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It takes a fair amount of audacity for a pair of political bloggers to call a group of lawyers that includes professors from Princeton and Georgetown Law School, two former Supreme Court law clerks, a White House Counsel, a law school dean, an attorney with actual Article V litigation experience and a former attorney general of Virginia “a posse of supposed conservative constitutional scholars.” What could merit this kind of sneering vilification from the local political bloggers? We merely contend that the states should use the explicit text of Article V of the Constitution to stop the abuse of power...

One of the most unique and important discussions among constitutional conservatives is taking place right now in Virginia’s General Assembly. It is the debate about whether the states (including Virginia) should exercise their rights to call an Article V Convention of States. Principled limited government constitutional conservative former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has come out in favor of two bills currently before the Virginia legislature calling for a constitutional convention of the states. Speaking through his e-newsletter “The Cuccinelli Compass” Cuccinelli argued in favor of a position shared – and opposed – by many principled limited government constitutional conservatives....

In April, the House Ways and Means Committee referred Lois Lerner to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. Nothing has come of it. Given the politicization and lawlessness of the DOJ under Attorney General Eric Holder, nothing likely will. The House should move to impeach Lerner instead, and other IRS officials who have broken the law. Federal bureaucrats need to be sent a message that lawbreaking is not part of their job descriptions, and that notwithstanding our recalcitrant Justice Department, our constitutional system provides this remedy against executive branch officials gone rogue under the law. More importantly, Americans deserve...

Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia attorney general, said states along the Southern border not only have the legal right to secure their properties by dispatching the National Guard — but they pretty much also have a constitutionally based responsibility. “When [illegals are] coming across your border, Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution [gives border states the right to] deal with this themselves,” he said during an interview on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” Breitbart reported. Mr. Cuccinelli advised, too, that states could task their law enforcement to the borders, too. He also said the federal government couldn’t really prevent states from...

Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is the new president of the Senate Conservatives Fund. "One of Virginia's strongest grass-roots conservatives is joining our team," Matt Hoskins, the organization's executive director, said in a statement Wednesday on its website. Hoskins also referenced House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's loss in the state's Republican primary on Tuesday, calling it "a major victor for freedom" for "the grass-roots in Virginia." Cantor, 51, who resigned his leadership post Wednesday, lost to little-known college professor David Brat, 49, a political newcomer who was backed by the tea party. It was one of the biggest political...

Last night I posted what I thought was a very balanced comment on the 7th district congressional election. I expressed my personal disappointment that Eric Cantor lost, congratulated David Brat on his victory, and expressed concern over the deep divisions that currently exist in our party. I encourage you to read the comments that were made in response. The negativity and vitriol of these comments (dare I say the hate in some of them) reflects what is wrong in our party right now. We have to learn to disagree without being disagreeable, and we have to learn to respect the...

Fellow Conservatives: We have very exciting news to share with you. Not only did the grassroots in Virginia score a major victory for freedom last night by defeating House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Republican primary, but one of Virginia's strongest grassroots conservatives is joining our team. Starting today, Ken Cuccinelli, the former Attorney General of Virginia, will serve as the president of the Senate Conservatives Fund! If you don’t know Ken, he’s a principled fighter who is respected by the grassroots and is passionate about electing the next generation of conservative leaders. Throughout his time in public service,...

ERICA YOON | The Roanoke Times Delegates cheer candidate Ed Gillespie during his introduction at the state Republican convention Saturday in Roanoke. Less than 90 minutes after voting began at the convention, Gillespie’s nearest rival, Shak Hill, conceded the nomination to Gillespie. The low attendance — 4,200 delegates had registered but about 2,700 came to Roanoke — may have expedited the balloting. Ed Gillespie, a fixture in national Republican politics, easily won his party’s nomination Saturday to take on Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., setting up a marquee fight with control of the Senate at stake. At 2:50 p.m., less than...

Newly minted Virginia Republican chairman Shaun Kenney said that immigration reform is the right thing to do, and criticized people opposed to amnesty as being uncomfortable with “the Other.” Kennedy made the remarks in a meeting this month with amnesty advocates, video footage of which was obtained by The Daily Caller. The meeting is believed to have included Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who previously argued that immigration reform will help Democratic electoral chances.

Rand Paul Suing President Obama February 11, 2014 - 1:24 pm Rand Paul’s political action committee just announced that the Kentucky senator is suing President Obama. Paul will file his lawsuit on Wednesday morning at the U.S. District Court in D.C., joined by former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe. The class-action lawsuit will be filed against Obama, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Director of the National Security Agency Keith Alexander and FBI Director James Comey. The complaint? “I am filing a lawsuit against President Barack Obama because he has publicly refused to stop a...

The gay marriage fight arrived in a Southern courtroom Tuesday, as opponents of a Virginia law banning same-sex unions told a federal judge it was just like the Jim Crow-era prohibition against interracial marriage. Supporters maintained there was no fundamental right to gay marriage and the ban exists as part of the state’s interest in responsible procreation. “We have marriage laws in society because we have children, not because we have adults,” said attorney David Nimocks, of the religious group Alliance Defending Freedom. The case is being closely watched because it could give the gay marriage movement its first foothold...

