Jeannemarie's New Ad

Senator Jeannemarie Devolites Davis has put up her latest network ad, blasting Chap on guns and illegal aliens. Its another duel ad, aimed at both moderats/Democrats that make the majority of her district (guns) and Republicans (illegal aliens) that worked so effectively on her first ad. I'll say this about Jeannemarie, she's fighting. I know conservatives and Republicans are irked about her going after guns like this, but its (a) her conviction and (b) its the views of the majority of her district, like I said. But Republicans need to stand behind her, don't let one issue blind you to the bigger picture. Jeannemarie flatout knows what she is doing in the Senate. The differnece between her and Chap is Jeannemarie is running to DO something, Chap runs to BE something. There is a big difference. What I found so telling about Chap Petersen was during their debate in Providence. The candidates where asked about what their proudest achievement was in the legislature. Jeannemarie had different causes and bills. Chap, on the other hand, hemmed and hawed and eventually settled on some obscure squabble with Mark Warner of over some small funding formula. That said everything to me. Jeannemarie gets things done and wants to be a state senator, Chap is running for something else. If Chap loses this election, he'll run for something else after this. And after that. And after that. A lot of people ask me why I'm supporting her so much, and it boils down to that. A Republican who knows the legislative process, delivers on important issues like taxes and transportation, and who wants to do something. Chap's such a shallow figure to me because its impossible to take him seriously when he promises things. I don't trust that he'll be around long enough to do any of it becasue something else will come along that piques his interest. Is she the perfect conservative candidate? No. But if Jeannemarie wins reelection, the Republicans retain the Senate and that is of utmost importance to all Republicans and conservatives across the commonwealth.

Here is the ad:

Comments

[Anne]

It's a decent ad. I'm actually with JMDD on guns. I disagree a bit with your characterization that "...Republicans are irked at her for going after guns like this..." Geez. Not all Republicans are card-carrying NRA members, after all. I'm not.

But I am not anti-gun, either. I belonged to a rod-and-gun club for years with my dad and that was a real enjoyable part of my late teen years. I used to shoot .22 rifle competively when I was a teenager. I still enjoy going to the range once in awhile. But I never personally saw any purpose in me carrying a weapon into a school, library, or rec center and frankly I do view at least some of those who want to do that with a bit of suspicion.

JMDD is representing her constituents on difficult issues, which is what she is supposed to do. Good for JMDD. She's doing her job. She cannot make anyone happy all the time, but she's doing her best to listen to her constituents. And many of us who support her, even on these tougher issues, are Republicans who see things her way. We are infinitely better off with JMDD staying in office.

Btw, I recall a couple years back receiving a questionnaire from her campaign, asking about really tough issues. She apparently did a constituent mailer. I took the time to answer it, even though these things are often thinly veiled requests for funding. Hers wasn't. When I saw JMDD next, it impressed me that she thanked me for completing the questionnaire. Almost everyone I know did theirs, so she must have received quite a few. So I was impressed - she actually paid attention enough to recognize one name out of so many. And she actually went on to explain to me how she came to a different position on one issue - I think it was related to internet security -implying she actually read the responses so carefully that she knew what I said. I was in awe. I was a fan of hers from then on.

As far as Chap, I have nothing against the man. I view him as a great guy who does a lot of good work in the community. But I just think he is wrong for this job when JMDD has been doing it so very well and deserves re-election. Now, all I want is JMDD to focus on how well she's doing and not give the other side more "moments" to use against her.

JMDD can afford to be 100% positive in her ads and in her message. I really urge that. She's done a good job.

[Cargosquid]

"...Shall not be infringed."

No carry in those places? Why not, if one is a law-abiding citizen? Criminals don't care about carry laws. So, I'm to leave my firearm locked in my car or at home, because I have to go to one of these places? Why is the 2nd Amendment treated differently from the others? I'm not restricted from enjoying my right to free speech elsewhere. Why should my rights be restricted and my right to self-defense be abrogated.

[Chris - Mason Conservative]

Well Cargosquid, if you think your right to self-defense will be abrogated by elected Jeannemarie, just think about what will happen if the Democrats win the Senate and control the governor's mansion? Tim Kaine is a committed gun controller from his days as mayor of Richmond. The leadership of the Senate Democrats are overwhelmingly liberal Northern VIrignians (Saslaw, Howell, Ticer, Puller).

