Senator Tim Kaine continues his focus on War Powers Resolution and spelling out responsibilities

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (Virginia) intends on making a speech on Tuesday regarding the War Powers Resolution at the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. By Tuesday, however, the U.S. could already be conducting offensive military actions in the civil-war torn country of Syria without the approval of the U.S. Congress.

On this point, the American people have clearly spoken, according to a recent NBC poll. Close to 80 percent of Americans believe that President Barack Obama should seek and receive approval from the U.S. Congress before military actions are taken in Syria.

The fact that a poll was carried out on whether or not the president should seek congressional approval for military actions abroad is the main impetus behind Sen. Kaine’s focus on the War Powers Resolution. In July of this year, Sen. Kaine publicly stated his intentions to reform the 1973 Resolution that includes a clear articulation of the consultative procedures that the U.S. Congress and the president shall take regarding the details of military action.

More recently, Sen. Kaine has called on President Obama to consult with the U.S. Congress before taking military action in Syria. So far, President Obama’s willingness to do so has appeared reluctant, at best.

Regardless of whether or not you agree with U.S. military action in Syria, it is clear that the 1973 War Powers Resolution has become as ineffective at checking the war fighting powers of the president as federal law prohibiting the use of marijuana. And in light of the recent developments in Syria and the Obama administration’s response to these developments, the War Powers Resolution is due for a much needed makeover.  

The argument against President Obama’s continued disregard of congressional approval for military actions abroad is simple and straight-forward: in our country, no single individual or office should have the ability to send thousands of troops into combat or spend upwards of billions of dollars on a war effort that has not been authorized by the congress.

While the Obama administration may have the best of intentions in pursuing military action in Syria, it is beside the basic point that military action is not under the control of one branch of government in non-emergency situations such as the conflict in Syria (the bombing at Pearl Harbor in 1941 or the September 11 terrorist attacks could be considered examples of emergency situations).

I hope Sen. Kaine will continue to press this president, and presidents to come, to abide by the War Powers Resolution in every way that is practical. It is my hope that the president will reaffirm his respect for the balance of powers and congressional authority in wartime actions by seeking the approval of the U.S. Congress before pursuing military action in Syria.

Bob McDonnell’s attorneys argue that his wife kept the governor in the dark about Star’s gifts

In the latest news coming out of the Bob McDonnell camp, attorneys for Virginia’s governor met with federal prosecutors to plead their case for not pressing charges in connection with ‘gift gate’ between Star Scientifics’ CEO and Bob McDonnell. In particular, federal officials have been looking into whether or not Gov. McDonnell took official actions as governor to help Star Scientific while its CEO gave over a hundred-thousand dollars worth of money and gifts.

The meeting between federal prosecutors and Gov. McDonnell’s attorneys has been called a “critical phase in the investigation” because the discussions that take place could be the difference between files being charged or dropped against the governor.  

According to the Washington Post, the governor’s attorneys argued that the governor’s wife, Maureen McDonnell, accepted Star Scientifics’ gifts without the upfront knowledge of Bob McDonnell. If so, his attorneys argue, Bob McDonnell couldn’t have been influenced by enormous gifts that he didn’t immediately know about.

Unfortunately for the governor, Jonnie Williams, the CEO of Star Scientific who forked over the gifts and money, has contradicted the argument that Bob McDonnell was in the dark about Mr. Williams’ largesse. In fact, Williams has argued that he and the governor discussed ways that McDonnell and the state of Virginia could “gain prestige and scientific endorsements for its [Star Scientific] new anti-inflammatory supplement.” In other words, ‘gift gate’ won’t be going away anytime soon.

While Bob McDonnell’s “gifts” case continues to be front and center in the public’s mind, there is no better time to reform Virginia’s lax laws for political gift giving; clearly, there is a gap between preserving public confidence and serving the people of Virginia and the ability of wealthy individuals, groups, or companies to disproportionately influence politics in the commonwealth.

Bob McDonnell may be the most prominent example of political corruption (even though we’ll assume his innocence for now!), but he is far from the only one. Witness Ken Cuccinelli, who may not have been given as much by Jonnie Williams, but who nonetheless may have transgressed the law he is supposed to uphold and protect.  

It simply can’t be argued that large ‘gifts’ don’t and can’t buy political favors. If they didn’t, then political gifts wouldn’t be given, at least not in the thousands of dollars. It’s clear that if Virginia doesn’t reform its political gift laws, it’s only a matter of time before another ‘gift gate’ erupts and further undermines the confidence of Virginian’s in their elected representatives. 

Cuccinelli gets ruffled in Roanoke over question related to his campaign donations from Big Energy

In today’s spend-heavy era of American politics, it’s admittedly difficult for political candidates to fund their campaigns and their hopes for elected office without reaching far and wide for political handouts. Perhaps now more than ever the question becomes, is it appropriate for a political candidate to take money from groups or individuals that have diametrically opposed interests to at least a segment of the potential or actual constituency of the said candidate?

For Virginia’s attorney general, and Republican Party candidate for Virginia governor, Ken Cuccinelli, the answer has unequivocally been, “Yes, I’ll take campaign donations just about anyone who offers it.” And so the plot thickens.

When asked by an attendee of Cuccinelli’s campaign stop at the Hotel Roanoke on Friday whether or not he felt it was acceptable to take campaign donations from Consol, Virginia’s attorney general responded, “Well I need a lot more donations. My opponent is outspending me like 2:1.” In other words, Cuccinelli’s argument is that he’s in this ‘contest’ to win, not to necessarily worry about the ethical implications of his behaviors.

Never one to shy away from pointing the finger or casting blame, Cuccinelli went on to lament the intense focus voters have had over Cuccinelli’s ruling in the mineral rights royalties case that sent a bill passed without opposition in the General Assembly into the dustbin of legislative history, a bill that would have sped up mineral royalty payments to Virginia landowners.

According to The Roanoke Times, “Cuccinelli’s office later intervened to support energy companies in court when landowners, frustrated by the failure of the bill to free up royalties, started suing for their royalties.” Indeed, it’s a complete mystery as to why this issue has received so much attention!

