Changes & Perennial Fixtures

Seeing Virginia as a competitive* state in a presidential election is genuinely pleasing to this political junkie.  I grew up in Virginia and immersed myself into Virginia politics in my teens.  In my lifetime Virgina's electoral votes were reliably Republican.  Virginia went Republican for president in 14 consecutive elections  beginning with Eisenhower in 1952 and ending with Obama in 2008.  This year Virginia is a toss-up.  Not the Virginia that I knew.  And all the better for the change.

Even better then to know that a third-party conservative could throw Virginia's vote to Obama in a close race.  

 Former congressman Virgil H. Goode Jr. hand-delivered more than 20,500 signatures to Virginia election officials this week, hoping to become the next president of the United States. The move could instead make him the next Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate widely believed to have played the role of spoiler in the 2000 election.

Goode has always been a righteous self-promoter, which is why he's had such a successful political career. He's also a good-old-boy--genuinely so--and I am convinced that he accurately reflects the sentiments of many of his former constituents.  I can only wish him the best of luck in his home state this year.

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*To the extent that any election is actually competitive when the only likely outcome is Democratic or Republican.