Bolling, Sabato hit Twitter, FB with Va gubernatorial frustrations

Virginia's gubernatorial campaign took another interesting turn on Friday as two powerful political pundits took to social media to express frustration with the candidates and the state of both campaigns.

Sinking further into the muck, the past week saw the Cuccinelli campaign accusing McAuliffe of saying something he didn't while news broke that McAuliffe's former GreenTech company has come under SEC scrutiny.

It was almost possible to hear the exasperation in University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato's voice Friday afternoon as he tweeted:

Just re-checked my VA Constitution. Requirements for GOV do NOT include being controversial or seedy.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) August 2, 2013

Sabato immediately followed that tweet with another referring to Virginia's Lieutenant Governor:

Bill Bolling goofed big-time. #VAGOV
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) August 2, 2013

Friday night the Lieutenant Governor himself took to Twitter and Facebook here and here (he has two FB pages) to express frustration about the current state of Virginia's governor's race. Bill Bolling posted:

I'm very frustrated by the current direction of the gubernatorial campaign. Instead of spending millions of dollars calling each other names, I'd like to see the candidates actually talk about the important issues facing our state. The people of Virginia deserve better than they are getting, and that's a bipartisan criticism.

By Saturday morning he had received hundreds of thumbs ups from around the Commonwealth and, presumably, there were many more who did not publicly give their approval but were thinking it.

Dozens left comments, some noting that they would be writing in Bill Bolling's name on the November ballot, a recurring theme that has come up in letters to the editor and conversations on the street. This comment from a supporter named Bill echoed those sentiments:

I will be writing in Bill Bolling and I have lots of friends here in Goochland that will be doing the same.

Another supporter pleaded:

Bill, it's not too late. Give us another choice. PLEASE!!!!!

Commenter John looked at the election in a different light:

If this were a job interview for a corporation, I was the hiring manager, and I was down to the two party's respective candidates as my final applicants, I would tell my Human Resource Department to leave the job posted, as I haven't found the right hire.

That was the tone of most of the comments as voters expressed concerns, even suggesting Bolling 2017. The naysayers stopped by, too, like James who quipped:

It might be helpful if you constructively supported your party's nominee....

To which Chris responded:

Well, it would have also been nice to have gotten to vote in a primary too, but that didn't happen either.

Bottom line: there is definitely dissatisfaction among voters, something picked up on in Sunday's News & Advance editorial, Cuccinelli, McAuliffe and the Split in the GOP. With that said, we are still three months away from election day 2013.

Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com

The Governor apologizes to his 'beloved Virginia'

Governor Bob McDonnell and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
Executive Mansion, January 2011

"Being Governor of Virginia is the highest honor of my 37 years in public service. I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment certain members of my family and I brought upon my beloved Virginia and her citizens. I want you to know that I broke no laws and that I am committed to regaining your sacred trust and confidence. I hope today's action is another step toward that end. 

"Virginia has never been stronger and I plan to focus on creating even more jobs and facilitating greater opportunity during the last five months of my term as your Governor. Our work together on education, transportation, pension reform, voting rights, and economic expansion has produced great results for Virginia." --Governor Bob McDonnell (July 23, 2013)

Bolling's Va Mainstream Project PAC taps 6 candidates for HoD support

In the second wave of flexing his political muscle, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling's "Virginia Mainstream Project" (VMP) has made six more political endorsements backed with financial support and radio campaign ads leading into contested primaries on June 11.

With the goal of electing mainstream, conservative Republicans to public office, VMP announced it had endorsed the following candidates for their Virginia House of Delegates races, some who are being challenged by tea party or Ron Paul candidates and are in particularly contentious contests:

- House District 15 – Delegate Todd Gilbert
- House District 28 – Speaker Bill Howell
- House District 29 – Delegate Beverly Sherwood
- House District 33 – Delegate Joe May
- House District 54 – Delegate Bobby Orrock
- House District 85 – Mr. Scott Taylor

In addition to financial support, 60-second radio ads have been purchased and are airing for Orrock and Sherwood.

This is on the heels of VMP's endorsement and financial support to Delegate John Cosgrove who was successful in his May 9 firehouse primary seeking the Republican nomination for the 14th Senate District.