What Cuccinelli essentially did was repudiate the will of the people (i.e., the Virginia General Assembly) to the clear advantage of energy companies seeking to extract more energy from Virginia’s landowners without royalty payments. And this, too, from a candidate who has attempted to brand himself as a ‘man of the people’.

The problem with Cuccinelli is not so much that he is an extremist (although this is certainly an issue). The problem with Cuccinelli is that he can’t be trusted to properly represent the interests of Virginians. As Cuccinelli hinted at in the quote above, the end is the most important outcome of his campaign, not the means. But it is the means which define a political candidate while they are in office, whether they will be beholden to parochial and adverse special interests, or whether they will be true representatives of the people who elected them into office.

The Cuccinelli’s of the political world will never understand this: what you do to get into office is just as important as what you do while in office. This, among many reasons, is why Cuccinelli doesn’t deserve to be Virginia’s next governor. 

Virginia Energy Resources misleads about Coles Hill Project Value on its Website

While Virginia Uranium Inc.’s (VUI) Project Manager, Patrick Wales, has talked about VUI’s dedication to uranium mining safety, its parent company, Virginia Energy Resources Inc. can’t even differentiate between “indicated resources” and “mineral reserves” in technical disclosures released on its website. This is especially odd given the significance of its ‘mistakes’.

One source found the following: “The Company [VUI] filed a technical report dated September 6, 2012 titled "NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment Update, Coles Hill Uranium Property, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States of America" by Lyntek Inc. and BRS Engineering "in support of a listing application dated August 31, 2012. The technical report did not comply with the requirements of NI 43-101 and Form 43-101F1 because it incorrectly included wording that "the preliminary economic assessment...indicates that the portion of the [indicated] mineral resource...is economic under current conditions" (Indicated resources are simply economic mineral occurrences that have been sampled from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits and drillholes to a point where an estimate has been made, at a reasonable level of confidence, of their contained metal, grade, tonnage, shape, densities, physical characteristics.).”

The source goes on to state, “With respect to the Company's disclosure of the Coles Hill PEA on its website and corporate presentations, the economic analysis appears unbalanced because the Company discloses upside uranium price sensitivity without providing equal downside sensitivity.”

The point is that if Virginia Energy Resources cannot be forthright with its investors and potential investors about the economic opportunities the Coles Hill uranium deposit holds, Virginians in particular should be weary of claims made by any company affiliated with Virginia Energy Resources, including VUI.

A company’s integrity is measured by the sum of its parts. If one part of a company, in this case a parent company, willfully lies to its investors, it creates the perception that the company in question has a business culture that doesn’t respect, much less care about, the truth. More often than not, if one part of a company demonstrates improper business practices, it can be found throughout its daughter, sister and/or parent companies as well.

What Virginia Energy Resources demonstrated by its informational “inaccuracies” is its willingness to put profits above facts, the truth, and not inconceivably, the safety of its business practices in order to turn a greater profit. So why should Virginians trust that its daughter company, VUI, wouldn’t do the same to protect and enhance its profits?

The reason why I oppose uranium mining in Virginia goes beyond the fact that an ‘incident’ could have irrevocable harm on Virginia’s environment and the people living in that environment; it also has to do with the motives of those who would be performing the mining. In the case of VUI, its motives and that of its parent company are clear: profits over people and profits over truth. 

A free market symbol: Tesla Motors continues to fight for its right to deal its automobiles in VA

In the supposedly free-market capitalist haven known as Virginia, free competition is supposed to be alive and well, except if you run up against powerful and embedded special interests. Such is the case with Tesla Motors, the automobile manufacturer and dealer who has quietly (or not so quietly for car enthusiasts) revolutionized electrically motorized vehicles.

In April, Tesla Motors’ request to open a dealership in Virginia was turned down by the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). According to Virginia law, auto makers are prohibited from being auto dealers in the state. However, 14 exceptions have been made to the law for manufacturers of specialty trailers, trucks, and motorcycles since 1998. A Tesla automobile could certainly be categorized as a “specialty” vehicle.

The DMV’s ruling against Tesla Motors was also made despite two recommendations that Tesla be allowed to open a dealership in Virginia under a legal exception when no dealers are available to sell its product. So much for the legal argument made for keeping Telsa Motors from selling its automobiles in Virginia.

A more insidious argument has been made by the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association (VADA), a special interest group for “franchised new car and truck dealers in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” or car and truck dealers who stand to lose business if Tesla Motors gains a foothold in the state.

According to VADA’s president, Don Hall, the association doesn’t oppose Tesla’s entry into Virginia’s family of dealerships, "I just want to make sure we don't overlook protections because of the excitement of something new." In polita-speak, VADA wants to put up clever barriers to Tesla’s entry into Virginia’s automobile market.

While VADA’s president claims that it is open to the idea of allowing Tesla Motor’s sell its automobiles in Virginia, it would seem counterintuitive since some, if not all, of VADA’s members stand to lose due to Tesla’s entry. Put another way, Mr. Hall is, in all likelihood, lying through his teeth.

Tesla Motors represents more than just a dealer and manufacturer of “high performance” electric vehicles, Tesla represents the lingering spirit of revolutionizing automobile innovation that auto manufacturers in the U.S. have long since abandoned. If Virginia fails to embrace companies like Tesla, either now or in the future, the state will undermine its image as a haven of free market capitalism. Instead, Virginia may well become a special interest manhole where the concept of innovation is just another chapter in Virginia’s history books.

Terry McAuliffe lays out his refreshing support for the environment during his recent trip to Norfolk

Democratic Party candidate for Virginia governor, Terry McAuliffe, “unveiled” a number of environmental pledges during a campaign stop in Norfolk at a fresh-fish wholesaler, George’s Seafood.

According to McAuliffe, “We need to make sure we’re doing smart policies so that our watermen and fishermen can thrive and be prosperous.” But in the growing drama that is our planets increasing warming, America’s coastal cities, and their aquatic-based businesses, may not be around much longer for fishermen (and women) to “thrive” like this generation and previous generations have.

