What to make of it all and the seven candidate jumble? A lot of organizations and web sites, who otherwise wouldn’t be considered too important, have either made themselves so, or have been granted such status because in a crowded and unpredictable field, where no one can accurately gauge delegate preferences until people actually show up — and who knows who will or even can show up for an entire day and at least some evening? — candidates have to find a way to gain traction. Thus, what has been a generally clean campaign (nothing like the rear-end exam the Left will launch at the nominee starting Sunday) has become something of a He lied, She lied, They’re all playing dirty affair.

The crossfire has been amusing. Candidate 1 criticizes Candidates 4 and 5 through robocalls, and maybe Candidate 3 via mail. Candidate 2 attacks Candidate 1 for that, but goes after Candidate 7. Candidate 6 claims Candidate 4 is attacking him through a front group, while Candidate 5 says certain web sites and blogs are in Candidate 2′s back pocket. But in person, they all seem to get along. That was the case two weeks ago at their last debate, at Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, sponsored by the Richmond City Republican Committee and other Central Virginia GOP units. (It drew, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 250 people. A Democrat debate several days later, at the completely contrasting Richmond Gay Center, only drew about 150 according to the same source.) In the holding room where they were briefed by the host committee and moderator Scott Lee (of WRVA-AM and Bearing Drift/Score Radio Network), they joked with each other and exchanged campaign anecdotes. The potential fireworks during the debate itself were limited, with each touting him- or herself. Perhaps the “offenses” being felt are coming from over zealous supporters instead?

News was made at the debate, though. For the first time ever, an obscure process issue which punches well above its weight in importance, was addressed. After a warm up question about recently read books, they were asked what reform to bring accountability to the office would they work for. After all, so many of their campaign promises are really desires, because so much of what they want to do has almost nothing to do within the powers of the office of lieutenant governor. It’s a question I’ve put to a few of them individually, though phrased differently. Some had no clue. They all seem to know about it now.

Call it the crucial, but silent, issue, because not many are talking about it and the media isn’t reporting it. It’s about the power of the LG to assign bills to committee, similar to the House Speaker’s power. What good is it to be the presiding officer of a legislative chamber if your have little clout? Decades ago, during the day of one party (i.e., Democrat) rule, the lieutenant governor was a liberal populist named Henry Howell. The majority thought even he was too liberal to have that authority, and stripped it away, giving it to the unelected, unaccountable senate clerk, in cooperation with the majority leader. It’s one of the reasons the Senate has been the graveyard of many good bills and reforms, especially pro-life bills, where Democrat and Republican majorities have sent them to unfavorable committees that do not have a natural connection to the bills. (For example, coercive abortion is always referred to the “Committee of Death,” the Education and Health Committee, rather than the Courts of Justice Committee as it is in the House.) Restoring that power to the Senate’s presiding officer will make for a more responsive and accountable process. After all, what LG isnt’ already running for the top job?

Pete Snyder, Senator Steve Martin, Delegate Scott Lingamfelter and Corey Stewart all brought up bill referral power as a critical reform to governing the split chamber and to advance conservative legislation that many Republican senators would just as soon see fail. Martin, Lingamfelter and Stewart even expounded on the idea and expanded upon it.

Snyder was assertive, while Stewart was assertive and passionate about ending the Senate’s “graveyard” reputation by assigning bills to their rightful committees. Even though the LG has never had the power to assign members to committees as does the Speaker, Stewart went so far as to say he would use his clout as the tie-breaking vote to influence who sits on what committees (a power left to the party leaders in the Senate). Former Senator Jeanmarie Davis gave a lukewarm “I don’t disagree with it” answer. Susan Stimpson and E.W. Jackson never mentioned it.

There’s an old expression in Virginia politics: If you want to change Virginia, then change the Virginia Senate. Sometimes, it’s not the headline grabbing issues that make the difference, just as it can be a little thing no one suspects that wins a campaign. In this case, the two may have merged. While this just reform may not happen over night, it now is part of the conversation, whereas previously, no one had ever heard of it From now on, Republicans candidates will feel the necessity  to campaign on it until it finally happens.

If you haven’t seen his speech, we encourage you to watch it by clicking here.

Of course, if you saw it live and want to see it again or share it with others, we highly encourage that, too. But if that isn’t enough, Barqawi has accepted an invitation to speak at the 38th Annual National Conservative Fourth of July Soiree. If you haven’t been to this event before and haven’t made Independence Day plans yet, you owe it to yourself to attend. The Soiree is one huge family picnic gone the good kind of wild, with hundreds of conservatives from all over the mid-Atlantic and beyond who come for the day and then to see the D.C. fireworks at night (or other sight seeing).

The event features barbecue food, a patriotic band, plenty of entertainment for children (including a petting zoo) and the opportunity to make numerous new friends — and it’s free! (Guests are requested to bring a dish of food to share). Plus, this year, it will have what surely will be another unforgettable speech by the very impressive young leader, Adnan Barqawi. The festivities will be held from Noon to 4:30 p.m. at Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, just west of Washington off I-66.

