Let the finger pointing and debates begin…..

MoonHowler

fingerpointing

Politico.com:

National Republicans agree on this much about the 2013 campaign in Virginia:  It wasn’t supposed to go like this.

Well before the last votes are cast in the state’s off-year governor’s race,  GOP leaders are already engaged in a spirited debate over why, exactly, a fight  against a Democrat as flawed as Terry McAuliffe has turned into such a painful  slog of a campaign. Even Republicans who haven’t yet counted out their nominee,  state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, view the governor’s race as a profile in  frustration for the GOP – an election that should have leaned toward the  Republicans, but where Democrats have held a persistent lead in polling, money  and tactical prowess.

The GOP’s internal discussion about the race mirrors much of  the broader national tug of war within the conservative coalition, between  officials and strategists who want the party to trim back some of its most  confrontational tactics and hard-edged rhetoric, and activists bent on drawing  the starkest possible lines of contrast with the Democratic party of President  Barack Obama.

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Virginia governor’s race analysis: Beware of unintended consequences

MoonHowler

There are some interesting facts in this video. The most dangerous thing to either candidate is that each man’s respective base grow complacent and stay home.

With less than a month until the election, the heat is on for the heart and soul of the Old Dominion. I never like calling an election. I feel it jinxes things up. However, it might be a subtle reminder to those who want to play a little ‘war on women’ that there can be deadly electoral paybacks.

What the women don’t take care of, the shutdown will.  Unfortunately for Cuccinelli, the antics of his party have bled over into his campaign.  That actually seems a little unfair.  The banana republicans should have thought of that before trying to ignore rule of law.  Their attempt to play hardball to get their own way definitely has had unintended consequences.  The Cooch just might be one of those consequences.

Cuccinelli’s attempts to ban no fault divorce

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

A recent Washington Post story explored Cuccinelli’s relationship with the fathers’ rights movement, which seeks to influence state and federal laws to give men a better position in  divorce and custody cases. Many fathers’ rights groups have pushed to end or reform no-fault divorce laws, and Cuccinelli did the same during his time in the state Senate.

“2008. Ken Cuccinelli writes a bill to give Virginia among the most extreme divorce laws in America,” says the announcer in McAuliffe’s (D) new ad. “If Cuccinelli had it his way, a mom trying to get out of a bad marriage, over her husband’s objections, could only get divorced if she could prove adultery or physical abuse or her spouse had abandoned her or was sentenced to jail.  Why is Ken Cuccinelli interfering in our private lives? He’s focused on his own agenda. Not us.”

Cuccinelli spokeswoman Anna Nix said her boss was proud of his record.

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Make no mistake–Cuccinelli sponsored birth control ban

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

While in the state Senate in 2007, Cuccinelli co-sponsored a bill to add a line to the Virginia Constitution declaring that “life begins at the moment of fertilization and the right to enjoyment of life . . . is vested in each born and preborn human being from the moment of fertilization.”

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has warned that such a law might “deny women access to the full spectrum of preventive health care including contraception.”

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Cuccinelli: Lies Propagated on Virginia Tax Dollars

MoonHowler

Women for Choice my ass! What choice? Lies Lies Lies. Judging from the door in the video, that CPC is right here in Manassas. They have been pulling this crap for over 20 years. The lies and judgemental statements in the video were actually recorded and the film was presented by NARAL Pro-Choice America.

The entire ruse is deceitful. Just the name tricks scared young women into going to the ‘wrong clinic’ since its location is very close to a real medical facility. Private information is solicited from the women before they realize they are not in a medical facility. Pregnancy tests are even given. One young woman I know who was sent in, got phone calls at home and hymns were sung to her.  Incidentally, she was not pregnant.

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Virginia TRAP laws whittle away at abortion rights

MoonHowler
Cuccinelli and McDonnell continue their war on women's reproductive rights
Cuccinelli and McDonnell continue their war on women’s reproductive rights

Washingtonpost.com:

RICHMOND — The Virginia Board of Health voted Friday to require clinics that perform abortions to meet strict, hospital-style building codes that operators say could put many of them out of business.

The 11 to 2 vote represented the board’s final say on the matter, which has taken unexpected twists and turns since the General Assembly voted in 2011 to regulate abortion clinics like outpatient surgical centers. The regulations went straight to Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R), who quickly certified them. They now go to two state agencies and Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R), who is expected to sign off on them.

Make no mistake, these TRAP laws do not make abortion safer nor do they protect women.  TRAP laws simply make it more difficult and expensive to provide safe, legal abortion.  Anyone who thinks differently has been misled by political opponents who want to end legal abortion.

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Cuccinelli says state can’t be sued for forced sterilizations

MoonHowler

buck v bell

Washingtonexaminer.com:

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is at odds with fellow Republicans over whether victims of the state’s involuntary sterilization program 50 years ago can sue the state for compensation.