The science behind these stark conclusions are as rigorous as it gets, unlike the pseudo-science that allows 

McAuliffe’s gubernatorial opponent to stand atop the shores of ignorance while the waves build up around his dishonest rhetoric. Unfortunately, the science telling us that our coastal cities are in danger is all too real.

This is why Mr. McAuliffe visited Norfolk to deliver his “environmental platform,” because he understands what’s at stake if Virginia doesn’t get serious about treating the environment like we would one another as fellow human beings (i.e., with respect).

Among the many environmental policies McAuliffe has openly supported, here are a few:

- Continue the moratorium on uranium mining in Virginia;

- Direct the Department of Environmental Quality to work with localities and businesses to implement plans aimed at regulating the flow of pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries;

- Create a climate change adaptation commission – a bipartisan group of scientists, policymakers, conservationists and industry representatives – to develop a comprehensive plan to protect coastal communities from rising sea levels;

- Oppose horizontal drilling in the George Washington National Forest;

- Preserve at least 400,000 acres of open space over four years; and

- Protect the land preservation tax credit, which offers tax write-offs for preserving Virginia’s agricultural, forested, historic and scenic open spaces.

Indeed, unless you are violently opposed to environmental health (and by extension, human health), Terry McAuliffe is the candidate for governor you should be rooting for this November. Unlike his opponent, McAuliffe believes the environment is something worth preserving, and with it, the opportunity for a truly prosperous life. 

Bob McDonnell’s “Please forget about my highly unethical behavior” tour is a joke

Governor Bob McDonnell probably made Pinocchio blush after he claimed that his “This Commonwealth of Opportunity” tour was not about repairing his image. Instead, McDonnell claimed "I do this every year. It's good to get out of Richmond to tell people around the state what we are doing in Richmond, things they might not know, things that can help them locally." Not everyone agrees, however, with McDonnell’s half-baked defense, including myself.

Mark Rozell, a political analyst at George Mason University, concluded, "It's more of a redemption or rehabilitation tour I think, trying to reset his public persona in a sense to get people not to focus on the investigation and all of the scandal surrounding him but actually to think differently about him and his governorship.”

For anyone who has an idea about the calculated moves that define the world of politics, it’s apparent that McDonnell’s “Look at all of the great things I’ve done for Virginia” tour is little else besides a mirror to reflect the mountain of negative publicity McDonnell has received over the past few months.

This tour, and his response to critics, has only served to reinforce what many reasonable Virginians have long since concluded: McDonnell is as concerned about the people of Virginia as MC Hammer is worried about his bank account. That is, McDonnell’s time in public office has not been so much about serving the people of Virginia, it’s been about serving McDonnell’s expensive tastes for goods and political power.

The greatest tragedy in this ongoing drama is that Virginians have to watch as a lame-duck governor flounders into the abyss of political history without the slightest degree of sincere remorse for the unethical actions he participated in.

One positive from McDonnell’s continuing presence in Virginia’s Executive Mansion is that every day he 

remains in public office is another day Virginians are reminded of the gift triangle that occurred between Ken Cuccinelli, McDonnell, and Star Scientifics’ CEO. Looked at in this light, McDonnell’s presence is a god-send!

Sen. Mark Herring would bring a welcome change to the style of Virginia attorney general

If you knew nothing else about state Sen. Mark Herring, the first line under Herring’s “Issues” page says it all: “I’ll put the laws first, not politics.” Sen. Herring is running for Virginia Attorney General in November and the need for an attorney general that will put the people of Virginia first is needed now more than ever.

The current attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, has mixed politics and the official duties of his office with such rigor and for so long that it’s hard to determine when Cuccinelli wasn’t campaigning for a higher political office. From the beginning of his 4-year tenure as Virginia’s highest attorney, Cuccinelli has targeted individuals, groups, and ideas which were clearly politically motivated.

While the targeting of former University of Virginia climate scientist, Michael Mann, was one of the more visible Cuccinelli witch hunts, it was by no means a singular event. Whether it was chasing down abortion clinics, challenging (and often losing) the EPA in their efforts to enforce federal environmental law, or infringing upon the rights of homosexuals, Cuccinelli made politically motivated actions as attorney general something closer to an art form than a professional duty.

Whether you agree with all of Sen. Herring’s policy positions or not, Herring seems sincere about restoring integrity to the office of attorney general. That is, Herring appears to be sincere about using the office of attorney general for its intended purpose: to blindly defend the law, regardless of political implications.

At the very least, check out Sen. Herring’s website and see what he is all about before you vote in this November’s election. This is one of the ways that we as Virginian’s can continue to steer our state in the right direction for generations to come: stay informed, stay involved, and vote for the best candidate available. 

The mainstream media continues to ruthlessly pick apart Terry McAuliffe for being…human

Somewhere along the road of serious news and reporting on the most disconcerning mistakes by political candidates, the mainstream media sold its integrity for almighty ratings. No longer willing to report on serious issues, the mainstream media has become a vital hub for mediocrity that plays to the public’s worst impulses. A good example of the mainstream media’s ‘wrongful pursuits’ is its continuing coverage of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe’s “failure,” GreenTech Automotive.

The implications of these negative ‘reports’ seems to be that anyone running for public office who has failed at a business venture is unable of competent public service. That is, if you don’t meet rapid success while undertaking a business venture, you’re suspect as a viable candidate for political office.

The recent Virginian-Pilot report also points out that McAuliffe has campaigned on a platform of business and job-creation experience. According to the author of this report, Fredrick Kunkle, “McAuliffe, a Democrat who has never held elective office, tells voters that they should choose him because of his entrepreneurship and experience creating jobs.” But the author’s focus on GreenTech Automotive disregards McAuliffe’s successful business credentials before he went into the automotive industry.

