Thoughts on the GOP Nomination in the 5th District

Southside Central tries to "rank" the current Republican challengers to Tom Perriello by giving them all 0% chance at being the actual nominee. He gives Rob Hurt at 99% chance. He obviously hasn't been watching the grassroots movement sweeping the nation of Americans upset at the status quo in Washington. This movement isn't just anti-Democrat, it's anti-big government.

To assume that Hurt has the nomination locked up ignores history. Back in 1996 when Goode was first running as a Democrat the Republicans recruited then Delegate Frank Ruff to run. And guess what? He lost at the convention. The 5th District may be conservative, but it's also independent and has a mind of its own.

I also disagree with his emphasis on Southside. Sure, it would be nice to run a campaign that focuses only on Southside, run up the margins, and swamp Perriello in the end. But Perriello is the incumbent now and will have a significant advantage next time around. I don't think the NRCC will do all the fundraising for the challenger to Perriello, not even for Hurt. They are looking at races around the country and will prioritize. Sure, they may be making promises to Hurt right now but they are just the sweet seducing songs of sirens.

Tommy Boy may very well still win if the GOP nominee focuses only on Southside Virginia. First, that leaves Perriello unchallenged in the Charlottesville area and he'll be able to run up an even higher margin in the area as the Republican base feels ignored and neglected. Second, any candidate who thinks they can just rest on their state legislature laurels will be missing out parts of Southside. Any candidate, including Rob Hurt, will have to work to introduce himself to Bedford, to Appomattox, to Halifax, to Charlotte, to Lunenburg, and so forth. Third, the people of the counties he already represents or represented have no where near the same attachment to him, a minor State Senator who has rarely faced strong challengers, as they did to Virgil Goode. And guess what, Goode lost.

What we need is a conservative candidate with vim and vigor. Having waited to long to annouce, I'm starting to question Hurt's vim and vigor. I only have two candidates right now that have impressed me. Bradley Rees may not have political experience but he has vim and vigor. And Ken Boyd seems to have strong conservative credentials and a proven track record of taking on the liberals in the lion's den of Albemarle County. I'll have to keep my eye on the others.

With vim and vigor Perriello will be challenged everywhere, including and especially Charlottesville. With vim and vigor all of Southside will be excited and energized about the election. Republicans will have a reason to come out and vote for SOMEONE, not just a fear that they have to come out and vote AGAINST someone. I have a lot of problems with how Bush managed the country like a big spending liberal, but one thing I can say in his defense was he knew how to campaign. He got conservatives fired up. McCain didn't and we lost Virginia for the first time since 1964. Let that be a lesson to us all.

A 9-11 Lesson: Public Servants, Not Perfect Servants

Today I want to highlight an important lesson from 9-11: ordinary citizens are capable of extraordinary acts of heroism and bravery.

I want to connect this to a line from the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the hero of liberal activists. When faced with criticism over his statements, actions, and other antics, the good Reverend would note that he was a public servant, not a perfect servant.

That's fair.

To quote President Obama on Congressman Wilson, "We all make mistakes."

And so that brings me to discuss Republican 5th District Candidate Bradley Rees and some recent mistakes he has made.

That's all they are mistakes. Rees is running for Congress not because he thinks he's better than us (we have plenty in Congress like that already) but because he's one of us. Like us, he makes mistakes. And that should be the end of the story.

But here's what I want to say about Rees. He's been an open, transparent, and accessible candidate for public office.

Here are a few recent tweets in response to questions I've asked over the last week:

@NotAndySere After looking into the vote in question [Warner's tax increase], I have to say, unequivocally, I'd have voted "NO!" Yes, in caps. :D

And on the importance of online conservative activism:

@NotAndySere It's absolutely necessary. R's got creamed on the nets in the last 3 election cycles. We must gain a foothold, ASAP.

@NotAndySere Also, as a long-time grassroots activist, I understand how coalitions are built. Ignoring resources=no structural integrity.

Thanks to Rees for responding to the questions so far. I'm sure I'll have more. And keep up the good work.

State Senator Hurt Not Conservative?

I've covered before the importance of Republicans going after Virginia's three ducklings in 2010 before they settle down and take control of their swing district for elections to come. While I am a big fan of both Scott Rigell and Keith Fimian I am concerned that the 5th District Republicans are having a hard time finding a conservative to challenge Tom Perriello.

There are three announced challengers in the 5th District. While a lot of people may have initially brushed off working class candidate Bradley Rees, his determination has started to pay off and he is attracting national attention. The two other candidates, Feda Kidd Morton and Laurence Verga, both seem to be running as conservatives but have shown less of a work ethic as Rees. To be fair I'm going to give them more time to figure out where Southside Virginia is. I don't think Californian Laurence Verga has ever been to Southside Virginia. Maybe he thinks rural America is when he drives out from downtown Charlottesville to Farmington Country Club.

Adding to my concerns, Republican Unit Vice-Chairman Tim Boyer has started to check under the hood to see if State Senator Robert Hurt is a conservative or a lemon.

Today, we will focus on his vote for the largest tax increase in Virginia's history.

Senator Hurt voted for the so-called "Commonwealth of Opportunity" budget and tax reform act of 2004-2005.

This assault on Virginia taxpayers came courtesy of then-Governor Warner and Republican Preston Bryant, who convinced seventeen other Republicans to join him in crossing the aisle to provide the necessary Republican votes to get this bill passed in a House then controlled by Republicans. (Bryant was paid off with a Cabinet position in the new Kaine Administration)

Sadly, not only did Hurt vote for this bill, providing the needed Republican votes to pass it, but we found out only a short time later that Virginia had at the time a $1 billion (that's right, $1 BILLION !!) budget surplus at the same time we were stealing more money from Virginia's citizens, under the pretext of a budget shortfall.

The same Republican party that assaulted Warner, and rightfully so, as a tax and spender, provided desperately needed Republican votes for the largest tax increase in Virginia's history.

The bill could not pass with Democrat votes alone, so Republicans did it for them; Senator Hurt was one of those eighteen Republicans.

How can Senator Hurt possibly call out Perriello for his Cap and Trade tax increase vote, among others, with any credibility?

Perriello will only have to respond, ' yeah, here's Mr. Largest Tax Increase in Virginia's History calling me a tax and spender!!'

That Robert Hurt voted for Virginia's largest tax increase in history is a serious flaw. We need a strong conservative who can go after Perriello for his votes to raise taxes on working Americans during these difficult economic times. So far we have three conservative candidates that would do just that. We don't need a liberal candidate to jump into the Republican primary. Maybe Hurt should consider challenging Perriello in the Democratic primary?