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Morgan Griffith has won the Republican nomination in the 9th District.

More later…

I have often used the saying that “it takes a special kind of candidate to run for Congress” when talking with fellow political activists and friends.  In this day and age that is very true.  I believe that this year in VA9, Morgan Griffith is that special kind of candidate and Republicans should nominate him at the Convention on Saturday.

Let’s face it.  Running for Congress is the big leagues in politics.  In the case of VA9, the race will be the equivalent of running a statewide race in a state such as New Jersey.  The 9th District is very large in size and will only get bigger in next year’s redistricting process.  Not just any person can run a successful campaign for Congress.  It takes much experience and political skill.  Running for Congress is not like running for Board of Supervisors or even Sheriff in local government.  Running for Congress is a mega campaign.

Running for Congress in this modern era, like it or not, requires lots of money to get your message out and to be competitive.  Boucher purportedly already has $2 Million at his disposal and can easily raise much more if need be by using his advantage as an incumbent.  Only a special kind of candidate can raise that kind of money to compete and Morgan Griffith has already demonstrated he is on the path by raising in excess of $100,000 for this race so far.  He is well on his way at raising the cash needed.  Winning in the 9th will require expending between $1 Million to $3 Million.  Griffith also has good name recognition and is in a key position as the Majority Leader in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Much has been made about the fact that Griffith doesn’t live in the district and that will continue to be a topic of debate if he is the GOP nominee.  Under the Constitution of the United States, federal, and Virginia law, residency in a Congressional District is not required to be a candidate.  The Supreme Court of the United States has also addressed this issue in the past by saying states could not impose more restrictions than those spelled out in the Constitution to be a member of Congress.  Griffith has stated at our Smyth County Republican meetings that he sleeps 30 feet from the district line.  When redistricting happens next year, I am sure his property will be well within the confines of the 9th District.  Some have also labeled him as an “outsider.”  This is hard argument to make.  Griffith attended Emory & Henry College in Washington County.  As Majority Leader, he must frequently work with our legislative delegation in SWVA on key issues.  Living 30 feet from the district line is not really that much of being an outsider when you have to do much of your business and shopping in the 9th as Griffith does.

I also am tempted to say that it is probably a very common occurrence today for candidates to live outside the Congressional districts they seek to represent or do represent in their states.  I tried to find some statistics on the matter, but could not easily find them.

Also, here is another interesting point to ponder about residency.  Hypothetically, if Griffith wanted to run for Congress, and did so in the 6th District where he technically lives, he would be redistricted out of his district more than likely next year if he did win.  It makes no sense to run in a district that would be potentially leaving you behind the following year.

Some of the other candidates have said “nominate me and the money will come.”  That is in large part wishful thinking.  The national campaign committees look at each race just like you would in making a business investment.  Those committees are not going to drop money on a district where a candidate does not have a high likelihood of winning.  So far, Morgan Griffith has stayed on target and met the goals of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).  He is the only candidate of the 6 Republicans in VA9 to be considered.  The other 5 candidates are seriously missing out on money that could be raised under Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules pre-convention.  Griffith has been capitalizing upon this and has of course raised over $100,000.  In fact, recently Griffith has being filing “large contribution” filings with the FEC which are required within 48 hours of larger contributions being made.

I have nothing against the other 5 candidates for the nomination.  All are nice people.  I would suggest that they consider seeking local or state office and perfect their political skills there before considering a run for Congress again.  I hope that all the unsuccessful candidates for the nomination stay active in GOP politics.  Many of them have great ideas and are true assets to the Republican Party.

A final word.  Unity is important.  After the Convention on Saturday, I hope that all Republicans, regardless of whom they supported for the nomination, work together to defeat Rick Boucher.  Defeating an entrenched incumbent will be very, very difficult.  But, this is the most opportune year to do it.   I have had countless Boucher supporters state to me that they never will vote for him again.  Some of these supporters have said they have voted for Boucher everytime since his first election.  With Congress being the only election on the ballot in November in most places, turnout will be key to unseating Boucher.

Morgan Griffith is the only GOP candidate who can run a serious race against Boucher.

Let’s defeat Rick Boucher!!!

Via the Roanoke Times, Delegate Morgan Griffith of Salem has officially filed his nomination papers and paid the fee to seek the Republican nomination for the 9th Congressional District at the May 22 convention.  March 1 is the filing deadline for candidates for the Republican nomination.

The convention will be held on May 22 at Ft. Chiswell High School in Wythe County beginning at 10:00am, with delegate registration starting at 8:00am.  Individual county/city GOP committees are already establishing procedures for election of delegates to the Convention.  You can see the processes for each unit on the 9th District GOP web site at www.va9gop.org.

Last night Delegate Morgan Griffith issued a press release (see story/text here) entitled “9th District Legislators Declare Support for Griffith for Congress” announcing the support of Delegate Carrico, Senator Wampler,  Delegate Kilgore, Senator Smith, Delegate Crockett-Stark, Delegate Nutter, Delegate Morefield, and Delegate Poindexter.  Carrico, Kilgore, and Wampler had been rumored to be possible candidates for the nomination.  If they are throwing their support to Griffith, as it looks like in this press release, I think we can definitely rule them out as wanting to seek the office.

