All righty then… we just completed some random thoughts on today’s 5th District debate in Danville. It’s time to see how I think the candidates did.
We’ll recap the candidates in the same alphabetical order that they sat at today’s debate.
- Ken Boyd – Today was the first time that I spoke to Ken Boyd, and he seems like a nice guy. I’m familiar with his political record from Albemarle County but I just didn’t like his opening statement that was pretty much “I can bring the votes in from Albemarle County, and the votes from Albemarle County are what kicked Virgil Goode out of office.” Ken, that’s not a good enough reason for me to support you. 95% of the people on Southside still have no idea who Ken Boyd is and he’s got to fix that quickly to get any Southside support in the primary. Ken Boyd is a guy that I could vote for in the general election, though. Boyd comes out of this debate EVEN.
- Ron Ferrin – First time for meeting Ferrin as well, but I was slightly taken back by a feeling that I had that he knows he can’t win this primary. Although I agree with that feeling, Ferrin’s got what it takes to make his opinions noted and he does so well. Ferrin’s a good guy but he’s not going to get the support needed to make a difference in this race. Being a person who likes to make others laugh, I’ve got some good vibes from Ferrin. I did learn today that Ferrin’s not just comic relief in this race, he’s not going to win this primary. Because my thoughts of Ferrin went up, I’m going to say that Ferrin came out of this debate SLIGHTLY UP.
- Robert Hurt – He’s a politician. He knows how to play the politics game well and that’s not a bad thing in the long run. I know that some people “don’t want another politician” to win the primary but I do not share those sentiments. Hurt’s answers today were politically safe and that’s the way he needs to play it at this stage of the race. Hurt’s a smart guy with smart advisors and they all know that all he has to do is outlast the others and walk across the finish line. The only obstacle he’ll have to that primary finish line is if the other candidates combine their support on either one or two survivors. As for now, I don’t see that happening. Hurt comes out of this debate EVEN.
- Jim McKelvey – Money talks, and that’s obvious when you see Jim McKelvey. He’s got his own decorated bus and his mostly-self-financed campaign shows no sight out running out of money. However, McKelvey’s message just doesn’t ring true with me. McKelvey thinks that when he’s elected, the new wave of legislators that he’s with will swoop down and do their best on Making America Right. Washington doesn’t work that way. Along with others, I expect McKelvey will break out of this pack and declare himself as a third-party candidate. That would make him go from “no chance of winning” to “absolutely no chance of winning”. Like the others, McKelvey seems like a nice guy who really believes what he’s talking about. Unfortunately, what he’s talking about doesn’t work for me. McKelvey comes out of this debate DOWN.
- Mike McPadden – I continue to be highly impressed with McPadden as I was the first time I met him. McPadden is the most well-spoken of the group and his message is very clear on the issues. McPadden is a strict constitutionalist and doesn’t make any bones about it. McPadden’s answers today were short and to-the-topic. His questioning of the effectiveness of term limits highly impressed me because he was talking to an audience that highly support term limits. If McPadden’s campaign can catch fire and get support from the other candidates, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with come primary time. McPadden comes out of this debate UP.
- Feda Morton – Based on other people’s comments, I came into this debate expecting to see Feda Morton act like a meek mousy librarian who was way out of her league. I was wrong. Morton relatively held her own with the other candidates in her answers. Unfortunately for her, she still has done nothing to set herself out from the field. Her recital of people that have endorsed her means absolutely nothing to me because they don’t live in the 5th District. Morton’s got a lot of work to do but she did show me that she believes in her candidacy. Based on that, I’ll say that Morton comes out of this debate SLIGHTLY UP.
- Laurence Verga – For all of the people that say Robert Hurt is a “politician”, Laurence Verga has that same aura even though he’s never held elective office. Verga knows how to work the crowd and talk to the people. I just don’t know how to take his message though as he came off as “slick”. I don’t vote based of the looks and mannerisms, but there’s just something about Verga that just looks way too smooth to me. To top it off, it just didn’t work for me. Verga has to get his image and his message going quickly. Verga comes out of this debate SLIGHTLY DOWN.
And there you go… Ups, Downs and Slightlies. That’s a good mix. Coming up later, SouthsideCentral is going to revisit the 5th District Food Chain and how things have changed from last time.
