Corey Stewart Takes on George Allen

Now that 2010 is over attention is turning to the 2012 Senate elections in VA, and the effort to unseat Jim Webb. In a recent interview Corey Stewart points out the difficulties George Allen will have running for U.S. Senate. Both men are currently planning bids for U.S. Senate. Bob Marshall, and Jamie Radke are also currently running for the nomination.

Sen. Webb Steps Up

Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts this week has sparked a new light in the Republican party. However, on the other side of the isle, we see the Democrats wiggling in their seats, debating the outcome of the 2010 elections and beyond.

Some Dems, however, are hearing the rally cry coming from the American people. Virginia Senator Jim Webb has been the first to acknowledge that Obamacare should slow down until they have an adequate representation of the people (i.e. until Brown is seated).

Calling the election a referendum on the "openness and integrity of our government process," Webb wrote in a statement: "It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated."

In short, he is scared.

But at least he is listening, and let’s hope that many more Dems follow in his footsteps.

Marshall Fights Obama Care Insurance Mandates

Congress has NEVER, in 220 years, mandated that individuals purchase any private service or good, until now.

Both the House and Senate health insurance “reform” bills approved by Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner threaten our families with jail time and fines up to $25,000 if we do not purchase health insurance that Obama Health Czars think is good for us whether we want it or not.

For example, both Mark Warner and Jim Webb voted to coerce you into paying for elective abortions. Penalties, including jail for a year if you refuse to pay, start for a single month without health coverage.

“Health care reform” bills which Congress’ own staff call novel, unprecedented, and of suspicious constitutional foundation are not solutions to problems.

Rather, the bills threaten our liberties and economic welfare because they steal the primary responsibility for economic welfare from families and adult individuals and turn it over to Washington politicians and their bureaucracies.

Something is very wrong with this. We all know it. And we can stop it.

My HB 10 is a direct challenge to Obama Care mandates and affirms that no person, church, business or other entity can be punished for failure to purchase a particular plan of health insurance. The purpose of HB 10 is to empower the state of Virginia and Virginia citizens to challenge the health insurance mandate provisions of the federal insurance bills.

HB 10 (see Q and A below) will get around the ideological road blocks from out of touch Congressmen and Senators because states and grass roots citizens still are the foundation of our Constitutional balance of power.

HB 10 has received support from conservatives, Republican activists, Right to Lifers, Tea Party members, Libertarians, Ron Paul supporters, and small businessmen.

Please contact your Virginia legislators (delegates and especially state senators) and urge them to co-patron HB 10.

Please let your friends know about the hope offered by HB 10. Anyone who needs to find their representative in the Virginia House of Delegates and/or the Virginia state Senate should go to: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

Sincerely,
Delegate Bob Marshall,
13th district, Virginia House of Delegates, elected 1991 to present;
Contact: cell 703-853-4213, http://www.delegatebob.com/

P.S. I prepared a PDF Q & A download on State Authority to challenge Obama Care mandates at my website athttp://action.delegatebob.com/lt.php?id=ekQFUgsFD1BVSAcGSQsEUQ%3D%3D.

2012 Speculation for US Senate seat Part 2

John Brownlee- I know he has been encouraged to run again for office and this is probably one which he will want to throw his hat in if he does want to run for office again as others like Cantor, McDonnell, Cuccinelli, and Bolling will likely be passing  this one up. He has name recognition from a previous statewide run as well as holding a high level federal appointment. Negatives include the failed AG bid as well many questionable actions as US Attorney. I am also skeptical of weather he has any desire to run again after the failed AG run as he has stepped away from the Republican party quite a bit since May. But if wants to run for something this will represent one of his best chances. My prediction: Possibly running

Rep. Bob Goodlatte- Goodlatte has begun taking a higher profile recently over the past 12+ months on the fight against the Democrats excessive spending and highly intrusive agenda which could signal a desire to run but he has never given any other signals in regards to this. Despite this I think his name will continued to be thrown out on the blogs and in conversation and he will be encouraged to run. Rep. Goodlatte seems to be perfectly content representing the 6th District though and could possibly move up in House leadership after the upcoming 2010 election in which he will likely be unopposed after the embarrassing showing of Sam Rasoul in 2008. My prediction: Possibly running

Rep. Rob Wittman- Wittman is a Congressman who I feel has done a lot in a very short time in office. He has yet to even serve a full term in Congress and has accomplished a great deal especially with the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act.  Additionally Wittman has taken steps to be a leader among the House Republicans by working to start the Republican New Media Caucus. Wittman is someone who definitely has leadership potential at the statewide potential but there are many questions on weather Wittman will be able to garner much excitement statewide.


