Podcast: Maulbeck goes after Drake, Byler, NRCC, Rigell
By JR Hoeft | Friday, April 16th, 2010 | Podcasts, PoliticsEd Maulbeck of Virginia Beach is seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd District to challenge incumbent Rep. Glenn Nye (D). Maulbeck hammers Rep. Thelma Drake, 2nd District Chairman Gary Byler, and the National Republican Campaign Committee for “selecting” Scott Rigell as the GOP nominee.
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Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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40 Responses to "Podcast: Maulbeck goes after Drake, Byler, NRCC, Rigell"
I sincerely have a great deal of respect for Ed Maulbeck! This guy deserves a lot of respect for calling it like he has seen it regarding the dysfunction of the current republican party leadership up close and personal.
Ed, Thank you for your honesty, your candid perspective and your service. You stated that you are a loose cannon in your own words and I disagree, you Ed are a first class patriotic Republican American who deserves a fair shot on the ticket.
Thank you JR for this outstanding podcast.
I like his candidness too. I would like to see Gary Byler respond. Gary made several public statements indicating that he was encouraging candidates to run in the primary, yet this conflicts with that.
Thelma Drake can support who ever the hell she wants. Scott Rigell is a friend of hers who helped her many times in the past. I doubt Ed would be complaining if Thelma supported him. Besides, who the hell is Ed Maulbeck? What has he ever done for Republican candidates? And regarding Gary Byler showing favoritism – then why are then 6 people running for the nomination? If anything Gary should get some of these pretenders out of the race. Ed, I have a question for you…Why are you whining about the NRCC or Thelma or Gary. If you think you can win then cash out your 401k and empty your savings account and spend your money and go for it. Put your money where your mouth is, otherwise get out. But I think voters will ask themselves, who the hell is Ed Maulbeck and what has he ever done for me?
JR,
just a comment. In all fairness to Mr. Maulbeck, he did not “go after” Mr. Rigell. He accused others of pre-ordaining a candidate for the 2nd District. Maybe a minor point but I’m sure he would not “go after” any opposing candidate in a forum where they could not defend themselves i.e. PODCAST.
Thank you for the post.
Maulback actually didn’t go after Loyola and Taylor in the interview since he slammed Loyola during the last two debates? This interview was all about Maulback whining about not getting handouts from the NRCC and the local Republican establishment.
Ed’s spew is all about Ed and is a diatribe about generalities and the local party and no substance, which seem to be the message of his campaign which is devoid of issues. Maybe he stayed a little too long in the Seals to realize that these types of tactics may work against bad guys, but not against other Republicans. If we need a Pit Bull attack dog then Ed’s the one and “Ron Mexico” can be his handler.
The SEALs I know aren’t whiners. Every SEAL I know are men of character and purpose. I have never heard Scott Taylor whine.
TimJ, you’re comment in beyond offensive.
TimJ,
What handouts has Ed asked for? What handouts has the NRCC given to candidates?
Generalities? I heard specifics in the interview. But should he be focusing on this? Probably not. Running on not being the chosen one is probably all right, but running on “the party is all screwed up” is probably not. I agree he doesn’t have a strong message and that he should realize that if he hasn’t been active in the Republican party that it will be an uphill battle. I don’t “blame” Rigell for all the support he has. That is a result of his support over many years. At the same time there is a feeling that he is being forced on us. However, I know that I will vote for who I want. I will base this on the facts, as I know them, and not just on endorsements. I believe there is still opportunity for someone else to move up and present a serious challenge.
Not picking on Seals, I love those guys, and used to “drive” them to, and pick them up from their missions when I served. Although Maulback may have had a distinguished military career he hasn’t made the transition gracefully to realize that politics isn’t just another “mission”.
To make the Republican party an issue because they won’t “help” you is self serving, petty and shows a huge lack of political maturity. To attack the party is an attempt to divide the party and unless you have something constructive to say as a candidate about the issues, shut up.
In politics you must earn respect. In anything you do you must earn respect. It isn’t simply bestowed on people because they show up.
Once you have the respect of the party’s leaders and elected officials then you can seek their support. That’s how it works in any new venture, whether it’s politics, sports or competitive curling. If Ed walked into your place of business and immediately began to lobby for a top job you would probably react similarly to Thelma and Gary.
