Guest Post: Hit and Run Politics
By Brenda Haegley
The final few weeks of Virginia’s 8th senatorial district race for the Republican nominee have been like watching a continual hit and run. The Wilson campaign has mastered this tactic. While a real hit-and-run situation is disturbing and reflects a lack of responsibility or concern for what’s left behind, this applied tactic is even worse in that it is deliberate.
People are sick of politics and I can see why. I am sick of it. Our country and our commonwealth are facing critical times. We desperately need the best person available representing us. Voters want candidates to present why they are running and their platform, and then may the best person win! Unfortunately, comparing and contrasting is not happening. Important issues are not being discussed. It is just hit-and-run politicking. The myopic self-serving tactics I have witnessed being applied to smear a good man are a disgrace and reckless.
Jeff McWaters founded a Fortune 500 company in Virginia Beach, a PRIVATE health-care company created to help those who were deemed “uninsurable.” As an auditor, he fully understands the amount of government waste that is in our current health-care system, and acknowledges that it needs to be better managed and revamped. Emergency rooms are being used as the uninsureds’ primary-care provider, and we all pay for that. Those who can afford health care should pay their own way, NOT the tax payers. Jeff has always been adamantly opposed to “Obama-care.” In fact, he believes it is BAD for America and has been saying so in public forums long before his opponent tried to claim otherwise. Now I am hearing on the radio that he is a “liberal,” and that this is “paid for by Rosemary Wilson because you deserve to know.” Really?! What we deserve is some honesty. Hopefully the voters know a lot more than Wilson gives them credit. Manipulating a statement out of context and then lying to people about its meaning is wrong, but unfortunately it is the Wilson tactic.
Jeff McWaters has the skill set that is so desperately needed at this time. And his character and integrity would never allow the kind of misleading, deceitful tactics with which he is being hit. As a Republican, I am proud to have him on our team and grateful that he is willing to tolerate the gauntlet, just so he can try to help. However, I am concerned for our party. How many quality people will want to step up to serve, knowing that first they have to survive a few hit-and-runs? They better have good insurance.
Category: Campaigns and Elections
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I posted this to my Facebook and will have all my neighbors and friends read it. Brenda, I could not agree more. When I got home from my appointments today and saw three out of four Rosemary Wilson fliers in my postbox negative and deceitful I was disgusted. I will never support her in anything ever again.
I am hearing that a lot, Kathy. She and the people running her campaign are damaging the Republican Party. It’s a shame.
People do have a right to know that in 2007 Jeff McWater’s wrote an oped saying that he did not thing then Senator Obama’s mandated healthcare plan went far enough. I am sorry, anyone with half a brain knows that “mandated healthcare” means public option, government care or in its modern incarnation, OBAMACARE. I am sorry I cannot trust any “Republican” that says anything at all supportive of mandated coverage. And how about this little gem of a story from Wavy 10, http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/Race-to-replace-Senator-Stolle-heats-up_ where he claims to not know anything about the emails and decisions being made by his company. But wait, I thought it was his business experience that made him so great for this office? So what is the choice here – either he is a great CEO in touch with his company, (which means he knew all about the emails and the coverage denial, etc) OR he didn’t know anything about them and was asleep at the wheel which makes him incompetent. Sorry but I don’t think we need either scenario in Richmond. This is just common sense.
If his WONDERFUL company wanted to unsure the uninsured then why don’t they provide coverage for scientifically and medically proven therapies for children with Autism.
BTW I don’t run Brenda. I’ve been here the whole time. Seems every time I bring something up I just get called mean or whatever. Funny though nobody denies a thing I’m saying.
I agree with GovGirl. It’s either he knew what his company was doing and is evil or he’s incompetent. Which one is it?
Also if he’s so proud of the company he started why doesn’t he say it in the commercials. What’s he trying to hide?
It is very interesting to me that Govgirl and Lee Talley are anti-Jeff but no where can I see they are pro-Rosemary. Same old stuff I see in the mailbox. Negative, negative, negative.
Have either one of you taken the time to get to know Jeff or are you just taking sound bites for your opinions?
Where does this anger come from, GovGirl? You appear to be taking leaps to claim things mean what you want them to mean. That story was ridiculous. The emails were a non-issue and not relevant to the case. Mary Kay didn’t tell the story that was there and that Jeff tried to tell her. Not knowing doesn’t know about an employee’s email is not important. Why should he? He explained to that reporter that no one was denied coverage. The company admitted no wrongdoing, as you can see in the better story on WVEC. Wonder why THAT story’s not promoted by you & RW’s campaign… b/c it’s not biased in RW’s favor, that’s why.
Lee, covering Austism therapies sounds like a worthy thing. Perhaps the company will consider that. But Lee, you ARE mean. You say some of the most mean-spirited things I’ve ever seen! Evil? Incompetent? Come on! Forbes Magazine twice named AGP one of the country’s best managed companies. Your claims are ridiculous. Trying to hide? Equally ridiculous. If you came out of your hole once in awhile (okay, maybe that was a little mean) and heard the candidates, you’d know he mentions AGP frequently. He is extremely proud of that company, and so are the 1700 employees who work there. It’s sad to see you and Team RW constantly attack one of the largest employers and contributors to our local economy.
