Saturday, May 11, 2013

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli gives greater detail about his failure to disclose political gifts


In the world of well, reality, there are mistakes and then there are intentional lapses of memory for the sake of one’s personal agenda. On Wednesday, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli tried to explain why he initially failed to disclose gifts from Star Scientific CEO, Jonnie Williams Sr., claiming in essence that he’s not perfect. What a revelation.

Cuccinelli told NBC News, “I’m not running for office as somebody who doesn’t make mistakes. I certainly do make them and one thing voters can count on is when I do, I’ll ‘fess up to them’.” If Virginians have been taught anything about Cuccinelli, it’s that he’ll ‘fess up’ when he’s been caught red-handed acting unethically.
How often have you (or would you) forget about being given thousands of dollars?

Could it be that in the world of Virginia politics, these kinds of ‘gifts’ are the rule rather than the exception for Republican politicians?

I still remember Gov. Bob McDonnell playing golf at a club I used to work at, a club whose membership costs upwards of $200,000. McDonnell was playing as someone’s guest, with his family, and without the member who sponsored his visit to the club. Some kind of friend, huh? Do you think the member was allowing Gov. McDonnell to play a round under his sponsorship out of the kindness of his heart?

Whether they’re Republicans, Democrats, Independents, or whatever political designation floats your boat, political gifts like these must end in Virginia. Our political system cannot maintain fairness amongst the different socioeconomic classes if millionaires essentially buy the attention and policy favor of Politicians A-Z.

You don’t need to be a political scientist to figure this one out, wherever the money goes, so too will the politician unless there are incentives to do otherwise or barriers to halt their efforts. As long as Virginia chooses neither, the Commonwealth also chooses a lopsided political system that will eventually undermine itself with excessive corruption and unconcern with the lives of average Virginians. I give you a great example:  Ken Cuccinelli. 

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