Find out how Cooch took $55,000 from the disgraced "U.S. Navy Veterans Association," in apparent exchange for his promise to get the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs (which had "notified Thompson's group that it no longer qualified for an exemption from state registration requirements") off the group's back. Can we say "pay-to-play?" Find out more.
When we last heard from two-time Teapublican't loser Keith Fimian, he was apologizing for his outrageous comments about how, if Virginia Tech students had only been "packing heat," the massacre there "would not have happened." The problem is, in spite of Fimian's "apology," there's no evidence he's moderated his views on this, or any other, issue. In fact, as Gerry Connolly said at the time, Fimian's gun remarks were "part of a pattern of extreme views on a whole wide range of issues." (See here for his views, including abolition of the U.S. Department of Education, "drill baby drill" position on energy, repeal of the Affordable Care Act, opposition to same-sex marriage, anti-choice, possibly for repealing the Seventeenth Amendment, and even a climate science denier (a position which should, on its own, disqualify anyone from public office).
Based on the positions listed above, Fimian would fit in great in the House of Representatives Tea Party caucus, with their flat-earth, ignoramus views on everything from economics to science. However, it now appears that Fimian won't be attempting another run for Congress in 2012. Instead, the buzz in Fairfax is that Fimian is currently looking at getting back in the mix of Virginia politics, including a possible run for Virginia Lieutenant Governor in 2013. To this end, and/or to finance far-right candidates in Virginia, Fimian's treasurer in 2008 and 2010, J. Paul Crosby (see the FEC website) -- has filed a Statement of Organization for a PAC (screen shot on the "flip").
Bottom line: After his loss in 2010, many of us thought Keith Fimian was finished, but now he's baaaaack. Why should you care? Well, just imagine Virginia headed by Governor Bill Bolling, Lieutenant Governor Keith Fimian, and Attorney General Ken Kookinelli, beginning in January 2014, and you'll get the idea. Shudddderrrrrr....
In addition to the WTOP debate Lowell discusses below , Democrat Gerry Connolly and Tea Party Repub Keith Fimian also appeared on WAMU's Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi today.
What struck me most about this debate was how uncomfortable Fimian became every time anyone tried to pull him away from what Connolly called his Republican "national partisan talking points". He clung to those tired old right wing clichés like a baby to its blanket. Every time anyone raised an issue that diverted from his talking points, Fimian tried to dodge the question and get back to the Karl Rove/Newt Gingrich-approved, poll-tested script.
When Tom Sherwood asked the candidates what ideas they had to fix the economy other than tax cuts, Fimian said his answer was - cutting capital gains taxes! (To ZERO for start up businesses. Heck, why not issue them free brandy and cigars too?)
Abortion? "...if abortion is your issue, Mr. Connolly is your guy. But if you wanna fix this economy, if you wanna grow this economy, create jobs, get out of the mess we're in and it is now dangerous...I'm the guy. I'm the man to do it. Gerry Connolly is not..."
Gays in the military? "I would rely on the good judgment of our commanders...But, look...[w]hat matters to the voters right now are jobs, the economy and spending..."
I just listened to about 40 minutes of the WTOP debate between 11th CD candidates Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) and Keith Fimian (R). My overall impression was that these guys don't like each other - at all. But besides that, I was struck at how extreme Fimian is for this district, and how shocking it will be if he wins next Tuesday. A few examples:
*While Fimian says his "heart goes out" to victims of rape or incest, he opposes abortion even in those horrible cases. That's right, he supports making a woman carry the child or their rapist to term. That puts Fimian on the opposite side of about 80% of Americans, according to apoll by Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2010. Wow.
*Fimian tried to wriggle out of his comment that "at Virginia Tech if one of those kids in one of those classrooms was packing heat I think that that would not have happened." According to Fimian, what he really meant to say was that - get this - he was actually talking about security guards. Wait, didn't that quote say "one of those kids?" Security guards, kids...eh, same thing in Keith Fimian's world.
*Fimian said he's not only against embryonic stem cell research, but that this line of research "shows no promise!" In fact, that's almost exactly backwards; it's the pluripotent nature of embryonic stem cells that make it, by FAR, the most promising avenue for medical research into curing diseases ranging from Parkinsons to Alzheimers to cancer to heart disease to diabetes to paralysis to...well, you get the idea. Apparently, Keith Fimian cares more about days-old embryos that would be discarded anyway than children and adults with diseases that could be cured, but won't be, because of his extremism.
