Hypocritical Democrats can’t meet their own standard
By Brian Kirwin | Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 | PoliticsI read Democratic blogs for the same reason I like karaoke bars – in a Simon kind of way.
Today’s joy was watching a local Dem attack Bob McDonnell and excuse Terry McAuliffe the same weekend for the same thing.
“Here’s a problem for Bob McDonnell. Bob may be 4 jobs, but nowhere does he explain how that favor will generate any.” (Dem blog)
Of course, the blogger was at McDonnell’s kickoff rally where he said exactly how he could harness Virginia’s pro-business environment to create jobs (hint to McAuliffe – it’s not by forcing more unions on Virginia)
But the same Democrat blogger just two days ago touted McAuliffe’s vague promises “And, that is what I focus on every single day. I have done it before. I will bring the business experience and management experience to this job.” (same Dem blogger)
That’s it. That’s his plan. Focus?
What is it exactly that McAuliffe has “done before?”
He “constructed over 1,100 homes.”
So, he’s gonna do that again? He’s gonna build more houses?
Will Democrats nominate a home builder to solve problems of transportation, the environment and sprawl?
Better question. Will Democrat bloggers consider holding their own candidates to the same standards with which they attack Republicans.
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About the author
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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17 Responses to "Hypocritical Democrats can’t meet their own standard"
Brian,
In answer to your own question “What is it exactly that McAuliffe has “done before”? you should have included the entire quote from which you take your reply.
That entire quote is:
“Of the four candidates running for governor, he is the only one who has created thousands of jobs. He was the youngest bank chairman in the nation’s history at the age of 30 and he owned a home building company that he took out of receivership, built up into a major company and constructed over 1,100 homes.”
Banking and building homes. Just the recipe for our economic needs!
Besides, you don’t want to get into the history of Federal City Bank, do you?
Brian,
Yes I would. I have no knowledge of that history. I would appreciate being enlightened.
“A bank founded by DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe — which federal regulators determined used unsafe and unsound banking practices — awarded an “unusual and unsecured” loan to Gephardt in the late 1980s!
McAuliffe and several other Democratic Party stalwarts founded Federal City Bank, which drew many of its clients from its political connections.
While sitting on the bank’s board, McAuliffe also served as finance director for Gephardt’s failed presidential campaign.
During that time, Federal City made a $125,000 loan to the Gephardt Campaign.
The loans were “unusual and unsecured” and might have violated Federal election laws because it was unlikely they would have been made had it not been for the ties to the campaign of the two bank officers, it was reported at the time.
An industry trade publication noted that Federal City lost $1.5 million in its first three years in business. In October 1991, federal regulators cited Federal City for unsafe and unsound banking practices and forced the bank to raise more capital or face being shut down. ”
http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2002/07/13/20020713_084234_gep.htm
Less then fulfilling.
Please provide the time line because I am faced with conflicting reports. At some point the bank was losing money and at some point Terry took control.
Since your post indicates only that the bank lost money in its first three years, and my understanding is that Terry took over an unprofitable bank and led it to profitability? Was the period that the bank was unprofitable include Terry’s reign or was it prior?
Please continue to enlighten me. I am not yet educated enough.
Since you’re too lazy to Google, McAuliffe himself says he was bank chairman by the age of 30, and he was born in 1957.
Uhm, the word “founded” might have given you a hint. He was on the bank’s board before he was President.
more fun…
http://africanamerica.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/79160213/m/239602335
“The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating some of McAuliffe’s questionable business ventures and has filed suit with two labor-union officials from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers pension fund having business dealings with McAuliffe. “..Both officials later agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties for their actions, and the union itself had to reimburse its pension fund by nearly $5 million…”
“..In one deal, McAuliffe and the fund officials created a partnership to buy a large block of commercial real estate in Florida. McAuliffe put up $100 for the purchase, while the pension fund put up $39 million. Yet McAuliffe got a 50-percent interest in the deal; he eventually walked away with $2.45 million from his original $100 investment. In another instance, the pension fund loaned McAuliffe more than $6 million for a real-estate development, only to find that McAuliffe was unable to make payments for nearly five years. In the end, the pension fund lost some of its money, McAuliffe moved on to his next deal, and fund officials found themselves facing the Labor Department’s questions…”
The lawsuit that details McAuliffe’s dealings with the electrical workers’ pension fund is Herman v. Moore, filed in May 1999. Here’s a link to the rest of the story….
http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york071602.asp
There’s also the Global Crossing scandal that mirrors Enron ( you never heard of Global Crossing, have you?). McAuliffe invested $100.000 and walked away with 18 million.”
