MASON CONSERVATIVE

The Coming Afghan Quagmire

A quick word.  If we aren't 100% committed through funding, resources, and perserverence to win the fight then we need to bring out troops home tomorrow.  What we must learn from Vietnam is that we cannot fight a war on the side, lurching from one benchmark to another to save any president who gets defined by a conflict.  What I hear from Obama worries me, it sounds just like what Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon argued for.  Patience, time, fighting peicmel won't work.  If Obama is sending the troops in without the absolute will to withstand every single issue and win, don't do it.  Bring them home.  Because troops will die for nothing, just like they did in Vietnam.

Vote For Steve Hunt!

Hunt makes his pledge to be the conservative candidate in the 37th district:

As you know, the Republican primary to determine a nominee to replace Senator Ken Cuccinelli will be held tomorrow night from at Centreville High School from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. I would be grateful to have your support and your vote. 

I have worked with many of you in the past on political, community, and charitable causes.  Some of you supported me with your time and hard earned dollars in my runs for the School Board.  I have knocked doors, distributed yard signs, and worked the polls on Election Day with many of you in the past.  Some of you are volunteering for my campaign right now--I cannot express to you enough my appreciation for that. 

Many of you know my principles and where I stand on the issues, but I want to pledge several things to you:

1.  If nominated, I will work as hard as I as you have seen me work in the past when I ran county-wide--when I earned the reputation of being everywhere.    I will do everything I can to keep this Senate seat in Republican hands.

2.  If elected to the State Senate, I will work as hard as I did on the school board--where even a Democrat school board member referred to me as the hardest working member of the board--to represent you, your family, our community, and our Constitution.  When voting, I will consider the merits of every piece of legislation that comes before the Senate deliberately, but I can promise you, I will never forget my core values and our nation's founding principles.

--The United States is the greatest, freest country the world has ever known because of our people, not the government.  If Americans remain free to raise their families, invent new products, start new businesses, pursue their dreams, and enjoy maximum individual liberty, the United States will remain the greatest nation the world has ever known. 

--The government should do less, and do it well.  The government should tend to its constitutionally mandated responsibilities, both in Richmond and Washington, DC.  Government should focus on doing what it is constitutionally tasked with better, not expanding its reach while doing everything poorly.  In Virginia, this means focusing government on security provided by the justice system and first responders (fireman and police), improving transportation, ensuring children receives a quality education, and making sure regulation doesn't strangle our economy and the productive genius of our people.

--Taxes should be as low and broad-based as possible.  Virginia's revenues have gone up dramatically over the past decade, but economies are cyclical.  By increasing spending as much as the bubble economies allow, we have created an unsustainable budget.  The role of an elected representative is to make tough decisions and constrain the growth of government, not to spend every dollar that is collected and then look for more potential sources of revenue.

--Protecting our traditional values.  If we want our state and nation to remain strong, we must respect life in all circumstances, protect traditional marriage, ensure every law abiding American has the right to own a firearm, and make sure our right to own property is not infringed.  

--Asking ourselves before any legislation is passed:  Is this legislation constitutional?  Not just is this legislation helpful to someone--there is no end to the good things that government can try to do with your money.

These principles will guide my decisions if I have the privilege to serve as your next State Senator.   Please remember to vote tomorrow. I hope I can count on your support.

Sincerely,

Steve Hunt

Missing The Mark On Marsden

Lets be careful about the residency issue, shall we Republicans?

It is distasteful and extremely shallow that he has "rented a room" at someone's house.  It violates the spirit of represented government that he would represent a district he doesn't live in.  The last two times I saw this happen, Steve Chapman and Dick Black, it didn't work out.  But lets be careful, and let me explain why.

Something close to 10 of Marsden's precincts are in the 37th senate distirct, so there are a lot of voters in this district that have cast votes for Marsden in the past.  He has traction here, he's worked for votes here, and he has won here in three straight delegate races.  Barely, and I don't think Marsden has a very good hold on his district, but he's won.

We can't zero in on one controversial sliver of Marsden's record.  Instead we need a broad and conservative platform similar to what McDonnell ran on based on answering kitchen table questions with real conservative answers.  Lets make this instance of Marsden part of an overall record of shallowness.  He was a Republican working for Ken Cuccinelli, then a Democrat because Dillard couldn't get his way, and now this . . . lets paint Marsden with a broad brush of being a political oppurtunist who looks out for himself first.  Similar to how Jim LeMunyon ran against Chuck Caputo, he made Chuck's cruise ship ride part of a broader narrative rather than zeroing in on it non-stop with non-stop attacks.  That just doesn't work.

Lets just be careful and a bit clever to really help with this. 

Unintentionally Funny Quote

Oh Dave . . .

