Lawmakers Call on Cuccinelli to Resign Attorney General

First for some personal background: when he successfully ran for attorney general, Mark Earley and I were members of the same law firm and I saw first hand how running a statewide campaign meant that he was nearly never in the office or in court handling client matters.  It was campaign mode 24/7 and the rest of the firm carried his case load and we basically helped underwrite his campaign.  Ditto when he unsuccessfully ran for governor after resigning from the office of attorney general. Fast forward to 2013.  Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli to date has refused to resign his position as attorney general claiming he can do his job and campaign at the same time.  Excuse me, but that is simply something that is impossible and Kookinelli is a liar if he claims otherwise.  I have seen the reality first hand.

Let's be blunt: Kookinelli is simply trying to make Virginia taxpayers underwrite his campaign in an amount equal to his salary.  If Kookinelli is too insane and toxic to have any major law firm put him on its payroll as former gubernatorial candidates have had done, that should be his problem and not force many of us to underwrite his campaign by paying his salary while he campaigns full time.  In recognition of this reality that is obvious to anyone sentient, a dozen members of the Virginia General Assembly have sent Kookinelli a letter demanding that he resign his position.  One can only hope that the media gets all over this conflict of interest and inappropriate conduct on Cuccinelli's part (perhaps a petition need to be launched?).  Here are highlights from a Richmond Times-Dispatch column:

A dozen Democratic lawmakers on Friday sent a letter to Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli asking him to resign his office because he is running for governor. The letter signed by four state senators and eighth members of the House of Delegates, argues that Virginia deserves a full-time attorney general and notes that the previous six attorneys general resigned before their terms expired in recognition that running for governor creates too many demands on fulfilling the duties of the office.

 

The letter even quotes current governor and former attorney general Bob McDonnell’s remarks in 2009 at the time of his resignation: ”The office is a very difficult job. It demands a full-time attorney general to do the hard work that’s required.”

Of course, in most cases, attorneys general typically slide into a comfortable jobs at politically connected major law firms — where they are given time to pursue their political ambitions while making salaries that far exceed their public service wages.

In a brief interview Friday, the Republican gubernatorial nominee he said he intended to keep his word and downplayed the difficulty in public service and political multi-tasking. . . . . “It’s not a tradition that I think ever should have developed in Virginia,” he added, referring to the practice of resigning. “I made a promise when I ran four years ago… and I’m going to do it.” 

As for his "promise" four years ago, Kookinelli assured voters he wasn't going to do what he is now doing.  His sole focus supposedly was going to be serving as attorney general.  As is always the case, Kookinelli believes he is above the laws and traditions that govern everyone else.  In that regard, he's a typical Christofascists.  This man needs to be defeated.  He is a clear and present danger to Virginia's future and the rights of many Virginians.  Should Bill Bolling mount an independent campaign, I might even make a contribution just to keep Kookinelli out of the Governor's Mansion.  The man is insane.

 

More Disingenuous Lies About "Protecting Marriage"

I have never met Chuck Colson, but I have observed that (1) he's an opportunistic ex-felon who seems to be using his experience "finding Jesus" to make a nice living for himself and (2) he's often in the midst of the ardent gay-hating set. I also know that he somehow worked a "Stepford wife" like transformation on Mark Earley, a former law partner of mine and former Attorney General of Virginia, who is now the president of Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministry. Truly, I do not know if losing the race for Governor to Mark Warner caused Mark to "flip out" or not, but I do know that since he affiliated himself with Colson, he has become much more of a religious extremist even if not as vocal of one as Colson who frequently indulges in shameless gay bashing - no doubt to help pursue donations for his business operation. In this regard, Colson has an new article on Break Point where he adds his voice to the disingenuous whiners seeking to "protect marriage" all the while as he and his Christianist allies (a) line their own pockets, and (b) divert millions of dollars for their anti-gay jihad that could be better spent actually supporting married couples and families in need. Here's a sampling of Colson's untruths and slander of LGBT Americans just weeks after gay bullying caused two eleven year old boys to kill themselves:

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As I said yesterday on BreakPoint, we’ve seen this scenario over and over again. Christians or Orthodox Jews open up a business, ministry, or school, and sooner or later, a same-sex couple shows up demanding services that conflict with the sincerely held religious convictions of those they confront. When the same-sex couple is turned down, they promptly sue—even if others offer to accommodate them for the same services. And too often, they are winning their cases.

