get ready to rumble ( <—– click for sound effects)
It’s R on R. The Stewart/Cuccinelli saga plays on.
Corey Stewart, head bloody but unbowed, takes another poke or two at the Attorney General of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli. Actually, it was a bit more than a poke. He compared the AG to a first year law student. This comparison is before he paints the AG as a ‘pro-Amnesty liberal.’
According to the News and Messenger:
The opinion showed that that provision had the potential to “run afoul” of federal law.
The memo also stated that Stewart’s proposal also contained provisions similar to those found in Arizona’s illegal immigration law that were enjoined by federal court.
Stewart said that a ruling on Arizona law would not affect laws in Virginia.
“He said that the federal district court’s decision in Arizona was binding on Virginia. That’s simply untrue. Any first-year law student would tell you that that’s incorrect,” Stewart said.
Ouch. Moving right along, one has to figure out how Corey Stewart, a mere county supervisor, is going to get legislation passed on an omnibus illegal immigration package after another state, Arizona, has brought on national attention, lawsuits, and injunctions from the federal courts. Perhaps, after all this, Stewart, who is not a state legislator, wasn’t planning anything really happening with the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign anyway.
That’s what we’re trying to do is take Prince William County’s policy and adopt it on a statewide basis,”Stewart said.
Stewart’s latest proposal contains considerably more provisions than the Prince William County resolution and Cuccinelli objected to many of those provisions, including one that allows a person’s immigration status to be allowed in any court.
So what is the Virginia Law of Rule Campaign then if all Corey is trying to do is find someone to pass the Prince William County resolution?
Corey is quoted in the News and Messenger:
… the additional provisions were a list of various pieces of legislation introduced by various states across the nation.
“It was never meant to be introduced as legislation,” he said.
Stewart said he was surprised at the opposition from Cuccinelli’s office.
“I’m very disappointed. I run into a lot of opposition in fighting illegal immigration and almost all of that opposition comes from either pro-amnesty and the Washington Post and other liberals. I certainly didn’t expect this attack from the back by Cuccinelli,” Stewart said
So what is the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign really? What is Corey objecting to? Why is he sporting it around? If it wasn’t supposed to be legislation, what was it supposed to be? Perhaps it was just a fund-raising tool for Corey. If he put a bunch of BS and bluster out there, got people hooked and donating money, then he didn’t have to do anything with it at all. He could just take people’s money and keep feeding them bull.
So why the mock fighting with Cuccinelli? It’s just a plain ole pissin’ contest.
Corey Stewart should have sobered up before he took the reporter’s call.
Imagine what Ken Cuccinelli is thinking right now. A little-known county official calls him a pro-amnesty liberal, less knowledgeable than a first year law student?!
Perhaps Stewart has a point in that a Virginia version of Arizona’s S.B. 1070 would go through a different federal appellate court, and that the outcome of the Arizona case would not be binding here. But as Cuccinelli pointed out, Stewart doesn’t seem to know much about Virginia law, the Virginia court system, or the U.S. Constitution. His main reason for not going that route was so Virginia taxpayers wouldn’t have to pay the million dollar legal fees.
If Cuccinelli is a first year, Stewart has defined himself out of higher education all together. And if Cuccinelli is a liberal, Stewart has defined himself and as, I don’t know, take your pick from the right wing dustpan of history, not from this century anyway.
Rather than insulting each other, Stewart and Cuccinelli need to have a frank conversation that begins with Cuccinelli asking: “If going further on immigration crack-downs in Virginia (and thus going farther than PWC) would be such a great policy, why did PWC scale the policy back after less than two months?”
In other words, if it’s so great, why did you lose the support of Republicans on your own Board, Mr. Stewart? And why don’t you acknowledge the failure of your own policy before you try to push it on the rest of the Commonwealth?
