You Call This a Campaign?

What do you call a campaign that raises no money, gathers no endorsements, has no particular grassroots support, and has absolutely no chance of defeating the overwhelming favorite for the party's nomination on June 10. I call that...the Vern McKinley for Congress campaign.

I mean, seriously, what is this guy doing? As far as I can tell, McKinley to date has a sleepy website that issues a press release or two every month. Even less impressive -- if that's possible -- at the end of 2008, McKinley had $12,143 cash on hand with $10,000 in debt. In contrast, Frank Wolf had $555,251 cash on hand and no debt. Also, Democrat Judy Feder just announced that she raised $310,000 in the first quarter of 2008 alone! Maybe I'm missing something here and McKinley's actually running a strong, off-the-radar-screen campaign. If so, he's certainly keeping it a nice secret. Does anyone know what's going on with this "Reagan Revolution" (whatever that means) Republican?

A Fellow Republican Critiques Frank Wolf

It's interesting to see a fellow Republican critique Frank Wolf. Here is what Wolf's "Reagan Republican" challenger Vern McKinley has to say:

*Wolf has "drifted badly the last eight to 10 years on spending...It seems like every one of his pet projects got funding, usually as an earmark."

*"McKinley is not a big fan of current U.S. foreign policy, and he said Wolf has not fully thought out the process to improve it."

*"Wolf, like some other members of Congress, does not fully think out issues, forcing him to react to actions rather than come up with a real policy."

*The economic stimulus package that Wolf voted for recently is simply "politicians in Washington [who] want to be seen as doing something about the troubled economy." McKinley adds that it will also mean "[b]orrowing from future generations to pay for consumption today."

*"...voters have shown signs of dissatisfaction with Wolf, commenting on how glad they are that McKinley is in the race."

Obviously, I don't agree with Vern McKinley on his "Reagan Republican" philosophy. Still, it's interesting what one of Wolf's fellow Republicans thinks of him.

Hey Vern?

You may be aware that Frank Wolf is being challenged by another Republican this year -- a man named Vern P. McKinley (not pictured at left), who says he's a Goldwater/Reagan conservative. More likely, you're NOT aware that Frank Wolf is being challenged by another Republican this year, because Mr. McKinley has run one of the quietest "campaigns" I've ever seen. So far, McKinley's issued 10 press releases -- about 1 per month -- and raised $6,325 (he's also loaned himself $10,000). That's about it, as far as I know.

In contrast, Wolf's Democratic challenger, Judy Feder, has raised almost $600,000 in 2007 and over $240,000 in the fourth quarter alone. She's been traveling all over the district, talking to voters and campaigning for Democratic candidates. And she's been critiquing Frank Wolf's record, just as a serious challenger's supposed to do. Apparently, these Reagan/Goldwater conservatives must think the "invisible hand" will make them the nominee or something, or that success will "trickle down" upon them without any effort on their part. Luckily, Judy Feder doesn't think that way. She knows it's time for Frank Wolf to go, and she's busting her tail to make sure that's exactly what happens.

Frank Wolf's Primary Opponent on "Limited Government"

Frank Wolf's Republican primary opponent, Vern McKinley, analyzes why Republicans lost the 2008 Virginia elections:

There is no doubt that the Republican Party in Virginia is in the midst of a steady slide having lost the governorship and a senate seat in recent years and seemingly in a weak position to retain Senator Warner’s seat in 2008. As the 2008 elections loom on the horizon the question is whether candidates should reverse the slide by moving more towards the Democrats on the issues of the day or stick to limited government principles.

[...]

“In national elections, the Republican Party has had some great triumphs over the past thirty years. Whether you focus on the 1980 election that brought Ronald Reagan to power or the 1994 Republican Revolution, such turning point elections were won in large part because the party was seen as upholding limited government principles,” notes Vern McKinley, who is challenging incumbent Congressman Frank Wolf for the Republican nomination in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. “If Republicans want to turn the tide, both nationally and in Virginia, the argument in favor of returning to these limited government principles is overwhelming.”

It will be interesting to watch McKinley go after Wolf over the next 7 months or so. Already, McKinley has lambasted Wolf for having "gone native" and being "one of only 24 Republicans voting against basic earmark reforms." Essentially, McKinley is making the case that Wolf is no longer a fiscal conservative (was he 26 years ago, when he first came to Congress?).

In stark contrast to Frank Wolf, who helped George W. Bush produce the largest budget deficits in U.S. history the past 7 years, Democrats like Judy Feder believe in "pay as you go" budgetary rules. Feder also believes that "[w]e need to revive the fiscal policies of previous administrations that lessened the tax burden on the middle class, produced the longest era of prosperity in our nation's history, raised wages and created jobs, and delivered a balanced budget."

In other words, there are two fiscal conservatives in the 10th district race, and neither of them is named "Frank Wolf."

Wolf Challenged by Reagan/Goldwater Republican

Just in case you missed it, Frank Wolf has a challenger from his political right: Vern McKinley, self-described Goldwater/Reagan Republican. Here's McKinley on Frank Wolf (bolding added for emphasis):

Congressman Wolf has “gone native” and during 2006 was one of only 24 Republicans voting against basic earmark reforms, such as identifying the member requesting an earmark. During Republican control of the House, he regularly used his powerful position on the Appropriations Committee to insert pork spending. The problem also goes beyond earmarks to broader spending discipline. The National Taxpayers Union assigns an annual rating to all members of the House based on 200 votes on spending, regulatory and tax issues. From 1995 to 2006 Congressman Wolf’s NTU rating has plummeted from 80 (B) to 45 (C-).

I actually agree with McKinley on this line of criticism; Wolf has indeed been part of a party that has gone hog wild with pork barrel spending (not to mention the Iraq war, which could end up costing us $1 TRILLION), running up record deficits in the process. In other words, this is not your father's Republican Party, when fiscal discipline and balanced budgets actually meant something.

Another line of criticism from Mr. McKinley rings true:

Congressman Wolf signed the Contract with America and voted for term limits, yet he is a career politician who has served in Congress for over 26 years. The longer a Member stays in office the more likely that his or her voting record will turn toward advocating big spending and other big government policies.

That really says a great deal about Frank Wolf right there: he promised to abide by term limits but then broke his promise and is now working to become a "lifer" in Congress. Why is that? Is it so much fun voting to rubber stamp George W. Bush on the Iraq war and on opposition to stem cell research? Or maybe Wolf just likes handing out pork? Hard to say, but regardless, it is well past time for a change in the 10th district.