Full disclosure, I donated $105.00 to LaRock’s delegate campaign. That is the biggest political donation I have ever made, and it is because I think it is important that we hold those accountable who voted for the largest tax hike in VA history. I’ve known LaRock for quite a few years, and know him to be a good man who is a strong conservative advocate.
Earlier, Bearing Drift posted about Joe May’s attack on Dave LaRock. Here’s Mike Farris’s response to the situation. Mike Farris has been a conservative leader for decades, knows both Joe May and Dave LaRock well, and actually lives in the district. This is not just an endorsement, but the endorsement of a person he wants as his representative.
From the Desk of Michael Farris
I have known Dave LaRock for 26 years. He built my family’s house. I have also known Joe May for over 20 years. I got to know him well when I was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1993 (I was George Allen’s running mate).
I have had good relations with both men for a very long time. It has been very hard for me to decide between them because of these friendly relationships.
It is true that Dave LaRock’s stands on political issues are consistently closer to my own. But Joe May, over his many years of service, has been a decent man with an above-average voting record (as I would reckon such matters).
With all of these factors, I was having a hard time being willing to make a public endorsement—until now.
Joe May’s recent attack ad (“LaRock is hiding his arrest record”) against Dave LaRock is one of the most inappropriate political gambits I have ever seen in my more than a quarter-century of activity in Virginia politics. I cannot stand by and be silent in the face of such an action. Joe’s attack ad is fundamentally different than the ads that Dave LaRock has run highlighting facts from Joe’s voting record. Publicizing a politician’s voting record may seem negative to some, but, as long as the votes are accurately reported, it is appropriate. Truth is truth.
And it is a commitment to truth that leads me to endorse David LaRock for the House of Delegates.
Joe May has, in my view, engaged in fundamental dishonesty in his glossy, four-page “hit piece” that accuses Dave LaRock of trying to hide his “arrest record.”
Like most deceptions, there is some truth in Joe May’s attack. (Let me be clear. I knew nothing about Dave LaRock’s “arrest” events until I read May’s attack ad.) I checked into the facts once I read it, because I suspected that there had to be more to the story than we were being told.
Dave LaRock was in fact cited. But, true to the lowest form of political attacks, Joe May has failed to tell the whole story. And the truth always involves telling the whole story.
Dave LaRock was cited for tearing down a sign. These are the details that Joe May’s mailer chose not to mention. Early last year, a large sign advertising a West Virginia “adult” store was posted on Rt. 9 just a few feet from the road on a fence near Dave’s home. This sign was posted illegally. People complained to Loudoun County that their children were exposed to sign that included a lewd photo of a woman.
After weeks of authorities allowing the illegal sign to remain, Dave removed it and threw it away. He volunteered to pay the owner for the sign. There were no arrests, no trespassing, no court orders.
When I learned the “rest of the story”, I was stunned.
Sure, I consider it unwise for Dave to remove the sign. He should have continued to try to urge the elected officials of Loudoun County to do their job to see to it that the sign was removed.
But, I can understand the frustration of a man wanting to stand up for what is right in the face of government inaction.
I immediately felt that this was a very different kind of matter than what the Joe May mailer depicted.
Martin Luther King was arrested for standing up against the failure of the officials in his home area to properly enforce the Constitution of the United States. Many people are arrested for trespass when picketing various causes— some very good, some not so good. But I think we can all agree that it is not always morally wrong to take action when our values are threatened. We need to know the facts of a matter to decide which case is which.
What is absolutely, clearly morally wrong is to tell just a part of a story. When we are told only selective parts of the story, we are robbed of our chance to know the whole truth about Dave LaRock’s “arrest record.”
Evaluating the appropriateness of Dave’s action is not easy. Legitimate people can have differing views on the matter. But I respectfully suggest that it is really easy to evaluate Joe May’s conduct.
There is no legitimate basis for Joe May telling the public, in two expensive four-page ads, only half of the story and not the whole truth.
People who value truth cannot look the other way in the face of such an underhanded campaign trick.
Now, let me show just a little understanding for Joe. I sincerely doubt that this flyer was his idea. This has all the hallmarks of political consultants who will do and say anything to win.
But Joe ultimately bears responsibility. He approved the ad. He knew the whole story and told us only part of the truth.
I have been troubled by some aspects of Joe May’s voting record. He is not a consistent pro-life vote. He has voted for many tax increases. He votes more appropriately on other issues like parental rights.
But I cannot stand by in indecision any longer.
There is a lack of integrity in this attack ad that is so fundamental, that I respectfully suggest that it is time for Joe May to retire.
Anyone who is so desperate to remain in office that they will stoop to these kinds of tactics, well… in my view, it is time for them to leave.
There is only one way to stop dishonesty in campaigns. Those who practice it need to lose our votes.
On June 11, please join me in voting for David LaRock.
Michael Farris
Purcellville, Virginia