Cross Posted at Roanoke On the Right

Let's Play the Speculation Game

Other blogs have been starting to throw out speculation for who will run for the Republican nomination for US Senate to challenge Jim Webb in 2012. This is always fun so why not play the game here too?

Potential Candidates:

Del. Bob Marshall- Marshall ran against Jim Gilmore for the nomination in 2008 and lost by a very slim margin in what was another grassroots vs. establishment battle. That run greatly raised the stature and name recognition of Marshall and put him in a great position to run again in 2012. Marshall has been a hero for both life and the taxpayer in the House of Delegates and has begun to take a larger stand against federal government intrusion especially with the legislation he has pre-filed for the upcoming session of the General Assembly in regards to Obamacare. Marshall also had the support of our Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli last year and I see no reason why he wouldn't have his support again in 2012. Since Cuccinelli's profile has risen greatly over the past 12 months a Cuccinelli-backed Marshall will only be one more reason why Marshall could be our next US Senator, especially if the Cuccinelli grassroots organization steps up for Marshall as well. Marshall could have a team of  bloggers/internet activists, grassroots volunteers, experienced campaign staffers, and even potential donors lining up to help him in addition to his own seasoned campaign team. My prediction: Running.

former Rep. Tom Davis- Who even knows? Davis is sitting up in NOVA playing to the beat of his own RINO drum. I sure hope for the sake of the Republican Party of Virginia he doesn't run, but honestly I bet he will. If he decides to run again I hope we nominate via convention again so he will get scared and drop out again. We'd really just be getting a slightly more moderate Jim Webb. A slight improvement to the current situation would be a great disappointment to the people of Virginia who want a great improvement. I wonder how Davis feels being by himself in his "big tent" Republican party? My prediction: Probably running.

Governor-elect Bob McDonnell- No chance in hell of getting him to run. If McDonnell governs like he campaigns, which he has so far with the transition, and decided to run for Senate against Webb we would have another blowout on our hands similar to the one he gave Creigh Deeds in November. But there is no way McDonnell would leave the Govenor's office especially with the large amount of things he wants to accomplish especially when Virginia is different from other states and he will only have four years to accomplish his goals with no hopes of re-election if he falls short of his goals. My prediction: Not running.

Lt. Governor Bill Bolling- Bolling wants to be Governor and there is no reason he should give up a shot at that to run for US Senate. None at all. Especially if he and McDonnell prove to be an effective governing team than the voters of Virginia will have no reason not to pick him to be their next Governor in 2013. My prediction: Not running.

Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli- I put Cuccinelli in the same category as Bob McDonnell. Cuccinelli has a long list of goals he wants to accomplish as Attorney General and the is NO way he will leave that office short of achieving these goals. The most likely option for Cuccinelli is to run for re-election at this point which he has spoken of many times since his victory in November. As far as Cuccinelli seeking higher office, I feel that the US Senate would be a much better fit for him than the Governor's mansion so I eventually expect him to move that way, but the earliest we will see Cuccinelli make a run for the US Senate will be in 2014 when Mark Warner's seat is up. Expect him and his grassroots army to line up behind Marshall as mentioned above. Just imagine sometime in the near future we could have our US Senators from Virginia be Bob Marshall and Ken Cuccinelli. That would be quite awesome and cause C-SPAN 2 to be one of the most entertaining channels on TV. My prediction: Not running.

