After death of newborn in Campbell Co. General Assembly looks to close loophole

After charges were not filed in the questionable death of a newborn child in Campbell County last Friday, GOP legislators, under the lead of Senator Steve Newman, with the assistance of Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli, Campbell County Commonwealth's Attorney Neil Vener, and Campbell County Sheriff Terry Gaddy are looking to pass legislation to close this loophole in order to protect innocent life in future situations.

According to the Lynchburg News and Advance:

Deputies were called to a home in the 1200 block of Lone Jack Road in Rustburg about 11 a.m. Friday. The caller said a woman in her early 20s was in labor.
When deputies arrived, they discovered the baby had actually been born around 1 a.m., about 10 hours earlier. Investigators said the baby was already dead when deputies got there.
Investigators told WSLS the baby’s airway was blocked. They said the baby was under bedding and had been suffocated by her mother. Investigators said because the mother and baby were still connected by the umbilical cord and placenta, state law does not consider the baby to be a separate life. Therefore, the mother cannot be charged.

 You can read the whole statment regarding the legislation from Senator Newman here.

The general problem with the law is that the child was still attached via the umbilical cord at the time of death. In order for charges to be filed in Virginia under the current law the following must be established: (1) the child must have been born alive; (2) the child had an independent and separate existence from its mother; and, (3) the accused was the criminal agent that caused the infant’s death. So in the case number two of the above was not completly true and the mother gets off free.


Legislation being put forth will essentially abolish this loophole and will allow charges to be filed if another case like this were to occur. Delegates Kathy Byron and Ben Cline will lead action on this legislation on the House of Delegates side and Senator Robert Hurt will be Senator Newman's co-sponsor in the Senate.


Regarding the legislation Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli said today:

“I have spoken to Senator Newman about the tragic and appalling circumstances of the baby’s death, and I certainly will make the resources of the Attorney General’s office available to help make sure this can never happen again.  This situation cries out for action, and I will support efforts to fix what appears to be a horrific loophole in our laws.”

This whole situation seems to be a great travesty and certainly a call for action to our lawmakers. The action by Senator Newman as well as the other elected officials who are stepping up to close this loophole should certianly be commended as well as a testament to how fortunate we are in Virginia to have elected officials who consider protection of the right to life a serious priority.

Remember: If a person does not have the right to life, all other rights then become unavailable.

Cross Posted at Roanoke On the Right

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

College Republican Resolution Sent to the 10th District Congressional Committee

In the last week a resolution was passed by the College Republican boards of Patrick Henry College and Christendom chapters. These are the only two CR chapters in Virginia's 10th Congressional District.

The resolution was sent via e-mail last night to the 10th District Committee using the e-mail list provided on the committee's webpage.

The resolution addresses the issue of the date of the 10th District Convention. In previous years it has been scheduled for the same date as Patrick Henry College's graduation. This coming year both PHC and Christendom have their graduations on the same date (May 15th), and the resolution requests that the convention be scheduled prior to this date so that CRs from both schools can participate.

I have been told that this may seem like a ploy to get more conservatives to go to the convention since both schools are pretty conservative. That is not what this is. As college Republicans we believe the party should be encouraging not hindering politically active young people from participating. The two boards that passed this resolution represent the most politically active college students in the district.

Some have suggested that scheduling the convention for the same day as Patrick Henry College's graduation has been intentional by Chairman Jim Rich. I am not willing to make that accusation. However, if after receiving this resolution he and the rest of the committee set the convention date for May 15th or a date after it can only be concluded that the 10th District Committee is intentionally trying to keep young people out of the process.

While none of the clubs in the district have representation on the committee, we strongly hope that Chrissi Lee (the CR rep to the committee from Virginia Tech) will take this resolution as her own and represent the college republicans in the district at the meeting on December 17th.

The Kind of Candidates We Should Not be Recruiting

In this article Patrick Ruffini argues that another front in the war on the establishment is stopping ending the search for self funded candidates. This is a must read article as we prepare for the 2010 election cycle.

An important quote is

The lesson here is that fundraising is not an independent variable. Fundraising is a dependent variable and the independent variable is the message. There does not exist an innate ability to fundraise independent of a strong message -- unless the candidate is fabulously wealthy and can self-fund. And in cases where there might be, all the fundraising in the world cannot overcome a poor message. If a candidate is wealthy or has rich friends, but has no message, the GOP should run -- not walk -- away from that candidate.

Marco Rubio, Someone who is Unafraid to be a Republican

In Virginia this year we elected Ken Cuccinelli, someone who was unafraid to run as a conservative and is unafraid to govern as such.

In 2010 we have that person in Florida with Marco Rubio. Marco Rubio is running against Charlie Crist for the Republican nomination for the 2010 Florida Senate race. In the following video Marco Rubio advocates a Republican party that stands up for conservative principles and runs on center right conservative values. Rubio is a conservative, he can win, and Republicans across the country need to stand with Rubio.

What is our priority for next year?

In a recent interview Erick Erickson made news by saying that his number one goal for 2010 is beating the Republican establishment.



Those are sentiments I definitely concur with. Some argue our end goal must be electing Republicans, and after the nomination contests are over that is definitely true, but our number one goal must be advancing conservative principles. We must run viable conservatives in primaries, run them for party office, and hold them and all Republicans accountable after we elect them. We did it this year by electing Ken Cuccinelli, and we will run him for whatever else he needs to run for, my fellow blogger and others tried to do it last spring when they fought to keep Jeff Frederick as party chair, and we must keep up the fight this coming year in the many nomination contests and district chair races across the state next spring.

