Kookinelli Makes it Official - He's Running for Governor

God help the Commonwealth of Virginia! The Virginian Pilot is reporting that Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli has confirmed in an e-mail to the staff of the Attorney General's Office that he's throwing his hat in the ring for governor in 2013. Also - although it should be no surprise coming from Kookinelli - he's not going to resign from the position of AG in order to run for governor. This is a huge departure from previous AG's over the last decade or two who have all resigned to avoid any appearance of impropriety and/or that the taxpayers of Virginia are funding the campaign via the AG's salary. Kookinelli's ego is huge and exceeded only by his craziness. Having him in the Governor's Mansion would be the Christianist equivalent of putting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in office as governor. Here's the text of his e-mail to AG staff as per the Pilot:

OAG colleagues,

You have likely heard in the media the many rumors about an announcement of a run for governor. While I wanted to wait to announce a candidacy until after the General Assembly session, as the rumors swirl, I find it necessary to put them to rest.

After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to run for governor in 2013. I have always intended to let you know before the media. Shortly after you receive this email, I will be sending a statement to the media announcing my candidacy.

Being attorney general is the best job of my life, and working with so many bright and dedicated professionals in this office has made it a true joy.

We have protected vulnerable citizens from fraud, worked to get gangs off the streets through intervention as well as prosecution, saved taxpayers from millions in Medicaid fraud, fought for fair utility prices for consumers, provided our clients with official legal opinions that have never been overruled by any court, and stood up to the federal government when it broke the law and infringed on the sovereignty of Virginia and the liberty of her people.

We will continue this work together until the last day of my term. Just as I had intended not to resign as attorney general to run for a second term, I will not resign as attorney general to run for governor. The people of Virginia trusted me to be their attorney general, and I intend to give them their full four years. I also think it is important to see these lawsuits against the federal government all the way through, as they are unprecedented battles for liberty in our lifetimes.

I am committed to you and to the citizens of this commonwealth to leading this office and making this job my priority. I have no right to ask the voters for a promotion if I cannot continue to do my current job well.

I know many of you are wondering why I decided to run for governor instead of for re-election. As so many former attorneys general know from being legal counsel to every agency of state government, this job gives you tremendous insight and perspective on the inner workings of state government that no other job can provide.

Being governor of the commonwealth and all its agencies is truly a massive task, and with only four years to do it, there is little time for on-the-job training. That is especially true when Virginia and the entire country are facing unprecedented economic challenges, a bullying federal government, and financially strapped citizens who are demanding that we ensure every dollar taken from their families to pay for government is a dollar that is spent wisely. When Governor McDonnell finishes his successful term, I am convinced his successor needs to hit the ground running to keep the momentum moving forward in the face of federal and economic challenges.

I hope you have known me long enough to know that I do this out of my love for our commonwealth and to further the principles on which this country was founded. Although I originally expected to serve as attorney general for another term, my job is that of public servant, and I feel that two years from now, I can best serve the people of Virginia from the governor’s office.

Thank you for your dedication to this office and to the people we serve. I look forward to our continued work together and our successes during the remaining two years of my term.

Ken

Why Virginia Must Elect a Democrat Governor

The Washington Blade has a lengthy article that looks at the race for governor of Virginia this year. Among the three contenders for the Democrat nomination, it's not clear that there is any front runner to date. My fear is that in the process of seeking the nomination, the three contenders - Terry McAuliffe, Brian Moran, and Creigh Deeds - may damage one another and allow the nightmare scenario of Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell being elected. Among the three Democrats, Deeds carries the baggage of having supported Virginia's draconian "Marriage Amendment" that made LGBT Virginians third class citizens. Moran has the most pro-gay voting record in the Virginia General Assembly of the three Democrats. Nonetheless, any of the three would be preferable to McDonnell who shares the anti-gay views of Pat Robertson (who likely will give McDonnell a nice big contribution) and James Dobson. Dobson's Virginia affiliate, The Family Foundation, more or less controls the Republican Party of Virginia. Here are some story highlights on the Democrat contenders:

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As candidates seeking to become the next governor of Virginia vie for the gay vote, the race’s Democratic contenders met for the first time with a gay group to answer questions and hear concerns before the primary.The three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination reached out Feb. 21 to the Virginia Partisans, a statewide gay Democratic group, during the organization’s board retreat in Arlington.

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Charley Conrad, president of the Virginia Partisans, said in a statement Monday that the meeting was historic for gay Virginians.“There was a time not very long ago in Virginia when no politician wanted to even say the word ‘gay,’” he said, “and now we have all three Democratic candidates for the top elected office coming to us for an endorsement.”Conrad said Virginia Partisans would endorse a candidate in April. The Democratic primary is set for June 9.

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Moran never voted contrary to how Equality Virginia, a statewide gay activist group, asked lawmakers to vote on legislation in the General Assembly. Pro-gay legislation that he’s supported includes a hospital-visitation rights bill in 2007 and legislation in 2008 that set up the medical registry. Moran voted in 2005 against legislation that would have prohibited adoption by gays.When the Marshall-Newman Amendment came to the House floor in 2005 and 2006, Moran was one of three delegates to speak out against it. The measure, which made a prohibition on same-sex marriage and civil unions part of the state constitution, became law in 2006. In addition to voting against the amendment twice, Moran campaigned against the amendment by fundraising for the Commonwealth Coalition and attending “Vote No” events.

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All the Democratic candidates committed to renewing the executive order barring job discrimination based on sexual orientation in the state workforce. Former Gov. Mark Warner initially issued the order during his tenure as governor and Gov. Tim Kaine renewed it.But the candidates were reluctant to pledge to expand the order to include explicit protections for gender identity.

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What is not clear is what the Democratic candidates would do to better protect gay Virginians since the Virginia Attorney General's office is currently challenging the power of the governor to grant protections by way of Executive Order. As for Bob McDonnell, the story states in part as follows:

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McDonnell has a history of taking anti-gay actions as a public official — starting in 2006 as attorney general and before that as a lawmaker in the Virginia House. In 2006, McDonnell issued an opinion that concluded Kaine’s executive order prohibiting discrimination against gays in the state workforce was unconstitutional.

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McDonnell voted in favor of the bill that would have prohibited adoption by gay Virginians. In 2004 and 2005, he voted against bills that would have allowed insurance companies to provide coverage to the partners of their gay customers. And in 2005, McDonnell voted in favor of the Marshall-Newman Amendment. His campaign also donated $1,000 in support of the effort to pass the Marshall-Newman Amendment.

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McDonnell as attorney general issued an opinion stating that the Marshall-Newman Amendment wouldn’t interfere with contracts, wills, medical directives and other agreements, and that it wouldn’t modify the “enforcement of Virginia’s domestic violence laws.”The opinion enabled municipalities in Northern Virginia to issue directives requiring officials to treat domestic violence calls for gay couples the same way they’d treat such calls for straight couples.

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Candidly, McDonnell's opinion on the Marriage Amendment was issued in an effort to avoid a challenge to the Amendment under the federal constitution and should not be taken as a gay friendly step on McDonnell's part.