A Look at the AG Race (Part 5)
While we can read the tea leaves and find positive things to say about the direction the Republican Party in Virginia is heading, any realistic look is pretty grim. We lost the White House, both Senate seats, three Congressional seats, control of the State Senate, lost ground in the House of Delegates, we’re hemmoraging support in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads at the same time, and half of the Democratic bench possesses at least some ability to communicate with and pick up votes in rural Virginia. The only thing exciting us as a party is the promise for the future on the back of stellar candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, who built their organization independent of the state or national party.
I believe that promise can not only be matched, but improved upon, by nominating Dave Foster for Attorney General. John Brownlee is a good man, a good politician, and has a great resume. Ken Cuccinelli is a conservative icon, and has my utmost respect and admiration. I would fully and gladly support either candidate for AG if they won the nomination. Most people know me as a Cuccinelli supporter, and I still am a fan of his. This decision wasn’t made because of something he did. Instead, it is about who is the right man at the right time to bring our party out of the self-dug hole we’re in. That man is Dave Foster.
The Right Appeal
My first post in this series wrote about electability arguments. I still hold that all electability arguments are inane, because there will be completely different factors at work in a statewide race in 2009. Yet, previous electoral history is still important. It’s important for Cuccinelli, who proved he can win in Fairfax despite a terrible year in 2007, and it’s important for Foster, who was twice elected County-wide in Arlington as a Republican. The second time, Foster won with 62% of the vote; in 2008, John McCain won only 27%.
While Foster’s experience (or Cuccinelli’s for that matter) may help the Republican ticket in Fairfax and Arlington County, moving beyond pure geography, Dave Foster brings an appeal to the ticket that I believe is unmatched in this race. Foster won in Arlington by bringing together coalitions of voters who were more concerned about pragmatic solutions than party ID.
The appeal that Foster brings is that of a charismatic, caring, and competent public servant. At every public appearance I’ve seen and every report of the debates I’ve read, the one thing that is repeated time and time again is that Foster knows how to speak and communicate. This is often an underlooked skill, but one only needs to look at the current occupant of the White House to appreciate it’s utility. Dave Foster is also the only candidate who has made job creation a key component of his platform, a message that speaks to all in the middle of a recession.
In short, Foster has cultivated an image of competency, and this is an image that the Republican Party desperately needs to latch onto. In Northern Virginia, we’ve seen the fruits of that in two successive elections. First, Pat Herrity barely lost a race for County Chairman against an opponent who barely said anything about any issue. I believe Herrity came so close in a County that gave Obama 60% of the vote because he was upfront and passionate about the issues, and the issues he spoke had pragmatic solutions that people could relate to. So, too, did John Cook when he defeated Ilryong Moon for Braddock Supervisor, in a campaign where John Cook demonstrated he knew and understood how to be an effective Supervisor, and Moon did not. Both candidates did well, among other reasons, because voters knew they would be getting effective representation.
The Right Emphasis
I believe we’re at a crossroads as a party, and if we’re to get back on the path of winning, we need to embrace a new message. Bob McDonnell is forging a pragmatic path to the Governorship that is getting attention. Some people call this being “moderate”, or wishy-washy. The truth is, throughout McDonnell’s successful career, people have always known who he is and what he stands for. McDonnell has been consistent, he’s just choosing a different emphasis, one that has broad appeal and a resonating message. It’s not a matter of diluting our conservative principles, it’s a matter of communicating to voters. Dave Foster understands this.
Foster isn’t a smashmouth conservative, but that doesn’t make him any less principled. He represents a softer side of conservativism that seeks to bring people together on issues they care about and unite them, rather than a brand of conservativism that is often divisive and distracting. If we’re to move forward as a party in a winning direction, we need leaders like Dave Foster at the forefront promoting their unique vision for Virginia.
