Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Cuccinelli versus McAuliffe Friday Morning Attack-Laced Forum
Posted by:
NOVA Politics
()
Date: August 09, 2013 08:36PM
Cuccinelli, McAuliffe get down to business in attack-laced forum
Economy, transportation, Medicaid hot topics in chamber of commerce event
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130809/NEWS/130809161/1117/cuccinelli-mcauliffe-get-down-to-business-in-attack-laced-forum&template=fairfaxTimes
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli heightened his attacks on the ethics of Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe during a candidates forum Friday morning that was ostensibly focused on business issues.
Cuccinelli, the attorney general and a former state senator, linked McAuliffe to scandals during President Bill Clinton’s administration and called him an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a late-1990s campaign finance case.
McAuliffe, a businessman and former Democratic National Committee chairman, was a top fundraiser for Clinton.
While the race has been far from congenial, Cuccinelli had not pursued that specific line of attack during the candidates’ sole debate or during prior joint appearances in Northern Virginia.
“He’s going to do what he’s going to do,” McAuliffe said in response, speaking with reporters after the event, quickly pivoting to an attack of his own. “If he wants to talk ethics, I would ask the attorney general to return the gifts he got from Jonnie Williams.”
Cuccinelli accepted gifts from the Virginia businessman and initially did not disclose them on state forms, but later apologized and did report them. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has returned some of the loans and gifts he received from Williams but Cuccinelli said he received items such as dinners and the use of a private home that can’t be returned.
“This is a hard-fought race,” Cuccinelli said of the tone of the race, speaking to reporters after the forum. “That includes both the positive and the negative.”
During the “Battleground Virginia” forum, jointly hosted by the Reston, Loudoun, Prince William and Fredericksburg chambers of commerce at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, the candidates again outlined their differing views on education, transportation economic development, energy and health care, while also taking plenty of jabs at each another. The event was not a debate, but each candidate was asked the same questions and was allotted the same amount of time to respond.
McAuliffe addressed each issue from an economic development perspective. For example, he talked about the importance of the new state transportation funding bill to businesses and the economy.
Explaining how he would prioritize spending that money, McAuliffe said, “It’s got to ease congestion, it has to have an economic development component and it has to have local support.”
Cuccinelli, for his part, contends that he would be a better steward than McAuliffe of the newfound funds.
“My frugality will make every penny of this transportation fund go farther,” he said.
Differences over health care
McAuliffe views the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act — as he sees transportation funding — as a boon for the state’s economy.
“One of the ways we are going to grow our economy is in the health fields,” said McAuliffe, adding that accepting the federal dollars associated with the expansion would pump $21 billion into the economy.
Cuccinelli said he has not completely ruled out accepting the money, but he does not want to expand Virginia’s Medicaid program until reforms are in place and the federal government grants the state what he considers sufficient flexibility on how to run its insurance program.
While McAuliffe likes to tout the estimated 400,000 Virginians who would be added to the Medicaid rolls, Cuccinelli sees the influx of new patients as a potential problem for the state’s health care system.
“We are struggling to keep medical practices in our Medicaid program,” he said, due to the state’s low reimbursement rate. “We don’t have a solution to that, other than people will wait, and that is not acceptable to me.”
Cuccinelli and McAuliffe also differ somewhat in their approaches to business recruitment and retention.
The cornerstone of Cuccinelli’s plan is his proposal to reduce state income tax rates, which he has said he would fund by eliminating some income tax deductions.
“My goal … is to make Virginia foolish to leave,” he said.
Although Cuccinelli is not a big advocate for financial incentives for businesses, he told the chamber he would consider using money from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to help state universities turn their research products into commercial assets.
McAuliffe does support using financial incentives that many states use to lure large businesses looking for a home. He also said improving transportation and education in Virginia are essential for attracting and retaining a vibrant business community.
“Every CEO wants to know — five, 10 years from now, will I have a workforce?” he said.
Economy, transportation, Medicaid hot topics in chamber of commerce event
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130809/NEWS/130809161/1117/cuccinelli-mcauliffe-get-down-to-business-in-attack-laced-forum&template=fairfaxTimes
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli heightened his attacks on the ethics of Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe during a candidates forum Friday morning that was ostensibly focused on business issues.
Cuccinelli, the attorney general and a former state senator, linked McAuliffe to scandals during President Bill Clinton’s administration and called him an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a late-1990s campaign finance case.
McAuliffe, a businessman and former Democratic National Committee chairman, was a top fundraiser for Clinton.
