MASON CONSERVATIVE

Mark Warner: The Shine Is Off The Apple

NLS has new numbers showing how Warner has plummeted among Republicans and Independents.

It was bound to happen when Sen. Warner went to Washington.  Everything about DC Democrats is the exact opposite of the legacy Warner left in Virginia.  As a candidate in 2001 he talked about being pro-business, low taxes, opportunity, and entrepanuership.  Everything he built in Virginia is being destroyed in DC, and as a junior member with no power Warner has been forced to go along with the far-left policies of Obama and Reid that work against what Warner did in Virginia.

By the time he's up for reelection in 2014, the only support left for Mark Warner will be from diehard Democrats.  He didn't even fight, he rolled over like a good lapdog. 

Want a conservative in the 5th? Why not Ken Boyd?

This whole Laurence Verga "I'm the conservative, vote for or I go third party" is getting annoying.  NY-23 was a drastic situation because the voters there did not get the opportunity that the voters in VA-5 are getting, the chance to chose the nominee with their votes.  The problem with Dede Scozzafava was a) she was a liberal and b) the voters had no voice to choose the nominee.  Verga is like the prize fighter who claims he will get screwed, loses the fight, and then says "see, I told you so" instead of training hard, sharpening his skills, and becoming a better fighter. 

So I understand why many conservatives do not support Robert Hurt, though I resent people continuing to compare him to Scozzafava.  But if Republicans are looking for a real conservative what about Albermarle Supervisor Ken Boyd?  Everything I've seen from his website and other searches seems to indicate that Supervisor Boyd is a compatent public servant, and a good conservative.  People who know, tell me!

Pummeling Dave Marsden Is Fun

VA Blogger gets into the act, giving us example #24543 as to why Dave Marsden straddles every fence there is, won't tell us what his beliefs are and why he would make an effective senator.

I'm beginning to that that maybe Janet Oleszek would have been a better candidate than Dave Marsden.  Marsden doesn't connect with anyone on any issue besides generic Dems who will vote for any D no matter what.  I think Oleszek is a pretty authentic liberal and would at least offer a clear ideological contrast to GOP standard Steve Hunt.  Hunt has articulated why he's running, what specifically is important to him, and what he will offer at a senator.  Marsden is just running to run, and doing or saying whatever to get the title senator.  That is what is important to him. 

Hopefully the 37th will rise up again and prove that NOVA doesn't want another Democrat title chaser who talks about getting things done but in 6 years did nothing. 

Bill Bolling Takes Our Senators To The Woodshed

December 21, 2009

The Honorable Mark Warner
United States Senate
SDB Building 40C
Washington, DC  20510

The Honorable Jim Webb
United States Senate
144 Russell Building
Washington, DC 20510

RE:  Federal Healthcare Reform Legislation

Dear Senators Warner and Webb:

I have been following with great interest the important debate currently taking place in Washington with respect to the proposed reform of our nation's healthcare system. 

While I certainly agree that we face serious problems with respect to the affordability and availability of healthcare for many Americans, it is important that any reform legislation address these issues without creating other problems for American consumers and businesses or jeopardizing the quality of our healthcare delivery system, which is currently the best in the world.

For many reasons, I strongly oppose the healthcare reform legislation that is currently pending before the United States Senate and I encourage you to vote against this legislation and any procedural votes that would allow this legislation to come to a final vote.

In my judgment, the legislation currently pending in the Senate will ultimately increase the cost of healthcare and result in higher health insurance premiums and higher taxes for the vast majority of the American people. 

In addition, I believe that this legislation will jeopardize the quality of healthcare that is currently available in our country and take important healthcare decisions out of the hands of consumers and turn these decisions over to government bureaucrats.

Perhaps most importantly, I am concerned that the cost of this legislation will be much higher than currently estimated, and it will inevitably add significantly to the cost of our federal deficit, which is, quite frankly, out of control and threatens the long term financial viability of our nation.

If these concerns were not reason enough to vote against this misguided legislation, I am writing to you today to let you know that I am outraged by reports that surfaced this weekend regarding concessions that were made to Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson to secure his vote in support of this legislation. 

As you know, one of our major concerns with this legislation is the potential impact it could have on the cost of Medicaid for Virginia's state government.   Many reports have suggested that this legislation could result in much higher Medicaid costs for state governments across the nation, costs that state governments simply cannot bear.

Against this background, I was amazed to hear that the Senate's Democratic leadership had made concessions to Senator Nelson that would hold his home state of Nebraska harmless as to any additional Medicaid costs that might come about as a result of the enrollment of new Medicaid recipients after 2017. 

