Will Obenshain and the Republicans Steal the AG Election?

Jeff Shapiro, political columnist for the Richmond Times Dispatch that looks at the frightening manner in which Ken Cuccinelli clone, Mark Obenshain, and Republican members of the Virginia General Assembly may yet steal Mark Herrings victory in the race for Virginia Attorney General.  One can hope that these individuals will not try to overthrow the popular vote, but given their eagerness to disenfranchise voters through voter ID laws and other machination, I for one do not have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the honesty or integrity of Obenshain in particular and the Virginia GOP in general.  The fact that the party's base now consists of a mix of religious extremists, white supremacists, homophobes and anti-women factions doesn't suggest a party that values the will of the general public or the rights of others.  Here are highlights from Shapiro's column:

Republican Mark Obenshain is trailing Democrat Mark Herring for attorney general by 164 votes. Obenshain could win with as few as 71 — with not a single one cast by an ordinary Virginian. It is a nuclear option that takes the election out of the hands of the electorate.

Obenshain could initiate what state law calls a “contest” in which the 140-member legislature decides the attorney generalship by a majority vote. That would be a minimum of 71. They shouldn’t be too difficult for Obenshain to round up. There are 87 Republican legislators. Many of them don’t like one bit that their party could be completely shut out of statewide office.

A contest would be high-risk. Democrats would almost certainly accuse Obenshain of stealing the election, having overridden the popular vote in an increasingly blue state. A contest also could be high reward. Obenshain would cement his status as his party’s titular leader and its likely gubernatorial nominee in 2017. But the big issue that year would probably be Obenshain’s scheming four years earlier.

Obenshain’s advisers are not saying what he will do. . . . . Continuing Republican fundraising by, among others, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the defeated candidate for governor, suggests that Obenshain is preparing for any eventuality.

On Monday, the Virginia elections board will certify Herring as the winner by what apparently is the closest margin ever in a statewide election here: 164 votes. At that point, Obenshain could request a recount at taxpayer expense, run by a Richmond court.

The supervising judge could be Brad Cavedo, chief judge of the city’s Circuit Court. He has a special tie to Obenshain. Cavedo, once a reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, was the driver and confidant of Obenshain’s storied father, Dick, and was one of the last people to see alive the Republican U.S. Senate nominee before he died in a plane crash in Chesterfield County on Aug. 2, 1978.

Mark Obenshain could go through a recount — though it’s not required to seek a contest — hoping it does what no modern recount has done in Virginia: reverse the outcome of the election.

Then, having endured the recount — a process likely to drag into the countdown hours to Christmas — Obenshain would have political to launch a contest in the General Assembly. He could say he is taking this extraordinary step to ensure every vote is counted.  More to the point: that every one of Obenshain’s votes is counted . . . . 

The legislature serves as a court, hearing evidence and rendering a judgment.  And it would be a court that, if only because of the preponderance of a particular party label, presumably would be very friendly to Obenshain.

Do we really want a man who is willing to steal an election as the top attorney for the Commonwealth?  If Obenshain would do this, what else would he do in office.  I find the prospect nothing short of frightening. Today's GOP has turly become something toxic and dangerous.  The women of Virginia in particular should be terrified by the prospect of Obenshain stealing the election.

New Ads Focus on Mark Obenshain's Extremism

While I despise most everything about him, I will concede that GOP attorney general candidate Mark Obenshain has run a slick, although thoroughly dishonest campaign.  He has done everything possible to try to fool voters into thinking he's moderate on issues rather than the Ken Cuccinelli clone that he is in reality.  Thankfully, a new ad is set to run that will help inform voters that Obenshain does not work to "protect" Virginians as he claims and instead has backed policies and bills that aid violent criminals, especially those seeking easy access to guns.  Here are highlights from a piece at Politico:

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s super PAC is launching a $1 million ad blitz in the final week of the Virginia Attorney General’s race, focusing on Republican nominee Mark Obenshain’s record on guns in a saturation-level television buy.

The spending comes on top of nearly $2 million that Bloomberg has laid down in the Washington television market in negative spots against Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli . . .

And it creates a dynamic of Bloomberg directly going up against the National Rifle Association, which launched spots attacking the New York mayor shortly after his Independence USA PAC started reserving air time for the anti-Cuccinelli spots last week.

The Bloomberg spot broadly paints Obenshain as a hard-right candidate, using his support six years ago as a state senator for a so-called “personhood” amendment and pivoting to a vote against background checks at gun shows.

“Here are few things Mark Obenshain tried to outlaw,” the narrator of the ad says. “Birth control pills. Women choosing to have an abortion, even in the case of rape or incest.”

