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What's Steve Shannon's Costume for Halloween?
Halloween is right around the corner, and yes, after much consideration, I am going as a campaign zombie partly due to the fact that I have tons of t-shirts at my disposal. Aside from this small worthless disclosure, this poses a good question for Steve Shannon: what will you be dressing as this Halloween?
According to today’s debate in Richmond, he says that he wants to be pro-business centrist. Wow, this is quite a change for someone who is clearly meant to dress up as an AFL-CIO cheerleader.
Perhaps, we should examine Shannon’s record with the AFL-CIO. According to VPAP records, Shannon has received more than $136,000 from various unions in his quest to be Attorney General. Since 2003, he has received $162,000.
Additionally, he has voted against Virginia’s Right to Work Law during the previous General Assembly session and this alone was enough to garner a 100% approval rating from the AFL-CIO every year, while he was serving in the General Assembly.
Interview with Ken Cuccinelli
Recently, I had the chance to talk with Ken Cuccinelli about the race and the issues facing the Attorney General’s office. Cuccinelli is a small business owner and partner in the law firm, Cuccinelli & Day, PLLC in Fairfax. Additionally, Cuccinelli is a State Senator representing the 37th District, a seat that he has held since 2002. As State Senator, Cuccinelli serves on the following committees: Courts of Justice, Transportation Committee, Local Government Committee, and the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee.
During the interview, Cuccinelli highlighted some of the differences between both him and his opponent, Democrat Steve Shannon. Below is the interview.
CCC: When you have been door-to-door and talking with voters on the phone, what do you believe is the number one issue that they have been focused on? How do you think the campaign is going thus far?
Ken Cuccinelli: Well, the campaign has been going really well. So far, I expect to be outspent, and I hope that a solid foundation can help carry me forward.
As for the top issues, I have been hearing a lot of people voicing concerns about crime and the economy. Criminal justice is one of the most popular issues, and in previous attorney general races, nothing matched criminal justice. My opponent [Steve Shannon] does not want to talk about the economic issues. He [Shannon] has been funded by the unions and has supported tax increases, while serving as Delegate.
CCC: Have you heard much from voters about illegal immigration?
KC: I hear about the illegal immigration issue a lot. My opponent has been afraid to talk about the subject, especially since he has voted on a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to attend public universities. In fact, I have had more bills in the Senate that addressed illegal immigration than any other Senator since I’ve been there – these have addressed stopping human trafficking, and clearing the voter rolls of illegal immigrants.
CCC: During the summer, you called for a special session, in regards to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court with Melendez vs. Diaz, could you explain a little about the case and the implications that it would have on Virginians? Why do you believe your opponent decided not to call on Governor Kaine to have a special session?
KC: First, I’ll give a little background on Melendez vs. Diaz. Melendez vs. Diaz was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court and basically, it defends a person’s right to call witnesses. While this is great, it also creates a problem with Virginia law. After talking with several prosecutors, many drunk drivers and drug dealers were being released. In fact, Fairfax County lost five cases due to Melendez vs. Diaz.
So, after reading the case and talking with prosecutors, I decided to petition Governor Kaine for a special session of the General Assembly to address this issue and fix Virginia law. I also sent a letter to my opponent urging him to call the special session. My opponent called this a “political stunt,” and asked me why I did not support his bill to stop the Melendez bill. This bill (HB 3086) would have no impact on the Melendez problem in DUI cases. I sent my opponent’s bill off to six prosecutors and asked if this bill would solve the issues posed by Melendez in Virginia. Five of the six prosecutors said it would make things worse, and the other one said it would be a disaster.
Governor Kaine called a special session on August 19th to address this problem and we fixed it. We haven’t lost a case since passing legislation to solve the problem. We rewrote a bill, while my opponent just wrote a bill and put his name on it. This is the stuff that the Attorney General deals with, and he totally got it wrong. We focused on this in an ad.
Meanwhile, my opponent got the law wrong and played politics with it. His immediate reaction was to call this a political stunt. He got burned by this.
CCC: As State Senator, I know you were quite active with property rights legislation. Could you perhaps discuss what you will do as Attorney General to protect the property rights of Virginians and what you might do if there is a challenge to the Supreme Court decision of Kelo v. New London? Also, do you think that your opponent, Steve Shannon, has any solid issue stance on this important issue?
KC: If there is a challenge to Kelo, I will make sure to continue fighting for property rights. As Attorney General, I will fight to get property rights protected in the Virginia Constitution. My opponent has been against this all along. Another thing is that Creigh Deeds was the tie breaking vote to kill property rights in the Constitution. The vote was 8-7.
