The Silence is Deafening

“I never could have envisioned ... the absolute, I thought, despicable moves by a former Democratic senator, Phil Puckett, who resigned,”
-Governor Terry McAuliffe

"Virginians deserve leaders who will fight for what's best for their constituents, not those who are spending their time concocting backroom deals and cover-ups"

-Democratic Party of Virginia

"It's astounding to me...They figure the only way they could win was to give a job to a state senator."
-Delegate Scott Surovell

Where is the outrage now? Where are the calls for resignation now? Where is the federal investigation now? Clearly, the only "ethics" Dems really care about are winning and the party line. 

VA GOP Caucus

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Eating Crow on Voter Fraud

There is definitely something in this story that I can relate to. For the life of me, I can't put my finger on it...

I HAVE AN ORDER FOR MCCLELLAN?
DELEGATE JENNIFER MCCLELLAN?!

OH, wait. Now, voter fraud isn't a myth when it becomes an issue for powerful Democrats?  As expected, there is plenty of crow to go around. Several have even come forward to try to disqualify their party-mate's own assertions.

It didn't take long for cries to emerge, "BUT this wasn't a state election! This was OUR primary!"

Well, YOUR primary election is under investigation for fraud, and no amount of rhetorical somersaults is going to change that.

It is being taken up in many circles that this was also a firehouse primary, and doesn't bear parliamentary symmetry with general elections run by SBE. That makes no difference when, for years, the Democrat line on voter fraud is that it is imaginary.

So go ahead, try to make this about abortion or Medicaid. This river of comeuppance will not be so easy to misdirect. I wonder what Joe Morrissey is going to think when he has the time to read this...

VA GOP Caucus

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Virginia Democrats, Watch Your Heads

The Democrats' unlikely windfall from public perception of the government shutdown may be for naught if they cannot pick up the ball on Obamacare. The botched rollout put Dems in a 9 point tailspin dive on the polling question "Would you be likely to elect a Democrat/Republican?" These numbers are going to have a far and reaching effect beyond national politics. This is going to affect the electability of Dems on the local and state levels too, as they become more and more inexorably tied to this federal debacle.

Polling graphic and results courtesy of the National Journal

If Mr. Obama cannot find some way to make the system work in the upcoming year (and he probably will not) then nationwide, his colleagues in Congress will end up paying a heavy price in the mid-term.

The rolling train wreck that this rollout represents is going to be an albatross, no doubt. 90% of states have not reached 10% of their enrollment goals. That sad number is made worse by new public coverage of "risk corridors" in Obamacare that basically act as a bailout for the insurance companies. That is only the fight in the rowboat, the real show will start as we get closer to that "Fiscal Cliff" that was trending so well.

With the ACA in full swing, and the new borrowing limit debate coming up, Dems stand to lose a lot of capital on this, AS THEY SHOULD. Turns out forcing legislation through an all blue legislature, a blue White House, and directly down the throats of the American people doesn't get you a lot of slack when it predictably goes belly up. Here's my shocked face...

That must be why Mark Warner is putting a lot of daylight between himself and the rollout.  We will keep you posted on just how far Mr. Warner backtracks. Just keep the facts in mind....

VA GOP Caucus

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Reid, Clinton, Biden, Obama Go Nuc-Liar

   

It is so very interesting to hear Senate Democrats so precisely predict what they will do in the future. Not shocking, but eerie. Yesterday Senate Dems continued their time honored tradition of foot mouthing, word eating, and outright deception. They made look easy what they once looked so disgusted over. They have changed the rules, and changed the fundamental structure of American democracy so that they could stifle those that disagree with them, every time. For once, Joe Biden said something very profound back in 2005. 

At 3:50, our Vice President: "pray[s] that when [control of the Senate changes], that [Dems] don't make this kind of naked power grab."

These kinds of moves are more gasps, not grabs. Senate Democrats are running out of road. Stacking long term judicial nominations, and changing the rules of a legislature are not the maneuvers expected from a thriving party; or one with the backing of the people. It shows that the DNC has probably already given up on re-taking the House in 2014. What is more than probable is that they are blatantly afraid of losing the Senate. 

It is not an unfounded fear, either. Storms are a-brewing for these poor hypocritical fools in the future. The glaring, smoldering debacle that was the ACA rollout has shifted the burden of proof when it comes to next year's Senate elections. Reid holds a majority of 53. A full one third of the Senate coming up for review, the NSA remains undealt-with,  Obamacare is limping and anemic, and debt ceiling negotiations are on the docket early next year. So there are going to be some difficult questions aimed at Reid and his caucus. Difficult questions are an easy excuse to do something desperate. 

