This guy isn’t just Tea Party, he’s…well, watch the videos! My god.
P.S. Also see E.W. Jackson: Gays and Lesbians are ‘Very Sick People Psychologically, Mentally and Emotionally’, E.W. Jackson: Pro-Gay Rights Liberals ‘Have Done More to Kill Black Folks’ than the ‘Ku Klux Klan’, and E.W. Jackson: Democrats Have an ‘Agenda Worthy of the Antichrist’, just to get a flavor of where this guy’s coming from.
While it is patently obvious that both Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli can be had rather cheaply, there are other matters that concern your family more than the people of the Commonwealth. Ken is a horrible judge of character. He’s an even worse investor. We’re talking your children’s futures here.
I am afraid you may not comprehend that for a time Ken’s entire investment portfolio consisted of a single position in a rather murky business venture that was certainly high risk. That’s not the kind of investment philosophy a more business savvy person with seven children would employ. It is certainly not the kind of philosophy a Governor should operationalize, say with investments made by the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). It’s probably not a coincidence that at almost the same time Bob’s pals were risking the future of the VRS investing in high risk derivatives (we should demand a report on specific outcomes from those investments. It is quite possible they did very well; but we usually hear about such things). Ken may just have wanted to have some of that action too. But you really want someone in charge of the family treasure who knows something about business and investments.
You see, with Star Scientific, Ken was disqualified on two fronts when he let emotion rule his decision to invest. First, Ken has a history of misjudging people. Maybe you remember Bobby Thompson who gave your husband a lot of money stolen from veterans. Ken bought the whole scheme, hook, line, and sinker. This also speaks to his ability to critically think, something a lawyer should be able to demonstrate; worrisome. But that’s not the second issue. No, the second is Ken’s casual approach to science. When investing in a company with the word “scientific” in its name, it might pay to actually be able to discern how science works. We already know that Ken would rather deny something he does not want to believe rather than analyze the evidence. Of course, he’s burned his bridges with a significant portion of the scientific community, so the people from whom he is likely get advice are probably only those who are “like-minded.” Not being a good judge of character, maybe he shouldn’t be allowed to choose an investment advisor either. He might reach out to his pal Bob Purkey, who, self-proclaimed investment genius that he is, let that whole VRS derivatives position blow right by him.
This Star Scientific investment underscores what one of my favorite finance professors loved to tell stories about: the schemes doctors and lawyers get sucked into. Star Scientific has a beautifully crafted sales story: create an alternative addictive product from tobacco (a literal pipe dream) whose current addictive end product is falling out of favor; patent the product and corner the market for tobacco…or something like that. Failing that, use that unwanted tobacco to produce a by-product that can be widely used in pharmaceuticals. Entrepreneurial and financial alchemy! Just don’t mention that the compound derived from tobacco is common, can be produced from less harmful produce, tomatoes for instance, and is already being researched by real pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer. In the end, we are reduced to an investment in a scheme to corner the tobacco market. Ken loves to claim he is a businessman. He has a law firm and considers that a business. Problem is, even the tax code recognizes that this, like being a doctor, is not really a business, it is a profession that is treated completely differently from true entrepreneurial endeavor. The judgment exercised in the Star Scientific investment decision is damning evidence that Ken is typical of the unsophisticated characters we heard about in so many reveries.
Ken’s bravado has also placed him in a position where he has been critical of the performance of his predecessor, our current Governor. It seems that Bob just didn’t have what it takes to ferret out the obvious Medicare fraud Ken found everywhere he looked in Virginia. There was so much work to do after Bob left office that he has had to hire on dozens, creating more jobs than the job Governor could ever hope for. All, the while, I might add, growing government. Ironic, no? I guess the market didn’t self-regulate. But I digress.
Your worry now should be how you can provide your family financial stewardship. Step up and take the helm immediately. Ken is going to walk away from this election with a windfall. There will be the speaking engagements and whatever surplus remains after the outcome in November. Yes, Virginia’s political candidates have a funny way of guiding leftover contributions to their own benefit. This is your shot at making certain there are no more Star Scientifics in your future. Don’t squander it.
But one more caution. Ken strikes me as a fellow who doesn’t deal well with adversity. He just hasn’t had much experience on the losing end. That leaves him a little vulnerable if he fails. That could precipitate a midlife crisis. We know how that goes with tea party Republicans; a hike on the Appalachian trail, so to speak. Keep in mind what that famous friend of Bob has revealed: it is not so bad when your man wanders, after all he put a roof over your head and fed you, didn’t he? Just don’t leave him with unlimited access to the financial accounts if he does go astray.
Here’s a little bonus advice that might help his campaign: tell him to avoid Ollie North like the plague. This actually might help fend off that precipitous situation, seeing Ken’s inability to read character and tendency to believe credentials as a veteran, charade or not, is a pass. No less than former Senator John Warner let Pat Mullins know that Ollie wasn’t much of an officer. With this, Pat should be your ally.
Now, there is an upside if the family finances remain in his hands. With seven children, college tuition is going to be a challenge. The positive trend here is that it is looking like under his hand, the family financial situation will qualify them for substantial tuition assistance. I know, damn it, relying on government is philosophically distasteful, but it is better than leaving your children to fend for themselves.
I wish I had an upside for the people of Virginia in the event you don’t have to worry about that electoral downside. But that is not my purpose here.
“Stephen Colbert delivers the 2013 Valedictory Address at the University of Virginia. He first steals the show by pretending to steal the class check, a gift to U.Va., saying he would have spoken for free. He has some other fun moments before shifting gears to share some advice. Rain moves the ceremony from its traditional site on the lower Lawn to the John Paul Jones Arena. About 12,000 graduates and family members gather for the ceremony there.”
From the Mark Herring for AG campaign:
OBENSHAIN WINS REPUBLICAN NOD, ADDED TO THE MOST EXTREME TICKET IN VA HISTORY
(Leesburg) – Ken Cuccinelli's hand-picked successor, Senator Mark Obenshain, received the Republican Party nomination today from the most right-wing activists in the state, adding him to the most extreme ticket in Virginia history.
