Joining Team Sarvis

Photo by Marc Montoni

Lately, many of you may have noticed that I have been writing a good deal about Robert Sarvis, the Libertarian candidate for governor of Virginia and are likely wondering why.  Well, although I believe Ken Cuccinelli has done many great things for our state during his time in public service, I also firmly believe that his campaign is proceeding in a terrible direction, one that has succeeded at not only alienating considerable numbers of traditional Republicans, but also undecided voters.  They are poisoning our politics and they are poisoning the GOP.  Now, unlike some Republican strategists, that doesn’t mean that I’d like to see Terry McAuliffe win.  My principles have not changed.  However, these developments have caused me to look in new directions and thus I have decided to lend my efforts to the cause of Robert Sarvis.

I’m sure that many of my Republican friends will be left scratching their heads at this news, confused, angered, or perhaps a little of both, so let me take a few moments to explain more fully how I came to this decision.

It all started about two months ago when I wrote an article expressing my deep disappointment in Ken Cuccinelli’s outright refusal to include Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis in the gubernatorial debates.  To me, political dialogue is one of the great hallmarks of our system of elections and while I support any effort to promote discourse, I equally oppose any attempt to stifle it.  I have seen too many candidates of a variety of political persuasions denied the chance to express their viewpoints, chances that they ought to have had.  For example, Libertarian Gary Johnson, Constitutionalist Virgil Goode, and Green Jill Stein were all excluded from the presidential debates in 2012, despite the fact that they were listed on the ballot in a majority of states.  Previously, Gary Johnson was also barred from a majority of the Republican debates, which, no doubt, played heavily in his decision to switch from the Republican to the Libertarian Party banner.  Earlier that year, my representative, Bob Goodlatte refused to debate his primary challenger, Karen Kwiatkowski.  Previously, in 2010, Bob Goodlatte snubbed the JMU debate group by not attending a debate with his two third party opponents, and, perhaps most importantly, back in 2007 & 2008, Ron Paul was repeatedly excluded from attending the GOP presidential debates by the mainstream media.  The simple fact is that if candidates do not have a level playing field, either as a result of media bias, party bias, or candidate bias, then a whole subset of views can easily be erased from political landscape, either inadvertently or maliciously.

As a result of this concern, I contacted the group Free & Equal in the hopes that they would be able to remedy this problem.  If you recall, Free & Equal hosted a third party debate between the various 2012 presidential contenders, an event that I applauded as it expanded political discussion.  Although it would be easy for me to simply sit on my blog and grouse on the injustice of excluding Robert Sarvis, I realized that I could do more, much more than simply write about this issue.  I have been directly involved in political campaigning for more than half of my life, since the age of 15, and have a wealth of experience and knowledge that I could use to help set this wrong right.  I have been trained by both the RNC and the Leadership Institute and have served multiple campaigns over the years.  Not only could I act, I felt that I had to act.  After all, if I had the ability to make a change and did not, I would be just as responsible as those squelching political dialogue.  But what should I do?

While I thought more about this matter for a few days, I reflected upon the tactics of the Cuccinelli campaign and was, quite frankly, appalled.  My inbox overflowed with press releases and they were all the same, lambasting Terry McAuliffe over some issue (both legitimate and trivial stuff) without offering any positive message about Ken Cuccinelli.  As I wrote on August 7^th, “it is as if they are blindly throwing darts as fast as they can, hoping that at least one will hit the board.”  I contacted the Cuccinelli campaign several times with my complaints but was completely ignored.  I had reached a breaking point.  The excessive negativity of the Cuccinelli campaign coupled with their hypocritical complaints that Terry McAuliffe refused to debate while simultaneously working to exclude Robert Sarvis was completely unacceptable.

Therefore, I contacted Robert Sarvis to see if and how I might be able to serve his campaign.  Although the vast majority of my campaign experience has revolved around grassroots organizing, I was told that the campaign’s greatest need was in fundraising.  Fundraising is certainly not my forte and only something in which I dabbled in previous campaigns, but, as it is what they needed, that task is what I agreed to do.  As the campaign progresses, I hope I will have the opportunity to serve in other ways as well.

