"Gov. Terry McAuliffe has added a potent weapon to his bipartisan charm offensive: better booze. Desperately in need of Republican friends to get his agenda through a divided General Assembly, McAuliffe (D) has restocked the executive mansion bar and thrown open the doors for nightly receptions. In at least one case, he sniffed out just which craft beer a GOP bigwig likes and made sure to have it on hand." washpost
————————
What a great example the man is setting for the "utes" of Virginia. (a "My Cousin Vinnie" reference)
The suburban soccer moms who made possible his election should consider the example set for their children. The lesson seems to be that the way to convince the legislature to do what you want is to lay on enough schmooze and booze so that their addled brains will tell them that only by enacting whatever McCauliffe wants can they retain membership in Club Terry.
McCauliffe is reportedly to be largely absent from the actual legislative process. He has no experience of governance and probably is at a loss to do anything other than to ply the lobbyist's trade in Richmond.
The "score card" on the progress of his agenda in the General Assembly does not look too good. He will need to do a lot more schmoozing and turkey hunting to get things moving. pl
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/virginia-general-assembly-status-report-2014/701/
Col Lang
Could this be his naive attempt to
recreate the Reagan-Tip O’Neill era
of getting to know your opponent in
a more neutral setting. Or is the
polarizing political atmosphere of
today such that it matters not. See
Obama and Boehner. Golf anyone?
“Sixty parties in 60 days!” McAuliffe has declared, referring to the length of the assembly session. “The administration is rethinking the daily 7:30 a.m. breakfasts because at that hour, most lawmakers are tied up in committee meetings.”
The members of the legislature are actually in committee meetings at 7:30? That’s a good example for the other states to follow; but didn’t the Governor’s staff did know that or don’t they think that (actually do work at 7:30am)is important? Along with all the cocktail parties are there plenty of young attractive women (and men) staffers and assorted associates? Is the highway patrol standing by for some DUI checkpoints? We know the AG is ready and able to press charges against politicians. First question – how do I get one of those invites? Second, who approved the spending? Third, doesn’t this man know what the word ‘discretion’ means?
yutes= youths haha
rick
You are correct. you do not know Virginia. the bar is not higher here but it is different. pl
The reason the Virginia Legislature sits for only sixty days is that is the length of time lobbyists can stand the daily wining and dining!
Col.,
I think the new Governor’s strategy is quite smart. I see no downside. The worst that can happen? No one shows and things go on as usual. But maybe, it’s a good time hanging out at the manse with the Governor, and folks in the Va. govt start looking at each other as genuine colleagues instead of opponents. I believe social interactions between rival groups to be a positive thing. It’s a lot harder to trash someone’s ideas if you have a personal relationship with them. I hope Gov. McAuliffe’s open house is a roaring success and leads to better relations and more cooperation between the state’s elected officials.
As for the ‘utes’ of Virginia, if Gov. McAuliffe manages to stay out of legal trouble during his term, he’s been a better example to the ‘utes’ of the Commonwealth than his predecessor.
nick b
Do you live here? pl
William Fitzgerald
I am a Mayflower descendant and had ancestors in the revolution on the colonial side. We haven’t turned up any Crown Loyalists thus far. My first French ancestor in New France arrived about 1635. He was one Thomas Hayot (or Hayout)of Normandy. He was followed by the Sieur de Brantigny (Etienne do Nevers) about 15 years later. De Nevers married Hayot’s daughter Anne. What is the name of this society of the descendants of “les premiers?” pl
Col., You know I live in Pennsylvania. However, I’ve been to parties in Virginia. I always had fun.
nick b
I thought maybe you had realized your error and moved here. If you think that I was making a case for puritan attitudes in Virginia that was certainly not the case. far from it. My point was that this level of schmoozing will not pass his program. The GA is deliberately made up of people who are not career politicians. It is not a full time job and the pay is absurd. These folks have to face their constituents often. the members will drink his liquor and do what they wold have anyway. Let’s see if he can pass his constitutional amendment on gay marriage once the current session is ended. pl
WRC
You are right. Their livers cannot endure more. pl
Col.,
I would love to make a home in the Charlottesville area someday. We’ll see. What are taxes like there? Hard to beat PA in this respect.
Believe me, I do not see Terry McAuliffe radically changing anything with his open house parties. However, reaching out is always a good thing, and perhaps it helps somewhere down the road. Imagine this: Republican delegates have a few drinks and share a few stories with the Governor and they decide they like each other. It can’t hurt.