It is as we advance our conservative principles and govern as conservatives that we will win elections, and if the establishment stands in our way, so be it.

Convention or Primary in the 5th Congressional District?

This Saturday the Republican 5th District Congressional Committee will decide whether to use a primary or convention to nominate their candidate for congress. (Due to recent party plan amendments a canvass could be used, but there seems to be little desire by members of the committee for it.) In Virginia this question is even more important because we have no party registration, and all our primaries are open.

Earlier an article was posted on this blog by one of the conventions biggest advocates in the state party David C. Ray (State Central Member from the 10th District). It makes the best most thorough case for conventions, and should read by all members of the 5th District Committee before Saturdays vote.

There are two reasons why I think a convention is particularly important in this case.

1. It allows the party to choose its own nominee.

In the 5th District the Democrats already have their nominee, and Tom Periello is highly unlikely to draw a primary opponent. There is a long history of partisans on both sides voting in the other sides primary, and with the Democrats not having to hold a primary the chance of Democrats helping decide the Republicans nominee is very high. If the person who runs against Tom Periello will really be the Republican nominee he must be chosen by Republicans.

2. It will make sure the nominee to receive over 50% of the vote.

In the 5th District there are about 7 republicans running for the Republican nomination. While some people do receive more than 50% in a three way race (Steve Hunt in the 37th Senate District) it is very difficult for a candidate to top 50% when more than five candidates are involved. The nominee could easily win in a primary with only 30% of the vote. Will the party really be able to unite behind someone if one third or less of the party nominates him? With a convention 50% +1 of the convention is required for a candidate to win. This helps make sure that the eventual nominee is someone a majority of the activists are at lease somewhat happy with.

This Saturday I hope the 5th District Committee chooses to nominate its candidate through a convention. I have had no time to look at all the candidates to see who a convention would help or hurt, I generally believe that a convention is the best way for Republicans to nominate their candidates.

Congresswoman Feda Morton?

One of the numerous candidates running for the Republican nomination in the 5th district is long time activist Feda Morton. She has been endorsed by RNC Committeewoman Kath Terry, RNC Committeeman Morton Blackwell, former RPV chair Patrick McSweeney, and PHC Chancellor, HSLDA founder, and former Lieutenant Governor nominee Mike Farris.

In a race that has received a lot of interest because of the tax hike votes of presumed front runner Sen. Robert Hurt. Feda seems to be a committed unwavering Christian conservative.



For more information about Feda Morton check out her website.

Patricia Phillips Endorses Steve Hunt for State Senate

Now that Ken Cuccinelli is the Attorney General Elect of Virginia, there is a special election for the 37th state senate seat coming up. At this point we don't know the date of the election, but it will probably be soon.

Right now we have three Republicans running to replace Ken Cuccinelli: Marianne Horinko, Will Nance, and Steve Hunt.

All the buzz I have been hearing has been about Steve Hunt. He has a very thorough and bipartisan list of endorsements.

Patricia Phillips (former Republican nominee for the 33rd senate district) recently endorsed Steve Hunt in this video.

Steve Hunt also gave a very stirring and inspiring kick off speech.

This is not an endorsement as I have not had a chance to look into all the candidates yet, but with his experience winning in Fairfax Co., and commitment to conservative principles he sure seems like someone to look into as we try to find Ken Cuccinelli's replacement.

It looks like whoever wins the Republican nomination will have a very good chance of winning the special election. The results from the Pat Herrity race were pointing that direction in February. The Democrats seem to be unable to find a candidate to support inside the 37th district, and the person they do have (Del. Marsden) will probably get "Shannonized".

This special election is very important. If you have the time please get involved, and definitely make sure any friends you have vote as we keep the momentum moving to 2010 and beyond.

Election Results: Republicans have a 10 seat lead in the HOD!!

With 0% of the polls in, Republicans have a 10 seat lead in the House of Delegates. The Democrats had 9 unchallenged seats, while the Republicans had 19 unchallenged seats. This gives the RPV a 10 seat lead at the moment in the House of Delegates.

This is an example of the Republican strategy that will lead to a significant pick up in House of Delegates tonight. The RPV fielded candidates in as many districts as possible so that when the tidal wave began we already had people in place to ride it. Let's keep up this strategy as we get closer to Judgement Day 2010.

Not Larry Sabato is saying the Republicans have picked up 6 seats, and 9 more are in play. Project Virginia predicts Republicans pick up 6 seats.

Statewide Predictions

Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli all win, and we pick up 6 or more House of Delegate seats. In order of largest percentages: Bob McDonnell, Ken Cuccinelli, and Bill Bolling.

Al Bedrosian Takes on Roanoke Times Endorsed Republican for Board of Supervisors

Al Bedrosian is a long time friend, and a true conservative. If you know anyone in North Roanoke, please encourage them to read this and Vote for Al Bedrosian. Honestly this is similar to the Congressional race in NY-23 this weekend. When the Republicans become liberal, and forsake our party creed and the principles this party is supposed to stand for, it is not only our right, but our duty to challenge them in elections.

____________________________________________

I, Al Bedrosian, am running for Roanoke County Supervisor – Hollins District (North Roanoke County) this Tuesday, November 3rd. I will be running as a conservative write-in candidate – which means I need you to write in my name B-E-D-R-O-S-I-A-N as County Supervisor when you vote this Tuesday

My reasons for running as a write in candidate are as follows:
2 months ago, I was approached to write an article for the Roanoker Magazine about Roanoke County Government. My findings, which were published in the October 2009 issue of The Roanoker Magazine were disheartening to say the least:

- Size of Roanoke County budget nearly doubled in the past 10 years, while the population during that same time only increased by 15%.

