Virginia in the Vanguard: Political Leadership in the 400-Year-Old Cradle of American Democracy, 1981-2006

Virginia in the Vanguard continues the story, begun in the Dynamic Dominion, of Virginia’s reemergence as a competitive, trend-setting state. In the 1980s, with Reagan’s revolution underway in Washington, Democrats led by Chuck Robb and Doug Wilder, the nation’s only African American elected governor, reclaimed the governor’s mansion and focused attention on a centrist formula as a prescription for Democratic renewal nationally. In the 1990s, hard-charging Republican George Allen reversed the party’s fortunes and propelled the GOP toward control of the state’s legislature and both U.S. Senate seats. Virginia in the Vanguard describes these and other dramatic events that have placed the 400 year-old cradle of democracy back in the forefront of American politics and produced two dynamic leaders—Republican Senator George Allen and former Democrat Governor Mark Warner—widely touted as presidential timber.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Foreword Part 2 Preface: Flood Tide of Freedom Part 3 I. Robb, Wilder, and the Democratic Decade (1981-1992) Chapter 4 1. Reversal of Fortune: The Democratic Southern Strategy Chapter 5 2. The Watershed Robb Victory of 1981 Chapter 6 3. Improbable Journey: Wilder's Way to the Top Chapter 7 4. Swinging Suburbs: Making Money and Making History Part 8 II. George Allen and the "Virginia Renaissance" (1993-1999) Chapter 9 5. Reagan Populism and the Positive Politics of Reform Chapter 10 6. From Insurgent to Insider: The 1993 Allen Landslide Chapter 11 7. John Warner and the Politics of Independence Chapter 12 8. New World: America's Oldest Legislature Transformed Part 13 III. Mark Warner and the "Sensible Center" (2000-2006) Chapter 14 9. Taxing Times and the Tactic of Bipartisanship Part 15 Epilogue: A Concluding Reflection on Virginia's Legacy of Freedom

About the Author :
Frank B. Atkinson is the chairman of McGuireWoods Consulting LLC and a partner in McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Virginia. In 1994-1996, he served in the cabinet of Governor George Allen as counselor and director of policy. During the Reagan administration, he served as special counsel and deputy chief of staff to the U.S. Attorney General and before that was special assistant in the Justice Department.

Review :
Frank Atkinson is a rare combination of scholar and practitioner—recognized by all of us who have covered Virginia politics as one of the keenest minds in either party or on either side of the reporter's notebook. Virginia in the Vanguard arrives with superb timing, just as two of Virginia's most interesting and capable politicians are springing on national notice. Atkinson's work will alert readers outside Virginia to something I learned long ago—the Old Dominion has one of the most distinctive, entertaining, and occasionally outrageous, political cultures of any state in the union. Virginia in the Vanguard deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the recent political history of the Commonwealth. Virginia has changed from a political backwater to a powerhouse in the past quarter century—the significance of which was missed by almost everyone except Frank Atkinson. He explains—brilliantly, I'd say—how it happened and why it's so important, especially now that Virginia is not as red a state as it once was. You won't understand Virginia's pivotal role in the 2008 presidential race without Atkinson's help and, besides, Virginia in the Vanguard is a great read.