When the leader of the Lynchburg Libertarians heard that I had joined the Sarvis campaign, she was quite curious why I, a conservative within the Republican Party, would do so.  Although I’ve explained my two major reasons for this decision, there are a handful of others, which I’ll briefly touch in no particular order of importance:

First, I constantly feel a strong desire to promote the ideals of liberty and my political principles. Ideally, I express these principles through my employment, and working for the Sarvis campaign allows me to do so once more.

Second, I am a person who appreciates being valued.  I regret to say that although I’ve devoted considerable time and energy to my party and its candidates over the last eighteen years, those currently leading the various campaigns and the party have done a pretty darn good job of ignoring me for quite some time now, in much the same way as Robert Sarvis has been ignored (though that seems to be changing!).  Although I’ve only been with the Sarvis campaign briefly, I will admit it is nice to be reminded that my efforts are respected, not simply taken for granted.

Third, I am still on the lookout for a fellow liberty-minded woman with whom I can share the great adventures of life.  It is possible that through this effort I will find this person.

Fourth, as I’ve gotten to know Robert Sarvis through our discussions online and in person, I must say that I am quite impressed by his knowledge, experience, passion, and dedication to the principles of a limited state and federal government. He offers a vision that is quite appealing to libertarians and conservatives.  He is a voice that must be heard.

As I said at the beginning, politically and personally, I still like Ken Cuccinelli quite a bit.  After all, he was the only statewide candidate I endorsed in 2009 and should he win this year, I believe that he will serve Virginia well.  However, we are setting the stage for something that will transcend the outcome in November and that thought worries me greatly.  The Cuccinelli and McAuliffe campaigns are charting a course that will likely damage political dialogue in this state for years to come.  I have been seeking to build bridges and find common ground between like-minded folks, be they Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, or a multitude of other political affiliations, while they both seem to promote an “us against them”, scorched earth mentality.  Over the last several weeks, I have spoken to several fellow conservatives and libertarians who have silently pealed away from the Cuccinelli campaign for many of the same reasons and, assuming the campaign continues to degenerate, I expect more to follow in the days to come.  We must resist living in a political world dominated by hatred and fear.  It is time for a new direction and I feel honored by the opportunity to assist the Sarvis campaign in their effort.

So, do you agree with me that political dialogue needs to be expanded?  Are you sick of the extreme negativity?  Do you believe that citizens throughout this great Commonwealth need to know about of all of their choices, that they should have the opportunity to discover Robert Sarvis?  And, if your answer to any of these questions is yes, will you to head on over to the campaign website and donate $100, $50, $20, or whatever you feel is appropriate?  After all, as I’ve mentioned, funding is still the campaign’s greatest need.  After doing so, please send me an email or leave a comment below so that the campaign will know that I’m out there doing what I can to fundraise on their behalf.

Let us continue to advance liberty in all things!

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Cuccinelli’s Negative Campaign

On the typical day, both the Cuccinelli campaign and the Republican Party of Virginia send out a multitude of press releases.  For example, when I opened my email this morning, I had already received four, one at 8:00 AM, another fifteen minutes later, a third at 9:30, and the most recent at 10:45 while I was writing this piece.  Each topic bore a similar theme to the multitude dispersed weeks and months prior.  Today’s headlines read, “McAuliffe Biggest Obstacle Seems to be Himself”, “Terry McAuliffe’s Payday Lending Double Standard”, “McAuliffe’s Sales Pitch Starts to Sour”, and “Breaking: McAuliffe’s GreenTech courted Obama’s Solyndra aide”.  For comparison, yesterday’s titles include: “Hardly Recognizable McAuliffe”, “Editorials Across Virginia Focus on the SEC Investigation Surrounding McAuliffe’s GreenTech”, “Meet McAuliffe’s Environmental Sugar Daddy Tom Steyer”, and “ICYMI: New TV Ad Scandal”.

