I am currently reading, for perhaps the 4th time in my life, the book written by the godfather of Community Organizers Saul Alinsky. The book, of course, is Rules for Radicals.
This time through, I am digesting the contents far more ravenously than my previous reads. The first time I read it it had a completely different contextual appeal. I was a young, long haired college kid at one of the most liberal universities in the country, Virginia Commonwealth University, or VCU.
The year was 1972 and the Vietnam war was still on all the young hippie’s minds. Many of my friends were into the protest thing, but being the son of an 82nd Airborne Veteran, I had too much respect for the military to join the protests, but I was pretty sure that I was against war in general.
Several of my friends were reading the Alinsky book and one of them passed it on to me. I read it, and promptly forgot most (but not all) of it. But I knew as I read it I was no radical and the book was not written for me. So I passed it on to someone else.
But as I grew up and grew older and found that the Conservative tag fit me well, I began seeing some of the tactics that I remembered from R4R (Rules for Radicals). So I picked up the book and read it again. Suspicion confirmed. The Democrats were using some of the tactics Alinsky wrote about.
After the Bush-Kerry election went so wrong for the Democrats, the Progressives moved to the front of the pecking order thumping the Alinsky book like a bible. And I read the book again.
Having this book is a bit like the Washington Redskins being legally allowed to purchase the Dallas Cowboys playbook along with their signals right before the big game. It is an amazing asset.
And as I re-read R4R once again, it smacks you like a freight train that everything these Progressive “Democrats” do is right from the book.
I have asked a number of my Conservative friends if they have read the book. Few have. I guess they don’t see themselves as radicals.
But apparently someone at the Republican National Committee has read R4R. And it shows.
And even better, the Democrats are coming completely unglued. It is absolutely hilarious.
For example, the Obama campaign came out with a new slogan. “Forward.” And the RNC (and others) promptly began ridiculing the slogan. “Forward? – What, off the cliff?” And the numerous Photoshopped imitations have been everywhere.
And then there was Julia. RNC Chairman Priebus said “I don’t want my daughter to grow up like Julia.”
And the Daily Caller compiled the Top 10 ‘Julia’ tweets. A couple of my favorites:
7.) CaseyGeorge: #Juliadied at age 78. She voted Democrat until age 92
2.) David Burge: #Julia“at 37, Julia completes her Masters degree in Interactive Website Design. At 43, she gets a job pulling a solar powered rickshaw.”
And then there was this one that I call a “twofer”.
Not only did that ridicule Obama for the Julia effort, it also got in a dig at left wing candidate Elizabeth Warren getting caught claiming minority status as a “Native American” because her G-G-Grandfather had high cheek bones.
All funny stuff and the liberals are all wee-weed up about it.
Let’s check with Uncle Saul and his “Rules” to see what is going on here.
Alinsky wrote: “The Fifth Rule: Ridicule is mans most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage.”
Bada-bing!
Almost impossible to counterattack. That says a bunch. How long has the left used tactic against us stogy, old humorless Republicans?
One lefty on a FoxNews spot today tried the “Well, at least we offer solutions, all you do is ridicule and offer nothing!”
Umm. Yea.
Kinda like the “Push Granny over the cliff” Paul Ryan Budget Plan?
That is a classic example of the left using humor – a tactic Alinsky says will allow people to accept something that they would not accept if it were presented in a serious discussion.
But they have no answer when you ridicule them, wait for the accusation and then bring up the 3 years since the Senate passed a budget.
And besides, it’s fun to ridicule the left and leave them in a sputtering, stuttering mass of blubber.
Which brings up Rule 6: A good tactic is one that your people enjoy. If your people are not having a ball doing it, there is something very wrong with the tactic.
And most of us are enjoying the fact that the left has no answer to throwing their own playbook back in their face. That is almost as much fun as making the left the butt of these jokes.
So, should Republicans keep this up? Alinsky says yes!
The tenth rule: The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign. It should be remembered not only that the action is in the reaction but that action is itself the consequence of reaction and of reaction to the reaction, ad infinitum. The pressure produces the reaction, and constant pressure sustains action.
And on the heals of Obama “spiking the football” with bin Laden and watching his poll numbers slide, the pressure is definitely on. And we must keep it going. And it is important to consider the fact that Alinsky realized that you can use a tactic too long. Not the general style of the tactic, but the event that is the subject of the tactic.
Alinsky said “In a fight almost anything goes. It almost reaches the point where you stop to apologize if a chance blow lands above the belt.”
That is the mentality we are dealing with. Anything goes because the ends justify the means. These people are radicals and they are using radical tactics. Know the tactics and you can recognize them. And use their own tactics against them effectively.
In the beginning of his book, Alinsky cautioned that the Revolution, the change towards Socialism, must be slow and subtle or you risk a Counterrevolution. Obama, who is even more a narcissistic half-wit then Alinsky ignored that advice believing himself smarter than everyone. And he made a grave mistake.
The TEA Party is the Counterrevolution Alinsky feared. The Progressive left recognizes that now that it is too late. They tried to laugh us off with ridicule. They adopted the lies and below the belt tactics. They threw the book at us and we are still here.
Growing. Morphing. Changing. Learning.
We are learning to use their own words and tactics against them.
And it is working and it will continue to work.
Republicans cannot take the high ground and allow the left to dig out the foundation beneath our feet.
The performances of the Republican U.S. Senate Candidates was widely reported without much news being made, the candidates stuck very close to their platforms. E. W Jackson was to have scored some points with his impassioned and fiery delivery. Outside that one note it was not far off from what was expected. To the credit of all four of the Republican candidates the major issues facing the U.S. and equally important their proposed remedies were the focus of the discussions.
Contrast that with the same days news of former Governor and Democratic Senate candidate Tim Kaine and the reports of how he spent his day. First a meeting on Social Security & Medicare in Roanoke, then on to Richmond to hold a meeting on Women’s Issues. With the “game on” for the fall elections it is abundantly clear just what strategy the Democrats have in store as their main campaign theme. Divide and conquer is the only hope they have of retaining the White House and clinging to a narrow majority margin in the U.S. Senate.
