Posted on 09/25/2013 10:41:24 PM PDT by parksstp
Virginia gubernatorial candidates Ken Cuccinelli (R) and Terry McAuliffe (D) spared briefly over the possibility of a government shutdown, especially after Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Tex.) 21 hour remarks on defunding Obamacare. (Courtesy of NBC)
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Forget about the fact for the moment that it seems inconceivable why the VA GOP would agree to a debate with F Chuck Todd as the moderator. I mean, really?
Todd does his best to try to pin Cuccinelli to Cruz's 21 hour speech or put him on record to be against it. Sadly, Ken gave the same wishy-washy response that we keep hearing from the GOP-elites in DC today, that it "would be great to defund Obamacare, but at some point we have to compromise....[to avoid a shutdown]", essentially dissing Cruz's actions.
This is inexplicable. Cuccinelli's been known as a man of principle, the first person to take on Obamacare in the Courts, and should be standing up with Cruz, praising his actions.
It seems his team of advisers have opted to "play it safe". They must truly believe that they are outnumbered and that a shutdown of any type in Northern Virginia will spell doom for Ken, meaning they are already defeatist and accepting that any shutdown will result in the public holding only Republicans accountable.
I have to apologize to some VA Freepers from a few months ago who were concerned about this race. I thought there was no way McCauliffe would be competitive with Cuccinelli. Now it's looking like he is in some serious trouble. Statements like these won't go unnoticed by the base.
If I were Ken, I'd be trying to schedule a rally with Cruz ASAP. Stand up for your beliefs and be unforgiving about them. If you can't win as a conservative, then that's on the voting populace and they get the Government they deserve. But if you don't give your base a reason to come out and support you, you won't have a fighting chance anyway.
Seriously, State Governors and legislators need to come support Cruz. This is ridiculous the man is having to fight this alone.
Here's a counter example: Let's say 4 years ago, a law was passed privatizing Social Security that was slated to go into full effect on 1 Oct 2013. If the tables were turned and the Dems controlled the House and we ran the Senate and had a Palin in the White House, and Nancy Pelosi passed a House Bill to fund the Govt to Nov 15, but removed funding for setting up the privatization program, what do you think the Senate Rats in the Minority would do? Would Harry Reid keel over and accept cloture/defeat that Social Security would be forever privatized and allow a bill back to the House by McConnell that strips the defunding provision for the private accounts program? I think we know the answer to that question. They'd allow the Gov't to get shut down and try to place blame on us and would be filibustering like crazy. Despite our landslide 2012 Victory using the same logic they are now to show Elections matter, they would scoff at it.
It's time to grow a spine. It's time to fight back. All these Congressmen got elected in 2010 to fight the government intrusions of our freedom on things such as Obamacare. In future elections, it's going to be crucial for the Tea Party and conservative outlets to sort out the talkers from the doers. Talk is cheap. What's the point of being Pro-life, Pro-2nd Amendment, Pro-liberty, etc if you aren't going to defend those stances when the time matters? And if you know those positions are just and right for getting America and it's citizens to achieve it's maximum potential, what's the point if you can't effectively articulate these views to the people who need it most. (Bible reference: Jesus hung out with the lowlifes of society and when the "do-gooders" tried to call him out on it, he was like "you think you're too good to hear my message and that you don't need me, fine, but these people are sick and in need of a physician to help them find the way".)
This was the brilliance of the Cruz 21-hour speech. It was communicated effectively to the point that everyone could understand what he was talking about. It was respectful, tactful, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, it was EFFECTIVE.
The GOP no longer seems to have any faith in reaching the low-information voter, assuming that the principles of conservatism are beyond the simple man's comprehension, while Ted Cruz does not. Reagan most certainly did not.
Many of us have conservative friends, but this wasn't meant for us as much as it was meant for people we have had difficulty reaching. The media knew this which is why they tried to sum the whole 21 hour speech into a "Green Eggs and Ham" reference.
Don't let them get away with that. In addition to getting people to sign the MakeDCListen petition, we need to get as many non-conservatives as possible to watch that speech on the Senate floor. Make bets with them, bribe them, make a drinking game out of it (okay, maybe not that), the point is that like Cruz, we need to step out of our comfort zones and ensure this message gets across.
Don't let up either with the phone calls and emails. Politicians work for us. If they think it sucks that they are getting bombarded from their constituents and are unwilling to listen to them, then their time in office needs to come to an end with the next Election.
If Cuccinelli is smart, he and others will join Cruz, not diss him.
Terry McAuliffe was a pathological liar under Clinton. Watch his interviews... don’t take my word for it. He still is.
But if the people of Virginia want him, fine. Just watch your paycheck, your wallet and your liberty (if you even care). If you vote for him you’ll get less of all 3 and you’ll deserve it.
Enjoy your poverty box. You deserve it and should ALWAYS vote for more of the same.
Agreed. It makes me question Cuccinelli's judgment. I mean, would McAuliffe agree to Mark Levin as a moderator?
Anyway, Cuccinelli needed to have a better answer ready. He could have said he stood with Cruz and then briefly described the nightmare that is Ubama's Mengelecare. As far as the "shutdown of government", he could have simply stated that he hoped it wouldn't come to that, but that he was running for governor, not for Congress, and that he believed the congress would eventually work things out. Whatever. There are strong ways to deflect set-up questions, and Cuccinelli needs to figure them out if he is going to be stupid enough to agree to a partisan rat moderator.
I hate to break it to conservatives in VA, but I've seen this game before, when a pretty much conservative candidate hands his testicles over to a political advisor, one that has neither won any election but got good grades in poly sci, finish remaking the candidate so even his own mom wouldn't recognize him!
He might have a couple of good points but before everything is over, he winds up sounding as exciting as a frozen waffle!
Before the votes are counted, everyone of those advisors are running their "after action wrap ups" to figure "where the candidate messed up."
I have to say that if voters are looking at which candidate to vote for and they can't see much difference between them, they either go for the less confused (liberal) or they give up and stay home.
The latter is probably what's going to happen in this race.
If Cuccunelli can't fight for the conservative base, they won't bother to show up and vote! Voters, especially conservatives, will crawl over broken glass to vote for a strong conservative when they are motivated, when they are not, they'll have to go to the soccer practice, the grocery store, gas up and wash the car rather than bother to vote.
Their hearts are just being broken by these wusses and getting fired up to fight against liberalism, only to see their guy get rolled by sounding mushy, just leaves them sad and mad.
Cuccinelli is....as what Ronald Reagan once mentioned....part of the “Eastern Liberal Establishment” of the GOP.
You either support Cruz or ObamaCare...
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