"Let's face it: government is not working like it should for regular people and our small businesses. We are in the midst of a serious economic downturn and we need to focus on creating jobs, helping regular people and small businesses, and growing our economy," Marsden said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

Uh, Dave? 

Question. 

Who's been running government in Richmond and in Fairfax for the last eight years? Oh yeah, Democrats!  Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Gerry Connolly, and yes you, Delegate Dave Marsden.  For four years you have had your feet firmly planted on your desk, lounging on the back benches of the House of Delegates accomplishing nothing for Fairfax county, and one who barely gets reelected in the district you actually live in! 

So we all agree.  Government has not been working like it should for regular people and our small businesses, which is why the McBollinelli Broom swept the bums out.  People will see through you, your oppurtunistic move into the 37th, the fact that you have been a cheif cheerleader (and nothing else) of failed policies for 8 years that have not fixes transportaiton, have not fixed out budget, have not lowered college tuition, and have not helped small businesses.  And, and the occasional embarassment at the hands of Dave Albo is good for a chuck, and seems to be indicitive of your position in the House.

Oh yeah, Steve Hunt for Virginia Senate.

2011 Senate Early Bird Preview

I know its veeeeery early to talk about this, but VPAP just updated their website with a fascinating look at statewide vote breakdowns based on both delegate and senate districts.  The common theme among close districts that are represented by Democrats is that they are coming home.  Many went for Bush, the left Republicans until this year.  Another important lesson is that there are no close districts represented by Republicans that Deeds won, nor are there any that are trending from Republican to Democrat.  In short, the 2009 elections have created real momentum for Republicans and also restabilized the commonwealth political back to how it was in 2004.  The reasons for it are numerous, mostly because the Democrats after eight years in power failed to fullfill any of their goals they promised in 2001 and 2005.  Anyways, here is a nice breakdown of some of these races:

1st District:  John Miller, D

    * McDonnell 63% / Deeds 37%
    * Bolling 59% / Wagner 41%
    * Cuccinelli 61% / Shannon 39%
    * McCain 51% / Obama 48%
    * Gilmore 37% / Warner 62%
    * Allen 54% / Webb 45%
    * Kilgore 49% / Kaine 48%
    * Bolling 56% / Byrne 44%
    * McDonnell 56% / Deeds 44%
    * Bush 60% / Kerry 40%

6th District:  Ralph Northam, D

    * McDonnell 58% / Deeds 42%
    * Bolling 54% / Wagner 46%
    * Cuccinelli 56% / Shannon 44%
    * McCain 46% / Obama 53%
    * Gilmore 31% / Warner 68%
    * Allen 48% / Webb 50%
    * Kilgore 45% / Kaine 52%
    * Bolling 51% / Byrne 48%
    * McDonnell 52% / Deeds 48%
    * Bush 54% / Kerry 45%

38th District:  Phillip Puckett, D

    * McDonnell 67% / Deeds 33%
    * Bolling 67% / Wagner 33%
    * Cuccinelli 65% / Shannon 35%
    * McCain 59% / Obama 39%
    * Gilmore 35% / Warner 64%
    * Allen 52% / Webb 47%
    * Kilgore 54% / Kaine 45%
    * Bolling 54% / Byrne 46%
    * McDonnell 49% / Deeds 51%
    * Bush 56% / Kerry 44%

21st District:  John S. Edwards, D

    * McDonnell 51% / Deeds 48%
    * Bolling 50% / Wagner 50%
    * Cuccinelli 52% / Shannon 48%
    * McCain 43% / Obama 56%
    * Gilmore 27% / Warner 71%
    * Allen 44% / Webb 54%
    * Kilgore 39% / Kaine 59%
    * Bolling 44% / Byrne 56%
    * McDonnell 43% / Deeds 57%
    * Bush 50% / Kerry 49%

20th District:  Roscoe Reynolds, D

    * McDonnell 67% / Deeds 33%
    * Bolling 65% / Wagner 35%
    * Cuccinelli 66% / Shannon 34%
    * McCain 59% / Obama 39%
    * Gilmore 34% / Warner 65%
    * Allen 57% / Webb 41%
    * Kilgore 53% / Kaine 46%
    * Bolling 57% / Byrne 43%
    * McDonnell 54% / Deeds 46%
    * Bush 62% / Kerry 38%

17th District:  Edd Houck, D

    * McDonnell 67% / Deeds 33%
    * Bolling 65% / Wagner 35%
    * Cuccinelli 65% / Shannon 34%
    * McCain 54% / Obama 45%
    * Gilmore 39% / Warner 59%
    * Allen 57% / Webb 42%
    * Kilgore 54% / Kaine 44%
    * Bolling 58% / Byrne 42%
    * McDonnell 58% / Deeds 42%
    * Bush 61% / Kerry 38%