The stories about GreenTech Automotive have also overlooked, on the whole, the youth of the company itself. Most companies don’t become kingmakers overnight, especially in the automotive industry. As co-founder of GreenTech Automotive, Xiaolin “Charles” Wang, explained, “This is a small, tiny start-up. It is hard to start a business. It is even harder to start a car business, especially in an economic crisis.” GreenTech is still running and still has a chance to be the huge success that so many stories in the mainstream media have claimed it isn’t. Success, however, can take time.

All things considered, the level of negativity that has been directed towards Terry McAuliffe is unusual, and given the Republican Party candidate for governor, it would be logical to conclude that McAuliffe would be the shoe-in favorite for any rational Virginian. For whatever reason or set of reasons, though, McAuliffe has been picked apart ruthlessly for his decision to do what business people do, go where the most money can be made, and this by the very people who claim to love the free market.

The mainstream media also apparently believes that elected representatives should be immune from bad decisions or mistakes. In the real world, the world that is constantly distorted for increased viewership by the mainstream media, we all make mistakes, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the Democrat and Republican, and so on. This is what being human is all about.

Gas prices go down in Virginia, but will motorists on the road (and greenhouse gases) go up as well

Magically, mysteriously, and not a second too soon for Virginia’s motorists to gobble up even more, gas prices in the commonwealth have declined by 6-cents over the past week. While Virginia isn’t unique in this respect, for anyone who travels the hell that is known as Interstate-95 (I-95), the decline in gas prices may not be the boon that it may at first appear to be.

According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, the national average for a gallon of ancient carbon deposits went down to $3.56 on Sunday. But the mystery behind this sudden drop in gas prices may not be so mysterious after all. AAA Mid-Atlantic also concluded that the declining gas prices reflect the new gas pricing structure that went into effect on July 1^st.

Lest we forget, however, where gas prices once stood, $3.56 for a gallon of gasoline is still not an optimal level, at least in terms of our bank accounts.

While 6-cents per gallon may not cause a tremendous jump in interstate traffic, if gas prices continue to fall, Virginia’s interstate congestion may become an even bigger nightmare, as impossible as that may sound. The irony of life is that life is…ironic. A drop in the price of gas may be a great thing for a good deal of Virginians, but for folks like me who have to travel the godless pavement that is I-95, I don’t see it quite so joyously.

But besides my own destiny with greater masses of traffic, there is also the all important issue of greenhouse gas emissions and the increase that may occur due to cheaper gasoline prices. It may be heresy to speak plainly about the consequences of decreasing gasoline prices, but for the sake of our increasingly warming planet, it must be done.

The solution isn’t to stop traveling or living our lives as we see most agreeable in order to help our planet. The solution can be found in a greater awareness of the actions we take every day and what we can do to minimize the negative consequences of those actions. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but just like anything in life that requires hard work, the payoff is all the more rewarding in the end. 

Ken Cuccinelli’s office grows, but the reasons are more complex than what meets the eye

While it pains me to defend Ken Cuccinelli, the truth remains a standard that shouldn’t falter along narrow political party lines. The Roanoke Times recently reported that the Virginia attorney general’s office has “grown dramatically” under Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is campaigning on a quasi-libertarian platform of calling for less government intrusion in the lives of Virginians.

According to Virginia documents on the budget, the attorney general’s office intends on spending $42.7 million in 2013, an increase of almost 25 percent of the $34.3 million that Cuccinelli’s office inherited in 2010. New hires in Cuccinelli’s office is also set to rise to 381 positions, or 19 percent.

On the face of it, the growth in Cuccinelli’s office during his time as attorney general would appear to be a major contradiction in one of his main campaigning messages. However, a good deal of the growth in the attorney general’s office has been the result of federal grants to pursue Medicaid fraud, a sum which is currently in excess of $9 million. The Roanoke Times also notes that the remainder of the Medicaid fraud unit’s revenue comes from criminal conviction fines.

As University of Virginia’s political guru, Larry Sabato, put it, “There’s apparently a legitimate reason for the increase. But in the eyes of an ad-maker, it’s Cuccinelli’s job to get that side of the equation out there, and he may have to spend a sizable sum to do so. This is money he can’t spend on more productive endeavors.” That is, Cuccinelli and his office are doing what they legally can with money they’ve received to crack down on Medicaid fraudsters.

Cuccinelli’s spending may still be in contradiction to the public image he has attempted to paint for himself during his candidacy for governor, but if Terry McAuliffe is going to defeat Cuccinelli for governor, the defeat should be based on facts and truths as opposed to distortions and blind accusations.

In this one particular case, it appears the Cuccinelli has carried out his duties as attorney general with praise (albeit, with Cuccinelli-like zealotry). Luckily for Terry McAuliffe, there are plenty of other issues that Cuccinelli can be attacked on, but this shouldn’t be one of them.

To win by unvirtuous means is ultimately no victory for our republic. Virtue is what ultimately holds our government in place and it is virtue which this country so desperately needs at this point in our continuing history. 

Eric Cantor: the art of lying in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary

As if to affirm that he is three parts liar, and one part U.S. Representative from Virginia’s 7^th District, Eric Cantor recently claimed “No one is advocating a government shutdown” while speaking with National Review Online. What is interesting about his claim is not the outright falsity, it’s the clear dissension that is brewing behind the scenes of the Republican caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.  

By now, it should be clear to anyone who attends to U.S. politics with a modicum of impartiality that Eric Cantor has not only made an art out of lying, he seems to do it with an ease that can only be described as pathological.

It’s been widely reported for some time that a group of so-called conservative legislators in the Republican Party (which is an oxymoronic phrase) is pressuring the GOP leadership in the congress to allow the federal government to “shut down” if President Obama’s health care reform is not repealed. Thus, if “Obamacare” is not overturned, a sizable group of Republicans will vote against a continuing resolution to keep the federal government solvent.

Sensing the importance of this issue to voters across the country, Cantor said “Repealing Obamacare remains the goal, as is doing everything we can to protect people from its harmful effects here and now, like delaying the mandate for people, not just big business.” But Cantor conveniently and unsurprisingly failed to mention that a notable number of members within his own party have seriously suggested holding federal government funding hostage in order to repeal the recent health care reform law.