“Mark Obenshain is more extreme than Ken Cuccinelli. He is the choice of the most right-wing, extreme Tea Party activists in the state,” said Kevin O'Holleran, campaign manager for Mark Herring for Attorney General. “This is the dream ticket of the Tea Party. Obenshain and Cuccinelli both have a long track record of taking out-of-the-mainstream positions and pushing an extreme agenda.”
“Today the right-wing activists in Richmond sent a signal to the rest of Virginia – the Tea Party is clearly in charge and ready to continue pushing the same extreme agenda Ken Cuccinelli has pushed for the last four years,” O’Holleran added.
Obenshain has declared that he looks to Cuccinelli as a role model Attorney General. During Mark Obenshain’s press conference announcing he was running for Attorney General, he said he believes that the “attorney general’s done a great job.” In fact, during a recent interview with the conservative blog, Virginia Virtucon Mark Obenshain went as far to say, “I can take the baton from Ken, build on his work, without missing a step.”
“It’s clear that Mark Obenshain will follow in Ken Cuccinelli’s footsteps of injecting his own extreme politics into the Attorney General’s office. Virginians are tired of it and they are looking for someone who will put problem solving ahead of politics,” Senator Mark Herring said. “I’ll put the law first, not politics and I’ll make sure the office of Attorney General is again focusing on keeping Virginia’s families safe.”
Cuccinelli/Obenshain’s Attacks On Women
Mark Obenshain has a track record of pushing legislation that gives government intrusive power over a woman's most personal health care decisions, including decisions regarding using birth control. The Cuccinelli-Obenshain record on women's health care is downright scary.
In 2007, Obenshain and Cuccinelli came together to sponsor the Personhood Amendment, a bill so extreme it would use the government to block women from access to contraception, ban many common forms of birth control and would force police to investigate women if they have a miscarriage.
With his buddy Cuccinelli out of the Senate, Obenshain continued his assault on women’s health by voting for the personhood bill a second time in 2012. That same year Obenshain supported forcing women to go through unnecessary and invasive procedures by voting in favor of the transvaginal ultrasound bill.
Cuccinelli/Obenshain’s Rigid Ideology
Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Obenshain spent several years working together as seat mates in the State Senate. While there, they carved out their reputations as extreme outsiders, too far to the right in the views of most of their Republican counterparts.
In an interview, Obenshain bragged about the old days serving in the State Senate with Ken Cuccinelli. The two right-wing conservatives “literally were not allowed to go to Republican caucus meetings” because they were trying to defeat then-Governor Mark Warner’s bipartisan budget reforms.
Not much has changed since then. This year when for the first time in over two decades the General Assembly and the Governor were passing a comprehensive transportation package, both Obenshain and Cuccinelli tried to defeat the effort.
Obenshain voted against the transportation bill and Cuccinelli tried to undermine the bill.
Luckily for Virginia, they were both unsuccessful.
Cuccinelli/Obenshain’s Out-Of-The-Mainstream Gun Views
In the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, Cuccinelli and Obenshain spent lots of time together voting to allow for guns in day care centers and in bars, while also voting against closing the gun show loophole.
Obenshain has continued voting against any type of legislation to reduce gun violence, including voting to repeal the state’s one handgun a month law.
###
Key Votes:
Obenshain on Abortion rights:
-Sponsored “Personhood” Bill with Ken Cuccinelli: (HB2797, 2007)
-Voted for it again: (HB1, 2012)
-Voted for Transvaginal Ultrasound Bill: (HB462, 2012)
Obenshain on Guns:
-Voted to allow guns in bars: (SB334, 2010)
-Voted to repeal “one hand gun a month” law: (SB323, 2012)
-Voted to allow guns in child day care centers: (SB1364, 2007)
-Voted against closing the gun show loophole: (SB109, 2008)
Aneesh Chopra and Justin Fairfax speak at the 8th District Democratic Convention. The other 2 primary candidates had Sen. Dick Saslaw speak on their behalf and they might want to re-think that next time. I was glad there were no small children in the room, they would have been crying. Our Virginia Coordinated Campaign Director, Michael Halle did a great job speaking on Terry McAuliffe’s behalf and he made it clear that young people, minorities and women are the critical voting blocks we need to get out to vote this year in order to win. More video below the fold.
Both Aneesh and Justin show why they are the best candidates to run with Terry McAuliffe. They both are more dynamic and connect better with people all across the board. They also help us reach more young people and minorities, which will be critical this year. The fact that they don’t come from the Senate and have not held elected office before are a bonus. People are fed up with our elected officials and are in a mood to boot politicians out and replace them with new blood. Voters do not want to vote for career politicians this year. These are the two candidates that help us add voters to the statewide ticket in every part of Virginia. Please watch and listen.
( – promoted by lowkell)
Are the liberal leanings of government bureaucrats an explanation of the IRS Scandal?
David Weigel, conservative-leaning columnist on Slate.com, thinks so. After documenting the notion that more liberals than conservatives work in agencies like the I.R.S. (and offering an explanation, too: liberals believe in government, while conservatives want to cut it back), Weigel writes:
“[D]oes that excuse the IRS’s behavior in what Tom Reed called ‘Tea Party-targeting-gate?’ No. It explains the behavior.”
My response: Maybe, but maybe not.
Observe that Weigel, a conservative, ASSUMES that partisan leanings lead to unfair favoritism of one’s side, and unfair suspicion of the other side. In other words, he assumes that the ideal of “fairness” is not a reliable force in guiding a person’s actions.
That certainly corresponds to the conduct of the political right in our times. But is it universal?
Recall that liberals have been exercising a kind of bogus and inappropriate “fair-mindedness” in our political arena in these years. I’ve been calling attention to it repeatedly: that “both sides do it” fallacy, deployed by liberals, like President Obama (but not only him), to obscure the asymmetry of the reality.
As the centrists Ornstein and Mann have documented extensively, in their book IT’S WORSE THAN YOU THINK, the problems in our polity are not symmetrical, but being driven by the right.
