We all want to be sure our candidates “fit” the mold that we, as Conservatives, put in place. Much has been written on Dede Scozzafava, the NY-23 RINO that pretended to be a Republican. But is a litmus test a good idea to avoid this?

On the surface, it sounds good. But it should surprise no one that people will say anything to get elected, then forget the promises they made in the heat of the election. (President Obama ring a bell?)

The Washington Times published an article written by Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson, the co-founders of ProjectVirginia on this subject that is a must read.

GOP Litmus Test.
Here is a snippet.

Dede Scozzafava was the Republican candidate in last year’s special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, but she truly was a Republican for convenience. She had voted for nearly 200 tax increases in the New York Legislature. She was far from the conservative mainstream on economic, defense and social issues. But she had substantial name recognition, a formidable pile of money and a willingness to say or do whatever it took to get elected. She even signed the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) pledge not to vote for tax increases if elected to Congress.

We all know how it ended. A true conservative, running as an independent, passed her in the polls. So she quit the race, threw her support to the Democrat and caused the loss of a seat that had been in Republican hands for more than 100 years.

And in a follow-up article by Ralph Z. Hallow, it appears that the common sense approach favored by O’Connell and Pearson at ProjectVirginia was passed unanimously by the Republican National Committee on Friday.

Hopefully, the Republicans can say Bye-Bye to more Dede clones in the future.

Note: I received this letter from 5th District voter Clay Ramsay and think it is a great letter concerning the upcoming primary to purge Tom Perriello, a disgrace to all Virginians. Please note that Virginia Right! has not endorsed in this race as of yet, but any of those who have filed to run are far more qualified than the Progressive/Socialist we now have in office. Clay has started a new Conservative Blog, and it looks very good. Please check out OurFreedomRising.

I live near Charlottesville. I am of a conservative, libertarian, Constitutional frame of mind. I am concerned that our country is being led and pushed headlong off a cliff into what Reagan called “the dustbin of history”, aka the failed, dictatorial system of socialism.  I am writing this evening because I am concerned that we have an excellent opportunity to stop and reverse that trend, just as the people in Massachusetts just did, but we are in danger of blowing it.

In 2008, liberal Tom Perriello defeated six term congressman Virgil Goode by a few hundred votes.  It was a case of fortunate timing for Periello, as he slipped in on Obama’s coattails and dissatisfaction with Bush and Republicans in Washington.  However, a year later, this is a very vulnerable seat for the Democrats.  Buyer’s remorse has set in.  Citizens of the 5th district still want Hope and Change, but now, rather than an empty, feel good slogan, it has became a rallying cry of Tea Party anger.

So, given such a promising situation, how is it that we are in danger of blowing it in the 5th District?  We have 7 candidates seeking the Republican nomination, six of whom are very much in the conservative, limited government camp.  The remaining candidate, State Senator Robert Hurt takes generally conservative positions, except that he cannot explain away his votes for the two largest tax increases in Virginia history, votes on which he abandoned his party.  In spite of that, it appears he has been chosen by the national party as the nominee apparent.  Republican Whip Eric Cantor has given Hurt’s campaign over $7,000.  In addition, he is the beneficiary of the 5th District Party decision to select the nominee by taxpayer paid primary than by the convention that was requested by all the other candidates and by the local Tea Parties.  Unless the field is narrowed prior to the primary, the conservative vote will be split six ways, meaning that we could have a nominee whose position is supported by less than 20% of the voters.

This really is a shame, because we do have six good candidates who have stepped forward out of desire to serve their district, state and nation. They have each done so at great personal cost in time, wealth and in sacrifice for their families. They did so in expectation of a level electoral playing field.  It appears that will not be the case, but they are persisting.  All six are participating in a series of candidate forums sponsored by the Tea Parties.  Senator Hurt refuses to participate in these forums.

It is more than a shame, it is a potential disaster, because Senator Hurt is the one Republican candidate who probably cannot defeat Periello, in spite of the backing of the national party.  From what I have seen and heard, he cannot motivate the base throughout the 5th district.  The votes for Democratic tax increases are deal killers.  He says he was misled.  The voters are in no mood to accept representatives who can be duped into voting for big government.  The tide has turned.  It is a question of character and absolute commitment to principle.

I attended the recent Tea Party sponsored Candidates Forum in Charlottesville. In front of a packed crowd of about 400 citizens, six candidates explained their positions on a wide variety of issues.  One candidate stood mute. It was a cardboard cut-out of Senator Hurt, who chose not to appear at Tea Party sponsored Forums.  I have also studied the websites of all the candidates.  They are all very strong on stopping and reversing the outrageous spending and abuse of power in Washington.  I would give my full support and vote to whichever of these candidates wins the nomination.   I could not vote for Senator Hurt. My feeling is that if the choice is between two candidates who both support big government, I would rather that responsibility rest with Democrats.

I hope that conservatives all around the state will look closely at the candidates in this race. It is going to be one of the closely watched races around the country, as it was a conservative seat that went Democratic.  Will it swing back, or will it continue to be a guaranteed vote for socialism?

I think the candidate best suited to win this race is Michael McPadden.  He was a Navy pilot for 22 years, and is now a commercial pilot for Delta.  His goal is to be a very active member of the new wave of conservatives who will be elected in 2010. He is strongly motivated to return our Federal government to the constitutional principles on which it was founded.  His website contains a great deal of policy information and about 20 video clips of position statements.  Please check him out at www.mcpaddenforcongress.com

Clay Ramsay

For those of you that have not yet subscribed to our new Attorney General’s News Letter, the Cuccinelli Compass, below is the latest version. This one shows that Ken is already hard at work fixing the many wrongheaded mistakes made by the Kaine Administration.

It is really great to have a governor we can trust not to release murderers and looking out for the underhanded “drive by”, sour grapes items Kaine thrust upon Virginians in the closing days of the failed Administration.

These guys truly are looking out for us!

Statement from former Governor George Allen

Allen: “Americans want job opportunity and debt reduction ideas emitted from government.”

Mt. Vernon, Va. – Former Governor and U.S. Senator George Allen issued the following statement today in reaction to President Obama’s new rules that the federal government reduce its emissions by 28% over the next decade:

“President Obama’s call for a 28% reduction in the federal government’s emissions is a worthy goal if it reduces taxpayers’ costs by 28%. Government must operate more efficiently by adopting the most innovative technologies, systems and equipment for heating, cooling, and illuminating government buildings, and reducing transportation and operational costs.

“Virginians and Americans wish to be served by an Administration looking to cut government spending as well as government emissions. Washington is creating a nightmare scenario with unprecedented deficits, steep inflation and potential sharp tax increases to pay for burgeoning debt. Americans are concerned that this unprecedented, dangerous debt will mean our children will not enjoy the same levels of opportunity that past American generations have enjoyed to achieve the American Dream.

“The Administration’s “spending freeze”, which amounts to a less than 1% reduction in spending sometime after elections this November, does not go far enough. Additionally, although the White House anticipates $15 billion in savings with this “freeze”, it has already spent almost $900 billion on a failed stimulus that has created no jobs, and is proposing upwards of $100 billion more in “stimulus”. We the people call on the President and Congress to set spending reduction goals closer to 28% than 1%.”