The Right Issues
This is one of the reasons I’ve been troubled by some of the recent back-and-forths between the AG debates. The one that comes to mind the strongest is the debate over the triggerman rule. Here, we have Ken Cuccinelli taking a principled stand against an expansion of the death penalty (he supports specific provisions, not a broad general rule), and John Brownlee continually hammering him on the issue. This comes a few months after John Brownlee takes exception to a comment, and affirms that he is just as conservative as Cuccinelli on opposing abortion.
It’s not that Dave Foster supports abortion (he’s pro-life) or is against the death penalty (he supports the triggerman rule), it’s a matter of emphasis. Ken Cuccinelli, by the nature of who he is, emphasizes the divisive nature of his politics, usually because that’s what people engage him on. John Brownlee, in an effort to dig into Cuccinelli’s base, is choosing the same exact route of social wedge issues like abortion and the death penalty. Didn’t we learn our lesson from Jerry Kilgore who spent month after month hammering Tim Kaine on the death penalty?
As the Richmond Times Dispatch notes,
The point here isn’t really to debate the wisdom of the triggerman rule. … The point is simply that the debate is far removed from 99 percent of what the next attorney general will spend his time on.
That was the problem when Jerry Kilgore tried the tactic against Kaine: voters, even those who have strong opinions about the death penalty, are expecting so much more from their Governor. The same problem will occur in 2009, when voters will be expecting so much more from their Attorney General than a specific provision of the death penalty. There is a marked difference between Cuccinelli and Brownlee debating the triggerman rule, and Dave Foster talking about breaking down regulatory hurdles to allow small businesses to thrive in Virginia and create jobs. One is a message that appeals to all parts of the population; the other is red meat for the Republican base. We’re going to need more than just Jim Gilmore’s 34% to turn out if we want to win.
The Right Background
The most important qualification for Attorney General is the ability to fulfill the duties of the office. More than any other description, the one that gets tossed around is that the AG “runs the largest law office in the state”. In addition to having extensive knowledge of the law, the Attorney General must be a good manager. As a long-time parter at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., Foster has both the knowledge and the experience running a large and renowned law firm. It’s not as flashy as being a prosecutor, but it’s the experience he’ll need to be a successful Attorney General.
The Wrong Reasons
Aside from support for one of the two other candidates, the biggest reason (and the easiest to dismiss) I’ve heard against Foster is that people argue he has the lowest name ID and has raised the least money of the three. That may be true for the nomination contest, but I would guarantee you that Cuccinelli, Brownlee, and Foster all have roughly the same name ID among statewide general election voters: that is to say, next to none. Truth be told, neither does Steve Shannon, or any of the LG candidates. Most people who will vote simply aren’t paying attention right now. Whether Dave Foster, John Brownlee, or Ken Cuccinelli wins the nomination, they’ll all start out with a low name ID.
However, whoever wins the nomination is sure to be able to raise money. Cuccinelli is a proven fundraiser; John Brownlee has done quite well for himself, too. For a candidacy many dismiss as an afterthought, running third in a three-way race, I would contend that Foster has done an admirable job with the circumstances he’s under. However, whowever wins will sure to have money flowing in. The ability to raise money as a nominee will be about the same for all three candidates. These arguments don’t hold water.
The second-most common argument I’ve heard is that Foster simply can’t win the nomination. This one is particularly frustrating, because if everyone that says they would support Foster but aren’t because he can’t win simply would support Foster, this race would likely be an even three-way contest.
However, while he has an uphill struggle to win, Foster is by no means out of the contest. His presence and his strength, along with Brownlee directly challenging Cucinelli, has virtually guaranteed that no one will crack 50% on the first ballot. The question is how much support does Foster get, whether Cuccinelli or Brownlee is closer to 50%, and how much under 50% Cuccinelli is. If Cuccinelli bombs on the first ballot, there would be a a free-for-all for delegates on the successive ballots.
More to the point, though, Foster continues to build support, both from unaffiliated voters and from those previously supporting one of the other two. I’ve heard from numerous people that Foster is their #2 choice. This is in part due to the bitter contest between Brownlee and Cuccinelli, but also due to Foster being an appealing and viable choice. If Foster is able to build that kind of support in a few short months, getting their full-fledged support is possible. All it takes is a few momentum shifts as the Foster campaign continues presenting their message as more and more people tune in.
