You are using an outdated browser.
Please upgrade your browser
and improve your visit to our site.
Skip Navigation

Chait Crony Defeated

This morning Dave Weigel reported on a Republican primary campaign in northern Virginia involving Matthew Berry, an openly gay former clerk for Clarence Thomas and FCC official under George W. Bush. It dawned on me that I knew Berry about thirty years ago when he was in my Sunday school class. I went to his house after Sunday school one day, and it was immediately clear that, despite being the two nerdiest kids in the class, we had little in common. I remember he absolutely insisted that we immediately go to work on an extra-credit homework task I had no intention of doing then or ever. I also remember him shaking his head when I asked, incredulously, "You don't like football? At all? Really?"

Anyway, for much of the day I found myself in the unfamiliar position of having known a future member of Congress. Alas, despite outspending his opponent by 2-1 and enjoying significant establishment support, he came under late attack for his support of gay marriage and lost the GOP primary tonight, which is, well, duh.