Scare the seniors with stories on how Republicans will destroy the social safety net and horrify women on how the Republicans have a secret plan to drag women back to the turn of the 19 th Century. Major issues such as energy policy, or the lack thereof, and entitlement reform are clearly not on their radar screen. Certainly they can’t run on the dismal record of the last 3 ½ years, which leaves them with the only tried and true option that they sadly have left.
The Democratic party today is comprised of a handful of well defined factions, identity politics all the way. They refuse to address in any meaningful way the real problems that the nation faces starting with the fiscal insolvency . They have only one card left to play, scare various identity groups and hope to form just enough of a coalition to guide themselves to election victory. “ Pandering to fear” should be their bumper sticker , it is all they philosophically know.
Informed citizens can’t be that easily duped. The growing unease and recognition the Nation is on the wrong path is showing up in the polls as a driving factor in how people will vote. Republican candidates need to take this grand lie strategy head on and patiently explain to the very voters the Democrats are trying to scare that left unchecked these programs will collapse, and soon if they are not reformed. The phony women’s rights war is even easier. If it comes up in a debate just tell the truth, a woman graduating from Georgetown Law is expected to earn on average $160,000 her first year. She can afford her own contraception without asking taxpayers to pay for it. God forbid she elect to stay home.
Democrat leaders claim they’re concerned about the high prices Americans are paying at the pump, but they continue to demonstrate that they’re not interested in changing some basic policies that could produce more and cheaper American energy.
According to The Hill, “Senate Democrats will hold firm and reject House Republican demands to include approval of the Keystone oil pipeline in transportation funding legislation, their leader said Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would not in any way help Republicans move Keystone approval across the finish line. ‘Personally, I’m not — I’m not one of the conferees — but personally I think Keystone is a program that we’re not going, that I am not going to help in any way I can,” Reid told reporters. ‘The president feels that way. I do, too.’”
Meanwhile, another Hill story reports, “Interior Secretary Ken Salazar blasted House Republicans on Tuesday for pursuing ‘fairy tale’ energy policies he said are aimed at scoring political points going into the election. . . . Salazar, echoing comments by the president, stressed that there are no quick-fix solutions to high gasoline prices, which have soared since December . . . .” It’s worth recalling that four years ago when Salazar was a Democrat senator from Colorado, he blocked a bill that would have allowed more offshore drilling as gas prices increased. But Salazar objected to the bill, calling more drilling for American energy “a phantom solution.”
To summarize, we have a president that blocked the Keystone XL pipeline, a Senate Majority Leader who says of the pipeline “I am not going to help in any way I can,” and an Interior Secretary who refers to projects like Keystone backed by Republicans as “fairy tale” energy policies and “phantom solutions.”
Yet other Democrats are not so intransigent. Last week, The New York Times reported, “President Obama is finding himself increasingly boxed in on the Keystone pipeline fight as more Congressional Democrats are joining Republicans in backing the project, which has strong labor support and could generate significant numbers of jobs in economically hard-hit states.” Early last month 11 Senate Democrats voted for a Republican amendment “to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project and provide for environmental protection and government oversight.” Recently, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said, “I’m fighting for construction of the entire Keystone pipeline” and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) declared, “I’m for the pipeline.”
Last week, 69 Democrats in the House voted for a transportation bill that included a provision that would allow construction of the full Keystone XL pipeline to move forward. According to the NYT, “Representative Dennis Cardoza, a California Democratwho voted for the House measure, said he would be happy to vote to override a veto if needed. He said:‘I think the president has made a very serious mistake here. I’m still supporting the president. But we have to do what’s right.” Asked by The Times if he’d support such a bill Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said, “I would vote for it, yes.”
It’s time for President Obama, Harry Reid, Ken Salazar and other Democrats leaders to stop listening to environmentalist pressure groups and start listening to Americans who want more and cheaper domestic energy, not to mention the growing chorus of Democrats who support the Keystone Xl pipeline. The Keystone pipeline would allow us to import less oil from foreign countries, more efficiently move American oil, and create tens of thousands of jobs. It’s a no-brainer, and it’s long past time for Democrat leaders to stop blocking it.
The latest Gallup poll shows Mitt Romney leading Barack Obama by 5 points 48% to 43%.
As the Republican Primary draws to a close and everyone has come to the realization that Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican nominee, voters are starting to move away from the failed policies of Obama and are looking for real leadership.
As the Republicans have all but stopped ripping one another and focused their attention on Obama, the efforts are starting to move the needle.
And one of the biggest factors in the shift from Obama has been the focus that the Republican Party has begun to place on the failures and outrageous lies from the Obama Administration.
These two ads are having a big impact. And using Obama’s own words and promises to remind voters of all the rainbow promises this man made and has failed to deliver on has opened a lot of eyes.
And just as effective is the number of Administration officials and Obama cronies who are now being forced to testify in front of Congress about their misdeeds. And for an administration that has nothing but hatred and disdain for the US Constitution, it appears these Obama supporters have found a favorite amendment – the 5th!
Not since the last Democratic Administration have we seen so many people refuse to answer questions because they fear criminal charges.
Once again, President Obama took time today to press for a tax hike, his “Buffett Tax,” instead of addressing unemployment, high gas prices, or even this country’s debt crisis. Of course, the Buffett Tax would do basically nothing to help solve any of these serious problems.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell blasted Obama’s focus on this tax hike in a statement this morning, saying, “Sadly, an administration that promised it would focus on jobs is wasting yet another day on a political event that won’t take a single person off the unemployment line. With millions out of work, gas at nearly $4.00 a gallon, and the election still seven months away, Republicans are calling on the President to join us in support of the dozens of jobs and energy bills that have passed the House but are stalled in the Democrat-led Senate. We should be focused on jobs and energy legislation that can pass—not tax-hike show-votes designed to fail.”
The White House itself has said that the Buffet Tax “was never our plan to bring the deficit down and get the debt under control” and according to The Hill today, “Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Wednesday acknowledged GOP criticisms that the Obama administration’s Buffett Rule ‘isn’t going to balance the budget,’ but argued that the proposal was important as a matter of ‘values’ and ‘fairness.’ ‘This is an issue about fairness,’ Coons said on MSNBC. ‘It isn’t going to balance the budget, but it is important for values and for showing some fairness.’”
And National Journalwrote yesterday that “[i]f you’re an unemployed American . . . . you’ll realize the Buffett Rule has nothing to do with helping you, or 13 million other Americans looking for work as of March, find a job.”