Property rights is a great dividing line between those who care more about special interests and those who care about property rights. My opponent cares more about special interests, and I still have more work to do to protect property rights.
CCC: With the Defense of Marriage Act being challenged at the Federal level, how will this impact Virginia and the marriage amendment that was passed by the voters in 2006?
KC: The office of Attorney General is the only office that matters in this debate. My opponent is against the marriage amendment. I am certain that this will come up within the next four years, and it will be fought by the AGs. I have been a strong advocate for protecting the marriage amendment.
CCC: Your opponent, in your debate on WTOP, shows that he is in favor of the harmful and economically devastating climate change legislation. What is your position on this legislation and what will you do as Attorney General to prevent the after effects of this legislation?
KC: This was important enough to be my opponent’s first question during this debate. I oppose climate change legislation. It will be economically destructive to Southside and southwestern Virginia. Currently, unemployment rates are at 20% in Southside. If this legislation is passed, the Attorney General could be involved with regulatory aspects. I would be deeply involved in the fight for Virginia to regulate itself, and I would do the same thing with other Congressional legislation, such as Card Check. As Attorney General, I would be very aggressive in using the 10th Amendment.
In fact, with card check, this would be a 10th Amendment issue, as Virginia is a right-to-work state.
CCC: Your opponent also attended a seminar in Baltimore recently that gave lessons on how to attack private employers on environmental grounds. Could you talk about your business record and what you will do as Attorney General to protect business?
KC: I am a small business owner, who was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)-Virginia Chapter and the Virginia Farm Bureau. Agribusiness comprises about 10% of Virginia’s workforce.
I would bring a free market approach to the economic side of the Attorney General’s office. I would reduce regulations, instead of increasing them. Additionally, I would put in place a methodical way to deal with regulations to ensure a cost-benefit analysis. If there is something that takes away from benefits, then I would take a closer look at the costs involved.
CCC: What challenges do you anticipate will be waiting for the next Attorney General? Why do you think that you will be the best candidate to face these challenges?
KC: I feel that the biggest challenge will be the right to work legislation from Congress. I am the only one who will do anything about it. Democrats might say that they are against card check and for right to work, but they will not do anything about it. I will fight with anybody, if I think they are wrong. I think my strongest trait is that I have the independent willingness to stand on my own.
In terms of criminal justice, I have been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, and it is the only grassroots endorsement in this race. The 71 lodges and their members all voted, and I won that vote. On the day that this announcement took place, my opponent announced his endorsement by the Virginia Police Benevolent Association and six Commonwealth Attorneys. I have received the endorsement of 79 Commonwealth’s Attorneys and Sheriffs combined.
For more about Cuccinelli, click here.
Scenes from Last Night's AG Debate–Shannon's Staffers Become Aggressive
Last night, the Prince William Committee of 100 held a debate featuring Attorney General candidates Ken Cuccinelli and Steve Shannon. However, it appeared that Steve Shannon had some difficulties answering a question, and Greg over at Black Velvet Bruce Li caught some good footage of this question, in addition to a similar question by a member of the media.
This is where the real fun began. As Greg was taping this particular question, a campaign staffer, who works for Shannon, came up and started hitting the camera, demanding who Greg was, then started taking flash photography thinking that this would damage the tape.
Here’s the video:
What does Steve Shannon and his campaign have to be afraid of? Are they protecting him because he doesn’t have a clue about being Attorney General?
No Justice
Ken Cuccinelli released his first TV ad called “No Justice,” which displays Cuccinelli’s record in reaching across the aisle to close a loophole that would allow drunk drivers and drug dealers to get off punishment scot free.
Cuccinelli Receives the NFIB Endorsement
Attorney General candidate Ken Cuccinelli received the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)/Virginia SAFE (Save America’s Free Enterprise) Trust.
Virginia State Director of the NFIB, Julia Hammond said, “Ken Cuccinelli clearly understands the challenges facing Virginia’s small business, the Commonwealth’s largest employer. We have absolutely no doubt that Ken will protect the people of Virginia while also protecting the right of entrepreneurs and small, family businesses to own, operate and grow their businesses.” She continued, “Sen. Cuccinelli has distinguished himself as a true friend of small business. He was a leader on the eminent domain issue – a core concern to so many small businesses and family farms. His near perfect track record on our issues earned him the prestigious Guardian of Small Business Award in 2007. We need an attorney general who understands the challenges small business owners, their employees and their families face when it comes to issues such as legal reform, property rights and taxes,” Hammond concluded, “We are proud to endorse Ken Cuccinelli for attorney general. We will do everything within our power to help Ken Cuccinelli become Virginia’s next attorney general.”
