John Cosgrove will provide pragmatic leadership for 14th Senate District

Phil Tran at Chesapeake Liasion recognized pragmatic leadership in his endorsement of John Cosgrove who is running for the state senate seat being vacated by a retiring Harry Blevins:

Throughout Cosgrove’s career, Cosgrove has been a champion for traditional values and for pragmatic solutions to make Chesapeake a great place for business and recreation. Unlike other politicians from both parties who think their ideology is what is best for the people, Cosgrove puts the needs of his constituents first.

Cosgrove knows where his people are and how to reach them because politics is not his day job when the part-time Virginia General Assembly is not in session. Therefore, he does not live in an echo chamber and more readily listens and understands the people. An engineer and musician by trade, Cosgrove is involved locally with his church, Rotary, the Ruritans, and has also served as a youth football and baseball coach.

Still, if conservative Republicanism is your thing, Cosgrove’s thoughtful, pragmatic approach to governance has led to 90%-100% ratings from the American Conservative Union, the Family Foundation, the Virginia Society for Human Life, the National Rifle Association, and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

Libertarians and liberty-minded Republicans should look past the rhetoric and look at the results. John Cosgrove might not be a Ron Paul acolyte, but he does share the same values and has worked to produce such results for the benefit of his community. He is also rock star. [photo of Cosgrove singing with a rock band]

"Pragmatic solutions ... pragmatic approach to governance." John Cosgrove has proven to have the kind of leadership recognized and appreciated by the Political Pineapple.

The fire house primary will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2013, from 5-8 pm at Victory Baptist Church, 4125 Indian River Road, Va Beach, VA 23456.

From LynnRMitchell.com: 14th Senate District: Cosgrove piles up endorsements.

Chris Christie: 'Compromise is not a dirty word'

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican in a Democratic state, has proven to be a popular leader who has learned to work with those on both sides of the political aisle.

His first re-election campaign ad began airing today. This stood out:

"He made the tough decisions to get New Jersey back on track. Taxes cut. Spending cut. Government made smaller and smarter. A real property tax cap. Working with Democrats and Republicans, believing that as long as you stick to your principles, compromise isn’t a dirty word."

Yet another example of pragmatic leadership, Christie led New Jersey through the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, received negative comments from his party for thanking President Barack Obama for his help, and is leading in the polls.

Politico provided the transcript of the ad:

“Four years ago, New Jersey was broken: runaway spending, the nation’s highest taxes, and unemployment on the rise. Then we elected – Chris Christie. He made the tough decisions to get New Jersey back on track. Taxes cut. Spending cut. Government made smaller and smarter. A real property tax cap. Working with Democrats and Republicans, believing that as long as you stick to your principles, compromise isn’t a dirty word.

“The result: Four balanced budgets in a row, with no new taxes for anyone. The best job growth in 12 years. Nearly 130,000 new private sector jobs. Merit pay to reward New Jersey’s best teachers. And the most education funding, ever. But the most important thing he did has little to do with numbers, statistics or even politics: He made us proud to say we’re from New Jersey. Chris Christie. The Governor.”

Read more at Politico.

Revolt within Virginia Tea Party Federation

Oops. There is open revolt within the tea party ranks in the Commonwealth.

The Virginia Tea Party Federation that includes the Shenandoah Valley Tea Party, along with a tea party PAC, got together last week and decided to vet the nine Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. Their final choices were Prince William County Supervisor Chairman Corey Stewart and State Senator Mark Obenshain.

That didn't set well with some members of the tea party. Today there was open revolt in the blogosphere from Greg Letiecq, Chris Beer, Tito Munoz, Joshua Huffman, and Willie Deutsch. Apparently there are candidates they consider not "tea-party" enough.

A state of confusion now seems to have settled over the Commonwealth. Chris Beer at Mason Conservative wrote:

I don't know who's what anymore.  Who's a RINO, who's establishment, who loves liberty, who's a real conservative?  It's getting so confusing!

The Tea Party Federation of Virginia endorsed Corey Stewart today, and apparently it's to the bewilderment of the Tea Party.  First off, allow me to say that the fact there is a large "federation" of Tea Party seems counter to what the Tea Party of 2009-10 stood for.  Anyways, apparently the Federation's choice is not the choice of the local (ie real) tea parties. [emphasis added]

It didn't take long after the Virginia Tea Party Federation's endorsements for this open revolt to hit. Now the federation side is pushing back: "The sore losers are on the emotional politics rampage. There was nothing 'rigged' about the process."

The Republican Convention is just a few weeks away. Stay tuned ... this could get interesting.

'The GOP and the Conspiratorial Mindset'

The post, "The GOP and the Conspiratorial Mindset," pulls some current political issues out of the shadows as is typical of writer and DC attorney Doug Mataconis who has never been afraid to face difficult subjects head on. His latest post at Outside the Beltway addresses the split going on within the Republican Party.

He began his post by noting the conspiracy theories that have floated in groups that have moved into the GOP:

Ever since Barack Obama became President, indeed while he was still running for office, there has been a cottage industry of conspiracy theories on the right making seemingly outrageous allegations about the President. They’ve ranged from the now familiar birther conspiracy that, even with the release of the President’s long-form birth certificate, still refuses to die, to claims that the Administration was conspiring to confiscate weapons from legal gun owners. For the most part, though, these conspiracy theories were mostly the province of the Internet and a segment of conservatism that most mainstream Republicans tried as best they could to distance themselves from.

His comment, "Mainstream Republicans tried as best they could to distance themselves from" the constant conspiracy theories, resonates. He then documented that some Republican elected officials have bought into those conspiracies, something that may appease a small but vocal portion of the population.

It reminded of an event in Augusta County in 2009.

In April of 2009, one of the first tea party rallies was held in Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton with a group of about 50 gathering to declare their disapproval of ObamaCare. Immediately following that small gathering, another rally was held at Expoland in Fishersville. The building filled with citizens against one-size-fits-all health care who cheered as speakers talked about fighting against its passage in Congress.

Then the truthers began speaking about 9/11 and accused the U.S. Government of being behind the attacks on the Twin Towers. It was a stunning turning point for those attending. Almost in unison, at least three-fourths of the crowd rose from their seats and began filing toward the doors, many shaking their heads and wondering who had organized the event. The organizers were the Constitution Party, another of the groups that are part of the overall tea party federation. Their conspiracy theories drove a previously enthusiastic crowd, concerned about fiscal responsibility, out the doors.

Mataconis ended his post with this sobering comment:

This isn’t to say that every Republican and every conservative is a conspiracy theorist or a birther, of course. There are plenty of them who aren’t and who have a perfectly rational opposition to the President and his policies that doesn’t include the need to allege that he’s involved in some vast conspiracy to destroy the country. The problem is, as it always has been for the past four years, is that these voices tend to get drowned out by the shrill voices of the Obama Derangement Syndrome crowd, and it’s that crowd that becomes associated in the public mind with the party and the movement. That is the price the GOP is paying for giving these people space to grow rather than denouncing him in the manner that they should have been.

I saw Bush Derangement Syndrome from liberals during the administration of President George W. Bush, and did not like it. Now I see my side of the aisle doing the same to President Barack Obama. Sadly, those loud, angry voices tend to drown out the voices of others who understand that this country can better move forward with rational, pragmatic, bipartisan leadership.

See Pineapple contributor Kurt Michael's latest humorous political cartoon: "Pineapples and Coconuts: Angry Coconuts."