Yours truly grew up in the Commonwealth of Virginia, fondly known as "The Old Dominion" as well as "The Mother of Presidents" because of her ties to England in her founding and her history with so many early Presidents being born here. Democrat or Republican, Virginia was traditionally a "pay as you go" state, a land where general civility and a sense of history was always present. Virginians took pride in their past and looked forward to a bright future, aware of the mistakes that they, like all of us, made over the years but also buoyed by the concepts of liberty and honor.
But something happened that dramatically changed things in recent generations. The Washington suburbs boomed to the point where Northern Virginia became more populous than the other portions of the state with the result being a solid red state become purple, almost blue, in recent years. The result has been seen in Richmond, the state capital, where politics have dramatically changed and key officials have become exceedingly liberal. In no election has it been more dramatic than the gubernatorial campaign of 2013 and the election of Terry McAuliffe, a "carpetbagger" if ever there was one as Governor.
You may recall that McAuliffe, an Iowa native who lived in Northern Virginia due to its proximity to the Washington cesspool where he operated, was handpicked by the Democrats to run for Governor for one reason. He was expected to impact the Commonwealth in a way that would seal Virginia's electoral votes when Hillary ran for President. And it's all coming to fruition, folks, and nothing was more indicative of why it is well deserved than the Governor's recent executive edict allowing voting rights to be restored to nearly a quarter million ex-felons in the state. The idea is that is enough to overcome a high Republican turnout if the Washington suburbs sit home since Hillary is showing herself to be increasingly unpopular and unappealing as a candidate.
But now "Bagman" Terry is finding himself in a bit of a pickle. The "Bagman" moniker comes from Terry's reputation as the man who will go anywhere, no matter how seedy or unsavory, to gather the loot for the Clintons who always gave him a special place in their inner circles. But that very talent has caused the problem because it was learned this week that the Virginia Governor is under investigation by the FBI for campaign regularities. It seems that there is evidence of a large Chinese donor giving him significant financial support in the 2013 campaign and that is a violation of campaign laws. You remember, I hope, that Obama did the same thing but, of course, he has always been exempted from the law. But apparently investigators have perused McAuliffe's personal financial records and while little is known about where this is headed, it certainly has to be of concern to poor old Terry.
The prior Republican head of state, Governor Bob McDonnell, was convicted and sentenced for the crime of accepting some fancy clothes and jewelry for his demanding wife for political favors. Will Democrat McAuliffe face a conviction and perhaps loss of office for a much more serious violation if, in fact, charges are proffered and guilt is determined? We can only hope so and with it we will hope and pray that the land of my birth comes back to those constitutional principles that her native sons strove so hard to implement in the early days of our Republic. God bless America and the Commonwealth of Virginia, the land of my birth and heritage. "Sic semper tyrannus".
But something happened that dramatically changed things in recent generations. The Washington suburbs boomed to the point where Northern Virginia became more populous than the other portions of the state with the result being a solid red state become purple, almost blue, in recent years. The result has been seen in Richmond, the state capital, where politics have dramatically changed and key officials have become exceedingly liberal. In no election has it been more dramatic than the gubernatorial campaign of 2013 and the election of Terry McAuliffe, a "carpetbagger" if ever there was one as Governor.
You may recall that McAuliffe, an Iowa native who lived in Northern Virginia due to its proximity to the Washington cesspool where he operated, was handpicked by the Democrats to run for Governor for one reason. He was expected to impact the Commonwealth in a way that would seal Virginia's electoral votes when Hillary ran for President. And it's all coming to fruition, folks, and nothing was more indicative of why it is well deserved than the Governor's recent executive edict allowing voting rights to be restored to nearly a quarter million ex-felons in the state. The idea is that is enough to overcome a high Republican turnout if the Washington suburbs sit home since Hillary is showing herself to be increasingly unpopular and unappealing as a candidate.
But now "Bagman" Terry is finding himself in a bit of a pickle. The "Bagman" moniker comes from Terry's reputation as the man who will go anywhere, no matter how seedy or unsavory, to gather the loot for the Clintons who always gave him a special place in their inner circles. But that very talent has caused the problem because it was learned this week that the Virginia Governor is under investigation by the FBI for campaign regularities. It seems that there is evidence of a large Chinese donor giving him significant financial support in the 2013 campaign and that is a violation of campaign laws. You remember, I hope, that Obama did the same thing but, of course, he has always been exempted from the law. But apparently investigators have perused McAuliffe's personal financial records and while little is known about where this is headed, it certainly has to be of concern to poor old Terry.
The prior Republican head of state, Governor Bob McDonnell, was convicted and sentenced for the crime of accepting some fancy clothes and jewelry for his demanding wife for political favors. Will Democrat McAuliffe face a conviction and perhaps loss of office for a much more serious violation if, in fact, charges are proffered and guilt is determined? We can only hope so and with it we will hope and pray that the land of my birth comes back to those constitutional principles that her native sons strove so hard to implement in the early days of our Republic. God bless America and the Commonwealth of Virginia, the land of my birth and heritage. "Sic semper tyrannus".
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