While the race has been far from congenial, Cuccinelli had not pursued that specific line of attack during the candidates’ sole debate or during prior joint appearances in Northern Virginia.
“He’s going to do what he’s going to do,” McAuliffe said in response, speaking with reporters after the event, quickly pivoting to an attack of his own. “If he wants to talk ethics, I would ask the attorney general to return the gifts he got from Jonnie Williams.”
Cuccinelli accepted gifts from the Virginia businessman and initially did not disclose them on state forms, but later apologized and did report them. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has returned some of the loans and gifts he received from Williams but Cuccinelli said he received items such as dinners and the use of a private home that can’t be returned.
“This is a hard-fought race,” Cuccinelli said of the tone of the race, speaking to reporters after the forum. “That includes both the positive and the negative.”
During the “Battleground Virginia” forum, jointly hosted by the Reston, Loudoun, Prince William and Fredericksburg chambers of commerce at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, the candidates again outlined their differing views on education, transportation economic development, energy and health care, while also taking plenty of jabs at each another. The event was not a debate, but each candidate was asked the same questions and was allotted the same amount of time to respond.
McAuliffe addressed each issue from an economic development perspective. For example, he talked about the importance of the new state transportation funding bill to businesses and the economy.
Explaining how he would prioritize spending that money, McAuliffe said, “It’s got to ease congestion, it has to have an economic development component and it has to have local support.”
Cuccinelli, for his part, contends that he would be a better steward than McAuliffe of the newfound funds.
“My frugality will make every penny of this transportation fund go farther,” he said.
Differences over health care
McAuliffe views the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act — as he sees transportation funding — as a boon for the state’s economy.
“One of the ways we are going to grow our economy is in the health fields,” said McAuliffe, adding that accepting the federal dollars associated with the expansion would pump $21 billion into the economy.
Cuccinelli said he has not completely ruled out accepting the money, but he does not want to expand Virginia’s Medicaid program until reforms are in place and the federal government grants the state what he considers sufficient flexibility on how to run its insurance program.
While McAuliffe likes to tout the estimated 400,000 Virginians who would be added to the Medicaid rolls, Cuccinelli sees the influx of new patients as a potential problem for the state’s health care system.
“We are struggling to keep medical practices in our Medicaid program,” he said, due to the state’s low reimbursement rate. “We don’t have a solution to that, other than people will wait, and that is not acceptable to me.”
Cuccinelli and McAuliffe also differ somewhat in their approaches to business recruitment and retention.
The cornerstone of Cuccinelli’s plan is his proposal to reduce state income tax rates, which he has said he would fund by eliminating some income tax deductions.
“My goal … is to make Virginia foolish to leave,” he said.
Although Cuccinelli is not a big advocate for financial incentives for businesses, he told the chamber he would consider using money from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to help state universities turn their research products into commercial assets.
McAuliffe does support using financial incentives that many states use to lure large businesses looking for a home. He also said improving transportation and education in Virginia are essential for attracting and retaining a vibrant business community.
“Every CEO wants to know — five, 10 years from now, will I have a workforce?” he said.
Re: Cuccinelli versus McAuliffe Friday Morning Attack-Laced Forum
Posted by:
Tough One
()
Date: August 09, 2013 08:37PM
Do you have the Cliff notes version?
Re: Cuccinelli versus McAuliffe Friday Morning Attack-Laced Forum
Posted by:
Tray von Martin
()
Date: August 09, 2013 08:41PM
“Every CEO wants to know — five, 10 years from now, will I have a workforce?”
No, Terry, every CEO wants to know - five, 10 years from now, will I have a fucking company?
No, Terry, every CEO wants to know - five, 10 years from now, will I have a fucking company?
Re: Cuccinelli versus McAuliffe Friday Morning Attack-Laced Forum
Posted by:
Terry McSlimy
()
Date: August 09, 2013 09:15PM
NOVA Politics Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
...
> McAuliffe does support using financial incentives
> that many states use to lure large businesses
> looking for a home.
>
Translation: I want to be able to pay back my political pals who I owe favors with taxpayer money like Haley Barbour did for me with the $10 million I got to have my business buds from Tennessee spread some gravel around in a cow pasture in Mississippi and put up a sign.
-------------------------------------------------------
...
> McAuliffe does support using financial incentives
> that many states use to lure large businesses
> looking for a home.
>
Translation: I want to be able to pay back my political pals who I owe favors with taxpayer money like Haley Barbour did for me with the $10 million I got to have my business buds from Tennessee spread some gravel around in a cow pasture in Mississippi and put up a sign.