Rep. Eric Cantor- Why would he want to be the junior Senator from Virginia when he can be the Speaker of the House? My prediction: Not running

former Del. Chris Saxman- A lot of people threw out Saxman's name last year and his name has been thrown out a lot in regards to the 2012 seat as well. It will be interesting to see what he does especially since he will most likely working as an education advisor or possibly Secretary of Education under Bob McDonnell. My prediction: Possibly running.


Cross posted at Roanoke On The Right

UAW Bailout

While I am taking a blogging sabatical, I received this issue of the Cuccinelli Comapss and I figured I had to pass it on.

December 15, 2008

Dear Fellow Republican:

You're all aware of this week's bailout news. But things still hang in the balance on the UAW/GM/Chrysler bailout, and I wanted to ask all of you to act now to slow down our slide to government ownership of another sector of our economy.

I guess some people think that if you're going to abandon principles, you might as well do it BIG!

I hope all of you believe, as I do, in free market capitalism, and I hope you further agree with me that all of the bailouts and talk of new bailouts are a complete abandonment of that concept. We have an update and a way for you to act in this issue of The Compass.

Bailout Status

This past week, the House of Representatives voted for a NEW $15 billion bailout of the UAW, GM and Chrysler (a German, not American, company as I recall). I am happy to say that no Virginia Republicans voted for this bailout.

Be aware that if this bailout ever gets through, it will have enormous strings attached. Namely, all of the regulatory burdens that the Dems couldn't get through as legislation, they'll get instead as conditions of these loans/chairitable gifts. As someone that believes that such burdens on business reduce competitiveness and freedom, that will only make this proposal 50 times worse.

The short-term good news is that the bailout, part deux, failed in the Senate. They couldn't get to 60 votes on the cloture vote (the vote to break a filibuster). The embarassment for Virginia is that both of our Senators, Warner and Webb, voted FOR the second bailout. Sad.

What's Next

It would be nice if this chapter were over, but it's not.

Here's a quote from http://www.opinionjournal.com/ on the Senate's rejection of the bailout, part deux, without concessions from the UAW. It rings particularly true for a father of small children:

"You have to hand it to Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto
Workers union, and his colleagues. Negotiating for a living is, you know, what
they do. And they're good, very good. They know when somebody's about to
blink.

So it was last Thursday night that Mr. Gettelfinger rejected the deal
offered by Senate Republicans for interim bailout money to keep General Motors
and Chrysler alive for a few more months. The UAW chief was betting that the
Bush administration would blink, and that the union would get a better deal from
the politicians than it would get from the marketplace or from a bankruptcy
judge. It's a ploy we all learned in childhood. When dad won't give you what you
want, turn to mom."

As depressingly astonishing as it may be, President Bush is considering using money from the first bailout bill as a slush fund to lend or give money to GM and Chrysler - without any concessions from the unions. You remember, that was the bill to bailout the financial sector?!?

So, President George ("Herbert Hoover"?) Bush is seriously considering breaking the bounds (what bounds?) of the first bailout bill to just go spend the money on whatever the heck he wants to spend it on... even when that has already been defeated in the Senate!

Incredible.

What Can You Do To Stop This Insanity?

Given that the President has not yet decided whether to bail out the UAW and automakers, there is still time to let them know what you think. Please send them an email to comments@whitehouse.gov AND call their comments line at 202-456-1111.

Let's try not to fall farther down this horrible path to unrecoverable debt and an abandonment of capitalism. Please send them an email and call today!

Sincerely,

Senator Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia 37^th District

The thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat

In Virginia if the margin of victory in an election is within .5%, the loser may request a recount.

Over the past three years Virginia has had three races that have fallen within the .5% margin of victory.

2005

Initial reults reported Bob McDonnell defeated Creigh Deeds in the race for Attorney General's race by 323 votes.

2006

Jim Webb defeated incumbent senator, George Allen, by 9,000 votes out of over 2 million votes cast, a margin of victory of about .45 %

2007

After the canvassing was completed in the race for Virginia's 37th senate district, Ken Cuccinelli was still leading Janet Olsezek by 92 votes, a margin of .2%.