The Soiree is hosted by conservative stalwart Morton Blackwell and the Leadership Institute, a conservative continuing education center that trains conservatives in political, campaign, public policy and communications strategies. For more information on the Soiree, simply click here to visit its Web site.

We have a media credential to the Republican Convention and we will post some updates throughout the weekend. So please check in. We won’t do all the “inside baseball” stuff. Rather, we’ll provide unique angles and commentary, and diary-type reflections on some of the occurances that can only happen at a political convention. On Monday, we’ll have a wrap-up and our Virginia News Stand will include all the hard news articles from the major papers across the Commonwealth as well as our own commentary.

For those who won’t make it to Richmond this weekend, you can watch the convention online from the comfort of your own home or favorite coffee shop or other wireless location by clicking here. You can also register for Twitter updates by clicking here.

Also, don’t forget our two polls for the weekend. You have until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow to vote. Click here to vote in the attorney general nomination poll and click here for the RPV chairman election.

As June 9 approaches, we’ll have some features on the Democrat gubernatorial primary as well. We hope everyone, whatever it is you do this weekend, has a lot of fun. After all, it’s summer now. We know from the (political) calendar.

familyfoundation.org: You have been in the news lately. You have accepted a new job with U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas). What will you do in your capacity as her senior counselor?

Rich Galen: My portfolio includes oversight of the communications and speech-writing functions; but I also have license to look at other areas of the Senator’s office operations.

familyfoundation.org: Can you describe what it is like to work for such high-profile leaders as former Vice President Dan Quayle and former Speaker Newt Gingrich and the opportunities it affords to positively affect policy?

Rich Galen: You must always remember it is the Vice President or the Speaker or the Senator who is the elected individual, not the advisor or the press secretary. Too often in Washington staff begins to believe it is the surrogate for, not the supporter of, the principal.

With that in mind, however, if you can establish a level of mutual trust, then in the confines of the office you may have the opportunity to shape policy. However, again, it is the principal’s policy which comes out the door; not the staff’s.

familyfoundation.org: How did you get recruited to speak at the Republican Party of Virginia Convention last week? Would you mind giving a synopsis of your keynote address and why you chose your theme?

Rich Galen: You’d have to ask Charlie Judd why he picked me, but I was honored that he did. My remarks were specifically aimed at reminding the delegates that even in a year when U.S. Senate and the President will be on the ballot, it all starts at the precinct.

I asked the delegates to keep in mind that a state-wide election is not won from Richmond, it is won by building a good precinct organization and then expanding that into a good neighborhood organization to good county organization.

If the GOP does that better than the Democrats, we will win in November.

familyfoundation.org: We are a conservative Christian grassroots public policy organization concerned about the direction of Virginia and the entire country on numerous issues. However, the pro-life, pro-family, traditional marriage and traditional family values issues are of particular concern. What advice can you give organizations like ours, our grassroots chapters and individuals to take up the challenges of affecting public policy, especially during times when the political winds seem to be coming from the other direction? Why is it important to stay engaged and how can single individuals or small groups get involved and make a difference?

Rich Galen: You must never lose sight of the effect letters-to-the editor, op-ed pieces,  letters to the offices of elected officials, and appearing at public meetings — from school board to city council to county commission meetings — and make your voices heard. 

Elected officials WANT to hear from you because they want to be certain they are keeping on top of the pulse of the community. Not every community has the same pulse, so don’t take it for granted that a group with similar principles will be speaking for you.

familyfoundation.org: With its recent past election results, pundits now are calling Virginia a battleground state. Is Virginia helplessly moving left because of demographic change or does the conservative message resonate less with people looking for solutions to everyday problems, such as transportation, education and rising prices for food and gas?

Rich Galen: They are not mutually exclusive. Conservative principles, applied properly, will yield solutions to transportation, education, gas and food. 

familyfoundation.org: We hear and read so much about change, yet that is vague. What is your sense of the electorate right now and how does that affect conservative candidates and what they stand for?

Rich Galen: “Change” as defined by the Left is not a new way forward, it is an about face to the policies which obtained for a half century until Ronald Reagan led America out of its Depression-era thinking and into a new era of less government, and greater personal opportunities.

familyfoundation.org: You started a very popular blog, mullings.com. What did you see at the time that made you think that blogs were going to be an important aspect of political communications? 

Rich Galen: No. Had I known how important what has become known as the blogosphere was going to become, I would have been much more serious about it. As it is, Mullings recently celebrated its 10^th anniversary and has been a joy to write through all years.

familyfoundation.org: What advice do you have for bloggers?

Rich Galen: First you have to have something to say. Second you have to write it in a voice which people want to read. Third — and perhaps most important — you have to write with a regularity and a frequency so that people who want to read what you have written don’t drift away because there is no new material when they go looking at your blog.

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