29th District:  Chuck Colgan, D

    * McDonnell 62% / Deeds 38%
    * Bolling 55% / Wagner 45%
    * Cuccinelli 59% / Shannon 41%
    * McCain 47% / Obama 53%
    * Gilmore 37% / Warner 61%
    * Allen 51% / Webb 47%
    * Kilgore 51% / Kaine 47%
    * Bolling 54% / Byrne 46%
    * McDonnell 55% / Deeds 45%
    * Bush 57% / Kerry 43%

33rd District:  Mark Herring, D

    * McDonnell 59% / Deeds 41%
    * Bolling 56% / Wagner 44%
    * Cuccinelli 56% / Shannon 44%
    * McCain 44% / Obama 55%
    * Gilmore 36% / Warner 63%
    * Allen 47% / Webb 52%
    * Kilgore 45% / Kaine 53%
    * Bolling 48% / Byrne 52%
    * McDonnell 49% / Deeds 50%
    * Bush 54% / Kerry 45%

39th District:  George Barker, D

    * McDonnell 54% / Deeds 45%
    * Bolling 52% / Wagner 48%
    * Cuccinelli 52% / Shannon 48%
    * McCain 44% / Obama 55%
    * Gilmore 35% / Warner 64%
    * Allen 45% / Webb 54%
    * Kilgore 43% / Kaine 55%
    * Bolling 46% / Byrne 54%
    * McDonnell 47% / Deeds 53%
    * Bush 51% / Kerry 49%

34th District:  Chap Petersen, D

    * McDonnell 52% / Deeds 48%
    * Bolling 49% / Wagner 51%
    * Cuccinelli 47% / Shannon 53%
    * McCain 43% / Obama 56%
    * Gilmore 33% / Warner 65%
    * Allen 41% / Webb 58%
    * Kilgore 38% / Kaine 60%
    * Bolling 41% / Byrne 58%
    * McDonnell 43% / Deeds 57%
    * Bush 48% / Kerry 51%

The only question now is will Gov. McDonnell work to recruit good candidates to make an full-court press on Democrats in these districts that we can win?  I assume he will, but this is the next step for state elections.  Lets recruit!

BVBL: "Who Is Marianne Horinko?"

Greg has some answers as to who exactly Marianne Horinko is and why she is running for the state senate.  Its a good read and gives some interesting insights as to where she has come from and what she does.  She runs a consulting firm that, according to what was dug up, works in the environmental industry and is in the business of buying carbon offsets, which makes one wonder what her views are on cap and trade, the job killing tax on the air we breath. 

To add to this, Ms. Horinko made her name in the EPA where she seemed to do a really good job.  Her section was involved in waste management issues and while you might chuckle she had that job when 9/11 happened and she apparently was quite involved in the clean-up and aftermath of the attacks and its destructive wake that it left New York City in.  After Christie Whitman resigned, President Bush made Horinko acting Administrator.

But while her service is admirable, what it shows me is that she is a part of the revolving door of private/public sector work involving consulting and government service, and its especially bad in Northern Virginia.  We had to deal with this for years during Tom Davis's reign drew on in Fairfax, where the interests of Tysons Corner took precedent over that of the average folks in the area.  Gerry Connolly drinks from the same trough. 

Horinko is now apart of this complex, where her ties from federal service have made her money in the private and now she wants to use those elite connections to buy a senate seat.  There is something special about this seats, its Ken Cuccinelli's seat, a real up-from-the-grassroots politician who did not use deep money from Tyson's Corner or DC connections to buy a seat.  The folks in Horinko's business are the same she worked with in government and that revolving door brings nothing but money and connections.  Its candidates like that that have hurt Republicans, it created a two-tiered separation between the activists and campaigns that drove down interests and activism in the area. 

Our victory in 2009 was fueled partly by the fact that all three of our statewide candidates had a long history of political activism and local government experience rather than federal government-big business contacts that buy political office.  We can't turn our back to that formula but allowing someone who joins their local committees the same year when they want to run and then spread around some money through fund-raisers.  We need people we know that have bee committed to the conservative cause locally, someone we know and can trust in power rather than a johnny-come-lately trying to buy office to fuel personal ambition rather than a cause greater than themselves.

In knowing him and listening to him speak over the past three years, I am absolutely convinced that Steve Hunt is the conservative answer.  He has been a true activities from candidate to a precinct captain.  He knows why he wants to run, and he's not doing it to fuel a personal ambition to be governor like Horinko.  Hunt has clearly stated that his army service and oath to protect the Constitution and our liberties are what drives his service.  He feels his background in the military, on the school board, and as an engineer he can be a leader on the issues effecting our region in Virginia.  We can trust him with power and know he won't change because, for me, he's proven to be a true conservative dedicated to the Constitution and the principles of limited government. 