Now, Keith Fimian can try to avoid these issues all he wants, resort to his stale talking points about "Obama and Pelosi" all he wants, but he can't escape the reality that he's an extremist who's far, FAR outside the mainstream in America, let alone in Virginia's 11th district. Think about that when you go to the polls next Tuesday.
Also, keep in mind the following (from the Connolly campaign):
Keith Fimian Says College Students Should "Pack Heat"
Fimian Opposes Closing Gun Show Loophole, Advocates Guns on Campus in Controversial Interview on VT Tragedy
FAIRFAX, VA - A major controversy has erupted in Virginia's 11th district as Congressional candidate Keith Fimian is caught on tape advocating guns on college campuses and declaring that college students should "pack heat" to prevent gun violence. Fimian also stressed his opposition to closing the gun show loophole that makes it easier for criminals to obtain guns by avoiding background checks.
Speaking to reporter Mark Segraves on Channel 50's NewsPlus program, Fimian said, "I think at Virginia Tech, if one of those kids in one of those classrooms was packing heat, I think it would not have happened." Segraves had asked Fimian about concerns that guns in schools could lead to worse problems.
Actually, the "blogger" quoted by Fimian - which he claims to be "the Washington Post" - is actually not even really a "blogger." In reality, as the Connolly campaign points out, "[Paige Winfield] Cunningham is a blogger for one of a string of conservative websites across the nation created by the North Dakota-based Franklin Center." The Franklin Center, in turn, "is funded by private donors whose names the organization refuses to disclose," while "the organization's president is Jason Styervak, the former director of the North Dakota Republican Party." The question is, why does the Washington Post allow someone like this in their "local blog network?" Another sign of the Post's decline as a serious newspaper, sadly...
Could one of the most highly educated Congressional Districts in America really elect a candidate who doesn't believe in science? That, incredibly, would be the case if Keith Fimian beat Gerry Connolly in the fight for the 11th District.
Fimian is part of the wave of Tea Party Republicans who receive not only their money but their ideology, talking points, and conspiracy theories from the oil industry. The massive oil conglomerate Koch Industries has been shown, as in this devastating portrait in The New Yorker, to be the most powerful known funder behind the so-called Tea Party. In addition to Dick Armey's FreedomWorks, the Koch brothers have supported Americans for Prosperity, which is spending $45 million, largely in secret corporate donations, to elect right wingers who spout the climate denial theories manufactured by the websites and organizations, like Cato and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, funded by...(wait for it)...Koch Industries! (See Greenpeace's documentation of the latter here.)
So here is Americans for Prosperity - their prosperity, by the way, not yours - praising Fimian for opposing Democratic efforts to pass climate change and energy legislation. Does Fimian have his own solution to the ever-increasing evidence of a global climate crisis, or our growing dependence on foreign oil? Um, no...
Actual solutions are not what you get with Tea Party Republicans. They're about getting you angry - just angry enough so you don't see the guy in the Brooks Brothers suit behind you picking your pocket.
Well, this is a new one. Have you ever seen a political candidate actually promise not to help the economy? Does Keith Fimian have some polling that indicates an anti-economy message plays in the 11th CD or something? Bizarre.
Not that it's exactly a huge surprise, but it turns out that Keith Fimian's campaign isn't so "grassroots" after all, despite Fimian's repeated protestations to the contrary. In this case, instead of doing what most campaigns do, namely have volunteers put up their campaign signs, the Fimian campaign has hired a private company - landscaping and drywall, to be exact - with a U-Haul truck to do the job instead. It also turns out that these workers were informed by their boss that this is what they'd be doing for the day.
There are at least two problems here. First, the laborers are being paid by a contractor to work on Fimian's campaign -- that's an illegal corporate contribution. Second, unless they are "managers or policymakers" at this company, it is illegal for their boss to compel or pay them to do federal "electioneering." Of course, this is coming from the same candidate who thinks that Congressmen should be given large bonuses if they do their jobs, so what else would we expect? (still, as Republicans love to say, "what part of 'illegal' don't they understand?")
Anyway, here's the bottom line question: other than the possible legal issues with what the Fimian campaign's doing here, why do they need to hire a private company to put up their campaign signs (and possibly pull down Connolly's)? Don't they have any grassroots supporters at all? Or is the Fimian campaign and its shadowy right-wing allies ditching the "grassroots" completely and instead trying as hard as they can to buy the election?
P.S. The Connolly campaign tells me that the reason they sent someone out with a camera in the first place was because they got reports that a U-Haul truck with a crew of workers removing Connolly signs and replacing them with Fimian signs. It gets better and better!
