By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli formally accepted the Republican nomination to be Virginia's next governor Saturday before a crowd of more than 8,000 gathered at the Richmond Coliseum, pledging to focus on the economy, education, and reining in government if elected this fall.
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II will formally accept the Republican nomination for governor Saturday, but he'll stand alone at the top of the GOP with neither the man he hopes to succeed nor his onetime rival for the nomination in Richmond to help him unify the party.
When Virginia Republicans convene in Richmond on Friday to anoint their candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, there will be one conspicuous absence.
It will be a sad day for this state if we Virginians decide to put a carpetbagging, crony capitalist in the governor's mansion come November ("Cuccinelli camp says McAuliffe's job-creation record is 'biggest joke' for April Fools' Day," Web, April 1).
Virginia Democrats renewed their demands Monday that Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli resign after the Republican gubernatorial candidate belatedly disclosed about $13,000 worth of gifts on Friday that he claimed he forgot to note in four years' worth of economic disclosure reports.
There aren't many winners in the current economic climate. Most companies are struggling against the burdens of higher taxes, red tape and uncertainty, and there's no opportunity to expand and prosper. Some companies, however, have found a shortcut through deep political connections to the Obama administration.
If you're feeling that those who govern Virginia or aspire to govern in coming months are less than forthcoming, you're not alone. Candidates in both parties and the governor they hope to succeed have had accountability about their finances and business dealings forced upon them the past five months by journalists.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's gubernatorial campaign said Monday that the "biggest joke" of this April Fools' Day is Democrat Terry McAuliffe's claim that he will put jobs first in The Old Dominion.
Sen. Mark R. Warner holds a sizable lead over Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in a hypothetical two-man race for Mr. Warner's Senate seat in 2014, according to a poll released Monday.
Happy Easter: Send money. It wasn't quite that blunt, but Democratic Party politicos were up early Sunday morning sending out Easter emails to constituents on behalf of President Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Virginia's governor hopeful, Terry McAuliffe, that focused more on money than on the spiritual.
More Virginia voters think the political philosophy of Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II is “about right” than say the same about his opponent in the governor’s race, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, according to a new poll that challenges criticism among Democrats — and some Republicans — that the attorney general’s conservative views are too extreme for him to lead Virginia.
Democracy is founded on the will of the people, but it is fragile and depends upon elected officials to represent fairly the will of constituents and to govern competently in accordance with that will. The people have rights and expectations for good governance that they expect to be honored. The people have generally trusted political parties to nominate qualified candidates.
Virginians elect a new governor Nov. 5, and they'll get a rare choice between a constitutional conservative and an abortion liberal. No Tweedle Dee vs. Tweedle Dum this time.
The surest and quickest way for a Republican officeholder to kill his future is to dream up a tax increase. Once a rising star in the Grand Old Party, a shortlist contender as Mitt Romney's running mate and a twinkle in the eye of the Great Mentioner for 2016, Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia has disappeared from the speakers' lists at key conservative events, such as the Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins Thursday in Washington.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced Tuesday he would not run for governor of Virginia, putting to rest months of speculation about whether he would pursue an independent bid in a lengthy statement that also warned of what he described as a sharply partisan turn in state politics.
"If Ken Cuccinelli is elected Governor, he'll spend the next four years pushing his divisive social agenda instead of focusing on what's critically important for Virginia right now: creating jobs and building our economy," Mr. McAuliffe wrote.
"That's their choice," Mr. McAuliffe said in suggesting in December that Virginia gave GreenTech the brush-off. "Other states — I think Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi — have a very aggressive (effort) to bring manufacturing in. Obviously, Virginia was my first choice."
