[smoltchanov]

As a Virginian, I'll settle this: I like both Northam and Herring, and it doesn't matter to me which of the two becomes governor -Virginia will be well served by either one.  

I absolutely subscribe under that...

[smoltchanov]

IMHO - a talk about Northam's  "conservatism" is at least somewhat exaggerated. He is, surely, not a person like  Harry Byrd Sr. (or Jr. for that matter), William Tuck or even David Satterfield Jr. (a dozens more names of "solid" Virginia's conservative Democrats come to mind immediately). In fact there is exactly one Democrat in present Virginia Legislature, who, IMHO, deserves the title "conservative" (and even he - rather moderate conservative): Johnny Joannou, who  lost this year Democratic primary. Virginia now isn't Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi (or, surprisingly,  Alaska), where you can still find more or less "real" Democratic conservatives in legislature. Northam is more of "centrist' type.... Even "somewhat left of center" if state legislator database of Boris Shor is to be believed. Herring is more liberal, of course, but Virginia, while slowly moving left, is, still, rather purple then blue, so Northam candidacy is not something "terrible"..

[smoltchanov]

IMHO - a talk about Northam's  "conservatism" is at least somewhat exaggerated. He is, surely, not a person like  Harry Byrd Sr. (or Jr. for that matter), William Tuck or even David Satterfield Jr. (a dozens more names of "solid" Virginia's conservative Democrats come to mind immediately). In fact there is exactly one Democrat in present Virginia Legislature, who, IMHO, deserves the title "conservative" (and even he - rather moderate conservative): Johnny Joannou, who  lost this year Democratic primary. Virginia now isn't Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi (or, surprisingly,  Alaska), where you can still find more or less "real" Democratic conservatives in legislature. Northam is more of "centrist' type.... Even "somewhat left of center" if state legislator database of Boris Shor is to be believed. Herring is more liberal, of course, but Virginia, while slowly moving left, is, still, rather purple then blue, so Northam candidacy is not something "terrible"..

Well, yes, the Democratic Party is the liberal party.  It would be highly illogical for a conservative to affiliate with it.  What "conservative Democrat" really means in the contemporary context is that the person in question is conservative relative to the Democratic Party as a whole.  Liberal and conservative, as used in the United States are very relative terms.

Nevertheless, there is a substantial number of conservative (in real, not relative sense of this word) Democrats still (especially - in the South, but not only there), as well as there are moderate (and even some liberal) Republicans too. I will not even go into details and state obvious thing that even generally solid liberals may hold conservative positions on some issues (abortion, or gun rights, or gay marriage or ... whatever), and the same - for conservatives, so - general picture is substantially more complicated then that. And if we speak in relative sense of the word - then Virginia as a state votes as a "centrist" state (not far from general US numbers), hence a "centrist" Democratic candidate is nothing strange there, isn't it?

And, in addition: there are few disitricts and even fewer states, where liberals (or conservatives for that matter) represent an absolute majority of voters and can win "on their own". In most districts and states they need at least some moderates to win..)))

[smoltchanov]

Not sure. We say "social conservative" and, usually, mean absolutely clear political positions: "pro-life" , anti-gay-marriage, pro-gun, pro-scholl-prayer and so on. These are an "absolute", not relative views and positions... Essentially the same - about economy...