I can’t think of a time when politics was ever an honest endeavor, but in our own times lying has become a form of truth, a phenomenon so pervasive that fact and fiction, truth and falsehood have become increasingly difficult to tell apart. At the forefront of this revolution is Virginia’s own Eric Cantor.

The reasons for this change are inconsequential insofar as finding the answers probably won’t get us any closer to solving the problem of shifting political discourse back onto a more truth-telling plain. Rather, the people of Virginia and across the country have got to hold their political representatives accountable for the absurd lies that have become the norm (at least among Republican Party representatives).

This doesn’t mean getting nasty or upset with our elected representatives. It means taking peaceful and caring political actions that help bring American politics back to a place where most Americans feel comfortable engaging.

Unfortunately for America, Cantor’s ego and greed don’t only affect his chances of being re-elected, they affect how we as Americans perceive our political system and in turn, ourselves. If someone held up a mirror to our political system right now, do you think you’d like what you see? 

McDonnell will have to defend himself against another quid-pro-quo during his governorship

The idea that lending a political candidate $50,000, $100,000, or a million dollars without an expectation of some form of return is as ridiculous as Gov. Bob McDonnell’s hair after he’s been cruising in Jonnie Williams’s luxury convertible. The game of politics is not a new one; the rules haven’t changed for thousands of years: you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

Over the last few months, Virginians have become aware that a number of wealthy individuals have been scratching Gov. Bob McDonnell’s back. According to McDonnell, however, these “gifts” never amounted to political quid-pro-quos, they’re just friendly gestures! Right, and I’m Mickey Mouse.

Now, however, a new revelation has surfaced that might be the straw that broke McDonnell’s political career: Paul Davis, a Virginia Beach radiologist, lent $50,000 in 2010 to a real estate corporation owned by McDonnell and his sister, MoBo Real Estate Partners (this is the name of the corporation, not his sister). That same year, Dr. Davis was offered an appointment on the Radiological Technology Advisory Board, which Davis subsequently declined.

It is a story that is perhaps the most revealing to date about how McDonnell used his position as governor to reap benefits that aren’t typically thought of as ethical, or legal, under the historic-cultural umbrella of American politics.  

Among many of the interesting facts of this unfolding story, according to Davis, Bob McDonnell and his brother-in-law informed him that they were “behind in payments” on two beach houses they were owned by MoBo Real Estate Partners. Davis eventually agreed to make a $50,000 loan to “MoBo” as a “pure business loan.”

Even though the loan was a financial loan, Gov. McDonnell apparently felt compelled to offer Dr. Davis a role on one of Virginia’s influential medical boards, perhaps to blackmail and control Davis as much as to thank him for his generous financial support.  

Thus, this story provides a more cogent look at McDonnell as an enterprising business man with expensive tastes and a willingness to use the office of governor to promote both of the former. It also paints a picture of a man who thought he could get away with just about any political indiscretion as long as his actions were not blatantly evidencing an abuse of office.

McDonnell’s ‘defense’ for his behavior with Jonnie Williams was never convincing. Now, however, a clearer picture and pattern has formed around just who McDonnell is, and it’s not the ‘governor next door’. McDonnell is more like a rapacious wolf in sheep’s clothing who got too greedy and finally exposed himself before the people of Virginia.

Post-Citizens United politics in Virginia sees large “outside” cash infusions in VA governor contest

In the brave newer world of post-Citizens United politics, important political campaigns can expect to see large sums of “national” capital flowing into their political coffers as well as those of their opponents. Virginia’s contest to fill the shoes of the haphazard Bob McDonnell has proven to be a glaring example.

As one of only two contests for governor across the country, the gubernatorial showdown between Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli has been the focus of large ‘foreign’ campaign contributions.

In Cuccinelli’s corner are just about every extreme right-wing fat-cat with an open wallet and a stunted mind in addition to the Republican Governors Association, who just made a hefty contribution to Cuccinelli’s campaign for governor.

And in Mr. McAuliffe’s corner is a billionaire financial wizard from California, Tom Steyer, who recently dropped six-figures into the ring for governor for a new advertisement directed against the unenvironmentally friendly Cuccinelli.  McAuliffe also had the audacity to take another $100,000 contribution from the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, that deployable organization that seeks to give its members continued job security and living wages.

Virginians, however, still haven’t warmed up to the idea of outside money pouring into Virginia’s political campaigns. On the one hand, there’s a lingering mistrust of anyone or anything that doesn’t have Virginian roots. On the other hand, there is an important question that many critics of outside campaign financiers have pointed out: if the candidates for governor are receiving millions of dollars from individuals and groups outside of Virginia, can Virginians truly expect these candidates to properly represent the people of the commonwealth over their big campaign contributors?

This is the question that Cuccinelli’s campaign is attempting to play with by labeling McAuliffe as “bought and paid for” by (name your outside individual or group). Of course, such an accusation by Cuccinelli is the pot calling the kettle black.

The question is legitimate, regardless of whether Cuccinelli has sullied its utterance: can Virginian’s trust that their elected officials will represent THEIR  interests if millions of dollars is getting contributed by individuals and/or organizations outside of the state? Until Citizens United is overturned or outside contributions somehow rapidly decrease, this is a question that Virginia’s public officials will have to answer.

It’s hard to imagine (nay, impossible!) that hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions, in campaign contributions doesn’t buy any special favors (or the promise of) by the candidates being funded. Money is great, but too much money? Not so much.

Like the Grateful Dead, Bob McDonnell doesn’t know when to throw in the towel and walk away

Gov. Bob McDonnell’s so sorry for taking over $150,000 worth of gifts and political donations from one wealthy campaign donor (and who knows what else) that he’ll be taking an “aggressive statewide tour” to pat himself on the back for all of the wonderful things he’s done, like help push a ‘comprehensive’ transportation package through the General Assembly that may cause more problems than it will alleviate burdens.