Given Corey’s quote that “Any first-year law student would tell you that that’s incorrect”, there is a rather significant issue that hasn’t been raised, namely that Cuccinelli has passed the VA BAR and Corey has not. Any first-year law student that intends to take the VA BAR will tell you that VA law is significantly different than that of any other state. Perhaps Capt. Soundbite should take some CLEs before shooting off his yap regarding legislation/litigation in the Commonwealth.
Stewart’s political advisors need to go ahead and commit Seppuku. Cuccinelli commands a vast army of Republican faithful. Apparently Stewart is going all-in behind developer money, because a frontal assault on the Cooch is like flipping the bird to the grassroots.
Mom makes a very good point. Also, don’t forget that Delegate Scott Lingamfelter is playing a role in this process. He, Cooch and other Republicans would like to see Corey and his buffoonery go away so Republicans will have a better chance of winning elections. With all of the Stewart shenanigans that have gone on and everything that will come out, the election will be like an open sewer. Republicans want to avoid that.
There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, aside from discrediting Corey’s sham Virginia Rule of Law. For example, over a year ago Lingamfelter wrote Stewart at least twice trying to get him to intervene in one of the sexual harassment scandals Peacor was covering up. There’s someone working hard on that angle of the Stewart situation and I’ve seen the letters and Stewart’s responses, which were basically, f*** off.
I can’t post the letters but can arrange for Moon, Elena and others to see them to verify the accuracy of what I’m writing.
Rather than deal with the harassment situation as Del. Lingamfelter requested, Stewart bullied through the BOCS against the will of John Stirrup (how many times has Stewart thrown him under the bus now?) and others Peacor’s promotion to County Exec because that was what Mike Lubeley and Corey’s other developer supporters wanted.
Not to mention the campaign finance shenanigans – Corey has no idea how much has been dug up in that area but an education will be coming in the few months.
NTK, I’d be interested in seeing Corey’s responses, particularly given recent events and the opportunity for Corey to pull another “Peacor”>
Mom – contact me offline and I’ll arrange to make that happen. Moon, others, you are welcome to join us.
MoM sure does make a good point about the Virginia Bar. Doesn’t that bring up another interesting question. If no Virginia Bar has been passed….no…I won’t mention it. I will let others do so.
Mom – you are correct that another Peacor situation could be in the making. With Griffin leaving, the developer lobby would like nothing better than to see Utz get the job. If Corey is even considering that, he better be ready to deal with it at every campaign stop he makes. I know that it can be documented that he had full knowledge of all of the harassment situations going on in the County Government, complicity at senior levels of the County Government, and that he supported the perpetrators and their defenders.
Cato – good investing minds do often make good political minds also. You nailed it!
LMFAO! OMG, it’s true. Give a politician like him enough rope and he will hang his political career.
Keep talking, Corey.
He has to know that you R’s are out here just waiting for him to trip over his tongue.
It isn’t the D’s or the indies like me who are going to be his unhinging. It will be his own loose lips and the Republicans he has really pissed off.
Meanwhile Jim Webb is probably on his hands and knees, begging you all to shut up. Talk about easy pickin’s and low hanging fruit.
Moon – I’ll be tracking Corey’s VPAP page to see how much Jim Webb supporters are contributing to Corey’s senatorial campaign.
I want Republicans to win, and we do that by cleaning our own house, not by waiting until the general election for Democrats to do it for us.
@NTK,
Not a party person here, although it usually works out that way. There are a couple of R supervisors I could vote for. I have liked Jim Webb, so I would just like to keep him. In fact, I like both our senators. Too bad that your far right extremists ran off Webb. He used to belong to your club.
That is going to have to change–the refusal of some of the R’s to compromise or to be moderate. It really makes me sad that the Big Tent now has a sign on it: Moderates not Welcome. [picture of a rhinoceros next to sign]
How do you Republicans think this will play out if Corey doesn’t back down? Aren’t these two vying for the same right-wing members of the party? Corey’s only statewide venture (aside from the ROL campaign) has been a appearance or two at Tea Party rallies – the same group that would probably vote for Cuccinelli. Do you think most of these two characters’ supporters would get behind Allen, especially if he starts pointing out the differences between his moderate (cough, cough) approach and that of the others in the race?