The big picture. Keep that in mind.

[Anne]

That is an important point, Chris: the big picture. Republicans disagree on various topics. Tom and Jeannemarie are close to me on the political spectrum. It is easy for me to support them.

But one thing is for sure - that all of us Republicans will be united in our misery if Virginia goes from red to purple to blue. That could happen. We've got to see that that does not happen - we need to hold our ground first and only then we can return to our internal disagreements.

[Rob]

I agree with CargoSquid above. "Shall not be infringed...". Game, set, match. Read the Constitution, folks. That said, JMDD is about the best we can hope for in this district for now, so I support her.

[Janie]

I like this ad, a lot, and I am a card carrying member of the NRA. I support Jeannemarie and the ad is a winner. But it does seem weird for a republican to have to run to the LEFT of a democrat to win. But that is the nature of our district.

We desperately need for Jeannemarie to win. So let's all get out there and work for her to win.

[Tony]

Why do you all want to support a Janet Oleszek type campaign?

Ken Cuccinelli is trying to overcome a candidate using the same "triangulation" tactics.

I cannot believe what I'm reading here- no conservative I know would support a candidate who has to "go left" of her liberal opponent to win...

Is this what we've become? Carl Rove would be proud of all of you - you have learned the art of political expedience while sacrificing principles...

Jeannemarie does not deserve to be in office if she has to bend this far left, and still carry the republican banner - the best thing she could and should do is become an independent - at least she is being honest with her views - Hello!! Did you all not notice that Mayor Bloomberg (I) visited her to help her campaign - is that not a clue!!!

At least Chap voted for the allowance for CCP individuals to have their weapon on them when they pick up their kids from school - and now Jeannemarie has used his vote against him on this for her own purposes...is this what you all stand for? Political victory at ANY cost? How far are you willing to go - how much do you want to become like the unprincipled liberals who clearly live with a lack of core values.

No - it is time for Jeannemarie to go - and find a real Republican - who will stand for what is right - not what she or he thinks will allow them to retain their power.

Who cares if the Republican's keep control if gun hating liberal's like JMDD will be setting their policies.

Chap is a true C+ on guns - Mark Warner is good on guns, Jim Webb is good on guns.

Only a handful of republicans actually do jack to preserve gun rights - most of the others point to liberals like JMDD and say they can't afford to compromise her liberal postions.

Gunowners should vite for Chap - PERIOD!

[Chris - Mason Conservative]

VITE FOR CHAP!

[Vienna Voter]

"delivers on important issues like taxes and transportation"?

She delivered all right -- a sales tax increase (from 4.5% to 5.0%) that the electorate roundly rejected the year before and those dreaded bad driver "user fees." Sometimes it may be better to DO NOTHING instead of DOING SOMETHING. With friends like this in the Senate, who needs enemies?

[Chris - Mason Conservative]

So Vienna Voter, hwo would you raise the money. Gas tax?

You know who the gas tax hurts the most? Those with the least, who have to budget their gas.

[Tony]

Chris - you started this posting by supporting an unviable candidate - JMDD has become unviable – and most likely will be defeated this Tuesday. I know her husband, Tom – we’ve met a couple of times during my work on Capital Hill – and while he is a good guy, he cannot bail his wife out of this – I think most voters are smart enough to see what is going on here.

Why on earth would anyone support this level of candidate “flexibility” when it comes to core values – would you accept this from a liberal (like Hillary)? How do you justify JMDD going to the left of her liberal candidate – just to win…what will she compromise on NEXT to retain power?! What makes you think that she will remain so steadfast on taxes when she threw out second amendment issues so easily? Come on – think about it – what is more important to JMDD – power or principles?

At least Lowell Wiker and Bloomberg had the courage to be honest about their views and become independents…there is no need or reason to support anyone who is a RINO.

JMDD is full of her own ego. We see excellent examples of hubris all around – Gerry Connolly is a great example – someone who freaks out when confronted with the truth (cite the NAACP dinner also on this blog)…I see JMDD the same way. Instead of running a principled, fact based campaign, like Ken Cuccinelli, she has engaged in the same tactics as Janet Oleszek – just so she can win.

