More Virginia Republican adventures in crazy.

In the Virginia General Assembly, more adventures. In committee, a measure to require criminal background checks was defeated. The NRA will be delighted that crazies and criminals can continue to get their weaponry at gun shows.

Also in committee, Republicans voted in favor of a measure that would eliminate Virginia's winner-take-all structure for the Presidential election electoral college delegation. This measure, which will be passed on for a general vote, would result in the electoral college delegation for Virginia being selected by congressional district. On the surface, this seems to be more "fair" than winner-take-all. but there are problems.

1.  it is obvious that this is a Republican reaction to B Obama winning in Virginia, twice.

2. Virginia Republicans have redistributed the Congressional districts in a gerrymandered fashion. This means that it is extremely unlikely that a Dem could ever get the majority of the electoral votes in Virginia, even in a case like Obama in which he got the majority of the popular vote.

3. Nationwide, Republicans have sensed that the two Obama victories were driven by victories in purple states like Virginia. How to change that? Well, you leave alone the winner-take-all structure of the electoral college selection in staunchly conservative southern states like Texas and Alabama and Georgia. But in the states that could go either way in terms of popular vote, you peel off the Republican vote so that it can be counted for the Republican candidate even if the Dem candidate carries the popular vote in the state. Get it? If Republicans were willing to kill the winner-take-all rule in EVERY state, we might get a level playing field. but if they kill it only in purple states, then in effect they would create an environment in which a Dem candidate coUld never become president.

It is really embarrassing, the perfidy of Republicans. it boils Down to the fact that they hate losing. If they can't figure out how to win by governing effectively or by moderating their message, hell, they will figure out another way to win.