Further to add to the situation, the press release is ended with the text “PAID FOR BY MORGAN GRIFFITH FOR CONGRESS”

It looks like this is an “all but certain” race for Griffith now.  The filing deadline is March 1 so we should hear about his official papers being filed soon.

The road back to Washington for Representative Rick Boucher (D) for re-election to a 15th term is likely going to be a tough one compared to what Boucher is usually up against.  It has often been popular sentiment that Boucher would have this seat for as long as he wanted it due to his usual 60+ percent victories.  Times may have now changed due to President Obama’s policies along with Boucher’s support of the cap and trade legislation.  Additionally, Boucher’s early and continuing support of Obama in the campaign may come back to be an issue.  Check out this piece in the Washington Post.

Persons seeking the Republican nomination for the seat must file their paperwork with the district chair by March 1 along with a $500 filing fee.  You can see the convention call on the 9th District web site here.  That said, there are only six days for any “big name” candidates to make up their minds and jump in.  So far as of this writing the following people have submitted the paperwork and paid the fee:  Adam Light, Jessee Ring, Dave Moore, William Carr and Brandon Roop.  Notably absent from the list is Jim BeBout who announced he was running last year at a Tea Party and was campaigning last week as the keynote speaker at a Washington County Republican Party dinner.  BeBout may be waiting to the last minute to file which might be a smart move to be able to judge the field of competition.  Jessee Ring has visited us in Smyth County and made a presentation.  The rest I know nothing about.

One”big name” that looks to be making the plunge is Majority Leader of the House of Delegates Morgan Griffith (Salem). See this story from Sunday in the Roanoke Times.  Griffith technically lives in the 6th District although his property joins the 9th District from reports.  Apparently a quirk in Virginia law allows anyone to run in any district in Virginia.  It actually appears that the U.S. Constitution along with the U.S. Supreme Court holding in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (and possibly other cases) only requires a member of the House to be an inhabitant of the state represented, not specifically the district.  Also, it is worth noting that after redistricting in 2011, Griffith’s entire property will likely be in the 9th anyhow.

Griffith attended college in the 9th District, Emory & Henry College, from 1976 to 1980 according to his House biography page. E&H is located in Washington County, about 7 miles out of Abingdon.

It should be an exciting time in the 9th District this election season.  A lot of Democrats and usual Boucher supporters are having more second thoughts than usual.  Hopefully after the nominating process is done people will be united behind the candidate.  I hope that we end up with a candidate who will get national backing and be able to defeat Boucher in November.  So far it looks like Morgan Griffith may just be that candidate.

Well, I have sort of been on hiatus for awhile now.  Lots to do with work and being a political party chairman along with working on the recent successful November campaigns.  So much I have to do but so little time to do it.

We’re not done in Smyth County yet as we have a special election next Tuesday, January 12 for Circuit Court Clerk.  There are a total of 7 candidates and I believe that our candidate, Robert Odum, has a great shot at winning.  Whomever wins will have about 6 years of the term left to serve.  Long time Democrat Clerk Jimmy Warren passed away back in August prompting the calling of the special election.  Warren had served as clerk for 35 years.

It is going to be great to finally have a good Republican governor again!  It has been too long.  I hope that Virginia gets back on the right track and the McDonnell Administration works to repair the inefficiencies and damages from the Warner-Kaine Administrations.

I am looking forward to the inauguration in Richmond.  I am planning on being there.

Today I attended the Inauguration ceremonies at the Virginia State Capitol for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General.

It was a perfect day for an inauguration.  The temperature was in the lower 50’s and the sun was out.

It was great to witness the orderly and very ceremonial transfer of power as one administration handed off to the incoming administration.

I wish Governor McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bolling, and Attorney General Cuccinelli well for their terms of office.  I am confident that they will do a great job in getting Virginia back on track in these tough times and maintaining the Commonwealth as the best state in the nation.

It is time that party ID on the ballot be extended to local offices like Board of Supervisors and Constitutional Offices in Virginia.

Under current Virginia law, only indicators for political party candidates (or independents) for federal, statewide, or General Assembly positions are printed on the ballots.  Local office candidates such as those for Constitutional Offices (circuit court clerks, Commonwealth’s Attorneys, sheriffs, treasurers, and commissioners of revenue) and Board of Supervisors nominated by a political party do not have any indicators beside their names on the ballot.  Yet, of course local political parties can nominate and place on the ballot candidates for these offices.  As a party chair I have to fill out and return a certification form for our local candidates for these offices to allow them ballot access.  Seems that after that, there isn’t anything in the official processes that designate them as party candidates.

As with most local political parties, we spend a considerable amount of time seeking out candidates for offices, holding meetings to nominate those candidates, assisting them with their campaigns, along with providing money and resources.  Yet, when the election comes a voter who wanted to vote a Republican ticket could be faced with two or more names for an office and be unsure of who is the Republcian candidate.  Granted, a voter should be better informed on their own and know the candidates before hand.

I’m glad that the 2009 Republican Party of Virginia Convention adopted a resolution in support of extending party ID to local elections.

