Bob McDonnell could stab us in the back

Last week, we mentioned Virginia’s informed consent ultrasound bill, here:

 http://griffinelection.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/virginias-ultrasound-bill-a-major-step-forward-for-women-and-unborn-children/

The bill is almost ready for signing and Governor McDonnell is presumably, trying to think of ways to provide for an “opt-out” or some other nonsense that would render the bill null and void. 

I strongly encourage Governor McDonnell to not stab his colleagues in the back over a bill that he has championed.

The reason republicans have so badly lost the messaging war on this . . . IS MCDONNELL’S FAULT.  The bill has been under fire for a week now from every MSNBC talking head imaginable.  Not once has the leader of our party in Virginia come out in strong support of the bill.  Not once has he even said that no “probe” is required in the language of the statute.  Not once has he mentioned the fact that the most invasive probe in an abortion procedure is the abortion probe in the woman.  Not once has he looked like a leader.     

The question is whether Mr. McDonnell represents people like us who elected him as AG and Governor, or whether he is beholden to media clowns like Al Sharpton and Rachael Maddow.  I can assure him that they will never vote for him no matter what he does.  This is a bill that he championed.  This is the kind of stuff that he used to introduce when he was in the state legislature. 

I truly hope that Mr. McDonnell has not lost his zest for passing legislation that protects women and children alike. 

As someone who made phone calls for Mr. McDonnell, walked up and down cold streets in past Octobers for Mr. McDonnell and has given up entire weekends for Mr. McDonnell, I expect better than this.  I expect more than this.  This kind of indecisive weakness is not what we are accustomed from seeing from him.    

As a Virginia voter, I call on Mr. McDonnell to:

1.)    Defend the bill – make the case for it for heaven’s sake;

2.)    Sign the bill

3.)    Do not amend it.  Do not put extraneous restrictions on it.  Sign it as is. 

Mr. McDonnell should feel assured that this is the kind of decision that will show (1) Virginians looking for a Senator to defeat Mark Warner that we can trust him and (2) republicans looking for an excuse to vote for Romney in November’s presidential election, that we can count on the VP, even if we can’t count on Romney. 

Tim Griffin is the editor of griffinelection.com and a very, very, very angry Virginia voter.

Re-posted from PJMedia

MITT ROMNEY ANNOUNCES SUPPORT OF VIRGINIA GOVERNOR BOB MCDONNELL

OK Red State fans, let’s have some fun and read between the lines of this press release.

Boston, MA – Mitt Romney today announced the support of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.

Some of you may remember that back in early November I predicted in this PJM piece that when McDonnell announced his support for Romney the presses would start rolling with Romney/McDonnell bumper stickers and yard signs.

Sure, Mitt Romney has had a bad week, but I stand firm that he will be the nominee and McDonnell his running mate.  This press release is glowing with praise for McDonnell, who is a popular governor of a very important battleground state that Romney must win in order to reach 270 electoral votes. McDonnell also has a conservative profile that perfectly fits into Romney’s campaign message machine.

“Governor McDonnell’s leadership in Virginia is an example for the rest of the nation,” said Mitt Romney. “Governor McDonnell has used the conservative principles of keeping taxes and spending low and creating a fair regulatory climate to make Virginia a top destination for job creators. These same principles can be used in Washington to fix our economy and make government accountable to the taxpayers. I am proud to have his support and look forward to working with Governor McDonnell.”

“As I have said throughout this primary process, we need a governor to serve as our next president,” said Governor McDonnell. “America needs leadership and that’s what governors do: they lead. Governors actually have to find solutions and bring all parties together in order to get results for their citizens – they can’t just sit back and cast votes. Mitt Romney has been an effective leader his entire life, in business, the Olympics and as governor. President Obama’s lack of leadership experience is now clear – he has failed to turn around the economy and end the gridlock in Washington. Mitt Romney used his leadership ability in a politically difficult environment to balance the budget every year, cut spending and taxes, and create jobs. He is a results-oriented conservative. This is the type of record that conservatives like me are honored to support – we need a leader like Mitt Romney in the White House to enact effective change that will put our country back on the right path and Americans back to work.”

Translation: Since I am limited to only one 4 year term I will soon be looking for a new job and VP would be a very nice promotion. However, I will not provide the late night comics or You Tube with as much material as the current Vice-President. Please accept my apology for being boring, competent and presidential.

Background On Governor McDonnell:

Governor Bob McDonnell Was Elected In 2009.

McDonnell totally embarrassed Obama and the Democrats in November of 2009, with his landslide victory in a former red state that Obama turned blue in 2008.

Note to David Axelrod:  If McDonnell is on the GOP ticket, you just lost 13 electoral votes and a Senate seat.

Prior to his election, McDonnell served as Virginia’s Attorney General and as a Delegate representing Virginia’s 84th District in Virginia Beach. Governor McDonnell is an Army Veteran who served his country for 21 years. Governor McDonnell is the current Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

As RGA Chairman, McDonnell has a natural platform to appear in the media blasting Obama and raising his national profile.  Army veteran too! What’s not to like?