Interestingly, the president was rather defensive about his tax proposal this morning. The AP notes, “President Barack Obama says his call for raising taxes on millionaires is not a redistribution of wealth . . . .” And Yahoo News writes, “President Barack Obama defended his ‘Buffett Rule’ proposal for higher taxes on the very rich Wednesday, denying it was a reelection campaign ‘gimmick’ that will do little to close the deficit or spur job growth.”
Of course, National Journal pegged the Buffett Tax yesterday, with an analysis piece concluding that it is in fact a political gimmick: “[I]t tells America’s job-seekers, don’t worry, we’re going to make the tax code look more fair to you. Lots of polls suggest that’s a good political argument. But that’s what it is: a political pitch.”
President Obama’s preemptive criticism last week of the Supreme Court as it considers the constitutionality of his health care continues to face scrutiny.
Speaking in Lexington, Kentucky, on Thursday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell took a dim view of the president’s complaints about the Court. “[A]pparently,” he said, “President Obama didn’t like the tenor of some of the questions the justices asked about the health care law during last week’s hearings, questions that highlighted the unprecedented power that the administration now has over your and everybody else’s health care as a result of its passage . . . The truth is, if this law’s in trouble, it’s because giving the government this much power is hard to defend, not because a few justices had the temerity to suggest as much. But the President seems to be saying that you’re an activist if you’re not stretching the limits of the limited powers the Constitution gives to the federal government.”
In a post on its fact-checking blog today, The Washington Post examines the arguments Obama made and finds them particularly misleading. The piece points out, “It’s clear that Obama’s ‘unprecedented’ comment was dead wrong, because the Supreme Court’s very purpose is to review laws that are passed by the nation’s democratically elected Congress — regardless of how popular or well-intentioned those laws may be.” Further, “Congress didn’t pass the Affordable Care Act with a strong majority. The vote in the House of Representatives, for instance, was 219 to 212, with no Republicans supporting and 34 Democrats opposing the measure.” Also, The Post adds, “It’s worth noting that the White House keeps changing its tune on how the public should interpret Obama’s comments. On Friday, a spokesman told us the president was referring to ‘major economic legislation.’ So now we’ve gone from altogether ‘unprecedented,’ to ‘economic issues’ to just ‘major economic legislation.’”
After discussing some of the Supreme Court precedent and legal history, the fact-checking article concludes, “First of all, the president has a rather distorted view of what constitutes a ‘strong majority’ if he thinks the Affordable Care Act vote makes the cut. Not only was the victory achieved by a margin of just a few votes in the House, but the supporters were from only one political party—his own. Second, Obama’s remarks implied that the Supreme Court would be acting in extreme fashion by overturning the health-care law. That isn’t necessarily true. Some would say that invalidating an economic regulation isn’t extraordinary at all. . . . On balance, the president earns two Pinocchios—which means creating ‘a false, misleading impression by playing with words and using legalistic language that means little to ordinary people’—for his comments about the pending Supreme Court decision.”
The schools in Hanover County probably don’t like me a whole lot. When Mechanicsville Elementary School recently began using a program that was created by a group called the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) that ostensibly wants to make things better for everyone by promoting a “no name calling week” I wrote about it. Not that the program was a bad thing, but the group behind the idea has an agenda.
And it’s not that I have a problem with Gays or Lesbians. But I do have a problem with the brainwashing. Our schools do not exist and we do not pay taxes to promote the social agenda of Liberal groups. Nor should our taxes support Conservative social agenda. This is outside of the job the taxpayers pay teachers and schools to do. If you want to teach your children about God or promote homosexuals, that is a parent’s choice. And right. But it is not the job of the schools.
And neither is promoting one political party over another as a teacher in Fairfax, Virginia is doing.
According to the Daily Caller:
A Virginia elementary school teacher told her students that “Republicans are stupid” and “they don’t care about anyone but wealthy people and businesses.”
Kristin Martin said this to her 6th grade class as Republican voters were filing into the halls of Powell Elementary School in Fairfax County to vote on Super Tuesday.
“It all started when this disabled kid came in and named all the Republicans candidates for Super Tuesday,” one student told The Daily Caller. “She [Martin] said to him, ‘I don’t like them, I think that they are stupid.’”
Martin’s statements were “brainwashing” students, according to one mother, who said she is a Republican and asked not to be named to protect her daughter from retaliation.
“I felt like the teacher was brainwashing naive, young children to believe people like me, my family and, to a certain extent, my daughter, were stupid,” she told TheDC via email.
Additionally, her daughter relayed that Martin told the classroom that she had voted for Obama and that “Democrats do more for the community and schools.”
This teacher would have most likely been fired if she spoke against Barack Obama or any Democrat. But because most of the people to whom she answers share the same political leaning in all likelihood, she will probably be taken aside and told to pretend she was reprimanded and asked to be more subtle when promoting the school’s agenda.
And the parent fears retaliation against her child so she did not want to have her name published. What kind of environment have these liberals created for our children? The teachers and administrators have become bullies to anyone that does not share their liberal views. And perhaps the teachers know what I was trying to expose with “No Name Calling Week”. It is not about the names that the liberals call people. It is about the ones they disagree with. It is fine for a Teacher to belittle the views of a 6th grader who happens to be Conservative as long as we respect the groups that vote Democrat.
What a crock! How are kids supposed to respect teacher when the teachers bully and belittle them until they either shut up or change their views.
I talk to school administrators and teachers frequently. When I did a series of articles exposing the anti-Christian – pro-Islam bias in the Virginia SOL’s, I spoke to several fairly high ranking administrators who whispered that they agree with me but fear reprisals if the “come out” as a Conservative.
And teachers who happen to be conservative are afraid to admit it and careful of who they tell when the do admit they are Conservative. But the liberals never have to worry about letting their political views “slip”. Because they are all expected to share the view that only Democrats want to educate children and Republicans hate kids, or some such nonsense.
This has to end. Our schools are supported 100% by taxpayer dollars. These dollars may come from Local, State or Federal sources, but they all come from taxpayer’s pockets.The environment in our schools is poisoned. It is tainted with the stench of politics. The fact that the politics is that of the far left is annoying, but any political agenda that filters down into the school is simply unacceptable. From the Principal to the classroom, politics has no place there whatsoever.