That’s right fellow Virginians, amid a torrential flood of scandalous accusations and an administration that is all but officially dead, Gov. McDonnell is going on a 22-stop tour around the state starting today in Salem and ending next Thursday in Leesburg. Phew, I’m already exhausted, and wondering how McDonnell is paying for this fandango across the commonwealth?!

If ever I had the audacity to accuse Bob McDonnell of being a half-way descent governor, I was sorely mistaken and I will now begin lashing myself indefinitely for my transgression.

This “Get Your Mojo Flowing Again Tour” of McDonnell’s is really symbolic of his administration as a whole: pointless, unconcerned about throwing away the tax dollars of Virginians, and full of political pomp with little substance to boot.

Sure, it’s easy to criticize or to play the Monday morning quarterback. After all, being governor of a high-profile state like Virginia can’t be an easy job, can it? McDonnell’s two predecessors sure made it look easy, but McDonnell, not so much. He just couldn’t seem to keep his hand out of the cookie-jar or discern when enough self-promotion was enough.  

Unless McDonnell intends on throwing out money that Jonnie Williams gave him as political “gifts”, the ol’ gov’ should go ahead and cancel this embarrassing political foray into the halls of irrelevancy. Leave office quietly while there is still some small piece of dignity left!

Ken Cuccinelli’s solution to improve VA’s mental health is a little south of sanity

For now, the mentally “ill” are safe from Ken Cuccinelli’s political assaults as some kind of economic drag on Virginia’s economy, but his solutions for improving Virginia’s mental health system seem as far from practicality as his candidacy has been from mainstream politics.

During a public debate between candidates for Virginia governor, Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli, at Collegiate School in suburban Richmond, Ken Cuccinelli ideated that preschool vouchers for low-income children and tax cuts would improve mental health in Virginia. If you’re wondering how these actions would improve mental health in Virginia, you’re in good company. It is unclear how reducing Virginia’s budget AND paying for preschool vouchers would directly (or indirectly) help Virginia’s mental health system.

As if to allay any attempts by Terry McAuliffe to brand Cuccinelli as unsympathetic to the plight of the mentally ill and unrealistic in his policy prescriptions, Virginia’s attorney general spoke about how he worked with the mentally ill as a student, volunteered at homeless shelters as a private lawyer. I’m still unsure whether or not Cuccinelli was drawing a direct correlation between the mentally ill and homelessness.

Cuccinelli also claimed he would find more revenue for mental health programs while “pledging” to reduce state taxes by $1.4 billion a year. In other words, Cuccinelli wants to undertake a financial miracle by spending money that will no longer be flowing into Virginia’s budgetary coffers.

Whatever policy direction Cuccinelli claims he’ll go down to help fund mental health in Virginia, the attorney general has shown his true colors as a tried and true picker of winners and losers, the antithesis of the libertarian gospel that he occasionally attempts to infuse into his political rhetoric.

It’s curious, too, that Cuccinelli has chosen not to assault this segment of society as economic laggards or God’s curse upon Virginia, remarks which I wouldn’t be shocked to hear Cuccinelli utter. Maybe he is waiting for his running-mate, E.W. Jackson, to dub the mentally ill as God’s lepers.

At no point in the debate on Monday did Cuccinelli appear sincere in his willingness to help the mentally ill in Virginia or truly concerned about them as individuals. As governor, I wouldn’t expect Cuccinelli to do much more than what he did on Monday, pay lip-service to ideas that will never be put into action. 

Democratic candidate for governor, Terry McAuliffe, gets an advertising boost from green billionaire

Oh no, environmentalist billionaires are descending upon Virginia’s airwaves, run! Well, at least one environmentalist billionaire is coming to the aid of Virginia’s Democratic candidate for governor, Terry McAuliffe. And this great man’s name is Tom Steyer, a California-based financier who has the crazy goal of stopping the human race from killing itself.

According to Politico, Steyer informed his group, NextGen Climate Action, to load up Virginia’s advertisement sphere with pro-climate ads that is hoped will bring climate-minded voters out to the polls come this November to vote for a candidate who actually believes in climate change (i.e., Terry McAuliffe).

Among the important consequences of Steyer’s upcoming infusion of “green capital” into Virginia’s gubernatorial race was put best by Politico: “The bet, for Steyer, is that making climate issues a prominent part of the Virginia election will nudge the center of national politics in a greener direction, shaping the political landscape for 2014 and 2016 and giving environmental interests a stronger hand to play in Washington policy debates.”

As Politico implies, there is no guarantee that Steyerism will catch on in Virginia as an important pusher of “green politics,” but the experiment could be the first of many in this battleground state. If Steyer’s greener message does catch on and influence the election for Virginia’s next governor, it’s highly likely that other green-minded fat-cats will turn their financing spotlight onto the emerging political king-maker, Virginia.

At this point, though, the fact that Steyer has entered Virginia’s political octagon is a sure sign that the times have shifted in a greener direction. I recall when I moved to Virginia a little over a decade ago the relative lack of environmental consciousness. At that point, the Steyer’s of America probably hadn’t even thought about broaching Virginia’s antiquated politics with a message of green.

And Steyer’s financial help probably could not have come at a better time as McAuliffe’s opponent, Ken Cuccinelli, appears to go to sleep every night thinking about how he can bring the planet to a quicker point of destruction. That is, Cuccinelli is truly an environmentally conscious person’s worst nightmare. 

Conflicts of interests, it’s as simple as A-B-C: alcohol industry ties Gordian knot through “gifts”

Somewhere along the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) path to regulation of Virginia’s alcohol sales, employees of ABC became more of a fraternity brother to the alcohol industry than a neutral watchman or woman who ensures that the latter doesn’t violate any campus rules. In evidence of this point, it was recently reported that over $50,000 “in gifts and entertainment from 2008 to 2011” was given to employees of Virginia’s ABC by the alcohol industry. Do you see a conflict of interest?

The question begs the answer, “yes”. There is an undoubtable conflict of interest when a regulatory body begins accepting gifts from the institution that it’s meant to regulate, especially when the gifts add up to over $50,000.