In speaking with his Brian O’Conner, a campaign staffer for McKelvey, he seemed to indicate that McKelvey will NOT be considering an independent run now. Something about having to see where they stand on April 8 (when the paperwork declaring a place in the Republican primary is due). That really confused me b/c Jim has been so adamant about an independent run if things don’t work out. Who knows at this point? I’m just hoping April 8 will show us at least 3 candidates dropping out–more if possible. I’m with you, McPadden absolutely performed above and beyond the rest of this crowd. He’s the right guy.
the law in Virginia is loosely this: if you are on the Republican/Dem ballot for a primary, then you cannot run as a 3d party candidate in the general election for that year. another way of putting this: you can’t lose a primary & then carry your campaign to a 3d party.
so Brian O’Connor is correct, as I would expect him to be.
People speak highly of McPadden. 2 questions: can he raise the money to beat Perriello. and can he raise the $3 million necessary to beat Perriello?
Perriello has already been promised support from Organizing for America, the “volunteer” arm (SEIU/unemployed) of the DNC.
Kelly whoever gets the nomination will get money to beat Perriello. If a underfunded candidate beats your guy Hurt I think there is ZERO question whether they will get the funds to compete. It really silly of you to say otherwise.
Put another way, if Hurt loses, for your concerns to be real, he will have to not help the nominee with all his might. Are you saying Hurt won’t work hard for someone else to get elected?
manchen: i don’t know who you support, but I will say this to you. you need to stop telling me or anyone else that supports Robert Hurt that they are silly.
we need to band together. can’t you see what is happening in Washington?
over at NotAndySere, he calls Robert Hurt a liar. that is very productive & is helpful to Perriello.
Yeah. I hate unions. What have they ever done for anybody? I mean besides giving us regulations on the number of hours someone could work in a day, a minimum wage, healthcare benefits, overtime pay, child labor laws, safety laws at work, and raising living standards for working class people.
hours & wages are not set by unions. workplace safety laws not set by unions. child labor laws not set by unions.
the SEIU will be down to campaign for Perriello. thank them for all they’ve done.
Kelley, don’t be intellectually dishonest. those laws came about because of the actions of unions. I know you don’t respect me because i’m either a “crack whore” or “union thug” (your words on other blogs describing people who voted Obama), but at least pretend to argue in good faith. I’d be happy to describe for you things that came about because of progressives in America anytime you wish to be pleasant.
chris, many crack whores were registered to vote last year. perhaps some voted for McCain–we will never know.
as for unions, GM & Chrysler went belly up & had to be bailed out with our tax dollars due to the weight of union contracts.
so Chris, who is your dog in this fight?
Kelley you have it backwards GM and Chrysler were bailed out first then went bankrupt.
Kelley
You’re right. The Unions in Martinsville destroyed that town. Please don’t anyone try to tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I grew up in Martinsville and my family and friends lost their jobs because of the Unions. No, they did not make our lives easier. Check out McPadden’s job within the Airline Union.
Kelly the time to come together is after the primary. This is fight for the soul of the republican party. You seem to more concerned that we act like we are at high tea then concerned with the tea party supporters. If you don’t like it when I call what you say as silly then how about dishonest for suggesting that no one but Hurt will get support after the primary. You ignored the second part of my question because you know that Sen Hurt will have to give his full throated support to whoever wins.
I will support Hurt if he wins the primary but if he can’t handle the rough and tumble of this race he will be overwhelmed by Perriello. Give the rest of this some credit and tone down the “we’re help Perriello” whine, cause I got a feeling that when LaCivita is unleashed and lays waste to those candidates the RNCC fears you won’t be on this blog saying those attacks are helping Perriello- I will bet on it.
1st: Hurt has been in the rough & tumble world of politics, & has not only survived, but been re-elected by his constituents many times.
2d: my advocacy that you describe as high tea is to be decent with each other because the Perriello people are reading every word we write.
3d: this is not about the soul of the Republican party. this is about beating Perriello.
4th: and i certainly assume Hurt will campaign for another candidate if Hurt is not the nominee. He has said as much.
Chris is right, Kelly. You can’t trash all the unions because they aren’t ALL bad. Many have grown fat and happy off the wallets of their members while doing absolutely nothing for them, and others have fought hard for fair pay, safe working conditions, and ensuring decent benefits.
I won’t deny there are bad unions, and your personal experience shows it. But don’t throw out the baby with the bath water — Mike McPadden HAD to join the union in order to work for the airline, and he’s made the best of it by working to ensure his union remains one of the good ones. I have no problem with that. Why? Because it shows not only his leadership abilities, but his willingness to work hard for others. Again, not a problem for me.
ok, lori. has his Union ever struck because they weren’t paid enough? did this strike disrupt thousands? did the Union reimburse everyone for lost time/dollars due to this strike?
has McPadden’s union ever made a political donation?
will McPadden make a stand against unions? the SEIU has already promised to campaign for Perriello.
