I got the email late last night from the McAuliffe campaign which alerted me to the Washington Post article that appeared in today’s paper. The thing in the article that jumped out at me was this:
And at a candidates’ forum in December, in response to Moran’s claim to be the only candidate who had run a business and raised a family in Virginia, McAuliffe boasted of launching five businesses in Virginia.
It turned out that all five are investment partnerships, with no employees, registered to his home address in McLean.
At the Farm Team debate in Williamsburg, McAuliffe was asked by Brian Moran about three businesses (guess he didn’t know about the other two) that McAuliffe had registered to his home address. (Check the video in this post.) McAuliffe didn’t answer. I think we now know why. And while the memo from last night linked to a set of “facts” on the campaign website, even it does not address this issue.
Five businesses in Virgina. Zero jobs. And his platform is creating jobs? Heck, even I have created more jobs than Terry McAuliffe.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
The WashPost piece was soft on McAuliffe’s public record.
One of many scandals omitted was McA.’s involvement as a
“high-powered consultant” (NYTimes) to one David Chang, New Jersey
shady-biz type who had a shell company and tried to buy a
billion-dollar Korean insurance company.
Chang went to jail for illegal contributions to then-Sen.
Bob Torricelli (D-NJ). Torricelli, the big buddy of McAuliffe,
had gone to Korea to plump for Chang, but then was investigated
by Senate Ethics Committee and forced to quit his reelection
campaign at the last minute, threatening the Dem majority in the
Senate. After hurried legal work, former Senator Frank Lautenberg
got his name on the ballot, won, and returned to the Senate,
saving the Dems’ bacon.
Read the New York Times, April 22, 2001:
“For a high-powered consultant, Mr. Chang hired Terry McAuliffe, a
close friend of President Clinton and former American trade
ambassador in South Korea who has since become chairman of the
Democratic National Committee.”
McAuliffe as former trade ambassador to Korea — how does that
add up!
John Bowerbank (Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor), speaking at the Chesapeake Democractic Committee breakfast on May 2nd., pointed out that of 7 statewide candidates, he was the only one that was a businessman and not a lawyer. He made some compelling arguments regarding his positions on education, business development, and energy policy. In contrast, lawyers tend to take other people’s ideas and rebrand them as if the ideas came from them. He also pointed out that he has campaigning longer than both the other candidates for Lt. Governor combined and that he won his first election by larger numbers than Kane did for his first election (City Concil).
I have something I want to say to Terry McAuliffe:
We are doing our research, you can bet on that. And hopefully it will take down your candidacy.
More that the WashPost missed on McAuliffe: How about when his own
DNC officials testified that he cooked up an “illegal scheme”
(NYTimes) for Democratic moneymen to contribute to the Teamsters
and in exchange the Teamsters would donate “large sums to the
Democrats.”
From the New York Times, November 18, 1999:
“The official, Richard Sullivan, the Democratic National Committee’s
former finance director, testified in Manhattan at the trial of
William Hamilton, the former Teamsters political director, that
Mr. McAuliffe urged him and other fundraisers to find a rich
Democrat to donate at least $50,000 to the 1996 reelection campaign
of Ron Carey, the former Teamsters president.
“During the three-week long trial, Mr. Sullivan testified that Mr.
McAuliffe had said that if a Democratic donor made a large
contribution to the Carey campaign, then the Teamsters would
contribute at least $500,000 to various Democratic Party
committees.”
McAuliffe’s lawyer said he was innocent — but was “cooperating
with the prosecutors.”
Where was Jimmy Hoffa when we needed him?
Have you ever heard of not seeing the forest because of the trees?
When a politician tells you he will use government to create jobs, that is a lie. Government cannot increase overall employment. Every government created job has to be paid for with our taxes. Increasing taxes kills jobs created by private industry.
Because government puts political considerations before customer service, government by nature is inefficient. So we use government wisely when we use it in desperation — when nothing else will work.
Because businesses cannot be trusted to regulate themselves, government is needed to provide a legal and enforcement framework that allows each of us to own property and make deals — with each other. When we buy from each other and sell to each other WE CREATE JOBS!
