Ginny Weisz takes on Griffith>
I was energized recently when I was told (incorrectly as it turned out) that Dave "Mudcat" Saunders--the veteran Democratic Party insider from Roanoke County--was mounting a campaign to unseat Salem Delegate Morgan Griffith, the majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates and one of the worst representatives of any district in Virginia for many years. His has been a tenure marked with a complete lack of accomplishment, of sending our tax money to other sectors of Virginia, by extreme partisanship and the kind of politics of hate that I abhor.Too bad about Mudcat because I suspected the "mud" in his name would be slung hard and that Griffith would have been softened up for defeat in the next election. It's almost impossible to beat an incumbent in Virginia and, as Tom Perriello found out, softening up the opponent in a race or two ahead of yours (as Al Weed did to Virgil Goode) is of great benefit. Mudcat could have thrown some hefty roundhouse punches and though he wouldn't have won, people voting for Griffith would have held their noses while pulling the lever (as they should in any case).
Now comes the word that one Ginny Weisz, a long-time party activist who lives on Bent Mountain and is an assistant professor at the Radford University School of Nursing, will be Griffith's Democratic opponent (barring any other entries). I don't see a lot of benefit here. There's a complete lack of name recognition and my guess is that she is not the kind of gutter political veteran who is needed to punch out Griffith with hard personal campaigning. (It would go something like this: "My opponent, a lawyer who defends rich drunk drivers ..." or "My opponent, who believes students should be able to take hunting rifles to school, drunks should be able to go into bars armed (maybe so they can drive afterwards], and that we should all be able to take a Magnum 44 to the park for a day with the kids ..." or "My opponent, who professes to believe the government has no place supporting the arts and culture, but who has been responsible for huge expenditures for museums in Roanoke and Salem ...".)
Remember this about politics: who's right doesn't mean a damn thing. Reason and intelligence are without merit. A great resume gets the voters' attention for nearly a second. Creative marketing and hard punches against incumbents (preferably something to do with public bathrooms and little boys) win the day.
I wish Ms. Weisz all the best and hope she'll clobber this thoroughly incapable representative. But I doubt she will.
(Note: Somebody please help this woman with her Web site. Especially the photo. I volunteer to take a better one and, frankly, just about anything would be better than what you see here--copied from the site.)
Some more information about Ms. Weisz from our blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2009/06/who-is-ginny-weisz.html
Repubs: I see that you've nailed her for being in favor of social justice and for practicing alternative medicine (No doubt at a reasonable rate). Dang, I'd say you got her. No use even messing with this running thing. You guys are so EVOLVED. Have you checked to see if she's ever had sex. That would nail it for you.
ReplyDeleteDan
ReplyDeleteIt's really sad when someone as accomplished as yourself has to respond with ridiculous attacks like that. You just make yourself look hateful. I simply posted what came up when she is Googled. Seems like a relevant exercise since she's pretty unknown. I have no problem with any of those items listed. I'm glad she's running as I said in my post. She'll make Morgan a better candidate and a better Delegate. Of course, someone as evolved as you already knew that.
By the way, to answer your last comment, it appears she has had sex at least 3 times.
By the way Dan, it's the height of irony to have your "evolution" challenged by a person who takes outrageous and false shots at a candidate's wife in the very post sparking the discussion. How evolved of you.
ReplyDeleteSR: I have no problem with who Morgan Griffith marries, who or what he sleeps with or anything he does with his personal life. That's his. I have a problem with legislating the personal lives of others, however, and he stands for that (gay marriage, for example, is none of his damn business). The moral high road is difficult to traverse when one is trading in wives like GMC Jimmys and I thought I might allude to that. My shot was not at his wife, but at the implication of hypocrisy. I don't see Ms. Weisz's practice of Reiki (which is a recognized--and often effective--stress reducer, like massage) as worthy of implied scorn. As to me looking hateful, I get that way every time I think of a man like Griffith in a position of power. He simply should not be in the General Assembly and never should have been. There are good Repubs out there (I know a bunch of them); elect some.
ReplyDeleteDan
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but your comments are simply below someone who holds himself out as a serious journalist. Take all the shots you want at Morgan - he's a big boy and can take it. You simply embarrass yourself when you go after family - especially when the things you say are inaccurate. You should know better.
I have known Ginny for a number of years, her main mission is training nurses at Radford and the Higher Ed. Center. Every fall she holds a free health screening clinic in Roanoke County with her students doing the testing. She's an intelligent person and would probably make a fine legislator. No incumbent should go unchallenged and I trust Morgan Griffith won't duck intelligent debates on the issues.
ReplyDeleteGene: Good luck on the debate issue. My guess is that Griffith will see that it's not in his interest, but, then I'm not thinking Ms. Weisz will be aggressive, confrontational and mean enough to bring up all that Griffith lacks. Hope I'm wrong. I really do.
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