What does $8 Million Buy?

It's no secret; Fast Terry gladly received millions upon millions of dollars for lipstick to put on the pig that will be his administration. A huge part of that comes from his good buddy, California enviro-nut Tom Steyer. Terry had to sell himself, sure; but let's be honest, that and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee. The real question has to deal with Virginia's businesses and employment.

Virginia's first Climate-bagger 

What did Steyer buy for himself with that money? That question should be on every Virginian's mind as we move forward with this Legislative Session. Because no one, AND I MEAN NO ONE, pays out 8 million dollars without the expectation of a return. Steyer wants to put a restrictor plate on Virginia's energy industry. He spun an election that should have been about education, transportation, and government regulation around an issue on which Virginians don't vote, and on which McAuliffe DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A REAL POSITION!

Virginia's excellent business climate depends on low regulations and reasonable taxes, all of the things that Tom hates. What kind of influence has the billionaire bought over the business community? According to Politico's Burns and Restuccia, that question goes unanswered, but the context is grim.

Fast Terry has sold a lot of questionably appropriate things; White House Bedrooms, Rides on Air Force One, and indeed his own word as the close friend and enforcer of the Clintons. It is not even slightly above him to sell out Virginia's energy industry.

This post isn't all about Steyer and Terry, either. For nearly the entirety of Barack Obama's re-election campaign, the indignant cries of Democrats at just how disgusting it was to take money from wealthy individuals like Sheldon Adelson, or the Koch Brothers rang out in righteous anger. Remember that? Well apparently taking millions from wealthy individuals is only wrong when they're not giving it to a Democrat. Hypocrisy as usual. 

Vote for vote - Tom Steyer easily outspent Sheldon Adelson

VA GOP Caucus

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This Day in History: New York, New York

'Twas this day in history, 2002, when the New York Times first reported rumblings of a possible campaign for their Governorship. "Some Democrats [had] spoken openly" about this man's run at the time. That man...was Terry McAuliffe.

Oh how time can change things. Now that Mr. McAuliffe is on his second bite at the apple here in Virginia, we send this message to our friends in the Empire State:

You really lucked out on that one, New York! 

VA GOP Caucus

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Virginia Democrats, WAKE UP!

Babysitter wanted: to watch Male, mid-50's, has a problem with rum shots and the truth, needs to be changed regularly, but the smell never goes away. 

Seriously, intelligent Democrats of Virginia must be banging their heads against the wall over this one. I mean, a lot of Dems really didn't like McAuliffe to begin with; but when a reliably liberal newspaper can't even pretend that a candidate has merit...you've lost your way.

Virginia, if you have been waiting for a sign from God...well...the Washington Post has given you one. Today Laura Vozzella chose Terry. 

McAuliffe's delightful, if entirely fabricated stump speech of college money-saving and helping out poor nursing students has (shocker) been proven completely false. That is only the tip of the iceberg, though. Vozzella highlights what many of McAuliffe's critics have been saying for years. That the man is a slimy, lying, snake-oil selling, scamming, embellishing, say-anything, yes man for the Democratic Party and has painstakingly cultivated the scent of bullshit around him.

Why let a silly little thing like facts get in the way of your reward for a lifetime of ignoring them in the name of money? 

Virginia, after the last few days, honestly if this has not convinced you that Fast Terry's bait-and-switch game is real, then I have some land that I want to sell you in Florida. THE WASHINGTON FREAKING POST, PEOPLE! 

The story actually contains only a few quotations from the characters of Terry's story; they didn't seem to want to be associated with the esteemed candidate. Even Josh Schwerin, McAuliffe's mouthpiece to the Post in nearly all matters, was forced into a full acknowledgement of Terry's factually-challenged antics.

VA GOP Caucus

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Buyer Beware

Today Attorney General Cuccinelli delineated exactly what it is going to cost Virginians if Terry McAuliffe slithers his way into the Governor's Mansion this November. In a live conference today, Cuccinelli outlined the 14 Billion(plus) dollar price tag of Terry McAuliffe's campaign promises so far.

It's par for the course when it comes to Terry, but his particular brand of pandering will end in one of two unfortunate ways for Virginia's families; either broken promises, or a $1500+ tax increase per family over the course of his "administration"(read: patronage scheme). Please take a few moments to have a look at the numbers; they are rather alarming.

Terry McAuliffe's Spending

VA GOP Caucus

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Terry's Lack of Backbone is Jeopardizing Billions

In 2009, Hampton Roads, Virginia was the point of embarkation for the majority of America's total coal exports. That means that more than half of what ODU estimates at around 97 million metric tons of coal passed through there.