The ad goes on: “But when it comes to actual criminals, Obenshain voted to let convicted felons avoid background checks at gun shows, and voted to repeal the one gun a month law, meaning criminals could buy guns in bulk. Instead of dictating to women, Virginia needs an Attorney General who cracks down on real criminals.”

“Virginia has now become a major battleground with the NRA in the fight over sensible gun safety legislation,” said Independence USA PAC spokesman Stu Loeser.  The NRA is reportedly spending about $500,000 to air an ad against Herring in Virginia.

Obenshain, despite his grossly dishonest campaign, is a far right radical.  His votes on a personhood bill, his bill to criminalize women who have miscarriages and his record on guns all paint a stark picture of the real Mark Obenshain.

Herring Ad Highlights What VA Newspapers Are Saying About Mark Obenshain

Earlier I wrote about GOP Attorney General candidates lies and conniption fits about Mark Herring's ads that highlight Obenshain's true record.   And that record has been published by leading newspapers around Virginia, so it is not just something that has been fabricated by the Herring campaign.  I will be candid.  I have no use whatsoever for liars and hypocrites.  Obenshain's documented history shows that he is an extremist who is out to keep Virginia's women a subservient class that lacks the right to make decisions relating to their own bodies.  His reaction and despicable ad claiming that Mark Herring is "lying" about Obenshain's record confirms that the liar in this picture is Obenshain.  When he was backing all of these extreme, anti-women bills and proposed amendments, perhaps Obenshain should have though how those outside of his far right senate district would view his actions.   Blue Virginia quotes the Herring campaign on its effort to expose the real Mark Obenshain:

"Our latest ad highlights what news organizations are saying about Mark Obenshain - that he is going to continue Ken Cuccinelli's ideological agenda, focused on telling women what they can and can't do with their bodies," said Kevin O'Holleran, campaign manager for Democratic candidate for Attorney General Mark Herring. "Virginians are tired of the extreme Tea Party approach of Mark Obenshain and Ken Cuccinelli. Mark Herring will take the politics out of the office and put the law - and Virginians - first."

One can only assume that Obenshain believes that Virginian's are so stupid that they will believe his false shrieks of "lies" when his track record and extreme agenda is in full view for anyone who makes even a slight effort to check it out.  Obenshain is nasty individual and sadly an all too typical "godly Christian" liar.

Rank Republican Dishonesty

Mark Obenshain - An Anti-Woman Liar

With the Virginia 2013 elections now just two weeks away, the political ads on the airwaves are becoming overwhelming.  Most annoying and disgusting are those being run by Ken Cuccinelli which seem to prove that no one lies more than the self-anointed Christianist crowd.  Only in their alternate universe can lying be "telling the truth."  Among Cuccinelli's ads is one that strives to give the impression that the Washington Post has criticized Terry McAuliffe and backs Cuccinelli.  The truth, of course, is that the Post endorsed McAuliffe, not Cuccinelli.  Not that this fact would ever be known from Cuccinelli's ad.

Perhaps the most outrageous ad is one being run by Mark Obenshain which claims that Democrat Mark Herring has "lied about" Obenshain's record in the Virginia Senate where Obenshain claims he has a consistent record of "protecting women."   The truth is that Herring's ads have been 100% accurate on what Obenshain's true record is - which is apparently what is so damaging that it has prompted Obenshain's prissy conniption fit.  Let's review what Obenshain's record is really all about:

1.  Miscarriage Bill: Sponsoring a bill that would send women to prison for a year if they had a miscarriage without a doctor in attendance and failed to notify local police of the miscarriage within 24 hours.  

2. Personhood Amendment: Obenshain was a sponsor and champion of a bid to amend Virginia's constitution to give a fertilized egg all of the rights of a citizen from the moment of conception.  This would have the effect of outlawing all abortions in all circumstances, including rape and incest.  It would also outlaw many forms of birth control and in vitro fertilization.

3. Transvaginal Ultrasound: Governor Bob McDonnell got the name "Governor Ultrasound" thanks to Virginia GOP backed legislation that would have required women to have an invasive ultrasound before they could seek an abortion.  Under Virginia's current rape statute, the procedure would have constituted rape.  Obenshain was a sponsor and supporter of this legislation.

4. Religious Based Discrimination: Obenshain has been a true foot soldier of the Christofascist at The Family Foundation and supports discrimination in adoption and foster parent placement based on applicant's religious beliefs and sexual orientation.