Kelley, every union who has made inroads against greedy management and insufferable or unsafe working conditions has gone on strike. It’s the only leverage the workforce ever has.
When you don’t have the money or the power, you speak with your actions.
Don’t forget that the unions aren’t the only source of the problem. Greedy corporate boards and company owners are more than happy to let you think it’s all the union’s fault, but they are just as guilty…sometimes, more so.
Hurt’s been in a rough and tumble race? Really who might have that been? He always been heavily favored in a highly republican area. If you have evidence of something else please share with us all. The closest race he has ever had is 62% win and that’s really the same as any republican in that area. Kelly your reason seems to be “go with what you know” and little else. I still believe from what I have seen so far that Hurt is not a compelling candidate, he had months to get ready and what I saw on Saturday makes me think that he’s practiced but not that bright. He can win this with just tv ads and a slick media campaign, just what the 5th needs an empty suit. He’s got being a politicians down but seems not doing more than repeating practiced sound bites . He should thank his lucky stars there are six other candidates now because if he had to take on almost any other candidate one on one he couldn’t handle it.
If he gets the nomination, I hope he takes it as the race of his life because I don’t think he’s more than a Ken doll with a script right now. McPadden, Boyd, and some others seem better prepared today to take on Perriello than Hurt does. Right now all his got is Washington and a pile of cash that recommends him to many of the voters of the 5th district he does now represent.
I’ve asked McPadden about his “union ties” before and its real simple. The union laws in his airline are Minnesota laws, because that is where the airline has its headquarters. As has been mentioned previously, this is not a right to work state. In order to be a pilot at northwest airlines, you MUST join the union. Pay dues or you will be FIRED. McPadden says his entire interaction with the union has been hassle.
He has been accused of having being a union official or other such nonsense. Actually, he was asked to help the PILOTS interpret the legal garble in the union’s negotiations with the company. The union doesn’t work for the pilots or the company, it works for itself. All McPadden did was call them out on their bullshit.
Well Guys, you’ve got me. I will still support Robert Hurt until someone else is elected in the primary. But I will not support anyone else with my time and money since the rest of the candidates believe being a Republican is a sin and they will not need my help. So, good luck to them because they will need it. I do hope if they are elected they beat Tommy but first they have to make it to the primary. If they have to drop out because of money before the primary it means they don’t have what it takes to win.
Donna,
The other candidates have never said any such thing.
They have however indicated their distaste for for politicians of both parties who are establishment first, go along to get along kind of guys/gals. Many, many of us agree with that sentiment.
Sorry, but Robert Hurt fits that description.
“establishment” politicians: does that include Pence, Ryan, Boehner?
does that include Cuccinelli? McDonnell? should they resign now before the anti-establishment crowd goes after them?
does “establishment” mean lawyers?
Doesn’t anybody want to talk about my Food Chain! that I worked so hard on? 😀
Nope, don’t think so!!!!!!!!!!
Kelly. IMO, Robert Hurt is not in same league as any of those your mentioned. I think that McDonnell, Ryan and Spence are three of the most intelligent, sharp, and truly conservative republicans around. While I do like him, I am not a huge Boehner fan. When the republicans do regain the house (either in 2010 or 2012) I want to see someone other than he be speaker.
What I personally, mean by him being the establishment candidate, is that we were told who our candidate should be by national politicians. They expected us to just swallow it. They thought that becasue they said so, that was it. That is what I do not like. That is what I am rebelling against.
BTW, with regard to Cuccinelli; he my support early on, despite the statewide establishment (and to some extent the national one too), telling us that the more moderate Brownlee was the only one that could win. How did that work out by the way? (I am almost willing to bet, that you were on the Brownlee bus too, no?)
The establishment is not always bad, IMO. You mentioned some ‘establishment politicians’ I support. However, they will and have met resistance as they attempted to choose for us our candidate.
SC,
Your Food Chain is dead on IMO.
Although, I must ask. Why are you so dead set on Hurt being the one that gets this nod, despite his having run an awful campaign and looked really sad and awful in every debate he has been a part of? You even make excuses for him. “Oh his onslaught is coming”, Heh.