This teacher, Kristin Martin, should be fired. And the people on the right should listen to the words of the late Andrew Breitbart. CALL THEM OUT! Call out these hypocrites. When you see a double standard, say something.
I want to politely let you know that I do not appreciate your
poisoning children’s minds with your politics. My tax dollars pay you
to teach Virginia’s children a core curriculum that does not include
your personal political views.
The fact that your supervisors and superiors most likely have the same
point of view probably means you will escape repercussions for your
reprehensible statements in the classroom, but I am urging the state
to consider terminating or suspending you from teaching.
And it is absolutely intolerable that you have created such a hostile
environment in your classroom that the parent who “blew the whistle”
on you is afraid of repercussions against her child if you knew who
that parent was.
My heart goes out to the children who are forced to suffer in such a
hostile situation.
And I call on Governor McDonnell to take the lead in eliminating the hostile atmosphere in our schools that are pushing a political agenda. This has to stop! Our children’s future is in doubt enough with the massive debt they will inherit. At the very least they should be able to form their own opinion on the politics.
Primaries are about momentum. Once it becomes inevitable, or nearly so, the voters begin lining up behind the winner. And that looks to be what is happening in Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum’s home state.
Mitt Romney now leads in Pennsylvania by 5 points – 42% to 37% according to a new PPP poll.
The only candidate with a path to victory now is Romney.
There are a lot of people who had hoped that Republicans could nominate a strong Conservative to defeat Barack Obama. And for those who see Romney as a Moderate, it is a bit of a let down.
But these people are now getting behind Mitt Romney because the bottom line is, we must defeat Barack Obama in November.
It is time for Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul to come to terms with reality. Romney is the nominee and it is time to stop beating one another up and turn to Barack Obama.
There is a lot of work to be done before the election and Republicans must begin the process of coming together behind the nominee.
Santorum has announced that he will be taking the next 4 days off. Let’s hope he decides to withdraw. That is the smart move at this point.
Well, last Thursday was a day like most any other. I had an afternoon conference call with Senator Rand Paul to discuss the new budget plan the Republicans are releasing, then I hopped in the car and drove over to the campaign Headquarters of US Senate Candidate George Allen and proceeded to “crash” his birthday Party.
Well, not exactly crash. I was invited to a blogger’s event that apparently didn’t materialize due to scheduling issues. But nobody told me!
Oops.
After a few embarrassed apologies from some red-faced staffers, I told them it was no big deal. I’d catch up with Governor Allen many more times before the primary. If you haven’t noticed, he is pretty much everywhere these days! And he is scheduled to speak at the local Republican Committee meeting this week as part of an ongoing “meet the candidate” series that featured Candidate Jamie Radtke the previous meeting.
It seems that after a quick celebration of the Governor’s birthday (it was the silver anniversary of his 35th birthday!) featuring campaign manager Mike Allen paying off on a money bomb “bet” (they hit the goal!) by singing happy birthday, the Governor had a radio call in spot to do and then off to another event.
I was fine with heading on to my next appointment that day a bit early, but George Allen wouldn’t hear of it.
After the not too bad serenade, George Allen wolfed down a bit of birthday cake (Susan – he skipped most of the icing) he called me into his office to chat a bit before he had to call into the radio show.
Well, I mentioned in the title that I had a conference call with Senator Rand Paul to discuss the Senator’s budget plan entitled “A Platform to Revitalize America: Senator Rand Paul’s Balanced Budget for FY2013“.
The plan balances the budget in 5 years by reducing spending $11 Trillion Dollars over President Obama’s massive and bloated budget. The plan not only balances the budget, but achieves a $111 Billion surplus by 2017.
One of the more intriguing aspects of the plan is the total elimination of Medicare in favor of placing Seniors on the exact same medical plan that Congress uses. One thing that Republicans tend to do with entitlement reform is actually offer plans to fix them and allow them to remain solvent. Unfortunately, this approach involves spending less money and gives Democrats an opportunity to use scare tactics – especially with the elderly. You know how they like the optics of pushing old people in wheelchairs over a cliff.
But when a congressman actually invites the elderly to enjoy the same plan that they use, well, Democrats are going to look pretty silly trying to trash that one.
I discussed this aspect of the plan with Allen a bit, but the Governor had not seen anything on the plan, so it is unfair to ask him to comment on the record on something he has not seen. But the plan also eliminates several departments such as the Department of Commerce, Education (retains Pell Grants) HUD and Energy – but transfers nuclear research and weapons to DOD. And it privatizes the TSA, repeals ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank, opens ANWR for oil and gas exploration and permits the XL Pipeline.
I asked Senator Paul to expand on the Medicare aspect and it should be noted that per senior annual expenditures go from $11,000 per person to $7,000 per person while out of pocket expenses and co-pays go down. It is pretty amazing what free markets can do!
Here is a copy of the highlights.
So after a few minutes, it was time for Allen to call into a radio station for an interview. Taking that as my cue to leave, I began to rise. George Allen put the call on speaker and told me to have a seat.
I was OK with that!
Unfortunately, the telephone speaker was not cooperating with radio technology and the former Governor was forced to pick up the receiver. It was a bit awkward only hearing one end of the conversation, but I could pretty much guess the questions by the answers.
But one got pretty heated.
“I refuse to discuss internal personnel issues,” Allen said sternly.
Had I missed something? Did someone leave the Allen campaign that escaped my radar? (Mike Allen’s ‘Happy Birthday’ rendition wasn’t a firing offense, was it?)
George continued “Ill only say the Redskins need work at the Quarterback position.”
Ahhh. This was about Peyton Manning. In the interest of full disclosure I have been a Colt’s fan since Johnny Unitas was their QB. So, Manning is a hot topic with me and there was speculation that the Redskins may be interested, but Denver seems to have the upper hand right now.
After his interview ended, we discussed football a bit more and moved to Energy. George Allen is an expert on the subject and I mentioned that there was a vote in the Senate (according to Senator Paul) on bypassing President Obama’s decision to bow to pressure from radical environment groups and kill the XL Pipeline which would bring Canadian oil to American refineries providing jobs and a much needed oil supply from a friendly nation.
As we were talking, the vote came in. The measure failed, but managed 57 votes. It needed 60, but that indicated there was some Democratic support.
