Understanding the Office of Attorney General: A Defense of Ken Cuccinelli

Since this is an open forum for the PWA YRs, I would like to defend Ken from the recent wave of criticism he has come under from his position on transportation.  I've been quite vocal in opposing the recent transportation tax hike.  However, it is important to not only educate people on the issues, but also understand how the political process works.

First thing to understand is the Washington Post.  The Washington Post has made a career out of trying to level Virginia Republicans.  George Allen is exhibition number one of this fact.  They intentionally write things in a way to make Republicans look bad.  In 2009, I was contacted multiple times by Washington Post reporters running stories to make Bob McDonnell look bad.  This is standard practice for the Washington Post.  Ken also has one of the most incredible records of any elected official in Virginia.  This doesn't mean he is above critique, however one should keep in mind both his record and the Post's record when criticizing him because of something they read in the Washington Post.  This is why when I read a previous Post article that I was concerned with about two months ago, I waited and asked him and ended up getting a solid response from him.  As Republicans it is important that we understand the Washington Post's tactics this election cycle.  The Post will be going after Ken all year long, and we need to be willing to defend Ken from the Post as opposed to falling for all their attacks on Ken.

It is also important to understand the role of the Attorney General.  Attorney Generals are much more like judges than legislators in terms of their ability to talk about policy issues.  See, the Attorney General's job is to advise the state on constitutional issue and defend state legislation if it is challenged in the courts.  As a result, he legally can not argue for the repeal of legislation he may have to defend in court this summer.  Anyone who has talked with Ken about various subjects over the last four years has run into topics where he has been limited about saying certain things because of his position as Attorney General.  Ken did all he could on the transportation bill.  When asked for an opinion, he released one that thew a monkey wrench in the process.

Ken also has been one of the most elected officials when it comes to taxes and spending.  Shortly after he was elected to the state senate, he lead the opposition to Gov. Mark Warner's tax referendum out of his house.  As a state senator he fought against anything that smelled of a tax.  He's opposed one of the biggest wastes of state funds in NoVa, the expansion of metro into Fairfax and Loudoun.  Honestly, anyone who has heard Ken talk about the recent tax increase quickly realizes it is not a bill he loves.

As conservatives we need to pressure our politicians to stay true, but we also need to understand how the process works.  Attacking one of our finest for what his opponents say about him, simply plays into the Democrats hands.  Like it or not, Ken is our nominee and we should work hard to support him.  Playing up fears that he isn't really a conservative will only reduce energy from the base, and hinder volunteer turnout.

As someone who has supported Ken since his 2007 reelection to the state senate, I am excited to see him as our nominee, and look forward to helping turnout the YRs to make Ken the next Governor.