Look, I'm not advocating giving a $250,000 bonus if I balance the federal budget. But penalize me if I don't, but if there's going to be a penalty if I don't, give me a carrot so that I will and if I do."
Wow, great idea by Keith Fimian. So, along this line of "reasoning" (using the word loosely), if Congress wins a war (or keeps us out of one), perhaps they should each get a $500,000 bonus? How much for repealing what Republicans call "Obamacare?" $1 million each? A new bridge or highway in the district? Definitely a bonus for that. I mean, seriously, the possibilities are endless, now that Keith Fimian has proposed tying Congressional pay to performance. Ah, the Republican way...
I'm sure this idea will go over really well with voters in the 11th CD. Not.
In other Keith Fimian news, check out Fimian's Urban League No-Show Draws Ire of Fellow Republican. You know you're a loser when even your fellow Republicans attack you "for a no-show at a candidate's forum hosted by one the region's leading African-American advocacy organizations, the Urban League." I dunno, maybe Keith Fimian a $250,000 bonus for showing up to events he's supposed to be at?
At a time when the Republican Party is fighting tooth & nail to protect corporations who ship jobs overseas, Keith Fimian is doing his Gordon Gekko impression? Swell. No surprise that "Securities & Investment," "Finance," & "Accountants" are all in Keith's top 9 donors, giving him over $100,000 combined, huh?
Wow, if this is what Republicans are saying about 11th CD GOP nominee Keith Fimian, I'd hate to hear what independents and Democrats think! LOL
Following on the suggestion, or rather comment, of a RedNoVA reader, I took the liberty of attending a debate between Keith Fimian and Gerry Connolly.
Let me just say that it was horrible. I mean...HORRIBLE. Aside from the mere fact that out of the hundreds of Connolly signs there was not a single Fimian sign, the performance of Keith pushed embarrassing.
[...]
I will give Fimian the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe this was just a bad night for him. But, if this is how he performs regularly, he is in serious trouble in Fairfax County atleast. Repeating the same talking points over and over and over again is not going to cut it. The economy here isn't bad enough for him to just ride a wave. He needs to know specifics, throw out facts, be able to deliver a solid rebuttal to Gerry.
I will also even say that even if Fimian was right on every answer and response, his delivery was just so bad it wouldn't have made a difference anyway. I'm not making a judgement on whether or not he would be a good Member of Congress, but he's a terrible debater.
Hahahahaha, gotta love it. Also hilarious is the comments section, where someone tries to excuse Fimian's performance by offering the novel excuse, "Fimian should know better not to walk into that debacle setup by Chinese Cult sympathizers Connolly and Wolf." Ahhhh...a "Chinese Cult." I seeeeeee....(rolls eyes).
Listening to this garbage from 11th CD Republican nominee Keith Fimian, I kept trying to find a ray of optimism, positivity, reality or truth. I found none. Instead, I found fearmongering, demagoguery, wild oversimplification, and outright mendacity. I could spend hours ripping this speech apart, but just a few points.
1. Republican Keith Fimian acts as if the debt is a new problem, one that suddenly arose when Barack Obama became president (in the midst of a nasty recession that was caused, in large part, by Republican economic and deregulatory policies). In fact, the U.S. national debt largely was accumulated under Republican administrations, including Ronald Reagan ($1.7 trillion), George HW Bush (+$1.4 trillion), George W. Bush (+$4.4 trillion). Combined, those three Republican presidents increased the U.S. national debt by $7.5 trillion, to $10.7 trillion by December 2008. In short, the Republican Party has been, and continues to be, the party of debt extraordinaire. The last president to bring us a budget surplus? A Democrat named Bill Clinton. So much for Keith Fimian's theory.
2. The concept that only the private sector "creates jobs" is simply false. It's particularly ironic that Keith Fimian is running in the 1th Congressional District, which contains scores of federal employees, of federal contractors (including military contractors), and of companies that provide services of all kinds - health care, education, entertainment, food, you name it - to those federal employees. Is Keith Fimian claiming that the residents of the 11th CD don't work at real jobs? Is he claiming that the military and military contracting, the intelligence community, etc. are not real jobs? If not, what is he claiming? We're all ears, Mr. Fimian!