Cuccinelli has fought to pass legislation, in the State Senate, that would protect property rights, lower taxes, and provide more incentives to keep and bring businesses to the Commonwealth. Cuccinelli said, of the endorsement, “As a small business owner myself, I am proud to accept the endorsement of the NFIB.” He continued, “I understand that small businesses are crucial to growing our economy. Small businesses are the engines that produce – on average – about two-thirds of net new jobs. For that reason, as Attorney General of Virginia, I will work to prevent the over-regulation of small businesses, which would prevent any economic recovery in Virginia.”
Cuccinelli Asks U.S. Senators to oppose Card Check
Attorney General candidate Ken Cuccinelli asked Steve Shannon to join him in signing letters to be sent to Sen. Jim Webb and Sen. Mark Warner asking them to oppose card check legislation, which would require employers to recognize a union when union organizers collect signed cards favoring unionization from a majority of employees, thus eliminating the requirement for a secret ballot election.
The bill, S. 560, the Employee Free Choice Act, would also ensure when unions and management are engaged in collective bargaining, if neither party comes to an agreement after 120 days of bargaining, a federal agency would come into do the arbitration. This dangerous legislation would enact penalties on employer misconduct, but not union misconduct.
Ken Cuccinelli made the following statement:
“Card check is a disastrous idea which should never be implemented,” Cuccinelli said. “Its passage would dramatically undermine the Commonwealth of Virginia’s right-to-work laws, which have been largely responsible for much of the economic growth in our state. Among its many bad provisions are one that would eliminate the secret ballot, which is a hallowed tradition of American elections, and replace it with a card check system that both parties – unions and business – could manipulate with threats and violence and one that would put the federal government in charge of many workplaces, allowing unelected, unaccountable, and federal bureaucrats who are inexperienced in the business world to make most major business decisions, perhaps including setting wages, hours, and use of health care plans.”
Cuccinelli continued, “I hope that my opponent Steve Shannon will join me in asking our elected representatives in the U.S. Senate to oppose this bad legislation.”
EFCA would be a huge threat to states with Right to Work laws such as Virginia, and in this economy, we can not afford to drive business out of the state.
Read Cuccinelli’s letter that he asked Shannon to sign.
Read the letter that is being sent to both of Virginia’s U.S. Senators.
Is Steve Shannon Going to answer Ken Cuccinelli's Questions?
Evidently not. It appears that Steve Shannon would rather avoid debating and refuses to answer Ken Cuccinelli’s questions during a debate. The Shannon campaign has agreed only to three debates (WTOP Radio, The Prince William Committee of 100, and the Richmond Bar Association), while Cuccinelli is still waiting to hear back from Shannon whether or not he will agree to nine additional debates.
The final debate is before the Richmond Bar Association, which presented reasonable rules and a great debate format to work with, but this clearly was not good enough for Shannon’s campaign. The rule of two candidates asking each other questions was not deemed appropriate enough for Shannon.
Is there something Steve Shannon is afraid of answering in a debate? On July 27th, Cuccinelli sent an email to Shannon indicating that the first question was asking when was the first time he [Shannon] read Melendez-Diaz. Seems like a reasonable question, right? Especially considering that there was a special General Assembly session called to address this case and its ramifications in Virginia. One of the major roles of an Attorney General is to debate cases before a court of law, yet Shannon refuses to debate Cuccinelli.
McDonnell and Cuccinelli Unveil Public Safety Plans
Yesterday, at the Virginia Chiefs of Police Conference, Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli announced their public safety plans to continue making Virginia a safer place to work and to raise a family. They were also joined on stage by Polly Franks, who is a crime victims advocate. While McDonnell served as Delegate and Attorney General, he worked tirelessly to keep Virginians safe by continuing to strengthen the penalties against sex offenders and continue the crackdowns on gang violence.
Here are some of the highlights of the plan:
- Requiring a form of intensive lifetime monitoring of violent sexual predators not eligible for civil commitment but who continue to pose a danger to society
- Proposing that the penalty for a convicted sex offender who fails to register for Virginia’s Sex Offender Registry be elevated to a Class 6 felony
- Creating a Domestic Violence Prevention Advisory Board to advise on domestic violence issues
- Improving the protective order system by clarifying our current laws and simplifying the process
- Making Virginia’s protective order forms more consistent with neighboring states to enhance cross-jurisdictional enforcement
- Making the commission of a violent crime in the presence of a child a separate Class 4 felony
- Expediting the process to remove children from abusive and neglectful homes by having appeals for termination of parental rights go directly to the Court of Appeals rather than Circuit Court
- Cracking down on career drug dealers by proposing tougher mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders
- Breaking the cycle of addiction by supporting and encouraging the use of drug treatment court programs
- Increasing mandatory fees for convicted criminals
- Strengthening the juvenile justice system
- Supporting growth and expansion of the Commonwealth Challenge Program for youth offenders
- Requiring juveniles charged with repeat violent felonies to be tried as adults in circuit court
- Cracking down on crimes against the elderly
- Combating identity theft
- Ensuring crime doesn’t pay by strengthening asset forfeiture
McDonnell said that his public safety plan would help his jobs plan, as you can not bring businesses or create new jobs without having a safe place to conduct business.