Bolling has stepped to the plate with his PAC, his experience, his reputation, and his willingness to endorse candidates interested in effective, common sense governing. That includes a pro-business attitude, fiscal responsibility, and a willingness to work toward searching for bi-partisan, pragmatic solutions. Reinforcing that commitment, Bolling noted:

"If we are going to win elections in Virginia, we must nominate candidates who will appeal to Republicans and Independents and attract new people to our party.  I believe these candidates will help us accomplish that goal, but they need your help to win."

The two-term lieutenant governor, who had been very involved and inviting with the grassroots of the party and conservative bloggers during his years in Richmond, unexpectedly found himself in his new leadership role as senior statesman after stepping away from the 2013 gubernatorial race. A series of maneuverings within RPV led to the takeover of the state central committee by the tea party and Libertarian activists who then reversed an earlier vote for a 2013 primary to a much more controlled convention, the one that recently took place in Richmond.

Because of that change, Bolling briefly flirted with the idea of running as an independent but decided against it in March, prompting the Lynchburg News and Advance to editorialize:

Bill Bolling is no tax-and-spend liberal, no R(epublican) I(n) N(ame) O(nly) as uber-conservative activists have tried to portray him. He’s a traditional Virginia conservative, a public servant who labored for his constituents as a Hanover County supervisor, then state senator and finally lieutenant governor for almost eight years.

But the type of public servant Bolling is just isn’t what’s in fashion with the Republicans right today. An elected official who actually believes government has a role in society but who wants it to operate efficiently, leanly and unobtrusively is not the politician the tea party loves who sees government as a beast to be starved.

In May, Bolling reflected on his new role in Virginia Republican politics with reporter Errin Whack at the Washington Post:

“I found myself in a position of being the voice of a lot of mainstream Republicans across the state who were trying to call our party back to a more mainstream approach to politics and policy,” Bolling said in an interview. “It’s not a role I envisioned playing, but it’s a role I was thrust into because of the way things have evolved, and it’s a role I’m comfortable playing.”

It all led to the Virginia Mainstream Project. As the News and Advance wrote in the conclusion of their editorial:

In announcing his decision earlier this week, Bolling lamented what he — and we — see as the “Washingtonization” of Virginia politics. Political battles, achieving the label of most ideologically pure, hyper-partisanship and just plain meanspiritedness seem to be oozing their way into the halls of the state Capitol.

That’s not Bill Bolling’s way of leading. That’s not “The Virginia Way” of governing, or at least it hasn’t been.

Editorial: 'Virginia Mainstream Project Seeks a Wider GOP Current, Which Would Benefit Us All'

If Republican Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling hadn’t announced formation of the Virginia Mainstream Project prior to the GOP’s convention, he certainly would have done so afterwards.

So begins Thursday's Farmville Herald editorial by Ken Woodley as he noted the lack of transparency and lack of inclusiveness currently in the Republican Party of Virginia.

Mr. Woodley continued:

There is nothing mainstream about the trio of Republican candidates emerging from the convention, which was held for the specific purpose of deep-sixing the gubernatorial aspirations of Bolling and handing the party nomination to Ken Cuccinelli.

The attorney general is joined by E. W. Jackson as the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor and Mark D. Obenshain, who’ll run for attorney general. Jackson made the most headlines following his nomination, with reports he has called the Democratic Party “anti-God” and labeled gays and lesbians as “sick” and “perverted.” Writing an opinion piece last fall for The Washington Times, Jackson, a minister, wondered how Democrats have “managed to hold on to black Christians in spite of an agenda worthy of the Anti-christ.

As the dust settles from the Republican convention held two weeks ago in Richmond, more are beginning to understand what Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling said after the convention:

Bolling issued a post-convention statement rightly saying that “some of the things he (Jackson) has said are simply indefensible. These kinds of comments are simply not appropriate, especially not from someone who wants to be a standard-bearer for our party and hold the second-highest elected office in our state. They feed the image of extremism, and that’s not where the Republican Party needs to be.”

The entire editorial can be read here.

Bill Bolling stands his ground

Virginia's Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling addressed the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, sharing the jobs record of Governor Bob McDonnell and, in the process, standing his ground about current Republican politics in the Old Dominion.