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It’s as if the First Amendment no longer exists. I can’t help but suspect that radical gays deliberately target outfits run by religious believers in order to force them to accommodate their political agenda—or go out of business. So what can we do about this? How can we protect our First Amendment rights—and marriage itself?

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First, if you are victimized by a gay activist group or same-sex couple demanding that you throw out your religious beliefs, contact the Alliance Defense Fund. They have spent many years defending the First Amendment right of religious believers—rights now under brutal attack.

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Second, we’ve all got to work together to protect the integrity of marriage. Learn how by contacting the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy. You’ll also learn why we need to pass a federal marriage amendment. I know you’re getting fatigued, but it’s time to stiffen our spines.

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The issue is critical. We all must learn how to answer the charge of “bigotry,” and winsomely explain why marriage cannot exist between same-sex couples; and how same-sex “marriage” will not broaden marriage, but radically and dangerously change its nature. . . . . If we don’t make the case for natural marriage—or fight attempts to shut us up or shut us down—sooner or later, we will all find our most sacred liberties sacrificed on the altar of the gay agenda.

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Indeed, it sounds as if Colson comes close to seeking to incite violence against LGBT citizens. At the very least, he certainly is working to foster an atmosphere where zealots will feel justified in harming LGBT Americans. The Mark Earley I once knew was an honorable man who respected the equality of others under the law. I don't know what has happened to that Mark Earley, but he most assuredly has affiliated himself with a truly dishonorable man in the form of Chuck Colson.

Warner and Gilmore poised for '08 U. S. Senate battle

I hope this story (http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=136132&ran=237314&tref=po) plays out and Jim Gilmore does in fact run against Mark Warner for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by John Warner. Gilmore left office as an unpopular Governor in contrast to Mark Warner who left with a roughly 70% approval rating. In fact one reason that Mark Earley did not succeed in being elected as Governor and lost to Mark Warner was because Earley, a former law partner of mine, did not sufficiently disavow and repudiate some of Gilmore's unpopular positions. In fact, when I first met Mark Warner as Governor, it was at the Equality Virginia Legislative Reception during Mark Warner's first year in office. Needless to say, people found it humorous that I had switched parties since Gilmore had appointed me to a state authority and I had been Earley's campaign co-chair in Virginia Beach. But I digress. Here are highlights from the story:

A long-brewing confrontation between Virginia's past two governors appears certain to be played out before voters next year, as Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore move toward a show down for the U.S. Senate. Warner, 52, announced his candidacy in September. Gilmore, 58, is expected to toss in his hat before Thanksgiving, according to several of his political advisers. "These men don't like each other, they don't respect each other, and there should be a lot of fireworks,Gilmore and Warner are different in style and substance.

Gilmore, the son of a Richmond meat cutter, is proud of his working-class roots. He is blunt, conservative, highly partisan and confrontational. Warner, the son of an insurance man, made a $200 million personal fortune in cellular phones and technology investments. He is a cautious dealmaker who prides himself on building bipartisan coalitions." said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington.

Gilmore has billed himself as an expert in assessing terrorism. He points to his chairmanship of a federal commission on homeland security that issued a 1999 report warning that the nation was vulnerable to a terrorist attack. He was governor when the Pentagon, in Northern Virginia, was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. He still serves on public and private think tanks that recommend policies for combating terrorism. As a presidential candidate, Gilmore pledged to oppose new taxes and take conservative stands on social issues. He said the nation needs to maintain a strong effort in Iraq.

Warner has not yet staked out positions on some national and international issues. Warner starts the race as the frontrunner. A poll by The Washington Post last month showed him leading Gilmore 61 percent to 31 percent. After announcing his Senate candidacy on Sept. 13, he raised more than $1 million in campaign donations in the second half of the month.

Barring something terrible happening, Mark Warner should be able to defeat Gilmore. I have known Gilmore since law school, and believe me, Mark Warner is who we need in the U.S. Senate, not Jim Gilmore. In addition to being the weaker individual for a Senate position, Gilmore would be a Christianist tool - I suspect he's already received a pledge of money from Pat Robertson.