Cuccinelli, who announced his own individual public safety plan, said:
“I’m pleased to be here with the next Governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell. Like Bob, I believe that the first priority of government is public safety. To that end, Bob and I will work together to ensure all Virginians are safe from those who do not abide by society’s laws. We will work to ensure our children are safe from predators who use computers to perpetrate their crimes; to protect senior citizens from those who harass and pressure for deals that are nothing but scams; and to protect our communities, urban and rural, from drugs and those who push them in our communities. Our focus always has and always will be on preventing crimes, and punishing those who commit them.”
Cuccinelli’s plan focuses on McDonnell’s initiatives, in addition to focusing on reforming Virginia’s mental health program, which impacts both public safety and public health. While serving as a State Senator, Cuccinelli has been a champion of mental health reform and public safety.
Time to Man Up, Steve Shannon, and DEBATE (face-to-face, that is)!
Don’t you think it would be better for Steve Shannon to meet face-to-face with Ken Cuccinelli, instead of hosting a tele-conference to ask four questions of his rival over the phone? I do, and Cuccinelli has challenged Shannon to a series of debates throughout the Commonwealth. The most interesting thing is that Shannon has not responded, yet it appears that he would rather debate Cuccinelli by fax instead of allowing the voters to hear both candidates’ positions. This sounds eerily similar to Creigh Deeds not responding to Bob McDonnell’s requests for debates throughout the Commonwealth.
After hearing of Steve Shannon’s silly, time wasting tele-conference, Senator Ken Cuccinelli pledges NOT to do the same. However, Ken Cuccinelli did issue the following challenge:
“Steve, last week I sent you a letter asking if you would follow up on your pledge to debate me across the Commonwealth. As of today, I have yet to receive a response. I will not debate you via fax, nor by “tele-phone conference”. Pick a day, any day this weekend, or this week, and you can ask me your four questions, and I will ask mine. The people of Virginia deserve real substantive debates on issues they are concerned about. You’ve ducked two debate invitations already….will you duck this one?
Below is a link to the letter Senator Cuccinelli sent last week challenging Steve Shannon to debates around the Commonwealth. Instead of debating in person, it appears that Shannon’s “new” campaign team wants him to debate via fax.
McDonnell and Cuccinelli Pleased with 4th Circuit Court Decision
Yesterday, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Virginia’s Partial Birth Abortion Ban was constitutional. Former Attorney General and now, candidate for Governor, Bob McDonnell had played an instrumental role in this decision, as he was the first to secure this appeal before the Fourth Circuit. Ken Cuccinelli had voted in the State Senate to override the veto of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban.
McDonnell’s statement on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision:
“I am pleased that the full U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Virginia’s Partial-Birth Infanticide Ban. Virginia’s ban was passed by the General Assembly with bipartisan support. The law reflects the will of the people of the Commonwealth and is substantially similar to the federal ban on the procedure which was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. I congratulate Attorney General Bill Mims for his successful handling of this appeal.”
Cuccinelli’s statement on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decision:
“Today’s ruling marks a major victory in a hard fought, six-year battle to end Partial Birth Abortion in Virginia. I want to extend both my appreciation and congratulations to Attorney General Bill Mims, Former Attorney General Bob McDonnell and their teams for their hard work in making today’s ruling a reality.”
Senator Cuccinelli noted that Steve Shannon, Democrat Candidate for Attorney General, refused to take a position on this issue in last week’s Virginia Bar Association Debate. During their debate, prior to the Courts ruling, Senator Cuccinelli declared that if Virginia lost the case he would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Senator Cuccinelli asked Delegate Shannon if Shannon would also appeal if Virginia lost and Shannon refused to answer.
Steve Shannon ducked the question – leaving yet another issue on the table at last Saturday’s Debate that he refused to take a position on. Ken Cuccinelli however clearly stated that he would continue in the footsteps of our past four Attorneys General in defending Virginia’s ban on Partial Birth Abortion. …”
