The Washington Post today endorsed Harris Miller for the Democratic candidate they believe is the best qualified to go up against George Allen in November. This is no surprise considering the tremendous difference in qualifications between Miller and Webb:
Here is the WaPo editorial:
'Mr. Miller's Advantage
Our choice in Virginia's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
WaPo first describes Miller as, "a longtime Democratic party apparatchik whose passion for public policy contributed to his success as a telecommunications lobbyist." I think "party loyalist" would be a better description because Miller has proven himself to be a leader, not a follower.
But the WaPo goes on to declare, "Miller is the better-briefed, better-focused and more thoughtful. He would make the better senator."
About Jim Webb, the Post says, "since announcing his candidacy he seems to have given scant time and attention to issues ranging from education to tax policy to immigration, as if the cachet of his military past excuses him from having to master the pressing questions of the present -- not the best trait for a candidate for the Senate. Mr. Webb's somewhat strident populism on trade policy tends toward xenophobic sloganeering and business-bashing. And while he is right to focus concern on the widening disparities of Americans' income and wealth, his ideas about the problem's causes and possible antidotes are sketchy."
Sketchy indeed, I've been saying this for the past several weeks. Once Webb stops talking about his military career and stops criticizing Bush, Allen and Miller, he has nothing of substance left to say about any of the issues that are important to Virginia voters. He also offers no credible solutions or clear direction to the future, other than shallow, overly simplified, one paragraph sound bites. This is quite evident when you compare Webb's posted platform with Miller's platform:
http://www.webbforsenate.com/...
http://www.miller2006.org/...
Because the dissimilarities are all too evident and speak for themselves, I won't make any further personal comments on the platform differences. However, this is what WaPo has to say about the Miller platform, "there is no doubting the thought he has devoted to his positions, which are on the moderate end of the Democratic Party's spectrum. Virginians would be well served by having a lawmaker of Mr. Miller's evident energy, commitment and depth."
The voters of Virginia also think Miller has a better chance against George Allen. Since March Harris Miller has gained an impressive 12 points against George Allen, while Webb has only gained 4 points. This is according to the latest Rasmussen Poll taken at the end of April:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/...
Of course, the outcome of the primary is unpredictable, not only because Miller and Webb are so close to each other in the primary polls, but also because any registered voter in Virginia may vote in the Democratic primary, including Republicans. It's anyone's guess which candidate will come out on top at the end of the day on June 13th. But at this stage in the race, it looks like everything is trending towards Harris Miller.