Nonetheless, our oh-so-eager-to-appear fair liberals consistently refrain from speaking with REAL fairness, such as the American Enterprise Institute’s Ornstein eventually came around to doing, and telling it like it is. Reality is, I would say, a necessary standard for fairness.
So maybe Weigel’s right. Maybe the I.R.S. employees in Cincinnati or elsewhere, went after groups with “Tea Party” in their names because they had a political ax to grind. Or maybe they had some other, non-partisan reason for thinking that this was a legitimate strategy for fulfilling their mandate. It would be good to hear from them directly what their reasons were, so we can glean whether there’s a bias operating, and whether there’s any kind of scandal there at all.
Meanwhile, I’m sure that our fellow citizens on the right who know about my writings and my candidacy assume that I’ve been on the warpath against today’s Republican Party for almost nine years because I’m a liberal, and I’m like them in that I take it as my job to fight my enemies.
But they’d be wrong.
I spent the 1990s telling liberal groups that there are some important insights possessed by conservatives that liberals should examine and integrate into their understanding.
I spent the 1980s and 1990s in the mode not of battle but of a “Search for Common Ground.”
But something has happened on the political right that is highly toxic and dishonest and dangerous for the country. And that development has sparked my willingness to do battle.
I do believe that if anything similar were to happen on the political left –the arising of a force so destructive and dishonest– I’d rise to combat that.
As it is, I do see something really dangerous having happened to the liberal half of America, and to the leadership of the Democratic Party in the past decade plus that is indeed dangerous– the combination of blindness and spinelessness which accounts for the failure to do battle vigorously against the force that’s arisen on the right.
And that degradation of the spirit on the left –different from, but also enabling of, the degradation of the spirit on the right– I DO discuss and condemn.
Andy Schmookler, an award-winning author, political commentator, radio talk-show host, and teacher, was the Democratic nominee for Congress from Virginia’s 6th District. He is the author of various books including The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution.
I’m not sure how much of this I can stand, although on one level I suppose that circus freak shows can be entertaining. I guess three-headed dogs, bearded ladies, etc. are simply not my cup of tea. But that’s what we’ve essentially got going on today in Richmond today – the political equivalent of a circus freak show, but with potentially dire consequences for Virginia instead of relatively innocent fun. If you want to follow along, the John Fredericks Show has an audio stream going (Fredericks is a total right wingnut, and his co-host is a notorious climate science denier, but unfortunately I don’t believe there’s any other game in town if you want to listen to the convention). Currently the RPV is playing “Superstition,” which somehow seems appropriate for this anti-science and anti-rationality crowd). You can also follow the Twitter feeds of Ben Tribbett, who’s there today covering it (and commenting on John Fredericks’ show), Washington Post reporter Ben Pershing, Washington Times reporter David Sherfinski, Virginian Pilot reporter Julian Walker, WAMU reporter Michael Pope, Chelyen Davis of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, DGA Communications Director Danny Kanner, Julie Carey of NBC4, as well as by checking out the Twitter hash tag #RPV2013. Enjoy! (or more likely, not)
UPDATE Sunday 12:03 pm: For completeness purposes, I wanted to pass along what Ben Tribbett wrote on his Facebook page about the end game lat night. “Here’s what happened. Corey Stewart told Pete Snyder he endorsed him. Pete put out flyers. Corey pulled endorsement to humiliate Pete right before final vote and destroy Pete’s credibility before final vote. Nominee: E.W. Jackson.” Verrry interesting.
UPDATE 10:32 pm: By the way, just gotta point out that Ben Tribbett TOTALLY called this, while John Fredericks was TOTALLY wrong in saying there’s no way EW Jackson would win.
UPDATE 10:18 pm: Pete Snyder withdraws his candidacy, endorses EW Jackson for LG. My god…
UPDATE 10:14 pm: Julian Walker tweets, “BRKNG: Looks like @JacksonForLG is your winner. @petesnyder just walked out of @rpvconvention hall.” Nice.
UPDATE 10:10 pm: Ben Tribbett reports that Pete Snyder is NOT the nominee. Which, of course, means that EW Jackson is! Ha. Also, both Democratic LG candidates are out with statements already, blasting EW Jackson. Aneesh Chopra says, “Jackson is far more extreme than Ken Cuccinelli — which is quite a feat.” He’s also fundraising off of this already! đ
UPDATE 9:55 pm: @LarrySabato tweets, “I’m told Jackson has won. Snyder campaign’s phony endorsement ploy backfired on them.” John Fredericks is saying this is a “nightmare,” that Republicans are toast in 2013.
UPDATE 9:52 pm: Ben Pershing tweets, “Sources: @CoreyStewartVA was going to stay neutral. Got upset by fliers saying he backed @petesnyder, backed Jackson instead.”
UPDATE 9:49 pm: Ben Tribbett just tweeted, “CUCCINLLLI CANCELS MEDIA AVAILABILITY FOR TICKET WITH E.W. JACKSON ON TICKET!!!!”
UPDATE 9:37 pm: Del. @GregHabeeb tweets, “Just cast my 4th and final ballot. My prediction for final result…EW Jackson 54.5 Snyder 45.5.” And @MoElleithee tweeted, “So you know those expensive electric fans @petesnyder was distributing at #RPV2013? Guess what just hit them…”
UPDATE 9:26 pm: Rep. Connolly’s Chief of Staff @JamesWalkinshaw tweets, “Looks like #rpv2013 going with the “Obama is a Muslim” ticket. Strong move…” LOL
UPDATE 9:18 pm: Whoa, now Mark Obenshain tweets, “Unfortunately there are flyers circulating that erroneously state that I have endorsed a candidate for LG.” Yowza!!!
UPDATE 9:16 pm: Ben Pershing tweets, “Wow. Snyder people claimed endorsements from both Obenshain and Stewart, both not true. Wheels coming off.” You know, when I said this morning that this was a “freak show,” I never could have dreamed how much of a freak show it could become. Well, now it has. Holy. Crap.
