VIRGINIA GROUND REPORT: What are young voters up to?
Dear HillBuzz,
You have had several Virginia Ground Reports, but I thought I could address Central Virginia, with an emphasis on the twenty-somethings.
Here in the 7th District, it was party time at the home of Pie in the Sky this weekend. The occasion was a backyard oyster roast in honor of a young couple who will be marrying soon. There were 300 Chesapeake Bay oysters, shrimp, homemade Brunswick Stew, hot rolls, Smithfield ham, and lots and lots of cold beer. Cab rides home for everyone. It was a beautiful night, with a full moon, a fire in the fire pit, lots of twinkly lights and candles, and 60 young people aged 20-28. And as their hostess, they were obliged to talk to me! These kids are going to vote, and they are going to vote Republican this year. They were at various stages of young adulthood. About half were couples, some married but most haven’t made that leap yet. Two couples (both married ones!) were brand new parents. Most of them are underemployed, highly educated, not typically political, but they are mad. They all want to buy houses because they think the low interest rates and future inflation make it a smart move, if one has any sort of job security. They recognize that home values may well fall again, but they think they can ride that out due to the low interest rates, and they want to stay put for a while. They might fall into what you like to call the frat boys, because there were lots of khaki pants, not a hipster in the bunch, so maybe not very representative of their entire age group. I knew that palm cards at my party would be a violation of local etiquette, but I used conversational entrees to broach the subject. “Dancing with the Stars” was one way to tilt the conversation. Most seemed to really like Bristol Palin. They thought she does not have the particular talent that the judges seem to be looking for, but they admire her for trying. No bad remarks about her mother, either.
We are in Eric Cantor’s district, who should be in good shape but he does have 2 opponents: a Democrat who is a social worker in a neighboring county that was rural but is becoming suburban, and an Independent who is a small government, fiscal conservative, named Floyd Bayne. Bayne has the better chance of the two opponents, but I don’t think Eric is in trouble here, even though many are not convinced that Eric is as conservative as they would like.
I thought it was interesting that one of the younger kids, still a student at the University of Virginia, decided to register to vote in Charlottesville instead of voting absentee here. Charlottesville is in the 5th District, and it is a much more competitive race, with the first-term Dem. Tom Perriello running against a Republican and an Independent who was a loser in the Republican primary. She thought that her vote against Perriello would mean more than a vote for Eric Cantor. She said that lots of the kids in the engineering school at the University are doing the same thing.
Richmond is split into 2 Congressional Districts, the 3rd and the 7th. The 7th is Eric Cantor’s. In the 3rd, Dem. Bobby Scott has been there as long as I can remember, usually running unopposed, but he has a Republican opponent this year who has been endorsed by our local newspaper. His name is Chuck Smith and he is a very handsome black former military man, who is a lawyer, I think. The 3rd District has lost a lot of jobs since 2008, with the closing of Circuit City and Qimonda, and the black population in this area had been severely impacted by this. I admit that I had not heard of Chuck Smith until very recently, but I am encouraged that Bobby Scott has opposition.
For 2012, I am having all of these kids back. For the price of beer, I think I can get them working for President Palin.
Pie in the Sky
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I’m in VA-05 where Tom Perriello and Robert Hurt are running pretty close. Despite the presence of Charlottesville (home of UVA), it’s still a Republican district that McCain won in 2008.
Perriello only won by about 700 votes in 2008. In none of his ads – print, radio, television – does he mention Obamacare, the stimulus or cap-and-trade. He voted in favor of all of them.
He should be a shoo-in for defeat, but Robert Hurt is a cocktail party Republican that inspires very little enthusiasm even in Republican voters. Hurt also refused to debate if Jeff Clark, the independent candidate who lost the Republican primary, was included. It makes him look petty and weak as a candidate.
In fact, I just got a mailer on Saturday from the Democratic Party of Virginia that questioned what Hurt is hiding and why he is afraid to debate Clark. Democrats obviously think they can win if they split the conservative vote between the Republican candidate and the independent one.
I have fond Memories of Charlottesville. Back around 1949 my dad managed the Grayson Robinson store there. We lived at the foot of Monticello. I could see it every day out my back door. I think the house is gone now.
That would be the house I lived in. Monticello is still there.
Bobby Scott has got to…