- The tax burden per person in the county has nearly doubled to $2100. An average family of 5 has a county tax burden of over $10,000!

- Roanoke County has the second highest Real Estate rate in all of Virginia, second only to Loudon County in Northern Virginia. – that’s REAL MONEY that we pay in our monthly mortgage or mid/end of the year tax bill if you own your house.

- The County bypassed the voters (did not get their approval as they should) and passed an $83 million bond – which included spending $50 million on a new GYM with waterslides in North Roanoke County. Building gyms with our tax dollars, when people are struggling to make ends meet. This is NOT the role of government.

- The current Supervisors voted to accept federal STIMULUS money, with strings attached, to cover up shortfalls in the budget. Federal Stimulus money is money stolen from our children’s future.

The sad thing is that this Fiscal IRRESPONSIBILITY was performed under republican controlled County Supervisors!! Everything listed above is directly opposed to the Republican Creed of Virginia which calls for lower taxes, and government involvement ONLY when it cannot be done by the private sector.

Unfortunately, I uncovered these items after the Primary in June, 2009 so was unable to run in the Republican primary and remove our so-called Republican supervisor in the Hollins district. I did however approach Mr. Flora and ask him politely to step down and let a true Republican/conservative run for office. He refused. I took this issue up with the republican leadership, but they showed little interest. I thought there was really little I could do until the final nail in the coffin occurred this past week, THE ROANOKE TIMES endorsed Mr. Flora, our current Hollins Supervisor.

When a liberal newspaper endorses a Republican over a democrat start getting VERY nervous. The endorsement of the current Hollins County Supervisor by the Roanoke Times has made me say ENOUGH is ENGOUGH. If you vote in the following 6 voting places in North Roanoke County, I am asking for you to write in B-E-D-R-O-S-I-A-N as County Supervisor. PLEASE SEND WITH A personal NOTE TO YOUR FRIENDS….Let me know if you are in the district and would be willing to vote for me. I will be voting for Republicans: McDonnel, Bolling, and Cuccinelli

You can reach me on Facebook.

WE have less than a week to get this message circulated among conservatives in North Roanoke County!

-Roanoke Valley Christian Schools off of Williamson Rd.
-Burlington Elementary School – off of Peterscreek Rd.
-Mountain View Elementary School – off of Plantation Rd.
-Life Church – off of Peterscreek Rd.
-Bonsack Baptist Church off of 220 alternate
-Hollins Library off of Peterscreek Rd.

Thanks

Al

Fellow Democrat slams Stevens Miller, says he is "using the autistic community"

The Washington Post's Virginia Politics blog reports on a recent Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Despite an aggressive campaign to get her kicked off Loudoun's chief advisory health board, a lobbyist who worked against autism legislation last year in Richmond was confirmed Tuesday to a third term.

On a 5-4 vote, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved the reappointment of Mindy M. Williams, a lobbyist with Fairfax-based Access Point Public Affairs, to the Loudoun Health Council.

Her lobbying work against autism legislation during last year's General Assembly session caused Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) to call for her ouster.

...

Miller has also used autism legislation as a chief component of his campaign for House delegate.

Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) said Williams's re-appointment to the volunteer position was "being used to raise an issue that's not there." She bluntly said Miller was using the debate as a political tool.

"This item uses the autistic community in a cruel and selfish manner," she said...

Calling out a fellow Board of Supervisors member with such blunt language, especially one in your own party, is virtually unheard of.

Now that even fellow Democrats can see through Miller's charade, will he cease his dishonest attacks and stop using the autistic community as a crutch for political gain?

If history is a fair indicator, it doesn't seem likely.

Fimian Outraises Connolly by 100k

A quick glance at 3^rd quarter fundraising reports filed with the Federal Election Commission Thursday shows that entrepreneur and GOP candidate Keith Fimian out-raised Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly by over $100,000 in the first three months of his candidacy.

Fimian raised $233,832 in total contributions and $286,332 in total receipts. Connolly raised $124,726 in total contributions and $176,736 in total receipts.

With over a quarter-million dollars on hand after just one fundraising quarter, Fimian has proved that he is once again poised to run a strong race against Connolly. But this time, Connolly will have to take responsibility for the lockstep liberal record he’s compiled in Congress, voting with Nancy Pelosi 97% of the time according to the Washington Post.

A recent Post poll found that Northern Virginians disapprove of Pelosi’s leadership by a 13-point margin: “In Virginia's suburbs outside the capital, Pelosi wins support from 42 percent of the voters, better than her national average a few months ago, while 55 percent disapprove.” (Paul Kane,“Unpopular in Virginia, Pelosi becoming a campaign target,” Washington Post “Capitol Briefing,” 10/13/09)

When you combine this information with other fundraising successes by people like Ken Cuccinelli, and Jay McConville it will once again be a good time to be a Republican. Not only that, imagine having a conservative in Tom Davis's old seat. That should make every conservative's heart happy.

Blue Commonwealth: Exposing Rust's Support for Health Insurance and Blogging While Stupid

Blogger DanielK over at Blue Commonwealth showed a stunning lack of understanding regarding the committee and lawmaking process in Richmond last week in a post attacking Delegate Tom Rust (R-86).

DanielK attempts to rehash and reuse the argument that Tom Rust doesn't care about children dealing with autism, even though that politically-expedient dishonesty has already been debunked here.