Now PLEASE can we just wrap this whole thing up in Florida and get on with it.  Newt is driving us nuts.

Re-posted from PJMedia

Florida Senator Marco Rubio with 24 votes.

In second place was Florida Congressman Allen West with 19 votes.

Third was Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell with 10 votes.

Then, Former Ambassador John Bolton and Former Secretary of State Condi Rice were tied at 9 votes each.

Thanks to everyone who participated resulting in over 200 comments. Please note that only clearly-stated votes were counted. In comments where two or more potential VP’s were offered, only the first-named was accepted.

As mentioned in the original posting these results will be reported to the Romney campaign.

Now for my vote on Romney’s VP with some editorializing on the poll results.

Back in early November, I wrote this piece about why the selection of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was a “done deal” as Romney’s running mate.

Well, perhaps I exaggerated just a tad about the “done deal” part but, for all the reasons stated, I still believe McDonnell is Romney’s wisest choice.

Then, at a Christmas party I spoke to former Virginia Senator George Allen who is running this year to win back his old Senate seat. He told me he REALLY liked the idea of McDonnell for VP although Allen made a point of saying he has not endorsed Romney.

(Note: McDonnell as VP would practically ensure that Allen would win back his Senate seat but you have to read the piece for all the interesting background and national consequences of what will possibly be an epic Virginia battleground matchup of Obama/Kaine vs. Romney/McDonnell/Allen to understand the whole picture.)

Since Rubio was the winner of the poll contest, here is my take on him.

Senator Rubio, although a rising star in the Republican Party with a very bright future, is not ready yet to be Vice-President. Senator Rubio has only been in the US Senate since January 2011 and will be 41 years old in May. He needs to marinate awhile on the national stage, earn some stature, and build a record.

(OK, so we all know that Obama did not ‘marinate” but look at the trouble the county is in now as a result.)

Senator Rubio himself believes he needs more time because on numerous occasions he has stated that he will not be on any national ticket in 2012 and wants to focus on being a Senator from Florida.

For more explanation about why I believe Senator Marco Rubio is correct in his public declarations go back and please re-read my PJM piece from March of 2011 entitled “Why Rubio Should Resist 2012 Temptations.”

The second place poll contest winner, Congressman Allen West (FL-22) also is a rising star in the GOP.  Unfortunately West has a brutal battle ahead of him just to hang on to his Congressional seat due to re-districting and his outspoken pronouncements that do not sit well with all the moderate and independent voters in his swing district.  But, if Romney has strong coattails, West will most likely hang on to his seat. If he does manage to lose, and Romney wins, perhaps Romney will have a place for him in his administration. However, a new job as a national radio talk show host might be better suited to his personality.  Watch out Rush Limbaugh!  For more on Allen West and his difficult re-election ahead you can go back and re-read my PJM interview with him from October of 2011.

Finally, although off the VP topic, with the news that Ambassador Jon Huntsman will drop out of the presidential race and support Romney my bet is that Romney, if elected, will ask Huntsman to be his Secretary of State. (Sorry, John Bolton fans!)  Was there a deal? Would Huntsman make a good Secretary of State?

Perhaps that question should be offered up for the next poll contest.

Watch this space!

Re-posted from PJ Media

If you are an “anyone but Romney” voter or an “I will stay home if Romney is the nominee” person, or in the “I will hold my nose and vote for him but won’t work for him” category, this has not been a good week for you.

In fact, this may be a bad month because Romney is leading in South Carolina and Florida.

And to make matters worse from your perspective, Intrade has Romney’s probability of winning the nomination at 86.7% , making his inevitability even more inevitable.

So what’s a “true conservative” to do?

Here are two suggestions: first, go back and  read my PJM piece  from May of 2011 about  “visiting a therapist” offering constructive suggestions about how to deal with Romney heading the ticket.

Second, you can participate in this poll and help select Romney’s vice-presidential running mate by offering names in the comments section. The results will be tallied and brought to the attention of the Romney campaign.

Perhaps a VP to your liking will help balance the ticket and raise your level of enthusiasm. My belief is Romney should announce his VP selection well before the August Republican Convention in Tampa, so weigh-in on that as well.

Now, here are the criteria for selecting Romney’s running mate:

The person must have enough stature and experience to be able to step in and become president if the awful-awful happens.

The person must not only “do no harm” which has been the traditional criterion for selecting a VP (which some believe McCain violated by selecting Sarah Palin) but in this poll the potential VP must help the ticket with one or more of these factors: (1) Help win a state that Obama won in 2008 and is now a must-win state for the GOP. (2) Help unite the GOP and excite the conservative base enough to work hard and elect the ticket. (3) A person who could be the nominee in 2020 after Romney’s two terms in office.

Romney’s running mate must also stand up to VP Joe Biden in a debate and blow him away on the campaign trail.

This VP candidate must perform well in the media and make general election voters comfortable with Romney’s selection.

Most important, Romney’s running mate is someone who would be an effective leader nationally and internationally.

So now Red State readers, start your engines and head on down to the comments section.