I suppose that going "Nuclear" yesterday was warranted, then Harry? Reid is quintessentially at odds with himself over this rule change. He is at odds with what the people deserve, he is at odds with his colleagues have stood for, and he is at odds with what then-Senator Obama has said. Though that last one is less than an ironclad word. This event is just a new drop in the bucket of hypocritical promises that have been sold to the American people in the last few years. When it rains, it pours.

VA GOP Caucus

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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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Virginia Dems Channel a Clingy Mob Wife

Lately we have been hearing quite a bit about T-Mack's fundraising edge over AG Ken Cuccinelli this year. Which I find a bit strange. See, we spent last year AWASH in the shrill cries of "CORRUPTION!" and "BILLIONAIRES ARE HIJACKING THE POLITICAL SYSTEM!".

Well, it seems that while Virginia Dems apparently look down on donations from wealthy people, they are certainly willing to honor their time tested tradition of putting their hand out and accepting it. Tom Steyer, Mark Zuckerberg, and Comrade Michael Bloomberg (whose combined wealth is over 50 Billion dollars), have spent over 3 million dollars on Terry McAuliffe, and over a million on Mark Herring.

Not only that, but someone should probably get fired
over at DPVA for the "spook"-y late mailing that they are doing (apparently to a WIDE universe). In true Big Brother style each recipient basically has their voting history laid out on paper with a promise to "show whether or not you voted" after this election.

With turnout expected to be extremely low, it seems that "voter shaming" is a necessity for Dems propping up abysmal candidates. But the whole vibe of the piece is very...creepy, and it comes on the heels of an international scandal about privacy invasion by a Democratic White House. Maaaaybe not such a great idea to remind people that you're watching them, DPVA.

We aren't the only people taking notice, either. 

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 McCalifornia Sells Out Southwest VA

"Which side do I support this week, again? Uhhhhhh"

Terry McAuliffe has officially come out in full support of the new EPA regulations on coal fired
power plants that were released two weeks ago.

It's a vain attempt to drive the far left, and Obama voters out for him(they're about as excited for a McAuliffe Administration as we are). As usual, it also has to do with money. These regulations endanger tens of thousands of Southwest Virginia blue collar jobs.

They also shore up support from billionaire environmentalist, and McAuliffe Donor, Tom Steyer. Steyer's NextGen Committee has spent upwards of a million and a half dollars trying to push this steaming pile of Washington insider into the Governor's Mansion.

How many Virginian livelihoods stack up against the far-left dinero you're getting out of Steyer, Terry? How many jobs in southwest Virginia will just be collateral damage? 

Good News: Now he can't dodge the question
Bad News: It is open season on everything he has said in and about Virginia's coal country.

 From Bristol, in May, Terry McAuliffe:

I was over at Alpha Natural Resources talking about what they need done to make sure we have a healthy work force of coal, that coal can continue," McAuliffe told reporters. "We need to make sure we do what we need to, to make sure this vital industry here in Virginia continues to grow."

I guess the unemployed can just munch on some quinoa and go surfing, then, huh? Just more of the integrity we have come to expect out of Fast Terry. I wonder if his wife calls him that?

VA GOP Caucus

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Dem Candidate gets DUI, Media Gets Amnesia

A recent article in the Southside Messenger has outed Dem candidate Jasper Hendricks for his late-August charge of driving under the influence in Farmville. Hendricks, who is running against Delegate James Edmunds in the 60th District, was arrested with nearly twice the legal limit.

It isn't a comfortable subject to bring up. Why does the media think that it is so egregiously important to plaster the words GOP, Republican, and other monikers at the top of the page when a Republican legislator lands in hot water(example, example, example), and yet just forget when a Dem breaks the law?

Seemingly, political affiliation was an important enough detail to put in the large print then. Why not now? 

Why does the media love to "inform" their readers on the political affiliations of some legally challenged lawmakers, while electing to leave it out for others? A case of amnesia perhaps? Or just another illustration of left-leaning slant? 

VA GOP Caucus

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Herring and McClellan Neglect Abused Veterans

Delegates McClellan and Herring, your silence regarding the multiple and sickening sexual harrassment charges that have been surfacing in the news lately is deafening. The time came long ago to do as you said you would; to stand against sexual harrassment and mistreatment of women everywhere. Does this only count when the people who perpetrate it have an (R) next to their name? 