So what's the point of all these boring numbers? I just want to take a moment to point out who it was that called for recounts. Only the Democrats can't handle being defeated. Creigh Deeds dragged the state through a recount, and spent thousands of taxpayers dollars to make sure we counted everyone's vote. When the recount finally ended in the middle of December, Bob McDonnell's margin of victory actually increased by thirty seven votes. In 2006 with control of the senate hanging on t outcome of his senate race, George Allen chose not to drag the state, and the country, through a recount. He waited to see the results of the canvass, and then stepped out in front of the cameras, thanked his supporters for all their work, thanked teh state for electing him before, and then conceeded. Now in 2007 after the canvass was completed, Janet Olsezek, or was it her campaign manager, has called for a recount in one of the closest VA state senate races ever.

But why would Janet pull the people she wants through a recount and spend thousands of taxpayers dollars on this? Is there anything to indicate that the recount could change the outcome of the election? No. The canvassing changed nothing, and the provisional ballots actually gave Ken one more vote. No concrete accusation of voter fraud have been leveled. So why cal for a recount unless you simply can't stand losing?

While many things can be learned from George Allen's senate race, one lesson is when you have lost, be willing to concede. The only to call for a recount would be if there are serious instances of voting fraud, like more votes cast in a county than its registered voters. Virginia has never had major voter fraud, and there has never been a real reason to call for a recount. Anyone that loses a close race should have the courae to concede.

Memo to Democrat candidates: While defeat is agonizing, don't be too shocked if you lose while running against the rising conservative stars in Virginia.

Is it really inevitable?

WSLS and Jay Warren once again proved they were very balance journalists. For someone who was thinking that it is almost inevitable that Mark Warner will become sentaor, this stry realy made me smile.

Warner to Announce Decision on Senate Run Thursday

Jay Warren

WSLS NewsChannel 10

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Will he or won't he? Mark Warner can stop sweating it, as he will announce his decision about his future political career Thursday morning in an e-mail to supporters.

And, what a tough decision Mark Warner has! On the one hand he can run in 2008 to replace John Warner in the US Senate. On the other hand he can run in 2009 for another term as governor. Either option is viable because Warner left the governor’s mansion with some of the highest approval ratings in Virginia history.

And, that’s a rating that appears to have stuck with him. A recent poll by Rasmussen Research shows Warner’s favorability rating at 68%. The same poll has Warner beating the two most likely Republican senate challengers by 20 and 27 points.

Governor Tim Kaine, the Democrat who succeeded Warner, gave no hint on his friend’s decision other than to say, “Virginia will be lucky either way.”

WSLS Political Analyst Dr.Bob Denton says it is likely Warner will pick the Senate and calls him the favorite.

“He's one of the most popular politicians in the commonwealth of Virginia. He has some campaign experience now,” Denton said.

But not so fast. Do you remember the last guy we thought had a lock an election: Senator George Allen. At one point he was 30 points ahead in his 2006 re-election bid. He went on to lose to Democrat Jim Webb.

Allen was in Moneta Wednesday campaigning for a local Republican running for the House of Delegates. He said he won’t run for the Senate in ’08, but said, “I think Mark's going to run for the US Senate.”

Allen was brought down in part thanks to a campaign misstep that ended up on YouTube. The Internet has changed the game for politicians, meaning Warner shouldn't take anything for granted.

“He does have to campaign and campaign hard,” Dr. Denton said. “He has to earn the position. But, at the same time I would say it's as much his to lose and his to win.”

Immigration Update

Alright so Tuesday at 11:30 the senate voted on whether to reconsider a McCain/Kennedy 2.0. It is a bill that would essentially wreck our entitlement system, criminal justice system, healthcare system, and the Republican Party and simultaneously reward 12 million criminals, without even guaranteeing to secure the border. Tuesday the bill had a 22% approval rating. It's a terrible bill, and the entire grassrotts conservative movement has been trying desperately to kill it.

So I called a ton of senators multiple times, heres a couple of experiences.

When I called Sen. Kyl's office (the third ranking GOP senator and a former supporter of stron borders) I told the staffer, "I'm calling to encourage the senator to vote no on cloture and amnesty..." (click) They cut me off mid sentence.