Notice a theme? Not a single email is centered on Cuccinelli’s record in public service, either as a state senator or as our sitting attorney general.  Instead, each seeks to degrade, demonize, or question the ethics of Terry McAuliffe, Cuccinelli’s Democratic opponent for governor.

Don’t misunderstand the point of this opinion piece.  I firmly believe that negative campaigning serves an important purpose when used constructively and in moderation.  Some Republicans cried foul when Jamie Radtke attacked George Allen during the 2012 Republican Senate primary.  However, she didn’t just simply criticize Allen, but offered a contrast how a Senator Radkte would differ from a Senator Allen.

These Cuccinelli pieces are different.  They offer nothing positive other than to suggest that voters ought to elect Ken simply because he is not Terry; that McAuliffe is so ethically challenged that anything or anyone is a better alternative.

Although I haven’t watched each race as closely as this one, as someone who has followed politics for 19 years, I’ve never seen anything quite like the tactics that the Cuccinelli campaign and the RPV is employing.  For at least a month previously, the Cuccinelli campaign harassed (and yes, harassed is a good word for it), McAuliffe to release his tax returns.  As far as I know, a person’s tax returns are his or her own private business and aren’t required to be released when he or she runs for public office.  Many people within the Cuccinelli camp argued that if McAuliffe had “nothing to hide then he would have nothing to fear”.  Even though politically useful in this situation, that line of thinking is exceedingly dangerous and works to further erode the privacy rights of our citizens, especially future office seekers.

As a conservative, I believe that Ken Cuccinelli has made many laudable accomplishments during his time as attorney general.  However, I am absolutely disgusted by these daily messages, especially the constant barrage from the RPV, seeking only to deride Terry McAuliffe even further.  It is as if they are blindly throwing darts as fast as they can, hoping that at least one will hit the board.  No.  The ends do not justify the means.

Who’s to blame for all of this excessive negativity?  Is it Ken Cuccinelli?  Cuccinelli’s staff?  RPV Chairman Pat Mullins?  Or is it someone else within the state party?  To be fair, a majority of these emails come from the Republican Party of Virginia.  However, I suppose it doesn’t matter, for as long as these messages continue without being denounced by Ken Cuccinelli, all are complicit.

Given the tone the campaign has taken thus far, I suspect it won’t be too long until we start seeing ads like Elizabeth Dole’s completely outlandish attack against Kay Hagen in 2008.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve reached a breaking point.  I’m on the verge of non-discriminately trashing everything the Cuccinelli campaign and the Republican Party of Virginia sends out.  This unconstructive, unrelenting negativity has to end!

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Politics in Sherwill

This afternoon and evening, Uncle Glover’s County Store hosted a summer festival in Sherwill, VA, a small community located just outside of Concord in Campbell County.  As is typical with these sorts of gatherings, the event attracted political activists, office seekers, and the children of office seekers.  The Libertarian Party was the most active at this event; not only did they have a booth with literature and yard signs, they also had two candidates, Robert Sarvis for governor and Jonathan Parrish for the 23rd House of Delegates district.  The Democrats featured Katie Webb Cyphert, who is running for delegate in the adjoining 22nd district.  The Republican Party was not visibly in attendance nor did any of their incumbent delegates or other hopefuls participate in this event.

Below are a few photos from today:

Jonathan Parrish & Robert Sarvis

Katie Webb Cyphert & Daughters

Robert Sarvis & His Children

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The Gubernatorial Debate

Recently, Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli has been promoting the idea of a series of debates between himself and Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe.  The Cuccinelli campaign has suggested fifteen debates across the commonwealth in a variety of locations including one in the Shenandoah Valley, in the city of Harrisonburg.

However, so far the McAuliffe campaign has not accepted this idea.  As a result, the Cuccinelli camp has run a series of ads on Facebook and elsewhere insisting that Virginians deserve a multitude of opportunities to hear from and learn about their choices for governor in November.

