Thursday, October 17, 2013

Cuccinelli on wealth: it’s great unless you’re a Democrat

In ground breaking news, Virginia’s Democratic candidate for governor revealed an extraordinary fact about himself: he’s wealthy. The horror!

On Wednesday, Terry McAuliffe’s campaign released his 2012 tax summary which showed an adjusted gross income of $9.4 million. According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, “The McLean businessman and former Democratic National Committee chairman also claimed roughly $1 million in itemized deductions on the income and paid $2.74 million in taxes, according to the two-page Form 1040 provided by the campaign.”

Between 2009 and 2012, the tax filings equate to a total of $24.9 million in adjusted gross income.

The highly ironic aspect of Ken Cuccinelli’s strategy to brand McAuliffe as wealthy and therefore as somehow “other” is that wealth is exactly what the Republican Party claims to be so enamored with, unless it’s a candidate from another political party who happens to have more of it.

I tend more often than not to perceive the Republican Party as the ‘Tin Man’ of politics with no heart, but a strong motivation to earn, earn, earn. Of course, I’m over-generalizing to make a point (there are a lot of good Republicans!).

Not only does Cuccinelli’s attempt to tar and feather McAuliffe for his wealth prove that Cuccinelli is a hypocrite with little integrity, McAuliffe also clearly demonstrates that Democrats are not a bunch of non-material loving individuals (there are Democrats who love giving back AND making money). Democrats are on the whole individuals who recognize social oppression or injustice and hope to do something to alleviate it. This means that members of the Democratic Party can come from all walks of life.


McAuliffe’s wealth simply makes him simply, not anymore or any less capable of governing with the people’s best interests in mind. Unlike Mitt Romney, McAuliffe wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. 

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