Thursday's Washington Examiner newspaper has a fascinating article about Bill Bolling, one of two Republican candidates for Lt. Governor in Virginia this year. According to the author, Barbara Hollingsworth, Republican candidate Bolling worked for 21 years at the Virginia-based Reciprocal Group, an insurance company "whose executives were found guilty of Enron-like fraud." And, although Bolling claims to have only been a "middle manager" at the company, he made $250,000+ per year "in a company listing a mere $4 million in assets." Doesn't sound like "middle management" to us!Amazingly, Bolling claims to have no memory whatsoever of any wrongdoing at the company, which went bankrupt in 2003 "with $770 million in unpaid claims." Since Bolling can't recall anything (the Sargeant Shultz defense -- "I know nothing!!"), we'll help him jog his memory a bit.
According to the Examiner article, the collapse of Reciprocal "financially devastated thousands of doctors and lawyers as well as many hospitals across the country that relied on it for their malpractice insurance." Do you remember THAT, Bill? Or how about the "lavish outings for company executive on the yacht Scottish Lass?" Still no recollection? OK, then, might you recall your February 2005 decision to remove "any mention of the Reciprocal Group, where [you] worked for two decades, from [your] campaign Web site?" C'mon, think boy, you can do it!
Hollingsworth concludes her article with the following words of warning: "before Virginia Republicans make Bolling their standard bearer, they'd be wise to check him out a bit more thoroughly...or risk being left standing on quicksand themselves." Of course, we here at RaisingKaine would be perfectly happy to see the Republicans do just that. Please, pick Bill "Gutter" Bolling and help make the election of Viola Baskerville, Leslie Byrne, Chap Peterson or Phil Puckett that much easier!