I find these reports particularly troubling since they come on the heels of similar concessions that were given to Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana to secure her vote in support of this legislation just a few weeks ago.

In addition to the "pay offs" that were offered to Senators Nelson and Landrieu, unconfirmed media reports over the weekend have revealed that other Senators may have negotiated similar special treatment deals for their states. If these reports are accurate, this type of quid pro quo is unacceptable, and you and your colleagues should object strongly to the practice, which I have no doubt the American people will find offensive as well. 

If the Senate's leadership is so desperate to obtain votes to secure the passage of this legislation that they would make these types of concessions to these Senators, I would ask that you demand that the same concessions be extended to Virginia, and for that matter, to every other state in the nation.

Allowing key provisions in this legislation to be used to essentially buy votes from Senators Landrieu and Nelson at the expense of other states such as Virginia should be as offensive to you as it is to me, and it should give you all the reason you need to oppose this misguided legislation.

Thank you for your service to the people of Virginia and for considering my views on this important issue.

Very Truly Yours,


WILLIAM T. BOLLING
Lieutenant Governor
Commonwealth of Virginia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, while we are talking about potential 2012 US Senate candidates, lets talk about Bill Bolling.  I know I know, he's suppose to run for governor in 2013, and yes I know he probably will.  But I must say that I believe our strongest potential candidate for the US Senate is Bill Bolling.  Having two statewide victories under his belt, Bolling won the admiration and loyalty to every Republican for his selfless sacrifice of not challenging for governor in 2009, avoided a contested convention, and really was as responsible for the GOP wins in 2009 as anyone else. 

Its nice to see Bolling jumping into the national debate and leading on giving some serious blowback to our senators who went along with this travesty despite one supposedly being a "maverick" and the other a "centrist" concerned about costs.  Weak men, both of them.

Combine this letter with a recent RTD editorial that Bolling wrote, I can't help but think he's laying some breadcrumbs out just to test out the response to national issues.  Here's the thing, I know a lot of people want to be governor but in the end its just one term and then what?  If Webb is vulnerable, which I suspect he will be, Bolling could make a Senate run to ensure himself a greater and longer role in the party.  Besides, he made a great senator in Virginia - a proven small government, tax-cutting conservative - why not take the show on the road up 95 to DC?

Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt that Bolling is throwing a free party for his inauguration the Science Museum of Virginia.  Now that is thanking your supporters. 

The Founders Are Turning Over In Their Graves

Especially at the thought of Sen. Harry Reid, leader of the Senate by bribery.  I'm pretty sure representative government wasn't meant to mean one asshat senator from Nevada throwing tax payer money around like its his own to buy senators votes for a bill the American people, both left and right, despise.  This is the hope and change all of you voted for in 2008?  Tax payer money treated like graft as the mafioso in the White House and Congressional Democrat leadership throw money around one bribe after another. 

So let me get this straight, the federal goverment continues to grow and defer the costs of things like unemployment insurance and Medicaid to the states as unfunded mandates, and then when the states can't pay it because they can't afford it, politicians get to use national money to bribe individual senators to vote for something nobody wants in order pay for something the government themselves forced states to cover?  Its not what Thomas Jefferson planned, but Carlo Gambino would be proud. 

Showtime had this show on for a few years called Brotherhood, where one brother was a state legislator in Rhode Island and the other was a mafia captain.  Many times, the mafia brother seemed more honest and noble.  Its not hard to see why.

Its more important than ever that Republicans fight this nationally, and that every single person who is disgusted with this Madoff-esque ponzi scheme with our tax money in recession to send money to either Sue Lowden or Danny Tarkanian to defeat Reid next year.  Enough damage has been done. 

And lets not forget Obama, the Clown Prince of Crime in this whole disgusting episode.  With his nose firmly up in the air, he seems above all of this mostly because he is.  Not for the sake of his presidency or that he's too god for it, but because Barack Obama has no idea what he is doing.  He's not a good politician, he's a guy who can give a good speech, caught a wave, and rode it to a job he has no business doing.  Everything Obama campaigned on - a change in Washington, a new openness and transparency in government, putting the people first over the special interest, a firm rejection of earmarks - it was all bullsh*t.  And America were suckers to think that a man that had accomplished so much on so little would be able to handle these jackals that call themselves United States senators.  What happened to ending earmarks?  What happened to having cameras in the room while legislation is discussed?  What happened to Barack Obama bringing sense back to government.  Bush didn't do this, you can't pin it on him Barry. 