Earn respect and then humbly seek support. That’s the way it should be done. Expecting it because you’re simply willing to lead is not enough in politics or in any other profession.
Is common sense and a rudinmentary understanding of psychology completely defunct in this race? This interview reveals Ed’s lack of understanding of interpersonal relationships-that doesn’t bode well for building coalitions to defeat Glenn Nye. This position espoused by Ed completely baffles me.
bylerss position is one thing, while he may lean rigdell, he hasnt endorsed even though he could if he wanted to or just make things much more difficult for the remaining candidates like tucker watkins. he hasnt and byler has nothing to answer for.
drake on the other hand continues to show her poltical capital and effect is zero. doug knack, amiral, chuck brewer. the idea that she would refuse to sign a ballot petition shows real political immaturity on her part and reflects why she lost in 08. theres no defending her actions RJ
Ummm, Thelma supports Rigell and he is actually going to won the nomination. Thelma did NOT support Amaril. It’s a little early to comment on Chuck Brewer, after all he may just win. Besides, are you supporting Protogyrou? Did you support the Democratic Norfolk Commissioner of Revenue? Knack’s race was a long shot by any measure – at least Thelma had the guts to support the challenger. Thelma has a lot of personal goodwill for her service to the Commonwealth. Don’t forget, Thelma won the white vote handily and won 98% of the GOP vote. She has a whole lot more friends than you do.
To accuse Ed of “whining” is to go along with the “status-quo-business-as-usual-political-establishment” that has reduced the Republican party to it’s current state. Big party politics with absolutely no regard for the will of the people. What I hear Ed asking is “why has the ‘party’ made the decision here (nearly a year before the primary election) and why isn’t the selection being made by the people? Isn’t that what we have elections for?” It’s a fair question and a very legitimate one. I believe he is right and it makes me wonder if the Republican party has learned any lessons at all.
Andy-
Soon after Thelma lost the party began to look within and find a suitable candidate to challenge Nye. That’s how parties work. They don’t sit back and wait for people to come in. Yhey can’t. They recruit, more often than not, from within.
My suggestion to those who feel led to lead with the GOP (R) next to their name: get involved prior to announcing your candidacy-you might find more party support that way.
I have to back Richard up on this one. While you can say most of the party leadership and elected officials made their decision a while back, the party as a whole still has an opportunity to say different, albeit it wouldn’t be easy to change the tide. I have heard enough from beach Republicans who have been around awhile to know that Rigell was encouraged in the past to run for office and was high on the list of many prominent or involved Republicans well before this year. It makes sense to seek out, recruit, and groom candidates (I don’t know that much grooming was needed in this case). It is also right to be open to new voices. It is unfortunate for the other candidates that Rigell decided now was the time to step up, but not his fault that he has so much support.
Andy, Ed announced his candidacy last June! He’s had 11 months to get traction and make his case. He didn’t. That’s the way every election works. You get a chance to make your case to everyone. The grasstops, the grassroots, everyone. He’s a SEAL so I know he tried his best, but this is politics and its a contact sport. People win and people lose. I think its rather ridiculous for someone 99% of the district never heard of to run for Congress (district size – 650,000) against a guy with 90% name id. But that’s the mission Ed signed up for. To complain about the process when you know the process going in is whining, pure and simple. Ed is a great American. No doubt about it. But as someone said above, you have build a base from within the party, get people to know you, be a leader on some simple things first, show some humility, then run. It doesn’t look like Ed followed this proven path.
Andy, you made my point “makes me wonder if the Republican party has learned any lessons at all”. The answer is no. Taking a righteous stand to make party corruption or political patronage a campaign issue isn’t going to win friends and influence voters. Political junkies who contribute to this blog as well as some insiders care, but for the most part when people go into the voting booth, this kind of “inside baseball” stuff is irrelevant. Voters are going to have a lot on their minds such as their paystubs, their jobs, their taxes, their property, debt, their children’s futures, their security and the assault on their freedoms when they go into the voting booth.
And don’t forget Tim J., anyone who may want to run for office someday or be invited to the parties or be invited into the inside looking in will want to support the party “favorite”. Republicans are elephants for real. It’s too bad for most of the people I personally know so many candidates are in this race. Too many great candidates to choose from. (For me – not so many).
