Ralph Northam Struggles To Answer How He Would Succeed Where McAuliffe Has Failed

Last night, Democrat candidate for Virginia governor Ralph Northam struggled to answer how he would succeed where incumbent governor Democrat Terry McAuliffe has failed. In an interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, Northam was pressed on how he would get results if elected after McAuliffe’s record setting number of vetoes failed at “getting things done.” Northam was unable to give a clear answer, filibustering the question by reciting canned talking points about his “progressive” values:

CHUCK TODD: “Terry McAuliffe has set the record for vetoes, and this is a guy, you know governor McAuliffe very well, if he finds out somebody doesn’t like him he’s desperate to make you like him. So no one can say that this guy didn’t try to have personal relationships. If you have that many vetoes it means you’re not getting things done. What do you say?”

RALPH NORTHAM: “Well he told these folks, you know, we’re an inclusive state, that means we live in a very diverse society and you know we’ve been very aggressive with our business model in Virginia, so our lights are on, our doors are open and he told the folks on the other side of the aisle if you bring in pieces of legislature that discriminate against folks like the LGBT community, that continue the attacks on women’s reproductive healthcare, that promote gun proliferation in Virginia I’m gonna veto them. And he stuck to his word and he has so – “

CHUCK TODD: “I undertsand that but how are you going to change it? Where will you succeed where he failed?”

RALPH NORTHAM: “Well they will know, they will continue to know that we stand up for progressive Democratic values, some of the things that I just mentioned, but you know things like the smoking ban in restaurants, the only way to do something like that, the only way to take on the tobacco industry with all the influence they have in Virginia, is to work with people from both sides of the aisle, so I have good relationships but I don’t have a monopoly on ideas. So I bring my ideas to the table and I listen to others and at the end of the day really the Virginia way is to do what’s in the best interest of Virginia.”

It’s not surprising that Ralph Northam is unable to say how he would do anything differently after four years as Terry McAuliffe’s right-hand man. Virginians deserve a governor who will be able to reach across the aisle to move the Commonwealth forward, but Ralph Northam only offers empty rhetoric.