Frankly, it is difficult in any world based on objective reality to see where these measures constitute "protecting women."  This extreme record based on Obenshain's record is what Mark Herring has focused upon.  It is all documented by Obenshain's legislative votes and actions.  It's no lie.  The lie is what Obenshain is trying to say to Virginians in his thoroughly untrue ads against Mark Herring.

Richmond Times Dispatch's Disingenous Endorsement of Obenshain

In the prior post it was noted that the Richmond Times Dispatch chose to endorse no candidate for governor of Virginia.  Moreover, in the process of deciding to endorse no candidate, the Times Dispatch raked Ken Cuccinelli over the coals citing in particular his extremism on women's reproductive health rights and gay marriage.  Yet in the next breath, the editorial board endorses Mark Obenshain for Virginia Attorney General even though (i) Obenshain's positions on women and gays is IDENTICAL to those of Cuccinelli and (ii) Obenshain has said he would model his conduct as Attorney General on that of Ken Cuccinelli.  One can only wonder whether the Times Dispatch editorial board (i) is on mind altering drugs and/or is suffering from amnesia in respect to Obenshain's legislative record, (ii) feels compelled to endorse at least one Republican (the Times Dispatch endorsed Ralph Northam for Lt. Governor), or (iii) simply isn't thinking clearly because their heads are so far up their asses.  It is simply intellectually dishonest to dish Cuccinelli yey then endorse his clone in the form of Obenshain.  Has the editorial board forgotten:

1. That Obenshain backed the very same "personhood" bill that was championed by Cuccinelli.  In the context of Cuccinelli, the editorial board said "we remain troubled by Cuccinelli’s approach to personhood and to regulations on clinics."  Hello!  How can you be concerned by Cuccinelli yet endorse Obenshain? 

2. Obenshain introduced legislation that would have mandated a year in prison and a $2500 fine for any woman who had a miscarriage without a doctor present who failed to report the miscarriage to the police within 24 hours.  Do editorial board members have their heads so far up their asses that they do not comprehend the extreme nature of this bill?

3. Obensahin are birds of a feather on the views of gays and same sex marriage.  Indeed, Obenshain walked out of the Virginia Senate rather than vote to affirm Tracy Thorne-Begland for a judgeship.  Why? Because the eminently qualified Thorne-Begland is gay.

I am sorry, but a tawdry whore is more honest that the Richmond Times Dispatch editorial board when it comes to endorsing Mark Obenshain.

Mark Obenshain: a Self-Described Successor to Cuccinelli; Vote for Mark Herring

GOP attorney general candidate Mark Obenshain has continued to run extremely disingenuous folksy and family focused ads seeking to foll Virginians into falsely believing that he's a nice guy.  What Virginians really need to know is that Obenshain has himself said he would be a successor to Ken Cuccinelli's extreme ideological agenda if elected to the office of attorney general.  Like Cuccinelli, Obenshain supports a personhood amendment and introduced a bill to criminalize women having miscarriages who failed to notify police within 24 hours.  It doesn't get much more extreme.  If gays, women,  minorities and non-climate change deniers want more of Cuccinelli's lunacy and efforts to police their bedrooms, then Obenshain is their man.  On the other hand, if you support individual freedoms, modernity and rational though as opposed to religious extremism, then you need to get out and vote for Mark Herring.  Moreover, you need to encourage everyone you know to vote for Herring as well.  The Washington Post looks at the real Obenshain, which ought to make sane individuald run screaming away from him.  Here are highlights:

The race to succeed Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II pits a Republican who has been philosophically in step with the incumbent against a Democrat who says he’d head in the opposite direction.

State Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) faces Sen. Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) in the low-profile but consequential contest.

The attorney general’s race is always overshadowed by the one for governor, and this year’s slugfest between the departing Cuccinelli (R) and Democrat Terry McAuliffe (D) has had no trouble dominating the Virginia political scene. 

But the attorney general’s race will decide who serves as the commonwealth’s top lawyer, presiding over a 400-employee public law firm that reviews, interprets and defends Virginia law. The contest also could help determine who’s at the top of the ticket four years from now, given that the last six attorneys general have run for governor . . .

On the campaign trail, as in the ornate Senate chamber, they have had sharp philosophical disagreements on matters ranging from Medicaid expansion to gay rights. 

Herring, also a lawyer in private practice, has sought to make the campaign largely about Cuccinelli, a social conservative who developed a national reputation for his battles against the federal government, a university climate scientist and a public colleges with policies that protect gay people from discrimination. Herring has said that Obenshain is likely to take the attorney general’s office further down that activist path, one that he says has made Virginia a less appealing place to do business.