The NWVAA (National Women's Veteran's Association of America) is supposed to be a safe and healing place for female veterans who have been sexually assaulted during their service. So WHY is it that the Mayor of San Diego, a former U.S. Congressman was using it like CraigsList personals?!

This is headline news, Delegates. There is no way that you have not heard about it, either by the media like the rest of us, or through back channels in the Democratic Party. 

To fill you in, Filner had been using his affiliation with the NWVAA for years to hit on women, harass women, and in more than one case actually force himself on them. Those actions would be unacceptable in and of themselves, but the context puts Mayor Bob Filner down with the lowest of the low. It was not enough, that while these women were serving our country that they were the targets of abuse, and Filner's way of repaying them is more?! 

Jennifer, Charniele, rebuke Weiner, Filner, and sexual harrassment perpetrators. And do it soon. 

To use the suffering of others as a tool for political capital is despicable enough, but then to blatantly disregard the suffering of victims just because they were targeted by Dems is an entirely different ballpark of hypocrisy and each moment that passes is another insult to that integrity that you used to be so fond of speaking on. 

For God's sake, say something! 

VA GOP Caucus

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McClellan and Herring Suddenly Silent

In an election that is about jobs, and the economy, Democrats realize that their record leaves a lot to be desired. So, they go back to the same old well with the same old talking points about the "War on Women". Well what do Virginia's own Woman Warriors think when their colleagues get caught , harrassing, whoring, or otherwise disrespecting women? The simple answer is that we don't know. They have maintained silence. Do Delegates McClellan and Herring think that sexual harrasment is wrong only when Republicans do it? 

Democratic Party officials have(now) called for the resignation of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner after he was outed for sexually harrassing seven women, all of whom brought the story to light on national television. Del.'s Herring McClellan have been notably silent on this. 

 Bob is not the only example, either, by a long-shot. How about New York Governor Eliot Spitzer or Anthony Weiner? (Still can't get over that name). Weiner is right now embroiled in a sexting scandal, and boldly refusing to drop out of his race for New York Mayor. The 45 year old politico was caught sending the pics of the full package to a 23 year old woman from Indiana. Spitzer is trying to revive his political career as well, running for New York's comptroller after the devastating prostitution scandal that he went through just a few years ago. Do these chauvinists get a free pass because they vote blue? Where is the righteous condemnation now? 

Delegates Herring and McClellan, I look forward to hearing from you about this in the upcoming legislative session. The war on hypocritical talking points is on. 

VA GOP Caucus

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I Don't Have to Give Dems a Bad Name These Days

They are absolutely doing it for themselves. From Terry McAuliffe leaving his newborn and wife to collect Clinton campaign funds, to the IRS suppressing Tea Parties in the 2012 Election, to the Holder/Obama Justice Department bugging the AP and ignoring blatant voter fraud, Democrats aren't just trying to supplant the American people...they're getting caught...a lot. 

Just last Friday, The Weekly Standard got a hold of the curious case of Curtis Morrison. The self-monikered 'Liberal Activist' claims that his life was 'upended' by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. It could have had something to do with his botched attempt to secretly record Senator McConnell in April.

But don't worry! Curtis is "not [going to] paint myself as a victim," in his Friday explanation/pity party in Salon(except in the sub-title, and paragraphs 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 to start with).

Oh geez, thank goodness that the perpetrator of a crime against a U.S. Senator doesn't feel oppressed. God forbid! That a spy, trying explicitly to defame and sabotage someone in a low-down way (and frankly failing) doesn't feel like their rights are being trampled on (the right to privacy on private property, for example).

EVEN DEMOCRATS didn't like the looks, the methods, or the implications of what Morrison did. In fact, even at the time, Democratic Representative John Yarmuth from Morrison's home state of Kentucky called him and his cohorts "petty thieves" and "an embarrassment to the system and an embarrassment to politics", on MSNBC no less.

Liberal activists on the national level are becoming even worse than the demonic caricatures that they paint conservatives as. Conservatives have been called crackpots, conspiracy theorists, tin-foil behatted lunatics, and every other insult by the extreme Left. But how does your average, every-day, moderate Democrat justify the absolute fountain of criminal activity that is being carried out in the name of their party?

Start by taking the log out of your own eye.

VA GOP Caucus

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Judo Chop!(ra), Aneesh Goes After Northam on Guns

Things are heating up in the Dem primary for LG. There is in-fighting in the blue camp over the 2nd Amendment. Specifically this new wave of nastiness is coming over Ralph Northam's more-reasonable-than-your-average-Dem views on gun control in the Commonwealth. Ralph's no friend of gun enthusiasts, make no mistake. Aneesh just happens to be outright in opposition of them.

