by Mike McClary, a 1968 West Point graduate, a Captain and Troop Commander in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam, and currently a resident of Culpeper; cross posted at the author’s request from the Culpeper Star Exponent
“The truth is not the truth.” – Rudy Giuliani
“What you are seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.” – Donald Trump
Congressman Dave Brat recently instituted “mobile office hours,” because his constituents demanded accessibility, as he hasn’t held a town hall for fifteen months. I met with him Tuesday morning for my ten minutes – one of only nine “lucky”constituents in the one and a half hours allotted to Culpeper County with more than 50,000 registered voters.
My primary topic – the “rules” limited us to one – was foreign affairs and the Iran nuclear deal, in particular. I have thirty years of experience in that field under several Republican and Democratic administrations. The nuclear deal was a multi-national effort that halted Iran’s nuclear weapons program in its tracks. Trump’s irresponsible abrogation of that deal is one of the biggest foreign policy blunders in modern history. Mr. Brat simply dismissed its success and parroted Trump’s talking points that the deal should have covered multiple issues. He couldn’t come to grips with how an international consensus on multiple issues was difficult to reach. Mr. Brat’s view is that “Iran wants to whack us. Their people are totally opposed to the regime. They are the number one sponsor of state terrorism.” I seriously doubt that Iran will ever have the capability to “whack” us and his view of domestic Iranian politics may be wishful thinking. I should fact check things, he said. Seriously? He doesn’t know that about me yet? Several times I was compelled to say, “that’s just not true.”
Dave Brat was interviewed by NBC12 in Richmond recently. When asked why he has not denounced Corey Stewart’s blatant bigotry and racism, he responded that he only deals in policy, but it didn’t keep him, in the same interview, from trying to tar Abigail Spanberger as a rabble-rouser because (he said) she was sitting in the front row at the Chesterfield town hall. Ms. Spanberger was there, alright, taking notes as a constituent and private citizen. She didn’t announce her candidacy until July. Screaming and cursing during the prayer? See for yourself:. Brat lied. People became enraged because he ignored their questions about the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act and just regurgitated his scripted talking points . When the interviewer later asked why he was on Alex Jones ultra-far-right radio program with his “conspiracy-laced rants that make [Beck and Limbaugh] “sound like tea-sipping NPR hosts on Zoloft.” – Rolling Stone), Brat said it was just an opportunity like any other.
Contrast this with Abigail Spanberger’s professional performance in her interview on NBC12. The differences between the two could not be starker. It is even more apparent if you listen to Mr. Brat and conservative radio show host John Fredericks, who bills himself as “America’s Godzilla of TRUTH.” Mr. Brat’s attacks on Ms. Spanberger were desperate, unhinged, and patently false. See for yourself.
Watch Mr. Brat’s first TV campaign ad, posted just this past week. In it, he takes credit for things he had nothing to do with, except party line votes. One statement, that he wrote a law shutting down child-trafficking websites, is a total lie. All he did was sign on as a co-sponsor to a bill introduced by a Democrat four months earlier.
Conservative columnist George Will recently observed “The midterm election won’t be about liberals versus conservatives. It won’t be about Democrats versus Republicans. That election will be about moral, decent human beings versus Trump supporters.” Dave Brat will stand solidly behind the unindicted co-conspirator, Donald Trump. Where will you stand?
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