The Bob Andrews Strategy

When I was a kid, boy, I must be getting old because I seem to start more and more of these post this way. But when I was in school and first getting acquainted with Virginia politics, I met a member of the House of Delegates named Bob Andrews from McLean. Bob was a liberal Republican, he voted right on a few things but mostly voted the way the Democrats wanted.

Now, Bob was such as obscure figure that I doubt there is a picture of him on google, but let me describe him. He looked just like the character Dean Travers in the old sitcom Three’s Company. For those of you that don’t remember Dean was Jack Tripper’s cooking instructor. But I digress.

Well at the time Democrats controlled the General Assembly, so they got to redraw the legislative districts every 10 years. Most Republicans lived in fear that they would be drawn out. Most Republicans, but not Bob. Why not you ask. Well, Bob let it slip one night at a party in McLean. A GOP activist asked him, “Why aren’t you afraid that the Dems will redistrict you? “Bob, responded with a smug look on his face, “I vote with them most of the time, they won’t get rid of me.”

Well, they did get rid of him. You see despite his shall we say moderate voting record, Democrats in Richmond wanted a fellow Democrat. Sure, Bob didn’t vote with the Republicans often, but they didn’t need him when they could get the genuine article, that is another Democrat.

Well, fast forward a couple decades and another McLean Republican, Rep. Barbara Comstock, is thinking of adopting the Bob Andrews strategy. Buck the Republican leadership, on the hopes of appeasing enough Democrats and keep your seat.

Word on the street is that Barbara Comstock is going to buck the Trump agenda. My guess is she won’t vote for a single Trump priority, all in the hopes of keeping her seat in toney Great Falls and McLean.

Let me tell you it won’t work. The best political strategy for her, and for virtually all other House Republicans, is to embrace Trump. Work to get good legislation passed. And talk about future good bills to work on. Rank and file Republicans want their member to work with Trump not against him.

And Barbara, Jim Moran has several more ex-wives Democrats can nominate. And no matter how anti Trump you become, heck you can demand that Trump be impeached tomorrow morning, it won’t matter, Democrats will still vote for Moran’s ex-wife, or whomever else they nominate.

Barbara, may I call you Barbara, please stick with the people that elected you, Republicans, don’t become another Bob Andrews.