Time to catch up with a few of our favorite Cons and see how fortune is favoring them.
First up, we’ve got Jeff Frederick. When last we looked, Frederick was vying for the World Champion Wingnut Award by dissing Darwin, and making a twit of himself on Twitter. Alas, it appears his star has burned out too early:
Just days after being embroiled in Virginia’s first Twitter-gate scandal, the chairman of the commonwealth’s Republican Party is giving up his seat in the House of Delegates — with one catch. He wants his wife to take his place. [snip] The saga continued Friday morning when he sent an e-mail to his constituents saying he wouldn’t seek a fourth term. “For me, it has always been about serving — not power or position — and because God has opened up other doors for me, I am glad to be of service elsewhere,“ Frederick wrote. But while God is acting like WMATA, Frederick’s own decision opened the door for his wife to take his place. She’s not entirely sure she’ll go for it, but already has a Web site, http://www.VoteAmy.com. Jeff Frederick’s own Web site, VoteJeff.com, now redirects to a site with a big picture of his wife, as well with a message of, well, hope: “Jeff Frederick isn’t running for re-election, but maybe we can elect another Frederick to the House of Delegates. Help Jeff convince Amy to run.”
Because what Virginia needs is dynastic dumbfuckery.
You may wonder why Del. Frederick decided to bow out stage right. He’ll tell you it’s because he promised he wouldn’t run again. Others may tell a different story, especially the Virginia GOP’s abruptly former chief fundraiser, who had this to say in his calling-it-quits letter:
“Unfortunately the problems of structure, power projection, consultant interference, interpersonal difficulties, years of internal malaise, Luddite attitudes, leadership, and unity of purpose stand in the way of any hope of success,“ said Curt.
Ouch. Very ouch. And, of course, it gets better:
Kenneth Klinge, a former state GOP executive director who last fall urged Frederick’s removal, said the Curt resignation is a signal that Frederick’s chairmanship is short-lived.
“Good news comes in strange packages,“ said Klinge, adding, “How can you be weakened when you’re already a zero?“
Curt wrote of the GOP: “The organization is dysfunctional.“
Shiny happy people holding hands they are not. I can hardly wait for the end of this saga.
Time now for Cao. Hailed as the hero of the GOP when he first burst on the scene (OMG, a Vietnamese man, we have minority cred!!11!1!), temporarily appearing as an actual Republican with principles rather than a Con with nothing but ideology and a herd instinct, he raised our hopes high, and then dashed them by cravenly kowtowing to Cantor et al. Considering a heavily Democratic district elected him only because the alternative was a corrupt old bugger who kept mounds of cash in his freezer, an astute political observer might assume that voting the Con party line against his own constituents wasn’t the wisest move – and that observer would be so right (h/t):
Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, the Vietnamese Republican who made a successful longshot bid for Congress in an overwhelmingly black and Democratic New Orleans district, is the subject of a recall petition filed by critics of his vote against President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package.
Rev. Aubry Wallace is the chairman of the recall effort. In a news release, he and Rev. Toris Young criticized Cao for twice voting against the stimulus bill, which Obama signed into law this week.
If Cao is indeed the future of the GOP, it’s not a very bright one.
Speaking of things that aren’t bright, I’m sure you all remember Sarah Palin. We left her stumped by a legislator’s simple question on matters of governance, which, y’know, you kinda sorta expect a governor to be able to answer. I must preface the following by stating that she was not under consideration for a position in the Obama cabinet, tax woes notwithstanding (h/t):
Gov. Sarah Palin must pay income taxes on thousands of dollars in expense money she received while living at her Wasilla home, under a new determination by state officials. The governor’s office wouldn’t say this week how much she owes in back taxes for meal money, or whether she intends to continue to receive the per diem allowance. As of December, she was still charging the state for meals and incidentals.
This, of course, comes after the humilation of having to admit that your daughter’s right about the futility of abstinence-only programs.
They say fortune favors the bold. It seems to favor boldly bashing wingnuts this week. Here’s hoping this happy state of affairs continues.
