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called Beyer a political waffler who is through politically.
While this spectacle was unfolding, Virginia Republicans — who now have what amounts to control of evenly divided State Senate and are within a cat’s whiskers of control of the House of Delegates — were given even more reason to gloat.
That came as Democratic legislator after Democratic legislative announced they wouldn’t try to block incoming new Republican Governor Jim Gilmore on his pledge to phase out the personal property tax on motor vehicles over a five year period.
A number of Democrats who previously said they found the plan absurd have come to the belated realization that most people who have to pay it despise the tax and Gilmore was able to make it the key to victory because Beyer, who at first denounced the proposal repeal, was able to come up with only a pale imitation.
And that is possibly the trouble with Virginia Democrats these days. They are increasingly what I would call “faux Republicans.” There are still a number of truly conservative Democrats in the legislature — Earl Dickinson, Richard Holland, Vic Thomas come to mind — but the majority are able to stay in the good graces of their various constituencies such £s unions, teachers, blacks, only by being at least verbally left of center.
The trouble is that Virginia has moved in the other direction just e* much of the counI
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