@censored–
A little odd that three guys, all from the same county, would by vying for the same US post also. All the same religion too. hmmmmm
@Censored bybvbl
Corey is delusional if he thinks he can survive a knife fight with Cuccinelli. Whatever you may think of him, Cuccinelli is a serious player with a well-oiled turnout machine and a deep bench of tens of thousands of activists willing to walk through walls for him. He has a top shelf ground game and a bully pulpit. However, I think the 2012 Senate is a bridge too far, and he (being the shrewd operator that he is) will probably come to that same conclusion and cut some sort of deal with Allen.
Corey will sign his own political death warrant if he continues to walk this road.
@Censored bybvbl
I don’t see Corey backing down from anything. His ego is simply too large. This will go to a fight and Republicans need to strike the death blow as quickly as possible so we can go into the general elections (BOCS 2011, Senate 2012 or Lt. Gov. 2013) with strong candidates who are credible, seen as reasonable, and can win. Of the three contests, the only one Corey has a strong hope of winning is BOCS 2011. However, he is vulnerable there if his HSM supporters start to desert him. That is the reason for his fear of Cooch’s recent attack. What he has not figured out, however, is that the attacks will be coming from all directions – lack of credibility on immigration (Cooch and others), conflicts of interests with the developers, campaign finance, bad government (i.e., giving the developer lobby Peacor, Avendale, the Comp Plan update, etc., etc.,), tolerance of the OIT and sexual harassment scandals in PWC government (promoted and defended the people who allowed that to happen) and much more. I don’t see the PWC Republicans as having picked up on this as much as they should, and I don’t think they realize yet that the Democrats can win the BOCS Chair with a moderate/conservative candidate who is well-informed on everything that has been going on.
Corey is just not credible as a candidate for US Senate, and as Moon indicated Jim Webb is praying to have Corey as his opponent. He may have some legs for Lt. Governor in 2013, but that depends on what happens in BOCS 2011. If he doesn’t win there, his political career in Virginia is over and he might as well move back to Minnesota.
Oh dear —- let’s not bring up religion.
Maybe there will be a smack down over who is the most sainted? There is already a battle over who is the most conservative.
@Juturna
@Moon-howler
Bob Marshall is the only long-term PWC resident.
Cooch moved here less than a year ago.
Corey has lived here less than ten years (I’ve lived in PWC longer than he has).
I don’t think their religion has any relevance here. PWC is the second largest jurisdiction in Virginia, so I think political opportunity is the main driver.
NTK,
Religion has a great deal to do with elections when one is seen as the religious right. Corey has even dabbled there a time or 2.
Regardless of duration, all three–Cuccinelli, Marshall and Stewart are Billy-Bobians. How will the rest of the state look at that?
@Moon-howler
Maybe. I’m from the old, Founding Fathers/Ronald Reagan school on that matter. My faith is important to me and I am active in my church, but religion is a personal matter rather than a plank in a political platform. If I ever ran for any office, my church activities would be communicated as evidence of involvement in the community and not as an agenda to be enacted.
And you and I agree on that. I believe one’s faith is a personal matter and should never appear as policy.
Unfortunately, many do not believe as we do.
@Moon-howler
There are tons of Catholic churches here in VA, so it’s not surprising these folks are Catholic. (I’m right about that, right? They are Catholic?)
Pinko, many of my Catholic friends have tried the local Catholic church where some of these pols attend and simply won’t go back. They’ve found other less conservative Catholic churches to attend. So there are some big differences. My friends want their church to stick to religion not politics.
Cato, I agree that the 2012 Senate race is too soon Cuccinelli and definitely too soon for Stewart. But, as NTK said I don’t see Corey backing down. A little bird just told me that Corey was spinning his tale on channel 8.
I think Corey is hoping to be the instrument for a Tea Party upset. He’ll try to paint his competition as establishment candidates.