The Right Choice
There remain two full months of campaigning yet, which is an eternity in politics. While its doubtful that Cuccinelli or Brownlee will self-destruct, there’s plenty of time for Foster to continue to build strength and support, and for Brownlee and Cuccinelli to pummel each other into irrelevency (see Bob Corker’s win in the 2006 Tennessee Senate Primary). As it gets closer to the Convention, voters will take a closer look at their alternatives. I think Foster’s strength thus far has guaranteed his place as a viable option that people will look at. That’s at least a start, and it may be all he needs.
As a Cuccinelli fan, I will continue to defend him against remarks I think wrongly attack him, and as I said before, I would be happy to support any of the three candidates for AG in the fall. As each of the men running have said at various times, we have a great field, which I think is one of the reasons why turnout for the 2009 Convention is projected to be so much higher than the 2008 Convention.
At that convention, I will be supporting Dave Foster and I encourage you to do the same, even if you’ve already committed to another candidate. Dave Foster is the best choice to help elect Bill Bolling Lt. Governor and Bob McDonnell Governor, and to move our party forward in the right direction.
(This post was in the works weeks before Tom Davis endorsed Dave Foster; my own decision was strengthened by Davis’s endorsement, but was not caused by it.)
A Look at the AG Race Series:
Part 1 covered the inanity of electability arguments.
Part 2 covered why conventions are terrible and why each candidate would benefit from a primary.
Part 3 provided immediate coverage of the Roanoke Debate.
Part 4 discussed the fuzzy math in delegate claims by the candidates.
Part 5 presented my endorsement of Dave Foster for Attorney General.
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Mar 22nd by VA Blogger
I heard Dave speak for the first time at the PW convention, he was quite impressive. I count myself in the Cuccinelli camp, but the truth of the matter is that any of our three candidates would make a fine AG.
If it comes to Cuccinelli/Foster on the 2nd ballot, I hope the loser runs for VA-11.
Brad Smith
on March 22nd, 2009Oh and P.S. – I don’t think your Arlington County analysis is dependable because 1.) a lot has changed since 2003 and 2.) you’ll be dealing with a completely different turn-out model than a school/county board election.
In other words, I’m not so sure he’d run that much better than Cuccinelli.
Brad Smith
on March 22nd, 2009VA, I agree with you 1000%.
After having met Dave Foster and listened to him speak, he represents the pragmatic approach to politics that I believe is critical if the Republican party is going to regain its credibility and reach out to a broad swath of the Commonwealth.
He’s got my support and my vote at the convention.
Brian W. Schoeneman
on March 22nd, 2009Mr. Smith. Neither of them live in the 11th. That being said, Foster is an excellent choice for AG. I am a Brownlee supporter because John has the best record for a candidate to be AG. Only John is a Prosecutor who has done the job of AG at a different level.
Both Foster and Brownlee are great choices for AG.
Another Moderate
on March 22nd, 2009Of course, the constitution doesn’t require one to live in the district to run for Congress. It probably helps, however.
NoVA Scout
on March 22nd, 2009Only John is a Prosecutor who has done the job of AG at a different level.
That statment is so totally and completely wrong. “Prosecutor” and “Attorney General” have absolutely nothing in common. On a day to day level, the job is completely different. There are plenty of valid reasons to support Brownlee, this isn’t one of them.
NovaConservative
on March 22nd, 2009Very good post, VAB. I’m glad you’ve realized that Cuccinelli is not the answer in November. Foster is my number two behind Brownlee of course.
NovaCon, you can continue to say that, but it isn’t going to change the public perception that they it is relevant. Five of the last six AGs were prosecutors – that’s a fact. Steve Shannon has experience as a prosecutor and will use it to his advantage against a non-prosecutor. Brownlee’s experience running a large governmental legal office is absolutely relevant, and he will be well positioned to lead the AGs office in expanding its prosecutorial functions, which is sorely needed on several fronts.
