Election Integrity

It is the home stretch here in the Old Dominion when it comes to the race for Governor, not to mention other Local and State offices. Much has been said of Republican nominee McDonnell's social positions after his 1989 Thesis from Regent University came to light, especially regarding the position of women and marriage. I have to say that when his poll numbers dropped I thought Deeds had his number, only to find out that apparently the dip was short lived. The reality is that the Virginia election is very, very closely watched nationwide; and with over $22 million (did you get that!) collected to support their candidate this is a big deal. Democrats and Republicans alike are jockeying for position to declare how important or unimportant every possible detail should be, and this race really highlights for me how much we have thrown integrity to the wind in order to get a desired result.
When McDonnell first announced his candidacy and Bolling bowed out as a Republican challenger, the Republican side of the ticket was set early and left the Democrats to fight out their candidate in a primary. I was very pleased to see Creigh Deeds chosen to represent the Democratic ticket, not because I particularly like his positions (which I don't), but because I found the idea that Terry McAuliffe could "buy" Virginia to be rather distasteful. I offered my help to the McDonnell ticket early on as a blogger and supporter, but I have to tell you that my support has waned over the following months. Now don't get me wrong, I am still a supporter of McDonnell and there is little to no chance he will lose my vote, but he has lost my passionate support. The reason for this change of heart is simple, I believe he has chosen a route to become elected that erodes his personal positions on many issues that I personally care about. This in itself is nothing new on either side of the aisle, but I am afraid that we are allowing our elected officials and staff to be rather Machiavellian in their approach instead of standing on personal principle. This is not about being divisive, capable politicians like Huckabee are able to articulate their positions without being abusively divisive as you might see on Hannity or from Daily Kos; this is about having integrity to stand for what you believe even if it means you lose votes. Instead of scraping every vote off the floor to gain an advantage, we need public servants that are willing to lead and present their positions in a way that creates passionate followers instead of just voters.
When Deeds lost his edge after the Thesis debacle and appeared to be on the downswing in the race, I found it interesting that the Obama administration started backing up on their support of Deeds which had been so solid just weeks before. They did not have integrity in supporting their man out of fear, fear of being associated with the loser in such a pivotal contest. McDonnell has backed up on issues such as abortion and traditional marriage that were outlined in his Thesis to keep his lead, which is also an issue of integrity. I could make the point that Obama himself is one of the few that has kept his integrity from the campaign, on the very few issues that he dared to make a stand on such as declaring universal healthcare as a right and not a privilege. I would call that "selective integrity," where you make sure your Thesis from Harvard is nowhere to be found, so you can't be called out on the integrity issue down the road.
I would ask my candidate to take a stand, lead us in a direction that makes sense and be able to tell me what that is, and allow room for others to ask critical questions that might open their ability to understand why you believe what you do. If I don't agree with you, at least I know where you stand and can trust you not to move around on issues, which might just let me actually listen to you. That is where real change can begin.

Is the Virginia Governor's Office for sale?

With the Presidential election dominating the news for the past 2 years, I am not sure if we Virginians are ready to turn our attention to yet another political season, but it will be upon us soon as we prepare to elect a new Governor in 2009. It is no secret that the localities with high population density drove VA to the blue side of the slate this year, and that "trend" has opened the door for many Democratic hopefuls to consider this post as a real possibility. I am looking forward to learning more about those considering this office, although it looks like the race may be dominated by spending, positioning and which PR machine can land the heaviest blow instead of a focus on the candidate's positions.

I for one am very concerned with one candidate in particular, Mr. Terry McAuliffe who hails from the state of NOVA. NOVA is a state sandwiched between the Commonwealth of VA, the District of Columbia and Maryland that has produced a wealth of Democratic voters due to the growing high density population. I am not sure when they will petition for state status, but it seems this area in particular is proving an insurmountable obstacle for the rest of the Commonwealth to elect a statewide official other than a Democrat. Now I don't have anything against people from NOVA or even Democrats, I even voted for one in the recent election cycle that was on the VA ballot (I will leave you in suspense on that one...), what I do have issue with are candidates that appear on the ballot that have one main asset: funding. 