Now, I absolutely agree that debates serve as an important tool in campaigning and a handful of lively contests are exceedingly valuable.  For that reason, I wrote against my own representative back in 2010 when he refused to attend a debate sponsored by James Madison University.  Should McAuliffe agree to at least a few debates?  Yes, a thousand times, yes!

Unfortunately in this situation, Cuccinelli has fallen into the same trap as Representative Goodlatte did three years prior; the debate ought to be used as a forum to allow all candidates that will appear on the ballot to express his or her opinions.  Goodlatte would not debate back in 2010 because he only faced third party opposition.  Cuccinelli wants to debate in 2013 but according to fellow blogger Rick Sincere, plans to exclude at least one other candidate, Libertarian Party nominee Rob Sarvis.  This news is deeply disappointing.

This whole situation has echoes back to the national stage.  After Ross Perot’s performance during the presidential elections, Republican and Democratic operatives got together to make certain that independent and third party candidates would be excluded from future debates.  They created a monopoly among their parties.  After the Green, Libertarian, Constitution, and Justice Parties weren’t invited to take part in the 2012 Presidential debates, an organization called Free & Equal hosted a debate where all of the candidates, along with the two major party candidates, were invited to participate.  Not surprisingly, neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney chose to attend.

I applaud the Cuccinelli campaign in their effort to bring the candidates to a vast number of citizens across Virginia.  However, to exclude any eligible candidate based upon his or her party (or lack thereof) is unacceptable.  Debates are a great thing, but to be legitimate, they must allow all of candidates the chance to express their opinions.

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Too Fast, Too Spurious

VC Note:  Recently, a press secretary from the Republican National Committee reached out to me as a result of my work on the Virginia Conservative.  Over the last several weeks, I’ve gotten several articles from them and, from time to time, some of their pieces will likely appear here.  Today, I wanted to share their response to Terry McAuliffe’s latest ad regarding the transportation tax bill.

For the record, here is the ad in question:

And here is the Republican National Committee response:

Democrats And Virginia Legislators Catch Terry McAuliffe Speeding Away From The Truth In His Latest Campaign Ad

Terry McAuliffe’s Campaign Is Airing An Ad That Claims He Played A Role In The Passage Of A Transportation Bill In Virginia. “McAuliffe’s campaign ad that began airing last week details McAuliffe’s behind the scenes efforts to lobby Democrats in the General Assembly to vote for the historic, compromise transportation funding package. The ad infers that McAuliffe’s efforts helped secure passage of the measure.” (Todd Allen Wilson, “Sen. Stosch Says McAuliffe Didn’t Help Transportation Deal Pass,” Daily Press, 5/28/13)

Democratic State Sen. Charles J. Colgan, On McAuliffe’s Participation In Negotiations Over Virginia’s Transportation Bill: “When I Was There, He Didn’t.” “Sen. Charles J. Colgan, Manassas Democrat and the longest-serving member of the Senate, was an informal adviser to the conferees as they hashed out differences between the House and Senate versions. But Mr. McAuliffe never spoke to him about it, he said Tuesday. ‘When I was there, he didn’t,’ Mr. Colgan said.” (David Sherfinski, “Virginia Governor’s Race Turns Harsh With McAuliffe’s Soft Campaign Ad,” The Washington Times, 5/28/13)

Democratic State Senator J. Chapman Petersen Said “He Never Spoke With Mr. McAuliffe.” “J. Chapman Petersen, Fairfax Democrat and one of two Northern Virginia senators to vote against the plan, said he never spoke with Mr. McAuliffe.” (David Sherfinski, “Virginia Governor’s Race Turns Harsh With McAuliffe’s Soft Campaign Ad,” The Washington Times, 5/28/13)

State Senator Petersen: “I Don’t Know If He Tried To Reach Me.” (David Sherfinski, “Virginia Governor’s Race Turns Harsh With McAuliffe’s Soft Campaign Ad,” The Washington Times, 5/28/13)