For some, political tolerance comes with experience, and the LG has plenty of both. Standing by his belief that extremes on both ends of the political spectrum are not good for Virginians, he commented to those attending the meeting, as reported by Virginia Watchdog:

“I learned a long time ago in government that governing has to be about more than breaking the dishes,” said the two-term lieutenant governor who has served under both a Democrat and a Republican governor. “It has to be about solving problems and getting things done. And to do that, sometimes you have to compromise.”
...
“I think our party is a party in search of an identity,” Bolling told Watchdog.org. “It all starts with the kind of candidates we nominate and the kind of campaigns we run.

“Clearly the (Virginia GOP) is prettily solidly controlled by tea party groups and the Ron Paul folks. The result of that has been the party has been pulled further to the right and that makes it more difficult to connect with moderate and independent voters you need to win elections in Virginia and it makes it more difficult to govern once you get elected.”

Perhaps with a nod toward his recently organized Virginia Mainstream Project PAC, Bolling added:

“The solutions to the challenges facing our state will not be found in the extremes,” Bolling said. They won’t be found on the right extreme, and they won’t be found on the left extreme. The answers to the challenges facing Virginia will be found in the mainstream.”

John Cosgrove wins landslide victory in 14th Senate District firehouse primary - UPDATED

Delegate John Cosgrove has won the Republican Firehouse Primary for the 14th Senate District in the Hampton Roads area by defeating two opponents.

Unofficial Final Total: Cosgrove-1,361; Stearns-552; Haley-116. Roughly 72%-28% win for Delegate Cosgrove. Congratulations!

Jim Hoeft has final results at his blog.

See also 14th Senate District is loss for Rand Paul and Ron Paul 

See also Cosgrove romps over Rand Paul/NAGR-backed candidate by Brian Kirwin


UPDATE: Congratulations poured in from throughout the Commonwealth as word spread of John Cosgrove's win.

From Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling:
"Congratulations to my friend John Cosgrove who won the GOP nomination for the State Senate tonight in the 14th district. John is a good man who deserves our support. Well done John!"

From Randy Marcus, the LG's Chief of Staff:
"Congrats to John A. Cosgrove and his team for a great victory tonight! The Senate and his new district won big tonight. While Sen. Cosgrove has some big shoes to fill, the less numerous body is fortunate to have his leadership coming down the hall."

From Matt Wells:
"Proud to be a small part of a big win tonight. Congrats to John Cosgrove!!"

From Kate Maxwell:
"Congratulations to the next Senator from the 14th District, John Cosgrove!"

From Christie New Craig, Legislative Aide for John Cosgrove:
"My awesome boss John A Cosgrove at his VICTORY celebration."

Photo from Christie New Craig

Va Political Pineapple ... there's a new blog in town

There's a new blog in town. You might call it pragmatic. You could call it mainstream. You may even call it compassionate conservative. Whatever you call it, there is a need for civil discussion in the political world and that is sadly lacking these days.

When Governor Bob McDonnell's transportation bill passed the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year with a bipartisan vote, the protests from the far-right side of the Republican Party were discouraging as they turned to personal attacks and vitriolic rantings.

As Political Pineapples, what we believe is in our welcome:

Throughout Virginia's history the pineapple has served as a symbol of hospitality and warm welcome.

Over the last several years we have seen a shift in the political environment with a polarization between far-right conservatives and moderate Republicans. In the likeness of Virginia's Governors Bob McDonnell, George Allen, and Jim Gilmore, and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, along with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Political Pineapples do not compromise their values and core beliefs. However, they are pragmatic and apply Ronald Reagan's 80 percent rule: "The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally -- not a 20 percent traitor."

Being politically pragmatic, we will strive to move Virginia forward. We invite you to join us as we engage in polite and courteous political discourse while promoting tolerance, open dialogue, and bipartisanship for the good of the Commonwealth.

With regular contributors including Kurt Michael, Bob Kirchman, and Lynn Mitchell, as well as guest posts from pragmatic conservatives such as former Delegate Chris Saxman, the Pineapple will offer a place for citizen journalists to offer civil yet thoughtful conversation about topical issues at hand from a pragmatic and sometimes humorous perspective. Check the in-your-face attitude and personal attacks at the door and come armed with facts for a logical discussion in the vein of Reagan's 80-20 Rule, W's compassionate conservative, George H.W.'s pragmatic look at taxes, and McDonnell, Bolling, Allen, and Gilmore's bipartisan leadership.

Stop by the Pineapple. Look around. We hope you'll make us one of your regular stops.

Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com