Archive for the ‘National Politics’ Category

Purkey

VIRGINIA BEACH (August 16, 2010) – - On Saturday, in a display of candor (and stupidity?) senior Virginia Beach Del. Bob Purkey acknowledged what many conservative Republicans and others have been saying all along:

There is no difference between Republicans and Democrats.  They are all peas in the same political pod.  That’s why government is corrupt, inefficient, and doesn’t work for the benefit of the people.

Purkey, long described as arrogant, hot-tempered, self-important, told the GOP weekly breakfast that a dollar is a dollar:  Not Republican dollars.  Not Democrat dollars.  Just a bottom-line political dollar$$$.

The wrong message for the intelligent young minds of 2 tables of students from Princess Anne High School who were attending.

While admitting no credibility as a Republican and admitting he plays political footsie, financed, and even voted for Democrats, just to ‘get along,’ Purkey did score points for candor.

But no points for valor or integrity or honor.  Some say it is senility catching up. That while he made a little speech supporting GOP contributions, support, and compromise with Democrats at the expense of integrity and morale values of the party, he simply displayed the falsehoods he’s wrapped himself in over the decades as a Republican.

Rigell

He fell on his sword trying to defend GOP 2nd District Congressional candidate Scott Rigell who donated $1,000 to Obama, said he was impressed by Obama’s rhetoric, his campaign language, and to keep Queen Hillary Clinton from getting the Democrat nomination.  Rigell has also supported other lesser, state level Democrats.

Purkey said people in business and politics have to do that for their survival – not the people’s survival.

For the most part Rigell’s contribution to Obama and other Democrats had been off the radar screen.  If Purkey thought he was the ‘Lone Ranger’ helping Rigell out by stepping out front on this issue again, he was terribly wrong.

This is the last thing the Rigell campaign wanted brought back to the forefront, where staunch, conservative core Republicans have already abandoned him and middle of the roaders in the party are having second thoughts.

Independent Congressional Candidate Kenny Golden was head of the Virginia Beach GOP before resigning to run for Congress, first as a Republican.

When he determined the GOP national machine was covertly backing Rigell to the detriment of the other 8 in the GOP primary race, Golden dropped out as a Republican candidate and filed as an independent, refusing to be part of the GOP’s candidate fodder for appearance sake.

At neighborhood affairs and ‘town halls,’ Golden is attracting more and more supporters with his plain talking message directed at  conservatives, disgruntled Republicans and Democrats.

So far neither Rigell nor the incumbent, Democrat Rep. Glenn Nye are giving him any help.  Rigell claiming Golden is a fleeting ‘outside candidate’ who doesn’t deserve recognition by being elevated to a debate platform, has refused to debate Nye if Golden is included.

Nye is using the opposite argument to avoid confrontation with Rigell and Golden by saying he won’t participate in a debate unless GOLDEN IS INCLUDED.

Using these tactics to dodge debate among major party candidates sets both of them up as weaklings, cowards who would both be ‘demolished,’ as some say, if there was a 3-way debate with Golden in the middle.

Nye is hoping to win on his ‘conservative’ Democrat record – voting for most GOP-approved issues, except the election of Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker.

Rigell has hitched his campaign wagon behind the GOP national professional machinery, great monied ad campaign, and staying below the public radar by not engaging in any potentially dangerous confrontation situation.

A 3-way debate is scheduled Aug. 19 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Princess Anne High Auditorium, sponsored by the Citizens Advisory Committee for the 3rd Police Precinct.  No evidence anyone except Golden will show.

The Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance, which has traditionally hosted candidate forums in congressional races is also planning for a joint event.  Any candidate who doesn’t show will be represented by name tag and empty chair.

Questions will be addressed to the empty chairs and answers will be ‘candidate so-and-so refused to answer.’

We are still a long way from the November election.

Loyola

The founder of the Hampton Roads Tea Party Monday endorsed GOP’s Ben Loyola for congress in a move that could test the new activists’ political horsepower.

Karen Miner Hurd said Loyola best represents the principles of conservatives that Tea Partiers like her represent.

The Tea Party officials either know something about Loyola’s strength at the polls that we don’t, or Ms. Hurd is putting her neck on the line which in effect will test Tea Party strength in Tidewater.

Win or lose, the results will be interpreted as being for or against the Tea Party.

Either way June 8’s primary is going to get real interesting.

Loyola was born in Cuba.  His family fled the repressive communist government of Fidel Castro when he was a baby.

Loyola loathes socialism and Obama’s brand of Obummerism.  A self-made successful entrepreneur, Loyola is a patriot whose voice cracks and eyes begin to tear up as he talks of his love for America and the U.S. Constitution.

A grad of the U.S. Navy Academy, he is a retired Navy pilot who unflinchingly supports the military.

His beliefs, background, and campaign pushes all of the Tea Party’s hot button.

His closest opponent pollsters believe is car dealer Scott Rigell, anointed as the GOP’s establishment candidate.

Rigell has taken heat from hardcore right-wingers for a $1,000 contribution to Obama, support for 22% sales tax hike and a system of an regional government that would have given taxing power to an unelected.

Nevertheless Rigell has corralled a number of top Republican endorsements, nationally, statewide, and locally.

Even Gov. Bob McDonnell has endorsed Rigell in the primary race.  This reporter has covered VA politics since 1966 and is unable to recall a single time a sitting governor has gotten involved in local politics openly before a nominee has been selected.

Asked if those kind of endorsement deviations are indicative of problems with Rigell campaign, a top official said, “The top is a little shaky.”  Asked if he’d ever known of a previous incident of a sitting governor getting involved in a local campaign, he replied, “Never.”

