Kaine, McDonnell, and The Blogs

I was impressed today by the leadership Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Bob McDonnell have shown on the gun and health care matters that was presented by the Virginia Tech shooting.  The two men, working together effectively, have closed this loophole. 

The liberal blogs, however, should take a hint from the attitude and actions of the govenror.  Remember when the governor said this?

"I think that people who want to take this within 24 hours of the event and make it their political hobby hoarse to ride . . . I've got nothing but loathing for them.  To those who want to try and make this into some little crusade, I say take that elsewhere!"

--Gov. Time Kaine, April 17 2007

And I can't help but laugh about one other thing.  Prominent liberal bloggers NLS (here and here) and Raising Kaine (here and here) have absolutley savaged Regent University and its Law School, and using that as an excuse to attack the Attorney General.  They seem to resent the fact that McDonnell's AG office has hired so many Regent Law School grads, as if being an evangelical Christian somehow denies you the right to serve in the public office of Attorney General, and that somehow it makes you less of a lawyer. 

This stuff drives me insane from the Left.  They are basically saying that you cannot serve competantly in government if you are a Christian.  What makes that assertion even more laughable is the Democrat governor, a HARVARD graduate, turned and worked hand-in-hand with this supposedly evangelical office that takes its orders from Pat Robertson.  Funny.  This, of course, would never fly if roles were reversed.  But nobody calls the Left out on posts like this, ones that bash Christians for being Christian and nothing else, and even worse its used as a way to attack the Attorney General.  Its cheap-shotting.  There is nothing wrong with going to Law School at a place that emphasized faith.

Not Ron Jeremy, posting on NLS, puts it best and I think we can apply this language to the liberal VA blogs as well:

Clearlyy Jon Stewart and Bill Maher [and NLS and RK] think they know better than Virginia voters--you know, the folks who actually elect people to public office. What's their point exactly?  Could it be that a mocking style of religious bigotry is acceptable and politically correct so long as it is thinly disguised as Hollywood humor. The people of Virginia will never cede their judgment to the likes of Jon Stewart and Bill "Terrorists aren't cowards" Maher [and the anti-Christian VA left].

(And to be completly fair to Ben, he did post THIS about Kaine and McDonnell today)

MORE

In the thred of THIS POST, "Jason" has this to say about NLS and the videos posted about Regent University and Bob McDonnell.  First, here is what Ben said:

You can go look through all my writing on this site about McDonnell, I have NEVER questioned him just for attending Regent. I could care less where anyone goes to school, and that doesn't bother me at all. To me, it actually makes sense that a conservative Christian with a family who lives in Virginia Beach would go to Regent Law instead of commuting somewhere. As you can see from the video clips of Stewart and Maher, not everyone is as open minded on that.

Again, do not try to tar me with something I didn't say. I have probably written a few hundred thousand words on this site since I started it, if I wanted to say something I could say it. You are really pissing me off saying I questioned his judgement for choosing Regent, when I even specifically said in the comments that I questioned that he chose it from a TV show. Again, I could care less that he chose the school.

Posted by: Not Larry Sabato | April 30, 2007 at 03:00 PM

And Jason responds thusly:

So instead of posting the videos without comment the only thing you add is that it is clearly an attack on McDonnell, which it certainly is not. And then you continue to pile on by posting the McDonnell video. This is an issue that should not exist and that it does exist on any level is because you have made it. Whether you are attempting to tar the Attorney General or just were lacking for content over the weekend, who knows, but you are clearly trying to imply something with these posts and that only now you are defending Regent or the AG's decision to go there makes me wonder where you would have let this story go unless someone called you out on it?

Posted by: Jason | April 30, 2007 at 03:08 PM

Nice work.

KILO brings the noise . . . . . . So does GOOD SENSE

Comments

[Not Larry Sabato]

I NEVER attacked McDonnell for going to Regent or for employing people who did. I attacked him for saying in the interview that he picked the school from watching a TV show. That was pathetic.

[Chuck]

I think it is a little troubling that so many regent grads work at DOJ and the AG's office. I say that not because regent is an evangelical christian school, but because its barely accredited and has very low standards for admission. I would say the same thing about Applachian School of Law (which I don't think has any religious affiliation).

[Chris]

OK Ben, I watched the video. What McDonnell said is this:

"Well I saw this guy named Pat Robertson on the 700 Club talking about this fine university in Virginia Beach and being a native Virginian I thought 'what a great place to learn the foundational principles of our country in a Christian atmosphere and to be able to use that to serve the public.' I though what a grat place to train and so it was a great decision and the princples I've learned here have taken me forward in my public life.

Where in that quote did McDonnell say (a) I picked Regent by watching television, or (b) that he is "using the Attorney General's office as some kind of promotional material for Regent School of Law?"

WHAT HE DID SAY was that the 700 Club first exposed him to Regent. To make the leap of judgement you are is to take the quote entirely literally - as if to assume that a man who graduated from BU nd Notre Dame is incapable of researching a univeristy.

And what is exectly is so wrong with finding out about a University by television? How many big schools use television ads to make themselves know? And thos are the big schools. Regent, a relatively new Law School, has to do this to make strides.

What your doing is taking a quote that does not mean what you claim to indirectly attack the AG's judgement. Your language is so vague that you can calim you didn't, but the quote in the video does NOT match the intention you emphasis on it. Sorry. Your agrument is disengenious at beast and near-malicious at worse.

[CD]

I learned about Georgetown by watching college basketball. I guess its a good thing I didnt choose to go to college there.