Image above is from this site.
The strange games in print and online news in major conservative papers continue in the campaigns for seat at Virginia House District 21. In fact, it has even moved to teevee coverage, of the race.
The muckraking by a specific reporter, and his former home paper continues.
Not only that, apparently, the reporter and the large conservative news papers have a willing partner in the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA).
Seriously, W.T.F is going on?
Candidate Tom Brock was one of the first to declare his candidacy right here at Daily Kos. From everything I’ve read, the smear job on him seems like an elaborate conjob. Fake news even.
The quality of the oppo-research digging continues to show support of powerful people.
In the election cycle this year, the open comradeship between new and incoming candidates have been extraordinary and noteworthy. The hostilities's by one candidate attacking another from the same party (even via proxies), and in Virginia Beach of all places, is beginning to look like a ratcheted Ratf*%#ing
Again, what is striking is the amplification and the silence practiced by the DPVA, and the Virginia Democratic House Caucus.
First, the amplification:
The race for VA HD 21 is the only place this cycle, where professional oppo-research is being used and they have been mining deep. They have even mined the candidates’s children’s Facebook pages from 2011. In doing that, the oppo-research has pulled up an exchange between the candidate and his son, where they have taken an ongoing conversation to Facebook where the son is reminding his father by recounting to him the horrible racist jokes he learned as child when he was in school. That is the context. Context is important. The context is that the son is reminding his father about racist jokes he heard as a child, albeit a decade later. And Brock is responding back with another one that his son had told him about from those early years.
Not that dissimilar to this story. Imagine the youngster who saw that, and perhaps a decade or so later he recollects this particular brand of hate fueled stupidity from his school days on a Facebook page with his kids, and if he runs for office, there will be oppo-researchers who will call him a racist for recounting that event. That’s the context to the current muckracking happening to Tom Brock.
The Republican henchman — in his day job as reporter — who never inspects Republican politicians and candidates, and only always scrutinizes Democrats, has again brought this story, in a salacious truncated form to the fore, and put it in print. As has that reporter’s former newspaper home. Only a few damning slides and not the whole conversation. That’s how they are smearing the candidate.
Again, without context. Full of insinuations.
Why? Because Brock has turned out to be a strong candidate in the district.
The breathless write up in Richmond and Tidewater papers, seemingly even, taints with insinuations an interview that candidate Tom Brock gave to Southside Daily where he discusses systemic disparity in the financing of public schools:
What specific plans do you have concerning education?
I think that public education is really something that has maintained as a number one issue over time. The solution there is simple; let’s keep public money in public schools. I think we need to do a statewide audit to determine the level of systemic racism within the public school system. I think that we’re having a lot of problems with the wealthy neighborhood schools getting the lion’s share of the money and the poorer schools are left to fend for themselves. There is a disparity there and we need to solve that in a way that is productive and in a way that gives all students the ability to get an education regardless of their race, their gender identity and the neighborhood they grew up in.
And again, like so many Henny Pennyies, the Virginia Democratic House Caucus leaders have fallen in, demanding the candidate remove himself and leave the field to his well connected opponent.
People need to connect the dots here!
I find it beyond strange that a bunch of lawyers (that’s who they are mostly, in the Democratic House Caucus) are evading context while trying to sabotage a candidate of their party.
Upon the story’s publication, why has Toscano, Herring and Armitage not reached out to talk to the candidate to get his context?
Why have they already cast their primary votes on behalf of the public by selecting which Democrat should be left standing, to face the Republican opponent?
Why has the DPVA — even before the primaries- already endorsed Fowler?
That kind of endorsement is against Virginia Democratic Party rules:
Section 10.11 Party Endorsements
The Democratic Party of Virginia, and any of its components, including county and city Democratic committees,Congressional district committees, the State Central Committee, the State Steering Committee, State Party caucuses, and State Party constituency groups, may not formally endorse contested candidates for office prior to their nominations
Here is my point:
When the DPVA inserts itself into the race and endorses the other Democratic candidate — Fowler — (before the primaries, even), they are doing the same thing to Tom Brock which Debbie Wasserman Schultz did to Bernie Sanders. It does not matter whether one is a Bernie Sanders supporter or a Hillary Clinton supporter, this is improper; the voters of House District 21 should decide who will be their candidate in their Primary! Not the leadership structure of the DPVA!
Secondly, the loud silence:
What’s with the loud silence by these very same people with regard to the real eye-popping story of a Democrat endorsing a Republican, even against another Democrat running in the same race.
That story is the one where the Democratic Mayor of Norfolk, Virginia — one Kenneth Alexander — is endorsing the Republican Sheriff of Virginia Beach. Particularly when there is a strong candidate, a Democratic one even, running as an opponent to the current Republican sheriff of Virginia Beach.
Why is the Democratic Caucus silent on that one?
Specifically the story of candidate John Bell, running for Sheriff in Virginia Beach. Against the very established Ken Stolle, member of a powerful Republican political family affiliated with Virginia Beach.
Why does that endorsement, the one given by Democrat Mayor Alexander for Republican Sheriff Stolle, not getting statewide coverage or any DPVA or Virginia Democratic House Caucus condemnation?
The Democratic establishment’s silence regarding this real story is particularly noteworthy in light of the Democratic Party of Virginia’s (DPVA) State Party Plan, where Article 10, Section 10.8 says:
Section 10.8 Party Support
No Democratic committee member or officer of any Democratic committee shall publicly support, endorse, or assist any candidate opposed to a Democratic nominee. If a Democratic committee member is accused of undertaking such public activity, the appropriate Democratic committee shall vote on whether the member has undertaken such public activity. The member's removal from the committee shall be automatic if the committee finds that the member has engaged in such public activity. Such action shall not be taken without at least ten (10) days written notice to the accused member and an opportunity for him or her to refute such charges.
Did you get that? As the Democratic Mayor of Norfolk, Mr. Alexander is likely a committee member or at the least an officer of a committee. And yet, he has endorsed the candidacy of Republican Sheriff of Virginia Beach without so much as a peep from establishment Democrats in Virginia.
Why?
I want to know why the DPVA has repeatedly violated party platform?
I want to know why the Virginia Democratic House Caucus is in support of these violation?
When will we hear from Toscano, Herring and Armitage on this?!