Rep. Tom Davis III (R-Va.)
Tom Davis is retiring from Congress. His Q&A with the Post is worth a read even if you aren't from Virginia.
For the record, Rep. Davis is the motherfucking straight shit. When was the last time you heard about a Republican congressman fighting for the DC right to vote? For that matter, how many congressman can you count who truly live by the credo of "bipartisanship"?
When I was up to my eyeballs in uninformed Leftist Coast rhetoric about how evil Republican Nazis were screwing our collective brains out and how the Democrat saviors were the last possible chance for democracy etc etc, I could proudly point to Virginia--conservative, East Coast, heart-of-the-Confederacy Virginia--as having produced aisle-crossing moderates like Tom Davis and Mark Warner. Both were more focused on solving problems than toeing the party line, and both got a lot done. For severely-moderate independents like myself, guys like these served as islands of political sanity during long stretches of national hang-wringing and divisiveness. [Admittedly for Oregon, part of the problem is that lately the state Republican Party seems only capable of producing ultraconservative foaming-at-the-mouth backwoods candidates; and in fairness, Virginia also produced notable loudmouth Jim Webb (D) and over-conservative Jim Gilmore (R). But I'd argue that, at least lately, Oregonian voters place much greater importance on ideology than the average Virginian.]
In fact, I even got to meet the guy during the 1996 election. A high school friend and I attended one of Davis' talks in Fairfax and I can honestly say that he irritated me. He seemed aloof, even evasive. But the man's record speaks for itself.
Hats off to you Tom Davis, and I hope you return to public service some day.
For the record, Rep. Davis is the motherfucking straight shit. When was the last time you heard about a Republican congressman fighting for the DC right to vote? For that matter, how many congressman can you count who truly live by the credo of "bipartisanship"?
When I was up to my eyeballs in uninformed Leftist Coast rhetoric about how evil Republican Nazis were screwing our collective brains out and how the Democrat saviors were the last possible chance for democracy etc etc, I could proudly point to Virginia--conservative, East Coast, heart-of-the-Confederacy Virginia--as having produced aisle-crossing moderates like Tom Davis and Mark Warner. Both were more focused on solving problems than toeing the party line, and both got a lot done. For severely-moderate independents like myself, guys like these served as islands of political sanity during long stretches of national hang-wringing and divisiveness. [Admittedly for Oregon, part of the problem is that lately the state Republican Party seems only capable of producing ultraconservative foaming-at-the-mouth backwoods candidates; and in fairness, Virginia also produced notable loudmouth Jim Webb (D) and over-conservative Jim Gilmore (R). But I'd argue that, at least lately, Oregonian voters place much greater importance on ideology than the average Virginian.]
In fact, I even got to meet the guy during the 1996 election. A high school friend and I attended one of Davis' talks in Fairfax and I can honestly say that he irritated me. He seemed aloof, even evasive. But the man's record speaks for itself.
Hats off to you Tom Davis, and I hope you return to public service some day.
posted by Waan at 5:55 PM
4 Comments:
Tom is one of the only ones that fought for clearance reform -- which to me, is a huge issue. When DSS ran out of money in 2006 and stopped all clearance investigations, he was on top of it all fighting to get congress to give them more money.
He also came to all the christmas parties when I worked at Integic -- so you KNOW the man has good taste!
My mom had a particular hankerin for Tom Davis that I sort of bequeathed. Before he was a congressman, he was superintendent of Fairfax County Schools during its most formative years.
He and John Warner were two politicians I could consistently vote for because they could always be depended on doing the right (correct) thing even during this time of hyperpartisanship. Moderates are dwindling and leaders like them will be missed.
God save Virginia if we let Gilmore loose in the U.S. senate. There should be a Museum of Failed Politicians and have Gilmore represent VA there.
Speaking of failures, thank god Ollie isn't running again. As an ex-pat Virginian I don't know how I woulda defended that one. Whew. I bet there are still plenty of bumpers out there sporting "SOUTH" stickers.
As for Warner: do you mean John or Mark? I'm more partial to Mark, though I only warmed to him after he got in to the governor's seat ... worth noting that he had to take a different tack in that election after the Old Skool Democrat rhetoric of his earlier U.S. Senate run fall flat on its face.
If there's ever a third Warner people are gonna be mighty confsuesfed.
I'm actually a big fan of boLth because boLth are pretty levelheaded guys. But yea, I was talking about John VAARNer.
As for good ole Oiley:
"Oliver North is a nationally syndicated columnist, the host of “War Stories” on the FOX News Channel and the founder of Freedom Alliance, a foundation that provides support for the troops and scholarships to the dependents of servicemen killed in the line of duty."
He also has a column there called "Colonel's Corner."
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