Loyola and Rigell are in a 6-way race for the June 8 primary.  Other candidates are Scott Taylor, Bert Mizusawa, Ed Maulbeck, and Jessica Sandlin.

The winner of that contest will not only face Democrat 1st term incumbent Glenn Nye, but Kenny Golden, former chairman of the local GOP, who because  he felt the party deck had been stacked against him, dropped out of the primary to run as an independent.

He’s yearning for a Rigell victory because he thinks he’ll easily overwhelm both him and Nye.

A recent push poll for Rigell only included Loyola and Mizusawa among the questions asked about Rigell.

There’s no question Rigell has party’s national support, more than adequate funding, and is the recipient of professional party grooming and training.

The rank and file Republicans cover the spectrum.  Many support Rigell, but just as many are opting for Loyola and Taylor, rebelling against what they feel is unnatural national and state party interference.

There are six GOP candidates running for the party’s nomination to Congress to oppose incumbent Democrat Glenn Nye.

Virginia News Source has been talking with most of the candidates and today we have conducted a 9 minute interview with GOP candidate Ben Loyola.

Loyola, a native of Cuba, came to the U.S. after his parents fled when Fidel Castro took Cuba communist. Ben tells part of his story in this podcast interview with VNS.

Like the ole country song, “…the girls all get prettier at closing time,…” it seems that GOP politicians all get dumber at election time.

Bob McDonnell

As the liberal establishment get their panties in a bunch over GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell’s current predicament involving an old thesis he wrote in the 1980s espousing strong conservative values, the candidate has spent 2 days tripping over his own shoe strings working on damage control.

Bob has not been noted for his street smarts or political intellect.

He violated Moe Rowe’s No. 1 campaign axiom.

Back in the early ‘90s 2nd District Rep. Owen Pickett had problems. He was best known for being anti-media. Media unfriendly. He was a good legislator, having served years in the General Assembly before going to Congress. But the media was the enemy. And he had a stupid, paranoid chief of staff who was terrified of the media. She didn’t know how to handle media relations so she kept Pickett secluded, unavailable for the most part.
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VIRGINIA BEACH – - It should come as no surprise, no fluke, that pollster Frank Luntz found that the public is “mad as hell and they ain’t gonna take it anymore.”

That statement isn’t just his summary, its the wording and feelings of those he has talked to across the nation about the state of our government at all levels.

Today’s headline shortchanging the nation’s seniors by withholding a cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients for the next 2 years is only going to exacerbate the contempt the age-challenged population has for government.

We predict this story will grow big legs before the furor ends.

Then we have the local story of veteran Peninsula GOP Del. Phil Hamilton padding his own pocket with a quid pro quo job by passing special interest legislation for Old Dominion University and billing the taxpayers $500,000 for the cost. Read the rest of this entry »

VIRGINIA BEACH (June 8, 2009) -- - Light rail supporters, under the guise of involving the public in the light rail decision will ‘Delphi’ the opinion to be what government leaders want -- not what the people wants.

In a May 23 detailed, highly documented presentation on the fraudulent economies of Norfolk’s proposed light rail project to the

Oceanfront, Part 1 and Part 2 have dealt with the facts.

The fraud is how officials ‘low-balled’ the projected costs and ‘hi-balled’ usage to obtain federal and state money — a crime most places. Once the funds were obtained, the projected skyrocketed over budget by $56 MILLION; and the first car hasn’t been put on the tracks.

If a member of the public had pulled that kind of shell game involving government funds,  they would have been charged with fraud or other crimes.

Reid Greenmun, chairman of the Virginia Beach Taxpayer Alliance’s Transportation Committee, is undeniably the most expert citizen transportation not on the public payroll.

Greenmun made the dramatic presentation (on YouTube) based on the facts supplied from the public record by the agencies involved in the area’s transportation projects.  Anywhere documentation didn’t exist, Greenmun pointed that out by saying it was his opinion based on ‘the best available facts.’

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VIRGINIA BEACH (June 7, 2009) -- - X-Marine JAG officer Chuck Smith, seeking the GOP nomination for the 2nd Congressional District seat, told supporters  Friday afternoon:

• The GOP has had problems with infighting that helped make it its own worst enemy.
• Must now unite as one party.
• Return to conservative party principles.

He opposed the stimulus bail out plans and said he’d continue to do so. But despite his high hopes and genuine conservative credentials, Smith has a hard row to hoe.

Other candidates, who have or are capable of raising much more money, include Freedom Ford owner Scott Rigell and Kenny Golden, chairman of the Virginia Beach Republican Party.  Others, yet unnamed are flocking to join in.

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GOP State Senator Wannabe

Probably, as GOP has-beens and wanna-bees jockey to get in or out of positions early on to challenge Democrat incumbent Glenn Nye, who to date has run a fairly flawless 1st term, and line up for other state offices.

Nye defeated 2-term GOP incumbent Thelma Drake – as much a part of general voter discontent with the GOP, from the local to the national level, than an indictment of her performance.

Some local Republicans were less than satisfied with the way she handled her two term –  constituent relationship and office management.

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WASHINGTON (March 12, 2009) – -  Democrats could leave the country in a world of hurt if it doesn’t re-authorize the E-Verify program.

This program will shut down thus week, unless it is reauthorized by Congress. The free, online system run by the Department of Homeland Security enables employers to check that new hires are indeed eligible to work in the United States, rather than relying only on easily forged paper documents.

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