“Time and again, he has bent and twisted the law and misused and abused the power of the office in order to advance personal ambition and an extreme ideological agenda,” Herring said of Cuccinelli in the debate. “Senator Obenshain would be a continuation of what we’ve got.”

When it comes to his own record, Herring has highlighted his sponsorship of legislation to strengthen penalties in domestic violence cases . . . . . He has also stressed his support for a $1.4 billion-a-year transportation funding overhaul passed this year, which Obenshain opposed.

Those in Hampton Roads and Noerhtern Virginia should be most concerned about Obenshain's anti-transportation mind set.  As in the gubernatorial race, the choice could not be more stark.  Obenshain's base consists of  those motivated by reaction against modernity, reaction against racial demographic change, reaction against the larger population’s rejection of a fear- and hate-based version of Christianity, and reaction against the decline of white privilege.  We need Mark Herring, not Mark Obenshain to be the next attorney general of Virginia.

U.S. Senate Unanimously Confirms Gay Judge; Mark Obenshain Walked Out Rather Than Vote for Gay

Obenshain with certifiable loon "Bishop" Jackson, the GOP Lt. Governor nominee

Watching Mark Obenshain's disingenuous campaign ads is enough to make me vomit.  Obenshain claims to be mainstream and conveniently fails to mention his support for a "personhood" amendment to Virginia's constitution that would make a fertilized egg a full citizen from the moment of conception - even though so many are naturally spontaneously miscarried.  Similarly, he fails to mention his goal to send women to jail for a year if they miscarried and failed to notify local police officials within 24 hours - seemingly so that the police could investigate to insure that the woman had done nothing to somehow induce the miscarriage.  And then there's his virulent homophobia.  When Tracy Thorne-Begland's confirmation for a District Court judgeship went before the Virginia General Assembly, Obenshain walked out of the Virginia Senate rather than vote for a gay person.  The extremism of this action was underscored today when the U. S. Senate unanimously approved Todd Hughes’ nomination to be a judge on the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals on a 98-0 vote.    Blue Virginia sums up Obenshain's glaring anti-gay bigotry:

Another day, yet another example of how far out of the mainstream Republican Attorney General nominee Mark "Criminalize Miscarriages" Obenshain is, even by the standards of hard-core conservatives. First, check this out:

On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Todd Hughes' nomination to be a judge on the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals on a 98-0 vote, making him the first out gay federal appellate judge in the nation's history.

Among those 98 Senators voting "yea" on the nomination of an openly gay judge were: Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, James Inhofe, Mitch McConnell, and assorted other ultra conservatives. 

Now, contrast that with what happened when an openly gay judge was up for a confirmation vote in the Virginia State Senate. That's right, Mark Obenshain walked out of the Virginia Senate, rather than sully himself by voting on the nomination of a gay judge. In other words, when it comes to LGBT equality, Mark Obenshain is so far out of the mainstream that he wouldn't even do what Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, James Inhofe, and Mitch McConnell were capable of doing earlier today - voting on an openly gay judge's nomination, and even (gasp!) voting "yea!" It says a great deal, none of it good, about Mark Obenshain.

And one needs to remember that Obenshain voted in 2011 to allow discrimination against gay and lesbian employees in Commonwealth of Virginia departments and agencies.  In 2011, Obenshain also voted against letting state Virginia government workers share health benefits with their same-sex partners. 

On election day, those who care about women's rights and gay rights need to make sure they go out and vote for Mark Herring for Attorney General.  We do NOT need or want Mark Obenshain in the AG's office.  The prospect of Obenshain as Attorney General is nothing short of scary.

 

New Mark Herring Ad Focuses on Obenshain's Horrific Miscarriage Bill

Throughout the 2013 Virginia statewide campaign Mark Obenshain has been shamelessly and disingenuously seeking to depict himself as a moderate who holds mainstream views.  Of course, for those who have followed Obenshain's career in the Virginia General Assembly, nothing could be more far from the truth.  Obenshain is every bit as extreme as his ticket mates, Ken Cuccinelli and "Bishop" E. W. Jackson.  Democrat Attorney General candidate Mark Herring has unveiled a new ad that seeks to educate Virginia voters as to the full extent of Obenshain's extremism which is perhaps best typified by the bill he introduced which would have subjected women having miscarriage to jail time if they failed to report their miscarriage to local police withing 24 hours.  Here are details on Mark Herring's very important ad via his campaign web site:

In a new, emotionally-packed web ad, a Virginia family reacts to Mark Obenshain’s politically-driven measure that would force families going through the trauma of a miscarriage to report that miscarriage to the police. The ad features Virginians Lorilie and James Neckel from Leesburg sharing their deeply personal story of trying to build their family for five years and the torment they would have experienced if Senator Mark Obenshain’s callous bill had become law.