3. Fimian outright lies that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the "stimulus") hasn't created jobs or helped small business. In fact, the "stimulus" provided $237 billion in tax incentives to individuals, $51 billion in tax incentives to companies. It provided $100 billion for education, including "$53.6 billion in aid to local school districts to prevent layoffs and cutbacks." It provided $105 billion in infrastructure spending - transportation, water, public lands, environment, energy infrastructure, energy efficiency and renewable energy. It provided $14.7 billion for housing, $7.6 billion for scientific research, $4 billion for state and local law enforcement, and $1.1 billion in waivers on interest payments for state unemployment trust funds. What exactly, among these items, does Keith Fimian oppose? And, on what grounds exactly does Fimian disagree with the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which estimates that the "stimulus" "[i]ncreased the number of people employed by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million," while "lower[ing] the unemployment rate by between 0.7 percentage points and 1.8 percentage points?" Again, we're all ears Mr. Fimian, can't wait for your detailed analysis! (snark)
On the Kojo Nnamdi Show this Friday, 11th CD Republican nominee Keith Fimian engaged in some unintentional (presumably) hilarity. First, in response to a question about whether he's "too conservative" for the 11th CD, Fimian - who just finished running in the Republican primary as THE conservative, tea party candidate, pretty much to the right of Attila the Hun - now says that, oh no, he's not too conservative. Uh huh.
Then, even funnier, is Fimian's eye-rolling praise for Herrity (as a "very fine guy...a beacon of hope in Northern Virginia"), his prediction that Herrity would be at a Republican "unity dinner" last night ("I certainly hope so, I expect that he will"), and his remark that he and Herrity are "very very similar in very many ways." As to the "beacon of hope" and "very very similar" comments, that's just laughable given the bitter, divisive primary these guys just ran. Sure, this is politics, but c'mon. Even more amusing, regarding Fimian's expectation that Herrity would attend the "unity dinner," well...apparently he had better things to do with his time.
Herrity, though, will not be attending the 11th District Republican Committee's "Unity Dinner" Friday night, however. He said he's planning to head to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a family vacation
"This has been a long-scheduled vacation," Herrity said. "I wish I could be [at the dinner]."
In other words, the classic, "spend more time with my family" excuse. Great "unity" you got going there, Mr. Fimian!
By the way, if Fimian was so concerned about having Herrity at this "unity dinner," why didn't he...wait for it...check with Herrity about his schedule first?!? (e.g., rather than just unilaterally setting a date, calling it a "unity dinner," and trying to force Herrity to show). As I've said before, on top of being a right-wing extremist, this guy is simply not ready for prime time.
This is beyond stupid. This is Sarah Palin/Joe Barton stupid! In all seriousness, if Keith Fimian had his way, BP would regulate itself, government would let Big Oil do whatever it wants, and Gulf of Mexico oil disasters would be commonplace. Why would anyone vote for someone with Keith Fimian's toxic political philosophy? I suppose if they hate pelicans, dolphins, turtles, clean water, white sandy beaches, and people who live on the Gulf coast, it makes perfect sense.
If you think that America's biggest problem today is too much democracy -- and not enough elitism -- then Keith Fimian is the candidate for you. As discussed below and at Save the Seventeenth, in a debate on WTOP radio, Fimian expressed support for the idea of repealing the 17th Amendment, which -- almost 100 years ago -- gave Americans the right to elect their Senators, rather than having them appointed by state legislators.
Yes, Fimian is a candidate of the Tea Party, and the media never tires of telling us how this so-called movement represents the authentic Voice of the People. If so, then it appears that the People actually would prefer to have their Voice muffled. Assuming that Fimian is truly representing his followers, what we have here is a populist uprising against democracy. (Something that hasn't happened in the Western World since the 1930s, but I'll just leave that thought alone for now...)
Just as interesting is how enthusiastically other conservatives support Fimian's call to move the voters from the driver's seat to the trunk. Check out this discussion from a few weeks ago at right wing blog Below the Beltway.
I just started listening to the radio debate between 11th CD Republican candidates Pat Herrity and Keith Fimian on WTOP 103.5 FM. The primary is this coming Tuesday, June 8.
*"Fimian 'for 8 years worried that someone would come from behind, whack us and take our business.' Didn't you take another's business?"
*"Plotkin asks why Herrity wearing flag pin, Fimian not wearing one!"
*"Fimian repeats for 3rd time in 5 minutes that he started his business "in a room above a garage." But not YOUR garage."
*"VA-11 GOP candidates now on WTOP 103.5FM. Herrity supports DC voting rights but not statehood. Fimian not for voting rights."
*"Fimian: people in DC should 'move somewhere else' if they want to vote for president."
*"Fimian supports Malek, hopes for contribution."
*"Herrity: Malek "a good choice" to head commission."
*"What worries Herrity most about Fimian: he can't beat Connolly."