UPDATE 9:11 pm: Whoa! Corey Stewart walking around with EW Jackson (see photo at right), that could do it! Did Pete Snyder claim the Corey Stewart endorsement wayyyy too soon? Sure seems like it. John Fredericks having a meltdown about the Tea Party destroying the part, “tiger by the tail,” etc. LOL
UPDATE 9:06 pm: Corey Stewart officially eliminated. EW Jackson in first with 5,934.69 votes, Pete Snyder in second with 3,652.97 votes.
UPDATE 9:00 pm: Mark Obenshain and Corey Stewart have also endorsed EW Jackson. Meanwhile, the Republican establishment is stalling, desperate to stop EW Jackson at all costs. So much for any pretense of democracy. Ken Cuccinelli and Company don’t care, as has been clear since they forced a switch from a primary to a convention.
UPDATE 8:52 pm: John Fredericks reports that Ken Cuccinelli will not officially weigh in against EW Jackson.
UPDATE 8:42 pm: Chelyen Davis tweets, “Source says one more ballot: that @Jackson4VA got 49.7 percent. Not 50, not enough.” Republicans now panic stricken, desperate to stop EW Jackson. Hilarious!!!
UPDATE 8:18 pm: John Fredericks reports on a “major stop Jackson movement” coming together, and that Ken Cuccinelli is quietly telling people in his delegation that he’ll vote for Pete Snyder, “they don’t want EW Jackson on the ticket.” Fredericks calls this a battle for the “soul” of the Republican Party of Virginia.
UPDATE 8:16 pm: John Fredericks reports that Jamie Radtke, a major Tea Party leader and Susan Stimpson backer, has endorsed Pete Snyder for LG. So much for Corey Stewart…soon will be down to EW Jackson vs. Pete Snyder. What a wonderful choice! Also, @LarrySabato tweets, “Final ballot for VA R Lt GOV will be EWJackson and Pete Snyder. Snyder coming on strong…Concern among GOP leaders is: R delegates leaving in droves. Jackson may have more backing among hard-core.”
UPDATE 8:10 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “Around 5,000 votes cast this round, down from 8,000 earlier in day. Lots of people leaving and giving those left a bigger voice.”
UPDATE 7:48 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “Cuccinelli is privately talking up Pete, but won’t make a public announcement. Not sure if its in time.”
UPDATE 7:40 pm: CNU political science Prof. @QuentinKidd tweets, “RPV establishment trying to stop a surging conservative at convention designed for surging conservatives…irony?”
UPDATE 7:37 pm: @SusanBStimpson tweets, “I do not endorse anyone on the next ballot! Best wishes to the winner!”
UPDATE 7:24 pm: Larry Sabato tweets, “I’m picking up lots of signs VA GOP leaders do not want EWJackson for LG. But can they stop him?”
UPDATE 7:17 pm: Here are the 3rd ballot results. #5 Scott Lingamfelter (1,441.54 votes); #4 Susan Stimpson (1,871.11 votes); #3 Corey Stewart (2,008 votes); #2 Pete Snyder (2,066.89 votes); #1 EW Jackson (4,558.38 votes).
UPDATE 7:08 pm: â@LarrySabato tweets, “Only 3 left for VA R LtGov: EWJackson, PSnyder, CStewart. Jackson in 1st, Snyder got some mojo from Ligamfelter endorse. Onto 3rd ballot.” The discussion right now on John Fredericks is that Ken Cuccinelli doesn’t want either Corey Stewart or EW Jackson on his ticket, and may throw his weight to Pete Snyder. Of course, that could backfire…we’ll see soon enough.
UPDATE 6:46 pm: John Fredericks says this is the “hijacking” of the Republican Party of Virginia by the “extreme” Tea Party wing. Julian Walker tweets, “Late endorsement for @petesnyder from frmr candidate @Lingamfelter4VA in #va LG race.”
UPDATE 6:31 pm: Julian Walker of the Virginian Pilot tweets, “Source: 2nd ballot rslts @rpvconvention: @JacksonForLG at 38% @petesnyder 17% & @CoreyStewartVA 16%. @Lingamfelter4VA & @SusanBStimpson out.” Larry Sabato tweets, “EWJackson almost unchanged from 1st ballot(37%) to 2nd(38%). Can PSnyder(17%) or CStewart(16%) catch him on 3rd?”
UPDATE 6:25 pm: Chelyen Davis tweets, “RPV staff says there will be a third ballot in LG race — no candidate has more than 38 percent of vote.” According to John Fredericks, Stewart is out (good riddance if true!). Republican consultant Mike Murphy tweets, “VA GOP convention making strong case against the idea of nominating by convention. Bell almost beat Gov nominee’s choice. LG race berserk.”
UPDATE 6:21 pm: John Fredericks says he’s confirmed that Jeannemarie Davis has endorsed EW Jackson for the Republican LG nominee.
UPDATE 5:22 pm: Wow, John Fredericks is TOTALLY going off on the Tea Party. Does he really think that will help his candidate, Pete Snyder, who you’d think would be wanting to appeal to the Tea Party? Weird.
UPDATE 5:13 pm: Steve Contorno tweets, “7th Martin 662.10; Davis 861.68; Lingamfelter 1375.18; Snyder 1739.17; Stewart 1769.14; Stimpson 1798.43; 1st Jackson 3732.49.” John Fredericks just called it the “Tea Party takeover” of the Republican Party of Virginia. Basically, the two most far-right candidates finished #1 and #2 with about 50% of the total vote. That’s what happens when you only have an utterly miniscule percentage of Republicans voting.
UPDATE 5:04 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “Lots of people in other candidate stickers putting on EW Jackson hats. He might make a move further ahead on this ballot- but will he peak?” Steve Contorno tweets, “The reason round 1 of voting took so long is because the AG race between Obenshain and Bell was actually very, very close.”
UPDATE 4:51 pm: Jeannemarie Davis and Steve Martin eliminated. No surprises there, although I’d say Davis significantly underperformed what she had been expected to do. The remaining candidates are EW Jackson (in 1st by a significant margin), Corey Stewart (apparently in 2nd), Scott Lingamfelter (apparently in 3rd), Pete Snyder and Susan Stimpson (apparently in 4th and 5th). There were 8,149 votes total. Also, Jeannemarie Davis has thrown her support to EW Jackson. Bizarre!