In defence of their actions, the ABC stated that close to 80 percent of the total amount given by the alcohol industry covered travel reimbursements for conferences held by the national alcohol regulatory associations, where “agency leaders learn best practices,” according to The Daily Progress’s K. Burnell Evans.

From 2008 to 2011, the alcohol industry primarily paid for conference trips, but the gifts also included tickets for car races, comedy shows, a Washington Redskins game, and a “spa service.” One can only imagine what the last gift truly entailed.

Over a 24-month period, ABC employees accepted close to $7,000 in NASCAR tickets from Crown Royal, a manufacturer and distributor of whiskey. This “gift” is only one of many that includes nearly 525 ABC employees.

Del. David J. Toscano (D-Charlottesville) responded bluntly to this report: "What's the logic of that? Is this related to their work?" If so, then business for the ABC is far from good, it’s exceedingly well.

Not surprisingly, however, the ABC responded that yes, these entertainment gifts are related to their work. 

In their statement, the ABC said the following: "Sometimes supplier representatives visit the marketplace, and invite ABC personnel to join them for various events, sometimes including a NASCAR race.” The ABC went on to add that no strings are attached.

Aside from insulting the intelligence of every Virginian, it doesn’t take an ABC employee or alcohol industry official to know that these events are subtle ways of building friendly relationships with one another and in so doing, removing the objective relationship that should define that between a regulator and the regulated.

Or, another way of putting it is if there were no benefits of spending $50,000 worth in gifts and entertainment, do you think the alcohol industry would be paying this kind of money? Would you give away $50,000 with no expectation of a return, either now or in the future, if your primary goal is to make a profit? Probably not.

It’s time for every Virginian to call on their elected official to put an end to this conflict of interest between the alcohol industry and ABC employees. Otherwise, who knows, other conflicts of interest will spread to the Executive Mansion. Oh, wait…

SEC probe into GreenTech different than FBI investigation into Bob McDonnell & his political gifts

The so-called “liberal” media outlet, The Washington Post, was quick to turn its headlights onto the recently unearthed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into GreenTech Automotive, an electric-car company co-founded by Terry McAuliffe, Virginia’s Democratic Party candidate for governor. In reading the article by The Washington Post, the reader could easily come away with the impression that Terry McAuliffe is himself under personal investigation, not the company he co-founded and resigned from in late 2012. So much for the Post’s liberal bias.

A more accurate way to word the SEC investigation into GreenTech would be to make clear that the SEC has subpoenaed GreenTech Automotive for documents and bank records from one of its “sister” companies, Gulf Coast Funds Management of McLean. There’s the who and here’s the why: the investigation, according to SEC documents, is focused in part on ALLEGED claims that GreenTech “guarantees returns” to investors.

While a quick Google search into “GreenTech investigation” reveals a host of conservative-leaning websites clearly reveling in this “scandal” surrounding McAuliffe and the car company he co-founded, it’s important to keep one thing in mind, Terry McAuliffe is NOT GreenTech.

The SEC investigation into GreenTech has been used by many conservative commentators as an example of the corruption on “the left.” But the probe into GreenTech is a different animal than the FBI investigation into Gov. Bob McDonnell and Star Scientifics’ CEO. The latter is a much more personal matter that is specifically targeting an elected official and one of his political donors. The former is targeting a company co-founded by a candidate for Virginia’s Executive Mansion, not the candidate himself.

While each company needs a figurehead who may or may not be the real force behind the company’s business decisions, it’s not clear that even if GreenTech Automotive were guilty of its alleged violations that McAuliffe would have had any knowledge that SEC violations were taking place.

When one looks at the evidence behind the FBI investigation into McDonnell, it is clear at the very least that McDonnell should have shown better judgment in the amount of gifts he chose to accept from Jonnie Williams, Star Scientifics’ CEO. In the case of the SEC probe, too little is known by the public at present to make anything more than partisan shots in the dark.

I’m not the biggest fan of Terry McAuliffe, but I know what a fair public assessment of allegations should look like and so far, I haven’t seen it. Regardless of party or political beliefs, fair public assessments of allegations are a crucial component to the stability of our political system. Otherwise, what is to stop any political group or candidate from tossing out any accusation they wish regarding a political opponent to see if it sticks? 

It’s just ol’ E.W. Jackson being E.W. Jackson, this time the minister calls Dem Party “anti-God”

First off, the phrase “doubles down,” or “doubled down,” or “double down,” must be banished from America’s political lexicon. What, pray tell, does it mean to say that someone “doubles down” on an inflammatory statement? I can infer its meaning but I shouldn’t have to when there are copious amounts of better phrases that can be used to make this point.

Okay, now to the actual story…It appears that Virginia’s Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, E.W. Jackson, wishes to be known more for his inflammatory comments than any real policy substance and political vision. According to Jackson’s latest and greatest public comment, the Democratic Party is “anti-god,” which of course assumes that the minister himself knows God.

Asked for further affirmation by a Richmond talk-show host, Jack Gravely, if Jackson still thinks that the Democratic Party is anti-God, E.W. Jackson responded, “Oh, oh, oh, I do believe it. I said it because I believe that the Democrat party has become an anti-God party, I think it’s an anti-life party, I think it’s an anti-family party. And these are all things that I think Christians hold to very dearly.”

While Virginia’s mainstream media continue to hang on to every word that Jackson utters in the hope that he will say something else politically irresponsible, what the mainstream media hasn’t held Jackson accountable for are his complete lack of policy prescriptions, big item ideas, and broad political vision that will help Virginia keep moving forward in the 21^st Century.

Instead, Jackson has continued to resort to unhelpful one-liners that do the average Virginian as much good as Bob McDonnell’s windfall of political gifts, and the mainstream media has not held him accountable for it.

Call me unreasonable, but in order to govern effectively, you have to have more in the way of political comments than “I’m anti this” or “They’re anti that.” This doesn’t sound like an individual who should have their hands on the levers of government unless we want to throw our metaphorical ship into the gutters.