“When I read that Obenshain sponsored this bill requiring women to register a miscarriage with the police, I just thought that was the craziest thing I’ve ever heard; it blew my mind,” said Lorilie Neckel. “To even think of trying to go through an investigation at that time is just ridiculous.”

“At that time in our life, it was very personal issues that we were dealing with and it was very hard times. I couldn’t imagine Lorilie being treated as a criminal going through this time,” said Lorilie’s husband, James Neckel. “I can’t believe someone would sponsor a bill like this for political gain. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Senator Mark Obenshain has pushed a truly radical record in the General Assembly without considering its effects on Virginians,” said Democratic candidate for Attorney General Mark Herring. “For Mark Obenshain, it's all about pushing his own personal political views onto others. His record is totally out of the mainstream and when Virginians find out more about his record, there is no way they will support his brand of radical politics.”

A recent internal polling memo shows that Mark Obenshain’s bill to force women to report miscarriages to the police is so unpalatable that it will sink his campaign. The memo shows that the race moves from a toss-up to an eight-point lead for Herring after voters hear about Obenshain’s record of assault on women’s health issues.

Mark Obenshain’s campaign is based on avoiding his radical right-wing record on social issues because he knows that his record is far outside of the Virginia mainstream. His record includes one of the strongest anti-women legislative agendas in Virginia history:

• Led the charge to stop the campus health center at James Madison University from dispensing emergency contraceptive pills. [The Washington Post, 04/24/03; Richmond Times Dispatch, 04/22/03; The Washington Post, 04/24/03; Harrisonburg Daily News-Record, 02/18/04]

• Voted in 2004, along with Ken Cuccinelli, to defeat “a ‘contraception is not abortion’ bill. [SB 456, 2004]

• Co-Patroned the “Personhood” bill that would outlaw all abortion and many common forms of birth control. [HB 2797, 2007; SB 1207, 2011]

• Voted in 2012 for a “Personhood” bill that would criminalize contraception. [HB 1, 2012]

• Introduced in 2009 a bill that would require women to report miscarriages to police within 24 hours. [SB 962, 2009]

• Mark Obenshain voted in favor of the 2012 transvaginal ultrasound bill, calling it “common sense legislation.” [HB 462, 2012; SB 484; World Virginia, 2/08/12]

• Sponsored a 2012 bill to outlaw abortions after twenty weeks, also known as the Virginia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act or Fetal Pain Act. [SB 637, 2012

Virginians need to know the truth about Mark Obenshain.  His agenda for Virginia is truly frightening.

Mark Obenshain Bill to Criminalize Miscarriages Drags Him Down

Mark Obenshain with con-artist/lunatic E. W. Jackson

Mark Obenshain is running hard - not for Attorney General but rather from his own legislative record.  Among the things Obenshain doesn't want voters to know about are (i) that he sponsored a so-called "personhood" bill that would have outlawed many forms of contraception and in vitro fertilization, and (ii) that he sponsored a bill that would have criminalized women who had miscarriages and failed to report the miscarriage to the local police within 24 hours.  It goes with out saying that Democrat Attorney General candidate Mark Herring believes voters need to know Obenshain's true record.  A record that when not pandering for votes, Obenshain still supports 100% as do his Christofascist masters at The Family Foundation.  A new poll by the Herring campaign shows just how toxic Obenshain's true record is wityh voters.  Here are some highlights:

According to the findings from our recent survey1, it is crystal clear that though he may try to reframe his extremist record, Republican Mark Obenshain will have a hard time doing so. 

 

After voters are presented with information about Obenshain’s sponsorship of a bill that forces women to report miscarriages to the police, the race moves against him, with Herring capturing majority support and leading, 52 to 44 percent.

 

Indeed, among the strongest attacks against Obenshain is his authorship of a miscarriage registry, which would force women who have a miscarriage to register with police within 24 hours or risk going to prison2.  Besides this message’s obvious salience and the doubts it creates about Obenshain, it also has the overall effect of joining Obenshain hip-to-hip with E.W. Jackson and Ken Cuccinelli, a ticket already seen as among the most extreme in Virginia’s history.

Obenshain can try to run from his past actions, but Herring and many others will do all possible to educate voters on the real Obenshain, not the phony image being paraded for uninformed voters. 

 

Is the Virginia GOP Facing a Blow Out Defeat in November?