And Allen started enumerating the names of the Democrats he thought probably voted for the pipeline and was spot on with all of his “guesses”. He is familiar with the jobs and energy situation in every state and instinctively knew which Democrats would be natural allies on energy issues.
As we left the Parham Road Headquarters, a thought occurred to me.
A number of people take issue with Washington “insiders” and politicians in general. The fact that the radio host asked George Allen about Peyton Manning and the Redskins made me think. Allen could also be considered a football insider. His knowledge, experience and opinions are what makes radio show hosts ask his opinion on Manning. When have you ever heard anyone ask Tim Kaine about football? The truth is, it is not his area of expertise (although I’m not sure what his area of expertise might be). But Allen’s opinion matters.
And to those who think a Washington “insider” is not qualified to run the country, why should politics be different than football?
I watched the wheels turn in Allen’s head as wondered if the Senate Republicans had squeezed every Democratic vote out on the XL Pipeline.
It might not be popular these days to be considered an insider, but there is value in the experience and knowledge that comes with being an insider.
When is the last time you heard anyone ask Peyton Manning his opinion on the XL Pipeline?
Honestly, the last time I saw such a budget disaster, our last Democratic Governor Tim Kaine was behind it. Governor McDonnell and the Republicans had such a royal mess to clean up that we all knew it would not be easy.
In fact, if you recall, the last budget Tim Kaine tossed out to the General Assembly was so bad, raised so many taxes and still fell short of closing the budget gap that not a single Democrat voted for it!
And it looks like the budget demands from Donald McEachin and the far left Progressives in the Virginia Senate have found Timmy’s old, dusty budget and resurrected it!
Here we are, stuck in the Obama Recession and the Senate Democrats want to party! To the tune of $489.1 million in new expenditures and $128.4 million in new TAXES.
Here comes the Timmy Kaine part -math was apparently not Timmy’s best subject – the budget is $360.7 million in the hole!
We are already paying $40 more per tank of gas since Timmy Kaine’s buddy Barack took over and shut down oil production and convinced the oil producers that he is a weakling by apologizing!
Timmy Kaine and Donald McEachin sure do have a lot in common when it comes to raising taxes and busting budgets!
Those intended to “take the pulse” and get an accurate picture, and those skewed to attempt to influence thoughts and opinions.
Political candidates hire pollsters to get an accurate picture of how they are doing, where they are doing well, and where they need improvement.
These are the important ones.
Others run polls and intentionally skew the results to give the perception that their side is winning.
A recent NBC News-Marist Poll is a case study for polls trying to change the public perception that one candidate is falling behind.
A few days ago, Roanoke College came out with a poll showing George Allen rising to an 8 point advantage over Tim Kaine.
I am skeptical of all polls until I look at the numbers behind them. I am not interested in knowing the results of a poll that is not truly reflective the voters. I want the truth.
The Roanoke College poll was pretty well balanced. I like polls to have over 1,000 as a sample size, but if not, the ratios must be tightly controlled. Roanoke College passed my smell test. Based on the sample, I agree that Allen looks to have an 8 point lead, perhaps a bit less, but at least 5 points.
So when I saw a poll this weekend showing Tim Kaine had jumped to a 10 point lead, either something horrible had happened with the Allen that I had missed, or Kaine was Sainted.
Well, neither had happened. So I looked at the numbers behind the Marist Poll.
The quick answer came in the number of Democrats vs. the number of Republicans sampled.
In the Roanoke College poll, the mix of Republicans (30%), Democrats (28%) and Independents (31%) was pretty good. Virginia is pretty evenly split these days with the past couple of elections leaning a bit more to the Republican side.
And how evenly did the Marist Poll split the leanings? Well, not good at all. Those identifying as either a Democrat or leaning Democrat totaled 50%, Republican 36% and Independent just 14%.
So what gives with that? I can promise you that if this was a representative sample the Virginia Senate would not be in a 20-20 tie!
But even skewed polls tell us something.
Each candidate will get the majority of votes from their own party as well as a percentage of the Independents.
With 50% Democrats sampled in the poll, you would expect that Kaine would get most of the Democrats and some of the Independents. You would also expect the same from Allen. And if we consider the Democrats who will vote for Allen a wash with the Republicans who will vote for Kaine, we would expect Kaine to get 50% plus a few Indy’s and Allen to get 36% plus a few Indy’s.
So how did our Senate Candidates do?
Allen did pretty much as you could predict. 39%. All of the Republicans and some of the Indy’s.
And Kaine? He only got 48% which indicates that he does not even get all of the Democrats and none of the Indy’s.
So if this poll were properly weighted to reflect the actual political landscape of Virginia, Allen would have at least a 6 point lead over Kaine.
NBC News releasing such a skewed poll is no surprise. The fact that Marist would release such a skewed poll and risk damage to their reputation as a polling firm either means they are also in the Democrat’s tank or NBC paid them a lot of money for this.
Marist Polls normally doesn’t play politics this much.
They should really be ashamed of conducting such a biased poll and not at least attempting to weight the poll to reflect reality.
I have saved this poll to my archives. I will be watching Marist Polls more closely in the future.
And if they continue this pattern of skewed results, I might suggest a slight name change.
Roanoke College has released a new poll of Virginians that shows the presumptive Republican Candidate for US Senate George Allen increasing his lead over Democrat Tim Kaine 45% to 37%.
As always, I look at the numbers behind the polls to see if they pass my “believability” test, or if the results are skewed and need to be “normalized”.
This poll passes with only 1 bit of criticism, sample size.
I am not a fan of polls involving less than 1,000 respondents and this poll interviewed only 607. But to the credit of the Roanoke College, they did a few things that I believe more than make up for a smaller sample size.
One was including cell phones in the sample. 24% of those called were on cells. And they also rotated the order of the candidate names.
And the mix of Republicans (30%), Democrats (28%) and Independents (31%) was pretty good.
My conclusion is that Virginians are beginning to move away from Kaine and towards Allen. In a September 2011 poll, Allen led Kaine 42% to 39% which shows movement away from Kaine and towards Allen.
Interestingly, as voters move towards Allen compared to the Roanoke College September poll, they are moving towards Obama who had 36% compared to Romney’s 44% in September and now stands at 42% to Romney’s 43%.
