Blog Archives

Trouble

Recently, Keith Fimian released a new TV ad highlighting Pat Herrity’s record on raising taxes. Also, D.J. McGuire over at Bearing Drift has a great piece up about Herrity’s tax record as well.

Do we want someone who voted to raise taxes representing us in Congress?

Let the Games Begin

The countdown to the 11th Congressional District primary continues. Today, Keith Fimian’s campaign released a video, Patinocchio, highlighting Pat Herrity’s position on tax increases. This race continues to heat up.

Taxes in the 11th District Race…Ironic, don't you think?

Yesterday was tax day, which is when many people line up at the post office to get their income taxes filed in a last minute rush. Rising taxes are no doubt on the minds of many in the 11th Congressional District, as our current Congressman Gerry Connolly has voted in favor of every tax hike House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed through the House of Representatives. People are mad over the tax increases, as the economy continues to decline and unemployment continues to rise.

Both Republican candidates for Congress have voiced their opposition against tax increases. Keith Fimian came out against tax increases, and in a recent statement, he slams Connolly for raising taxes by $670 billion.

“Tomorrow is the deadline for Americans to file their taxes. After thousands of pages of complex code, billions of hours of preparation, and hundreds of billions spent on compliance, the Federal government takes an enormous bite out of the earnings of millions and millions of hardworking Americans,” Fimian said. “And Gerry Connolly doesn’t think these Americans pay enough. In just 16 months, he has voted for $670 billion in tax increases, including $316 billion that directly hit the middle class.”

“At $42 billion in tax increases for every month Connolly’s been in office, and by the time voters throw Gerry Connolly out of Congress in November, we’re looking at another quarter-billion in tax increases,” Fimian said.

“Connolly’s lust for tax increases isn’t a surprise,” Fimian said. “These tax increases and a lot of borrowing pay for the reckless spending and earmarks that he and other career politicians believe they can use to secure their re-elections.”

“During his tenure on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Connolly doubled the average property tax bill in Fairfax County from $2400 to $4800,” Fimian said. “We couldn’t afford Gerry Connolly on the Board of Supervisors and we can’t afford him in Congress.”

Yesterday, Pat Herrity also sent out a letter to supporters saying that he opposed tax increases and even voted against tax increases as Springfield District Supervisor.

Today is Tax Day, the day every year when we send our hard-earned dollars to Uncle Sam.

If your tax bill is relatively low this year, savor it. Over the next 10 years, your tax bill is going to skyrocket because of the tax-and-spend policies of Gerry Connolly and his mentor, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Since Connolly crossed the river into Washington to team up with the Speaker from the bankrupt state of California, he has voted for every tax hike put to a vote. The House’s Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp added them up. Connolly has voted for $670.341 billion in new taxes in the less than 16 months he has been in Congress. Connolly’s gross tax increases equate to more than $2,100 for every man, woman and child in the United States.

Gerry Connolly will tell you he has lowered taxes since he went to Congress – ignoring the $570 billion worth of tax increases in Obamacare alone.

We shouldn’t be surprised. Connolly has always claimed to cut taxes. He made that claim when he reduced the tax rate as a Fairfax County supervisor, yet the amount of taxes property owners paid under his watch doubled from $2,400 to $4,800 in just seven years – increases Connolly supported. It’s a new type of math – Connollymath.

These are the kind of dishonest smoke-and-mirrors tricks that we see so much of in Washington, and it is exactly the type of culture that is hurting our families and our businesses. We need to bring honesty and accountability back to Washington. We need jobs, not big government.

I have never and will never vote to raises taxes. Accordingly, I have signed the taxpayers’ protection pledge.

More importantly, I am the only candidate in this race that has a proven record of lowering taxes, cutting spending and reducing the size of government.

While Herrity declares his intentions to never raise taxes, this does not mean that he did not support a potential tax increase. According to The Washington Examiner and Agenda Item 2 of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Meeting on December 21, 2009, Herrity voted in favor of Phase II of the Dulles Rail Transportation Improvement District. This is a move, which according to The Examiner would require the county to loan money as a way to finance the second phase of the Dulles expansion, if a tax increase was not imposed.
As our economy is downfall mode, can we truly afford additional taxes? No, tax increases only harm prosperity and hurt working families. Hopefully, both Republican candidates will stand by their promises not to raise taxes once elected.

A Look into the 11th Congressional District Race

Lately, there have been rumors about Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) considering a run for Congress and challenging Keith Fimian in a possible primary or convention. This may be old news, but it is worthy of bringing this back into the fold again.

Some of the rumors have been that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) wanted Herrity to run, as he would be the stronger candidate to go against freshman Rep. Gerry Connolly for the 11th District seat.

While Herrity would provide a good challenge to Connolly, Fimian has been active with various community and grassroots-related events. During the summer, when Connolly refused to meet with constituents at open townhall-style meetings, Fimian was alongside of the grassroots (tea party) activists calling on Connolly to meet with them and discuss why he would be in support of the health care reform package.

Fimian has been working tirelessly for a rematch against Connolly. When Fimian first ran in 2008, the climate was bad and the voters used the Presidential elections (along with the Congressional) as a referendum against George W. Bush. The tide has changed significantly in the 11th, as Bob McDonnell (and the Republicans) won decisively in the recent elections. There is no doubt that Fimian can win this election against Connolly.

A national GOP official said that they have not actively recruited GOP challengers in the 11th District, as they are confident with Fimian’s ability to fundraise and to get his message across to voters. The official mentioned that Fimian recently raised $500,000, and that he is one of the top 10 challengers to watch this election cycle. This is good news for Fimian, as he was recently named one of the Top Guns by the NRCC.

Right now, this race is going to be competitive and one to watch.

Recount in Fairfax

It’s not over! There will be a recount in the special election for Chairman of the Board of Supervisors race between Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock). With 1210 votes separating the candidates, there will be a canvass this morning (8:30 a.m.) at the Fairfax County Government Center.

It was a close race from the beginning with a very low voter turnout. You can read my accounts via Twitter.

**Cross Posted at Virginia News Platoon