Maverick Jim Webb Enters the Democratic Presidential Race
The former Republican is now further to the left than Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on some issues, and has a curious love for the Confederate flag.
Former Senator Jim Webb of Virginia became the fifth Democratic candidate to enter the race last Thursday, announcing in a 2,000-word email typical of his unorthodox style. He emphasized his populist and outsider platform, declaring, “Let’s clean out the manure-filled stables of a political system that has become characterized by greed.” The 69-year-old’s candidacy is a bit reminiscent of Howard Dean’s candidacy in 2004; also a quirky outsider who wanted the vote of blue-collar white men who like the Confederate flag.
Webb grew up in a military family; his father was a Air Force colonel and they moved frequently. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and then went into the Marines. He served in the Vietnam War as a rifle platoon and company commander, becoming a decorated Marine combat veteran. He was awarded the Naval Cross, the Silver Star Medal and two Purple Hearts for his bravery. He saved a fellow Marine from a grenade by firing at the enemy and shielding the Marine from the explosion with his own body.
Afterwards, he wrote several military-themed books. Tom Wolfe said about his first novel, Fields of Fire, “In my opinion, the finest of the Vietnam novels.” The 2000 film, Rules of Engagement, featuring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson, was based on a story by Webb. However, his books also contained racy sections about women, some which have come under intense criticism for being demeaning and pornographic.
Webb became a Republican after the Vietnam War due to national security issues, but eventually moved to the left. He got his law degree from Georgetown Law School and became a journalist, receiving an Emmy Award for his PBS coverage of the U.S. Marines in Beirut in 1983. He was appointed secretary of the navy by Ronald Reagan, and has consistently been a strong advocate for veterans.
He ran for Senate in 2006 on an anti-Iraq War platform, and was able to beat incumbent Republican George Allen after Allen used an ethnic slur. He served in the Senate from 2007 to 2012, declining to run for reelection because he found the process frustrating.
Webb is a populist who champions rural and working-class Americans. While some label him a moderate Democrat, he is really more of a maverick. His lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union is a paltry 16.67 percent, not much better than most Democrats. His opposition to the Iraq War is to the left of Obama and Clinton, however he takes a tough stance on Iran and would end the current talks. He wants to overhaul the American prison system; last week he said that drug addiction should be treated as a medical rather than criminal concern. He supports same-sex marriage and legalized abortion.
He supports a path to citizenship and the DREAM Act. However, he voted against the 2007 McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill and expressed concerns last week about President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. He voted to expand and reinforce the fence along the southwestern border.
He talks about economic “fairness.” He wants to cut corporate taxes and opposes raising taxes on the wealthy but supports raising taxes on investments. He voted for Obamacare, but has criticized it for being more expansive than necessary. If elected president, he has vowed to conduct a top-to-bottom review of U.S. bureaucracy.
He has said some controversial things that hurt him within his own party. In 1979, he wrote, “I have never met a woman, including the dozens of female midshipmen I encountered during my recent semester as a professor at the Naval Academy, whom I would trust to provide those men with combat leadership.” He has accused fellow Democrats of using low-income white men as a “whipping post” and argued against broad affirmative action and diversity programs. He has said positive things about supporters of the Confederate flag.
Webb supports the Keystone XL pipeline and voted for an amendment to temporarily block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. He is a strong advocate for the Second Amendment and carries a firearm.
Webb is a nondenominational Christian and also wrote a book called Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish shaped America. He recently came under scrutiny for paying $90,000 to his wife and daughter for website design and management related to his political campaigns.
He has little name recognition and money. He’s made a few stops in early primary states, but not consistently. Iowa is the only state where he has a campaign operation set up, and he’s already had two top staffers leave.
He’s attractive to some because he’s willing to buck the establishment. As a maverick, however, he has no little of support. He appeals to white, more moderate Democrats, but they have been shrinking in recent years within the party as it moves to the left. The two Democrat Senators in his home state of Virginia have already endorsed Hillary Clinton. He’s polling around two percent. Bernie Sanders, who appeals to the liberal base as a socialist, has leaped to 14 percent. If anyone can present a credible threat to Clinton’s lead in the primary, it will likely be the left-wing Sanders, not Webb.