Bottom line is that if the law provides for the ability of a local political party to nominate candidates for local offices, the ability for that candidate to be identified on the ballot as a Republican or Democrat should be there.  Contact your General Assembly member and encourage them to fix this problem.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has an article about a new executive order signed by Governor Kaine dealing with energy uses at state buildings and by state employees.  I’m glad to see our part-time Governor has solved all Virginia’s other pressing issues and again can take a spin at making a legacy for himself.

Among the executive order requirements:

• Use of recycled paper in copiers/printers.
• No bottled water
• Requiring new state owned/leased buildings in metro areas to be located within a quarter of a mile from mass transit stops
• Declaring August 3, 2009 a tele-work day for state employees

On the surface these appear to be good ideas.  However, being a person who works in the IT field I too often see copiers and printers experience more problems than usual after the use of recycled paper.  This will result in more costs for service calls for state agencies.  Bottled water is not always the luxury it is thought of.  Oftentimes people will prefer bottled water over water in pitchers for meetings just because it has a lid and I think that bottled water does have a better taste than tap water.  The statewide tele-work day is suppose to save energy costs, but the impact will be very minimal.  These employees will still be using their computers, phones, lights, and air conditioning at home.

Kaine should get back to being either a)   a full-time governor, as he was elected by the people of VA, and resign as DNC Chair or b) resign from being Governor and go to the DNC full time.

In this time of economic crisis, the least pressing thing should be state government energy usage. Thousands of Virginians are out of work and need jobs.  We need better jobs and education for the people of Virginia.

An interesting ballot scenario will play out in Russell County in November.  Among the elections for Governor/Lt. Governor/Attorney General/House of Delegates, Russell County will be having two special elections for constitutional officers.

The Democrat treasurer of Russell County retired in May after many years of service.  Similarly the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Mike Bush (D), was appointed to a Juvenile & Domestic Relations judgeship for the 29th District in April.  Following this, former blogger Brian Patton (D) of Dickenson County, whom had served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney under Bush, was named as interim Commonwealth’s Attorney after Bush left office by the circuit court.  Patton had relocated to Russell County several weeks before the appointment.

On last Friday, the Russell County Republicans nominated former Russell County Circuit Court Clerk Dollie Compton, whom lost her 2007 re-election bid by 451 votes to the Democrat challenger, to be the Republican Treasurer nominee.  Also nominated was her son Nick Compton to be the Republican nominee for Commonwealth’s Attorney.  Both Dollie, who also is an attorney, and Nick presently work for Buchanan County Commonwealth’s Attorney Tamara Neo (R).

Also in the race are an independent candidate for Treasurer, Sheryl Taylor, who was appointed by the circuit court to be interim treasurer, but lost the fight for the Democrat nomination to Board of Supervisors Member Billy Wampler of Castlewood.  According to the SBE, Jay Steele of Lebanon has also filed for Commonwealth’s Attorney as an independent.  Patton did receive the Democratic nomination to run for Commonwealth’s Attorney.

It should be an interesting race.  This might be the first, or at least a rare time, in history that a mother and son have been running for offices at the same time.  It probably will make for some media coverage.  The local political climate of Russell County is Democratic.  All Constitutional Offices and Board of Supervisors members are Democrats.  It will be interesting to see if the Republicans can cut into that Democratic rule.

A company would like to locate a new truck stop at Exit 24 in Meadowview in Washington County.  The proposed site would only be around 1000 feet from Meadowview Elementary School and forever change the scenery in that community.  People are lining up on both sides of the issue.  The Washington County leaders have held a couple public hearings on the issue and haven’t really reached a consensus.  There has been a truck stop in Glade Spring at Exit 29 for years now.

I say that if Washington County doesn’t want the truck stop, bring it up the Interstate to Smyth County.  We have some good land along the Interstate that would be perfect for a truck stop.

Well, I am finally getting around to posting this, albeit a week late.

The 2009 RPV Convention was definitely exciting!  Republicans are fired up and rallying to take back VA in November from 8 years of Democrat misguidance.  The energy of the convention was amazing.

One disappointing thing for me obviously was that John Brownlee did not receive the nomination for AG.  Ken Cuccinnelli bested Brownlee in that fight.  I hope that we have not seen the last of Brownlee as he is such a great and inspiring candidate.  Even though my guy didn’t win, I will do everything I can to support Ken Cuccinelli in his battle for AG.  Republicans must retain control of the AG’s office as it is such an important post in the direction of state government.

While there I met Kilo from Spark it Up of Wise for the first time.  The Wise County delegation was seated behind us, in just about as far up as you could go in the Coliseum.  While I did not sign-up to participate in the “bloggers row”, RPV sure did provide them with some great seats near the main stage.  In hind-sight I wish I would have signed up and joined them because they were right in the middle of all the action.

Sean Hannity grave a great keynote address on Saturday morning.  Somebody should convince him to run for office.  I was also amazed at the speech that Jim Gilmore gave during the vote counting intermission.  I think it was the best speech Jim Gilmore has ever made to date.  It was very powerful.

One thing I did not like about the Convention was the lunch.  VIP delegates, those who paid the $35 voluntary fee, were promised a “boxed lunch” to be available around Noon.  With around 8000 people in the building, it took around 30 minutes for me to even get through the line.  By the time I had gotten back to my seat, the candidate speeches were almost done.  I think a 1 hour recess for lunch should have been taken so that people could have heard the candidate speeches.

