A veteran Capitol Hill staffer, Rob Wasinger, has been added to the growing list of candidates for Congress in the 10th district to replace Frank Wolf. Wasinger was the chief of staff for former Senator, and now Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownbeck. Until his recent resignation to run for Congress Wasinger has been chief of staff to Michigan Tea Party Congressman Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R). Wasinger said this about his run,
“I fear that conservatives are not going to be well-represented with the choices that are out there now,” Wasinger said. I’m going to run an insurgent, aggressive grass-roots campaign.”
Wasinger joins these candidates who are also running in the 10th:
Brent Anderson
Barbara Comstock
Stephen Hollingshead
Marc Savitt
Richard Shickle
Tareq Salahi
Luellen Hoffman
Rob Wasinger
The following candidates are considering a run but have not yet made formal announcements:
Carol Brauninger
Howie Lind
Bob Marshall
Beau Correll
More on Rob Wasinger here, here, and here.
Another article on Rob Wasinger.
96 comments
[…] But not Wasinger, despite claims by Wasinger’s press secretary 15 days ago in comments on The Bull Elephant and Bearing Drift that the campaign had by that time already raised in the neighborhood of […]
[…] Wednesday and yesterday, the Virginia blogosphere (The Bull Elephant, Shaun Kenney at Bearing Drift, and Thor’s Hammer at Virtucon) revealed the silly sock […]
We should be able to announce another candidate soon. He’s well known in Loudoun county. Stay tuned!
News flash, we’re down one candidate. Brent Anderson has decided not to run and his throwing his support behind Stephen Hollingshead. https://twitter.com/constitutionorb/status/431626679065141248
“I fear that conservatives are not going to be well-represented with the choices that are out there now,” Wasinger said. “I’m going to run an insurgent, aggressive grass-roots campaign.”
Sort of hard to believe when he is probably not even 35, spent 7-8 years in MA for schooling (HS and college), lived in KA, and worked on the hill. To run a grass-roots campaign implies you have a base of local volunteers. I have been involved pretty heavilly with the Fairfax GOP and know a lot of people in the 8th, 10th, and 11th districts. None of the hard core volunteers have heard of this guy.
If you want to run a campaign conservatives respect, talk about ideas and solutions you would propose to our problems. Don’t pepper us with platitudes and hit conservative buzz words.
I feel offended this guy thinks we are as emotionally driven as liberals and are too dumb to pick up on his obvious deception.
He’s in his 40’s, if that matters.
[…] is being led by someone known alternatively as Scott Weinberg or Jonathan Weinberg, who in the comments section of another post on The Bull Elephant has identified himself as press secretary for the Wasinger campaign. Mr. Weinberg (if that is […]
If Weinberg really is Wasinger’s “press secretary” the other candidates in this crowded field should count themselves lucky to run against a campaign team that tactlessly alienates everyone right from the get go. I called him out on Facebook for spamming an inappropriate gay pride photo on the LCYR page and thankfully it appears he’s been appropriately smacked with the Banhammer for it.
How many pages are you banned from now Weinberg? I’m guessing at least the Loudoun, Prince William, and Fairfax Republican pages.
Can anyone tell me Comstock’s position on traditional marriage? Her campaign won’t. Still waiting for them to “get back to me”. She didn’t sign Bob Marshall’s petition urging McAuliffe to appoint someone to defend the state’s ban on gay marriage. That’s a big red flag for me.
One last time with regards to the residency issue.
Because of Constitutional requirements, there is no doubt that when he ran for Congress the vacancy created by a retirement in Kansas’ 1st District in 2010, Wasinger had to sign legal documents for his candidacy that stated that he was a legal resident of the state of Kansas or he would not have been eligible to run.
Now, to run for a different congressional seat also created by a retirement, Wasinger and some of his supporters would have us believe that he is a 20-year resident, a ‘True Virginian’ of the 10th District.
If that is indeed the case, then it is pretty hard to argue that his campaign in Kansas was not based at least in part about deceiving the voters about what his true State of residence was. He had to have been dishonest about that at least with the voters, if not on the form itself. It also shows him to be an opportunist seeking to take advantage of a congressional retirement to further his own ambitions even though he didn’t live in and had no intention of moving to the District he wanted to represent.
I am sorry, but that just does not speak well of the man IMHO.
Delusional catpetbagger!
Hey Jonathan — I see you have not yet responded to my questions about where Wasinger was registered to vote in 2009-2010, or what his candidate filings in Kansas said with regards as to what he claimed as his permanent address. I really hope you will address those items, as well as the claim that Comstock voted for an abortion mandate in Obamacare despite not being a Member of Congress at that time.
Another question occurred to me this morning, which I hope you can answer as well.
Rob Wasinger worked for Jon Huntsman in 2012, took his money, and presumably tried to convince others that he was the best choice for President.
Jon Huntsman supports gay marriage.
So by applying your logic from a post you made about Comstock, does that mean that Rob Wasinger must support gay marriage too?