Attack if you want, Team Rosemary. I’m outta here. Got real work to do before I hit the hay. Good points, Kathy. I venture to guess that there’s almost no one who KNOWS Jeff and knows what he believes who dislikes him. Speaking to him in person makes a big difference. Reading or hearing the talking points from the RW campaign gives one a skewed view.
It’s laughable. I heard Jeff McWaters’ negative commercial on the radio attacking Rosemary Wilson with half-truths that I won’t honor by repeating, some of which Democrats used to attack Ron Villanueva. I’m holding one of the many McWaters’ negative mailpieces right now.
Of course, the McWaters paid campaign staffed lobbied Bearing Drift to publish more “anti-Wilson” articles. So much for a positive campaign, huh?
A radio host endorsed McWaters after he bought advertising on his show and Rosemary didn’t. Got the emails to prove it.
Money can’t buy ya love, but well…it obviously rents it.
Rosemary Wilson has fought for families with kids with Autism from day one! Insurance companies have been prejudiced against our kids time and time again. My question and again you didn’t answer it was why doesn’t he use his company name in ANY of his commercials. I haven’t heard it yet.
As for me being mean. Yes I am mean when it comes to handing any elected official power. I question, I grill, I look for any fallacies and inconsistencies in their statements. This man if he wins will have that seat for life (God forbid!). I do believe speaking truth to power is a AMERICAN tradition not mean. If Jeff’s feelings get hurt then he needs to get thicker skin.
Also, I do believe me speaking here is pro-Rosemary. I haven’t received a dime from her. Unlike yourself who is a paid staffer. I haven’t prostituted my principles in any election.
I’ll go on the record to say I support Rosemary Wilson. She has a long record of support for public safety and education. While I love to watch you GOP’ers “kill and eat your own”, it comes down to I don’t like the way McWaters is claiming success as a businessman yet playing dumb to the “errors” and court issues surrounding his company.
So vote Wilson… At least we have a honest and approachable representative in that district.
JMO
You know Brenda, for someone who says your tired of politics you sure seem to be posturing a lot for your candidate… reeks of sour grapes to me.
Conservativemom – anger? Seriously? My post was not angry in the least, unless you are speaking of my anger at the hear no evil see no evil routine that a lot of people are playing in order to support McWaters. If Barack Obama walked out and said I want mandate healthcare coverage, everyone would scream, but because you have decided to back McWaters, that doesn’t matter anymore? Please, tell me I am in reality. As for the company no admitting fault? A federal court found them at fault whether they want to admit it or not is irrelevant.
Just a quick comment… Did either of Jeff’s supporters happen to view the memos that were sent within his organization Amerigroup? They claimed that “this year we had 19 third trimester pregnancies. We need to find a way to curtail this” Or perhaps they noticed where Amerigroup applauded their employees for “cutting costs” by avoiding coverage to poor pregnant women. Did they see where his company was assessed damages in the amount of 344 million dollars for “fleecing the American taxpayer at the expense of the government”. Those being the very same taxpayers that he now seeks to serve. WOW ladies!!! You support this guy just like a “ho” supports her “pimp”. No matter how much he smacks them around they still stand by him because he pays the bills.
Let’s not forget that “pro-life Jeff” had his company pay for abortions in at least DC and Georgia based on another Bearing Drift post.
There has been something bothering me for quite some time now. If Jeff created a company that was created to provide lower income people with health benefits, then why did Jeff McwalksonWaters deny benefits to to pregnant women while still collecting a annual salary of over $700,000?? He made millions off the taxpayers after “stepping down” from Amerigroup. His entire fortune was created by low income people. What kind of conscience can he have, sitting there all smug on Wavy 10 saying he never saw the emails. He was highly paid to see emails such as those!!! So, for those that believe he is the next coming of Mother Teresa, look inside yourselves, deep inside and honestly answer if you would be supporting him without his deep pockets? You all can say all you want that he created 1700 jobs and that Rosemary is running a smear campaign. Coming from an unemployed, 22 year Navy Vet, thank God those jobs are here, but realize that those jobs were created at the expense of the taxpayer, NOT Jeff McWaters! Rosemary has no financial incentive what-so-ever to win this election and doesn’t have an egotistical bone in her body. She is simply one of us, the average citizen who happens to be a life-long citizen of VA beach that never took a position at the expense of someone else. She is exactly what VA Beach needs in Richmond and shame on all of you that try and disparage her because she simply has put out the truth, yes sometimes dirty truth of her opponent.
Dear Fake name but accurate observation No Gravatar
Posted December 4, 2009 at 12:07 PM
I quote you: “You support this guy just like a “ho” supports her “pimp”.”
Thank you for proving my point I have been trying to make for weeks. Only a Rosemary Wilson supporter would call classy women who have been public servants for YEARS, mostly without pay, a “ho”. Thank you.
Kathy, you’re a public servant?