A Senate Aide, On McAuliffe’s Participation: “There Was No Contact Between Terry McAuliffe And Our Office And Nobody Thought He Had Any Impact On The Outcome.” (David Sherfinski, “Virginia Governor’s Race Turns Harsh With McAuliffe’s Soft Campaign Ad,” The Washington Times, 5/28/13)

A Democratic Aide Claimed “She Wasn’t Aware Of Any Direct Lobbying Efforts From Mr. McAuliffe On The Bill.” “One Democratic aide acknowledged that Mr. McAuliffe attended a private caucus meeting but that she wasn’t aware of any direct lobbying efforts from Mr. McAuliffe on the bill.” (David Sherfinski, “Virginia Governor’s Race Turns Harsh With McAuliffe’s Soft Campaign Ad,” The Washington Times, 5/28/13)

“State Sen. Walter Stosch, R-Henrico, Said Claims In A Television Ad By Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Terry McAuliffe Are Absurd.” (Todd Allen Wilson, “Sen. Stosch Says McAuliffe Didn’t Help Transportation Deal Pass,” Daily Press, 5/28/13)

State Senator Stosch, A Conferee On The Bill: “Terry McAuliffe Was Not A Participant Nor Did He Have Any Influence In The Development Or Negotiation Of The Transportation Bill.” “But Stosch, who chairs the Senate finance committee and was on the conference committee of House of Delegates and Senate lawmakers who hashed out the final deal, said McAuliffe is taking credit that he shouldn’t. ‘Terry McAuliffe was not a participant nor did he have any influence in the development or negotiation of the transportation bill,’ Stosch said in a press release Tuesday.” (Todd Allen Wilson, “Sen. Stosch Says McAuliffe Didn’t Help Transportation Deal Pass,” Daily Press, 5/28/13)

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Cuccinelli Opens Valley Headquarters

Around 3 PM on Saturday, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli arrived at the Republican Party headquarters in Harrisonburg to officially kick off the opening of that office.  About seventy-five people attended including several elected officials such as Delegate Ben Cline of Rockbridge County and Harrisonburg/Rockingham Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson.  Also on hand were representatives from a handful of other campaigns: Jeannemarie Davis’, Corey Stewart’s, and, of course, State Senator Mark Obenshain’s.

After a prayer and a few introductory remarks, Delegate Tony Wilt spoke to prep the crowd for Ken Cuccinelli.  The following video captures the entirety of the attorney general’s speech.

Once Ken Cuccinelli finished, Georgia Long, a 6th Congressional District State Central Party Representative, offered him a gift of flowers in a boot-shaped pot.

After Mr. Cuccinelli left, with the start of the campaign season officially underway for the Republican Party in Harrisonburg, volunteers manning the phones to begin anew the process of identifying and targeting voters.

In the Shenandoah Valley, the long and likely heated contest to select the next governor of Virginia has begun!

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The Bolling Question

In less than a month’s time, on March 14th, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling has stated that he will be making a major announcement.  Presumably, he will be declaring whether he intends to run for governor in 2013 as either an independent or a third party candidate.

Bob McDonnell & Bill Bolling (in what must have been happier days)

So what is your prediction?

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Bill Bolling for…Governor?

Governor Bob McDonnell and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling

In the early stages of the 2013 gubernatorial race, it seemed as if Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling would be the unquestioned Republican nominee.  Due the deal struck four years earlier between now Governor Bob McDonnell and Bolling, where Bolling would forgo running for governor for McDonnell in exchange for future political support, who would able to stand up against the combined political strength of these two men?

Then Senator Cuccinelli and Lt. Gov. Bolling

Then Ken Cuccinelli entered the picture.  Ken Cuccinelli, the dynamic Attorney General of Virginia who garnered national attention for his stand against Obamacare, tossed his hat in the ring for governor.  Some people in Republican circles had hoped that Cuccinelli, following Bolling’s example four years prior, would run for re-election thus giving Bolling a clear path to the Republican gubernatorial nomination.  After several months of uncertainty, Ken Cuccinelli announced that he was entering the race for governor.  Given the popularity of Cuccinelli in conservative circles, this decision alone would have made a very difficult path for Bill Bolling’s victory going forward.  However, when coupled with the factor that the Republican Party of Virginia then switched their nominating process from an open primary to a convention, Cuccinelli became a virtual lock for the party nomination.  Cuccinelli had established himself as a rock star among conservatives and although feared by liberals, the closed process meant that Democrats and independents would have no hand in the party’s nomination process.