DanielK blasts Rust for doing nothing to support this particular piece of autism-related legislation in committee--but Rust is not a member of the subcommittee the bill was assigned to (Subcommittee #1 of the Commerce and Labor Committee), which is shown below in the legislative record.

Rust is actually a member of Subcommittee #2 of Commerce and Labor, not of Subcommittee #1, as his delegate profile states and this screenshot demonstrates:

Rust did appear before Subcommittee #1 that day, but it was because his own, different bill--the point of which was to expand insurance coverage in Virginia--was next on the agenda:

So, DanielK, please: next time you attempt to write about things which you obviously need to do a little bit of research on before spouting partisan attacks, remember this incident, when you unknowingly provided us with a chance to highlight Tom Rust's support for expanding insurance, not limiting it, which you claim he wants to do.

Stephens Miller ignores reality, attacks Rust's support for autism treatment

Delegate Tom Rust (R-86) was an advocate for a bill that would have required insurers to pay for therapy for children diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorders. So why is Stephens Miller distorting Tom Rust's record?

Does Tom hate puppies too? And lollipops? Maybe rainbows?

Miller's attack would be a lot more funny if it wasn't so desperately false. Consider the facts:

Rust attended a rally organized by the Autism Help Network in July to push for the legislation.

In February, the Washington Post's Loudoun Extra noted that "Many politicians representing Loudoun have been vocal in support of this legislation, including delegates Bob Marshall (R-13), David Poisson (D-32), Chuck Caputo (D-67), Tom Rust (R-86) and Joe T. May (R-33) and state senators Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-27) and Mark Herring (D-33)."

This month, the Virginia Autism Project just named Delegate Rust as a friend of their past and future efforts.

The kicker? Miller's name was not included on the list.

VA Fraternal Order of Police Endorses Cuccinelli

. Paraphrased Press Release from September 25th:

This week Senator Ken Cuccinelli, Candidate for VA Attorney General, received the single most important endorsement in the Attorney General's race - the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police, the largest law enforcement group in the Commonwealth.

FOP President Tommy Edwards had this to say about the race:

"Ken Cuccinelli's outstanding recognition of the problems faced by the Supreme Court Case Melendez-Diaz, his early and outspoken push for a Special Session, and its ultimate success which will allow the prosecution of certain cases to proceed - is a testament to his skill, knowledge, and support of the law enforcement community."

The momentum is clearly building for Cuccinelli in this race.

Parental Rights Amendment Gains Momentum in VA

Support for the Parental Rights Amendment is gaining significant traction in Virginia; the entire VA Republican delegation have now signed on as co-cosponsors to H.J.Res. 42, bringing the total number of co-sponsors in the House of Reps to 121.

As of yesterday, Congressman Randy J. Forbes of the 4th district has joined his fellow VA Representatives Rob Whittman (VA-1), Frank Wolf (VA-10), Bob Goodlatte (VA-6) and Eric Cantor (VA-7) in co-sponsoring the Parental Rights Amendment. This decision follows several meetings between Forbes staff and constituents of the 4th district regarding the latter's enthusiastic support for the PRA and desire to see their Representative sign on as a co-sponsor.
As the VA grassroots support network for the Parental Rights Amendment extends far beyond the 4th district, constituents in neighboring districts have good reason to believe that vocalizing their support will lead to more co-sponsors of the PRA.

Carry on, constituents!

Blog Updates

For various reasons I will be taking a blogging hiatus for the rest of this semester. I need to focus on other things over the next few months. Over this time another young conservative activist, Grace Tate, has agreed to blog on this site. Grace Tate is a long time member of Generation Joshua and pro-life activist from the Hampton Roads area. She created and helps run a Generation Joshua club named TACT in her area that gives young people an opportunity to get involved in conservative politics on a local level. Thank you Grace for being willing to come on board.

Who would you have voted for in the FRC Straw poll?

Here is a poll of the candidates listed on the FRC straw poll. Who do you support for president in 2012?

Huckabee Wins Voters Values Conference Straw Poll: 4 Way Tie for Second

This year at the Voters Values Summit Mike Huckabee won the straw poll with 28%. This is no surprise as he has been the darling of this crowd since at least 2007. The conference also only allowed in person voting so that people couldn't vote online. If this had been done in 2007 Mike Huckabee would have won the straw poll then. He took second place in 2007.

Second place was a virtual four way tie. Second, third, fourth, and fifth place were each separated by just one vote. Mitt Romney took 74 votes and 12.4%, Pawlenty 73 votes 12.23%, Palin 72 votes and 12.06%, and Pence 71 votes and 11.89%. Newt Gingrich, Bobby Jindal, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum were also on the ballot and took 23.42% combined.

Clearly the top five candidates in this straw poll all have potential with values voters. It will be interesting to see how things unfold, who actually runs, who endorses who, and ultimately who the Republican Party nominates.

Dr. Ergun Caner gave an excellent speech before the straw poll results were anounced on the importance of one person. The results show us once again how much one person can impact politics. With only 597 votes out of 1897 eligible voters anyone could have easuily found an extra 10-20 votes for their candidate to give them a strong second place finish.

Next big straw polls, CPAC 2010, and Values Voters 2010.

Eric Cantor: We failed, but they are worse than us.

Eric Cantor earned a standing ovation simply by walking on stage. He gave a strong commitment to family values. "Traditional values are the basis of America." He also said that we must protect life from fertilization to natural death. There was also a reminder that fiscal policy and family policy are two sides of the same coin. "Economy is household management."