Loudoun Insider
on March 22nd, 2009Prosecutor and Attorney General have nothing in common? Hardly. The AG serves as the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer and the AG’s office is the Commonwealth’s largest agency for enforcement of state laws. Additional AG duties include representing the Commonwealth in legal matters and providing advice and opinions to the Governor and to the heads of the Commonwealth’s executive departments. In matters of exceptional gravity or importance, the AG appears in person before the Virginia and U.S. Supreme Courts. John Brownlee has spent his entire career in law enforcement, is overwhelmingly supported by the law enforcement community and is the only candidate with the proven experience and abilities necessary to effectively serve as AG. His nomination should be a no brainer for anyone that’s seriously interested in winning in November.
Newly Interested
on March 22nd, 2009Loudon Insider, you are right about your stats relating to prosecutors.
However, think about this: we’ve never elected someone as AG that has never run for office before.
Aaron
on March 22nd, 2009Newly Interested,
Are you really claiming that Ken Cuccinelli and Dave Foster don’t have the ability to be effective AGs?
Just a quick note: when you set out to write a one-sided piece, even though you’re approaching it from the mindset that you cannot possibily be wrong, at least consider how other people may read it so you avoid saying something stupid.
VA Blogger
on March 22nd, 2009VA Blogger
You must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. There is no need to be nasty when someone expresses his or her opinions. I agree with Newly Interested though I like Foster a lot and think he could handle the job. I have my doubts about Cuccinelli.
Dorothy
on March 22nd, 2009Dorothy, there are opinions, like you, I, and most other people publish here, and then there is what Newly Interested wrote, which is something different. I don’t have time for that.
VA Blogger
on March 22nd, 2009Newly Interested is just making his case for his candidate as you did, VAB. Let him have his say.
Loudoun Insider
on March 22nd, 2009Aaron – what office had Kilgore ever held before he was elected AG?
Anonymous
on March 22nd, 2009Aaron – what office had Kilgore ever held before he was elected AG?
huh?
on March 22nd, 2009Ken can’t win the general!! This isn’t the first politically astute person that has left camp, good job VA-blogger.
Although Im a Brownlee fan, I think the more people that pull away from Cooch, the better we are at the convention.
There have been several unit chairs that have renigged (either publically or privately) on their committment to endorse Ken too.
The Foster and Brownlee camps are growing, while the Cooch camp is quickly shrinking.
Ken can’t win the general!
Sibyl Says
on March 22nd, 2009Let’s slice through the experience thing…
Last six AG”
McDonnell
Kilgore
Earley
Gilmore
Terry
Baliles
The only one who came to the position of AG from a prosector position was Gilmore, and that was an elected position in a populous county.
McDonnell, Earley, Terry, and Baliles came to office from the General Assembly, and that was where the focus of their experience lay (and not in the role of a local assistant prosecutor/CA).
I believe if you continue the string, you don’t find a Virginia AG who had been the a primary prosecutor in any jurisdiction until you get to Albertis Harrison (elected in 1961).
Strangely, the one AG w/o electoral background was probably best ready for the job-Kilgore had been Director of Public safety, which meant not only had he been involved in statewide law enforcement, but was the only person elected AG (maybe ever) who came to the job with the administrative experience to run a state department.
There has been a variety of “experiences” that the VA AG has brought to office, and I suggest the lack of bigtime prosecutorial experience never been an obstacle to winning the office.
bwana
on March 22nd, 2009OH, and before the PC folks jump in, I am sure #16 meant “reneged”…
bwana
on March 22nd, 2009Brownlee has the administrative experience, having run a similarly staffed US Attorney’s office. He has the legal and administrative experience to step into this job from day one. Foster presumably has administrative experience as a partner in a large firm, but he wasn’t the identified man in charge. Cuccinelli absolutely does not have the administrative experience expected to run the AG’s office.
Loudoun Insider
on March 22nd, 2009The problem is that Foster hasn’t filed enough delegates anywhere but Arlington, Alexandria and maybe Falls Church and one or two others to win a single jurisdiction. Half the state doesn’t even know he is running.