The state’s top lawyer released a legal opinion recently that said the state can’t be sued in its own courts and therefore “it is unlikely that a claimant could successfully bring an action against the commonwealth for having been sterilized.”

That runs afoul of Republican lawmakers, who were pushing legislation earlier this year that would give $50,000 to each of the victims of a state eugenics program — at a total cost of $15.5 million. But lawmakers killed the bill, saying eugenics victims can sue the state so there’s no need to offer them payments. Cuccinelli’s opinion that they can’t sue revived prospects for the bill.

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Cuccinelli blocks falsely convicted man’s release

MoonHowler
Jonathan Montgomery

From  the Associated Press     :

 

Virginia’s attorney general says a Hampton judge lacked jurisdiction to order the release of an imprisoned man whose accuser recanted her sexual assault allegation.

Brian Gottstein, a spokesman for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, says Jonathan Montgomery’s case is a tragedy. But he says in an email today that Circuit Judge Randolph West’s order exonerating Montgomery and vacating the final two years of his sentence is void under state law. He says Montgomery probably needs to petition the Virginia Court of Appeals for a writ of actual innocence, which Cuccinelli will support.

Montgomery’s father, David Montgomery, says his son should be released immediately. He says the attorney general’s office is holding an innocent man captive.

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The Cooch in a blue state

MoonHowler

I am reminded of an old Bobby  Vinton record, ” Blue on Blue”  …Blue on Blue, leart ache on heart ache…so on and so forth.

What’s the Cooch to do?  He is the darling of the Religious Right and darling of the Tea Party.  Ooops, big cross over on the old Venn Diagram with that one.  Where does Tuesday’s election leave  that bad-boy attorney general?

From the Washington Post:

Firebrand conservative Kenneth Cuccinelli, now attorney general, is running, upsetting the state Republican establishment that badly wants mild-mannered and reliable Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling as its gubernatorial candidate.

Cuccinelli, who has gained national attention for his strong positions against climate change, homosexuals and abortion, had been riding the Tea Party wave of distrust and resentment of government and mainstream politicians.

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Cuccinelli refuses to sign off on State Board of Health regs on abortion clinics

MoonHowler
Coo Coo Nellie refuses to certify State Health Dept directives on abortion clinics

Washingtonpost.com

 

The office of Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli II (R) on Monday refused to sign off on state Board of Health regulations that had exempted current abortion clinics from new, hospital-style construction standards.

In a surprise move a month ago, the board voted to exempt existing facilities from the new rules, which would have required extensive renovations.

In a four-sentence letter to the health department, senior assistant Attorney General Allyson K. Tysinger said that the the office would not certify the regulations.

“The Board does not have the statutory authority to adopt these Regulations,” it says. “[T]he Board has exceeded its authority. Thus, this Office cannot certify these Regulations.”

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Cuccinelli distinquishes himself as a loser

MoonHowler

 

 

 

 

Columnist Robert McCartney has declared Gubinatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli a multiple legal loser.  Why?  Cuccinelli keeps batting out in his rather grandiose legal challenges.  The Washington Post today reminds us about his failed lawsuits that pandered to his base–health care and climate change being his biggest swing and a miss challenges.

 With two new, major court defeats last week, Cuccinelli’s record is almost as woeful.

… Cuccinelli is used to coming up short. Although he’s won battles over voter redistricting and Medicaid fraud, he’s had a remarkable number of losses on closely watched cases. Ironically, his much-publicized complaint against Obamacare didn’t even make it to the Supreme Court, because an appeals court tossed it out on grounds that he lacked standing to sue.

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Ken Cuccinelli’s Witch Hunt

MoonHowler

Ken Cuccinelli’s witch hunt against climate scientist Michael Mann was stopped by the Supreme Court.  Good for UVA for failing to roll over and play dead.  However, in the wake of this law suit are a lot of unpaid  bills.  UVA had to raise about $600,000 to cover its legal costs .  Then there are the bills generated from the State Attorney General’s office.  Let’s hear Cuccinelli try to tell us to ‘stop the spending.’   He has lost his fiscally conservative street cred. 

This witch hunt was motivated by Cuccinelli’s own personal political agenda rather than from anything real that happened or any reasonable suspicion of wrong-doing while Dr. Mann was in residence at UVA. The newly elected attorney general  had a bug and he rashly wasted the taxpayers’ money pursuing his own silly paranoid  anti-scientific endeavors.

According to the Washington Post:

Mr. Cuccinelli’s inspiration appears to have been the conspiracy theorizing that emerged from the so-called Climategate scandal, in which global-warming opponents stole scientists’ e-mails — including a few of Mr. Mann’s — and then misinterpreted them to justify their activism.

