McDonnell says Virginia National Guard will provide benefits to gay couples

The Washington Post ^ | September 5, 2013 | Laura Vozzella

[Timber Rattler]

Virginia’s National Guard will provide health insurance and other benefits to same-sex couples, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell said Thursday, one day after a state delegate urged him to defy a new Pentagon directive to treat all marriages equally.

In a letter to McDonnell this week, Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) warned that providing the benefits would violate the state constitutional ban on gay marriage.

“As Commander of the Virginia National Guard[,] what will you do to secure that the spirit and letter of the [state] Constitution regarding marriage will be upheld?” Marshall wrote.

McDonnell, a social conservative who has walked a fine line on gay-rights issues as governor, said he would abide by the Pentagon policy that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced in August.

[Timber Rattler]

Weak. His campaign simply sucks...no energy and no counter attacks against McAuliffe’s army of trolls and letter writers. He needs a new campaign manager and to stop trying to call it in, or else he’s toast.

[Timber Rattler]

It’s possible that this RINO Virginians elected as their governor has homosexual tendencies like the current occupant of the White Hut.

Don't think so. He's married and got a family, and in fact, is wife is under lib attack for accepting "gifts" from a family friend who just so happen to be a lobbyist. Stuoid.

No, McDonnell is just a RINO of the Romney-mold who was better at camouflaging himself with the TEA Party when he got himself elected.

[CatherineofAragon]

"I thought McDonnell was a conservative? WTF? Is everyone being infected by these sodomites?"

Bob McDonnell is a snake and a Romney lover who campaigned on no tax hikes, and then gave us the biggest increase in state history. After reading about this latest, I can safely say I despise the man.

[CatherineofAragon]

"11 points behind the satan candidate... mcauliffe."

I just do not understand how this can be. (Not doubting you).

[LibLieSlayer]

PPP or Public Policy Polling... it was posted last week and may show up on a search. The only two explanations:

1) It is a lie
2) Virginia is a lost state which is now firmly in satan’s column

[CatherineofAragon]

I’ll hope for the former, but I have a bad feeling for the latter.

[LibLieSlayer]

Me too!

[highball]

"11 points behind the satan candidate... mcauliffe.

I just do not understand how this can be. (Not doubting you).

Couple reasons for it:

1. Virginia is more purple than we want to admit;
2. the current Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, is a corrupt scumbag. As in selling-his-influence-for-cash-and-gifts corrupt, which tarnishes the entire GOP;
3. Cuccinelli has been implicated in the same corruption scandal, although to nowhere near the same degree; and
4. even setting that aside, Cuccinelli has been a terrible candidate.

We're lucky that the Dems are running McAuliffe. Anybody less slimy, less obviously immersed in and saturated with DC swamp water and we'd be down by 25 points. Eleven looks like a godsend.

[CatherineofAragon]

I think you’re right on all counts. McDonnell is in it up to his neck, and if Cuccinelli loses, McDonnell will bear the responsibility for a part of that, IMO.

I’m still waiting for the Cuccinelli ads to counter those put out by McAuliffe. Ken keeps running the one about that Chinese factory....does he really think he can win on that issue?

[LibLieSlayer]

I do not doubt any of what you say. Why can’t Virginia find a decent person that could win?

[HokieMom]

If the Democrats get elected, we’ll see more of the homosexual agenda enacted than just this.

[Colonel_Flagg]

McDonnell, a social conservative who has walked a fine line on gay-rights issues as governor, said he would abide by the Pentagon policy that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced in August.

Then he ain't no social conservative.

[highball]

I dunno. Looks bad for him.

McAuliffe is a scumbag, but that doesn’t guarantee Cuccinelli anything. He seems to have thought the office was his for the asking - maybe he had Romney’s “unskewed” pollster?

[highball]

“Why can’t Virginia find a decent person that could win?”

I don’t know, but we’re about to be punished for defending an outright crook. Too often we see an (R) and pretend that guy couldn’t do anything wrong.

Had Cuccinelli come out early and strongly against McDonnell, he wouldn’t have lost corruption as an issue with which to hammer McAuliffe.

[LibLieSlayer]

terry is as corrupt as AL Capone and could be taken down with a bit of effort. Some of these republicans just want it all handed to them on a silver platter... I am disgusted beyond words.

[highball]

“terry is as corrupt as AL Capone”

Yes.

But McDonnell is more corrupt than anybody in this story. Even Terry.

And Cuccinelli took his own sweet time before eventually and half-heartedly condemning the governor who sold the Virginia statehouse for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts. Which made him look corrupt as well, blunting the best attack weapon he had in his arsenal. Not to mention his own connections to the guy who bribed McDonnell, which might also have had something to do with Cuccinelli’s silence.

Either way, bad candidate. Once again, we chose poorly and will likely lose an election that was ours for the taking.

[LibLieSlayer]

I agree and I just cannot understand why? There are good people out there... but everyone wants a name that they know... maybe that is it.