All in all it was a great convention and I am excited for the November elections!  I predict the Republicans will sweep all three statewide offices again for the second time in history and build on the majority of seats in the House of Delegates.

A few hours ago I arrived here in Richmond for the Republican Convention.  The Convention starts on Friday and ends on Saturday with the nomination of candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General.  Also a new RPV chairman will be elected.

Bob McDonnell is unopposed for Governor.  Current Lt. Governor Bill Bolling is being challenged for re-nomination by Patrick Muldoon, a patent attorney from Northern VA who is originally from Giles County in the 9th District.  I have no idea why Patrick Muldoon is running such a side show in challenging our sitting Lt. Governor.  He certainly isn’t gaining anything other than ill-will.  Patrick is a smart person, but this has been such a royally pathetic and ill-advised maneuver.  He should suspend his campaign immediately because nothing good is coming out of the process.

Early on I threw my support to former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee for the Attorney General nomination.  I think Brownlee has all the experience and personality to make a great AG.  Also in the nomination race are Ken Cuccinelli, state senator and patent attorney from Fairfax County, and Dave Foster,a lawyer and school board member from Arlington.  All three of the candidates are superb with their credentials.  However, I think Brownlee stands out above the rest.  Cuccinelli and Foster have been mostly civil lawyers while Brownlee has been a criminal and civil prosecutor, managing large budgets, investigations, and many staff members.  This is the type of experience needed to run the VA AG’s office.

On Wednesday evening I along with a few other delegates from Smyth County had the pleasure of having a dinner meet-and-greet with current RPV chair Pat Mullins.  The meeting went extremely well and all of us had a good time discussing politics and other issues.  Pat is such a great person and seems to have things at RPV under control and getting back on track.  I see no reason to remove him, so I will support Pat Mullins for a full term as RPV Chair.  I hope he is in it for the long haul as the revolving chairman’s door at RPV must be removed.

Regardless of the vote outcome, I hope that all the candidates supporters come together and go forward toward November as a unified force.  We must win all 3 statewide offices and show America that Virginia isn’t ready to be counted in the reliable Democrat column.

In the last few weeks I have sensed a major enthusiasm among Virginia Republicans, something I haven’t really seen at this level in years.  Republicans seem to think that we have such great candidates and are going to march to November and put Virginia back on the right track.  I think the candidacy of Bob McDonnell for Governor can be compared to that of George Allen in 1993 in many ways.  McDonnell is going to be picking up the mess that Democrats Warner and Kaine have made of Virginia in the last 8 years and take us forward to better days in Virginia.  Maybe a new Virginia Renaissance?

It is reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Russell County businessman and supervisor John Bowerbank has dropped out of the Democratic race for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor.  This is after he sank record sums of his own money (around $400,000) into the campaign.  Bowerbank is reportedly throwing his support to Jody Wagner.

My guess is that the Democrats have pressured Bowerbank to drop out in exchange for an appointment in the Deeds, McAuliffe, or Moran administrations should the Dems win the Governorship.

Today the Bristol Herald Courier has a good article on the costs of the use of special prosecutors in Southwest Virginia to fill in for regular Commonwealth’s Attorneys in conflict cases.  While the rest of the state as a whole spent $144,000 over the last two years, the 29th and 30th Circuits spent collectively $236,000 during that two year period on private lawyers to prosecute.  The 28th Circuit spent $0 during that time period and relied on Commonwealth’s Attorneys from other parts of Virginia to handle conflict cases.  Those other Commonwealth’s Attorneys only billed for mileage and incidentals, a significant cost savings.

Interesting indeed.  Maybe there should be a state law that says when a special prosecutor is needed, another Commonwealth’s Attorney must be used unless there are special circumstances.

The 1st Annual Jerry W. Kilgore Winter Gala hosted by the 9th District Republican Committee was held last night in Abingdon at the Martha Washington Inn.  The Gala was a HUGE success.  The event was sold out and some even had to wait on seating for dinner.  At least 200 people were present according to my estimations and the Martha Washington was packed to the maximum.

Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, former AG Bob McDonnell, RPV Chair Jeff Frederick, Delegates Carrico and Kilgore, along with other numerous local elected officials were present.  John Brownlee and Ken Cuccinelli also made appearances.  Patrick Muldoon also attended. 

The highlight of the evening was the roast of Jerry Kilgore.  Bolling, McDonnell, and several other good acquaintances/staffers of Kilgore took turns roasting him and telling funny stories.

 The Gala is definitely now going to be an annual event for the 9th District.  I was worried about the turnout but it greatly exceeded expectations.  It was excellent getting to meet fellow Republicans and catch up with friends from around the district and state.  Great job to the committee members on planning the gala.

The 9th Congressional District Republican Committee will be holding its first social gathering.  The event has been named the “Jerry W. Kilgore Winter Gala.”  It will happen on Saturday, March 7th starting at 6PM at the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon.  Tickets cost $35 per person or $65 per couple.  Various sponsorship levels are available.  The invitation and response card are posted on the 9th District GOP web site at http://va9gop.org  Dinner, dancing, and a silent auction will be held.