UPDATE 4:41 pm: Ashley Bauman of DPVA tweets, “In ’12 Obama supporters waited upwards of 7 hours to vote on E-Day. @VA_GOPers are complaining about 3. #CryMeARiver #RPVA2013” So true!
UPDATE 4:38 pm: DGA Communications Director Danny Kanner tweets, “For AG, @KenCuccinelli threw his support behind @MarkObenshain, who wrote a bill requiring women to report miscarriages to cops #CreepyKen” Also, Susan Stimpson’s campaign tweets, “Good news coming for Team Stimpson at #RPV2013”
UPDATE 4:31 pm: Brennan Bilberry of the McAuliffe campaign tweets, “No Surprise: Cuccinelli weighs into AG primary to support Obenshain, guy he worked w/ to ban birth control in 2007.”
UPDATE 4:28 pm: Republican AG nominee Mark Obenshain calls for “defeating the EPA,” which of course is utterly insane unless you’re a polluter or a defender of polluters. Hmmmm.
UPDATE 4:22 pm: Rob Bell delivering his concession speech for Attorney General. Yes, it’s far-right-wing extremist Mark Obenshain, a “Cuccinelli clone” as Mark Herring says, as the Virginia GOP’s 2013 nominee.
UPDATE 4:21 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “@TimHugo about to come on stage to make a big announcement.”
UPDATE 4:17 pm: Chelyen Davis tweets, “Nothing official yet, but source tells me Martin & Jeannemarie Davis drop off first round of LG ballot — & Davis will endorse E.W. Jackson.”
UPDATE 4:09 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “RESULTS: 30% Jackson, 15% Stewart, 14% Stimpson, 13% Snyder- with JMDD and Martin eliminated. Headed to 2nd ballot soon.” Not sure about Lingamfelter…
UPDATE 4:01 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “By the way- Republicans in the GA have blocked bills allowing manual reviews of optical scan ballots undervotes on election day…But today- they are doing it at their convention.” Also, they’re doing the “wave” in the crowd and throwing paper airplanes around. Yes, this is the Republican process for selecting their nominees to lead Virginia. #FAIL
UPDATE 3:58 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “Rob Bell has called Mark Obenshain and conceded. Not sure why he didn’t do it in person since this is a convention but that’s a done deal.” Also, John Fredericks reports that EW Jackson is in first place for LG, and that Steve Martin and Jeannemarie Davis will both be eliminated in the first round. No surprises.
UPDATE 3:49 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “140 ballots cast w/o votes for both offices holding the convention up. Each one is being manually reviewed to make sure it was an undervote.”
UPDATE 3:47 pm: John Fredericks writes on Facebook, “Breaking: State Senator Mark Obenshain has reportedly won the 2013 Republican nomination for Attorney General of Virginia, defeating Del. Rob Bell in a much tighter race than was expected. Bell operatives have requested a hand reocount of the ballots, which are delaying official results and Bell has not conceded…”
UPDATE 3:41 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “E.W. Jackson in first place on the opening ballot according to people in counting room.” Chopra for LG campaign manager Trey Nix tweets, “The RPV and its candidates can’t run a convention but somehow they expect voters to let them run a Government?”
UPDATE 3:19 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “Rumors that only 45% of the ballots are counted so far. Now after 3 pm and we don’t even have a runoff.” That’s pitiful. I hear Republicans only have 4 machines counting ballots. That’s crazy, very poor planning…can’t these guys even run a convention properly?!?
UPDATE 3:09 pm: John Fredericks just predicted that Mark Herring would win the June 11 Democratic primary in a “blowout,” with 75% of the vote or something like that.
UPDATE 3:00 pm: To illustrate how small a number of Republicans are voting today to select the Republican statewide nominees: in 2011, Scott Lingamfelter received 8,435 votes, which is more than the approximately 8,000 delegates at the RPV convention today. In 2007, Jeannemarie Devolites Davis received 20,490 votes, more than twice as many as are in attendance in Richmond today. Lame.
UPDATE 2:57 pm: Julian Walker of the Virginian Pilot points out that there’s sparse attendance today in the Northern Virginia delegations. Potentially bad news for the NOVA candidates…
UPDATE 2:30 pm: Ben Pershing tweets, “For 2nd ballot and beyond, @petesnyder camp distributing ‘Switched to Pete’ stickers.” That’s very smart, I must say…
UPDATE 2:16 pm: Hahaha, corrupt right-wingnut Del. David Ramadan just called Howard Dean extreme, and said that he’d learn a lesson meddling in Virginia politics. Sounds like Ramadan’s worried about DFA’s help to his Democratic opponent, John Bell. đ
UPDATE 2:06 pm: Approximately 8,000 Republican delegates now voting to nominate their LG and AG candidates. To put that in perspective, in June 2009, Democrats saw 319,168 voters turn out in their primary for gov, LG, and AG. In 2005, Republicans had 175,170 voters turn out in their statewide primary. So, by moving to a convention, Republicans have reduced the number of voters selecting their nominees by about 95%. Congratulations, guys, that’s real dedication to democracy and grassroots politics right there! (snark)
UPDATE 1:54 pm: Pete Snyder tweets, “Let the voting begin!”
UPDATE 1:31 pm: Ben Tribbett says EW Jackson had the best speech among LG candidates (I agree), and now may be the front runner. Ben also says that Pete Snyder had a weak speech, had a tough time speaking in a convention format (again, I agree – Pete didn’t do well at all, unless of course YOU LIKE SHOUTING!!!!!!).
UPDATE 1:23 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “Only 8,094 people showed up- over 12K signed up.”