What could Ralph have done to draw such flak(pun intended)? Northam voted in favor of Virginia's "Castle Doctrine", voted yes on a bill that gives private owners the jump on the government when it comes to gun buy-backs as well. Hardly an NRA warrior. Turns out that this latest political firefight is about Aneesh Chopra's cloudy excuse for a "position" (you'll notice its the shortest statement in Chopra's issues portfolio) on the 2nd Amendment rather than Ralph Northam's more-or-less moderate approach.

Grab your popcorn, people. This Dem cat fight over LG is going to get interesting, and this issue may be the most high-calibre of the campaign(give me a break, the puns practically write themselves in this situation).

VA GOP Caucus

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Dancing Doesn't Cut It

Dancing around the issue is an understatement. 

Terry McAuliffe is taking every chance that he can get to keep his mouth shut about the shady, borderline suspect conditions that surround his former car company - GreenTech Automotive. After recent news that GreenTech's parent Capital Wealth Holdings is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, economist Greg Autry has gone on record as saying the only reason a company like this incorporates in the British Virgin Islands is to avoid paying U.S. income taxes. 

How can McAuliffe say nothing? Simple, the truth is worse than silence. He can't explain: 

• that his "company" is based offshore to avoid taxes
• the same company that sells citizenship to its foreign investors
• the same company that passed up an offer from the Commonwealth of Virginia to bring its plant there and instead chose Mississippi where they were delinquent on their property taxes until the media got wind and began investigating the issue
• a company that hasn't produced nearly what it promised to under his leadership

Terry McAuliffe is running for Governor of Virginia. There is no shortage of public stages on which to come clean and sweep out his detractors if any of this is not true....IF. Terry has taken none of the many opportunities that he has been given to bring the truth to the light. It's time to stop asking what it could be that he has been hiding so long. If these claims weren't true and Terry really "didn't know anything about it", then why does he keep hiding? Let's forget that only last year, Terry was bashing Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney for less than Terry himself is being accused of.

What does this say about McAuliffe's management skills? What about his commitment to the people of this Commonwealth? He couldn't decide which state to run for governor in! He has no commitment, he has no experience, he has no compunction as to how, where, or why he wants to be Governor of Virginia. More than that he doesn't have the integrity to face up to the legitimate questions that we have about his experience and his dealings. He has no business bringing his shady schemes here. Florida and New York, I can't speak for. 

But Terry, you cannot dance your way to the Governor's Mansion here in our Commonwealth. 

VA GOP Caucus

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Del. Comstock Calls MSNBC the Way She Sees It

Yesterday while speaking on behalf of the Romney Campaign, Virginia's own Barbara Comstock made a bold stand and pointed out hypocrisy where she saw it. While discussing the Lilly Ledbetter Act, Ms. Comstock pointed out that MSNBC itself does not pay its female employees equally.  What's more, Andrea Mitchell agreed on air that this was a factual statement.

Since MSNBC does not even pretend to be an objective media source, pointing out their inequal practices is a particularly poignant point when heard over their squawking and attacks on Governor Romney. Womens' equality is a very serious issue facing America, and MSNBC should not be able to simply ignore its own duplicity for political gain.

In an article done for Mediaite describing the issue, MSNBC tweets their outrage back but unsurprisingly avoids actually answering the question of equal pay for its female employees.

VA GOP Caucus

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DNC: ID Please?

Virginia Delegation, if you are headed to the DNC, don't forget your ID. The Virginia Delegation to the DNC has already been warned to be on their best behavior this week... Surprisingly, though, without a state-issued identification card, they won't be able to get in at all.

This week in Charlotte, attendees at the Democratic National Convention are going to be required to prove their identity to get in... There is a clear disconnect here. Why can't everyone just provide their name and be who they say they are?

Democrats have come out against voter identification across the board. Page 52, Democratic Platform, "we refuse to allow political pretexts to disenfranchise American citizens." And yet they see their convention as a more important venue to identify participants than voting for the national election. This seems very much political, and indeed is a pretext.

The facts bear that there is little difference between what the Democratic National Committee is doing, and what Virginia Democrats are on such a rampage over.

Have a look at the DNC's website sign-up. About one third of the way down the page is that oh-so-important sentence that puts the Democratic argument against voter identification on its head.

The message that is being sent is: a person needs an ID to simply WATCH President Obama SPEAK, but the need for an ID to vote, a far more important function than a party convention, is unreasonable...

VA GOP Caucus

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