During this campaign I have become very familiar with Ken Cuccinelli's five year record in the State Senate, and there is a recurring theme in a lot of the bills that he patrons: Ken simply does not understand.Ken does not understand the consequences of the legislation that he writes. He goes down to Richmond, drafts all sorts of amendments and sponsors all sorts of legislation, most of which thankfully never see the light of day. Unfortunately some of it does make the news because the result of the legislation that he drafts would be so egregious that the media finds it hard not to write about.
For instance Ken's "Scuzzball Reporter Bill". This bill was designed to keep reporters from seeking an interview with people who had just experienced a tragedy. What this bill actually would have accomplished, however, caused one newspaper to mock the bill as the "stupidest bill of the year" and others to say it is just downright embarrassing. The problem is that because of the pesky thing we call the First Amendment, Ken could not legally limit his legislation to only reporters. Click here to see the ramifications of this law. My favorite part is Mark Fisher's update:
The Virginia Senate's Courts of Justice committee has killed Cuccinell's bill. The senator was unable to get even one member of the committee to go along with his proposal, which was denounced by Sen. Henry Marsh (D-Richmond) as a "gratuitous, wholesale attack on the press."The committee's counsel declared the bill "unconstitutional," the AP's Larry O'Dell reported. When Sen. Ryan McDougle (R-Hanover) asked whether the proposal would allow trespassing charges to be filed against a florist delivering flowers to a bereaved family, Cuccinelli said: "They would need to call ahead, that's all."
Sadly, this is all too often the case with Ken Cuccinelli's attempt at legislating.
Another piece of legislation that Ken does not seem to understand the consequences of is HB2797, which Ken patroned. This bill said that life begins at fertilization.
The implications of this bill:
1. Women and their doctors would be thrown in jail for murder when an abortion was performed even in cases involving rape, incest, or when the health of the mother is at stake.
2. It would be illegal for hospitals to dispense emergency contraception to women who have just been the victims of rape.Ken Cuccinelli denies that this is what the result of HB2797 would be, but that's only because he didn't take the time to think it out, and now he's trying to explain his way out of this dangerous legislation that he patroned.
These are just two examples of Ken Cuccinelli's embarrassing record in the Senate. This is not the type of legislator anyone wants in Richmond, especially when there are so many problems that we could solve with an effective State Senator. Please pass this newsletter on to everyone you know by clicking the link at the bottom. It's imperative that people know what type of representation they are getting in Richmond, and how important it is that we vote for change on November 6th.
The bottom line is that Janet Oleszek may not be the slickest politician in the world, but she's smart, she cares, and she'll make Fairfax proud -- unlike Ken Cuccinelli. Right Ron? ;)
I've written before about Cuccinelli's support of the cock fighting industry. How a person treats helpless creatures tells me all I need to know about someone.
This was a devastating part of the letter:
Indeed, when Fairfax County legislators gather to hear the requests of non-profit groups, Hugo is usually not present, Cuccinelli is late or leaves early and O'Brien is doing crossword puzzles, "because he's heard it all before."