Let’s see if this link to a Stewart interview (2 videos) works…
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/news-talk/2010/11/undaunted-by-criticism-potential-senate-candidate-corey-stewart-continues-to-press-for-statewide-immigration-crackdown-5190.html
@Censored bybvbl
I agree that Corey sees himself as a Tea Party upset for the Republican nomination, but he has two problems with that.
(1) Many in the Tea Party are catching on to his true motives and behavior (for example selling out to developer/corporate interests), and
(2) He won’t do a repeat of Christine O’Donnell because she faced only a single, very liberal Republican in the primary and Corey will face Allen, Marshall, Cooch and perhaps even others such Liz Cheney. That is a solid field, and not lacking in conservatives. Given Corey’s record and VPAP profile, he’s going to find painting others as “establishment” very difficult.
All right, I’ve watched the video and a couple of things are fairly evident. First, Corey needs to stop seeing Marty’s barber, those cowlicks sticking up just don’t cut it. Second, he is providing so much ammunition for his future opponents (on both sides of the aisle) that I find it hard to believe this “campaign” will go beyond the exploratory phase (and perhaps that is intentional, I am cynical and skeptical). Third, the video clip made it even more apparent that Corey can’t think or speak extemporaneously, perhaps a public speaking class should be added to those CLE classes. Last, any potential opponents who want to debunk his statements with concrete written evidence (often bearing his signature) need look no further than the some of the commenters her for that evidence.
a big assumption that is being made, is that there is going to be a Primary. Seems to me, that the RPV likes to pick a candidate without the Primary. So, I am not going to speculate until the primary is announced, and there are wannabe’s named.
I believe that Allen convinced the powers that be to go with primary rather than convention. But I am hardly on the inside Republican track.
Corey stated a primary would be the way the RPV to go. He said a primary the state pays for and a convention the RPV pays for. He said the last one in 2009 lost the RVP $300K. He indicated that was a big amount of money. Funny that amount is a lot when it comes to the RPV, but not a lot when it comes to county monies. i.e. the latest report by UVA,
Mom, nice to see you still wear your Fashion Police badge. 🙂
It came with a fashion police blackjack that I like to use on public figures, wish I could use it in Walmart but I’m afraid I would wear it out.
@Pat.Herve
State central committee already voted (overwhelmingly) for a primary. So it has been written, so it shall be done.
@Pat.Herve
The primary has already been announced, much to Corey’s dismay.
Mom, as always we’re on the same page. Among you, me and a small number of others we have enough documentation to sink Corey’s ship regardless of the sea in which he sets sail. Moon can vet anyone asking for assistance to separate the serious ones from Corey’s minions trying to find out who is involved in this, and help put the right people together.
@NTK and I will be glad to do that.
I look forward to driving Madam Moon to the primary. 🙂 Luckily in the Commonwealth you don’t have to be a card caring member of the party to vote in a primary. For Independents such as myself it’s great.
NTK, I’m sure there are some eyes lurking on this thread as we type. Trying to figure out who is who. Thank goodness Lafayette isn’t a secrect. (snicker)
@Moon-howler #15
According to Sen. Webb’s bio on his Senate website, “he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts.” He served as Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of the Navy.
As a life-long, loyal Republican, I want my Party to do some soul-searching and ask itself why it is that we lost someone like Jim Webb, and now produce someone like Corey Stewart. If we can answer that question, and act to remedy the problem, the Democrats will never win another significant election in the State of Virginia.
@NTK, I fear the damage was done quite a while back…perhaps 25 years ago. Actually it sickens me.
And those who like Jim Webb are probably already plotting to go out and vote for Corey Stewart because he is the lowest hanging fruit. With Cuccinelli and Marshall out there, it is pretty difficulty to actually select the lowest. I think the last person Webb wants to have challenge him is the seat’s former owner…George Allen. He is serious competition. The other 3 aren’t, even with some minion followers for each.