That runs counter to the argument that if Obama does well in Virginia, Kaine will do well.
This poll indicates that Virginian’s prefer Allen to Kaine – even if more prefer Obama to Romney.
That is really bad news for Tim Kaine who is hoping for strong support for Obama to help him in November.
Rick Santorum had his biggest night last night picking up wins in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. While doing little to actually pick up delegates, the victory shows that Conservatives – particularly in the Heartland – are not fans of Mitt Romney’s brand of liberal politics. Squishy Republicans are not the answer for many Conservatives.
Another factor to consider is that this was the first contest after the Romney gaff that he “doesn’t care about the very poor”. And while that statement was taken out of context, the fact that it may have played a major role in the triple losses for Romney in Republican circles is foretelling as to the effect it will have in the General Election should Romney be the Republican nominee.
Centrist voters will not look past the Romney clip saying that he does not care about the very poor, which was a free gift to Democrats, and will play right into Obama’s hands as painting Romney as an out of touch “one-percenter“.
Just when you think Romney is destined to be the nominee, one small gaff, or one good night in a debate and his support dissipates faster than an Obama campaign promise.
Newt Gingrich looks to be about done. There will not be a third Newt rising unless something drastic happens.
What is clear is that Republicans are still not ready to settle on yet another less than acceptable candidate and many are still searching for a good alternative to Mitt.
This does not bode well for November and the Obama people must be grinning from ear to ear watching Republicans desperately search for a candidate.
I have made no bones about the fact that I do not believe Mitt Romney is the best man the Republicans could put forth to replace Barack Obama. Romney is a New England Republican, which in my book makes him a Liberal. A RINO if you prefer. But a Big Government proponent with a strong tendency to grow the welfare state as evidenced by his left leaning record as Governor of Massachusetts. I had seen no evidence that Mitt Romney could come in as President and fix the massive spending and entitlement mentality that exists in Washington DC. It had been my considered opinion that he will only make things worse.
Until I saw this video.
And the attacks that Romney is now facing about his time leading the Venture Capitalist firm Bain Capital have interested me only in seeing Candidate Romney’s ability to deal with the barrage he would face from Obama should he win the Republican nomination. And so far, he is not doing all that well fending off the attacks. But I have never had a problem with his record at Bain.
We were told by Newt Gingrich (who is the candidate I would most like to see debate Obama, but not necessarily the nominee) that once we look closely at the individual stories that people will see a different Mitt Romney and that people would be shocked. So, Gingrich had a video produced called “When Mitt Romney Came to Town” that you can view here if you have 28 minutes and 6 seconds you don’t plan to use constructively. (Well, Newt didn’t actually have anything to do with the video, some super PAC friends obliged. Wink. Wink.)
What you should know about it is that it is an attempt to cast Romney as a horrible person that destroyed lives and got rich in the process. And you are supposed to hate Mitt from this day on for his evil ways.
But it actually had the opposite effect on me, something I am sure the producers did not intend.
Romney was not made CEO of the group to “create jobs” – something he really needs to stop saying. He was placed in that position for one reason – to make money. I assume he understood the job description and set out to do the best he could and make as much money as he possibly could. This is something that comes with the territory with the free market and Capitalism. People don’t invest money and start businesses to create jobs. They do it to make a profit. Jobs are a byproduct of a good investment by someone else.
And Mitt Romney was successful at making money for the investors.
Were some individuals hurt? Of course. But the truth is, they may have been hurt worse without the investment from Bain. Romney didn’t go into healthy, profitable companies and drain them dry. He looked for the unsuccessful businesses that were poorly run. Companies that could, with enough financial backing and proper management, turn things around. And this often involved making the tough decisions that the old management failed to make, like letting people go and trimming costs, benefits and salaries to match what the company was able to sustain. If you make a product that can only be sold at a certain price to be competitive, then you have to make the item for less than the selling price. If you can’t do that, then you will be headed to bankruptcy court. Sometimes you have a good company with a good idea that is poorly executed. And it is destined to fail under those conditions.
When a group of investors like Bain buys a company, they believe they can turn it around, make it profitable, and then sell it for a profit and use that money to buy another. Sort of like the A&E Show “Flip this House” but with companies. “Flip this Company” if you will.
Sometimes, on the show, they buy a house, put a small investment in it and sell it for a huge profit. But other times, hidden damage and other realities make the investment a bust, so you salvage what you can and move on.
The examples they gave in the video about Romney were some of the “busts”. And there were no success stories in this production. It is like watching “Flip this House” where every house had major termite damage and cost far more than the market value of the place to fix.
And the people they found to disparage Romney were very real, as was their pain. These people suffered and I can see where they might want someone to blame. And it looks bad when you see the tears and the shaky voices and pained expressions to hear Bain actually made money while these people were “fired”.
For anyone that has ever owned a business and has been forced to let someone go because the company could no longer afford to pay them, this is never an easy thing. But if, by doing so, others can keep their jobs, it is something you have to do. And Bain knew there would be winners and losers. And for every sad story in this video, there must be countless others that kept their jobs and still have them because Bain came in and righted the ship. From most accounts, they had about a 70% success rate on turning around companies that were ready to shut the doors without intervention.
And a couple of the companies used as examples were, for me, problematic. DDI was a high tech company that went under shortly after the Tech Bubble burst. I really have my doubts that Bain had anything to do with their demise. Thousands of companies – some were top rated companies a few years earlier – shut down. Or downsized so much that there was little left. And another example was Ampad who was involved in a prolonged labor union dispute and the union refused to accept the offers from the new management. This was likely more to do with unsustainable union demands than big, bad Bain. And when they were unable to turn things around in a way that would leave the company viable, they cashed out. That’s how it works!
But what has given me pause to reconsider Mitt Romney at this point is his ability to make the tough choices with these companies to return them to profitability – or at least a sustainable level – or scrap them altogether. It might sound heartless, but that is exactly the approach we need with the entitlement programs that are bankrupting this country.
Jobs are not created by the government. They are a byproduct of good management. Everything about this country is poorly managed and unsustainable. What America needs now more than anything is someone with the experience to come in, assess the spending and entitlements, and actually lead us to the point where we can again make a profit. But the goals are not as lofty with America. We are not interested in making a profit, simply in breaking even – as in balancing the budget.