I’m kind of new to politics, but I wonder where the idea of having to wait in line and “pay your dues” comes from. This seems to suggest some sort of “entitlement” before one can serve (provided by whom—party leaders?) apart from simply getting the most votes. No one of these candidates for the 2nd district is any more “entitled” to this nomination than any other. That kind of thinking is exactly what’s wrong with our system today, and why fresh candidates like Maulbeck are a positive development. By the logic of “paying your dues,” I supppose an incumbent would always be preferable. And a long-serving incubent better yet….
For someone new to politics, Debbie, you get the “drift.” It seems to me there are many ways of “paying your dues.” I for one do not think Congress functions best when filled ONLY with those whose dues have been paid to either the Republican or Democrat party organizations. We need fresh perspectives in Congress. Ed Maulbeck brings a voice to many unheard citizens. He seems to agree most with the Republican party. At the same time, he is clearly a man on a mission—to bring an honest voice to the political “discussion.” I like that.
Pay your dues, promote from within, inside baseball isn’t relevant, that’s how parties work, cash in your 401K and get in the race — all arguments to Ed’s point. That point being that typical party politics are upsetting people and there is an overwhelming perception that the voice of the people is being ignored in favor of insider politics. A sock puppet who happens to have a lot of money (for example) isn’t going to do the party or the people any good. But, I guess us little people should just be silent and accept what’s being fed to us. Well, not for me, thanks. I get (and appreciate) his point.
Kathy, I appreciate your views usually, but to wish for fewer choices on election day seems… myopic? I’m more pro-democracy than that, whether or not someone has been 200 breakfasts. Who is the best representative for ME and my district, and who can really take on Mr. Nye is what I’m thinking about.
Ed makes lots of good points, but they aren’t going to get him votes. Points aren’t issues and running against the Republican party as a Republican isn’t going to get him anywhere.
Tim J, I do not see Ed running against the republican party, I see Ed and several others running for conservative republicans in our district.
The Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas are ahead of the curve it appears.. http://www.icrepublicans.com/
Instead of suppressing the will of the voter by gerrymandering the primary as someone put it, lets reform the process so candidates can be heard without undue influence of money and insider influence.
How about in future primaries the rpvb puts a photo and a page for each candidate for people to learn more about them and a blog for people to exchange ideas?
First off I don’t know Ed Maulbeck or the other Candidates running in the 2nd District. Ed’s comments strike at the problem with the “Established” Republicans that are professional Politicians. This is happening all over the State and Country, Republican so-called leaders choosing for us. Here in the 5th District we were blessed with Bob Hurt, a Republican that voted with Mark Warner and gave us the largest tax increase in Virginia’s history. How can I vote for someone that doesn’t lead but is told how to vote and does. Back to Ed, he is right the NRCC and RPV have helped bring us here, here to huge State and Federal budgets, more taxes, and more excuses. I have stopped giving my money to the NRCC and RPV, I send my money to Candidates I choose, not their Candidates. Who else is tired of holding their noses and voting for a Moderate Republican? I certainly am! As I stated in the beginning I don’t know Ed or his take on the issues but he is speaking truth when it comes to the established republicans here in Virginia. The 5th Virginia Congressional District is changing from the grassroots up, I hope the 2nd does also! We need Constitutionally principled Conservatives UNITED to save our Country. Lets Go lead the way!
Oh BTW it was a first-time Democrat that beat my Congressman in 08 using Virgil Goode’s record against him. Now Tom Perriello has a voting record and we hope to return the favor.
Dear SuperChicken1. I signed everyone’s petitions for them to run for office in this race – everyone. I do believe every American who wants to run for office should be given the opportunity. That does not mean everyone who runs for office has the qualifications or experience I personally want to represent me as a citizen. Nor do I believe everyone who is in this particular race has a snowballs chance of winning against Glenn Nye. As a Republican, I DO care about that.
Poor snowballs!
Ed Maulbeck is whining, not winning. What he does not say isthat more than one candidate can gain the NRCC support IF THEY MEET THE BENCHMARKS set by the NRCC. Only one candidate in the VA-02 has met the required benchmarks and that is Rigell. None of the candidates point this out.