Yes, Jackson, what a character he is. He’s also a big reason why the tone of political discourse leading up to the November elections has been so numbingly devoid of important content. If Jackson even comes close to being elected Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, we’ll all need a refresher on what it takes to maintain a successful democracy. 

Virginia’s attorney general refuses to repay nearly $20,000 in gifts received from Star Scientific CEO

When Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli comes to mind, I think of the scene from Taxi Driver where Robert DeNiro’s character asks himself in the mirror, “You talkin’ to me?” Why does this scene come to mind, you ask? Because Cuccinelli’s political style is more like that of a compulsive pit-bull than a well-reasoned and considerate public servant.

I don’t mean to attack Cuccinelli’s character; I’ll leave ad hominem attacks to the Republican Party since they’ve made an art out of character assassinations. In the wake of Cuccinelli’s refusal to pay back over $18,000 in gifts that he received from Star Scientific’s CEO Jonnie Williams, however, a new low has been reached in Cuccinelli’s blemished political career.

Cuccinelli claims that the gifts Jonnie Williams gave to him were service-type gifts like catering, vacation housing, private jet trips, and so forth that can’t be repaid.  I’d be willing to bet, however, that if this were someone Cuccinelli had in his political cross-hairs, these “nonrefundable” expenses would magically become easily repayable. That is, Cuccinelli is full of it.

While Gov. Bob McDonnell took the half-measure of repaying $125,000 in business and personal loans from Star Scientifics’ CEO (many of which, according to Cuccinelli’s definition, can’t be refunded), Cuccinelli bucked at the idea of repaying Williams with a machismo flare and dismissive retort that has come to define his time as Virginia’s attorney general and his campaign for Virginia’s Executive Mansion. “You talkin’ to me?”

In a sense, Virginians should be thankful we’ve had such a pugnacious career politician like Cuccinelli step into one of the state’s most visible public officials. It’s been a lot of fun to watch. But as the saying goes, if you strike like lightning, you’ll crash like thunder. Sooner or later, the arrogance comes back to haunt your political career and come this November, Cuccinelli might well reap the sordid seeds he’s sown. 

A key architect of “massive resistance,” Harry F. Byrd Jr., dies with a legacy of intolerance

The admonition has often been “don’t damn the dead,” but in the case of Harry F. Byrd Jr., I’m going to make an exception. Mr. Byrd descended from one of Virginia’s “first families,” followed in his father’s footsteps and became U.S. Senator from Virginia in 1965. On Tuesday, the Winchester Star reported Byrd’s death at 98.

Byrd therefore lived long enough to see the segregation he believed so strongly in broken in Virginia, just to name one of the out-dated beliefs that came to fruition in Byrd’s own lifetime.

In his heyday, Byrd was one of Virginias’ most influential politicians, oftentimes cited as Virginia’s headman in the “massive resistance” campaign carried out in the 1950s by politicians from the Deep South to halt public school desegregation.

In fact, it was Harry Byrd Jr. who assisted in the creation of the policy known as massive resistance which, among other things, included the closing of public schools for years instead of desegregating them. So if you ever have any doubts that political eras of times past were somehow less prone to asinine policy ideas based on prejudice, look no further than Harry Byrd Jr. and his father, Harry Byrd Sr., two byrds in a pod.

Byrd should always be remembered among Virginians and Americans alike. He represented and still represents a politics of exclusion, of ignorance, of intolerance, and of un-American values. Byrd demonstrates the negative consequences of an individual whose place in the political spotlight has been unencumbered for too long.  

Virginia’s elected officials, Democrats and Republicans alike, will no doubt praise Byrd in one form or another for some supposed positive attribute or contribution he made to Virginia. Ultimately, history should always remember him as a man who fought for an America that only accepted white Anglo-Saxon men into the fold of political power, an America that most of us today would find unacceptable.  

Bob McDonnell’s team of private lawyers delivers a $53,530 legal bill for VA’s taxpayers to pick up

Virginia’s governor who never stops taking has struck again. According to legal documents released on Monday, private attorneys for Governor Bob McDonnell billed the state close to $54,000 for its first five weeks of work. If only most Virginians could earn this sum in a year!

The private attorneys were appointed by Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to represent Gov. McDonnell in the embezzlement case against the latter’s former chef, Todd Schneider, due to the conflict of interest involved. In cases involving state employees and the governor, the attorney general would normally act as defense counsel.

Todd Schneider has been at the heart of the continuous scandals involving gifts that have shrouded McDonnell’s political life for the last few months. Mr. Schneider is accused of “pilfering” food from the Executive Mansion, which is a felony offense. But the irony that Mr. Schneider was so quickly brought up on charges for his alleged “food embezzlement” and hardly a whisper has sounded about charges being pressed against McDonnell for his unethical endeavors is dumbfounding.

As the Washington Post reports it, here’s a brief rundown of the $53,530 legal bill that McDonnell’s elite team of lawyers has racked up in its first five weeks. Seven attorneys and one paralegal for Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott charged for a combined 225.5 hours so far in the felony embezzlement case; and the actual trial for Mr. Schneider doesn’t begin until October.

Assuming that the trial lasts until the end of October, Virginia’s taxpayers could be looking at forking over at least another $250,000, at least, because the billing period for the expenses recently reported go through May 31st.

Most of the seven attorney team at Eckert billed Virginia’s taxpayers at a rate of $250 an hour, which by the generosity of their spirits is less than their standard hourly rates. What saints?! The paralegal clocked in at $170 an hour.

What did Virginia’s taxpayers get for these heroic efforts? A three-page “external report” that concluded Star Scientific and its CEO, Jonnie Williams, had not received any state awards or contracts in exchange for the gifts that McDonnell received. Great, but this is something a graduate student could have researched and concluded on minimum wage.

I don’t know if anyone has taken notice, but since this governor has been in office, a lot of Virginia’s taxpayer dollars have been spent in some really extravagant ways. At the very least, let this be a clarion call for Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates to take solemn vows that they will not act as if the governor’s office is a gambling house with the taxpaying money of Virginians.