First, the "funny-haha" one. If you go to Bill Bolling's website (I know, I know - why?!?) and click on "In the News," you get the following gem from June 14, 2005. That's right, June 14, 2005 -- primary election day:
Alright, everybody, let's all mark our calendars for June 14 so we can rush out and get some Bill Bolling yard signs when they "finally arrive!!!!" Maybe we will even be able to get them up in our yards by the end of primary election day. By that time, of course, voting will be over, meaning that our yard signs won't have done Bill Bolling one bit of good.
Unless, of course...the Bolling campaign is far more clever -- and far more cocky - than we're giving them credit for. Could it be, just possibly, that the Bolling braintrust is operating under the assumption that they'll easily beat rival Sean Connaughton in the Republican Primary? And if that's the case, might they be thinking that they would be better actually saving their yard signs for the general election campaign? Is this a sign of how clever the Bolling campaign is, or just how forgetful/cocky/incompetent?
Speaking of forgetful, here's our second "funny" of the morning, this one the "funny-strange" and "funny-pathetic" item. If you go to Bill Bolling's Biography on his website, you'll see a great deal of information about his political career, plus brief mentions about his family and church.
Besides that, though, this guy apparently had no career, certainly not at the sleazy, Enron-like Reciprocal Group insurance company where he worked for 21 years. You know, the company that went bankrupt in 2003 ?with $770 million in unpaid claims?? The one which ?financially devastated thousands of doctors and lawyers as well as many hospitals across the country that relied on it for their malpractice insurance?" Details., details.
As far as Bill Bolling's website is concerned, he never worked at the Reciprocal Group - or anywhere else, for that matter -- except as a lifetime politician. Reciprocal Group? Who are they? Never heard of 'em. Did I ever work there? Huh? Who, me? Nosiree, nowhere, nohow.
Yeah, this is funny stuff, no doubt. Forgetting one's yard signs AND one's career of 21 years on your official campaign website is pretty hilarious. Except for one problem. This Bolling character is the guy the Republican Party of Virginia establishment, including Kilgore buddy Eric Cantor, has inexplicably anointed as their Lt. Governor nominee even before the voters have had a chance to weigh in on primary election day.
Why is this? Well, sad to say, but it seems that "corrupt" and "conveniently forgetful" (for another example, see Bob "Can't Recall if I've Ever Had Sodomy" McDonnell) are two characteristics highly favored by the Republican Party of Virginia these days. For crying out loud, they're practically qualifications for higher office in the party of Jerry Kilgore! Now, ain't that just precious? Maybe not, but at least it's "funny" -- in a strange, pathetic sort of way.