The National Review has a nice profile on Ken Cuccinelli up on its website today, focusing on Ken's quest not only win the AG race but also bring certain principles forward to reborn the GOP.
Cuccinelli says the founding fathers got the principles right: “It’s a foundation that can’t be improved upon.” He offers this foundation as a remedy for disenchanted Republicans. “My view is that the GOP platform should read ‘Life, liberty, and property.’ It would save us a lot of paper.” He goes on to criticize Republican efforts of the past decade. “What have the Republicans been supporting? No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, and supporting TARP I. So much for the party of small government.”
Cuccinelli becomes most animated when he’s talking about the philosophy behind the principles. He cites the Declaration of Independence’s most famous line, about the self-evident truths that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Then he makes an important observation: “Most people forget the next phrase, which explains that it is for these purposes that governments are created.” Cuccinelli considers this phrase — “That, to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men” — the key to understanding what the founders were thinking: Rights are inherent and universal, and governments exist only to guarantee them, not to grant them.
Thank God cuccinelli "will" loose to Steve Shannon;but the real issue here is Cooch is [not] a founding father nor does cooch stand for the principles of the founding fathers.The laws are made by the people, not to be moraly filtered by Cuccinelli. Monarchy? Dictator? not a founding father.
Posted by: john | June 30, 2009 at 08:07 AM
John - your rant is confusing and inaccurate. I look forward to a more accurate look and factual debate.
Cuccinelli says he is for "Life, liberty and property."
Let's look at them one by one:
1) Life. Sen. Cuccinelli is not only pro-life (abortion) but has opposed expanding the death penalty (crime). He is pretty consistent in supporting life.
2) Liberty. Harder to define than life, but the Senator has supported individual rights such as the right to own weapons, the right to choose where your children go to school. He is even one of the leaders on mental health programs, helping to support those with developmental challenges build the capabilities to be able to live more freely.
3) Property. This is how conservatives view the anti-regulatory agenda and the pro-ownership agenda: especially in the wake of the Kelo decision that makes it possible for local government to take private property not just for public use like roads but also to give it to another private entity. Many believe people have a right to their own work and property.
You may not agree with these principles. But many of them were shared by the founding fathers. And they are not the ideals of a dictator or tyrant - just the opposite. They are the ideals of one who wants people to have power, not government.
Posted by: Bruce | June 30, 2009 at 11:29 AM
I note that the article didn't mention that Cuccinelli was drummed out of the Marine Corps after roughly 2 weeks. I think it is laughable that Cuccinelli has "war" prints and speaks of great "battles" and yet quit the Marines in disgrace. Cuccinelli is a paranoid joke who will be exposed for the fraud that he is. Principles!? You have got to be kidding me!
Posted by: Brian | June 30, 2009 at 07:12 PM
I heard Brian was drummed out of his job on account of downloading child pornography.
Posted by: 200 Grande | July 02, 2009 at 12:37 AM
200 Grande: Nice response. Unfortunately, it doesn't help your candidate. What will he, and you for that matter, say when a bunch of Marine vets demand that he release his military records and discover that he is a fraud? Will you call them silly names?
Posted by: Brian | July 03, 2009 at 10:30 AM