In Virginia It's You Take The Low Road and I'll Take the Lower Road

The Virginia state Senate yesterday made news by finding the new standard for low road politics. Well actually I should be specific and say that the Republicans in the state Senate have done so. Be honest. Are you surprised?

A little backstory will be helpful. The Virginia State Senate is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans twenty to twenty. One of those Democrats is an African American man named Henry Marsh. Marsh is a longtime civil rights activist, active in the sixties, and eventually served as the first black Mayor in Richmond. As might be expected Mr. Marsh chose to attend the inauguration yesterday. At seventy nine there might well not be another inauguration as meaningful to him as this one. Attending however seems to have been a big mistake.

A reasonable person might say why and the answer will shock a reasonable person. While state Senator Marsh was in Washington the Republicans in the Senate sprung an unannounced bill, a bill to redistrict the state Senate districts in Virginia. The bill passed twenty to nineteen. This is an incredible act. Important beyond belief. Analysis of the new districts has shown that four new safe districts will be established for the friendly Republicans and might well make it impossible for the Democrats to ever gain control of the State Senate.

This should make Republicans happy but the question is does the end justify the means. What if Mr. Marsh had been in an accident and faced a life threatening situation. What if he was attending the funeral of a wife or child or grandaughter. Would that be different? Is there any reason for a person being absent from a Senate session that would keep Republicans from their dirty tricks. One wonders. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnel has stated he does not approve of the methods his Republican counterparts in the State Senate used to pass this bill. That said he has not said that he will not sign it. If he does we will have seen a new standard for low behavior by a legislative group. Something the good folks of Virginia can be proud of.