Not to mention, a Tom Davis endorsement is like a lead balloon at a Republican convention.
Sibyl Says
on March 22nd, 2009I don’t think Foster is working the south and south west at all. I would be hard to win without some support from those areas. He does seem like a good guy and would be my second choice.
Lauren
on March 22nd, 2009Anonymous and huh?
That is why you are supposed to read the words carefully. “…we’ve never elected someone as AG that has never run for office before.”
Not held office, but ran for office. Kilgore ran for AG in ‘97 and lost, but he at least ran.
Aaron
on March 22nd, 2009Not to be off topic, but the blue back ground color on this site has bled thru almost everything and it is very difficult to read or see things on this site.
Is this just my computer or are others experiencing this. And if it is just me what settings do I need to change to bring everything back to normal? Thanks
Lee J
on March 22nd, 2009Lee, I was having that problem on Firefox until I cleared my cache. If you’re using Firefox, use the “clear private data” tab and select ‘cache’ to clear it.
Brian W. Schoeneman
on March 22nd, 2009Lauren, I can’t speak expertly about the outreach efforts of the Foster campaign, but I know in addition to NoVA, they’ve been working the Hampton Roads area very well.
VA Blogger
on March 22nd, 2009That has always been the Achillies heel with Foster. Its almost like he is running a general election campaign instead of a Republican convention campaign. Of course hopefully everyone knows by know NoVA and Hampton Roads is where elections are won and lost.
novamiddleman
on March 22nd, 2009Thanks Brian, it worked like a charm. Thanks again.
Lee J
on March 22nd, 2009Someone else emailed me about that problem as well – I hope they have fixed it by now or will read that solution.
If it didn’t get through before – I think Dave Foster is a great guy and well qualified for this or many other offices. I don’t think he’ll end up on top of this race, but he absolutely needs to stay in politics. The GOP in Virginia needs more commonsense conservatives like him with the ability to work well with others.
Of course my personal preference would be for him to move to Loudoun County and become our next School Board Chairman, but I don’t think that’s going to happen, and I expect him to move up in the political pecking order. I hope we see more of him in the near future.
Loudoun Insider
on March 22nd, 2009I understand that most of the votes come from other areas but to forget about such a large number of counties just doesn’t seem wise. I am some what connected here in the ninth and to be honest there a lot of delegates down here that don’t even know he is running.
There are a few votes to be won everywhere and in a tight race a few votes can really help, just ask Marshall. I am proud to say that Cuccinelli hasn’t forgotten SWVA. I live in Brownlee’s back yard but even here there are a large number of Cuccinelli delegates.
Lauren
on March 23rd, 2009While it is important to make an effort throughout the entire commonwealth, it makes sense that Foster would pay the most attention to NoVA and Hampton Roads. Southwest Virginia is clearly Brownlee territory. Its the most conservative part of the commonwealth (half of my family is from Radford) and Cucinelli will also play well there.
When you have limited resources, you can’t afford to target every area with the same level of intensity. Foster can heavily work NoVA and Hampton Roads, make moderate pick ups in Southwest and Central and still have enough delegates to make this a race.
Brian W. Schoeneman
on March 23rd, 2009Maybe, however his best chance is for Brownlee and Cuccinelli to do something to turn off voters. I think both camps would turn to Foster as a second choice.
Lauren
on March 23rd, 2009My question is not who can win the Convention, it is who can win the general–who can beat the Dem?
I was impressed by all three men at recent debate but I came away supporting Foster.
Loudoun Moderate
on March 23rd, 2009Va Blogger -
I could very well be wrong about this… but I don’t think Foster ran as a Republican, ever. Isn’t that a non-partisan position?
A Voter
on March 23rd, 2009Perhaps Foster is the man. He has no record of any account and can have any image built for him the consultants desire… but then who wants a candidate who gives us no idea, except what he says, of what he is going to do. Are we just going to call him the anti-democrat? That hasn’t worked well in the past, has it?
