RICHMOND — Gov. Terry McAuliffe has added a potent weapon to his bipartisan charm offensive: better booze.
Desperately in need of Republican friends to get his agenda through a divided General Assembly, McAuliffe (D) has restocked the executive mansion bar and thrown open the doors for nightly receptions. In at least one case, he sniffed out just which craft beer a GOP bigwig likes and made sure to have it on hand.
To the discount hooch and Bud Light normally on tap at the mansion, the governor has added top-shelf liquor and microbrews at his own expense — a move made possible by his enormous personal wealth and made necessary by heightened scrutiny to mansion spending amid his predecessor’s gifts scandal. While appealing to the legislature’s more discriminating tipplers, McAuliffe has not forgotten the teetotalers: For them, he serves up daily breakfasts, picking up the private catering tab personally.
McAuliffe’s open invitation and open, upgraded bar are part of a broader effort to win over Republicans who knew the former Democratic National Committee chairman only through attack ads and media accounts.
Since his election, he has reached out to GOP legislators with daily phone calls and meetings. He even set up a date to go turkey hunting with a Republican from southern Virginia.
But his nonstop entertaining has created the most buzz, in part because it feeds into the narrative that McAuliffe is Virginia’s schmoozer-in-chief. Whether his effort works remains to be seen.
Tireless outreach has not spared the governor from rocky moments just four weeks into his term. Initially wooed by McAuliffe’s moderate Cabinet picks, members of the GOP have since lashed out against his aggressive push for Medicaid expansion and a politically toxic appointment to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Republicans leapt on the chance to embarrass the governor last week when he found himself caught between a Japan, a powerful trading partner, and a campaign promise to Korean Americans.
At the very hour that 50 House Republicans had bellied up to McAuliffe’s bar Tuesday night, a news story hit that their leadership had criticized the governor’s governing style as too hands-off.
But Democrats and even lots of Republicans think the flurry of cocktail parties and breakfasts can only help the governor establish personal relationships that he lacks as a relative newcomer to Virginia politics. That’s especially true for someone trying to live down a larger-than-life reputation — as a best buddy to Bill and Hillary Clinton, former Democratic chairman, prolific fundraiser and sometimes-controversial businessman.
“It’s affording an opportunity for him to get to know legislators on a more personal basis in a smaller setting,” said Senate Minority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City). “If you know someone — or at least you know they’ve got two kids, they’re on their sixth wife — you know the things to talk about and the things not to talk about. And I think in the long run, it will serve him more favorably because there will have been that personal interaction. And people will have developed their own sense of who he is.”
It’s great to see that Governor Terry McAuliffe is using the Moonhowlings approach to political accord. We tried schmoozing and boozing, meeting and greeting back in the day and I would say it was a very successful event. Its difficult to throw hate and stink eye at someone after you have sat right next to them and made nice.
I do have to confess, Terry can probably throw a better party than I can. He picks up the tab and he serves top shelf booze. His style harkens back to the days when our politicians duked it out during the day, attempting to pass legislation. In the evenings, they often met for drinks to reaffirm their friendship or at least basic resolve to be gentlemen (or ladies) even if they didn’t particularly care for one and other. This behavior is just good political smarts. Our politics shouldn’t be separate but unequal and governance should be based on our common ground rather than political hatred, divisiveness and rancor.
Not everyone goes to the governor’s mansion with the hail hardy well met attitude. Take MY own delegate, for example:
“This is like frat house governor,” said Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William). “Clearly he’s trying to be friendly, but I’ll watch my wallet over there.”
Bob, Bob,Bob, haven’t those frat house references gotten you in enough trouble? Next thing we know, Lafayette will have to drag out your most famous frat house comment regarding the young women of Virginia and their ‘luv canals,’ speaking of wanting to hold one’s nose over a comment.
Keep up the good work, Terry. Shake hands even when you want to hold your nose. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being the Governor Schmoozer-in-Chief. We should all play to our strengths. I suspect most successful politicians do a pretty good job at schmoozing. Why else would we elect them?
