OPINION:
Lately, residents of Virginia who boot up their computers or turn on their TVs are likely to encounter a video of former President Barack Obama urging them to vote for “fair elections” in the April 21 referendum.
Mr. Obama’s “fair elections” would entail Virginia’s Democrats redistricting the state’s electoral map so that Virginia’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, currently six Democrats and five Republicans, would change to 10 Democrats and one Republican.
Given the Republicans’ micro-slim margin in the House, you would think the Virginia situation would require urgent action.
You would be wrong.
From the Democrats: a $22 million multimedia ad campaign. From the Republicans: silence.
From President Trump: nothing.
From the Republican National Committee: nada.
Ditto from the Virginia Republican Party. How about the National Republican Congressional Committee? Surely its leadership is deeply worried about losing four House seats — or, alternatively, about spending untold millions of dollars to be competitive in those districts after Gov. Abigail Spanberger gerrymanders them into Democratic fiefdoms.
Nothing from the National Republican Congressional Committee either. This pathetic situation at the state level is symptomatic of the problem at the national level as well.
Take the Iran war. Mr. Trump’s military assault on Tehran’s evil regime was an act of singular courage and one demonstrably in America’s interest. Again, the messaging was woefully deficient.
A momentous decision such as this called (and still does) for a major national address from the Oval Office explaining the mortal threat posed by the evil mullahs’ regime to America, the Middle East and the world.
Also essential is an explanation of the goals and expectations involved in our military intervention. Instead, we got an eight-minute, late-night statement by the president wearing a baseball cap. Since then, we’ve gotten a shambolic series of one-off statements, including “The war is won,” “Iran desperately wants to make a deal,” and “I’m going to hit them very hard,” along with a demand for “unconditional surrender.”
The result: confusion.
Then there’s the SAVE Act, the bill to require photo ID at the ballot box. The concept has 80% approval in some polls. Does the public know Democratic senators are unanimously opposed to this bill? Where is the targeted ad campaign nailing the Democrats for this gross obstruction?
Finally, to choose almost at random, there is the refusal by Senate Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security, specifically the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.
This obstinate, arrogant, dangerous dereliction of duty has millions of travelers standing in line for hours at the nation’s airports. It has had paychecks withheld from tens of thousands of innocent federal employees who desperately depend on their salaries, and it has endangered the public’s security.
When polled about this, respondents are likely to say something like, “Congress needs to get their act together.”
No, it’s the Democrats who are at fault. A robust, targeted campaign would explain this, but again, nothing is forthcoming.
Sam Francis coined the term “the stupid party” to describe the Republican Party. That was back in the 1980s. The obloquy is still deserved today.
• James Roberts is executive chairman of Radio America, a national radio network with 730 affiliates.
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