Primary reflections

The GOP primary, both statewide and in the 6th Congressional District, went about as expected. Both Allen and Goodlatte won going away.

I've served as an officer of election for a number of years. A few reflections on yesterday's experience:

• It was a long day with slow dozy periods. Perhaps the early miserable weather had something to do with turnout. All the officers were turning pages in books and magazines and, in their boredom, eating way too much for such a sedentary activity. Kudos to all those who arrived at the polling place by 5:00 AM to set up equipment and stayed until 8:00 PM to be sure the votes were accurately counted and reported.
• At this polling place, as was apparently typical across the district, about 7% of the registered voters turned out. Can't even hit double digits for a contested party primary in one of the most Republican leaning areas of the Commonwealth! That certainly says something...!
• That said, yesterday's turnout nearly doubled that of the March presidential primary.
• I didn't keep stats, but from observation I'd say the vast majority of those voting qualified for senior citizen coffee at McDonald's. Kudos for them for getting out and voting. There were several first-time 18 year old voters too.
• The officers of election handled "situations" with professionalism and grace. Why do some (a minority but a vocal one) folks enter the polling place with a bone to pick with us? Fussin' about the voting equipment. Commenting on individual candidates as if they need to justify something to us? Fortunately there were way more pleasant chats than anything requiring diplomacy or deaf ears.
• Voter comments confirm what anyone who follows elections knows -- a primary (as opposed to a nominating convention) works to a huge advantage of the incumbent or the candidate with better name recognition. Numerous folks were unfamiliar with or had never heard of some of the candidates. A few voters were confused thinking this primary also included candidates and offices they've heard some early comment about in the news -- next year's statewide races.
• A little quick math reveals that with the low turnout and the minimal number of elections officers, in this precinct each vote cast cost the locality about $10.00 just for the officers' stipends. The more hidden costs of the technicians who set up the voting machines; the preparation and printing of poll books; all the posters, signs, official envelopes, and other materials required probably run operating cost up by a couple bucks per vote. That doesn't include electricity and other costs borne by the school, the fire house, or Ruritan Hall that provides the facility.

Yes, keeping the wheels of our democracy running straight and true requires dedicated citizens willing to man the polls and a considerable amount of taxpayer money -- in the case of a primary, public money spent for what is a political party function. Citizens should appreciate that fact and participate. In a county that typically votes well over 65% even for crummy GOP candidates in the General Election, you'd think more of those good Republican voters would want to help select their party's candidates. Yes, Allen and Goodlatte won the nominations, but apathy still rules.

Bobblehead Bob and the lunatic fringe

Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte (R-VA06) is at it again. Denying credible science, common sense, and any understanding of cooperative federalism "my congressman" (I may be a constituent but he certainly does not represent me or most of my friends) would throw oil in the waters of cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.

Let's peek into Bobblehead Bob's Republican world.  It is a strange world in which he marches lockstep to whatever orders come down from the GOP "brain trust." It matters not what is practical, what works, what is for the good of the people. What matters is following the party line even when it is detrimental to folks in the Shenandoah Valley and Virginia. For Bob, it is all about politics and obstruction.

In an April 27 Washington Post column, Let's just say it: The Republicans are the problem, long time political analysts Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein conclude:

The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition. 

When one party moves this far from the mainstream, it makes it nearly impossible for the political system to deal constructively with the country’s challenges.

If Republicans are the problem, then their loyal lapdog, Bobblehead Bob, is like a pimple on a compound wart on the notion of American democracy, a clean environment, and human rights. A recent example -  "my representative" introduced H.R. 4153, which through the magic of deceptive Republican double-speak, he dubbed the "Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act." The Chesapeake Bay Foundation called this the "worst piece of legislation affecting the Chesapeake Bay ever introduced in Congress."

Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte has moved so far from the mainstream, even in the conservative Shenandoah Valley, that he is becoming a national embarrassment. This reactionary bill denies solid science, political reality, and any vestige of common sense. Why did he introduce it? Who knows? But is it pretty clear that Bobblehead Bob is beyond thinking for himself - the tea party wingnuts and the Eric Cantoristas pretty much tell him what to do.

Let Bob (or your congressman) know you oppose H.R. 4153 and other Republican bills (H.R. 4337) that will condemn the Chesapeake (and all the rivers and streams flowing into it) to increased pollution and a slow but sure death.