Larry Miller
on March 23rd, 2009A Voter –
In Arlington, it’s a non-partisan position in name only. Everyone knows who is the Republican and who is the Democrat; among other things, they are identified on all of the sample ballots and the local papers all talk about it. They even have primaries for the “endorsement.”
Recently Energized
on March 23rd, 2009Good post, VAB. One correction, however: Brownlee has *very* high name recognition in the western half of the state from seven years of press coverage while he was US Attorney. Brownlee, of course, had a reputation for bringing handling high-profile cases during his seven years.
Zach Kitts
on March 23rd, 2009A Voter,
RE is right. It’s technically a “non-partisan” position, but Foster ran on a Republican ticket with other candidates for other offices, and was the Republican endorsed candidate.
Zach, I haven’t seen any numbers, but while I’m sure many in SWVA are familiar with Brownlee, knowing the name of the local U.S. Attorney isn’t the case for most residents.
VA Blogger
on March 23rd, 2009Brownlee also lost some big cases. His campain is trying to make him look like superman but I don’t think that he has that big a reputation.
Lauren
on March 23rd, 2009In my opinion, Foster’s best strategy is to appear pragmatic and moderate, letting Cuccinelli and Brownlee fight over who is the most conservative. They can split that vote, and Foster can run away with the rest.
Convention strategies are always different than primary strategies, though, and the above is more of a primary strategy. The first ballot at the convention will be key, in my opinion. Whoever is #2 will be interesting. If Foster can end up #2 on the first ballot, that will be a major win for him.
It will be interesting to see how hard Brownlee and Cuccinelli go after one another. If either alienates the others’ supporters too much, they may throw their support to Foster if they see their candidate can’t win. This will be a fun convention.
Brian W. Schoeneman
on March 23rd, 2009#39 has it right…if Cooch or Brownlee doesn’t win early, I doubt that you will see the Cooch or Brownlee delegates breaking to each other.
If there is not an early KO, I imagine Foster has good chances…for that convention dymanic at work, see the 1981 LtGov fight among Bateman/Farley/Miller.
bwana
on March 23rd, 2009BTW, Bwana, your analysis in #17 is top-notch. You should consider doing a full post on that.
VA Blogger
on March 23rd, 2009This will be my first convention. How do the second and subsequent ballots work? If noone wins on the first ballot, do you just take a quick break and vote again or is there some sort of discussion/politicing between votes? Or, does it just become a battle of attrition?
Recently Energized
on March 23rd, 2009Recently Energized, you are in for a fascinating experience in the best and the worst of political free-for-all…if these kids know what they’re doing, that is.
I was right in the middle of the biggest Virginia convention free-for-all in 1978 when the fight was between Dick Obenshain, John Warner, Linwood Holton, and Nathan Miller for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Virginia…which Dick won around midnight, Saturday night. Those were glorious days!
Note: The reason John Warner became Senator that election year…Dick Obenshain was killed in an airplane crash coming home from a campaign event during the general election campaign. He “adopted” Dick’s platform.
AWCheney
on March 23rd, 2009By the way RE, to clarify (if the campaigns do know what they are doing, that is), it will be organized chaos and the subsequent ballots WILL reflect attrition. A big part of the strategy of any knowledgeable campaign will be to keep their delegates on the floor by any means possible, and those with the stamina to hang in there will find it an experience that they’ll never forget. If you do, you will most likely ALWAYS favor conventions thereafter.
AWCheney
on March 23rd, 2009I think this is on eof the better post I have been reading lately regarding the races in the Fall. Introducing people to a wider electorate is essential. I do not know much about Foster at all so this peeks my interests to investigate further. I am certainly wide open in this one frankly so I need to buckle down and focus on it a bit more. Thanks Va Blogger.
Alter of Freedom
on March 24th, 2009I am a delegate and am researching all the candidates for Attorney General and the duties and qualifications of Attorney General. One think I do not find helpful is one candidate bashing the other. To me that just says the candidate cannot stand on their own merits and needs to make someone else look worse. All I want to know is what qualifications each one has that would (1) make them a good candidate for Attorney General and (2) give them the best opportunity to beat the Democratic candidate.
