Why Has The Blog Been So Quiet Recently?

This is what I've been dealing with.

Comments

[Not Dick Saslaw]

Your always welcome in the Republican Party.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Yikes, no thanks!

[Mr Bubbles]

NDS, is that how desperate you guys are these days?

[localgop]

And here I was thinking I had convinced you to convert!

[Lovettsville Lady]

ALL the blogs are quiet this week. Half of DC, and 3/4 of Virginia is out of town.

Power has its privileges and that seems to mean Dick Saslaw gets who he wants, where he wants them. bleh.

[DanielK]

Anyone wanting to run should just get out there and run and sadly the results that Saslaw produced this year in the Senate should reiterate that. Yes, he prevented some crazy bills from getting passed but he's ultimately responsible for one terrible and dangerous one to pass (i.e. Abortion) If potential candidates aren't happy with how Saslaw is currently running things then they should be jumping to get in the race to make a statement that things have the change.

I think Joe Sestak said it best when he told the party he was running for Senate in Pennslyvannia when he said "I'm not asking you if I can run, I'm telling you." I think Saslaw is fine in "encouraging" candidates to stay out of the race and it's part of the game. Don't hate the player, hate the game I mentality. But that shouldn't influence a candidate from running even if there is a "preferred" candidate by the leadership.

I personally believe that Saslaw wouldn't be employing these types of tactics if there were more Democrats who are interested in office who simply tell him that they aren't going to be influenced out of running when they have the strong urge to do so. It's not up to Saslaw or anyone in the leadership to say who the voters should vote for but rather the constituents of the respective districts. The issue I have with Saslaw is that he is trying to saw he knows what's best for the district when in reality a healthy, spirited primary is usually the best way to determine that in these cases.

[kelley in virginia]

this power play happens in both parties. The issue is whether to get rid of Saslaw or not.

[tmtfairfax]

Saslaw is anti-Fairfax County. He is the leader of the effort to block legislation allowing school board to select its own starting date for Fairfax County Public Schools.

[Ghost of RWR]

You should not be surprised at this, Ben. Don’t misread me. GOP leaders are given to the same exclusivity when they don’t want someone around. But I would point out that senior Democrats are quite happy to have you around to pound the squeezing out of McDonnell, Cuccinelli, Allen, et al, but they frankly recoil at the idea of your being part of the club.

Why? Because you will say things and offer legislation they simply don’t want to deal with. Your so called “progressive” (read liberal left) ideology is something the senior Dems are happy to “hear” and “advocate” for, but they sure as heck would not want to actually consider bills on certain topics. In other words, as long as you confine yourself to blog rants vis-à-vis the GOP, fine. But actually being in the Senate where you would be somewhat “unpredictable”, well, we’ll have none of that, thank-you very much.

Truth is I think the GOP would love to see you in Richmond where your opinions and legislative agenda could be seen in the full context of a rigorous legislative environment, where you have to actually argue the merits of your leftwing positions in debate (not behind a keyboard) before the scrutiny of colleagues, stakeholders, and the public. Your liberal agenda is way out of the mainstream, Ben, that’s a fact. But your voice would be beneficial to those who are happy to have that opinion clearly articulated so the public is reminded of how much the Democrats have drifted to the extreme left. You are a poster child for this.

A back-handed compliment? Not really. But the simple truth is (1) senior D’s don’t think you will play nicely, and (2) the R’s would love to see you in action. Ain’t it great when a plan comes together!

[Spock]

They see you as a threat, I would really like to see you win too!

[notsophialoren]

This is not the first time Saslaw has tried to keep someone out of a race. He has done it many times. You cannot run if he is going to jepordize your employment or withhold Party funds from you. The Senate Democratic Caucus has alot of money to give candidates and Saslaw probably controls them.

[Modern GOP Makes Reagan Look Like Mao]

Ghost of RWR: Yeah. Tom Davis, Dick Lugar, Lisa Murkowski, Mike Castle have no place in today's GOP but a Leslie Byrne-style progressive like Ben does.

[Ghost of RWR]

Modern GOP Makes Reagan Look Like Mao :

Well, you may be on to something, but not for the reasons you may be thinking. The reason the Republicans LOST the House in 2006 was precisely because they had people like Tom Davis, Dick Lugar, Lisa Murkowski, and Mike Castle who spent like drunken sailors trying to out-do what the “Leslie Byrnes” of the would do reflectively. Spend your money for their reelection benefit.