This thing is going to pass based on bribery used with money that belongs to us, not them.  Every Republican and conservative now has a duty to give money to candidates like Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Pat Toomey, Michael Williams, Chuck DeVore, Gilbert Baker, Rob Portman, and everyone else that is running under a conservative banner.  And hell, back Mark Kirk and Mike Castle too just to boost our numbers. 

John Brownlee For Senate in 2012?

In my thread about Bob Marshall here, the name of John Brownlee kept coming back up as another possible candidate for the US Senate.  I'm actually more okay with that than some might think.  I know I was rough during the convention primary but I am unabashedly pro-Ken so that was to be expected. 

Here is the deal with Brownlee, to grow as a candidate in the future he needs broaden his rhetoric.  His campaign for AG basically was "I'm a prosecutor, I'm a veteran, I'm a conservative."  He never really fleshed it out in the area of ideas.  He ran like Shannon, as a prosecutor-AG.  But Ken was talking about a true legal issues and making a platform based on conservative political jurisprudence that fired up the state.  He swan into deep waters while Brownlee kept in the shallow end.  He needs to fix that.

He has the connections on establishment circles between old patron John Warner and new patron Bob McDonnell.  He would be a serious candidate.

Obama and the WWE: Don't Hate

Full disclosure, I have been and always will be a pro-wrestling fan.  So there's that.  But I've seen President Obama take some grief for taping a message before the WWE's holiday show in Iraq, it its totally unwarranted.  Whatever you think of Vince McMahon, WWE, or pro wrestling in general what they have done every year for Christmas since 2004 is honorable.  By going to Iraq and putting on a show, its a nice thing to do for the troops.  The wrestlers generally stay there about a week and fully interact with the troops.  Its a cool thing and its nice to see the President showing support for a good distraction for our troops overseas during the holidays.

Florida Revolt: Rubio Now TIED With Crist

True conservative Marco Rubio has made quite the impression on our politics, and especially down in Florida.  Nobody deserves the definition "establishment" or "RINO" than Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who was hand-picked by DC insiders to run for the Senate in the Sunshine State without regard to what the party wanted. 

And now, according to Rasmussen, Marco Rubio is TIED with Charlie Crist, with rumors swirling that the moderate governor is looking for an exit strategy so he can run for reelection.  The problem?  Attorney General Bill McCollum has been a true conservative for years in Congress, in his Senate campaigns, and as attorney general.  Crist would enter the same problem.

What is happening in Florida is a microcosm of what will happen in 2010 and its a theory I've been trying to get across here.  Republicans might not do well, but conservatives will.  Polls still show that the party brand is weak, the generic ballot isn't great, but those polls are polling the wrong thing.  Conservatism will win because its not about party but principle. 

Marco Rubio is proof positive of this.

Keith Fimian For Congress

Burning up the internet right now is talk of a Pat Herrity vs. Keith Fimian primary, or at least a Herrity run for Congress.  Its an interesting development and one that have caught most people off-guard.  The conventional wisdom is was that Herrity would run for Chairman after a razor-thin lose last year. 

Keith Fimian ran for Congress literally out of nowhere last year and got 43% of the vote in the worst year for Virginia Republicans maybe in history.  We were routed in every way, shape, or form from Barack Obama winning the state to Albert Pollard winning a delegate race.  I respect and hold in high regard the fact that Keith ran when so many others, including the incumbent, refused to take on this challenge. 

This is in no means an attempt to slight Pat Herrity, what he has done for Republicans or what he will do in the future.  But its clear that the lines are drawn between the new school of conservatives and Republicans in Virginia who have come out in waves to support Fimian early on.  Most importantly, today it was announced that new Dels. Rich Anderson and Jim LeMunyon have signed on to support Fimian. 

From my perspective, its not as much conservative versus RINO in this decision but past versus future.  The people surrounding Herrity are much of the same people that got us into this mess.  His county work has been amazing but I'm worried that a lot of the old Davis staffers, hands, and consultants who took this party through the disastrous 2000s will surround him.  They are desperate to get back to Congress.  These are the people who tell us we shouldn't talk about any social issues, that we need to "moderate" ourselves, we need to triangulate our issue to get centrist and Democrats.  Conservatives are behind Fimian as clear by the endorsements from Corey Stewart, Bob Marshall, and LeMunyon.  There is finally a group of conservatives and Republicans who have gotten elected in the post-Davis era where they don't owe the former congressman anything, and I get the sense they are backing Fimian. 