So – again – how is it “her conviction” to restrict legal possession of firearms? How is abandoning this principle justifiable? What is next – fiscal responsibility? Taxes? Illegal immigration? What next?!?!

I personally do not like guns – I’ve been trained to use them – and have a few – I do not collect them…but the point here is this: criminals KNOW the locations at which possession of a gun is illegal – therefore, their chances of USING a gun, in an crime, and getting away with the act are enhanced…so how does restricting guns from “daycares, schools and libraries” by law abiding citizens, trained and qualified to have a weapon, make sense? How does JMDD supporting banning weapons by law abiding citizens help keep us safe? How does her use of this issue against Chap help us all as conservatives? What am I missing here? While criminals are no dumber or smarter than the general population, it seems to me that they are very good at recognizing how to obtain guns illegally and use them where they are banned – do we want DC gun violence here in NVA?

[Sam]

The abusive driver fees also hurt the poorest the most, since on average they spend a lot more time on the road (longer commutes). Moreover, relying on criminal activity to raise funds for the state is short-sighted poor planning at best, and more likely just complete incompetence.

Moreover, let's not forget earlier in the race when JMDD came out and attacked fellow Republicans for talking about illegal immigration, saying it was "demagoging the issue to death" and that it was "fanning the flames of hate." Shall I assume this to mean she now thinks it's ok to demagog and fan flames of hate when you're losing and desperate?

[Vienna Voter]

Actually, Mrs. Davis attributes her sales tax hike not to increased transportation spending but rather to school funding.

Incredibly, with the support of Mrs. Davis, inflation-adjusted school spending has been increasing ten times faster than enrollment. See http://www.fcta.org/2006/vaK12_7905.gif. No wonder she is "teacher endorsed." When recently challenged on her support of the sales tax hike, Mrs. Davis responded that Chap also voted for it when he was a member of the House of Delegates. Is this Mrs. Davis's idea of "leadership"? How would sending Mrs. Davis back to Richmond again be any different from sending Chap?

Before Mrs. Davis imposed the obscene punitive "user fees" on her constituency, Mrs. Davis could have exercised some true LEADERSHIP in the Senate to make darn sure we received our fair share of state transportation dollars. Have you seen some of the recent road projects in the southwest corner of the state? What exactly does Mrs. Davis mean when she claims she has a "record of putting Fairfax first"?

[Anne]

CargoSquid, Rob, Janie et al., vote for Jeannemarie and help us hold on to Republican power. If she wins, I will make a nice donation to the NRA. (I like their safety programs, having taken one some years ago.) That's my election promise to you.

On the "user" (abuser?) fees, Vienna Voter, remember that they only apply to people who already have lousy driving records. I don't agree with them, either, for various other reasons (including that they only apply to Virginians and not to commuters and tourists), but let's not misrepresent them, either. I cannot and will not shed crocodile tears over people who drive drunk or can't obey the law as a matter of habit. I've never had so much as a parking ticket, so I don't have to fear these fees and neither, I hope, do you. It sounds like one of those awful things that had to be done in order to hammer out a bi-partisan transportation bill. Now the politicians who hammered that one out have heard disatisfaction, so they need to go back and work another compromise that is more acceptable to the people.

Sam, even I agree with Governor Kaine when he said that the abuser fees do not unjustly impact the poor (i.e., they are not regressive). That's unsupported by any facts at all. Are the poor habitually more lawless in their commutes? However, I agree that relying upon criminal activity to support transportation is not a sound strategy. Again, the politicians have heard the anger. They know they have to come up with something else.

A vote for Chap is a vote for the entire Commonwealth to slip even further left. The Daily Kos crowd will love you. Think you aren't being heard now, conservatives? Well, just let that happen. If that's what you want, that's what you'll get. It's better to work with someone in your own camp, even if you are not in total agreement. At least you have not traded away your seat at the larger table.

Think before you vote. When we're living in a blue Commonwealth, you are the ones who will be doing most of the complaining, after all.

[Bye Bye JMDD - gun grabbing politicians must go!]

Surprised Mason "Conservative' has not touted the brillance of JMDD having NYC Bloomberg endorse her. The same Mayor both Virginia's Repulican and Democrat leaders told to stay out of Virginia.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=8&f=24&t=285999

[Bye Bye JMDD - gun grabbing politicians must go!]

