Courage and Common Sense

Jeff Price recently received the endorsement of the Rockbridge Advocate (subscription required), a news magazine that bills itself as "independent as a hog on ice."

In a thoughtful letter from the editor, the Advocate first turned its microscope on Ben Cline, who is running on his (non)record... for example, claiming credit for construction at the Horse Center and bringing a community college campus to Buena Vista. The Advocate ripped apart each of Cline's empty boasts and bluntly stated that Cline has no place to claim credit for those projects or for much else:

It's not unusual for politicians to claim credit for everything good that happens in their districts during their tenure. But Ben (Cline) really has remarkably little to show for his years in Richmond - other than picking up some tips on being a career politician.

And one tip that he's refined is to avoid saying anything that might possibly offend a voter, and dodge any question that can't be answered by saying something about government waste, apple pie, etc. etc.

Turning to Price, the Advocate praised him for straight answers to questions while Cline engaged in "soft-shoe song and dance." Price, who is actually a family man, who actually runs a small business, who actually grew up on a farm didn't pretend to know all the answers, but at a recent forum addressed questions on those and other topics directly. The Advocate endorsed Price over the empty shell Cline, concluding:

Jeff Price doesn't have an ideological agenda or any great political ambitions. He knows how to listen and work hard. He's got some courage and a whole lot of common sense. And that's just what we need in Richmond.