Perhaps Bill Bolling should become the voice of Va Republicans

Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling has some advice for the Republicans of Virginia and, after the thumping the GOP has taken in recent years, it may behoove some to stop the witch hunts, step out of the echo chamber, and listen. Where the Party was once welcoming to all, it has pretty much become a right-wing closed-club society complete with purity tests and requirements of lock-step mentality.

In today's Richmond Times-Dispatch, the lieutenant governor offers five points -- and he notes these are his opinion but that won't stop the bashing from the usual suspects -- for Virginia Republicans who have let victory slip through their fingers to the point that every statewide office is now held by Democrats. The state voted for Barack Obama for president twice.

Those who need to listen to this advice will scoff and make another personal attack on the LG. I saw one blogger link to a post about Bolling being the only viable Republican to take on Mark Warner with the comment, "I would vote for Warner. Dead serious."

With that mentality, we will never win again.

In his op-ed, Lieutenant Governor Bolling observed:

This weekend, Virginia Republicans will gather at the Homestead resort for their annual Advance. In light of the adverse results in the 2013 statewide elections, the focus should be on revitalizing the Republican Party and making it more competitive on a statewide level.

With his Virginia Mainstream Project, his 20-plus years of experience in the legislature, his record of working with all sides of the political aisle, and his roll-up-your-shirt-sleeves-and-get-it-done attitude, perhaps Bill Bolling should become the voice of Virginia Republicans.

Update: A lively discussion about this post is going on over at my Facebook page.