Cross-posted from that paragon of journalism and reporting Richmond Progressive Examiner.
Some call it chutzpah. Some call it cojones. I like to call it arrogance on a massive judicial scale. I’m referring of course to Virginia’s Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, and the manner in which he has continuously brushed aside real concerns expressed by Virginians about his ties to troubled Star Scientific CEO, Jonnie Williams.
Cuccinelli has stuck to a strategy of what I’ll call the “distracted voter conclusion” in the face of questions regarding his knowledge of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s extensive gift receipts from Jonnie Williams as well as his own gift receipts from Mr. Williams.
In one response, Cuccinelli decried, “More than anything it’s a distraction. I’m trying to run a race and we’re talking about jobs and the middle class here.” Who doesn’t agree that jobs and protecting Virginia’s middle class are among the highest policy issues in this campaign for Virginia’s governorship? But political corruption is also a big deal, as well.
The bottom-line is that Cuccinelli is making one of the biggest political mistakes any politician can make: ignoring a nuclear political issue that is mushrooming around involved politicians instead of addressing it head-on and putting it in the past. And with the election for Virginia governor scheduled in November, the sooner Cuccinelli can put the Star Scientific debacle behind him, the better it will be for his chances at victory.
With that said, I want Cuccinelli to win Virginia’s governorship about as much as I’d like to see Godzilla trample through the streets of Richmond. In fact, both events may cause equal damage to the city of Richmond and beyond!
Cuccinelli is the type of politician that lends his ear, his time, and his energy to well-established (and generous campaign donors) sector monopolists like Alpha Natural Resources who hand-craft ideas that Virginia’s attorney general can sell to the people of Virginia as his own. That is, Cuccinelli is a corporate tool, par excellence, who has fewer bright ideas than the Three Stooges.
Thus, not only is Cuccinelli insincere, arrogant, and a corporate tool, he’s not even shy about any of these personal attributes. I ask again, why would Virginia want an individual like this at the top of the executive food chain?
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