UPDATE 1:16 pm: Intro for Attorney General candidate Mark Obenshain, who almost certainly will win the nomination in a little while. For more on Obenshain, click here and here. Heh. Obenshain notes that he has Ken Cuccinelli’s vote, then segues into yet ANOTHER attack on President Obama. It’s truly bizarre, do these people really believe the garbage they spew out? Let me emphasize: there is ZERO evidence to support their paranoid ravings. Very short speech by Obenshain, by the way. Key line: “The next time the rogue IRS targets the Virginia Tea Party, you will have to deal with me.” Oh noooooo!!!! LOL
UPDATE 1:07 pm: Video for Teapublican freak show Attorney General candidate Rob Bell. He’s “relentless,” “doesn’t quit.” Except he’s going to lose today to Mark Obenshain. “This constitution is in peril…because Barack Obama does not accept the limitations that it puts on him.” Huh?!? Delusional. Obamacare makes you buy something, “it could be broccoli!” God no, ANYTHING BUT BROCCOLI! (snark) Oh, great, if he’s elected AG, he’ll spend his time trying to overturn Obamacare. What a waste. Also completely delusional: repeat it with me, “Obamacare is NOT going to be repealed.” Bell promises to “fight relentlessly” to keep your family safe from violent crime. “We have lost too many of our liberties already.” Quotes Churchill about never surrendering, except this time not to the Nazis, but to the evil Obamacare. What. Ever. (rolls eyes)
UPDATE 1:03 pm: Ben Tribbett tweets, “Lots of E.W. Jackson cheers when he spoke. Much of the signs in small delegations with high weighted votes- he could be early frontrunner.”
UPDATE 12:56 pm: John Fredericks says EW Jackson speech was the best, and I definitely agree (although it was insane, it was powerful), but also that he’s far too extreme to get elected. Fredericks and Leahy are panning Pete Snyder’s speech as stiff, ineffective. Jeannemarie’s not very good either. Susan Stimpson? Fredericks and Leahy say she was “not particularly riveting,” video “kind of flat,” took “swings against the GOP establishment.” John Fredericks said Scott Lingamfelter’s speech was interesting, effective, compared it to EW Jackson’s but not as extreme. Fredericks: “That speech gets him beyond the first ballot.” As for Corey Stewart, he sounded embattled, “uncomfortable,” “something off,” “something missing” in his speech…”no there there.”
UPDATE 12:48 pm: Steve Martin now speaking, talks about protection of Christian prayer under the 1st amendment and “whatever armaments are necessary” under 2nd amendment. “Liberty comes from God.” Zzzzz. Frankly, the only questions for Martin are how few votes he’ll get in the first round, and what he’ll do the rest of the day after he’s eliminated. Wow, this is a boring speech, and to make matters worse, Martin’s voice keeps breaking/squeaking. Audience very quiet…then his mic got cut off at the end. #FAIL
UPDATE 12:39 pm: And now xenophobe and tinfoil-hat Bircher Corey Stewart. Steve Contorno tweets, “And here comes Corey Stewart…or is it Job? The Final Countdown is blasting. Good timing.” Stewart says, basically, he doesn’t “back down,” cites his crackdown on “illegal immigration,” says he was labeled a “racist” and a “bigot” (uh…yeah). Touts endorsement by 30 Tea Party groups. That’s something to brag about? In THIS crowd, yeah. “I’ve been accused of virtually everything…no, I was not on the grassy knoll.” Says he’s fiscally responsible, hasn’t raised the average tax bill in Prince William County. Mocks the concept of compromising right-wing principles to broaden our base. “THEY ARE WRONG!” Now making the electability argument in a county that’s “majority minority” and went for Barack Obama twice.
UPDATE 12:33 pm: Now, Susan Stimpson. I don’t envy her having to follow that incredible (albeit insane!) speech by E.W. Jackson. Attacks Virginia Republicans, implicitly including her supposed ally Bill Howell, raising taxes this year and “opening the door to Obamacare.” Wow. Says she’s “governed conservatively” in Stafford County, abolished BPOL, “cut our own pay by 25%.” Says she’s the only candidate in the race who has never raised taxes. “You CAN limit government, it’s working in Stafford.” She calls on the Virgnia Republican Party to welcome the Ron Paul liberty movement.
UPDATE 12:31 pm: John Fredericks note that the convention is 99% white, mostly older, that if they come out with a Cuccinelli/Jackson ticket, Republicans won’t get more than 38% of the vote in November. “If you want to nominate the most extreme, right-wing candidate…it’s not going to play.”
UPDATE 12:23 pm: Now, Bishop E.W. Jackson, who John Fredericks calls the “far-right-wing candidate.” As opposed to all the other candidates? What on earth? Jackson begins, “Fellow patriots…[running] to make sure Virginia remains sovereign and free!” “My mother’s name is even Virginia.” “Get the government off our backs, off our property, off our guns, out of our families, out of our health care!” (now THAT riled the crowd up) “We don’t need the government’s permission” to…basically do anything. Alrighty. Can we say “straw man?” “We stand up for the free market.” “We stand up for the lives of unborn children, because there is no liberty without freedom.” “We stand up for the traditional freedom, because there is no liberty when government tries to violate our conscience.” “…there is no liberty where children are indoctrinated instead of educated.” “I am NOT an African American, I am an AMERICAN!” Look, the guy’s completely bonkers, but he is an extremely dynamic and effective speaker, no doubt.
UPDATE 12:17 pm: Now, it’s Jeannemarie Davis time. I can’t imagine she has any shot at this, given her liberal/moderate Republican past at this hard-right convention, but we’ll see. My guess is that she could be out after round #1. Davis: “I’ve had it with losing elections.” Ben Tribbett tweets, “Was told by a Republican activist that Jeannemarie’s candidacy was ‘going over like an abortion doctor at pro-life rally’.” Davis talking about Benghazi, IRS…what does any of this have to do with Virginia? Nothing, of course. She also goes for the “Democrat Party” nomenclature, further embarrassing herself as she sells out her entire past as a sane, liberal/moderate Republican. It’s really sad. Bottom line, she’s making the electability argument. The crowd is verrrry quiet.
