Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Slams Cuccinelli and McDonnell

It seems the anti-gay agenda of Virginia Attorney General Ken "Kookinelli" and Governor "Taliban Bob" McDonnell is not sitting well with some within the Virginia business community. McDonnell who ran a highly dishonest campaign saying that he had moderated his social views and wanted to be a "jobs governor" has - with Kookinelli's active assistance - done nothing in their first three months in office but make Virginia a laughing stock worldwide and make the state appear to be inhabited extreme Neanderthals and racists. In my view, that's not exactly a climate that will attract modern, progressive business to the state. Apparently, my analysis is shared by the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce which adopted a formal resolution this week “Affirming the Link Between Non-Discrimination Public Policy and Economic Development” at its monthly meeting. The chamber has also voiced “its strong opposition to recent action by the Attorney General of Virginia Kenneth Cuccinelli" that would strip gay Virginians of employment non-discrimination protections. Here are some story highlights:
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The Falls Church Chamber of Commerce, by a 10-1 vote with three abstentions, approved a formal resolution this week “Affirming the Link Between Non-Discrimination Public Policy and Economic Development” at its monthly meeting and has voiced “its strong opposition to recent action by the Attorney General of Virginia Kenneth Cuccinelli to advise Virginia’s colleges and universities to remove protections against discrimination of lesbian and gay persons.”
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The resolution adds, “We believe that many new and relocating businesses will choose to avoid Virginia because this posture on discrimination will have a profoundly chilling effect on prospective employees, contractors, vendors and customers.”
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With this resolution, the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce became the only Chamber in Virginia to take a stand against Cuccinelli’s action on economic development grounds. The Falls Church Chamber was also the only Chamber in Virginia to take a similar stand, also on economic development grounds, against a Virginia constitutional amendment that barred same sex marriage in 2006.
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Indeed, the members of the Falls Church CC may be correct in their assessment, but their resolution may be no more than closing the barn door at this point, as sources tell LGR that the very gay friendly defense-contracting giant, Northrop Grumman, has in all probability scratched Northern Virginia from its list as a location for their new corporate headquarters site after Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell rescinded a standing Executive Order that forbids discrimination against public employees on a number of grounds, including sexual orientation.
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McDonnell later half-heartedly backtracked on that decision, but according to our source, you can look for a new Northrop Grumman HQ to be located someplace in Maryland, a state that has decided to recognized same-sex marriages preformed in other jurisdictions as legal, in about a year.
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If Northop Grumman picks a Maryland location (which part of me sincerely hopes will be the case), Kookinelli and McDonnell may well be the reason for the decision. One can wonder what other potential employers will be wooed by Maryland using Virginia's bigotry as one of that state's marketing ploys. "Heck of a job" Bob and Cooch.