Posted on 02/23/2008 7:05:18 PM PST by Quiet Man Jr.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dear Fellow Virginian,
I am running hard to serve you as your next US Senator from Virginia.
There are both principled and practical reasons I can beat Democrat Mark Warner this Fall and Republican Jim Gilmore on May 31, but I cannot do this without your help—both monetary and/or by attending the Republican nominating convention held in Richmond on May 31 and a local meeting. (http://bobmarshall2008.com/convention.html for filing forms and information.)
First, there are many who are less than enchanted with some Republican leaders in Virginia and our faltering electoral performance.
I want to offer those people a strong voice in the General Election campaign. It is a voice that will stay true to Virginia Republican values. It is a voice that will declare that the real GOP in Virginia is stronger than ever! It is a voice that will declare to "presumptive nominees" in both parties that candidates must never "presume" the support of the people. They must earn it!
Our inalienable rights come from the hand of our Creator. Our Constitution stipulates that government gets its power from the people through elected representatives and the purpose of government is to protect these rights. Government leaders are to be servants, not masters.
My desire to defend every human life from conception forward, promote individual freedom and responsibility, and achieve the common good, is the reason why I entered public service sixteen years ago and why I am running today.
Experience has shown that the means best able to secure these rights are the institutions of family, church, private property, voluntary agencies and limited government with elected officials who answer to and are held accountable to the public.
If Republicans articulate and fight to restore these values which attracted so many Virginians to participate during the Reagan era, then we will again succeed in winning elections with the help of Independents and some Democrats. Virginia was the seed bed for the American Experiment, and can be the field of hope for restoring the American Republic.
I have never been a “go along to get along” politician. As a state delegate I voted “no” three times to the Abusive Driver fees in 2007 when nearly everyone else voted yes. I am presently before the Virginia Supreme Court challenging the 2007 law establishing unelected taxing authorities in Virginia. I do not think citizens should be treated as bottomless ATM machines.
I have been endorsed by African American ministers, social and fiscal conservative Republicans as well as some moderates. My past endorsements include the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Farm Bureau, the NRA, and the Virginia Society for Human Life.
Now, let me tell you the reason why you and I can beat Mark Warner. He is on the wrong side of issues most Virginians care deeply about. I have served in the Virginia General Assembly for sixteen years and am the only legislator who twice overrode Mark Warner and did the same to Jim Gilmore once—all three times with overwhelming General Assembly support.
Marriage: I am the House of Delegates author of the Marshall-Newman Marriage Amendment that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2006, winning in 9 of 11 Congressional Districts. And these victories were achieved with much higher vote margins than Mark Warner received in 2001. When Virginians find out that Mark Warner spent $25,000 to try to beat down the Marshall-Newman Marriage Amendment, he will lose support. Voters resoundingly rejected Mark Warner’s views on my Marriage Amendment.
Transportation: In 2001, Mark Warner promised to get us out of traffic. Instead, after Warner was elected, he took $317 million from the Transportation Trust Fund for non-road expenditures, and then said we have to put “trust” back in the Transportation Trust Fund. I am the author of the proposed Transportation Lock Box Constitutional Amendment banning such raids which passed the House (96-0 in 2007) but was ambushed in the Senate. The 96 delegates voting for the Marshall Lockbox Amendment represented the sentiments of 7.3 million Virginians. Mark Warner is wrong again.
Taxes: In my almost 17 years as a Virginia Citizen-legislator I never supported a tax increase. Mark Warner was Governor only 2 years when he broke his “no tax promise” with a $1.5 Billion increase, and he did not dedicate a dime of it to help commuters! Mark Warner’s big government bias shows yet again.
When Mark Warner tried to get Northern Virginia and Tidewater to raise sales taxes, I went to court to find the real costs of projects he said would be funded by his tax increase. After I brought to light the fact that the Warner-backed sales tax increase covered only a fraction of the projects alleged to be covered by the new taxes, voters in NoVA and Tidewater soundly rejected Mark Warner’s two referenda.
In 2004 when Mark Warner raised taxes, he cut some tax exemptions for seniors. My 2006 and 2007 laws which passed 99-0 and 98-0, helped seniors and handicapped Virginians by increasing property tax exemptions and income limits. Grandparents should not be forced to move away from their family because of higher taxes. Once more, Mark Warner was on the wrong side.
Immigration: Mark Warner offered no bills to address illegal immigration. In fact, he voted down a bill to ban illegals from getting in-state tuition at Virginia Colleges. My 2007 law, which I worked and advocated for over five years, created the first Virginia Immigration Commission. We now have a vehicle to examine problems and recommend corrective action. Warner said he would have voted for the 2007 McCain-Kennedy defacto amnesty Immigration bill. Wrong Again!
