The Virginia House of Delegates hangs on a thread, and yet the Democrats are assiduously trying to win HOD-94 in a courtroom rather than proceed with a recount.
Why?
One might suspect that the reason the Democrats are prolonging the drama is that instinctively, they know they have played a little fast and loose disqualifying ballots that should have been counted, or counting ballots that should have been disqualified.
Regardless, the tractarian campaign of delay on behalf of the House Democrats is just… well, odd — not to mention entirely unprecedented, as the Virginia House Republicans continue to emphasize:
“…it must be noted that on Thursday, December 21, following the conclusion of the recount in House District 28 but before the three-judge court certified the results, attorneys representing Democrat Joshua Cole submitted a written statement challenging an additional ballot that was not challenged during the recount. The Court agreed to review the ballot. After review, the Court agreed to count the ballot for Cole. This is exactly analogous to our actions in House District 94 and demonstrates unequivocally that the actions of the Court in Newport News were appropriate and equitable.”
So let’s review the potential endgames here, shall we?
1. The Democrats fully intend to let Kirk Cox become Speaker of the House and tie up HOD-94 in the courts for the foreseeable future. Why? Perhaps it’s because they know they will lose the recount? Which would explain the kerfluffle of “activists” showing up to protest things… after all, if you’re going to lose, you need to make it appear as if it was “stolen” from you (or some nonsense advantageous to the political left).
2. The Democrats intend to litigate the election. So it’s not about votes, or fairness, or any of these things — but power. Which should throw tremendous shade over redistricting efforts or anything else that smacks of “bi-partisanship” from actors who are clearly funded and fueled by the left.
3. The Democrats intend to boot Toscano. This has to be the most underreported story of the month, as Delegate Ken Plum is actively marshalling the newly-minted Democratic HOD delegates into a coalition that would supplant Delegate Toscano as minority leader… which would explain why the House Republicans feel as if they have the latitude to extend the olive branch to liberals under siege from the extreme progressive left.
4. The Democratic Civil War is a lot worse than we thought. Victory is supposed to beget a thousand fathers, yet rarely is victory orphaned so quickly. As it begins to dawn on progressives that Governor-elect Northam fully intends to govern from the center-left, the knifefights have already begun within the House Democratic Caucus — once a footnote to the legislative process and now a potential source of power and leadership. Each and every vote for minority leader counts… and if the margins are this thin — and if the offers from the House Republicans are wooing liberals fed up with the extremists (on both sides) — then there is no small wonder why the Democrats are piling on in HOD-94.
Speak only when it improves the silence was the admonishment of the wily French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand… thus in order to avoid an open rupture, Democrats must focus on HOD-94 so as to avoid a leadership fight.
Meanwhile, House Republicans appear cautiously united. Should the coin toss go the Republicans way? 51-49 and the leadership fight on the Democratic side of the aisle begins immediately. If not, the recount begins immediately… one where Yancey should prevail given the consternation and hand-wringing on the left.
Alternatively, if the current limbo continues indefinitely? Should the Democrats continue to tie up HOD-94 in the courts, the likelihood of getting to January 10th without a seated delegate increases ever so slightly.
…which makes all these legal challenges a very odd play.