In the U.S.A., Republican voters and grassroots are sharply divided in political culture from the Republican establishment and politicos. But one culture clash in particular is urgent and important: Does it really matter if Republicans win elections? Republican politicos furiously insist yes. Republican voters answer a lukewarm maybe. The Republican Party is driving the United States over the cliff at 70 miles per hour, while the Democrat Party is driving the U.S.A. over the cliff at 120 miles per hour. Yet Republican leaders passionately try to convince us that it matters that Republicans must be driving as the car careens...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Almost overnight, Virginia has emerged as a critical state in the nationwide fight to grant gay men and women the right to wed. Related Stories Okla. gay marriage ban struck down; ruling on hold Associated Press Judge rules Oklahoma gay marriage ban unconstitutional AFP US judge strikes down Oklahoma gay marriage ban as ‘arbitrary, irrational' Christian Science Monitor Utah appeals gay marriage ruling to top US court AFP The Supreme Court Puts Utah's Gay Marriages on Pause The Atlantic Wire This purple state was once perceived as unfriendly and even bordering on hostile to gay rights....

If you ever doubted that money outweighs principles in contemporary politics, then the case of Richmond campaign consultant Boyd Marcus should permanently erase such ambiguity in your mind. Marcus, a prominent figure in Virginia politics for two decades, made headlines in August when he abandoned a lifetime of supporting Republicans to endorse Democrat Terry McAuliffe for governor. McAuliffe’s team and Marcus trumpeted the conversion as an important political sign that mainstream Republicans were rejecting the tea party conservatism espoused by GOP candidate Ken Cuccinelli II. Instead, we learned Thursday, the primary motive was entirely mercenary. An e-mail was made public...

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli leaves office Saturday, but he will continue to take on what he considers overreaching by the federal government. Cuccinelli will be the lead lawyer in a suit filed by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., against the Obama administration over the data-collection policies of the National Security Agency, according to The Associated Press. As attorney general, Cuccinelli took on the Obama administration in court over the Affordable Care Act and the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate emissions....

January 02, 2014, 12:54 pm 11 attorneys general slam Obama healthcare fixes as illegal By Rebecca Shabad Eleven GOP attorneys general say the Obama administration is breaking the law by repeatedly making changes to ObamaCare without going through Congress. The attorneys general specifically criticize President Obama's executive action that allowed insurance companies to keep offering health plans that had been canceled for not meeting ObamaCare's more rigorous standards. “We support allowing citizens to keep their health insurance coverage, but the only way to fix this problem-ridden law is to enact changes lawfully: through Congressional action,” the attorneys general wrote in...

Beretta has eliminated Virginia from its short list of states to move its company because anti-gun Democrat Terry McAuliffe was elected governor. The firearms manufacturer made the decision to scratch Virginia off the list after the McAuliffe campaign fixated on restricting gun owners’ rights after receiving over $1 million in campaign donations from billionaire New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. “The anti-gun ads that McAuliffe ran in northern Virginia were particularly offensive,” Jeff Reh, general counsel of Beretta USA, told me in an interview. “And the fact that he could gain a voting advantage by doing so caused us additional...

The Justice Department has reportedly delayed until next year a decision on whether to indict outgoing Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife in connection with a gifts scandal — a decision that came after a face-to-face appeal by the couple’s lawyers. A report by The Washington Post late Wednesday night said U.S. Attorney Dana Boente told lawyers for the governor and first lady Maureen McDonnell a week ago that he planned to ask a grand jury to return an indictment by this past Monday over allegedly inappropriate help they gave dietary supplement maker Star Scientific after receiving gifts from...

Adam Schaefer and Nancy Smith have posted the results of some fascinating experimental research on Ken Cuccinelli’s loss in  Virginia. Their research suggests “an aggressive attack on McAuliffe for supporting Obamacare was ineffective at best and counter-productive at worst. An attack on McAuliffe’s business record possibly helped, but was anemic.”So what would have worked in Virginia? What moved the voters most was an attack on McAuliffe’s positions on abortion; a single phone message emphasizing McAuliffe’s support for unrestricted, late-term, and taxpayer-funded abortions shifted support a net 13 to 15 points away from McAuliffe and toward Cuccinelli. The cost per vote here...

Of all the ways Republicans in the U.S.A. could still fumble their promising 2014 Congressional elections, one is the error of “the Ballistics Theory of Political Candidates” or the “Perfect Candidate Excuse.” Missing opportunities to master the techniques and science of winning elections, Republicans are instead searching for the perfect candidate. But that is only an excuse for avoiding the hard, real work of running effective election campaigns and studying how to become effective in running campaigns. In the United States, liberals are busy sharpening their skills at selling inferior candidates with unpopular platforms and failed policies to gullible voters....