Statewide Candidate Getting Out? And some long overdue Shout Outs
Which Statewide Candidate is rumored to be dropping out?
Last night, I received word that Delegate Elizabeth Guzman is seriously considering dropping her bid for the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor so she can concentrate on winning back her House of Delegates seat. It seems newly announced candidate Rod Hall - click to visit his website here - is coming on strong in this primary.
Prince William Times has the story on his candidacy here but the big nuggets in addition to his serious policy experience is this from the article:
Several prominent Prince William-area state lawmakers and local elected officials have endorsed Hall, including Torian, Del. Hala Ayala, D-51st, Sen. Scott Surovell, D-36th, Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-29th, and Prince William County Supervisors Victor Angry, D-Neabsco, and Andrea Bailey, D-Potomac.
Surovell said in a January press release that Hall would bring a depth of knowledge of federal policy and transportation experience to the table “that will be extraordinarily valuable to the eastern Prince William and Fauquier County General Assembly delegations.”
The business community will definitely be looking at Hall to be an upgrade in pro-business support as Guzman finished at #96 out of 100 in Virginia FREE’s rankings.
Now some overdue Shout Outs as we are getting closer and closer to the end of the pandemic. Let’s go in alphabetical order:
Dominion Energy. With the ice storm and bitter cold snap that shut down the electric grid of Texas, have you noticed anyone bitching and complaining about Dominion? No. That’s because they - once again - did a great job of keeping the lights on here in the Commonwealth. Sure they’re a big easy target, but anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty would tip their hat to Big Blue saying “thank you” and “how can we work together to solve problems?” Seriously, it’s easy to beat up on the biggest utility in the Commonwealth but you might want to try to find a balance in good policy and better politics. After all, they can’t fire their customers. Another group that can’t fire customers is….
Hospitals - (probably should lead off with them regardless of alphabet) - what an amazing job they have done that few are really noticing. Not only have they treated thousands upon thousands of COVID patients, but their vaccine distribution helped Virginia catapult from our initial 50th ranking to the Top Ten. Truly the unsung heroes of the pandemic. The political implications could be important as they employ more workers than there are public school teachers. It looks like any big COPN reform is going to be safe for several years if not the decade as vulnerable rural hospitals connect to the GOP while suburban and urban districts already have far more competition. Yes, jobs are important to voters but so is access to health care. “Large, complex systems reward small change” - David Mills
Manufacturers - WOW! Did they ever step up making all the equipment necessary to get through this thing. Think of the changes that had to occur to all of those machines and lines to mass produce all that we needed WHILE keeping their workers as safe as possible. They even did it with creativity and joy by embracing the challenge as an opportunity to do well by doing good. The free enterprise system never ceases to amaze me. Manufacturers epitomize that.
PHRMA - speaking of not hearing any bitching and complaining these days, how about the job Big PHRMA did during this pandemic? Yes those dastardly pharmaceutical companies not only got vaccines created and approved in less than 8 months, but they are now producing hundred of millions of doses to get our communities, states, and countries through and out of this pandemic. Just absolutely amazing what happens when we have shared goals, well capitalized companies, and a government willing to provide incentives along with an expedited regulatory structure. Team work makes the dream work. Thanks PHRMA.
Retailers - now we have the big retailers like WalMart, Amazon, and local pharmacy outlets (CVS/Walgreens) creating mass vaccination centers. Folks, we are in overdrive on the vaccination programs. Is it any wonder that experts are projecting a fully vaccinated United States by Memorial Day?
No, it does not seem like just yesterday when people reacted to the shut down with “Wait…what?” to fighting in the aisles for toilet paper to watching Tiger King to hearing about friends and loved ones pass in record numbers.
It’s been a tough, long twelve months but it could have been so much worse and for a lot longer. Let’s put on our happy faces for a few minutes and give thanks to all those people on the front lines, all those people working in the labs creating, distributing, and administering the vaccines, the people still caring for the sick, as well as the people keeping the power on during these difficult days.
While being negative and cynical are logical coping mechanisms for a global pandemic, I think it’s safe and long overdue to be humbly grateful to live in such a dynamic, productive country as ours.
Here’s a story from just two weeks ago to share as example of how good we have it:
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Mark Machin, a day after The Wall Street Journal reported he had traveled to the United Arab Emirates and received a Covid-19 vaccination there.
That’s right, the head of the largest Canadian pension fund flew to the United Arab Emirates and got vaccinated. Assuming he flew from Toronto non stop that’s 6,932 miles.
Have you also noticed how little talk we hear of Medicare for All and nationalized health care systems?
No one is saying we should be like Canada now, well except for being nicer. We could all add some more nice to the mix.
Join us tomorrow on Virginia FREE Fridays at Noon at this link. Our guest will be Stan Lockhart - expert on Ranked Choice Voting.
Since we seem to be going in that direction, I think you will find this conversation very educational.
Reflecting back on the Shout Outs, I couldn't help but think of this scene from Lean On Me where the music teacher, without permission, changes the school alma mater because it was boring.
I hope we soon get bored of all the negative attacks and creatively produce what we aspire to be - a grateful people who just want to leave this place in better shape than we find it.
You have my full permission.