That did not answer my question and only puts up some additional concerns without rebuttal.
In rebuttal, Terry invested in Global Crossing before the Internet Bubble. He got out before the bubble collapsed.
He did not invest only $100 as Brian puts forth, his original investment was $100,000.00. Is Brian going to condemn making profits off investments?
I have no knowledge about the Florida real estate deal.
After researching the Florida deal I came up with this:
The pension fund put up virtually all the money — about $40 million compared with McAuliffe’s $100 — even though McAuliffe would own a 50 percent share in the partnership. This detail would become a point of contention in a lawsuit filed against the fund trustees by the Department of Labor, which regulates the management of pension funds and which determined that it had not been a good investment for the electrical workers. In 2001, after two years of litigation, the trustees, including Moore, settled in U.S. District Court.
In the end, the pension fund sold its share to McAuliffe and made a profit. McAuliffe unloaded the apartments and then renovated the commercial strip and sold it for $39.7 million, a far greater return for McAuliffe than for the union.
David, one comment you say it wasn’t $100. The next you quote it. Make up your mind. I just was going by what I read and cited.
He was a founder of the bank. He apparently took over in 1987 as President. I can’t find what year the bank was founded.
And if this is the evidence given for McAuliffe “creating jobs” (the POINT OF THE POST), it doesn’t show that to me.
My post was that I did not understand about the $100 dollar reference. In your post you claimed $100 for both investments.
On my second post I understand where the $100 dollar reference comes from even though I continue to dispute your reference to the first.
You were the guy pointing to $100 in each example.
If you have a problem with where the thread leads, do not lead it there.
Sounds like my mistake. With all of McAuliffe’s self-interest in enriching himself through politics and sweetheart deals, even I can mix up the deals, I guess.
I must say I do appreciate the way you stand up for your own stands. I must say I have zero doubt you’ll end up voting for a Democrat, but I love the battle of ideas.
I’m just one guy with an opinion, and I’m not always right and never claim to be perfect.
I am amazed how others focus on me, however.
Brian,
If you do not want to be targeted, then drop out of the lead. Leaders are always going to have the bulls eye on their back as well as painted clearly on their chest.
Personally, I think we all will be at a loss if you ever choose to clam up.
This is what you get for wasting time reading the silly cheerleaders at vbdems, BK
Terry McAuliffe has more baggage than Dulles Airport on a bad day, and the Repubs would run him through their meatgrinder and bring down the entire Democratic ticket including delegates.
Here are more scandals he was involved in, not yet fully publicized.
– He was a “high-powered consultant” for David Chang, a New Jersey shady-business type who went to jail for illegal contributions to McAuliffe’s buddy, ex-Sen. Bob Torricelli (D-N.J.) who was forced to quit his reelection campaign after being chastized by the Senate Ethics Committee.(New York Times, April 22, 2001.)
– McAuliffe’s own DNC finance chairman testified in court that McAuliffe tried to put together an illegal scheme swapping big Teamster money for fewer Democratic dollars. (New York Times, November 18, 1999.)
– McAuliffe denied any connection with Bill Clinton’s explosive pardon of the notorious fugitive financier Marc Rich — but “two senior Democatic party officials ” said he insisted on getting credit for Rich’s wife donating $1 million to the Clinton library fund before the pardon. (New York Times, February 18, 2001.)
None of these on-the-record scandals were mentioned in today’s Washington Post article on other McAuliffe deals. The Post doesn’t like to cite the New York Times.
Conclusion: Tip of the iceberg.
Sounds like there’ll be plenty of ammo for McDonnell to use against McAuliffe if the Democrats are foolish enough to nominate the carpet bagger.
Vivian J. Paige has a post on Terry McAuliffe and his shenanigans that is relevant to this. See.
http://blog.vivianpaige.com/2009/05/03/5-businesses-zero-jobs/
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