However, his comment that, "We failed and they threw us out of office. Now they are making us look like Scrooges," was very revealing. Eric Cantor as Minority Whip lead the fight to adopt President Bush's bailout which paved the way for Obama's fiscal insanity. I hope that if we retake the congress Cantor will have the same commitment to free market capitalism that others like Mike Pence has consistently held. It is not good enough to do the right thing when doing that doesn't matter. We need people who will do the right thing when we have a chance of accomplishing things. If we had made a principled stand against TARP when we could have stopped the bailouts, we might have beaten the Obama bailouts.

Mitch McConnell: Americans Are Common Sense Conservatives

In a speech reminiscent of George Allen, the Senate Minority leader talked about common sense conservativism at the FRC Action Conference.

"Most Americans are common sense conservatives, while most running D.C. are not."

He took Obama to task on two issues on healthcare.

1. The idea Americans can keep their own coverage under the plan
2. The idea abortions will not be funded under the plan.

He spoke of the triumph of common sense conservatives in America. The three examples he used were the slow down of the health care bill, the fight on Guantanamo, and the fight over spending.

McConnell made the point that in the first 50 days Obama cost America more money than Iraq, Afghanistan, and Katrina combined.

I hope McConnell continues to be successful in his opposition to the many things Obama is trying to Rahm through this congress.

Pence v. Huckabee Strawpoll Prep

At the FRC Action Conference two popular social conservatives who will be on the presidential strawpoll ballot spoke back to back this morning.

Prior to the event Mike Huckabee supporters met to make sure they had signs at the front of the ballroom to wave when the Governor spoke. It was definitely much lower than the presence in 2007, but definitely an attempt to make there support for Huckabee known. Also Doug Schmidt the Director of Hucks Army was with the Governor for the speech today. I think Huckabee is working with Hucks Army as he preps for a presidential race.

Mike Pence had most of his congressional staff at the conference. The passed out fliers with Mike Pence's name on it about the family planning proposals in healthcare. While the staff say it is just to help fight healthcare and take back the congress in 2010, it atleast gets his name out to all the attendees and he was the only person who will be on the strawpoll ballot with material on the seats.

It will be interesting to see how things play out in the strawpoll results tomorrow. It will also be interesting to see if Pence and Huckabee split the same voting block and someone else wins. I wish there was an option on the ballot to pick your second choice for president.

Mike Huckabee's FRC Speech

In 2007 Mike Huckabee's speech at the FRC conference helped kick his presidential campaign into high gear. I was unable to listen to all of it do to the press gathering around Pence. However I think he received more standing ovations than Mike Pence. He concluded with very forceful comments on foreign policy. He called Obama to stand with the people of Iran AND the people of Israel. He also received a standing ovation when he called out the left for "protecting terrorists more than the people". He also challenged the idea that we need to move to the center, just as Mike Pence did. However he compared us to David and how he fought with a sling instead of the armor he was reccomended to use to fight Goliath. The speech was finished with a call to serve the Lord as we retake America.

It will be interesting to see how the audeince takes the two speeches as they vote in the strawpoll.

Mike Pence: Standing Boldly for Freedom

Mike Pence's speech touched on a number of topics near and dear to the hearts of regular Americans, and received three standing ovations.

He began by speaking about the greatest day in his life. It was not the day he was elected to congress or any of the major things he has been able to do as congressman, but the day he gave his life to the Lord.

He followed up by stating his opposition to government funded abortions in the healthcare bill. This as well as his call to defund Planned Parenthood were the most popular moments in the speech.

The focus of the speech however was freedom. "We must be willing to fight for freedom, free markets, and traditional values." "Freedoms is an inspiration to the world." "We must stand boldly on the world stage for freedom." This was where Pence discussed the need to stand with Iran. Pence also stated, "We must defend entrepenurialistic capitalism against the onslaught of the American left."

While the focus of the speech was on the importance of freedom in every aspect of this nation, there was also a very moving portion of the speech. Congressman Pence discussed how after he returned to his district after the first Bush bailout passed. After he spoke to the boyscouts in his district, a man walked up to him who had just lost his job, and thanked him for voting against the bailout. The man told Congressman Pence, "I can get another job but I can't get another country." This followed by a reminder that, "Times like these are good times to remember what your knees are for," was a very moving portion of the speech.

Congressman Pence is a freedom loving fighter who is unafraid to stand for his personal faith.

Afterwards a number of media members talked with him. In response to questions about the strawpoll Congressman Pence said, "I have no plans to run for president. I'm focussed on taking back the congress in 2010." So far he is atleast denying he is running for president.

Liveblogging the Values Voters Summit

Right now I am in Washington D.C. getting ready to liveblog the FRC Action's Values Voters Summit. This is a national gathering for social conservatives where they are addressed by a wide variety of conservative leaders about the major issues of the day. In 2007 Mike Huckabee's speech at this event following the Ame's Straw Poll helped kick his campaign into high gear. While it too early for presidential campaigns to be kicking into high gear, it will be interesting to see what the potential candidates and their supporters do, as well as which issues are brought up at this conference.

The schedule for this morning is:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

7:15—8:30 a.m. American Values Breakfast or breakfast on your own

8:45—8:55 a.m. Opening Ceremonies (National Anthem, Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance)

8:55—9:00 a.m. Welcome: Tony Perkins

9:00—9:20 a.m. Rep. Mike Pence (confirmed), introduced by Tony Perkins

9:25—9:45 a.m. Gov. Mike Huckabee (confirmed)

9:50—10:45 a.m. Congressional Health Care Townhall with Q&A: Rep. Tom Price (confirmed), Rep. Michele Bachmann (confirmed), Rep. Chris Smith (confirmed), Tom McClusky (moderator)

10:50—11:10 a.m. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (confirmed)

11:15—11:35 a.m. Rep. Eric Cantor (confirmed)

11:40—12:00 p.m. Miss California Carrie Prejean (confirmed), introduced by Maggie Gallagher

The following people will be listed on the straw poll ballot:

Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum.

