Republican endorsements and ‘old left’ abandonment, you can’t have your cake and eat it too

Democratic candidate for Virginia governor’s endorsement by long-time Republican supporter Bruce Thompson is as sure a sign as any that Terry McAuliffe has sold his political soul to the ‘moderate’ conservatives of the Republican Party. What McAuliffe promised or suggested he would give in return is unclear.

Thompson is a Virginia Beach developer who has also served under the kingship of Gov. Bob McDonnell. Thompson explained why he is supporting McAuliffe: "I am supporting Terry because I know he will focus on diversifying Virginia’s economy and put in place policies that attract and keep the best businesses here in Hampton Roads and across the Commonwealth." 

The endorsement by Thompson comes on top of endorsements by Northern Virginia Republicans and business leaders, a clear sign that Republican candidate for governor, Ken Cuccinelli, has alienated Republicans in Northern Virginia.

While some of my friends on the left have viewed and lauded these Republican endorsements as further evidence of McAuliffe’s strong candidacy, what it says to me is that some of the typically Democratic Party policy positions such as environmental protection will be discarded when and where this ‘nuisance’ interrupts the insatiable flow of economic progress. 

No longer satisfied or comfortable relying on Virginia’s Democratic Party base, the three most visible politicians in Virginia’s Democratic Party have sought to expand the sphere of Democratic Party inclusiveness to Virginia business leaders who consider themselves Republicans. 

Virginia’s Democrats can get away with these moves because some of the institutions that inhabit true blue states, such as labor unions, have less than a leg on the ground in the ‘Commonwealth’.

The sad conclusion I have drawn so far from McAuliffe’s campaign for governor is that the ‘old left’ is being left behind (pun intended) by a Democratic Party that has apparently taken the ‘old left’s’ votes and loyalty for granted.

Creating jobs and looking out for economic growth is something that most Americans want, regardless of their perceived party affiliation. But the issue for individuals like me isn’t whether we should focus on job growth and economic prosperity; it’s how we achieve these goals while protecting our ‘natural environment’. For McAuliffe, protecting the environment appears to be secondary to the unceasing push for economic growth.

More jobs today but no environment worth saving tomorrow! Three cheers!