If the ‘party leadership’ had it out for Rigell they would not be having a PRIMARY that leaves the outcome open to all. They would have called a convention and ‘put the fix in’ if that is what they were out to do. Everyone knows that Chairman Byler always prefers a convention, he did not just ‘call a convention’ he listened to what the members of the committee wanted and that is why a primary is being held.
It is laughable that Ed is trying to say Byler tried to keep anyone out of this race. The proof is in how many people ARE RUNNING in VA-02. Byler was probably frank with Ed and told him he didn’t have a chance because there were better candidates than Ed running. But people hear what they want to hear.
Good for Thelma for taking a stand and not signing a petition. It is her ‘right’ not to, Ed believes she should be forced to sign? What country is this again?
These guys all need to figure out that Rigell is getting the support because he has proven that he is the best candidate to unseat Nye and take this race all the way to winning a seat for VA-02 in Congress.
Thank God we have a few people left that are willing to be honest and lead like Byler and Rigell. I thank these other guys for their service to our country, but they need to be honest with themselves and admit that Scott Rigell is working hard and is more organized than they are.
Sour grapes, Ed. Not showing leadership and sounding like a kid on a playground that didn’t get ‘picked’ for a player on the team. Hey Ed, there was another kid that was better. Are you going to pull another Kenny G. and pick up your toys and go home?
Registered “Rigell supporter” Voter.. got a registered name? Ahh you veddy funny Mr or is it Mrs. RV.. Kenny did not go home as you stated.
Friendly Rigell Supporter, ask yourself if you think republican insider favorite Scott Rigel thinks he wants to engage in an open to the floor debate with Independent former republican chair Golden and Democrat incumbent Nye? I’m talking a live open microphone in a public forum, not prescreened notes from a moderator.
RV,
It is not ‘good for Thelma’ to refuse to sign a voter petition. It’s petty, immature and amateur. Regardless of supporting any candidate, if someone feels strongly enough to run, there’s no reason not to sign a petition, especially if you’re signing others, something I can guarantee you she did. To refuse to sign it on the basis that you don’t agree with someone running is just petty.
Turbo,
If/when Rigell wins the nomination there will be at least one if not more forums/debates between Nye/Rigell and possibly Golden, if the organizations feel he’s a viable candidate, something that is on shaky ground as it stands. Not sure what ‘asking yourself’ would accomplish; debates are definitely going to happen.
It’s also worth noting that Bert Mizusawa is now on the NRCC Young Gun program radar as well
So, Rigell contributes to Obama, Warner, the Yes! campaign and personally benefitted how many hundreds of thousands of dollars from the liberal “Cash for Clunkers” failure (tax payer handout money), and this is what we get as the most qualified conservative candidate in the 2nd district? How much of his Cash for Clunkers fortune has gone to fund his campaign I wonder. Seems to me that Rigell may be left of Nye.
Allen, you win the award for most poorly researched comment of the day!
Where am I wrong, Daniel?
Just go do your research…there’s not one candidate in the race who’s left of Nye, Rigell or otherwise. Especially as Rigell isn’t the only candidate donating to Democrats. Hmmmmm
WHY HAS RIGELL DONATED TO DEMOCRATS? Enough BS, Lets hear it Scotty.
Daniel, I’ve done my research and I’ve seen your previous blogs as well. I don’t care how you spin it, Rigell has donated to prominent Democrats, liberal organizations and has personally benefited hundreds of thousands of dollars from Cash for Clunkers — a program he and his auto dealership were never required to participate in. And, while other candidates may have also made donations to liberal polilticians and organizations, not all of them have. Hmmmmmm…..
Turbo, there’s plenty of statements out there from Rigell regarding that, you just have to look
Allen, Rigell is no more left of Nye then you, me or JR. Rigell is actually further to the right then Bob McDonnell. I hate when people equate this race to NY-23 or any other approximation. The donations are an issue of course but there’s alot more to it then that
Daniel, fair enough on the “left of Nye” remark. I over reached and take that back. However, the donations and the Cash for Clunkers issue are relevant and noteworthy in my opinion.
[...] Her thoughts echo what another candidate, Ed Maulbeck, told Bearing Drift in a recent podcast. [...]
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