It should be a very fun event.  Invited guests are all the candidates for statewide office and many members of the General Assembly along with other notables. 

I’ve been meaning to post my thoughts on 2008, so here goes.  2008 was a bad year for the Republican Party simply put because people were not happy.  Voters voted for the Democrats in most cases simply because, pardon the redundancy, they wanted change.  It was more of a protest vote.  I believe this was a large part of the reason why Virginia voted Democrat in the Presidential Election.  Additionally, the Virginia GOP has much, much work to do in the suburban areas of the state as the party has been drifting dangerously further and further out of power to a level that may put the GOP back to where it was prior to the 1970’s.

2009 brings many new opportunities in Virginia.  We have a great chance to actually put a compentent person in the Governor’s Office and hold onto the Lt. Governor and Attorney General positions.  Building our majority back in the House of Delegates should also be a top priority.  I look forward to the work.

In 2009 all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are up for grabs.  One district I am particularly going to be interested in is my district, the 4th.  The 4th District after 2001 redistricting includes all of the City of Bristol, most of Washington County, and four precincts in Smyth County.

It is represented by longtime Delegate Joe Johnson who has served presently from 1990 and served previously from 1966-1969.  Rumors have persisted for awhile that he may not seek re-election.  This brings up an interesting question as to whom on the GOP and Dem sides would run.  I am convinced with the right candidate this seat can go back to the GOP officially, although Joe Johnson is generally Conservative and usually votes with Republicans on most issues.

Thoughts or names of prospective candidates?

Just a quick post.  I wanted to let everyone know that I am still around and alright.  The past several months have been a very chaotic and busy one for me.  Let’s just say that being young and trying to be a “grown up” have many ups and downs—especially in today’s world.  I hope to begin making more regular posts soon.

Dissatisfied with Rick Boucher not having an opponent on the ballot this year?  There is a solution. 

Just don’t skip over voting in the U.S. House race.  Hit the write-in button and type something in.  It can be your name, a friend’s name, anybody or anything.  With the advent of new electronic voting machines in the past couple years the write-in process is much simpler and easier.  Some people I know have a method where they will each year write-in one of them against any uncontested Democrat on the ballot.  

A good number of write-in votes can serve as a referendum against a candidate with no opponent.  I encourage all of you in the 9th District to write-in something against Boucher.

I just received an interesting E-Mail forward from a friend that indicates that the Colonel of the Virginia State Police has as of last week prohibited all chaplains of the department from praying in the name of Jesus or mentioning Christ. 

Anybody got any interesting news on this?  It is quite disturbing if true.

John McCain couldn’t have made a better choice for VP than that of Gov. Sarah Palin.  She has added to the GOP ticket the equivalent of a “rock star” effect.  Admittedly, I was quite bored with the McCain campaign prior to her being named the VP choice.  Since the announcement I have become even more excited about this election.

Over the weekend we Smyth County Republicans worked a tent at the annual Saltville Labor Day Celebration.  We observed two interesting trends.  One was that interest in registering to vote was on the rise.  We must have handed out at least 10 applications over the 3 days there.  Secondly, the number of well-known Democrats in the area saying they were going to vote for McCain/Palin was shocking.  Many of them cited Sarah Palin as the reason and Obama’s snubbing of Hillary as part of it.  Others just mentioned it in simpler terms, “She (Palin) is good looking.”  Voters always vote on peculiar reasons and I am sure that looks will have something to do with this election.  Only one person of the many we spoke to spoke ill of Palin and their qualm was that she simply was female, which is not a valid point.

Palin’s recent issues with her daughter’s pregnancy goes to further drive home the point that she is a family oriented and common person like most Americans.  I think that this issue helps her more than it hurts her candidacy.

One thing is for certain now.  This ballgame has changed as of Friday.  Obama’s runaway freight train just got detoured onto another track.

On to November and let’s win this thing!!!

UPDATED:  Sources say now that both deputies were fired by the sheriff.  Official sources have not released any names yet.  However, from the talk on the street there is a pretty good idea in the community of whom they are. 
========== 
Been hearing rumors about this and finally found this article in today’s Smyth County News online.

Apparently two current Smyth County Sheriff’s Deputies have been implicated in a drug ring that included Saltville Police Investigator Gary Call.  Call was arrested last fall on federal drug charges and sentenced to federal prison for around two years.  Sheriff David Bradley says in the article that he is conducting an internal probe of the latest allegations.

Word on the street is that one deputy was fired Monday and one was suspended too.

This is part of a very distressing trend that has been occurring in recent years in Smyth County and Southwest Virginia as a whole.  Law officers who are sworn to uphold the public trust get involved in breaking the laws and flagrantly violating the public trust.

I hope federal and state law enforcement continue to clean up the corruption in local law enforcement.  It really undermines the public trust in those serving the public. 

If you’re in Smyth County or the Southwest Virginia area, swing on by our Smyth County GOP Barbeque on Saturday.  Bolling, McDonnell, and Brownlee are slated to appear and speak.  It starts at 2PM at the Chilhowie Town Park.  Directions are below.  For $5 you will get a great barbeque meal with all the fixings, some great homemade desserts, and some entertainment.  We also will have children’s activities available.  Give me a yell if you plan to attend!

