Miss Virginia 2005 (Arturo - 12/5/2006 9:19:03 AM)
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One of Jim WebbGÇÖs best lines this year was about George Allen's responsibility for running such a slimy campaign: GÇ£The fish rots from the head down.GÇ¥
In this context, itGÇÖs time to re-introduce ourselves to the newly elected head of VirginiaGÇÖs Republican Party, Ed Gillespie. (HeGÇÖs the one with the tie on.) To date the press has focused on Mr. GillespieGÇÖs extensive experience in Washington politics. Experienced he is, but one has to question whether itGÇÖs the type of experience Virginia really needs.
As his biography in Wikipedia shows, Mr. GillespieGÇÖs experience consists of going back and forth through the revolving door, from politician to lobbyist to politician to lobbyist to politician to lobbyist back to (you guessed it!) politician. HeGÇÖs lucky not to have gotten whiplash in the process. HeGÇÖs even luckier to have gotten wealthy and powerful in the process.
And as Lowell reported back in August, GillespieGÇÖs lobbying has concentrated on exactly the type of corrupt corporate protection schemes that made voters blood boil this past election.
Public Citizen published a report GÇ£Ed Gillespie: The Embedded LobbyistGÇ¥ in 2003 warning President Bush not to appoint him as head of the RNC due to his extensive lobbying ties. This report is full of goodies, and while they have been reported here before, some stories are too good not to repeat. As in:
GÇóEnron paid Quinn Gillespie $700,000 in 2001 alone to lobby on the GÇ£California energy crisisGÇ¥ and thwart efforts to re-regulate the Western electricity market through price controls. Before its collapse, the company also funneled money to a Gillespie-run group to buy national television ads promoting the presidentGÇÖs industry-friendly energy plan.GÇó PricewaterhouseCoopers paid Quinn Gillespie $1.35 million from 2000 to 2002 to lobby against increased oversight of the accounting industry. PricewaterhouseCoopers GÇô which paid a $5 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2002 for repeated accounting irregularities, including improperly auditing millions in fees paid to its own consultants GÇô tried to water down accounting reforms in the wake of an unprecedented wave of corporate fraud.
GÇóDaimlerChrysler paid more than $1 million to Quinn Gillespie, which lobbied heavily against any increase in fuel-efficiency standards for gas-guzzling light trucks and SUVs. Gillespie declared, GÇ£The DemocratsGÇÖ approach to energy policy is an attack on our quality of life.GÇ¥
And it goes on like thatGǪfor 25 pages.
Yes, something is rotten in the state of Virginia GÇô rotten, once again, from the head down.
And who, by the way, are the pretty young ladies, one on each arm, Mr. Gillespie is embracing? My, my, money does talk. Too cute for words.
Any ideas when the picture was taken?
I could talk about my wife but the super Woman for Webb gals come to mind (OFTEN)... specifically Virginia Beach babes.
Need I say more??
Right now I'm sitting in the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas ... turns out the BillBoard Music awards went on this evening ... talk about a a steady stream of lucious liberal democrate women ...
Yeah you had to be there ... but I challenge you to refute such proof.
Check in again tomorrow...
Remember it was under Gillespie's watch that New Hampshire Democrats lines were jammed (2002)..WaPost article here:
And as national chair of RNC..it was his job to paint Democrats with loathsome slogans.
Not certain if Mr. G has "turned over a new leaf"...but given how VA Repubs are not happy with recent losses- one which brought national attention to their dilemma..they are looking for the big attack to "bring 'em back".
The picture came from the Miss Virginia website, specifically from Miss Virginia 2005 Kristi Glaka's public appearances. I thought that Miss Virginia was a non-partisan position, but you can judge Kristi by the company she keeps.
Here's an even more nauseating photo (WARNING: do not view while eating!):
Many Republicans are saying that we make too much of this - we should lighten up. But that is not the point. For many those photos are just fine - it's not the content that's the problem.
The problem is that for true "family values" believers, these photos should be offensive. In the photo with Bush you can really see how low cut her dress is. The family values folks should be up in arms about such forthright sexuality. This will corrupt young minds and tempt older ones. Regardless of what we think of those photos, they are bad for family values.
Yet the Republicans posing in those photos, clearly enjoying the moment, rely heavily on those "family values" votes. At face value that's hypocrisy. Behind the scenes it could be even worse - manipulation for votes. Either way, that's the heart of the problem.
And that's the message that never seems to get through to the critics of posts like this.
BTW - it is curious to note that photos of Republicans posing with attractive women seem to cause the most stir. Some readers may recall a brew-ha over a certain Mary Washington Republican six months ago.