[…] the 8th person announced their candidacy for the Republican nomination for the House of Republicans in Virginia’s 10th […]
I just added another article on Wasinger’s announcement today. See above.
We challenge Barbara Comstock, or any of her spokespersons, to a free and open debate on the facts. The people need to know about her work on the Hill, and Rob’s, and the differences that exist between their characters, visions and abilities.
Jon, perhaps you can start the debate by answering the questions I posed in the post below about your candidate. I am sure we all would be very interested in your response.
Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.
You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
I challenge you to stop annoying the educated people of the 10th with your ridiculous and irritating lies.
The Wasinger for Congress campaign received $100,000 in donations today. People know Rob is a true Virginian.
In fairness, let me say, I serve as Rob Wasinger’s press secretary. I served, was elected to, the South River District in Warren County, Virginia. I was not born in Virginia, but I moved to Virginia. I became a Virginian. The good people of South River say I am Virginian. Rob Wasinger is a Virginian. He is a true conservative, a true gentleman, and a true Virginian. He and his lovely wife Meg moved to Virginia to raise their family. Meg owns a small business in Virginia. They are a great family. I worked for Dick Black. Black is from Florida, but he is a true Virginian. I am a true conservative. Rob Wasinger is the one I support. I’ve seen Rob in action on the Hill. He is honest and ethical and he will work hard for the people of VA-10. He’s worked for many of our nation’s top leaders. The truly conservative ones. Rob has the ability to win this election.
Comstock is a lobbyist. She is from Massachusetts. She worked for Kennedy. She worked for a lobbying company that gave money to Hillary. She voted for the elective abortion mandate in Obamacare. She voted for a gay judge. This is not conservative. She says she’s conservative, but how is she conservative if she votes like this; and if she is not conservative, then why does she says she is conservative?
Jon — where did Wasinger vote in 2010???
Did he vote in Virginia, or did he vote in Kansas???
He couldn’t have voted in both places, so which one was it???
And what did he list as his home address when he ran in Kansas in 2010???
I believe that there is this little thing called the Constitution that stipulates the requirements for running for Congress, one of which is that you must be a legal resident of the state you are running in.
So if he is a 20 year resident of Northern Virginia, I think all of us would be very interested to see how he dealt with that Constitutional residency requirement. Perhaps you can share with all of us.
And while you are at it, I would be interested in hearing how Barbara Comstock voted for the elective abortion mandate in Obamacare when she was not a Member of Congress in 2010 — since they were the only people who had a vote in that matter.
According to Fairfax county property records, Rob Wasinger and his wife have owned a home in Fairfax Station since 2003.
Jeanine — thanks for that information. So it appears that he ran for Congress from Kansas as a hometown boy, and no doubt attacked the ‘people inside the Beltway’ because thats what those folks wanted to hear. Likely did not mention any connection to Virginia when he was out there on the plains.
Now he wants to claim the title of ‘True Virginian’, a 20-year Northern Virginia resident since it suits his purposes to do so now. Pretty convenient.
So I guess he would say that he was a carpetbagger then, but he isn’t one now? I wonder what the folks in Kansas would think of that.
Apparently they didn’t think much of him since he lost. While he grew up in Kansas, most of his adult life has been spent in Northern Virginia. Does any of this matter as much as what he supports, what his policies and issues are? What will he do if elected to Congress? How ’bout we debate the candidates views and ideas for America?
Owning a residence and living in it are 2 different matters.
Just out of curiosity, how much of that $100K is funds from Wasinger’s previous campaigns?
I have another question for you. How old are you?
Since your post has at least 9 uses of I, 6 uses of He, and 12 uses of She spread across at least 26 short sentences, my guess is that you are quite young. For $100K, one would think Wasinger would hire a seasoned press secretary.
Well, here is some opposition research that you clearly missed (or chose to ignore): If Barbara Comstock is such a liability, then why does she continue to win general elections as a Republican in Beltway territory with an A rating from the NRA, a vote against the transportation bill’s tax increases, and dems constantly peppering her with war on women attacks?
Hmmm… Maybe it’s because she can build the type of broad voter coalitions needed to actually win a general election as a Republican in urban Northern Virginia. You can’t convince a broad electorate to embrace conservatism unless you win and have the governing opportunity to demonstrate its value. Mark Levin even recognized that fact and endorsed her.
District shopping… Wasinger needs to hang out with Ron Meyer.
Nicely put Jax. Barbara does seem like a very valuable GOP asset to me – a conservative who can run and win in purple districts. If only we had had more like her running for the House and Senate in 2010 and 2012, we likely would have won more races and could have stopped more of Obama’s hard left agenda.
How much money did Speaker Howell and other donors dump into her campaign rather than supporting other candidates to help ensure the House of Delegates and now two months later she is running for Congress? It appears she was given the most money by far. What deal did she make with Mr. Singer the gay rights advocate for his money to win her seat? How much taxpayer money will need to be skimmed to her lobbying cronies if she is elected? She is a very flawed candidate from the perspective of her positions on all issues and the baggage she carries as a Washington insider and lobbyist.