Directions to Chilhowie Town Park:
The Chilhowie Town Park is located on Railroad Drive in Chilhowie.
-Take I-81 to Exit 35.
-Northbound traffic turn left at the end of the ramp. Southbound
traffic turn right.
-Pass the McDonalds and turn right onto Railroad Drive right before the
railroad tracks.
-Event will be located in the park on the right. Look for the signs.

Just got a mailing from Dave Foster of Arlington.  It is sort of an odd letter. 

Although I will not be making any official announcement until after the November election, I wanted you to know that I intend to seek the Republican nomination for Attorney General of Virginia next year.

Well, this letter pretty much is an “official” announcement it would seem.  A web site is mentioned, www.fostervirginia.org but nothing is up yet.

I have met Dave Foster before.  He led a training session held by RPV and GOPAC in 2007 in Abingdon on local elections.  He was a great presenter.  

However, I still do believe that John Brownlee is going to be the best choice for AG in 2009.

According to this RT-D article, Supreme Incompetent Governor Kaine said that the reason the Republicans in the House of Delegates leadership stalled his transportation package was that they were afraid it would pass!!!

Wow!  This goes to show how far out of touch Kaine is with Virginia.  When the majority of Democrats in his party won’t touch his tax/fee increase idea with a 10-foot pole and he even had trouble finding a member to patron the bills.

The only thing that is going to pass is Kaine’s term of office.  I guess he is still in search of a legacy.  Maybe he has already made his legacy and just don’t know it? 

Can’t wait until we send in Governor McDonnell in 2010!

Via Kilo and this Tricities.com article, I see that our esteemed Congressman Rick Boucher (D) here in Southwest Virginia has pretty much been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  I’m really surprised the media here published such a critical story about Boucher.  Usually everything is very, very positive to the Congressman.  I see the byline for the article is a reporter from the Media General syndicate in DC.

Boucher reportedly received $25,000 from some telecom companies that he voted to protect under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.  Boucher along with some 90 other Democrat House members initially had opposed protection but changed course after receiving the money.

 Hmm…I doubt we’ll see anymore of these reports in the local media.

WOW!  Here is a story about an alligator being found on the road here in Saltville Friday morning.  A driver spotted the 2 foot alligator on Highway 107 and tried to miss it, but ended up running it over.  Game officials are now trying to determine how the alligator got to Saltville.

Very interesting indeed.

Check out this video from MSNBC yesterday with Andrea Mitchell editorializing Obama’s visit to Bristol yesterday.

Andrea Mitchell calls everyone in Southwest Virginia a redneck and wonders why he took time to visit this ” real [chuckle] redneck…sort of…uhm…bordering on Appalachia…country”  NBC and Andrea Mitchell must apologize for this blatant slap to the people of rural America.  Also, as you may remember a few weeks ago Obama was slamming rural America for clinging to guns and religion.  When does the elitism stop?

As a lifelong resident of Southwest Virginia, I take real offense at these comments.  Rural areas are great places to live and comments made by people like Mitchell are uncalled for.  Sure, we may talk and act ”different” here and things may move at a slower pace, but we are good people.  We go to school, have jobs, and have families just like the rest of the world.  Sure, like the rest of the world everything is not perfect here.  We do have problems that need to be addressed. 

 Outrageous indeed! 

Also, you may know that Mitchell is married to fellow elitist Alan Greenspan, the guy who helped bring down the U.S. economy in recent years.  Figures.

Jerry over From On High has an interesting post up with a picture of a luxury Cadillac CTS (price tag of around $35,000) with state government plates spotted cruising around in Christiansburg.  It is unknown which state agency or official uses this car.  The post does say a blonde female was driving the vehicle.

I am shocked.  Last I saw the Governor used either a Chevrolet Suburban or Ford Crown Victoria for travel, so this indeed is odd.  Until recently, I thought the state government only purchased Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge vehicles.  Usually state employees use these cars with the blue “official use” tags to carry out their business and work.  Politicians generally don’t use state vehicles and are rewarded with “special license plates” with low numbers/titles for their personal vehicles to identify them as someone “special”. 

Recently in Abingdon I have seen parked at the Department of Mines, Minerals, & Energy a fleet of Toyota 4 Runners with state tags.  4 Runners are pricey vehicles too, probably around $30,000 basic new.

I’m glad to see that the Frederick Team wasted no time hanging the under new management sign at RPV Headquarters.  SWAC Girl reports that several key people resigned on Monday including Executive Director Charlie Judd, the Treasurer, CFO, and a couple others also resigned.  Former Chair Hager has also cleaned out his office.

The Contemporary Conservative reports that Frederick has the 2nd District Chair, Gary Byler on the ground at RPV:

Byler is lurking around every nook and cranny at RPV. As a close consigliari of Frederick’s team, Byler is taking a hands on role in personally supervising the Frederick transition effort from Richmond–he’s tearing back the carpets and inspecting the closets on East Grace Street till newly elected RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick returns from a week long vacation that he and his family are presently taking in South Carolina–ETA RTB (estimated time of arrival on return to base) next week.