Government Waste: In 2003, Mark Warner ignored the recommendations of his own Efficiency Commission headed by former Governor Wilder which would have saved Virginia a minimum of $750 million, (now $1.1 billion) a year without cutting services. In 2004, the House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed my two resolutions asking Mark Warner and his Cabinet to detail what steps were taken to implement his efficiency recommendations. No answer. Mark Warner chose to raise taxes. But Virginians don’t like waste in government.
Stem Cells: Mark Warner wanted you to pay for embryo stem cell research even though the FDA refuses to authorize even one clinical trial using human subjects! Embryo stem cell tissue research has NOT produced even one cure or therapy. In contrast, adult stem cells have treated over 60 medical conditions. I know this because my law set up the General Assembly Stem Cell Committee which I chaired for three years. We unanimously recommended that only adult stem cell research be supported by the Commonwealth. Again, Mark Warner was on the wrong side.
Abortion: I overrode Mark Warner with the backing of over two-thirds of the General Assembly on my 2003 law banning Partial Birth Abortion when he proposed giant abortion loophole amendments. I believe every human life has equal worth and deserves legal protection. Virginians in high numbers oppose partial birth abortion. Mark Warner’s views are in opposition to 70% plus of Virginians.
Now I must tell you some of the areas where Jim Gilmore and I differ.
Jim thinks abortion should be kept legal for at least the first 8 weeks, and wants exceptions in other cases. He is compensated for serving on the Board of Barr Labs which makes the “Morning After” abortifacient pill. I also overrode Governor Gilmore in April, 1999 on my law making it a Class1 Misdemeanor for a commercial entity to send sexually explicit material to a minor. The margin on this vote was a very solid 73 yeas to 25 nays – in favor of common sense and against Jim Gilmore's policy.
With all due respect to former Governors Gilmore and Warner, the job of a U.S. Senator is legislating, not governing. As governors, they NEVER had to work in the legislative trenches to get even one bill passed! I have done that for 16+ years. I am the only US Senate Candidate in Virginia with real legislative experience. Also, I have been an avid student of parliamentary procedure for decades. This has already proved most useful in Richmond and will be invaluable in the US Senate.
There are many important issues facing our nation which will be discussed in greater depth. Please visit my website: http://bobmarshall2008.com/issues/. I firmly support the 2nd Amendment, conserving our environment, limited constitutional government, a strong national defense, securing our borders, and ensuring our national sovereignty.
Please become a delegate to the Republican State Convention in Richmond on May 31 by attending your local Republican Mass Meeting, Canvass or Convention. (Instructions are on my website.)
My wife Cathy and I want a bright future for our children and grandchildren and I know that you want that for yours. We cannot lose our national identity and wealth to foreign politicians and bankers. We must end the crushing debt (now $10.8 Trillion), end excessive spending and inflation, and we must rediscover our roots as one Nation under God.
I can energize the grass roots because of my strong social and fiscal conservative record which the Reagan Coalition embodied. I want to help restore hope and spirit to our Grand Old Party in Virginia, and I look forward to meeting you on the campaign trail. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Delegate Bob Marshall
P.S. To help us win, please make your most generous donation online at http://bobmarshall2008.com/donate.html
If you would like to make a donation to the campaign through the mail, please visit http://bobmarshall2008.com/forms/donationprintout.doc
If you would like to attend the nominating convention in Richmond on May 31st, please email bob@bobmarshall2008.com
*Contributions or gifts to Bob Marshall for Senate are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes, cannot exceed $2,300 per person per election cycle, cannot be made from third party funds, or be accepted from foreign nationals, illegal residents, labor unions, corporations, federal contractors, or if under 18. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year.
Paid for and authorized by Marshall for Senate, Inc.
With Jim Gilmore trailing Mark Warner badly in spite of equal name I.D., perhaps a fresh face is the right approach. And Bob Marshall sounds good on the issues.
Bob Marshall would be excellent on the issues. And will be hated by all the Drive-By Media.
This guy seems to be a genuine Conservative, unlike many who pass themselves out as such these days..
I think I’ll donate to his campaign as I went to College in Virginia (Normal Virgina-AKA the mountainous midsection).
He sounds like a good man.
JSDude1: “This guy seems to be a genuine Conservative, unlike many who pass themselves out as such these days..
I think I’ll donate to his campaign as I went to College in Virginia (Normal Virgina-AKA the mountainous midsection).”
Yes, he’s good. REALLY pro-life. He also fought and continues fighting the abusive driver fines that got everyone so upset. Virginians can get fined thousands for mere traffic infringements. Even the liberal local press is looking forward to him against Gilmore because Marshall’s got personality. Please rally your friends in the commonwealth.
What the heck. I say go for it!
Bob Marshall had been THE leader in the House of Delegates for prolife and other conservative legislation.....Jim Gilmore is a has-been, he has NO CHANCE against Mark Warner.
And, Gilmore supports abortion in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy...NOT a prolife position.
I am supporting Bob Marshall, our only chance to beat Mark Warner.
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