Don't fall for the money that buys the robocalls and mailers.  Residents of the 37th, get out for Steve Hunt on December 1, a conservative you can trust, a man not driven by special interests or big Tysons's money and federal connections.  With Steve Hunt, we would have a seamless transition from Ken Cuccinelli.

Oh yeah, and Steve Hunt for Virginia Senate.

Marsden Is In?

I'm hearing that he's going to be making the run for the 37th Senate district.  Any official word of it will be contested at all?  Will Democrats really just hand the nomination to a guy who doesn't live in the district and who barely got reelected against a candidate who might have been underfunded but outworked Marsden on every level and showed how lazy he could be.

Want A Little Motivation? Read This Book

Rendezvous With Destiny by Craig Shirley.

The Carter years started off with hope, but foriegn policy blunders, a left-ward bent at home and despondent Republicans still tarred by Watergate and Richard Nixon.  Instead of packing it in or falling for the lie that Republicans needed to be more centrist or even liberal.  Instead, we turned to a true conservative with clear principles to lead us back.  Its a clear lesson Republicans need to remember, and it showed to be true here in Virginia at a statewide level, ande include New Jersey as well. 

YOUR Guide To This Huge Fight Weekend

This is a big big fight weekend.  Coming off last weekend's Pacquiao-Cotto fight and UFC 105, it gets even better this week. 

Boxing:  WBA Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler vs. 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Andrew Ward

This is the final leg of the first stage of Showtimes innovative and exciting Super Six World Boxing Classic that already saw Carl Froch beat Andre Dirrell and Arthur Abraham KO Jermain Taylor.  This tournament is exciting because we get to see top fighters fight each other.  What also makes this interesting is the champions in the divison (Froch and Kessler) defend their titles along the way.  The Kessler-Ward draw is especially interesting because Kessler is pretty much understood to be the best fighter in the division since Joe Calzaghe retired.  Since he's from Denmark, Kessler hasn't exactly become a household name outside of hardcore boxing fans but he's a formidable, talented, and exciting fighter.  Ward is a true blue-chipper, a young fighter with a gold medal and blazing speed.  He's on the edge of superstardom and seems to be the one fighter who could best use this Super Six tournament to explode onto the national scene.  But Kessler is a beast, in his prime, and at the top of his game.

UFC 106:  Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 

This card has been ravaged by injury.  It was suppose to be headlined by Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin with Ortiz's comeback fight against Mark Coleman.  Lesnar has an intestinal disease that is putting his career at risk, and Carwin then sprained his MCL.  Coleman also dropped out.  Alot is on the line for both Ortiz and Griffin.  This is Tito's comeback fight, he hasn't fought since May of 2008.  His bad blood with Dana White is over, and his injured back has finally be repaired, Ortiz has no excuses.  Griffin is coming off two straight losses to Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva, with the Silva loss especially humilating in its one-sidedness.  Ortiz is fighting to prove he's still got it, and Griffin is doing the same.  The two locked horns in 2007 in a tremendous fight that Ortiz won but was seen as the coming out party for Griffin.  The card also features the UFC debut of Lil' Nog, Antonio Rogerio Nogueria and a potential breakout performance for young and huge welterweight Anthony "Rumble" Johnson against Josh Koscheck.

WEC 44:  Brown vs. Aldo

The little guys get a go on sunday free on Versus as WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown takes on Brazilian buzzsaw Jose Aldo.  Mike Brown, a rugged wrestling mauler, has climbed the pound for pound rankings by beating fan-favoriate Urijah Faber twice, Leonard Garcia, and Jeff "Big Frog" Curran.  Brown has been brutal in his KO wins over Faber and Garcia (he armbared him, but took his head off before that), and won a classic in the Faber rematch.  He's a machine, the strongest fighter at 145lbs and its smartest.  He uses his powerful wrestling, bigger frame, great boxing, and smother and destroy opponents methodically.  Aldo is a blaze of violence, a fearsome Brazilian striker who looks like a smaller Anderson Silva in fast-forward.  Aldo has steamrolled al of his opponents since coming to the UFC winning every fight by TKO, culminating with an 8 second destruction of durable veteran Cub Swanson last June.  It should be fun to watch.

37th District Firehouse Primary Set

Voters in the 37th, help Steve Hunt get the Republican nomination for the state senate and get him to Richmond.  Here is the info:

It will be on December 1, 2009 at Centreville High School from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The specific rules will be defined at a later date, but an overview discussion stated the following:

• Identification will be required in order to vote
• All voters will be required to sign a pledge stating that they intend to support the nominees of the Republican Party in the future.
• Electronic voting machines will be used
• Curb-side voting will be available, but an observer from all candidates will be present
• One observer will be allow for each split of the voter books for each campaign

37th VA Senate District Republican Firehouse Primary:

December 1, 2009
Centreville High School
6 p.m. to 10 p.m.