With these exceedingly difficult circumstances, Bill Bolling recently withdrew from the Republican nomination for governor.  At that time, he refused to endorse Cuccinelli for the post.  Given that Bolling had been seeking the nomination for governor presumably since first running for lieutenant governor in 2004, the fact that he would not readily endorse the man who he likely believed stole the nomination from him isn’t too surprising.

However there was one startling development as Bolling floated the idea of continuing his campaign for governor as either an independent or a third-party candidate.  The prevailing thought was that Bolling would not run in 2013 but was merely using the idea as a way to vent his frustration about the whole process.

But it seems that the idea of Bill Bolling for governor is not dead.  Over the weekend, I was sent the link to a website that is actively promoting his candidacy.  It seems that Gail “for Rail” Parker, a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006, and the Independent Green Party of Virginia are working to get Bolling’s name on the ballot.  According to the site, the petition drive for Bolling began on January 2^nd of this year.  The real question becomes is this effort independent of the Lt. Gov. or is website part of his exploratory run?

I’ve said on several occasions that Ken Cuccinelli will be the next governor of Virginia.  However, if Bill Bolling runs either third party or as an independent, it is possible that he could draw enough support from disaffected Republicans to radically change November’s outcome.  Will this movement led by Gail Parker derail the Cuccinelli campaign train?  Will Bill Bolling run for governor?

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Cuccinelli Reverses Course

Earlier today, I wrote about Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s decision to try and alter Virginia’s election rules.  If successful, doing so would’ve allowed ballot access to candidates who did normally qualify for Virginia March 6th Republican Presidential Primary.

During the football game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, I received an email from our Attorney General entitled, “Now that Everyone Is Upset With Me…”  In the message, Mr. Cuccinelli reiterates his earlier opinion that “Virginia needs to change its ballot access requirements for our statewide elections.”  However, he goes on to state, “…my concern grows that we cannot find a way to make such changes fair to the Romney and Paul campaigns that qualified even with Virginia’s burdensome system. A further critical factor that I must consider is that changing the rules midstream is inconsistent with respecting and preserving the rule of law – something I am particularly sensitive to as Virginia’s attorney general.”  As a result, he promises that he “will not support efforts to apply such changes to the 2012 Presidential election”.

In his concluding remarks, Ken Cuccinelli admits that this particular position was not for the best.  “But when convinced that my position is wrong, I think it necessary to concede as much and adjust accordingly.”  I cannot say what, if any, impact my earlier article made to switch his decision, but the most important factor is that he now recognizes this error. Many politicians arrogantly claim to never make mistakes in judgment.  However, I’m glad to see that our Attorney General proves himself to be of a higher caliber; not only is he taking responsibility, he is also reversing himself before it is too late.

I predict that this matter won’t tarnish Ken Cuccinelli’s reputation too much.  Nevertheless, this episode has provided Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, his opponent for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2013, a bit of ammunition.  As the Lt. Governor writes in a press release this evening, “Going forward, I would also encourage Attorney General Cuccinelli to avoid making public statements that criticize our state election laws while his office is defending the State Board of Elections in a lawsuit that has been brought against them by Governor Perry and certain other presidential candidates.  I am concerned that such public comments could be used against the Commonwealth in our effort to defend these lawsuits, and I am confident that the Attorney General would not want to do anything that could jeopardize his office’s ability to win this case.”  Yes, Lt. Governor, I certainly agree with your thoughts on this matter.

Although neither the Perry nor Gingrich campaigns will be happy to learn that they have lost an ally this evening, I’m pleased to report that Cuccinelli has reversed course.  Hopefully, when it comes to holding free and fair elections here in Virginia, the rule of law shall always prevail.

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