The last post looked at the Virginia GOP's spittle flecked and in my view insane Lt. Governor nominee, "Bishop" E. W. Jackson.  But Jackson isn't the Virginia GOP's only problem.  Their gubernatorial candidate Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli is down in the polls and continues to be dogged by his own "Gift Gate" scandal due to his receipt of gifts from Jonnie R. Williams and Star Scientific.  Adding to Kookinelli is a possible "Gas Royalties Gate" arising from his office's improper assistance to gay company litigants trying to screw Southwest Virginia landowners out of gas royalties.  To date, Cuccinelli's explanations simply don't wash - especially give the $140,000 he received from the parent corporation of one of the gas companies - and Southwest Virginia voters seem to be rejected Kookinelli's bullshit excuses.  A column in the conservative Richmond Times Dispatch looks at the hopes of the Virginia GOP that the equally extreme Mark Obenshain will somehow save them from an across the board defeat.  Sadly, the column fails to mention that Obenshain has supported "personhood" legislation for fertilized embryos.  Here are column excerpts:

Republicans want to believe Mark Obenshain is their firewall. The GOP nominee for attorney general, Obenshain isn’t burdened by controversy on the groaning scale that afflicts the party’s candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, Ken Cuccinelli and E.W. Jackson. If they flame out, perhaps Obenshain survives, supplying Republicans a statewide voice and a gubernatorial nominee for 2017.

Not that the lugubrious Obenshain isn’t facing discomfiting questions.  

Among the questions: Obenshain’s election-year legislation — now law — making it harder for Virginians to vote and easier to keep secret that they carry a concealed gun. Obenshain also is harangued for a 2009 measure — later withdrawn — that would have required women report miscarriages to authorities within 24 hours.

Republicans tell themselves there are many reasons to view Obenshain as viable when their other nominees seem less so.

Because Obenshain, from the vote-poor Valley, and Herring, from vote-rich NoVa, are both late baby boomers, barely known outside their parties and have similarly subdued personalities, sharp distinctions in their records may be difficult for voters to comprehend.

Cuccinelli’s continuing ethics problems — and those that have Gov. Bob McDonnell in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors — force Obenshain to distance himself from his running mate. Further, they compel Obenshain to continue spelling out how he, as the state’s chief legal officer, would have prevented Cuccinelli and McDonnell from behaving badly in the first place.

The headwinds buffeting Cuccinelli and headaches caused by Jackson’s smash-mouth rhetoric leave Obenshain no option but to go it alone.

Obenshain could confront a force that not even a flood of advertising can deflect: momentum.  If voters, weary of the scandal that has trivialized Republicans, find themselves two-thirds of the way down the ballot — having already flipped the switch for McAuliffe and Ralph Northam for lieutenant governor — what’s to stop them from making it a trifecta for Democrats?

That the Virginia GOP finds itself in this sad state is due to two factions which need to be held accountable if the GOP suffers a total blow out defeat: The Family Foundation and the Tea Party.   The Virginia GOP sold its soul to these ugly extremists and it may be about to receive what it deserves for doing so.

The Other Race Virginians Need to Watch This Year

The following is a cross posting of an op-ed I wrote at LGBTQ Nation that looks at GOP attorney general Mark Obenshain's dishonest effort to paint himself as a moderate.  The man is just as extreme as Ken Cuccinelli and the utterly insane "Bishop" E. W. Jackson.  Here's the piece in its entirety:

Given its off year elections, Virginia is attracting a good deal of attention among political observers.  LGBT Virginians, women and minorities likewise ought to be paying close attention. Why?  Because the Republican statewide ticket — which was nominated at a convention dominated by far right religious extremists and Tea Party fanatics (who usually also identify as “conservative Christians”) — is the most extreme in Virginia’s history.

There has been a great deal of media coverage of the GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli who has a bizarre fixation on reinstating Virginia’s “crimes against nature statute,” is a climate change denier, and who has shown himself to be ethically challenged at best as he has taken gifts and campaign contributions for those who have sought a quid pro quo from the Attorney General’s office, which Cuccinelli currently occupies.

Likewise, there has been plentiful media coverage on Lt. Governor candidate E.W. “Bishop” Jackson who has made off the fall anti-gay statements, insulted civil rights leaders and generally shown himself to inhabit some strange alternate universe from sentient persons.
In fact, Jackson makes AFA’s Bryan Fischer and FRC’s Tony Perkins appear to be fairly rational in comparison.

Lacking in similar coverage has been the GOP nominee for Attorney General, Mark Obenshain, who, if one knows his background and voting record in the Virginia General Assembly is every bit as extreme and – I would argue insane – as Cuccinelli and “Bishop” Jackson.