As heartbreaking as the stories in this video were, it seems that these people would have had Romney do exactly what Washington DC has been doing for far too long – kicking the can down the road and not making the necessary fiscal decisions – no matter how hard – to get things right again. The unions would have been fine demanding Romney invest more money in a money losing venture with no path to even break even. America has been on the same path for decades.
My earlier assessment of Romney may have been incomplete. Mitt Romney might have exactly the type of experience making the tough calls and decisions that America needs right now.
I am glad I watched the video with an open mind. Despite my preconceived bias against Romney, I came away with a totally different take on a Romney presidency. I am not ready to “fall in line” for Romney, but I see a possibility here. He actually has the strong experience we are looking for, the question is, will he be smart enough and able enough to convince voters that his Bain experience should actually be considered a positive thing? So far, he has not been able to do that.
Once again, Virginia has blazed the way in the State Political arena and set the stage for what we anticipate will be another historic Republican victory in Washington in November. Following the Virginia Republican surge in 2009, Republicans took over the US House in 2010 and got a lot closer in the US Senate. We look forward to replacing not only Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader, but President Obama as well in 2012.
And the many events of the year allowed Virginia Right! the opportunity to provide coverage of these events. And we try to provide not only coverage, but opinions and thoughts as well. While we have a decided right lean to the blog, we do our best to provide fair coverage and honest opinion without spin and hype. This is not always an easy task and we will not always win friends and stroke the egos of people and groups who happen to align themselves on the same (right) side of center as we are.
Much to the consternation of some who believe we should simply accept their version of reality, no one gets a pass. We will continue to respect honesty and integrity in our political leaders and we plan to continue to call those out who are (in out opinion) less than forthright in their actions and policies. When we believe criticism is earned and deserved, then criticize we shall.
Much of the media today has taken sides. And the result has been a free pass for noteworthy misdeeds from those with similar alignment. It is much more prevalent on the left than on the right, but it exists at both ends of the political spectrum.
If you seek pablum and shill-like affirmation of everything that emanates from anyone right of center, Virginia Right! may be of limited appeal to you. But if you seek honest coverage and honest opinion of people and events, that is why we exist. And we will continue to do our best to break down and analyze anything from polls to statements to political platforms.
That is what Virginia Right! has done and that is the path we will continue to follow.
And it is obviously a point of view that people find valuable. And Virginia Right! has appeared on the radar of a number of people and places worldwide. And while that notice and recognition is welcome, we consider it an award earned, not by those who blog or guest blog here, but by those who take time to read and consider the views and opinions expressed here. And who offer comments and opinions. And especially to those who disagree with out posts. While the opinions expressed here are our own, we respect and celebrate any and all opposing opinions. And we always appreciate anyone taking the time to agree or disagree.
So, we call your attention to a couple of accolades Virginia Right! has been granted and attribute them, not to ourselves, but to those who read and find something of value to add to the political discussion on this site.
And here is what you, our readers, have accomplished:
As of January 1, 2012, Virginia Right! is ranked in the top 100 in 3 categories at Technorati:
#41 in US Politics
#44 in World Politics
#55 in Politics (in general)
And I think it is fair to say that without the contributions of my co-blogger Sandy Sanders, Virginia Right! would not be in the top 100 in any of the three categories. Sandy’s uncanny knack of uncovering the hidden purposes of ICLEI and Agenda 21 along with his United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and Ron Paul coverages has added a depth and dimension to Virginia Right! that broadens the scope and appeal of this blog and brings readers that can experience and provide a great many more viewpoints and expose all readers to a far wider range of ideas than no single writer could ever hope to do.
And posts by Michelle Stanley have added yet another voice to the dialog.
In addition to the triple ranking at Technorati, Virginia Right! shares an award with the members of the Watchers Council where all 15 blogs in the council (including Virginia Right!) were named to the 2011 Fabulous 50 Blogs in the “Best Blog Ring” category.
And if you are not aware of the work done by the Watcher’s Council, I will tell you that this is one of the most outstanding assemblies of first rate bloggers in the world and Virginia Right is humbled and honored to be a part of this amazing and outstanding group of individuals. You may have seen the posts here on Virginia Right! with nominations posted mid week and winners announced at the end of each week. The way it works is, each Tuesday all 15 members submit a post of their own and a post from any other blog or non-mainstream site. These are compiled and posted and then on Thursday, we vote on two posts by other members, a first choice and a second choice, and then the same for two non-council posts. The winners are tallied and posted.
What this does is create a friendly competition each week among a group of right leaning writers to produce high quality posts and then face judging by other writers every week! It is like an exam on a weekly basis.
I believe this makes us all reach a little higher and work a little harder to produce high quality posts that will be judged by our peers. Pressure? You bet! But this is such a talented group of people that none of the members have a problem not making the top posts. The competition is stiff and winning is not easy. And it keeps us on our toes!
And Virginia Right! is also syndicated which helps with our National and International exposure. Before It’s News publishes stories from a number of sites, including Virginia Right! where every post on Virginia Right! is simultaneously posted on this very large site. And many of Sandy’s posts are syndicated at Freedom’s Phoenix, another highly popular news site.
In addition, Virginia Right! is syndicated at NewsTex where our posts may be legally purchased and re-posted on other sites.
What will come in 2012 is anyone’s guess at this point, but Virginia Right! plans to be in the thick of things and we have big plans for 2012!
One of the most amazing things to me is how rapidly this blog has grown. It seems like I have been doing this forever, but the fact is, Virginia Right! will celebrate only our third birthday on March 9, 2012! I don’t know yet what we will do to celebrate turning 3 years old, but some bit of a festive nature will definitely be in order.
We don’t know exactly what 2012 will bring, but we expect big things. And we wish one and all a safe, successful and happy New Year and please accept our sincere gratitude to all those that read Virginia Right! Sometimes it is a lot of work, but it is truly a labor of love and what we do is not for personal accolades or recognition, although those are a welcome thing, but to truly make America something that we can proudly pass on to future generations. And the America of today is not the legacy I or my generation would be proud to pass on.
Collectively, we can all be a small part of correcting the course of the country and returning sanity, prosperity and, most importantly, God to the Country!
Well, it’s down to three. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. The rest of the Republicans, Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann and now Rick Perry will not be participating in the Virginia Republican Presidential Primary in 2012. All failed to turn in the required signatures to comply with Virginia Electoral laws.