Joy
on March 24th, 2009Re: #37, VAB, Brownlee was not just any USA (that’s USDOJ speak for “US Attorney”) and his reputation is not just limited to SWVa–he is nationally known.
He brought the very high profile OxyContin prosecution, which endeared him to many people in SWVa. Everyone in SWVa knows about the plague of OxyContin, as it has killed about 400 people in those counties over the last 8 years or so.
He also brought the ITT case, in which he prosecuted ITT Corp for violations of the ITAR export/import laws, which stop American companies from selling our military technology to the bad guys.
Boy and girls, these are big time cases, for big time lawyers. Companies like these don’t just roll over–they are used to fighting, they know how to defend themselves, and they do so with expensive, top notch lawyers.
These are cases the USA for the Southern District of NY would be proud of. But Brownlee did them with one of the smallest US Attorney’s offices in the United States.
Zach Kitts
on March 24th, 2009It has been my experience that there are folks at the convention that care more about their choice nominee coming out of the convention than they do the general election. Its like hop scotch to them and only see whats in front and not the big picture; again thats how you get a Gilmore IMHO.
Alter of Freedom
on March 24th, 2009ah yes the whole forest through the trees bit or lack there of in this case :-p
novamiddleman
on March 24th, 2009As a convention delegate I get an email from Foster, and Brownlee, almost every day. I have never gotten anything from Ken. Seems strange to me. Anyone have any ideas why Ken wouldn’t be going after my vote like the other two are?
Lovettsville Lady
on March 25th, 2009Perhaps because he assumes your support…it’s the kind of arrogance that very nearly cost him his State Senate seat last time. And it’s the kind of arrogance that can’t win in a state-wide general election.
AWCheney
on March 25th, 2009Maybe he doesn’t want to be a pain in the a**. I get so sick of all the mailers ect.
Lauren
on March 25th, 2009If somebody would rather be ignored by email updates and position papers, they can reply to the email. NOT sending them at all…that’s quite another story. It’s not like the other candidates are sending those cheesy mailers to party activists, insulting their intelligence.
AWCheney
on March 25th, 2009Lovettsville Lady – I’m a delegate and I’ve been getting those emails as well. The problem is that they don’t really say anything.
I think Foster’s most recent email either talked about what McDonnell was doing or else talked about how great it was to be endorsed by Va Blogger. He also sent a message claiming that he cares about the economy and how he favors making positive economic changes… without saying anything about what these changes actually are.
Brownlee’s emails have also either talked about McDonnell, Bolling, or mentioning that Brownlee is a former prosecutor for the 3,423,094,824th time.
I’ve been on Senator Cuccinelli’s email list for a while now, and the thing I like is that he only sends an email if he has an actual accomplishment/event to report.
A Voter
on March 25th, 2009All three candidates send out superfluous emails.
Besides, saying how great it is to be endorsed by VA Blogger is certainly worthy of a blast email, no?
VA Blogger
on March 25th, 2009Good one, VAB!
A Voter, yeah, Cuccinelli just had to send out that email about the President of BOLIVIA, Hugo Chavez!
Loudoun Insider
on March 25th, 2009I believe Senator Cuccinelli’s most recent emails talk about the endorsements he has received by Governor Huckabee, and RedState.com. Before that were a couple endorsements from prominent 2nd Amendment groups…
Now, I know it’s probably difficult for you to accept an error, Loudoun Insider… especially when your candidate (Brownlee) has only voted in DEMOCRAT primaries up until this point… but I’m sure you can give a little room for one email flub, can’t you?
So, although I think it’s great that Foster and Brownlee are finally choosing to send out emails in support of other republicans… it’s just too bad they’ve never chosen to do anything for Virginian Republicans until it just became politically advantageous for them to do so…
A Voter
on March 25th, 2009A Voter, I get all three of their newsletters. Cuccinelli has been sending out his ‘Compass’ for a long time now, and that thing is filled with more rambling than Roy Rogers film.