You so-called “moderates” don’t get it. You are the handmaiden to the so-called “progressives” who will play you for the chumps you are. They long for lots of you to be in minority when they are RUNNING the show. (Helps them make the case for “bi-partisan” support of their left-wing agenda).
Keep it up. Bemoan the days of Tom Davis, Dick Lugar, Lisa Murkowski, and Mike Castle and when you do, don’t be surprised when you are in a perpetual state of minority status in the political process.

Now all of THAT said, I will be the first to assert that if the so-called conservatives in Congress pussy foot around with making real cuts in spending, instead of these minor league efforts, they will find themselves on the outs by a NEW class of conservatives who have ears that actually work and the will to do the job.

People like you probably also mock the tea party. Please keep this up. Because the more you do, the more they grow and politicians are forced to listen to them.

[change]

Go for it Ben...
If you have enough money to run a campaign on your "personal income" then you have proven yourself to be a hard working businessman.

Run on the R ticket.

[Not John Sloan]

Dick Saslaw is acting like a tyrant here. I mean, Favola is really hot, but other than the good looks, there's not much to her.

[Mr Bubbles]

Are you kidding, NJS? I've seen her in person. It takes at least a 6-pack of beer before she even gets to bag-over-the-head status let alone hot.

[200 Grande]

A real progressive like NLS is preferable to establishment Republican and Democrat types (e.g., Tom Davis, Gerry Connolly, Dick Saslaw, Bill Howell, etc.,...) who represent one constituency: entrenched business interests.

Good luck and go get 'em, Ben!

[GretchenLaskas]

I just want to say that I agree with DanielK -- on paper, a primary doesn't sound like a good idea and too often parties shy away from them. But even if it means occasionally taking a lump or two, I absolutely believe that primaries are healthy and productive for the party, the community and the person elected.

[Lovettsville Lady]

Ben, Listen to Ghost. He's on the money, but I suspect you know that.

[Andrew]

"Now all of THAT said, I will be the first to assert that if the so-called conservatives in Congress pussy foot around with making real cuts in spending, instead of these minor league efforts, they will find themselves on the outs by a NEW class of conservatives who have ears that actually work and the will to do the job.

People like you probably also mock the tea party. Please keep this up. Because the more you do, the more they grow and politicians are forced to listen to them."

Simple question: do you really think that you could create a national governing majority made up entirely of people on the right of, let's say...Eric Cantor. That's no more realistic in my mind than a national governing majority for the Dems that doesn't pick up the Heath Shulers of the world. The math says you'd have to somehow convince minority voters that their concerns are frivolous or outright immoral.

[Let's Be Free]

The game here is that Saslaw wants a totally safe primary and general seat requiring little spending, so he can whore out Favola to the big buck Arlington developers and get Whipple to turn over a chunk of her six-figure residual campaign war chest to the benefit of others.

Saslaw is out to goose Arlington County and its residents for bucks that get used elsewhere. He doesn't care whether Arlington residents get a fair choice or not. That's a style of politicking that often backfires, becaue ultimately it angers the base, and most of the money will be wasted on lost causes.

[Noticed]

What, Ben has clients? Who knew? I mean, here Ben spouts all kinds of things and never mentions any clients on whose behalf his words of wisdom are written. Here I thought Ben wrote this stuff out of the goodness of his heart. What's this world coming to?

[Not Larry Sabato]

I don't write about my clients or subjects they are involved in.

[Noticed]

Since we don't always know who your clients are, it's a little hard to tell. Pardon our skepticism, Ben. It stands to reason that many of the issues you write about are important to your clients as well. Your stands on these issues may well benefit these (former?) clients.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Actually, I've disclosed every single time I've written about something relating to a client. Go through the archives if you missed that.

[Noticed]

Ah, so if you didn't disclosed about a client, how would we know? Is/was your list of clients public? Of course, a client of yours could indirectly benefit even if (as you claim) you were writing about something not specifically related to them.

[Ghost of RWR]

You may get a bit of insight from his Statement of Economic Interests which he is required to file if he runs.

[truthteller]

Well Jaime Arrezaga-Soto is in with Shayna Englin as the consultant so Barb Favola will have substantive opposition -- regardless of Dick Saslaw's preferences

[Craigie]

Ben, even if you cannot run, you can still use your numerous sources to investigate Favola's far-from-progressive record in Arlington. Like almost everyone who has been on the County Board during the past few decades, she has served as a blanket sign-off for developers. The photo of her in a bulldozer at the groundbreaking for Clarendon Market Common is a classic, similar to Dukakis in an Army tank.

And it took Arlington Yupette finally to cover the conflicts of interest about which many long-time Arlington residents have scratched their heads for years. While it is expected that Arlington County board members hold day jobs, we should also expect that they don't conflict so directly with their role on the County Board.