Virginia Family Values
Brian January 10th, 2005
Recently, Waldo Jaquith and others, launched a non-partisan Virginia political action committee called Virginia Family Values.
This PAC will be “dedicated to promoting and protecting those values common to Virginia families, values like freedom and privacy, and working to remove from office those representatives who are anti-freedom, anti-privacy, and anti-family” according to their “About Us” section.
More precisely, the PAC intends to target specific races each election cycle and provide the constituents in the targeted district with the information needed to cast an informed vote as it relates to family values.
This is a bit disturbing, though really it just sounds like yet another lobby. One would assume that they will also target “anti-gay” and “pro-choice” candidates, too. I wonder who’s paying the bills for this group.
They’ll be interesting to watch.
No, Catt, I doubt (from visiting the site) that “pro-choice” candidates have anything to fear from this group. The term “family values” adopted by this group is a deliberate bit of rhetorical appropriation. A more accurate description for this group would be the “Virginia Pro-Sex Alliance”. While some of the concerns raised on the website about the categorization of sex crimes are serious, much of the website is taken up with critiques of completely unenforceable laws and legislative proposals. So what? And furthermore, the organization seems even more obsessed with sex than the politicians it wishes to target. I think this organization is taking the old “Virginia is for Lovers” slogan a little too seriously.
While some of the concerns raised on the website about the categorization of sex crimes are serious, much of the website is taken up with critiques of completely unenforceable laws and legislative proposals.
Every one of the laws addressed has been enforced against Virginians in the previous 12 months. A Virginia Beach girl arrested for receiving oral sex. The town manager of Luray charged with adultery.
These are not old, unenforced laws. They’re very, very real.
And furthermore, the organization seems even more obsessed with sex than the politicians it wishes to target.
Were but that true!
Re-Framing The Message
Brian Patton points out one of the better examples of Democrats learning how to frame the message along the lines of how Republicans have been.
Glad to hear Waldo is still up to a little subversive political action. I know my Virginia family values don’t have anything to do the Jerry Falwell/Pat Buchanan axis.