Glad to see some rapid change at RPV. It sure needed it.

Well, after a long couple days and driving back from Richmond yesterday, I have found time to write-up my thoughts on the RPV Convention.  This was the first RPV Convention that I have attended.

We arrived at the convention center about and hour before the opening session on Friday.  The venue itself was a fine facility and we were able to easily get registered as delegates without a hitch.  There were of course many representatives/candidates from campaigns present and future there in addition to various vendors/PAC Groups.  We spent a good time talking with John Brownlee and his wife Lee Ann.  They were very nice and remembered us from our previous conversations well.  I am even more convinced that Brownlee should be the AG nominee in 2009.

The convention room itself was a bad choice.  I estimate that only around 15% of the actual attendees could see the stage unobstructed without watching the monitors.  There was a large column and sound/audio stage in the way.  Space and seating wasn’t much of a problem on Friday since it wasn’t the big event, but on Saturday this became an issue and audio problems were prevalent.  When the convention was at the point of electing a temporary chair, chaos took place.  Chairman Hager did not conduct the meeting properly when another motion was made that was not in the planned sequence that RPV had envisioned.  This resulted in the convention being put “at ease” while Hager spoke with the parliamentarian.  It is my understanding that the Marshall folk were trying to place their own temporary chair in nomination instead of the pre-designated Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.  Hager seemed confused as to what was occurring and appeared to be caught by surprise.  After conferring with the parliamentarian, Hager stated a vote by division would be made.  He really messed up the wording of what was the motion and the audio was not great.  I don’t think most of the crowd knew what they were voting for.  Lt. Gov. Bolling was finally placed in as convention chair.  Bolling himself did a stellar job of running the convention over the course of business both days.  

Friday night, the Vice President spoke at a gala event.  We did not attend.  Following that, the hospitality suites were open.  We visited the McDonnell/Bolling birthday celebration which was very packed.  John Brownlee had a great suite setup complete with some good ham biscuits.  Next, we went across the street to the Frederick reception.  Frederick had some great root beer floats and ice cream for attendees and the room quickly filled up.  Following this, we decided to call it a night and walked back to our hotel. 

Saturday morning we arrived about 45 minutes before the call to order and met-up with our other two delegates.  The venue was packed with many delegates.  Seating became a huge problem.  The 9th District was in the back split between an aisle for some reason, which made communication difficult.  The seating problem mentioned for Prince William County was apparent.  Some of the delegates had to be pushed forward and eventually took over part of the designated 9th District seating.  This clearly again showed that RPV had planned badly.  There was so much of the convention hall that was unused floor space.  Since RPV knew a couple weeks ago how many delegates were registered, they should have put out enough chairs and grouped them effectively.

For Senate, Jim Gilmore made his presentation first.  Each side was allotted 20 minutes for nomination speeches/activities.  Bob Marshall gave his next and was actually cut off due to exceeding the time limit.  I think this fueled support for him in a minuscule way.  At that point and judging by the number of Marshall supporters present I felt that the race was going to be extremely close.  It actually did turn up that way.

When it got time for balloting, things were confusing.  The unit chairs got their ballots from the district chairs, distributed and collected them, and returned them to the district chair for counting in front of them and added to the district list.  Votes were reported by the district chairs as a whole of the units.  A ceremonial act was that the district roll was called and the district chairs reported their totals to the convention from the floor.  The convention secretary apparently had trouble many times understanding or hearing what the district chairs were reporting.  This roll call really was poorly executed in my opinion and really didn’t matter.  The 7th District passed when it was their time to report to the convention, which fueled speculation and chatter about who had won.  In the end, the 7th District reported the winning votes for Gilmore.

Then it was time for the chairman vote.  Susan Allen nominated Hager for chair.  Chairman Hager opened immediately claiming that he was the victim of attacks from Frederick.  I think he was trying to use the sympathy vote, which didn’t end up going his way there.  He really didn’t say much about what he planned to do other than what the RPV has done in the last month.  Frederick delivered a smashing presentation.  When he was introduced, the whole hall erupted and it seemed like everyone held up blue Frederick signs.  House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith spoke in favor of Frederick.  I only spotted about 5 Hager signs in the crowed during this.  At that point, I thought it was safe to assume Frederick would win.

Balloting for chair next took place in the same method as for Senate.  In a way I don’t know why one ballot couldn’t have been produced and we would have voted at the same time for both offices after hearing all the presentations.  Seems redundant and pro-longed to me.  Finally Bolling said some units were continuing to vote and in the interest of time went ahead and introduced keynote speaker George Allen.  Allen gave a great speech that really fired up the crowd.  After he was done, Bolling approached the podium and told district chairs the roll call would start in about 2 minutes.  More than 2 minutes went by and Bolling finally approached the podium and started saying nice things about Hager’s service to Virginia.  At that point it was clear Frederick had won a landslide.  Bolling next introduced Hager who made a motion to elect Frederick chair by acclamation and to waive the reading of the vote totals.  It passed overwhelmingly.  In the 9th District alone, Frederick received 100+ more votes than Hager.  I’m sure it must have been a landslide victory for Frederick.

