UPDATE: The pin will no longer be used Whew! Dodged a bullet on that one.
Original article
I watched as the story unfolded over the weekend of the lapel pin Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli distributed to his staff. The pin itself, which I am told is about the size of a quarter, appears to have been based on the flag of the 28th VA Infantry Regiment, a unit of the Confederacy. The AG paid for the pin with PAC money, not taxpayer dollars.
Except for the fact that it makes the AG look like an idiot – and Virginia the laughingstock of the nation one more time – it really is much ado about nothing. This is the guy that some of us knew we were getting. (Seriously a guy talking to a wooden elephant is AG of Virginia?) Unfortunately, not enough people knew. Take a look through the comments on the PilotOnline story. There you will find people admitting that they voted for him – and regretting that vote.
How is it that they didn’t know?
Could it be that the news media is more intent on providing titillating BS stories – like this – than in-depth profiles that give voters a chance to learn the truth about candidates? Could it be that the news media is afraid to bite the hand that feeds them, relying on sales of ads to let the candidate “introduce themselves” to voters? Despite the fact that we have more “news” available to us than ever, my sense is that “news” is far from being what it could be.
Voters are responsible, too. The information on Cuccinelli was out there – but heightened partisanship means that those likely to support him were unlikely to see it. President Obama got it right on Saturday when he instructed graduates that “the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship.” (Of course, just as those on the left dismissed anything of substance that President Bush had to say, those on the right promptly dismissed this.) Voters have to stop being sheep and think for ourselves. We have to look beyond the party line and check our own core values against that of those who would represent us.
Voters have to look beyond the self-serving statements of advertisements – to include looking at who donated the money to allow those advertisement to be placed – and get to the truth. Voters have to learn that negative advertising is not inherently bad, especially when it is the truth. Candidates have to learn that stretching the truth – either positively or negatively – will not be rewarded.
So yeah – the pin is much ado about nothing. It may sell a few papers, generate a few blog hits, and ratchet up the ratings of a few talk shows, but in the end, it does nothing to move the conversation forward. It does nothing to help ensure that we elect the most qualified people to serve.
Tomorrow is Election Day in many Hampton Roads cities. I’d have much rather seen THAT above the fold on Saturday’s newspaper.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Re: Media should have done more to let people know about Cuccinelli’s views:
http://virginiapundit.blogspot.com/2010/05/keeping-abreast-of-attorney-general.html
I linked to you on this.
Some great choices we voters have. As the alternate choice to Cuccinelli and Co., we have a national Democrat party that is hell bent on driving us into bankruptcy. Where are the moderate pols with a modicum of common sense? Even Mark Warner and Jim Webb voted for the health care bill, another entitlement we cannot afford while our current entitlements move towards insolvency. Speaker Pelosi orders a new fancy plane while the national debt reaches incalcualble proportions. Why can’t we have the option of voting for men and women who will lead by example, are relatively normal, will reject the special interests, and put us on a path to fiscal solvency, as was done in the 90’s? Where have those folks gone?
report coming out that bush told his people not to let congress know of how bad the money problems with those big banks was. this was 2008.
and you blame this on obama? get a life.
Lenny asks, “and put us on a path to fiscal solvency, as was done in the 90′s? Where have those folks gone?”
They were elected in ’06 and ’08 to rescue this economy and government from the hands of the incompetent and corrupt gop. Look at virtually every economic indicator from what we inherited to today, marvel at the rebound, and thank the Recovery Act, Obama and the Democrats for the rescue. By the way, Obama is responsible for a very minor part of the deficit. Unfunded wars, unfunded tax cuts, unfunded giveaways to big pharma in the prescription drug bill and the cratered economy brought on by those who pray at the alter of some gop/libertarian wish for a faux utopia with elimination or emasculation of needed regulation is the fault. A robust growing economy with millions more of our citizens working and paying taxes will address the core problem, alongside some smart reductions in some government spending and programs.
As to the great health care bill passed, the 800 pound gorilla in the deficit debate, I wish it contained more cost containment measures (next bill, I hope), but CBO estimates it will reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion while covering 96% of Americans with health insurance, a big step in your wish.
I have faith that the American people will not turn the keys of government back to the drunks who drove this country and economy into the ditch!
PS…. Crazy Cooch is… well… CRAZY!
Arizona and Georgia replaced the Commonwealth off the top spot of the most ridiculed state in the Republic. I guess Cooch couldn’t stand it and wants that top spot back.
Ms. Paige,
I would like to compliment you on your provision of information.
I tried to tell folks in October that this would be a disaster, but you’re right, so little info was in the papers that not many got an accurate picture of the guy.
I’m afraid that the next three and a half years are only going to get worse. The real shame of all this is that there are some good civil servants at the AG’s office. Their office is becoming an embarassment which must hurt if you’ve really given your all in your job to make the office a good one.