McPadden (and to a lesser extent others) are gaining on Mr Hurt, despite the fix being in. Apparently Hurt supporters fear McPadden or they would not be working so hard to wrap this ridiculous union rope around his neck. All they have is that he joined a union in order to have a job with an airline in a non right to work state. I wonder if people really know what that means? As it has been said before, he could either join the union or go job hunting for a job as a pilot where joining a union is not required….oh yea…there ain’t very many of them.
Reply: I’m trying to be as objective as possible in this election. I’m not “dead set” on Hurt getting the nomination, even though I consider myself a friend. Objectively, I see that Hurt hasn’t really used any of the resources that he’s got available to him as of now, so I come to the logical conclusion that he’s holding back for a big blitz. I also don’t believe that Hurt looked “sad and awful” in Saturday’s debate (which is the only one I’ve attended in person).
And regarding this “union” issue… it means nothing to me. McPadden is required to be in the union because of the law of the state they’re based in.
Of course, it would have helped if I had put my comment into the correct article. 🙄
Carry on. 😀
mcPadden volunteered to be a negotiator within the Union. it is not just that he had to join for employment–he became emeshed in the system.
and for those that think Eric Cantor picked Robert Hurt, be proud to support Hurt. Congressman Cantor did a helluva job holding the Republicans together in the last few weeks. He showed his knowledge of the issue, his perception of what the Dems would do next & a sense of humor.
Go Kelley!!! I love Eric Cantor….He will be Vice President material for 2012
I like Cantor a lot, and it is still irrelevant to my distaste for Hurt.
McPadden explained this several times. He served his fellow workers in an advisory role to help them understand the documents that the union and the company negotiated.
I really see no issue, y’all are straining and stretching for anything, and are coming up with NOTHING.
i did not bring up the union issue. but it is not a positive.
I would say that Hurt 2004 vote to raise taxes more than trumps any problem McPadden might have from being in a union. Unfortunately McPadden will never have the money to explain that when he’s attacked for it. Kelly you are sure keep the union issue alive, can’t wait to see what LaCivita’s got planned for later.
As for Cantor, he’s a great congressman who should have kept his nose out of the 5th district. If Hurt loses this race it will be because tea party and others will reject being mandated to by DC politicians in any manner. Many think that Hurt will be Cantor’s puppet in DC and nothing I have seen has lead me to a different conclusion.
it is one of Cantor’s “duties” as a leading Virginia Republican to recruit candidates to run for office.
if Cantor had recruited McPadden, would we be having this discussion?
PS, about 212 Congressmen were Cantor’s puppets yesterday. if he could have only gotten 4 more.
You answer is duties? In a district where the race is contested they should refrain from direct involvement and providing money. In race where it very difficult to get anyone to run then they can package a candidate. Is this concept really so hard to understand? Just because I said Hurt would be a puppet (not that you deny it) doesn’t mean the others are. Hurt would be quite beholden to Cantor and the 5th needs someone who is beholden to the 5th first and foremost. The Ken doll with a script line still holds for Hurt.
And yes I would still have thought the same if Cantor picked anyone but Virgil. I actually think that the fact that McPadden doesn’t support the defense of marriage act and his stance on the gold standard are quite problematic
Wait, Eric Cantor’s duty is to recruit the candidate to be the representative for the FIFTH district? Why does he have so much say? The only people doing the picking should be the ones who will be represented.
Eric Cantor & other Va. congressmen began looking for viable candidates to oppose Perriello moments after Perriello beat Cong. Goode. There is nothing wrong nor uncommon about this.
It happens in every district.
This same process occurs at the state legislature level also.
really every district Kelly? Who is Cantor’s pick in the 2nd?
don’t know manchen. i’m more concerned about beating Perriello.
Kelley, if your main concern is beating Perriello, why bother trashing any opposing candidates before the primary? Isn’t that counterintuitive to your goal? Seems to me your efforts would be better served if you unleashed your verbal attacks directly on Perriello!
thanks, Lori. I will expect everyone to follow the “do not speak ill of another Republican” rule hereafter.
If you go back and read my comment, you’ll see that’s not what I said, Kelley…
I just responded to your stated goal and pointed out that your actions didn’t support it.
Speaking of “Do Not Speak Ill of Another Republican”. Does anyone know anything about Christian Shoenewald running for 5th district chairman. I really like what he says but know nothing about him. I know Bill Stanley and am not that impressed.
I met him once…he seems like a nice fella, and has some good idea’s. I think he is vice chair now. Do not know anything about him really. Are you a delegate to the meeting where the chair will be elected?
No I’m not. I don’t know who to vote for so I’m leaving it up to my fellow 5th district Republicans. Are you a delegate?