Continuing to Follow the Money from Steve Shannon to... Acorn?

Earlier I posted about how Steve Shannon is practically being paid to call for Phil Hamilton to resign. Now it seems that as you follow Steve Shannon's money trail, it may lead to none other than Acorn. This web ad from the Cuccinelli campaign is pretty hard hitting on this connection. This ad has been picked up by the Wall Street Journal and Politico even though it has been out for mere hours.

For someone who constantly criticizes Ken Cuccinelli for having a "personal political agenda" it is ironic there are this many questionable money connections with Steve Shannon.

Should Steve Shannon Call for Himself to be Investigated?

In early September, e-mails came out that seemed to indicate Delegate Phil Hamilton funneled state money to Old Dominion University in exchange for a job. Steve Shannon immediately called on Phil Hamilton to resign, and called on Cuccinelli to do the same. He even began running radio ads in the Norfolk are going after Cuccinelli for not calling on Phil Hamilton to resign.

Cuccinelli has responded by arguing that it is wrong for an Attorney General candidate to weigh in on the issue because he might have to sit in judgment in the case. Some have argued that once again this is evidence that Cuccinelli understands the role of the Attorney General while Shannon doesn't.

Thanks to Virginia's public finance disclosure rules some interesting trends have turned up in donations to the Democrat Statewide candidates. It appears that Phil Hamilton's opponent's law firm gave over $120,000.00 to the three Democrat statewide candidates, including over $50,000 to Steve Shannon. Tom White of VA Right did an excellent job analyzing the numbers. This raises the question should there be calls for Steve Shannon to be investigated? If he was given money from Hamilton's opponent and then as a result started calling for Phil Hamilton to resign, isn't that prid pro quo?

Simultaneously posted on VASocialConservative, Bloggers for Ken Cuccinelli, and Off the Trunk.

Is Mike Pence Running for President?

So far I have tried to stay out of commenting on the Republcian presidential race. It is three years out, and we have more important things to focus on. We need to defeat the healthcare bill, win the Virginia governor's race, and take back the house in 2010. All that said a Mike Pence candidacy could possibly shake up the race, and it seems like he is actually putting his presidential campaign in motion.

In 2008 there was an effort to draft Mike Pence to run for president. Clearly the effort failed. Over the past week I have noticed a number of things that make me wonder if Congressman Pence is running for president right now.

Mike Pence had the biggest presence of any elected official. at the 9/12 march in D.C. Young people with Mike Pence shirts were everywhere handing out cards encouraging people to sign up for e-mail updates on his campaign website, and follow him on facebook, you tube, and twitter. Why would you expend that much energy getting people all over the nation to support you in a safe congressional campaign? They also had rally signs made up declaring D.C. a "Czar Free Zone" that had Mike Pence's name on it. The only elected official I saw who sponsored signs for the rally. Congressman Pence also wrapped up the rally with one of the best speeches on what is wrong with this nation.

When I got home I checked out his campaign website. The video on his homepage is not a video for a congressional campaign. It is possibly one of the most inspiring presidential web ads I have ever seen. In it Pence is referred to as "The People's Champion" "A Voice for Millions of Americans" and "A Counter Punch to the Left." This kind of soaring rhetoric about major national issues is rarely used in congressional campaigns.

When I saw the video I felt it was pretty obvious Mike Pence is running for president.

While Congressman Pence has not yet filed the papers to form a presidential campaign committee, he has a half million dollars and rising in his congressional account for a very safe house seat, he is on every media outlet possible, and has made trips to Iowa.

This weekend at the FRC Action Conference we will probably see for sure whether Mike Pence is running for president. One of the highlights of the conference is the strawpoll. If he has an operation there to try to win the strawpoll, it should be clear that he is taking this seriously. The other interesting dynamic will be the responses the crowd has towards Pence and Huckabee. Both of them are similar in that they are dynamic speakers, unafraid to talk about their faith who appeal strongly to social conservatives. If Pence wants to make a successful bid he needs the Huckabee supporters. From his perspective either Huckabee needs to not run, or he needs to annouce early enough that he is endorsed by an overwhelming amount of social conservative groups and thereby sideline Huckabee. The dynamics between two eloquent social conservative potential presidential nominees will be interesting to watch at the FRC Conference this weekend.

Tonight I saw Gary Bauers newsletter. It focussed on Mike Pence's speech about the Joe Wilson controversy. Gary Bauer concludes the newsletter he sent out days before the FRC Conference by saying, "I urge you to keep an eye on Mike Pence in the future." If Gary is hinting at who he might support for president it will be interesting to see where other social conservative leaders begin to lean, and who they eventually endorse.

What do you think, is Mike Pence running? Would you support him if he ran? How would a Pence bid impact the race? Tomorrow I will be liveblogging from the FRC Conference. Please check back to see if there are any other developments.

Democrat Bart Stupak Stands up to Obama on Healthcare because it Funds Abortions

Congressman Bart Stupak says that H.R. 3200 funds abortions, and claims he has the votes to stop the bill if abortions are funded in it.

This is very encouraging to see. I hope he is successful, and I applaud a Democrat for being willing to stand up to his own party publicly on the critical issue of life. If only all Republicans were as gutsy we might be a different nation.