Despite his extremism as evidenced by his past record, Obenshain has been trying to reinvent himself as a “moderate” and even claimed that he doesn’t support discrimination against anyone (more on this later).
As a recent article in the Virginian Pilot noted, the attorney general race deserves much closer attention than it is currently receiving for several reasons.
First, the next attorney general will help frame the national perception of Virginia, and his name is likely to appear at the top of the 2017 ballot because historically Virginia’s attorney general has run, or resigned to run, for governor in every election, including this one, dating to 1993.
Second, under Virginia law, the Attorney General interprets Virginia’s statutory law and determines which laws meet constitutional muster under both the Virginia Constitution and the United States Constitution.

For example, Obenshain has pledged to continue fighting President Barack Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act (a.k.a. “Obamacare”), either by filing briefs in a pending legal challenge or by filing a new lawsuit.

Also, his Democrat opponent, Mark Herring, has said he wouldn’t defend Virginia’s anti-sodomy statute because it’s clearly unconstitutional while Obenshain will likely seek to defend it despite trying to pretend to be noncommittal.

Like Cuccinelli, Obenshain refuses to recognize the full scope of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Lawrence v. Texas and is so thoroughly under the thumb of the Christofascists at The Family Foundation (an affiliate of Focus on the Family and registered hate group, Family Research Council) that he will no doubt refuse to accept the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuits’s decision striking down Virginia’s sodomy statute for a second time.

Why do I come to this conclusions? Obenshain’s record in the Virginia General Assembly confirms that he is every bit as extreme as Ken Cuccinelli and “Bishop” Jackson.

Here’s an overview of Obenshain’s record:

1.   Obenshain has previously introduced a bill that would have required any woman in Virginia who has a miscarriage without a doctor present, to file a report it within 24 hours to the police or otherwise risk going to jail for a full year.  Obenshain’s bill read in part as follows:

When a fetal death occurs without medical attendance upon the mother at or after the delivery or abortion, the mother or someone acting on her behalf shall, within 24 hours, report the fetal death, location of the remains, and identity of the mother to the local or state police or sheriff’s department of the city or county where the fetal death occurred. No one shall remove, destroy, or otherwise dispose of any remains without the express authorization of law-enforcement officials or the medical examiner. Any person violating the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

For those unfamiliar with Virginia law, a Class 1 misdemeanor cares a 1 year jail sentence and a fine of $2,500.00.

2.  Obenshain has supported a “personhood” bill that would outlaw all abortions and grant full constitutional rights to a fetus from the moment of conception.

3. In 2013 Obenshain sponsored a bill requiring limited types of photo identification as part of the Virginia GOP’s active effort to disenfranchise minority voters. Acceptable forms of ID include a government-issued photo ID that includes their address, a photo ID from a Virginia college or university, or a workplace ID featuring a photo.  Regular Voter ID cards would not be sufficient.

4.  Obenshain has consistently voted against Democratic measures that would assure employment non-discrimination protections for homosexual state employees under Virginia’s anti-discrimination law.

5.  In January, 2013, Obenshain walked off the Senate floor rather than support former Richmond prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland, who is openly gay, for a Richmond General District Court judgeship.  In 2012, other GOP extremists in the House of Delagate blocked Thorne-Begland’s appointment but were out maneuvered by the Richmond Circuit Court judges who appointed him on an interim bases after Thorne-Begland received unanimous backing from the five largest mega-law firms based in Virginia.

In short, despite his recent pretenses, Obenshain is anti-gay, anti-minority and anti-women’s rights. 

If Virginians want a quasi-theocracy in Virginia, they can vote for Obenshain and his fellow extremists on the GOP ticket.  If, instead, they believe in the principles of Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers from Virginia, their choice is clear: vote for Mark Herring for Attorney Genaral, Terry McAuliffe for Governor, and Ralph Northam for Lt. Governor.
 

Mark Obenshain Tries to Pretend He's a Moderate

One thing that always strikes me about self-anointed "godly Christians" and their puppets - is prostitutes a better term? - within the Republican Party s the abandon with which they lie and believe the public is too stupid to check out their current claims with past actions and voting records.  This phenomenon is glaringly apparent in this year's GOP statewide slate which takes dishonesty and insanity to new levels for Virginia.  Mark Obenshain (pictured at left in the photo above), the GOP Attorney General candidate, is actively trying to market himself as a moderate who supports "inclusive policies" even though his political career has been diametrically opposed to the positions he now pretends to hold.  The Richmond Times Dispatch looks at Obenshain's snake oil campaign.  Here are highlights:

Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, the Republican nominee for attorney general, said Thursday that he wants to run an inclusive campaign and work across the aisle in order to appeal to a wider base of voters.

