Something old, something new, something borrowed

And nothing blue. Carl Tate says the gang of eight vying for the GOP nomination in the 20th House District is the "best and brightest our party has to offer." Really? Hum! I can think of a couple local Republicans who should be on any list of the party's best and brightest, yet they aren't on this list. But, it is good to see the bottom of the local barrel isn't on the list either.

Among the crowd, we have a couple trying to make a political comeback after setbacks - Charles Curry and Ray Ergenbright. I can't believe Ray has a chance, but who knows? Curry has the experience and knowledge to make him an attractive candidate, except he ran, as an independent, against a sitting GOP supervisor. They say elephants never forget.

Some like Cliff Fretwell have a background in the party that may help or hurt his chances. He's been invisible for a good while and falls in that "something old" category. Hard to believe they want to go back to the past. Hey, didn't you say these are Republicans?

A number of these guys are pretty new on the public political scene. Will the GOP roll the dice on an unknown? Many conservatives abhor gambling.

Among the newbies, give David Karaffa some credit. While I thought his TV coverage of his announcement was pretty pathetic, he did get his name out there 24 hours and one news cycle before all the others except Dickie Bell. Still, he's a little to fresh on the political scene.

Coming full circle, that brings us back to Dickie Bell, a current member of Staunton City Council. Some say he is also Del. Saxman's choice. He does still seem to be on the inside track. But, after virtually anointing Bell in the wake of Saxman's announcement, GOP leaders backed off. Questions about getting professional leave and some of his actions on council bubbled to the surface. Was the announcement of the forum really a desire to open up the process or a classic case of having second thoughts?

Eight white males. Mostly middled aged. Whatever that means. One older. One younger. A public forum that, given the history of recent Republican meetings, could turn into a stampede of elephants. Homeland security, anyone? Or zookeepers? A deal that may be done before all the shouting begins. Hey, no smoking in the back rooms of schools!