The Republican candidate stands alone in the primaries, Attorney General Bob McDonnell. I have met Mr. McDonnell once, although I doubt he would remember it, and I have corresponded through Del. Steve Landes with his office on a recent issue concerning the VA State Police Chaplains. I have a pretty good idea of his stand on many issues (even though I don't agree with all of them), which for me are mainly the sanctity of life and less government intervention in the lives of its citizens, but I have less information on the other candidate's ideas. I am looking forward to learning more about the other Democratic primary contenders Creigh Deeds and Brian Moran, and where they will stand on the issues that are important to me before I have the chance to vote. Mr. McAuliffe, on the other hand, is preparing a campaign that alarms me greatly.

Mr. McAuliffe is not a native Virginian, something I could ignore if his status did not appear to be outright carpet bagging, and his campaign seems to be predicated on one thing and one thing only, money. The numbers promised to help his Democratic "friends" in the state legislature and elsewhere is reported to top 75 million dollars. Here is the layout, if you promise to support Mr. McAuliffe for Governor, then he will help you by providing your campaign with more money that you have ever seen for a local office. Who knows what resources are available for the Governor's race itself. I can only hope that the Governor's office can not be purchased, but just in case it can be I ask all Virginians to take notice of what is happening and join me in a public outcry against this outrageous activity. If the local Democratic candidates start running for office with a lot of "new" money and are supportive of Mr. McAuliffe as a result, I think their campaigns may be in serious jeopardy as the voters begin to recognize what is happening. This is not the integrity that I would expect from elected officials at the local and state level, and that lack of integrity will be hard to hide from the voters.

Mr. McAuliffe has never held a public office in the Commonwealth of VA that I have found, his public credentials seem to stand on his Chairmanship of the DNC (Democratic National Committee) and his claim of raising over 1 Billion dollars to support Democratic candidates. If he really has an aspiration to become the Governor of VA, my suggestion is to run for the State Legislature for a few years, let the people get to know him and what his positions are on key issues, and prepare a run that is based on service the people of VA. I am shocked at the idea that service is not a pre-requisite for this position from a voter's point of view, as a person who can afford to buy this office I do not have the feeling that he will "serve" the interests of our State and its citizens. This is strictly a business deal for Mr. McAuliffe, a short cut resume enhancer for perhaps something even more bold than this. The race for the VA Governor's office will perhaps be the biggest story in national politics in 2009, and we must ensure that we represent VA with our collective voices to prevent Mr. McAuliffe from purchasing that which should never be for sale. 

As for the Republican side, I hope that Mr. McDonnell recognizes that he can not succeed in a campaign that continues the mantra of providing "nothing" as a response to "something." At least the Democrats are working to solve problems like transportation and education, even though I do not agree with most of them that these problems are solved by more programs and more money from their constituents. The Republican side needs to get creative and not respond to every need with the answer "we can't afford to do it." There are people out there that have real needs and are hurting, so let's think about local answers to these issues. Let's discuss local vehicle registration fees, toll roads and higher taxes on those areas that are requesting the greatest transportation funding and leave the rest of the state alone. Let's consider saving education funds by freezing the raises for administrators at higher learning institutions until better economic times come along, and allowing parents to have more say in early childhood education programs that amount to little more than tax paid daycare. Let's talk about supporting our youth by giving a year back in service to the community after school, and getting them into church and youth programs that keep them out of gangs.

These are the issues that will define our future, and it starts with each individual and their choices to be productive their own community. That is what we Virginians must figure out in 2009, Democrats and Republicans alike as Virginians first, and while I anxiously wait to learn more about the candidates who live among us and have real answers to the issues, I also will be asking you to join me in public outrage against money that will buy status at the expense of answers.