Obenshain, from Harrisonburg, is known for his conservative voting record that he has accumulated since he was first elected to the state Senate in 2003.

He drew flak for drafting legislation in 2009 that would have required women who had miscarriages without medical attendance to report it to authorities within 24 hours.

Obenshain has also consistently voted against Democratic measures that would assure protections for homosexual state employees under Virginia’s anti-discrimination law.

Obenshain recently has also portrayed himself as an advocate for protecting state employees and faculties from discrimination based on their sexual orientation — a position which earned him criticism from Democrats and gay-rights groups doubting his sincerity because of his voting record.

“Mark Obenshain can try all he wants to run away from his extreme ticket, but actions speak louder than words,” said Ashley Bauman, spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of Virginia.

 Obenshain said he doesn’t expect miracles, “but I am going to be there, because I want people to be there and understand that my message is an inclusive message.”

My response? Liar, liar pants on fire.  Obeshain is no different than Cuccinelli and Jackson.  He's a liar seeking to dupe Virginia voters.  He needs to be defeated in November.

GOP AG Nominee's Bill Would Have Forced Women To Report Miscarriages To The Police

So far Virginia GOP Attorney General nominee Mark Obenshain comes off as relatively sane compared to the utterly insane E. W. Jackson, GOP nominee for Lt. Governor, and the nearly as insane Ken Cuccinelli.  But that assessment is only because (i) he's not quite as crazy as his ticket mates and (ii) because he has thrown himself into the media limelight less frequently.  Once his voting and legislative record is scrutinized, it quickly becomes clear that he inhabits the same far right Christianist theocratic alternate universe as Jackson and Cuccinelli.  A piece at Think Progress looks at Obenshain's effort to require all Virginia women suffering a miscarriage to submit a report to the police - apparently so that an investigation could be undertaken to confirm that the miscarriage had not been induced.  Here are highlights:

If a woman in Virginia has a miscarriage without a doctor present, they must report it within 24 hours to the police or risk going to jail for a full year. At least, that’s what would have happened if a bill introduced by Virginia state Sen. Mark Obenshain (R) had become law.

And yet, the Virginia Republican Party wants to make Obenshain into the state’s top prosecutor. This weekend, Virginia Republicans selected Obenshain as their nominee to replace tea party stalwart Ken Cuccinelli (R) as the state’s attorney general.  Under Obenshain’s bill, which was introduced in 2009,

When a fetal death occurs without medical attendance upon the mother at or after the delivery or abortion, the mother or someone acting on her behalf shall, within 24 hours, report the fetal death, location of the remains, and identity of the mother to the local or state police or sheriff’s department of the city or county where the fetal death occurred. No one shall remove, destroy, or otherwise dispose of any remains without the express authorization of law-enforcement officials or the medical examiner. Any person violating the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Under Virginia law, a Class 1 misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of “confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500,” so Obenshain’s bill could lead to a woman who decides to take a day to grieve the loss of a pregnancy she’d hoped to carry to term spending a year of her life in jail for that decision.

Even without Obenshain’s bill, Virginia law already treats many miscarriages as potential crimes. Under existing Virginia law, “[w]hen a fetal death occurs without medical attendance upon the mother at or after the delivery or abortion or when inquiry or investigation by a medical examiner is required, the medical examiner shall investigate the cause of fetal death and shall complete and sign the medical certification portion of the fetal death report within twenty-four hours after being notified of a fetal death.” Obsenshain’s bill, however, would treat many women as if they were criminal suspects at the moment they are confronted with a deep personal tragedy — and imprison them if they would rather deal with that tragedy privately with their family than share the vulnerable moment after a miscarriage with law enforcement.

It should also be noted that Obenshain supports a "personhood" bill that would outlaw all abortions and grant full constitutional rights to a fetus from the moment of conception.   Even voters in Mississippi found such a similar law proposed for that state abhorrent and voted it down, yet Obenshain has championed an equivalent bill in Virginia. 

I suspect that readers outside of Virginia find it hard to believe just how extreme the Christofascists are in this state.  They want nothing less than a Christian theocracy and want to micromanage everyone's sex lives to make sure they conform to the poisonous, fear driven religious dogma to which these religious extremists subscribe.  It's down right scary and the women of Virginia need to wake up and go to the polls in November and vote a straight Democrat ticket.