NTK, I can tell you why one Independent voted for Webb despite the fact that he’s more conservative than I am. I want elected officials to concentrate on issues of governing – not social issues. Webb may be more conservative on social issues than I’d like for him to be, but he hasn’t made those issues his primary goal. I think local pols should stick to issues such as school budgets, road maintenance, police protection, and whatever they’re mandated to cover by state or federal law. I believe issues of immigration, health care changes, etc. should be addressed to our federal representatives. To attempt to preempt federal law or state law is a waste of my money. Unfortunately, many Republicans have concentrated on the more divisive social themes which seem to bring out anger, emotion, hysteria rather than deliberative thought. Corey plays well to this crowd.
A simplistic and sarcastic answer would be “I blame the internet!” Anyone can say anything and there’s a sucker or a thousand who will believe it if it arrives in an email addressed to them. The internet propelled Jim Webb into office – and that’s a good thing in my opinion. Corey is hoping his petition will propel him into a recognized commodity statewide.
In addition to thinking about how the party has produced someone like Corey Stewart it should also examine how we’ve come to have a rubber stamp BOCS. Why doesn’t someone challenge him more openly?
It all traces back to the nasty intra-party warfare of the ’88 campaign, the scars of which have never fully healed. I would blame the fundamentalists but that would be too easy, the blame actually lies with those who manipulated the Christian Right, people like Viguerie who has crawled back toward the leadership and a particular bunch of loons in Lynchburg.
Given the field at the moment, my support and vote go to George Allen, even though I like Webb. If Webb were running for the Republican nomination, I would have to think hard to decide between those two which to support. If Democratic shenanigans prevail and cross-overs manage to swing the Republican nomination to Stewart, I could not in good conscience vote for him, which I guess is what the Democrats would be trying to accomplish anyway. However, I’ve seen Corey operate close-up and first-hand. Morality, good judgment and the national interest must sometimes trump Party loyalty. Voting for someone as corrupt and immoral as Corey Stewart over a war hero who served Ronald Reagan (one of my personal heroes and favorite Presidents) is something I could not do.
How many times now has Corey betrayed and thrown John Stirrup under the bus? Moon and I disagree about John, but I still like him a lot and hope to see his reelection as well as Mike May’s. Stewart, Covington, Nohe, Caddigan and Jenkins must go – they are all nothing but developer stooges. I said after the Avendale vote that even though Frank Principi is a Democrat, I will not help defeat him. He raised himself even higher in my esteem last week when he voted again with Stirrup and May (as he did on Avendale when all three honored their pledge to protect the Rural Crescent) to oppose Stewart’s developer road to nowhere – also known as the 234 bypass extension to Dulles, but doesn’t actually go to Dulles. Corey’s antics are making BOCS meetings seem more like an episode of Monty Python every week.
One supervisor signed and affirmed the pledge to protect the Rural Crescent but violated that pledge with votes in favor of Avendale and the developer road to nowhere. Do I even have to name which it was?
“NTK, I can tell you why one Independent voted for Webb despite the fact that he’s more conservative than I am. I want elected officials to concentrate on issues of governing – not social issues.”
Oh yeah I’m with you all the way. What shall we name our party? The governing party – how about Public Servant Party or a simple Union Party.
MH – Patron Saint of “Rule of Law” – nah..
Why is it that Corey thinks he can say 2 opposite things and people will still believe him?
George Allen will find that most of his base has moved on, but yet he is the front runner.
Bizarro land speak.
I doubt if he made new friends on that show. (other than Senator Jim Webb) George Allen is still a favorite son amongst Republicans, especially Republicans with money.
The only one he hasn’t taken a shot at is SideShow Bob. Oh well, he will get around to it.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. —
Prince William Chairman Corey A. Stewart is putting the possibility of a U.S. Senate bid out there.
Stewart said Monday that he is “seriously considering” a run against Democratic Sen. Jim Webb in 2012.
“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet, but it’s something that I’m kicking around,” Stewart said.
At the same time he considers a run for the U.S. Senate, Stewart will run again for chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2011.