Over 800 ships came just for coal, and took it to ports worldwide. Over 4,200 jobs (all over 400 miles from a Virginia coal mine) are filled to make that feat possible. Combined goods, services, and earnings from coal accounted for more than 1 Billion dollars in 2011. Every cent, second, and ounce of coal had to pass Virginian hands, at Virginian companies, manned by Virginians.

Those numbers are staggering. Coal mines in Southwest Virginia are not the only places that are affected by the EPA's new regulations; regulations that T-Mac must either not understand or the consequences of which he must be ignoring.

Terry wants to "expand exports to China", the same place that he went to buy his monstrosity of a car company. Might he owe a favor over there, perhaps? Terry, himself is no stranger to all of the lucrative gifts that a Governor can offer to his patrons. He goes over it thoroughly in his book. This is strange since China doesn't even fit in the top 12 of Virginia's already full bill of destination ports for coal. Terry's penchant for selling patronage and his love of the almighty dollar should be making Virginians nervous.

It's definitely a love/hate relationship if we are talking about any of his "businesses". Terry's forte is collecting money, like some enforcer from the Sopranos. He is far less comfortable in the business world; and for most of this election he has been trying to shoehorn himself into that identity but it just doesn't work.

Now, with his protection money, T-Mac has been paid to push coal out of Virginia; he doesn't understand that it affects more than coal miners. Thousands of workers will face unemployment, but that's just quid pro quo to Fast Terry.

VA GOP Caucus

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Sex, Lies, and Voter Fraud

Okay, we lied about the sex. But important developments in the Governor's race have just come to light.

Terry McAuliffe's latest scare tactics have hit the Washington Post. Unsurprisingly, even the Post, liberal leaning publication that it is, cannot go along with the blatant misrepresentation of the truth that T-Mack is spewing.

The McAuliffe Campaign's latest claims cite billions of dollars in budget shortfall, in a scenario that is hypothetical to the point of fabrication. The food fight continues here, and the Dem camp has made it clear that they are happier slinging mud than doing such trivial things as running a responsible government, or lightening the load on Virginian taxpayers. That would be too much like Ken Cuccinelli.

So I guess you thought that you could just assume a responsible tax plan to death? I suppose, speaking of taxes, you wouldn't mind releasing the rest of yours to match the Attorney General at ten years? You would think that would be enough embarrassment for one day...

BUT SOFT, WHAT STENCH FROM YONDER CAMPAIGN BREAKS? 

Maybe you wouldn't mind explaining why out of state voters are using the address of your campaign friend, Jeff Barnett? 

You may remember him from an embarrassing loss in the 10th Congressional against Frank Wolf in 2010. Seems a couple of friends of Jeff's decided that moving across the Potomac to Maryland was more of a detail when it came to helping out Barnett at the polls(didn't seem to work too well; though Terry's speech, afterward, about his friend is touching). Barnett has been close at hand, like any good Dem, for the election. Seems he helped throw Mark Herring a Fundraiser, not too long ago. The shocking amount of investigations into voter fraud grows ever higher, and...

As always, we will keep you updated as this investigation develops. 

VA GOP Caucus

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Terry's California Compadre Wants to Cripple Virginia Coal

Thomas Steyer, the wildly successful, and controversial hedge fund manager from California, and staunch environmentalist is coming with a dose of new-fashioned California environmentalism aimed right at one of Virginia's oldest, most essential, and hardest hit industries. Steyer announced his target yesterday; Virginia's coal industry is in the crosshairs.

Regardless of the recent advances that have been made in environmentally safe mining, processing, and utilization,  Steyer has already made up his mind. Coal=BAD. His own statement on a trip here was that “It doesn’t matter if you’re telling them to tie shoes...the people don’t want to be told what to do. Hasn’t that been the cliché since they were shooting IRS agents?” speaking of Virginia Coal Country(a region that Terry has already made clear that he does not care about). 

Labeling an entire region of Virginia as essentially ignorant is not a good way to start, Tom. 

Terry is taking the cues from his many investors; investors who will not have to feel the consequences of his actions, as few of them are Virginians. Virginians will, though. McAuliffe snubbed the area in 2007 for his "plan" to create jobs(lucky, since what he delivered in Mississippi was miles short of what he touted) and now he is turning his back on the region for a check from California.

