Thursday, October 16, 2008

Political Analysis

Two new pieces about political contests are up at Richmond.com, both penned by me. The first is about the Gilmore vs. Warner contest.

Its fractured history notwithstanding, in the new millennium the Republican Party’s centrists, conservatives and ultra conservatives still can’t seem to stop battling along ideological lines. Arguing over the blame for former Sen. George Allen’s unexpected stumble against Sen. Jim Webb in 2006 has once again put Republicans at odds with one another, arguing over purity issues.

This lifts the backdrop curtain to reveal some of the important dynamics in motion behind the brightly lit stage on which the two candidates stand.

Click here to read all of "Dueling Former Governors"

The second is about the Richmond mayoral race.
Following the candidates’ opening remarks, Style staff writer Brandon Reynolds asked the night’s first question. It was a gotcha ploy designed to reveal the candidates’ lack of exposure to bands such as Municipal Waste and GWAR. Although the question itself was garbled, the tactic worked, as none of the hopefuls behind podiums showed any familiarity whatsoever with the heavy metal/thrash aspect of Richmond’s diverse music scene.
Click here to read all of "Goldman Wins ..."

1 comment:

Scott said...

I think this mayoral debate proved my libertarian point, that the best thing government can do for the arts is not dabble in them. However, the lackluster answers on schools are another matter. These guys need to come up with concrete plans of how to fix the schools, in particular updating the oldest school buildings in the state. At least Goldman seems to comprehend the depth of the fiscal crisis and the challenge of how to pay for real progress.