All of them send out newsletters about once a week and I haven’t gotten enough from any of the campaigns to start complaining. Nothing compared the general election, or even Frederick during his run up to last year’s convention.
And I think an endorsement from VA Blogger is pretty good. Remember, this is one of the Washingtonian’s must read sites now.
Brian W. Schoeneman
on March 25th, 2009A Voter, Foster has a long history of helping Arlington candidates, just like Cuccinelli has a long history of helping some Fairfax candidates.
VA Blogger
on March 25th, 2009I like Foster and I hope he stays involved in Northern Virginia politics. If it comes down to picking a second candidate, I’d even consider supporting him at the convention.
But this remains Cuccinelli’s race to lose and I don’t think he’s going to lose it.
The race has ultimately been driven and defined by Cuccinelli and will continue to be so right up to the votes on May 30. Aside from the issues, he has enormous energy behind him as a candidate, an incredibly impressive volunteer base, and his people have been walking in to jurisdictions across the state with heaps of filing forms. And when people get to vote in Richmond, the question a lot of delegates will be asking themselves is whether they should support Cuccinelli.
Aside from those that genuinely dislike nominating conservatives like Cuccinelli on ideological grounds, the only question I’ve seen that has any sizable group of people on the fence with his candidacy is his electability.
Personally, I think you can take one look at his volunteer operation and what he has accomplished both statewide and locally here in Fairfax and have many of your fears allayed on that issue. Cuccinelli changes the turnout universe in any race he’s involved in by driving out people that other Republicans don’t. That will help the entire ticket.
I can certainly understand that some are apprehensive. I just think the fears are misplaced.
As for the moderates opposed to him on ideological grounds, I’d honestly encourage you think about party unity. McDonnald is your guy. With a sizable chunk of the conservative base currently pissed off at McDonnald over the Jeff Frederick war (whatever we may think of Frederick), we need a means of getting that faction back into the fold. You will not win without them.
A McDonnald/Bolling/Cuccinelli ticket offers the best chance we have of unifying the factions in our party than pretty much anything else that can happen right now – most especially if Frederick is successfully ousted. And whatever faction you’re from, there are reasons to support that entire ticket.
Personally, I’m tired of seeing the factions in our party get it into their skulls that we can win without each other.
We can’t. We need each other.
And ultimately, no matter who the candidates are, we’re on the same side here.
Former Moderate
on March 26th, 2009FM, you need to learn to spell Bob McDonnell’s name if you’re going to pass yourself off as a Republican.
Loudoun Insider
on March 26th, 2009The “sizable” fraction of the McDonnell base that is pissed over Frederick should get the fuck over themselves and realize if they want to win, sabotaging our gubernatorial nominee isn’t the best way to achieve their outcome. And if they don’t want to win, then why is anyone paying attention to them at all?
If Bob McDonnell doesn’t satisfy the litmus test of the so-called “true conservatives”, then they should just give up now and form their own party so they can be squelched into irrelevency without dragging those of us who care about actually governing down with them.
VA Blogger
on March 26th, 2009Agreed, VAB, they are much louder than their real numbers. Remember how scared Frank Wolf was supposed to be of upstart Vern McKimley? McKinley got 8.5% of the vote. I’ve never suggested that these fringers shouldn’t have a seat at the table, but they can’t keep driving the ship onto the shoals of political irrelevancy.
Loudoun Insider
on March 26th, 2009This is exactly what I’m really tired of seeing – the factions in our party getting it into their skulls that we can win without each other. The extreme moderates want to kick the conservatives out of the party and the extreme conservatives want to kick the moderates out of the party.
At some point, all of these numbskulls are going to realize that we need all of these groups to win – even when we can’t stand each other.
And we can either whine and moan that voters aren’t going to show up unless they have a candidate who is “conservative enough” or “moderate enough” on a ticket, stick fingers in our ears and hum really loudly, or have some sensibility for the fact that we need a united party to win.
Former Moderate
on March 27th, 2009[...] To see Too Conservative’s endorsement that started this, click here. [...]
Dave Foster gets serious. « Red NoVA
on May 19th, 2009