I sure hope Mcauliffe is footing the liquor bill and not the taxpayers. Can’t wait for the first DUI after one of Terry’s brew-ha-ha’s.
nick b
Consider the Lexington/Rockbridge County area as an alternative. Pretty towns. Two nationally rated colleges, a rich cultural life, a nice country club that is not expensive. Alan Farrell lives down there on his mountain top near Glasgow. pl
Fred,
It was my understanding from the WaPo article that Gov. McAuliffe is picking up the tab. Also, while I realize you can get in a lot of trouble in just one hour (been there, done that). The Gov.’s open house is only for an hour each evening. Hopefully everyone will drink responsibly.
Thanks Col. So long as the fishing is good. I’m not much of a golfer or a CCer.
nick b
The fishing is excellent, mostly bass. pl
Colonel Lang,
I’m with nick b on the wisdom of McAulliffe’s boozing and schmoozing approach. At least he’s buying the top shelf booze with his own money. He’s not going to get much out of this legislative session and I think he knows it. Proposing a lot of legislation just to have it shot down serves no purpose other than to make McAulliffe look ineffective. Howell does seem frustrated that he doesn’t have something from McAulliffe to say no to. Perhaps McAulliffe is looking to future legislative sessions to make any moves he has planned, kind of the “softly softly catchee monkey” approach. Of course, if he tries anything too radical, the monkey will bite his fingers off… or al least fling poop at him.
TTG and Nick b
I do not disapprove of the attempt. I simply think it will fail and that McCauliffe will be revealed as an incompetent governor. pl
Politics is corruption. Corruption is politics. And no one notices.
Nick b,
‘ll have to re-read that article. Glad he’s picking up the bill for the booze, he’s sure got the money. Maybe he’ll get some goodwill, but I doubt he’ll get much legislation. “Sixty parties in sixty days” just seemed to strike the wrong tone to me.
Pat,
I don’t think McCauliffe understands us. We’re a polite and genteel lot — but we don’t tolerate intrusions, not from outsiders. Especially from those who want to reshape us.
I feel saddened when I return to Northern Virginia. The fields of corn I remember from my childhood are long gone. Now it’s an endless vista of strip malls and subdivisions. The transplants came, expunging the local culture and pushing out the natives. As a Virginian I look at these people as interlopers. They don’t understand us, and they have the temerity to look down on us. That will always rankle me. What culture did they bring? My family has lived here for four centuries, this is home — what right do they have to tell us what do, or how to live? What gives them that privilege?
– Eliot
Eliot
As you know I share your views exactly. Although I am not a native Virginian my family also has spent four centuries on this continent. I think of myself as someone who has a lot in common with Jedediah Hotchkiss. pl
Fred
I still would like to see some accountability the for Global Crossing looting that took place .
Worked for Washington!
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/11/08/george-washington-plied-voters-with-booze
Eliot, Col.,
I was surprised but you have to look back to Jim Gilmore to find a native born Governor of Virginia. Even before him the record is varied: George Allen, from Ca., Chuck Robb from In. Hopefully you see my point. Did these other non-native Governors understand Va? Or were they outsider, shapers too?
Eliot, I share your sadness at the development of the open spaces of your, ‘ute’ (youth). My hometown in Ct. has suffered a similar fate, and every open tract or old farm has been built upon. So, when I started raising a family, I made it point to find someplace with lots of open space. Where I live now 56% of the land in of my town is protected open space, and 50 cents of every local tax dollar I pay goes toward purchasing more.
nick b
“Did these other non-native Governors understand Va?” for the most part, yes. pl
Col., I keep meaning to you ask you this, and I forget each time I post. I know you use the Cardinal as a device in your prose. What is the significance of it for this post? (for clarity, the photo at the top of the post.)
nick b
In general I am averse to writers of fiction explaning their work, but in this case – the cardinal is the avian symbol of Virginia as well as North Carolina. It is a creature of the upper South, a brave little bird who defends its territory and who does not allow winter to send it away from home. In my trilogy it captures the spirit of the men of the books. pl
Col.,
I apologize if the question was intrusive. I should have realized it was the state bird. Your trilogy waits in line on my bedside table.
Col Lang, Virginians
Slighty off topic but Virgina related
nonetheless. Robert Parry of Consortium
News wrote an article yesterday about
changing the Jefferson Davis named road
signs in Arlington County becuse of slavery
connotations. VIPS posted two articles on
his site last year. Should this be his
concern?
steve g
I often agree with Parry but in this instance he is just trying to deprive Americans who are not of his group of their history and heritage. Much of Northern Virginia has been taken over by “interlopers” who dislike the “natives” on the basis of their lack of understanding and sympathy for the local culture. This is a very old story. Beginning in the 1830s Northern nationalists began to represent Southerners as merely backward Yankees. They have never given up on that. You might want to read “Cracker Culture” by McWhiney. pl
Col Lang
Thank you sir, I will look that up