Cuccinelli Sets New Fundraising Record

Last fundraising period Cuccinelli outraised Steve Shannon. At this point we don't know what Shannon's numbers are so we don't know if Cuccinelli outraised him, however it is a historic fundraising record. This last quarter Cuccinelli raised more money off of 1,000 more donors than Bob McDonnell raised in the same quarter of his Attorney General bid. Also the Cuccinelli campaign did this without any party money, which McDonnell had a significant amount of in that quarter. This is a great sign of the true momentum of the Cuccinelli campaign. Even in a bad economy many people believe passionately enough in Ken Cuccinelli that they are willign to donate to his campaign. When you are dedicated to standing up for our values people will respond and support you in Virginia.

Cuccinelli summarized it best when he said,

"I am extremely gratified by the large number of people who have contributed to my campaign. It's truly a testament to the overwhelming grassroots support we have around the Commonwealth. Clearly our message of improving the economy, creating jobs and keeping our families and our neighborhoods safe is ringing a cord with Virginians."

Is it really any surprise Ken Cuccinelli has such strong grassroots support when he gives speeches like the one he gave at Buena Vista?

Lets keep the momentum going and make sure Ken Cuccinelli becomes our next Attorney General.

Crossposted at Bloggers for Cuccinelli.

Let's Take Back This Country

Later Today I will be attending the 9/12 rally in Washington D.C. It is one of many rallies this year focussed on trying to tell the government that they must listen to the people of this nation. I hope during this very important year when our liberties, and what it means to be an American are under assault, you are making your voice heard. This is our nation. We put our representatives in office. They derive their power from us. It is our job to make sure they understand this important fact.

I think Thomas Paine can do an even better job of describing what is at stake right now.

Also for those of you not attending the event please be in prayer that it goes smoothly, and that somehow God uses it to impact this nation.

Remembering 9/11

I still remember where I was that day. It is a day none of us will ever forget, none of us should ever forget, and a day that made it apparent to all just how serious the threat was that we faced. It is not only fitting that we remember the events of that tragic day, and the sacrifice of the many heroes, it is also necessary. As we take the time each September 11th to rewatch some of the events of that day, it should strngthen our resolve to do everything to protect this nation, and we shoudl thank those who have fought to protect us. The terrorists just have to find one flaw in our defenses to exploit. We must always be vigilant as a nation so that we do not give them that one chance to attack us again.

In honor of that day I would here is a very fitting tribute a friend of mine made two years ago.

One of the great things that arose out of that very dark time was the pride we all felt to be an American. We saw the attacks and together we were going to fight as a nation to make sure something like that could never happen again. The following are a couple of those greatest moments.

President Bush's "Bullhorn Speech"

The first pitch at Yankee Stadium for the 2001 World Series.

Bill Bolling's First TV Ad

I hope you will join me in working to get this man reelected as our next Lieutenant Governor.

Imagine: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child becomes the law of the land

Here is a powerful video that explains the serious threat every family in America face from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the importance of passing the Parental Rights Amendment.



If you would like to help please Join the Fight by signing the petition, donating, joining our e-mail list, or helping in other ways.

The Day Obama Care Died

Paul Shanklin did it once again. This is a great parody of the death of Obama care. I can only hope this becomes true.



This post brought to you courtesy of The Joyful One who first sent me the video.

Political Connections, and What they Mean

It seems this year more attention is being paid by the Democrat Candidates in Virginia to their opponents connections, than stances on the issues. Steve Shannon has attacked Ken Cuccinelli for his connections to the Tea Party movement, as well as his connection to Phil Hamilton. Creigh Deeds used his first TV Add to bring up the spectre of George Bush as he tries to gain ground against Bob McDonnell. In the spirit of ducking the issues both candidates refuse to debate their opponents, and Steve Shannon called Ken Cuccinelli's call for a special session (which ended up being successful) a "political stunt". While political connections are interesting they are most useful when they enlighten us on where the candidates stand on the issues.

Recently some pictures were taken that of a Deeds connection that illustrates his position on a critical issue.

(A "Deeds for Governor" sign at an abortion clinic in Richmond)

(Another picture of the sign)

Why does this matter? This medical facility, A Capital Women's Health Clinic, is exclusively an abortion provider. Unlike Planned Parenthood, they don't try to cover themselves by offering other health services. Among the "services" this abortion clinic provides are abortions for babies 14 weeks old or younger, as well as abortions by pill.

In the description of the "Abortion Up to 14 Weeks" the clinic's website says, "This five minute outpatient procedure involves the insertion of a small suction tube into the cervix to remove the contents of the uterus." Are infants no longer even fetuses, but simply contents to be suctioned like the junk in your mouth during a dental visit?

In the description of the "Abortion by Pill" the clinics website says, "This procedure is 92 to 95% effective and the patient must be willing to undergo the surgical abortion process if the pill fails." You mean if your child survives one attempt to kill it you need to commit to trying a second time. What persistence...

It is no surprise that Creigh Deeds is suppported by such a radical abortion group. While he tries to portray himself as a moderate, he has a record that is anything but moderate. He has a record of standing against the right for life at every opportunity, and even recently sided with the founders of the pro-choice movement in saying that abortions are for the "poor and desperate". It is no surprise a man who seems to think abortions should be used to reduce the number of poor people is supported by people who run an abortion clinic.

Newt: "We need leaders like Michael Williams"

Besides Ken Cuccinelli, one of the other rising conservative stars is Michael Williams of Texas who is running for senate. I hope you will join Newt Gingrich in supporting him in his senate run.