Now that the Supreme Court has shut Mr. Cuccinelli down, what’s left is a range of consequences that can only hurt the commonwealth. The university had to raise nearly $600,000 for legal fees — money the cash-strapped university should have been able to use for something productive. On top of that are the public resources of the attorney general’s office that Mr. Cuccinelli wasted. Scientists in Virginia now have reason to wonder whether they will suffer similar pressure if they publish research government officials don’t like. And, because of some of the Supreme Court’s legal findings, the powers of the attorney general to pursue actual fraud have been clipped.

How many scientists will not want to work at UVA because of the climate of fear inspired by Cuccinelli?  Virginia has a long history of enlightenment that goes back to the time of Jefferson, Washington, and even further.  To have Cuccinelli try to ride his wave of anti-intellectual hocus pocus through the state at our expensive is simply unacceptable.  Mr. Jefferson would not like his school under attack and Virginians are tired of this administration causing them continual embarrassment. 

 

 

 

Cuccinelli rats out the rat dumpers

MoonHowler

 

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has gotten all worked up over the rumor that DC is catching rats and releasing them into Virginia because city laws prevent extermination.  What?  Is this the rat king of all urban legends?  What is he basing his information on? 

Here is the supposed straight story from the Washington Examiner:

There’s been a lot of buzz over Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s complaint this week that D.C. is trapping rats and dumping them in Virginia because a city law won’t allow animal control to exterminate rats. Cuccinelli’s statement, which was in reference to the rat problem in Occupy DC and came during a WMAL interview, even prompted conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh to spout off on D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, who proposed the disputed animal rights law.

“This Mary Cheh babe, C-H-E-H, she is the woman behind the D.C. plastic bag tax,” Limbaugh said. On a related note, Limbaugh was “asked” to resign from ESPN’s NFL Countdown show in 2003 for saying that then-Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.

Cheh’s office has received a slew of nasty emails regarding her stance on D.C. rats, prompting Cheh to fire off a news release Thursday morning lamenting the “state of public discourse.”

“[Over] the past few days, the bill has been the subject of some national comment, and as a result, my inbox has been filled with emails disparaging me for requiring rats to be exported rather than killed (again, flatly not true).  Firing off uninformed missives and calling me ‘babe’ must have been easier than actually reading the legislation.
 
“‘Babe’ was, however, not the only four-letter word I was called in the emails. For some examples of the well-reasoned policy suggestions I received, attached is a small sample.  People have asked me whether government emails are censored.  After going through my Council inbox this week, I can tell you that they are not.”

Cheh and her staff have said that the law prohibiting extermination exempts rats. The law says “commensal pests,” which refers to roof rats, Norway rats and house mice and in general refers to rodents that invade human living quarters, according to pest experts

What next?  Garbage, needles, nuclear waste.  Are we the dumping ground for everything.  Apparently not rats.  Where do possoms fit into this plan. It sounds like there is much ado about nothing.  If DC is rat-dumping, then we need to do out own catch and release, right back across the Potomac.  And on the other hand, is Cuccinelli once again jumping on something without finding out facts first?  It sounds like that is the case this time.

The Real Impact of the AG Abortion Clinic Opinion

MoonHowler

Rachel Maddow does an excellent job of showing how rights can be taken away by making whatever it is that people are trying to do  inaccessible.  Inaccessibility  substitutes for making an act illegal.  Its a rather cowardly, un-democratic means of getting one’s own political way.  Maddow  also interviews the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Maddow explains how hospital regulations would financially  burden abortion providers rather than making abortion safer (Double wide hallways, swinging doors, 15 mile proximity to emergency room, etc.) Cuccinelli’s explanation is vague and full of weasel words, so that the average Virginian really doesn’t know what is being said.

Cuccinelli  attempted draconian, technically illegal abortion legislation while he served in the Virginia Senate.  He was unable to ever pass his legislation.  Now he attempts to circumvent legislation by simply declaring his opinion to be law.  His attempts to codify his own opinion won’t fly for long. 

Cuccinelli will not last. Most people don’t like having other people in their bedrooms. It remains to be seen if McDonnell will execute Cuccinelli’s opinion into state policy. Meanwhile, Cuccinelli has driven Virginia so far to the cultural right that he endangers other Republicans who might not be extremists.

Finally, Maddow addresses something the rest of us have been aware of for a long time. There is a tendency to bully those who are pro-choice. Many pro-choice people feel too  intimidated to admit they are pro-choice, much less hold their legislators accountable for their votes. Every woman in Virginia must decide that the women of Virginia are capable of making their own morally appropriate choices. They need to decide today that they will not allow others to define them. Pro-choice is not being pro-abortion and do not let anyone tell you it is.

What’s All the Flap about Cuccinelli?

MoonHowler

The Right Wing extremists are all howling with delight over their boy Ken Cuccinelli socking it to them thar femi-nazis…..the pro-aborts.  It must be full moon.  Let’s take a look at what their glee is over:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has given a ruling that has the potential of skirting around legislation that the General Assembly as refused to enact since the early 1980’s.  Attorney generals’ opinions are not legally binding, as court rulings are. 

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