Sunday, November 09, 2008
Old Virginny survives in the New River Valley
Christian Trejbal
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From the RoundTable blog
"Old Virginny is dead," Gov. Tim Kaine declared last week. "We are a new and dynamic and exciting commonwealth."
The once reliably conservative commonwealth has donned a blue cloak. Its governor is a Democrat. So are both of its senators. It even backed a Democrat for president for the first time since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act.
Take a closer look, though, and one finds that some parts of the commonwealth have changed more than others. Northern Virginia -- lots of change. Southwest Virginia -- not so much. Old Virginny remains alive and well in the New River Valley.
In an election about change, our corner of the commonwealth chose more of the same. It voted as overwhelmingly red as ever. Between 2004 and 2008, the Democrat-Republican electoral split barely twitched. In fact, Floyd, Giles and Pulaski counties voted slightly more Republican this year.
Fortunately, the blue hue of Virginia conceals the deep red of the New River Valley.
"I personally believe that [Barack Obama] will be the most Southwest Virginia-friendly president in American history," Rep. Rick Boucher said last week after coasting to re-election unopposed.
If the commonwealth had gone red, we might not have fared so well. Typically, presidents favor the states that voted for them. They receive more money, more assistance and more attention.
Then again, maybe Obama will deliver the change in which we can believe on Jan. 20, ending the patronage.
Montgomery County and Radford sported the only blue spots in the New River Valley, most likely thanks to a surge of Radford University and Virginia Tech voters.
Precinct results reveal that Blacksburg went overwhelmingly for Obama while Christiansburg and the rest of the county went big for John McCain.
Outside the university enclaves, this is not Obama country. The question is "Why not?"
It is tempting to chalk it up to racism. Confederate flags still fly in the New River Valley. Segregation and bigotry persist as "heritage" in pockets of the region.
But that cannot be the whole story. The region goes red all the time, not just when a black man runs for president.
Your thoughts
Nor do dollars explain it.
This is not a wealthy region. The current economic slowdown hit the region hard and came on top of longer-term economic woes. Manufacturing and agriculture are not what they used to be.
On taxes, health care and other pocketbook issues, Obama's policies will help far more than McCain's would have. Laid-off workers and down-on-their-luck farmers will land in a Democratic social safety net.
Political scientists and economists talk about people who vote against their self-interest. They wonder why poor and middle-class voters put abstractions ahead of wealth.
What they miss is that self-interest is not grounded solely in economics. Guns, gays and gods are more important than money to some people. For others -- less common in these parts -- justice, equality and peace are paramount.
Even among those who focus diligently on markets and finances, there are some who place broad principles ahead of individual gain. They believe tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy will magically trickle down, encourage investment and spark creativity. They clutch Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" as proof against financial misfortune.
If every voter elevated personal economic well-being above other concerns, the nation would be poorer for it. Voters choose candidates and initiatives they believe best match their particular priorities.
In the New River Valley that means they supported George Allen two years ago. They voted to treat the commonwealth's gay residents as second-class citizens with a constitutional amendment that forbids them from marrying. They keep returning a loyal Republican trooper like David Nutter to the House of Delegates.
And last week they voted for McCain and the same greed, fear and bigotry that marred Old Virginny.
The blue hue of Virginia conceals the deep red of the New River Valley.
Christian Trejbal is an editorial writer for The Roanoke Times based in the New River Valley bureau in Christiansburg.
