Received this e-mail today from Democratic political strategist, Paul Begala, regarding the 2014 Virginia Governor's Race:
My 28 years of political experience have taken me to all 50 states. And in all those years, in all those states, I don't believe I have ever seen a major party's candidate for governor in a swing state who has the extreme positions of Virginia GOP candidate Ken Cuccinelli.
Cuccinelli is a Tea Party favorite and a right-wing extremist. How extreme? Let me count the ways:
1. He hates Social Security and Medicare. In his book he specifically described those benefits - benefits earned by every American who pays into them -- this way: "These programs make people dependent on government."
2. He hates birth control. He has said people should be willing to go to jail to stop Obamacare from covering contraception.
Heard enough already from Cuccinelli and his right-wing friends? Click here to donate $15 or more to the DGA before our June 30 deadline – we’ll get it tripled and directly out to the field to help fight back against these radical extremists:
https://secure.democraticgovernors.org/...
3. He thinks Justice Scalia is too liberal. He told a right-wing think tank that Justice Scalia - perhaps the most right-wing member of the Supreme Court - goes along with too many Constitutional precedents: "Justice Scalia is in this category: ‘Well, we’ve been doing it wrong for a while, so now it’s part of the Constitution.’ I don’t buy that. I don’t buy that."
4. He attacked churches for helping the poor. Religious efforts to aid the poor, he said, "helped create a culture of dependency on government, not God."
5. He opposes a woman's right to choose. Even in the case of rape. Even in the case of incest. Even when a woman's health is in danger.
Okay. That's got to be enough to get you to click. $15 can save Virginia - and America - from these fanatics.
6. He used his power as Virginia's Attorney General to harass climate scientists. As Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has said: “In 2010, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli used his powers of office to harass former University of Virginia climatologist Michael Mann and 39 other climate scientists and staff.”
I could go on. Believe me, I could. But here's the question: is there any real chance a wack-job like Cuccinelli could actually become Governor of Virginia? The sad answer is yes. And there are millions of reasons why.
Right-wing activists will pour millions into Virginia this year. It's an off-year election in a state that Pres. Obama won. Every reject from the Star Wars bar scene is going to be pumping money into Virginia: from the Koch Brothers (who love a climate denier) to Karl Rove (who loves power) to the Pat Robertson fringe (who love, love, love Cuccinelli and want to enact his ultra-right-wing agenda).
That's why I'm writing you. This is much bigger than Virginia. If the GOP can elect an Obamacare-hating, Planned Parenthood attacking, anti-choice, anti-gay extremist in Virginia just one year after Pres. Obama carried the state, it will encourage their most radical elements.
Knowing Cuccinelli can’t win Virginia on his extremist record, the predictable cast of right-wing heavyweights is parachuting in. Rove’s spewing his usual nonsense, the Koch brothers are writing checks and ex-Romney staffers have formed a new PAC called “America Rising” to follow Terry everywhere and twist his words into nasty attacks.
Click here right now. I mean it. Your $15 - tripled by a donor - will help us fight Rove, the Kochs and the Romney retreads and defend working families, LGBT Americans and women in Virginia and across the country:
https://secure.democraticgovernors.org/...
And if we don’t act now, it just might be too late.
We can’t waste any time getting out the truth about Cuccinelli’s radical agenda. The alternative – Cuccinelli and anti-choice, anti-gay, LG candidate E.W. Jackson in the governor’s mansion – is just too terrifying. Please give before our June 30 deadline – just 3 days away.
Click here to donate $15 or more to the DGA – with so much at risk, we just can’t fall short:
https://secure.democraticgovernors.org/...
Thanks,
Paul Begala
You can click here to donate to the Democratic Governors Association to help beat The Cooch:
https://secure.democraticgovernors.org/...
Now I may not be a fan of Terry McAuliffe (D) but Virginians don't deserve to have Cuccinelli as their Governor. They're way, way better than that. But I am a fan of Senator Tim Kaine (D. VA) who is also helping raise money for McAuliffe:
If there's one thing I've learned in my years representing the people of Virginia, it's that the best path forward for our Commonwealth is for all of our elected representatives -- regardless of their political party -- to work together to pass reforms that will benefit Virginians.
And that's why I'm so proud to support Terry McAuliffe for Governor. I know he'll continue our important Virginia tradition of doing whatever is necessary -- including crossing party lines -- to create meaningful change.
On the other hand, Terry's opponent takes pride in attacking compromise at every opportunity.
Will you donate today to give Terry the resources he needs to spread his message of economic opportunity across the Commonwealth and win in November?
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Terry has an important fundraising deadline on Sunday, and what he raises before the deadline will lay the foundation of his campaign.
Terry is up against the same people – like the Koch brothers -- who made my campaign for US Senate last year the home of more outside spending from Super PACs and secret-money groups than any other in the country. Last year, we took them on and won.
It's up to all of us to make sure we do the same thing for Terry’s campaign this year so that he has the resources necessary to continue the tradition of bipartisan compromise in Virginia.
Donate now before Sunday's critical fundraising deadline:
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Thank you for everything you do,
Tim
You can click here to donate:
https://secure.actblue.com/...