“I will be running for reelection as chairman of the board. What I do after that I don’t know, but one of the things I’ve been thinking about is the Senate,” said Stewart, who was first elected to the board as Occoquan supervisor in 2003
Stewart won a special election to replace outgoing Chairman Sean T. Connaughton in 2006 and was reelected chairman in 2007.
Stewart said his record a chairman of Prince William County would serve him well in a race for the senate.
“I would have a pretty good starting position, I think, especially given my leadership role on illegal immigration and cutting spending,” said Stewart, who led the county to adopt a controversial illegal immigration resolution in 2007.
Stewart said if he runs, he would run on the Tea Party side of things.
“I agree with a lot of the Tea Party views especially on cutting spending which we’ve done very effectively in Prince William County,” said Stewart, an international trade attorney in private practice.
Stewart said there were a lot of “variables” yet that would determine whether he will go after the senate seat.
Other candidates with broader bases could run and that would influence his decision.
“If a sitting U.S. Congressman doesn’t run for it and if the statewide elected Republicans don’t run for it, then the Republican with the largest jurisdiction in Virginia is me,” he said. “Don’t write me off as a serious candidate for that position.”
Still, Stewart said he’s fine if a run for national office doesn’t pan out.
“I like my current job. I’m not burning to get out of the job. I like it a lot and there’s still a lot to do in the county.” he said.
Republicans also do ‘Shenanigans’ in primaries. The Democrats don’t own the corner on shenanigans.
I would vote for good governance over party each and every time.
I wouldn’t care of both parties dissolved today.
Webb left because of Iraq. He was against it when he was still a Republican, then left the party when it turned out to be every bit as catastrophic as he warned.
Stewart is an indirect product of a more diverse Virginia and a more diverse America. He is responding to a segment of the Republican party that is afraid and upset about these changes. I agree with you that a more moderate approach would be better for the GOP in Virginia and nationally, but right now, the active base are people who are afraid of change. Immigration grandstanding is one way to scoop up all those people and turn them into voters. I just don’t know if it’s necessary, because the last two years have proven the same segment will go batshit over just about anything.
“There is talk that Stewart might run for Congress, with immigration a ready-made issue. But Stewart plays down the speculation.
“I still don’t have a grand scheme,” he said. “Life is far too unpredictable to plan everything out.”
Some Republicans have been privately critical of his approach. ”
Circa 2007 😉 LOL!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112802252_pf.html
Red Dawn
Boy you sure dug into the archives for that story. 🙂
@Moon-howler #48
I know quite well that Republicans attempt the same sort of scheming – I’ve been in discussions of plans to vote for someone simply to nominate a weak opponent for a favored candidate. However, I’ve never joined in. I have always voted in my primary for the candidate I support.
This sort of scheming can backfire and I warn all Democrats and Independents who think helping nominate Corey is a bright idea. Corey has a base of supporters who will come out to vote for him no matter what. Add to that enough Democrats and Independents plotting to get him nominated, and the scheme might just work. Jim Webb versus Corey Stewart, and Democrats lean back to relax thinking the election is in the bag.
Maybe or maybe not. What if we get another wave election in 2012 in which all incumbents are swept out? What if Corey succeeds in spreading some sort of scandal against Webb that enables him to win? You never know. If something like this happens, then Democrats, not Republicans, will be responsible for at least six years of Senator Corey Stewart.
My advice is that everyone votes for the candidates they honestly support and let the chips fall where they may.
I just wanted to comment that this an awesome discussion!
NTK, you’re correct that Independents and Democrats have to play their cards wisely if they’re going to vote in the Republican primary. The Tea Party voters just might give Virginians a Corey Stewart victory if Webb and the Dems can’t motivate a large enough crowd to show up at the polls.
Censored, are Democrats THAT unreliable?
M-h, I think young voters are harder to get to the polls and usually that’s to Dems’ disadvantage.
They have better things to do. And Obama has not woed the young folks.