From the Republican Party of Virginia:
The Republican Party of Virginia has completed its examination of the nominating petitions filed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
After verifying the signatures submitted by the campaign, RPV has determined that Governor Perry submitted fewer than the 10,000 signatures required by the Code of Virginia.
As such, he has failed to qualify for the ballot and will not be included in the March 6 primary.
The sore loser Democrats were just sent packing from an ill advised whine fest to the courts. Senator McEachin, the chief loser in the case needs to drink his sour grapes in the corner by himself and accept the verdict from the voters.
The court just tossed McEachin on his ear.
How could a legislator and an attorney seriously believe that the courts should trash the concept of separation of powers and decide who gets what committee chairmanship?
The Lt. Governor is already the designated arbiter.
I suppose the only tactic left for the Democrats is to leave the state to avoid the will of the people. A cowardly move.
Maybe the Republicans will let you sit on a committee, Donald. After all, you have been such a gracious loser. Not!
the Dems have bent and broken the rules in the Senate for so long that the voters have said they are sick of it.
Yesterday’s chain of events has Republicans buzzing.
First, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who has become a folk hero among Conservatives had a bombshell of an announcement when it was disclosed (somewhat prematurely) that he plans to run for Governor of Virginia in 2013. Word is, he planned to make the announcement next week, but the news somehow made it’s way to the media.
But the timing is not exactly what Cuccinelli had in mind. One would speculate that he would have preferred to announce next week after this weekend’s Republican Advance (Republicans don’t retreat) to not disrupt the conversations at the annual Republican event.
But it is big news regardless of the timing. And it delighted Cuccinelli’s fans to say the least. And it has driven fear into the hearts of Democrats, Liberals and especially Progressives in the state.
And it also prompted a response from Lt. Governor Bill Bolling that a number of “engaged” Republicans and Conservatives find, frankly, disappointing.
Bolling’s office released the following statement, which says (in part):
“Needless to say, I am very disappointed by Mr. Cuccinelli’s decision to run for Governor in 2013. During the 2009 campaign, and since taking office in 2010, Mr. Cuccinelli had repeatedly stated that he intended to seek re-election as Attorney General in 2013 and that is what I and other Republican leaders had expected him to do. Unfortunately, he has now decided to put his own personal ambition ahead of the best interests of the Commonwealth and the Republican Party.
“In 2009, Governor McDonnell and I gave Virginia Republicans a blueprint for how to win statewide elections in Virginia. It started with our decision to join together and offer a united vision for the future of our state. In order to make that possible, I decided to seek re-election to the office of Lieutenant Governor and support Bob McDonnell’s campaign for Governor. Unlike Mr. Cuccinelli, I set aside my personal ambition and did what was right for the Commonwealth and our party.
Bolling comes off as feeling “entitled” to the job of Governor and bitter about facing competition. One colleague of mine called the Bolling statement “petulant whining”.
Most agree that it would have been stronger politically for Bolling to have welcomed Cuccinelli and all potential challengers to create a robust debate and an opportunity to give Virginians a choice in November 2013.
The Bolling statement reads “Unfortunately, he (Cuccinelli) has now decided to put his own personal ambition ahead of the best interests of the Commonwealth and the Republican Party.”
There is no political queue and no heir apparent in Virginia. And it is totally inappropriate to accuse Cuccinelli of putting his personal ambitions ahead of the best interests of the Commonwealth. Such a statement is both ironic and hypocritical.
Both of these gentlemen are more than qualified to be Governor of Virginia. Bill Bolling has done a remarkable job as Lt. Governor and has worked with the McDonnell Administration and has been a major part of the success of the Administration. His record is substantial and stands on it’s own merit.
Ken Cuccinelli has done an amazing job as Attorney General as well. He has done more in the interest of Liberty and state’s rights than any other Attorney General.
And the success of Bob McDonnell – our former Attorney General – is proof that one can successfully jump from AG to Governor and do well.
Bolling’s statement also mentions a “deal” that was struck in 2009 to avoid a costly primary and unify the party around Bob McDonnell. And we all applaud Bolling’s sacrifice in that deal.
And while Cuccinelli has stated his intentions to run for reelection as Attorney General, that is certainty not binding and it is perfectly acceptable for him to change his mind without being accused of putting personal ambition ahead of the best interests of the Commonwealth.
I have come to know Attorney General Cuccinelli as a very logical man. I have no doubt that if he did not believe that running for Governor was in the best interest of the Commonwealth, he would not do so.
Lt. Governor Bolling has a unique opportunity to prove his mettle and his leadership in the 2012 General Assembly session beginning next month. With a 20-20 split, his vote will be the most important one in the Virginia Senate on many bills. But the true test of his ability to lead will be in the organizational fight that comes first.
Democrats are demanding equal representation on every committee in a “power sharing” arrangement. And while a few years back, when the situation was reversed and the Democrats held the tie breaking Lt. Governorship, they were perfectly willing to grab the power and share nothing until a lone Democrat refused to go along with the plan. Of course, that Democrat was Virgil Goode who would eventually switch parties. But it was Goode’s refusal to go along with the other 19 Democrats that led to power sharing in 1996, not the good will and voluntary acquiescence of magnanimous Democrats.
Absent a turncoat Republican defecting, the Republicans, with proper leadership from Bolling, should take control.
Times are different this time around. The Senate Democrats have ignored – even broken – Senate rules by improperly killing legislation in prior sessions. And they redrew the Senatorial Districts in what can only be described as a power protection scheme for Democrat’s jobs. Absent these transgressions, a power sharing arrangement would be worth considering. But this bad behavior on the part of Democrats does not merit the reward of power sharing.
Bill Bolling has a difficult task ahead. How he leads will make or break his case to run for Governor.
Not a predetermined pecking order.
The statement from the Lt. Governor has placed a negative tone on an election that has not even started. And that is not in the best interest of the Commonwealth, although the Democrats are jumping with joy at the prospect of the internal fighting within the Republican Party that Bolling’s words are sure to spark.
What is in the best interest of both the Commonwealth and the Republican Party is to bury this silly nonsense, deal with the matter at hand (the Senate fight) and act like the Virginia Gentlemen that we know both to be.
