You Can Ask The Governor, But He Won’t Answer

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam made his first appearance today on WTOP’s Ask The Governor, a monthly show where listeners can call in with questions for Virginia’s governor. Northam did a good job of not saying anything and WTOP did a poor job of trying to get him to say anything.

After the hosts offered a standard intro with soft leading-off questions the show opened up to calls, emails and tweets from the public. The first question was obviously a plant who asked if the governor is happy having the first female majority cabinet. C’mon. Thanks for answering the tough questions, Ralph.

Another listener asked about transportation projects the governor hopes to have completed during his term and Northam surprisingly fumbled his answer. The question was fairly easy. He could’ve said anything specific enough to still be non-specific enough that he won’t get in trouble, such as saying improve I-64, widen I-81, or just name any road in NoVA. But Northam instead said he supports rail and mass transit. Really. That was it. He mentioned how much better Germany is at this and how we need to catch up to them, but he didn’t say thing about a specific project. It was odd. I hope the governor comes back with a better answer for this next time, so here it is again- Governor Northam what specific transportation projects would you like to see accomplished during your term?

Overall Northam handled himself well because he didn’t say anything newsworthy. That keeps the Democrats on the offensive as haters of all things connected to President Donald Trump.

The lackluster interview, vague questions, and non-specific answers fall on WTOP. They need to ask better questions and pushback when the interviewee doesn’t answer.

Let’s hope next month’s segment will offer more substance.


.

Share on social media