This convention showed a lot about the party.  It pitted the “old guard” against the “new guard” of the RPV.  Yesterday, each side won a contest, which was almost easily 2-0 in favor of the “new guard.”  I hope that both guards can work together under the leadership of Frederick to retain our U.S. Senate seat and to sweep the elections in 2009.

I also hope that the Marshall and Gilmore supporters will unite as a common force to defeat Mark Warner.  If this doesn’t happen, the U.S. Senate staff can save all the Senator Warner signs and insignia for a new Senator Warner.

Best of luck and all the best to Jim Gilmore and Jeff Frederick in their new positions.

I hope to post some photos soon of the Convention….stay tuned.

UPDATED 1:31PM

Jim Gilmore is the GOP nominee for Senate. Very close vote, about 80 votes difference.

Voting is nowunderway for a U.S. Senate nominee.

This one is going to be close. The Marshall camp has an impressive showing.

In a few hours I am headed to Richmond for the RPV Convention this weekend.  I have never been to one of the conventions before, so I am anxious to see how it goes.

Virginia Republicans have important business to tend to.  We must nominate a U.S. Senate candidate and elect a Chairman for the RPV.  Both races have been very fierce.  My phones, E-Mail accounts, and mailbox have all been worked overtime with all kinds of news, announcements, and pushes from the candidates.

Regardless of who wins and loses at the convention, I hope that the RPV will emerge more united and ready to face the challenges we have this year, in 2009, and beyond. 

One thing is for certain that…the RPV must change its ways of doing business or Virginia Republicans will become an endangered species again for some years.  I hope this convention goes a long way in fixing these problems and the RPV emerges more united then ever before.

Yesterday in Smyth County General District Court, Judge M. Keith Blankenship of Wythe County was found guilty of reckless driving and refusing a blood/breath test.  Blankenship had been charged with DUI from a March 1st incident on I-81 in Smyth County.  Here is an article about the hearing.  Special Prosecutor Christopher Russell of Buena Vista said he felt he did not have enough evidence to support the DUI charge.  Blankenship was fined $100.00 and his driver’s license was suspended for 1 year.

The defense argued that Blankenship has been under a lot of stress due to medial problems his mother is experiencing and was exhausted that day.  Blankenship still has a court data in Powhatan County on June 27 for a later hit-and-run incident there on April 27.

 It also is revealed in the article that the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission has suspended Blankenship with pay pending an investigation into his conduct.

One thing I do wonder about is the possible existence of a video/audio tape of the stop.  Most (if not all) Virginia State Police cars are equipped with video and audio recording abilities.  The type of system generally activates once the officer turns on their emergency lights.  Such systems can also be activated prior to the lights manually by the officer to record any potential evidence.  I wonder if there is a tape/audio recording of this incident?

I have planned a series of Republican community gatherings in Smyth County over the next couple months.  Our first gathering is planned in Chilhowie for this Saturday, May 24th starting at 5PM at the Chilhowie Town Park, Shelter #1.  It is a covered dish/potluck event. 

Any person interested in Republican or local politics in Smyth County is encouraged to attend.

Now former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia John Brownlee is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Virginia Attorney General in 2009.

Today at the 9th District Republican Convention in Fort Chiswell, Brownlee’s wife Lee Ann Necessary, who was a news reporter for WCYB in Bristol in the early 90’s and later Roanoke, made a great speech on his behalf.

Brownlee has a great record of success as a prosecutor.  He will make a ironclad addition to the GOP ticket for 2009.  Ken Cuccinelli, a State Senator from the Northern Virginia area is also a candidate for the nomination.  However, I am going to go on record early and say that Brownlee will have this thing locked up in my opinion.

Go McDonnell/Bolling/Brownlee!  I see a repeat of the sweep of 1997!

I really have struggled with making a choice for RPV Chair.  However, after my observations today at the 9th District Republican Convention, I have made my mind up.

 Jeff Frederick attended today’s convention and spent the whole day interacting with delegates.  His home congressional district convention and a couple others were also being held today, however he decided to fore-go them and come to the 9th.  That statement in my mind speaks volumes.  John Hager was not present and a member of the Carroll County GOP gave a statement on his behalf.

Jeff gave a very uplifting and positive speech.  I also do believe that at the end of his speech the applause and support seemed to be louder than for the Hager speaker.  I also noticed many people in the audience nodding in support of what Jeff had to say.

The RPV needs new leadership.  John Hager is a nice person and all, but I think the RPV would be better suited with a chair such as Jeff Frederick.  Jeff is young and a hard-worker, which are both qualities we need more of in the RPV.  He also has proven that in a heavily Liberal/Democrat district that he can win with a great percent of the vote.  He also is a great fundraiser.

So, in the end I am announcing that I am endorsing Jeff Frederick for Chair of the RPV.  It is time for change.  We cannot go on and on losing elections and allowing Virginia to slip further and further into Dem control.

TriCities.com, the online Media General presence for WJHL-TV and the Bristol Herald-Courier has re-invented its look again for like the 5th time in 2 years.  They really strike out again on this “improvement” to their web site.  I actually like the old mess site better than this one. 

Maybe they will learn one day that the annoying pop up/page ads and junk are not needed.  The news should be presented in a streamlined and easy to find form.  Maybe that is why the BHC is losing readership.