How wants to sit a table with pigs!

Lets face it - the Republicans are no better then Dems if they support filth like JMDD.

[Tony]

Lie down with dogs you get flees.

It is time to find a real conservative, like Ken Cuccinelli, to run in JMDD's district – not accept a second rate poser. There is no guarantee she will maintain any integrity to any conservative principle since now she has joined the Bloomberg club.

Leadership is not falling in with the will of the masses; it is leading the masses to a better future – sometimes having to go against popular trends - real leaders do not go in for the "pack" mentality...if Ronald Reagan is an excellent example - he lead the country - he did not follow the will of the masses or lead by poll. When he need to he took issues right to the American people, he did not pander to them. He was excellent in communicating issues – and explaining his actions…JMDD does not appear to have either the gift of communication (or being able to sell challenging issues) nor the gift of leadership…she is a follower at best, a charlatan at worst…

That is the problem with JMDD – she appears to have never learned the art of leadership - she, instead, learned and lived by "triangulation" - and now, she is backed into a corner. Instead of going to the people of her district and explaining to them how it was important for her to uphold specific core principles - and how holding up these principles would help them in their daily lives – she has become the same thing, in content and principles as her democratic opponent – so in the end, why vote for a poser – why not vote for the real thing?

I think that is part of what is going on – she is not a democrat, but she is acting like one – she abandon her core values - failed to lead people. I believe the people of her district would have followed her...she was not elected to follow the people - she was elected to lead...her only hope now is to become an independent to retain any modicum of dignity...otherwise I cannot think of any future she’ll have in politics as a republican…

Look – I live in Ken Cuccinelli’s district and I am proud to be a supporter of his…I’m not sure what will happen Tuesday – I believe Ken will win – and when he does, it will be because he took the high ground against his opponent – he did not pander to the dems, he did not “triangulate” on issues – he did what he thought was best, told the truth about it, used facts and his opponents own meandering words against her and let the chips fall where they may… I somehow feel that he will have no problem waking up Wednesday morning and living comfortably with his actions, no matter what the outcome of the election is.

[Anne]

So you don't live in the 34th district? I think that Ken Cuccinelli will safely win in the 37th. I hope he will win. I really think Janet-O is toast; she can't even debate worth a damn. (Her only purpose in debating seems to be to provide her opponent with sound bites for his ads. For that, at least, we should thank her.) Also, her stem cell research fabrication was a new low.

[Tony]

Ann - I agree with your comments. Frankly, I probably would not have been a vocal supporter of Ken had it not been for Janet and her initial "Kooky" adds...this is the first time in 20 years of living in Fairfax that I've felt the need to become involved in local politics.
Janet's over the top attacks - all of which are groundless - along with, the stem cell attack, which you aptly point out was/is a new low.
I attended their live debate at the Springfield Government Center - and witnessed, first hand, the fact that she restricted videotaping her performance...after the fact, I fully understood why she needed to try and make sure there was no record of her performance...it was the most horrible performance I had seen since seeing first year pre-law student's trying to perform in a mock trial - it was painful to watch her awkwardness.
I know you are committed to JMDD - and I am sorry for the 34th district due to the poor choices you all have - but, this should be a wake up call for you all to mobilize and find a solid republican, who can convinced the constituents of the 34th district that conservative values - minimal taxation, fiscal responsibility, illegal immigration accountability, 2nd ammendment protection for law abiding gun owners and other conservative values are the best thing for all - and win them over on principles and positive action...not on bending in the wind like a willow.

[Anne]

The 34th district is very, very difficult. I do not think we will ever have a succcessful candidate here who is not hovering in the moderate range. That's our voter demographic for the past decade or so. It's more like Massachusetts than Virginia over here. I figure we work with whom have and fight for whatever gains we can on the overall ledger. Seriously, I can count my Republican neighbors on one hand.

Ken Cuccinelli is strong on a couple issues I care about. We all have our own short list of top issues. For me, my biggest issue, my top of the list issue, is that I'm pro-life. So Cuccinelli found a position on stem cell research I can morally respect, not supporting the destruction of human embryos, while allowing potentially life saving research to move forward.

[Rob]

As above, I simply have to swallow hard and vote JMDD, but the Bloomberg deal means I will be assisting in giving her the gift of primary opposition next time around.