P.S. Does anyone know what fraternity Bob Marshall was in? Did he even rush?
at least he is trying to get to know the legislators. Camaraderie and a feeling of we are all in this together will get more done then polarizing into separate echo rooms and talking about the situation. I do hope that Norment’s comments were not directed towards McAuliffe – he has one wife, no ex-wives and 5 kids.
Be interesting if they crank up DUI enforcement around the Governors mansion.
They should perhaps provide free rides home for the delegates and senators.
I expect it is done all the time.
I think Pat has the right idea. Perhaps Governor McAuliffe is simply following Ogden Nash’s advice that: “Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.” Killing them with kindness I suppose. Perhaps the next thing would be to give each of them a puppy. Nothing cures a bad day like a puppy licking your face.
Marshall attended Montgomery College, Belmont Abbey College and California State University. There are two male fraternities at Belmont Abbey, Kappa Sigma and Sigma Alpha and in looking at distinguished members of Kappa Sigma, Bob’s name isn’t listed. Couldn’t find anything on Sigma Alpha fraternity and did not look at CSU but my guess is–he never belonged to a fraternity.
Ah…that explains the derisive remarks about frat boys and frat houses. Sour grapes.
Thanks for that research, George.
As a frat boy who once lived in a frat house, I’d say Marshall was not far off. Wonder who gets
to mop the beer off the floor each night after the party is over at the Mansion?
They are drinking high end booze. If beer, only imported beer.
I too lived on a frat hall and there’s quite a bit of difference between frat boys throwing a party and a bunch of 50 year old men having a drink together. What we lacked in quality (which was substantial) we made up for in volume. I doubt that the republican legislators he is meeting with are doing keg stands on the front lawn and driving home.
I am smiling. I grew up in Charlottesville. Need I say more? Andy is correct. BIG difference.
Don’t be so sure of that, AndyH. This country has become right goofy at just about every age level. The high end booze, if that is what it turns out to be, may make those imbibers even goofier much faster. Just reading the news about government shenanigans or shenanigans anywhere these days is sort of like reliving that keg and sweetheart party that lasted until all hours and risked getting your charter withdrawn. Just an observation from a former frat house manager, who had to clean up the beer off the party room floor on Sunday morning. I wonder if the Mansion might start to look like the White House after Andy Jackson’s first election celebration party? Who pays to clean the rugs and furniture?
For crying out loud! High end booze doesn’t make anyone ‘goofier’ or drunker for that matter.
Do you even drink?
Are you saying that the senators and delegates are that immature? I find that offensive. Having decent booze in no way alters one’s behavior. If nothing else, it makes behavior better.
Georgia Moon corn whisky moonshine vs Glenlivit? You tell me.
High end booze is just more expensive and tastes better. The chemical composition of alcohol doesn’t change…
My gosh, Moon. You sit on a tack today or something? Bwahahahahahahahaha.
Hmmm…all that VIP decorum…Heh, heh…and we just had the USAF major general in charge of our nuclear missiles cashiered after a episode of being soused in Moscow. Now THAT is scary.
Obviously the good major general hadn’t heard of responsible drinking.
Actually people who drink high quality liquor can nurse a drink the entire evening. The cheap stuff no one wants to.
Nope, you are right, Moon. I don’t drink anymore…not even beer. After seeing too many highly trained and capable people in critical and dangerous positions lose their jobs, their families, and their careers to the sickness of the bottle, I have stayed personally as far away from that poison as possible. Too bad we now think we have to go back to “high end” booze parties of our politicos in the Mansion in order to be able to talk to each other and get some of the People’s business done. From the way things are swinging elsewhere in this country, maybe it won’t be long before they are lighting up legalized joints in the Mansion as well.
I think that it is good that people from different parties just take the time to socialize. No one is forcing booze on anyone else. It’s an American custom to have a cocktail.
If he can afford to serve decent booze, why not? It beats rock-gut.
Well, suppose it is………. as long as we don’t discover any of those pols taking a nocturnal dip in the James a la old Wilbur Mills of Tidal Basin fame.
I still remember that incident. I doubt any one of those Republican legislators would have the chutzpah to bring a stripper to the Governors Mansion either.
Actually, George is likely right in his #4. Oldest trick in the books. You cannot sell the junker in your used car lot until you lure the potential buyers themselves onto the lot and soften them up.