Sen. Ensign (the senator responsible for getting Republicans elected to the senate in '08, a man who should be friendly to Republicans nationwide) His office was disinterested when I told them I was from Virginia.

Sen. Lott (the second ranking republican in the senate) No one picked up at his office Friday afternoon and Monday and Tuesday morning (all during normal business hours) and I was directed to a voice box which was full.

Sen. Webb promised in his campaign to oppose amnesty and didn't listen to my calls.

Also the congressional switchboard and all the above mentioned senators +Sen. Warner offices were all jammed at 11:15 on Tuesday morning.

There is one more critical vote tomorrow morning. Let's get these people to listen to us and kill the bill.

Gut Reactions to the President's State of the Union Address

1. Nancy Pelosi: I'm sorry if I offend any women who may read this blog, but I got real tired real fast of the number of times Tim Russert and Brian Williams brought up the fact that the house was being presided over by the first female speaker. During Condoleeza Rice's confirmation hearings for Secretary of State did everyone drool over the fact that she could be the first Female African American Secretary of State? No! They went after her tooth and claw. Just as an aside, when Democrats propose minority candidates for important positions they are given all teh attention in the world, Obama and Clinton. When Republicans do the same thing they are reviled, Blackwell, Swann, Steele, Rice, Powell, Estrada, Owens, Janice Rogers Brown...

2. Healthcare and Education: Even though I doubt much of what the president said concerning these subjects will be heeded, I loved watching the Democrats grimace when the president said the word "privatization"

3. Energy: The president's proposals on the subject were nice, but all demanded more government intervention, regulation on fuel types and standards, and increasing SPR. I was waiting for the president to say, "...and as we actively pursue the development of alternative fuels we need a steady supply of non-mideast oil. That's why I'm once more reccomending that you open up ANWR and the OCS to drilling."

4. Judges: The president once again called for the speedy confirmation of judges. It's definitely an important thing. The lack of judges is holding up the courts. The fourth circuit is missing one third of its members. However, its a little to late. Thanks to eh incompetence of Frist and antics of McCain and co. the constitutional option was never exercised. with Leahy in charge of the judiciary committee things will go at a murderously slow pace. Also... Can anyone explain why the issues of judges wasn't campaigned on in the midterms as it was in the president's reelection? Might it have done more to galvanize the base?

5. Protection of Marriage: You may see this and think, "Did the president even mention marriage in the speech? If you are that's my point. It seems to me like the FMA was a political ploy campaigned hard on in the president's reelection campaign to galvanize the base, but practically ignored in the last two years. Sorry... It was voted on in the summer by congress in an attempt to show conservatives that teh Republicans are conservative to. Why couldn't the president throw in two lines about the FMA?

6. Immigration: I'm sorry. I have totally had it with the president on immigration. Instead of cozying up to your non-base, can you just keep this country safe Mr. President?

7. Iraq: It's really simple. We need to win. Sadly the Democrats and the RINO's are invested in our defeat. If you don't believe me go back and watch the video of the speech. Every time teh president mentioned victory in Iraq, the Democrats sat on their hands. How can people who don't even want us to win help create a constructive proposal on the subject? Ironically even though the D's oppose victory in Iraq, they cheered wildly whenever teh president encouraged us to support the troops. Explain that one please.

8. Senator Webb's Response: I won't say to much. However... I didn't realize until last night how captivating an orator this state elected. Before I proceed I would like to thank Sen. Webb and his family for their service in America's military. Everyone who serves in that capacity deserves our gratitude for those actions, including Sen. Kerry. However... Being a foot soldier qualifies no one to be an arm chair general, to assume that they always no better than the presiden and his advisors and can run this war. I am sick of people like Sens. Webb, McCain, Kerry, and Grahm who say, "I was a foot soldier thirty years ago. I'm an expert on all things military." In much the same way that I as a grocery clerk am not an expert on how to run a grocery store, Sen. Webb is not an expert on how to run a war. As a Democrat who opposes victory this is also a war he doesn't want us to win.

These sure are tough times. Keep working hard for God and country.