Hi Yupette,
Nice to see the Sun Gazette stopped awarding letter grades to candidates at the CivFed debates based upon elocution and started reporting what the candidates actually said.
But how well did the Civic Federation perform at last night's debate? Not very.
This year the CivFed debates are relocated to Washington and Lee High School Auditorium due to renovation of the Hazel Auditorium at the Virginia Hospital Center.
Candidates who appear at CivFed debates are expected to be prepared and follow the rules. But the Civic Federation was NOT prepared to host debates at W-L High School. There was insufficient parking, directions to the W-L Auditorium were not posted inside and outside the school, the debate's moderator was often confused, audio quality was poor, only a handful of CivFed delegates were allowed to ask questions. Many of the questions asked by delegates were parochial and did not reflect well on the delegates or the Civic Federation. Two Arlington police officers were stationed outside the auditorium, allegedly to intimidate minorities from attending - the Civic Federation is almost entirely white, upscale, middle aged and elderly.
With all that's expected of candidates at these debates there's no excuse for the Civic Federation's leadership to mess up the basics. I'm not holding my breath expecting the October 4th debates to go any better.
Former Delegate
13 comments:
WHY are the police increasingly appearing at important civic events? This was not a festival, fair, or other entertainment event.
School system gets an F. It's a high school, right? Where were the high school students? Oh, it's fall sports season.
The police have been repeatedly told that their purpose at these events is to keep minorities away, because the events' organizers tell minorities "this event is not for you, the police will be there and you will be arrested if you try to attend."
Civic Federation is a bunch of old time segregationists known as the "White Citizens Council" 50 years ago.
Arlington high schools are for sports, recreation, and socialization...education is a distant fourth.
No excuse for the dismal sound system.
Not a good debate. No one had an agenda for solving the big problems. Isn't that what they're supposed to be doing in Richmond?
All they seem to do in Richmond is get wined and dined by lobbyists.
Know what? I have come to believe that everyone from all the political parties LOVES the Dillon Rule because it means they can pretend they're doing something with their nickel and dime legislation while the big corporations run the state.
CivFed is run by a bunch of old folks who grew up when the suburbs were totally segregated and want their suburban neighborhoods to remain that way until they croak.
Or, move to upscale senior apartments and assisted living centers.
Debates were all about who gets elected to fight the Progressive vs. Conservative culture wars in Richmond.
I would like to know WHO designed Washington-Lee High School? Ugly, energy inefficient, and designed for sports, education, entertainment, and conferences. Where's the school?
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