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Tag Archives | Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia Attorney General: Interposition Has a Bad History

By on October 9, 2010 in Nullification, Politicians, State Sovereignty 5

Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli is urging Tea Partiers not to support the idea of state interposition. According to a report, “Attorney Gen. Cuccinelli, in private consultations with the Roanoke group, agreed, noting how Southern states had unsuccessfully invoked the doctrine in the 1960s to resist federal civil-rights legislation. ‘Interposition had a place in history, I told them, and it is not an exalted one,’ Mr. Cuccinelli said.”

That is most unfortunate. I have explained why the civil-rights issue as an argument against nullification today is apples and oranges; this discussion comes in a speech of mine that will be repeated on C-SPAN2 this Sunday at 3:30pm ET. Beyond that, what a shame Cuccinelli does not know the real history of the doctrine, and what it was used for. From what I can see, every single time the Principles of ’98 were invoked in antebellum America they sought to expand human freedom. Why is that not “exalted”? Wisconsin objected to unconstitutional aspects of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, quoting Jefferson’s Resolutions of 1798 verbatim. Not exalted? Why buy into the regime’s idea that if we peons are allowed to dissent from federal policy, we’ll surely use this power for evil? Why buy into the idea that we need federal government supervision for our own good?

This Sunday in Orlando those of us who beg to differ will be having a pretty big event in support of nullification; former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson and I are among the speakers. By an interesting coincidence, I recently did a radio interview (to air next month) on nullification with Pat Williams, senior VP of the Orlando Magic.

cross-posted from he LewRockwell.com blog

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tom Woods will be the keynote speaker at Nullify Now! in Orlando on 10-10-10. Click here to get tickets – http://www.nullifynow.com/orlando/ – or call 888-71-TICKETS

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Rachel Maddow’s Blog Targets VA Tenthers

By on March 26, 2010 in Media, Tenthers, The Opposition 5

I guess we should be pleased; Rachel Maddow’s blog reads the Virginia Tenth Amendment Center.

It’s true, her blog linked to a picture we posted from the January 18th Lobby Day. Of course, it was done in the context of describing us tenthers as “out-there,” but when you’re as unappreciated as the Constitution is these days, any press is good press.

Later, Rachel Maddow’s blog weighed in on the audacity of Virginia’s very own Ken Cuccinelli:

At the head of the line of states planning to sue the federal government over health reform stands Virginia, where Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced Monday that he would file papers as soon as the Presidents “signs it into law.” …Cuccinelli thinks it’s unconstitutional for Americans to be told they have to buy something, an argument he’s been making for a while now.

As Rachel’s blog has brilliantly perceived, such “arguments” are merely partisan grandstanding. I mean, it’s the 21st Century; who has time to actually follow the Constitution anymore?

But then Rachel’s blog noticed something really interesting (read: seditious)

If you call the AG’s office to ask about all this, you first get Cuccinelli’s director of communication, Brian Gottstein… Gottstein is himself a veteran of the tenther and Tea Party circuit. The former Libertarian columnist, who joined Cuccinelli’s staff in February, was still listed last week as the VP for communications for Tertium Quids, whose president appeared at [a] 10th Amendment rally with Cuccinelli…

Unbelieveable. Not only does Virginia’s new Attorney General read the Constitution (including the 10th Amendment) and take it seriously, he hires people and appears at events with organizations that do the same!

This aggression will not stand, man.

Tune in next week as Rachel Maddow’s blog continues its quest to speak truth to power by bravely licking Joe Biden’s bootheel.

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Virginia Progressives Are Getting Nervous

By on October 23, 2009 in Elections 2

The Virginia elections are mere weeks away, and few things have warmed my heart recently quite so much as this ringing-yet-unintentional endorsement of Ken Cuccinelli for attorney general.

From a blog post at the James River Maven titled Ken Cuccinelli: You Better Believe Him:

Ken Cuccinelli… intends to use the [attorney general's] office to turn this state back, not to how it was before former Governor Warner was elected, but to how it was in the good old days of states’ rights. …He has also made it clear that he intends to fight the Federal Government in every instance in which it tries to implement a program in Virginia that he opposes. Ken has gone so far as to promise to sue the Federal Government to protect Virginia’s “sovereignty.”

…Ken wants to undue all the progress that the Commonwealth has made in the past several decades, and to do so he has revived the doctrine of nullification and the cry of state’s rights.

Can I get an AMEN?!

Maven meant to take a cheap shot by saying that Cuccinelli’s ardent support for the Tenth Amendment means he wants a return to “the good old days of states’ rights” (presumably meaning segregation), which we all know is a common, pathetically dishonest line of attack.

But instead of discrediting Cuccinelli, Maven inadvertently described the ideal leader for Virginia in these troubled times: One who is unafraid of standing up to a corrupt, wasteful, and out of control federal government by telling it to stick unconstitutional laws where the sun don’t shine.

Maven, I have a better title for your post: Ken Cuccinelli: We Should Be So Lucky.

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Virginia’s Ken Cuccinelli Will Be a Much-Needed Friend of the Tenth Amendment

By on October 15, 2009 in Elections, Federalism, Sovereignty Movement 1

After attending a meeting where he spoke in Richmond recently, I was very impressed by Virginia state senator, candidate for attorney general, and self-described “strict constructionist,” Ken Cuccinelli.

Specifically, I was impressed by his willingness to invoke the Constitution early and often as his personal political compass.

But don’t take my word for it. Check out what the man himself has to say on his website about why the Gadsden Flag is the symbol for his campaign:

In the last several years, and most significantly since the election of the current administration and  Congress, the trend towards increased Federal Government control over every aspect of the lives of Virginia’s citizens has been alarming.  The time is now to turn the tide away from destructive big government policies, toward a less intrusive, less oppressive form of government; a return to the first principles intended by the founding fathers. I will apply these founding principles to every aspect of my work as your next Attorney General.  For this reason, I have chosen the Gadsden Flag as a symbol for my campaign.

Needless to say, when the time comes to nullify ObamaCare in Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli is the kind of leader we want in the AG’s office.

Might also a prime candidate for the 10-4 Pledge…

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