Podunk Local Paper

Republican Hung Cao, who is seeking the nomination to run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Tim Kaine, recently referred to the Staunton News Leader as a “podunk local paper” and doubled down by adding “you wouldn’t even wrap your fish with that.” According to the Cardinal News, Cao also deems it a waste of time to travel to the 6th and 9th congressional districts to debate his opponents.

How is the News Leader even on Cao’s radar. Well, being part of the Gannett USA Today media network, the News Leader picked up a story about Cao’s Unleash America PAC not benefitting any Republican candidates for state and local office as promised when he created it in 2023. That story was picked up by the Virginia Public Assess Project news aggregator which attributed the story to the Staunton paper… that’s where Cao apparently learned about it.

A few observations…

Cao should research more before sounding off and belittling a newspaper and, indeed, an entire region. It does not speak well of his depth or temperament. He should at least have been aware that the article was actually from a respected national media organization and not some “podunk local paper.”

Maybe Mr. Cao prefers to campaign from his desk in NOVA via zoom, but most folks like to meet the candidate in person and take the measure of the man or woman. Tim Kaine knows this and visits the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia regularly. So Mr. Cao, take a tour down I-81, meet some folks, and maybe learn about the region’s transportation and infrastructure needs along the way. Plus, the scenery is great!

From where I perch in the Shenandoah Vally, Hung Cao’s candidacy appears to be “ridonkulous.”

Republicans beholden to title loan sharks

LoanMax, the car title loan outfit with dozens of stores across the Commonwealth, is banking heavily on a GOP win in November.

Right after the Republican Convention nominated Ken Cuccinelli, E. W. Jackson, and Mark Obenshain, Select Management Resources LLC, operator of LoanMax outlets, took the trio barnstorming across the state. Wonder why didn't they use some of the cars they've repossessed? The trip, which was by air, lasted three days and took the candidates to various cites on a "meet the voters" tour. Bet there were few customers of LoanMax in those audiences!

Such a trip isn't cheap and that is probably a good indication that LoanMax wants even less oversight than the little they currently have in the Commonwealth. The payday and title loan business model typically preys on the uninformed and those in need to lock them in a cycle of high interest and unreasonable fees. So much better if nobody is watching the henhouse!

According to the Virginia Public Access Project Cuccinelli and Obenshain reported in-kind donations of $9,000 for the trip. However, Jackson, the lieutenant governor candidate, reported nothing. It isn't the first time Jackson has neglected to report contributors. And, he has previously been fined by the State Board of Elections for failing to make timely reports.

So, we have a GOP ticket with cozy ties to a predatory industry that takes advantage of Virginia residents. That's enough chicken litter to sink most campaigns but read on.... 

Ken Cuccinelli's ethics continue under intense scrutiny for the thousands of dollars in gifts he received (many unreported until he was called on it) from Governor McDonnell's friend Jonnie Williams.

And in Rev. Jackson we have a candidate who plays fast and loose with money and the truth. Wonder who counts the cash in his offering plate?

You'd have to be a dumb cluck to support this ticket!

Two clucks; one chicken pox

This is a special week with Martin Luther King holiday (and the national day of service) and the Inauguration of Barack Obama. Pick your theme: "Yes, We Can" or "We Are One." With the exception of a few sore losers or perennial pessimists, American seems to be rising through the adversity of recession and war with a abiding belief in the possibilities of our future as evidenced in the uplifting experiences of our nation's past. We'll learn plenty of history about inaugurations and presidents over the next few days. But, our hearts and souls will sing with the new president as our hopes rise for our nation's, indeed the world's, future.

Hopefully, you'll find a little time for community service today. Clean up a road, donate time or money to a food pantry, help an elderly neighbor, donate blood... the list it long and the needs great. Don't make it a one day deal - keep it up throughout the year.

It a time when even Washington D.C. is in a rare bipartisan mood (hope it lasts a long while) and Governor Tim Kaine made a remarkable State of the Commonwealth speech reaching across party lines to find solutions to Virginia's budget crisis. But, there are some who persist in the partisan sniping that spoils the moment, that sounds good but is actually designed to jab with a gotta-ya. Partisanship that gets in the way of the problem solving that will be instrumental in solving the giant hole in the state's budget.

Such is the case with HB 1634 which would prohibit legislators from attending any fundraiser during a session of the General Assembly. Legislators are already prohibited from conducting their own campaign fundraisers during the session - I think this is okay, but it is bit naive to think a campaign donation made a day before or a day after the session is somehow less tainted. HB 1634 expands the ban to include attending other fundraisers such as political party or any other group that contributed to the candidate during the prior year - which could include organizations who do great work in our communities.