The lessons of 2009 are the principles matter, moderating doesn't work.  McDonnell, Bolling, and Cuccinelli all took the every day issues facing voters head on and gave the voters real-world, working conservative solutions and won overwhelmingly.  They did not run away from anything, they took their arguments to moderates and Democrats and convinced them that we were right rather than trying to find an end-around issue to get their votes in spite of ourselves.  Fimian in every event I've seen him at since last year is following the lead of the 2009 ticket and is aggressively challenging Gerry Connolly on issues that voters care about - health care, government expansion, taxes, and the creeping socialism of an overreaching government into every aspect of our lives.  The man fights, and I choose to fight with him.

This is not about Pat Herrity, whom I respect deeply and would gladly support if he were the nominee.  But I feel that Fimian is tapping into real conservative solutions facing this country and that he has the experience and correct background to talk about job creation, taxes, and health care unlike most other candidates.  The comments on other blog posts are full of anonymous comments from the the radical moderates that fill much of the party infrastructure in this area who are no doubt hostile to Fimian and his embrace of tea party activist conservatism.  No doubt some will show up here to take down Fimian, and that is fine.  But it is this humble blogger's opinion that Keith Fimian is the conservative candidate, the candidate with true solutions to the problems facing this country, and with the best personal experience to understand the issues facing us.  He's run a business, created jobs, offered health care, and been in touch with the real voters out there for the last 12 months.  He's been outspoken in his criticism of the abominable health care debacle, the out of control spending, everything that is wrong in Washington.

I stand with Keith Fimian. 

Bob Marshall For Senate 2012?

I wasn't sold in 2008, but I might be in 2012.  I'm hearing that Delegate Bob Marshall might be making another stab at the US Senate in 2012 . . . I've heard of worse ideas.  There is clearly a void right now for 2012 with no obvious candidate emerging.  Tom Davis's name has bounced around, and even Davis mentioned this race when he bowed out in 2008.  I've also heard that George Allen might be making another stab at his old seat. 

Of our newly elected statewides, I don't think anyone jumps out.  Bob McDonnell clearly has a job to do as governor and won't leave early unless he got what he wanted done early and wanted to hand the job over to Bill Bolling with a head start.  Bolling himself has waited his entire career to be governor, so I highly doubt he would abandon that.  Ken Cuccinelli has made known his desire to stay on as attorney general for perhaps two terms at the least.

Our congressional delegation?  Maybe Eric Cantor, but he's so high in the House leadership he wouldn't give that up.  Forbes?  He seems to like where he's at.  Wittman?  Not a bad idea, but might have hard time getting any excitement behind him.  Goodlate?  Rural politicians don't have a great track record statewide recently.

Thoughts perhaps?   

Why A Primary Is Good For Conservatives In The 5th

I'm really piggy-backing off of what DJ has written here, but I think conservatives in the 5th might be missing a tremendous oppurtunity by complaining so much about a primary over a convention.  And while I have shown some admiration for Sen. Hurt in the past, if I lived in the 5th I probably would vote for someone else.  Its hard to get past those tax hike votes, and I understand that he is the choice of all the Republicans in power.

But what conservatives need to do is use the 5th to show real strength, to show that we can convince voters in an open primary to hear our message.  The problem in the 5th seems to be the quality of candidate, and I feel that perhaps many of these candidates are embracing the tea party, low-tax, anti-establishment message not because they believe it but because it will be their ticket to Congress. 

If Conservatives in teh 5th can find a true candidate, a primary is the best way to flex our muscle.  This is what is different about this race and NY-23.  Republicans in New York were denied the opportunity that Virginians have here.  Like DJ says, go win it.  If this movement is as strong as I believe it is, a primary is the best way to win because it brings the candidate forward in the most honest and open fashion.  Its hard to argue on the one hand that the establishment picks our nominees behind close doors and then to support a convention that would only have a mere percentile of the electorate.   

Go win.

Pat Herrity Inching Closer To Run For Congress

I'm hearing from the ground that Pat Herrity is now seriously considering running for Congress against Gerry Connolly.  The reasoning seems to be that a race for Congress might be easier to win and maintain than a race for Chairman.  Herrity has replaced Tom Davis as the kingpin of Republican politics in Fairfax and Herrity is surrounding by old Davis hands looking to get back to Congress.  Also, a race against Connolly in 2010 when its the only race on the ballot might be more winnable given the national mood.  Plus, its less risky.  If Herrity runs for Congress he can still be a supervisor, but if he runs for chairman and loses he's out of the game. 

The real question is what will happen with Keith Fimian?  Fimian and Herrity are close, and are frequently seen together at GOP events.  Herrity was clearly supporting Fimian where there was a chance of a primary with Paul Miller.  I'm not sure there is much of a difference between Herrity and Fimian  so I don't know what a will happen there.