UPDATE 12:07 pm: Convicted felon Oliver North introduces slimeball, professional Big Liar, and LOSER (in last year’s election’s as head of the ironically named “Virginia Victory 2012”) Pete Snyder. Video touts that Snyder founded New Media Strategies, is a “contributor to Fox News,” and has “strong, conservative principles” (natch). Snyder SHOUTING, calls for (wait for it) “lower taxes,” “limited government,” no infringements on “Second Amendment rights,” “stand up for innocent life,” “faith and family front and center,” etc, etc. Snyder sounds like a boxing prize fight announcer, SPEAKING IN ALL CAPS! Claims he’s the only proven “job creator.” Whatever, this was lame. Bad, bad speech.
UPDATE 12:02 pm: Now that Cooch has spoken, for whatever reason the audio and video feeds seems to have died. #FAIL yet again. I’ll update for now based on reporters’ Twitter feeds. Starting with: “@chelyendavis Starting the first of seven LG speeches. Lingamfelter first, intro’d by fmr congressman Allen West.” Also from Chelyen Davis: Scott Lingamfelter says, “Some people say our party must moderate. I say we stand by our conservative values.” Lingamfelter: “Ride to the sound of the guns.” WTF? This guy sounds utterly unhinged.
UPDATE 11:48 am: Steve Contorno tweets, “Cuccinelli wraps it up. He has this crowd united…and now they will all be divided as they hear from 9 candidates for AG/LG”
UPDATE 11:37 am: Ha, this is REALLY laughable. Cuccinelli claims he’s going to fight to do something about traffic congestion, after he OPPOSED Gov. McDonnell’s historic, bipartisan transportation bill this year! Wow, this guy’s certainly got chutzpah. Of course, Cuccinelli wants to get government out of the way, so his friends the polluters and other bad actors can rum amok. One thing I agree with Cuccinelli on: Virginians truly DO face a stark choice this November: lurch backwards or move forward, as we did under Governors Warner and Kaine? Hmmmm. Do we want a governor who will “say anything…to get elected?” No, we don’t, which is why we’re not supporting Ken Cuccinelli! Interesting how Cuccinelli suddenly wants to debate, after Terry McAuliffe accepted debates weeks ago. Steve Contorno tweets, “Cuccinelli criticizes green energy initiatives as ‘a fad-driven energy policy that leaves Southwest Virginia behind.'” Yep, he’s a Koch brothers/coal companies tool. By the way, just saying words like “freedom,” “liberty” and “opportunity” doesn’t mean anything if your actual policies would restrict all those things.
UPDATE 11:27 am: Danny Kanner tweets, “Cuccinelli’s GOP RT @FigDrewton: There’s a guy walking around #rpv2013 with an AR-15 because that’s totally normal and not ridiculous.” Steve Contorno tweets, “Cuccinelli goes right after McAuliffe: ‘We should be trying to create those jobs right here in Virginia. Not in Mississippi or in China.'” Predictable. David Sherfinski tweets, “Cuccinelli: ‘We should encourage a deep and abiding respect for all human life.'” Attacks Terry McAuliffe for supposedly “abandoning” Virginia for Mississippi. Brags about challenging Obamacare, fails to note that his case was tossed out of court. Now lying about the EPA supposedly treating “rain water like a pollutant.” Note that Cuccinelli keeps referring to the “Democrat Party.” Totally juvenile, idiotic, no class whatsoever, definitely not governor of Virginia material. Now he’s claiming he’s doesn’t just talk about “good governance,” failing to mention Star Scientific scandal and his other corruption. He jokes that he can’t be “too conservative” because he hasn’t “been audited by the IRS.” Hahahaha. Not. Says opponents will claim he’s “extreme” and “radical.” Yeah, the truth hurts. But seriously, Kookinelli’s going to seriously argue that he’s not an extremist? Here are 25 examples of Cuccinelli’s extremism just off the top of my head.
UPDATE 11:23 am: Climate science denier, LGBT basher, etc. Ken Cuccinelli is now speaking. Oh joy. He jokes, “Having won in a recount, this was a lot more comfortable.” Yeah, of course it was – you staged a coup to change the GOP nomination method from a primary to a convention, where your far-right-wing supporters would dominate! Anyway, for what it’s worth, he just accepted the nomination. Shocker.
UPDATE 11:12 am: Steve Contorno tweets, “Long intro video before Cuccinelli speech focusing on kitchen table issues and combating anti-woman image.” Good luck with that! Now, Ken’s wife Teiro is speaking. Steve Contorno notes, ” She’s become a big face of the campaign, starring in first TV ad.” According to Contorno, Teiro Cuccinelli says, “Our next governor should be someone that respects and values human life at every stage.” Translation: ban abortion, many forms of contraception, and embryonic stem cell research. #FAIL
UPDATE 11:00 am: Bobby Jindal now (predictably) ripping into Terry McAuliffe as…wait for it…”liberal!” Well, ain’t that original (also not really true; Terry’s pretty much a moderate, Bill Clinton-style Democrat). He’s also attacking McAuliffe’s business credentials, because you know how much Republicans respect entrepreneurs (snark). Irony alert: Big Liar Bobby Jindal claiming Terry McAuliffe “just doesn’t tell the truth.” Uh huh. Jindal claims Cuccinelli has the “courage of his convictions”; translation, “he’s an extreme ideologue who won’t compromise or get anything done unless it’s HIS way, 100%.” #FAIL
UPDATE 10:51 am: Julie Carey reports, “And the nomination is official. @KenCuccinelli nominated by acclamation for GOP Governor candidate.” Also, Bobby Jindal is giving a nasty little speech now, lie after lie, slamming “Obamacare,” taking a completely unfair and inaccurate shot at Hillary Clinton, etc, etc. (Jindal apparently thought this line was funny: “By agreeing to be here, every one of you has just signed up for an audit by the IRS.” Hahahaha) Jindal now engaging in demagoguery, distortion and scandal-mongering on the IRS situation, obviously trying to rile up the Teahadists in attendance. It’s truly appalling; this party has absolutely ZERO positive agenda, just hatred and contempt for government. Which raises the question: why would we elect these people to run the government they despise so much?