Here's where the partisanship kicks in - everyone knows this bill was intended to torpedo the Virginia Democrats traditional Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner held each February and keep Democrats in the General Assembly away from their party's premier event. While supporters of the bill insist it is all about ethics and transparency (they doth protest too much), the partisanship is obvious to everyone.

Some concerns:

• At a time when bipartisan cooperation is most needed in our state and nation, the supporters of this bill are undermining good legislation that spirit in the legislature.
• There are clear First Amendment freedom of association issues in saying a legislator can't meet with someone or a group who gave him or her a campaign donation in the past.
• Virginia law places no dollar limits on contributions but this law would place an unreasonable time/place limit. Is it limiting freedom of speech?
• State law already mandates disclosure of a candidate's donations and expenditures - information which anyone can access at The Virginia Public Access Project and judge for themselves.

While the bill easily passed the House of Delegates, it faces a tougher ride in the Senate and, if it survives there, a likely veto by the Governor. All that will survive is the political posturing of its supporters during campaign '09. Another pox on bipartisanship.

Virtual Corn

A bag of mixed maize today:

Scratch and Sniff   A Richmond judge has ruled that Scott Hoover, a W&L professor, is a "virtual representative" for all Virginians who purchased scratch-off lottery tickets. Hoover applied lessons from his course in business statistics to determine that prizes were seemingly being awarded at a slower pace than the laws of statistics would dictate. He then discovered that the Virginia Lottery was promoting and selling tickets although some of the top prizes had already been awarded. His suit alleges that over a five year period the lottery sold over 26 million tickets for which the big prizes were no longer available. That netted the Virginia Lottery $85 million.

Egg All Over His Face   Cobalt6 has smacked down Rick Howell for his back stabbing commentary in the Roanoke Times. Cliff adroitly rebutted every point the self-appointed howler and wannabe pundit made... or didn't make.

Follow the Corn   Do you know which legislators received donations from beverage distributors? How much did the payday lending parasites donate to your delegate to keep the regulators off their backs? Did your senator go to a Redskins game, big hunt, or theme park on the tab of Dominion Resources or Appalachian Power?

The Virginia Public Access Project has added information about lobbyists' donations and activities designed to win the hearts and minds... err votes... of those who represent us in the General Assembly and executive branch. VPAP's website is easy to navigate and, for the first time, includes lobbyists' spending for a 12 month period ending with April 30.

David Poole, VPAP's executive director said, "VPAP's mission is to take public information that's impenetrable and make it understandable, or at least publicly accessible. It became a natural next step to put these disclosure reports on the site."

Payday lenders? Well, they spent more than any other group, $4 million. Must be nice profits in those $500 loans! The folks at Dominion Resources love their sports so it probably isn't too shocking that they spent thousands on NASCAR and Redskins tickets.

There's more at the Roanoke Times.

Chicken Feed: Candidate Fundraising

The Daily News-Record reports that donations to John McCain and Barack Obama are running pretty close in zip codes beginning with 228 - Harrisonburg, much of Rockingham, a little of Augusta, and parts of Shenandoah and Page. According to the article, McCain raised $39,520 and Obama $36,166 through August from donors in those zips. To put it another way, that is about 52% for McCain and 48% for Obama.

Seems to me this is great news for the Democrats in general and Obama specifically. The area covered by those zips is bright red Republican. Some of the reddest in the Commonwealth. At least in past national elections when GOP candidates could count on 60% to 70% of the donations. Or more. Could all that be changing?

Now, I know that dollars don't vote, but dollars give campaigns the ability to influence the vote. Dollars open campaign headquarters and pay for phone banks. Dollars indicate a level of enthusiasm. A donor talks to friends and family. A donor wins other votes.

It was interesting that a doctor who donated to McCain only did so because he is infatuated with Palin and her anti-choice stand (Gobble... didn't she say she made the "choice" to have this last child? A choice she'd quickly deny other women.). Wonder what he'll do if McCain dumps her from the ticket, as many conservatives are now urging? He didn't seem too enthused about McCain - will he want his $2,300 back?

Valley Republicans have to be concerned about recent trends. They've been squabbling among themselves with bitter divides between the conservative and flat earth groups. The fundraising advantage that they once enjoyed is shrinking. The rapidly disappearing big edge they had in volunteers and enthusiasm. The fact that Democrats don't seem to be intimidated any longer by Republican taunts, bullying, and theft of campaign signs. Yeah, they still have the local newspapers, especially the News-Record, to sound the call for them. But, there is increasing parity between the parties in the Valley - a good ingredient for a robust democracy.

It is amazing what 8 years of incompetence does to a political party. Simply amazing.

Federal candidates have limits on contributions and many other rules they must follow. In Virginia there are few limits other than disclosure. If you want to check federal or state campaign contributions in your area, or contributions from specific industries or interest groups, you might check these sources:

• Federal Election Commission
• Open Secrets
• Virginia Public Access Project