*"Fimian: 'which is worse, raising taxes or saying you didn't?'"
***********
UPDATE 10:28 am" Fimian and Herrity arguing about whether Herrity raised taxes. Herrity says the average tax rate in Fairfax went down. Fimian says for 150,000 people, home values went down but taxes went up.
UPDATE 10:31 am: Herrity says "many, many, many more" homeowners taxes went down. "I've been the proven conservative leader on the board."
UPDATE 10:32 am: Fimian says he'd vote to repeal the heath care reform law, says it doesn't "address health," "tort reform," "insurance across state lines." "There is nothing in our constitution" that says federal government should insure everyone. Health insurance definitely shouldn't be "compulsory."
Herrity says, "absolutely," health care reform should be repealed. Doesn't know where to start with "what's wrong" with the bill. Biggest problem is it doesn't bring down health care costs. "This comes down to what the role of government is." Health care shouldn't be compulsory or an entitlement.
UPDATE 10:36 am: Question about U.S.-Israel relations. Fimian says "Israel has a right to defend itself," Iran threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Israel's interests in many ways "are our interests." We can't ignore Muslim world in favor of "just one country." Need to bring these groups together to live in peace rather than trying to destroy each other.
With the 11th Congressional District Republican primary between Pat Herrity and Keith Fimian just 1 week away, it's hard to say who has the edge. Not surprisingly, given how tight this race seems to be, the two candidates are pounding each other, with Fimian claiming Herrity voted to raise taxes (aka, "evil" in the right wingnut worldview) and Herrity calling Fimian a "tax cheat" (why that's bad in the government-and-taxes-are-evil crowd is hard to say, but whatever). Meanwhile, Rep. Gerry Connolly hangs back and, presumably, enjoys watching the spectacle.
So, what to look for on June 8? According to Leslie Byrne, who used to represent the 11th district in Congress, the key is turnout.
Leslie Byrne, a Democrat who held the seat during the mid-1990s, said the turnout number to watch is 30,000. If voter turnout is less than 30,000, "I'm going to say that the Republican doesn't have a chance" in the general election, she said.
Is 30,000 the number we should be looking at? I went back and checked previous June primaries in that district, and what I found.
2008 Democratic primary turnout (Leslie Byrne vs. Gerry Connolly): 24,680
2006 Democratic primary turnout (Ken Longmyer vs. Andy Hurst): 19,649
Also, just for comparison purposes:
2009 Democratic gubernatorial primary turnout (Terry McAuliffe, Brian Moran, Creigh Deeds): 37,539
2005 Republican gubernatorial primary turnout (George Fitch vs. Jerry Kilgore): 21,068
2005 Democratic gubernatorial primary turnout (Leslie Byrne, Chap Petersen, Phil Puckett, Viola Baskerville): 12,855
Looking at these numbers, it would appear that Leslie Byrne's turnout target of 30,000 is somewhat high, as only one primary election in recent years hit that number in the 11th CD. Also, I'm not sure how much stock to put in June primary turnout as a leading indicator for November, given what happened in 2009 (relatively high turnout for Democrats in June, Democrats got crushed in November) and 2005 (low June turnout, Kaine won in November). What are you looking for next Tuesday? Please feel free to use this as a threat do discuss the upcoming elections.
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I just listened to about 40 minutes of the WTOP debate between 11th CD candidates Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) and Keith Fimian (R). My overall impression was that these guys don't like each other - at all. But besides that, I was struck at how extreme Fimian is for this district, and how shocking it will be if he wins next Tuesday. A few examples:
Could one of the most highly educated Congressional Districts in America really elect a candidate who doesn't believe in science? That, incredibly, would be the case if Keith Fimian beat Gerry Connolly in the fight for the 11th District.
Wow, if 
If you think that America's biggest problem today is too much democracy -- and not enough elitism -- then Keith Fimian is the candidate for you. As discussed 
I just started listening to the radio debate between 11th CD Republican candidates Pat Herrity and Keith Fimian on 
With the 11th Congressional District Republican primary between Pat Herrity and Keith Fimian just 1 week away, it's hard to say who has the edge. Not surprisingly, given how tight this race seems to be, the two candidates are pounding each other, with Fimian claiming Herrity voted to raise taxes (aka, "evil" in the right wingnut worldview) and Herrity calling Fimian a "tax cheat" (why that's bad in the government-and-taxes-are-evil crowd is hard to say, but whatever). Meanwhile, Rep. Gerry Connolly hangs back and, presumably, enjoys watching the spectacle.