“After hurried legal work, former Senator Frank Lautenberg got his name on the ballot….”
Translation: “Ignoring NJ Election Law, former Senator Frank Lautenberg got his name on the ballot….”
Tom, despite my very conservative leanings, I beg to differ with your assertion that “government cannot increase overall employment.”
First, of course, it does so as an enforcer of contracts. Businesses in many countries suffer because contracts cannot be enforced.
Second, by improving and maintaining the infrastructure, the transfer of goods, services, and labor is facilitated. (By this token, I actually support Pres. Obama’s high-speed rail program — although I would favor even more emphasis on cargo rail, getting trucks off the roads.)
That said, there is much government does that impedes job creation — minimum wage laws, payroll taxes, corporate income taxes, etc. Were it not for income taxes, our dear host’s considerable talents could be put to much more productive pursuits. Her customers need her because the government has made them need her.
That loss is incalculable.
Perhaps McAuliffe will run on an ethics reform platform? LOL!
Virginia doesn’t need scandals on the level that Terry McAuliffe would bring.
McAuliffe businesses in Virginia might be investment firms that did not generate jobs in Virginia, but where has he claimed to have generated any jobs in Virginia? Does the ability to generate jobs in Virginia require previous creation of jobs in Virginia?
Does any one here challenge that Virginia needs more jobs? Assuming this is not open to discussion and we agree Virginia needs more jobs, which of the candidates has ANY experience creating jobs, anywhere in the country?
McAuliffe has at least three documented instances of growing businesses, creating jobs and turning companies and businesses around. As a teenager he started and grew a driveway paving business, let us not ignore this achievement. At that age, I started a private library for my classroom in high school, by selling food at the school’s annual carnival.
Before he was 30, McAuliffe was Chairman of a Federally chartered bank, he turned the bank around and made it profitable, saving many jobs, and generating new ones.
Later in life, McAuliffe took over a sinking real estate company and turned it around, making a profit for all his partners, including a pension fund that regulators asked to get out of the business.
I believe the three other candidates, all fine candidates on their own rights, do not have this experience of growing businesses, turning around businesses, and generating jobs.
Governor Kaine is a great Governor, but his business strength is not that of Governor Warner before him, who actively spread the reach of Virginia beyond our state borders by setting up international business development offices in growing economies. We still benefit from those acts of Governor Warner, the Virginia Department of Business Development holds their staff to strict standards and they are accountable for their performance.
McAuliffe has multiple times spoken about new investments in Virginia from the commercial sector, and also from the Federal Stimulus funds – for renewable energy projects and high speed rail. These projects will generate jobs, Virginia jobs.
Alan,
I think the driveway paving business quote wins for the most overused qualification by any candidate this season.
Yes, since Terry has lived here for over 20 years and has been a ‘businessman’, I would like to see or hear where he created any jobs in Virginia, other than his own bloated campaign staff.
The bank belonged to his father-in-law, so that is more like catching a red hot poker on its way down. He ‘rescued’ other businesses, but none of them were in Virginia.
No jobs created in Virginia means he can’t honestly call himself a ‘businessman’, at least in Virginia. It also means that this qualification should be discontinued in the campaign.
Manufacturing money is one of the reasons we don’t make bed sheets and autos much anymore. The economy turned to making money at the expense of everything else.
Nice chatting with you again.
Okay, Tom, let’s try a little experiment.
Please go to the closest fire station or police station. Explain to the police officers and fire fighters that they are destroying jobs, and sucking the life out of the economy. Be sure to remind them how inefficient they are, and how they put political considerations before customer service. (Aren’t these at least sometimes the same thing?). Leeches, that’s what they are, leeches.
Then please, ask them to vote Republican. Then come back here and let us know what you have learned.
Terry is a true huckster. Vote for him at your own risk.
Most of his staff are paid to blog on some Virginia blogs.
I can’t believe former Obama staffers are working for Terry.
They must really need the paycheck.