UPDATE 10:48 am: Ben Tribbett reports: “Convention got started late because of a lack of convention doors open. Chairman Pat Mullins wanted to open all the doors himself and a Richmond Police Officer threatened him with arrest if he did. 45 minutes after convention was supposed to get started, still about 4,000 seats are empty.”
UPDATE 10:41 am: Not surprisingly, being who these people are, they’re fighting about whether people with “concealed carry” permits can do so in the convention center.
UPDATE 10:35 am: They just recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and are now singing the national anthem. Danny Kanner reports that he ran into Eric Cantor and former Congressman (but still totally nuts) Allen West. Check out Kanner’s photo at the far right (appropriately enough).
UPDATE 10:29 am: Ben Pershing reports that “@KenCuccinelli will vote for @MarkObenshain to succeed him as VA AG.” That should seal the deal for Obenshain, if it wasn’t already sealed. In other news, the convention’s running 1/2 hour late so far; the Republicans are, as usual, blaming someone else, in this case the Richmond Convention Center for not having enough doors.
Courtesy of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, who are at the #rpv2013 freak show/convention in Richmond this morning attempting to #KeepKenOut of #VAGov. Good for them!
Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, May 18. Today, as DPVA puts it, a “small group of Tea Party fanatics” gathers in Richmond to nominate a ticket of Tea Party fanatics headed by Ken Kookinelli. It promises to be a John Birch Society-style, far-right-wing freak show promoting policies that would send Virginia lurching backwards. In stark contrast, see President Obama’s weekly address, in which he ” talks about his belief that a rising, thriving middle class is the true engine of economic growth, and that to reignite that engine and continue to build on the progress we’ve made over the last four years, we need to invest in three areas: jobs, skills and opportunity.”
*White House Sharpens Its Focus on a Path Forward (“After a turbulent week, the Obama administration will try to push past the political furor with an emphasis on executive actions and bills that the president believes could pass Congress.”)
*Mr. President, Arctic Ice Loss Portends a Climate Tsunami: The National Arctic Strategy is Suicidal
*McAuliffe’s wife: Cuccinelli ‘will have me to answer to’
*McDonnell’s gifts highlight loose disclosure rules
*Goodlatte encourages House group on comprehensive immigration bill
*Jindal tells Virginia GOP convention party should ‘get over ourselves’ (This is utter nonsense: “I’m tired of all the public confessions. I’m tired of all the psychoanalysis. This country already has one liberal party, it certainly does not need two.” Yeah, I guess Jindal’s right that the GOP is stereotypically “liberal” in one sense: that they’re the ones who always go on unpaid-for spending sprees, bust the budget, rack up huge deficits, etc. Other than that, though…huh?)
*Jindal praises Cuccinelli, urges inclusive GOP (That’s a wild contradiction: Cuccinelli is divisive, not inclusive in any way, so how can Jindal praise him exactly?)
*Spotlight on contentious field for lieutenant governor as state GOP meets in Richmond
*Va. Republicans choose 2014 convention to nominate for U.S. Senate (Why do Virginia Republicans hate democracy so much? Are they that afraid of letting the people decide? Apparently so, because they keep choosing conventions over primaries.)
*On Virginia’s roads, full speed ahead (How about full speed ahead on smart growth, rail, pedestrian and bicycle trail upgrades, etc?)
*Outside group makes calls for Stewart, Obenshain ahead of GOP convention (For more on this extremist group, which favors allowing states to nullify federal laws, see here).
*Political group linked to Koch Brothers comes to town (Speaking of extremist groups…Americans for Prosperity is definitely in that category.)
*McDonnell launches Va. adoption initiative (“About 4,000 children are now in the state foster care system, though the pool of prospective parents is limited by a law that specifies only married couples or single people are eligible to adopt children. That means gay couples can’t jointly adopt due to a 2006 amendment to Virginia’s Constitution that prohibits gay marriage.”)
*LGBT Groups Slam Gov. McDonnell on ”Virginia Adopts” (“New campaign for placement of children labeled hypocritical in light of McDonnell signing ‘conscience clause’ law”)
*Highway plans built in a vacuum (“…decades of efforts to unify the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads will erode and perhaps be destroyed. That’s not a step anyone should take lightly – or in a month.”)
*Nationals vs. Padres: Chad Tracy hits pinch homer in 10th inning to salvage a win for Washington
*Cloudy and cooler weekend in store
I’ve been eagerly waiting for Dorothy McAuliffe, who is a wonderful person by the way, to hit back against the relentless attacks by Republicans against her marriage to Terry McAuliffe. Note that among those Republicans are Ken Cuccinelli staffers (spokespersons Jahan Wilcox and Anna Nix), as well as Republican Party of Virginia chair Pat Mullins and Republican National Committee Chair Reince Preibus (see screenshots on the “flip”). No, these are NOT nice people. And yes, politics is rough. But this stuff’s really been nasty, even by the “standards” of politics. Good for Dorothy for fighting back (my favorite line: Cuccinelli “will have me to answer to if he wants to intrude on our family life for political attacks.“)!
Statement from Dorothy McAuliffe on Recent Attacks
Dorothy McAuliffe, wife of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, released the following statement in response to recent attacks:
“I am surprised that Ken Cuccinelli and his spokespeople have latched on to a few anecdotes from Terry’s book in response to the incredible support Terry is getting from women across party lines in his campaign for governor. Terry and I had a lot of fun writing the book; it was a great opportunity to relive some of the experiences we’ve had in our over 25 years together. While politics has become a negative and cynical business for some, Terry has used his humor, good cheer and innate optimism over many years to find ways to work with others to get things done.
“The truth about Terry is that he is a wonderful husband and a great father — he is supportive, devoted, and caring. I have always stood beside him, and he has always stood beside me.
“Anyone who knows Terry knows he is someone who respects women and the role we play in today’s world — and nobody knows that better than me. My husband’s opponent is underestimating the women of Virginia if he thinks he can distract us from the real issues that affect our lives and the lives of our daughters. While Terry has always been there for me, I can stand on my own two feet and say that Mr. Cuccinelli should know that he will have me to answer to if he wants to intrude on our family life for political attacks.”