That’s a good point about the people working in the AG’s office.
You mention that the pin won’t be used, but not why? Come on Vivian, anyone who reads this post but not the article won’t know why, so I guess I’ll have to communicate it.
AG Cuccinelli got the idea for the pin from an antique Virginia flag that hangs in the Virginia Capitol. He liked the image (no clarification why, but you know what they say about people who assume) and went with it.
In any event, if this was supposed to be some sort of attempt to discredit Ken Cuccinelli, I must say it was weak. Certainly there must be something he has done recently that deserves more ire than selecting a pin that doesn’t exactly match the current Virginia flag.
I’m not getting your problem with my post. I said it was much ado about nothing. And I updated my post to include a link to the story about him not using it. I even put the update at the top, instead of at the bottom, which is where I normally put it.
I can only assume you didn’t read my post.
Oh my, Cuccinelli does seem to be a mixed bag. I totally disagree with his views on homosexuals, but he hasn’t been effective nor really leading the charge on that.
The pin makes him look silly. I do hold his view on civil unions and the sodomy law against him. However, I didn’t even know he was on the sodomy thing. It was Bob McDonnell that led the charge on those issues and very publicly. Yet, for some odd reason the “Left” is freaking out more over Cuccinelli than McDonnell. Why? Wasn’t it McDonnell that didn’t recall his last “felony” under that statute? Some compliment to his lover. McDonnell was the champion of all this crap, yet where is all this same vitriol from the Dems?
Hmmmm……is it because Bob McDonnell has historically been a friend to “Big Government”. Until recently, he has been a friend to raising taxes. While Bob voted for alleged eminent domain reform that protected the government, Cuccinelli backed REAL reform that protected OUR property rights from eminent domain abuse. Cuccinelli authored the Senate version. While Bob championed violating rights, Cuccinelli championed restoring them! With the “Patriot Act lovin'” GOP running amok with our freedom, it was Cuccinelli that stood against Real ID. As government becomes ever more intrusive to the point where they want to enter YOUR HOUSE to do a COMPLETE property tax assessment, and assessment of whatever catches their eye that they might want to report, it is Cuccinelli that that defends against government intrusion. Sure, he looked paranoid over the soc. security number and saying that the govt. can and does track you with it, but when you look at all the under handed crap that IS REALLY HAPPENING, I can understand a little paranoia, and it might even be healthy.
I hope Cuccinelli is kept humble by this latest embarrassment. It is probably a good thing and will serve to keep his thoughts more grounded. Many Libertarians like myself that supported him and still do, need to contact him and his staff and let them know that we see this as an embarrassment.
We also need to let him know that while the whole thing about his giving a legitimate intrepretation of current law as to a new protected status being the domain of the General Assembly, that actual incursions into Natural Rights and Intrinsic Individual Rights of Virginians that happen to be homosexual, will not be tolerated. If you don’t like his reporting of the law, get your general assembly member to write the appropriate legislation!!!!!
For what it is worth, many of us Libertarians will be willing to stand on the front line and fight for civil unions. Cuccinelli or not. That will be a giant task given what they did with that alleged defese of marriage here in The Old Dominon, but fight for principle we will.
Yes, Natural Rights are universal and even apply to people that are gay. They apply to all of us simply because we exist. Our founding documents even state that we are created equal and endowed by unalienable rights(those Natural Rights) by our creator.
Yes, just as McDonnell has in the past, Cuccinelli could possibly lose my support if he crosses the line. And yes, McDonnell could even earn redemption. However, Cuccinelli has not been “bad enough” to cross that line and although he’s making good progress, McDonnell hasn’t quite made it back in my good graces.
I believe you have the right to be ignorant or narrow minded. You have the right to idiotic beliefs. Just don’t force them on everyone else, and we’ll get along just fine. Honor the Constitution and Bill of Rights that protects us.
Look, Libertarians historically have reacted strongly against those in the religious right that over stepped their bounds. We don’t care for Taliban style government any more than we do socialism. Some of you have seen me talk about Taliban Bob even on Republican dominated Bearing Drift. Even though Cuccinelli is off the mark on some of those social issues, he is NOWHERE NEAR what Taliban Bob or John Ashcroft were. Although, Ken does seem to be doing his best Ashcroft imitation with the seal thing. Note, that if he backs down on the seal lapels, THAT just makes him more reasonable than Ashcroft.
I love that Cuccinelli guy. He’s going to be a great AG. I am still confident in that. A lot of you partisans are not going to understand why and maybe you don’t want to. That is ok. I wish it was otherwise and you’d see what I do, but I’m not terribly shocked. But, I’m just telling you, he’s not the big danger some make him out to be. In fact he’s going to be a strong asset.
The flap over the pin was conveniently timed to obscure another, less publicized fishing expediution into the papers and correspondence of the UVA climate scientist. Classic misdirection.