Times are hard already in Western Virginia. Unemployment is up, and the economic "recovery" has yet to make its way there. People would love to talk real solutions to unemployment in these counties, but green energy just is not it. If McAuliffe wins, Steyer (like all of Terry's out of state friends) is going to come looking for some return on his investment. Virginia cannot afford to risk the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of citizens on the financial quicksand that today's green energy start-up market is resembling.

The GAO is now reporting that on the Federal level, 501 Million Dollars of green job training have basically been poured into jobs that don't exist. Only about half of trainees were able to find a job at all afterwards, let alone a green job. That is the kind of risk that Virginians in hard-hit coal country cannot afford. But McAuliffe is taking the check, and all of the implication that comes with it.

Terry's list of insider friends from outside the Commonwealth continues to grow; and Virginians ought to be seriously concerned about all of the "mandates" in the hands of these donors. Because those "mandates" are no more Virginian than Terry McAuliffe is. 

VA GOP Caucus

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For Medicaid, Cuccinelli is the Hero not the Villain

I'm not mad, Terry...I'm disappointed.

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, guy. That's pretty compelling. Does Ken Cuccinelli actually want to do away with Medicaid and Social Security? Much like the other claims that the McAuliffe camp has made, this requires some verification. 

To begin with, admittedly, the commercial is more professionally done than I expected. All of that out-of-state money can really buy some production value. I can't speak much on...you know...if there is even cursory validity in the statement that it makes, but at least Terry didn't misspell anything.

Sadly, though, it took all of two days for even the Washington Post to rate the claims that this article made FALSE, giving it three well-deserved Pinocchios. Along with FactCheck.org, the WaPo uncovered that this is the textbook definition of petty cherry picking.

When it comes to Medicaid, Ken Cuccinelli is the only one who has a leg to stand on.
As AG, Ken has led what has been called the "one of the...most effective Medicaid fraud units in the nation" by the Richmond Academy of Medicine(RAM). Cuccinelli's MFCU(Medicaid Fraud Control Unit) makes sure that the Medicaid program is run properly and with integrity. The RAM notes "Medicaid fraud takes place in some surprising venues, and ultimately it‘s the most vulnerable and poorest people who lose out." In 2011 they opened nearly 150 cases in Virginia against those accused of trying to con the system.

As recently as June, pressure from the AG's office on the Federal government got Virginia a well-deserved 115 million dollars to continue protecting Virginia's Medicaid recipients and enforcing the law. Instead of spending his time on attacks, Ken uses the AG's office to help the people of Virginia that honestly rely on Medicaid and other programs for their quality of life.

The unit is about more than just fraud. They employ special nurse investigators that specifically investigate allegations of senior abuse in nursing homes, as well as going after unscrupulous medical employees trying to scam the system with phantom charges and fraudulent billing. They prosecute in civil and criminal court, and they work harder on a smaller budget than any other unit like them in the nation. Let's get that straight, Terry. You can't just go around trying to scare the populous into taking one sentence in a book out of context.

Later in the same book, Cuccinelli clarifies the point that he was originally making. According to himself:

“The Last Line of Defense,” pages 237-238: A simple example of how private-sector spending increases economic growth more than government spending does would be a business that smartly spends $100 and expects to earn that amount back plus a return on its investment, so it turns $100 into, let’s say, $115. That’s economic growth. 

In contrast, despite how many times you may hear politicians talk about “investments” in government programs, government spends very little on what you could call “investments” that result in economic growth. For example, in 2011, the biggest programs in the federal government were Social Security (20 percent of the budget), national defense (20 percent), and Medicare (13.5 percent). There is no monetary return on these investments in any traditional business sense (that is, one invests money with a goal of getting a return in the form of interest, income or appreciation in value), although there are obviously other reasons America spends money on these programs.

I’m not questioning here the existence of these programs nor the wisdom of how much money is spent on them. What I’m trying to illustrate is that most dollars that government spends do not create economic growth but instead take money out of the hands of the people who do create economic growth.

So after lying(again) to Virginians about the true nature of this election, your feeble and false attacks have(again) been proven to be shallow tripe that is not worthy of Virginians' attention. Instead of talking about the jobs we need, the roads that we need, or the education that our children need, you pit one sentence in a book against a career record of standing up for Medicaid recipients.

Lying doesn't cut it, Terry. Misleading the public doesn't cut it. 

When will you start campaigning on your own laurels (what few and rotten they are), rather than tilting at straw men you conjure up and wave in the face of the public?  

VA GOP Caucus

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