________________________________________________

Dear Friend,

Having been a part of the last effort to retake the congressional majority, I am convinced we don't have to wait 40 years this time to regain power. Democrats in Congress offer the same old, tired recipe of Democrats past -- big government hand-outs, bloated bureaucracy and big-time deficit spending.

The kind of change they offer is simply a return to the discarded practices of the pre-Reagan era.

Our problem is not that Americans are newly attracted to Democrat ideas, but that Republicans simply failed to live up to their own ideas.

Let me illustrate my point this way: while conservatives continue to embrace the conservative label, liberals have been re-marketing themselves as progressives. You can call a used car pre-owned all you want, but I will be just as worried about the engine going out.

We do not need to change our ideas, we need to live up to them. And when I talk about modernizing the Republican brand, I mean using tried and true Republicans principles in new ways to solve new problems.

The key to building a new Republican Majority is not simply branding Democrat policies as the destructive and discredited ideas of the past…but offering real alternatives that meet Americans where they are. And offering new leaders not bogged down by the old fights of the last decade.

We need conservatives willing to engage the Democrats on the field of ideas…willing to speak of a 21st Century conservatism…willing to stand and fight on principle. We need leaders like Michael Williams.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has already announced she will not run for the U.S. Senate again, and may resign her seat in just a few months to concentrate on her campaign for governor. As you can imagine, an open senate seat is a rare commodity, and people of both parties are kicking the proverbial tires to decide if they want to run.

But no candidate brings the energy, the proven conservative ideals, and the ability to take the liberals to task while rallying the grassroots of our party like Commissioner Michael Williams. Will you help send Michael Williams to the U.S. Senate with a contribution of $4,800, $2,400 or $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or $50 right now?

As someone who has been elected statewide in Texas three times, Michael caught my eye by advocating the right energy policies for America's future. Unlike the liberals who want to bring fossil fuel exploration to a grinding halt and worsen the economic crisis, Michael wants to expand domestic exploration of both traditional fossil fuels as well as clean, renewable sources.

With regulatory authority over the oil and gas industry as Railroad Commissioner, Michael has strong credentials when it comes to both energy and the environment.

For too long, our party has ceded issues like the environment to the liberals. We are reaping the consequences of our own disengagement on the environment, education, urban renewal, and a whole host of issues liberals call their own.

Michael Williams would be a true game-changer in Washington. Not only is he an expert on carbon policy, he is an articulate spokesman for reforming education policy.

A former Assistant Secretary of Education under President G.H.W. Bush, Michael not only knows the importance of investing in technical subject areas like math and science, but he stood on the firing line as the lead official who opposed racial preferences in college admissions. Friends, for an African-American to stand up to the liberal advocacy groups on a combustible issue like racial preferences at the age of 37 shows rare courage.

But it doesn't stop there. As a member of the U.S. Department of Justice, Michael had a protective detail assigned to him after receiving a death threat for his prosecution of white supremacists in the South.

Rare courage has come to define Michael Williams. And such courage warrants our support.

I write to you today to ask for your contribution to Michael's Senate campaign. He is not exploring this race, he is in without reservation. Will you contribute $4,800, $2,400 or $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or $50 to the Michael Williams Campaign for U.S. Senate today?

Imagine the frustration of liberals in Congress debating energy policy with an energy expert, environmental policy with a knowledgeable conservationist, education policy with an education expert, and criminal justice with a courageous former prosecutor at the federal and local level.

They won't know what to do with someone who knows more about those issues than them, and who makes a conservative case for real reform.

As you know, I was a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. Conservative, Reaganesque principles still work in the 21st Century. But our party would be wise to refrain from rhetoric that sounds like we are tied to the past, and advocate a fresh conservatism that, while building on proven conservative principles, provides new ideas and new solutions for America's problems.

The Pelosi Congress is already doing its part to break trust with the American People, turning a stimulus bill into a pork-laden spending free-for-all. The Democrats seem to think that past Republican spending abuses gives them free license to triple the deficit and mortgage our children's future to Chinese banks.

This is fiscal insanity. The honeymoon will be over soon, and then we will be stuck with an amazing legacy of debt and wasteful spending for which this generation should be completely ashamed.

The first shot we can fire in response to the Democrats' spending abuse is to send Michael Williams to the United States Senate.

Will you help fund the first canon shot into the Democrats' firewall? Their fortress may look like it is made of concrete, but just past the outer layer there are large pockets of hot air. If we fight back with principled candidates like Michael Williams, their ivory towers will come crumbling down quickly.

So, what's it worth to you to prevent billion dollar daily interest payments on the debt? To prevent tax hikes on the order of $1 trillion? To elect a conservative who will fight for our values and help us take back the rhetorical turf on the environment, energy, education and the economy?

Is it worth $4,800, $2,400 or $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or $50 to you?

Interested, but not sure familiar enough with Michael Williams? Take just ten minutes, andwatch a portion of his speech to the Republican State Convention in Texas, which I also attended. You will be sold - that's all it took for me.

Let's get to work, and bring substantive change to Washington, not the sound bite version that is ringing so hollow today. Let's elect Michael Williams to the U.S. Senate.

Your friend,

Newt Gingrich

P.S. A conservative like Michael Williams comes along only so often. He has the rare courage of someone who has fought the tough fights at a young age. He can take back the Democrats' turf on issues like the environment, energy, education and the economy.

I support Michael Williams. Will you join me by contributing $4,800, $2,400 or $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or $50 to his campaign for U.S. Senate today?