McDonnell thesis shouldn’t be deciding factor in election

I haven’t decided yet who to vote for in this fall’s gubernatorial election, and it may well not be Bob McDonnell.

If that’s the case, though, it won’t be because of the now-infamous thesis that McDonnell wrote two decades ago as a graduate student at Pat Robertson’s Regent University.

In that paper, among other things, McDonnell said working women were detrimental to society, and that local government should favor married couples over “cohabitators, homosexuals and fornicators.”

Is this interesting? Yes. Should the voters care? Probably, at least in terms of framing questions for the 2009-model McDonnell to answer. Should it decide the election? No.

As McDonnell said after his thesis turned up in the Regent library and the Democrats pounced: “Like everybody else, my views on many issues have changed as I’ve gotten older.”

For one thing, he probably noticed that some of his General Assembly colleagues were not exactly Billy Graham, yet he had to work with them. And then, too, life often gets in the way of political and religious zealotry.

As the saying goes: A conservative is a liberal who’s just been mugged; a liberal is a conservative who’s just been laid off.

Not that McDonnell seems to have moved very far to the left during his time in state government. I guess what bothers me is that the same people who called foul when Republicans started rooting around in the distant past of Barack Obama are now all over McDonnell and his thesis.

What generally gets lost in these cases is context. McDonnell wasn’t writing for the general public, but for his professors. It’s probably safe to assume that professors at Regent University tend to be a bit right of center. And unless you have an academic death wish, it’s always better to give your instructors what they like.

Call me naïve, but I also believe it’s possible to hold strong viewpoints yet be able to set them aside when it comes to governing. Judges do it all the time.

Certainly, the McDonnell thesis threw a new wrinkle into what has thus far been a rather lackluster campaign. Just think about whether you’d like to be held responsible for things you said 20 years ago.

w Nothing so sharply demonstrates the difference in people over 65 as Meals on Wheels.

Those “senior citizens” who are blessed with good health make up the bulk of that organization’s volunteer delivery force. Those not so fortunate are primarily the recipients of the meals.

“We couldn’t function without retired people,” said director Lisa Schafer. “I think when you get to that age, you get a strong urge to give back, because you’ve lived. Most young people aren’t there yet. Like Muhammad Ali once said: ‘Giving back is the rent we pay for our time here.’”

The time here for the local Meals on Wheels program has reached one of those

anniversary years — 35 — and so the organization is having a celebration on Sunday (3 to 5 p.m.) for “former volunteers, board members, employees, donors, and meal recipients.”

“We’re just trying to get the word out to as many people as possible,” Schafer said. “Even if your parents or parent used the service and are now deceased, you’re welcome.”

In Central Virginia, Meals on Wheels delivers a hot meal at lunchtime, includes a cold “bag supper” in some cases and also delivers “animeals” to the pets of some recipients.

“They (the pets) are welcome, too,” Schafer said.

The event will be held at the Madison Heights Community Center, 424 Woody’s Lake Road.