Johan, why don’t you ask what deal Ken Cuccinelli made with Singer? What about Bob McDonnell, or Steve Hunt? Singer gave money to all of them, and to a whole lot of other conservatives nationwide. Just because he ALSO backs gay marriage doesn’t mean recipients of his donations do, and to insinuate otherwise is deceptive and misleading. I am not from the 10th, and am not supporting a candidate here, but I won’t sit by and let that kind of smear go without rebuttal.
I’m not sure what the deal is but his stated objective is to give money to Republican candidates to influence the gay marriage issue, and why did she vote for a gay activist Judge? Follow the money Mr. Albertson when the votes follow.
Tell the truth: You don’t know who Cuccinelli, McDonnell, and Steve Hunt are, do you?
Comstock’s HOD district was constantly rated as one of the most competitive last year (along with Hunt and Ramadan who also received big donations), so why wouldn’t Speaker Howell and others donate to Comstock in order to retain a GOP foothold in the western part of the Beltway (which is trending blue by the way)? You would be stupid not to, and Comstock went the distance to raise $1.3M. When you consider she won by only 400+ votes, every dollar was worth it.
GOP control of the HOD was never in doubt last year (thanks to redistricting), so almost every other GOP HOD candidate was well postured to get reelected. Implying that big donations to Comstock threatened GOP control of the HOD is nonsense.
Likewise, Frank Wolf had to retire someday, so why pass on an unexpected opportunity to win his seat in a non-presidential election year? When you earn brand loyalty among voters, you get to take it to the next level.
If it was such a hot seat and great investment of Republican money let her stay in that seat. If it trending so Blue how can anyone else win the seat but the great candidate Barbara Comstock who had the advantage of incumbency and yet won by 400 votes.
You don’t think big picture, do you? VA-10 is in real danger of turning blue, and politicians are not sedentary by nature. So why wouldn’t Comstock step forward to run for the seat? Of the current and past contenders, she is the only one who can win within the Fairfax County portion of VA-10; and without Fairfax, you won’t win VA-10.
Barbara only won by 400+ votes because the dems through everything at her, and she had to deal with T-Mac (and his money machine) at the top of the ticket. 2009 was similar, but 2011 was a breeze since that election did not coincide with a governor’s race. Again, you don’t think big picture, do you?
Barbara is a hard campaigner who has won tough races.
Every year hundreds, if not thousands, of college kids come out to DC to work as interns for Members of Congress. Usually these kids don’t get a choice in what office they are placed in, or whether the person is a Republican or a Democrat. They are just looking for the experience for the summer, and get some college credit for doing an internship. They will generally accept any place they can get their foot in the door in order to learn and gain experience, and quite frankly, there is nothing wrong with that.
According to some people’s logic, I guess we should likewise distrust any individual got a nomination for West Point or Annapolis from a Democrat, irrespective of what they did during their military career, no matter what their public record, views, and values? Sounds ridiculous to me. Yet evidently some here would think that appropriate, based on the cheap shot against Comstock. (if it is even true, which I am in no position to know)
I’m not real concerned who Comstock might have worked for when she did a (probably unpaid) internship decades ago — it’s a lot more important what she has accomplished since, which is quite substantial.
BTW, Jeanine… you are going to have a big discussion here. I promise to stick to facts which are documented by congressional reports. Thank you for the forum.
Yes, apparently so. I am rather surprised. I am not supporting Rob Wasinger but I like facts, the more the better!
Let’s turn to the facts about Comstock. She’s from Massachusetts, worked for Ted Kennedy. See the report at the Daily Caller.
http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/04/heres-the-opposition-research-packet-on-barbara-comstock/
Comstock is a lobbyist who helped secure millions in U.S. tax dollars for a bailout for Indian Tribe. When she was the Director of Government Relations for lobbing firm Blank Rome, they gave $112 to Hillary. These are facts. She secured over $225,000.00 for Carnival which bilked disaster survivors, according to Congress. She took funds from Paul Singer, the gay political guru, after she voted for a gay judge who wants to overturn traditional marriage in Virginia. Who among reasonable men and women would not question her liabilities? These are facts.
Wasinger was raised in Hayes, Kansas. His dad is military. He worked hard. He has values. He earned a scholarship to Harvard. He moved to Virginia, and raised a family. All his kids were born here. He dipped his toe into a run for Congress in the district where he grew up.
He’s a true conservative. He’s a Virginian now. Did I mention he was a true conservative; he’s been instrumental in some of our nation’s most conservative legislative leaders. He was Brownback’s chief of staff.
Yawn. Your lobbyist whinning sounds like Margaret Vanderhye, Pam Danner, and Kathleen Murphy’s old campaign rhetoric, so you must really be new to this game.
The question of what you claim as liabilities has been before the general electorate 3 times, and guess what: Comstock won everytime.
I’m new to this forum, and I tried to post earlier, but my comment was apparently deleted. As I tried to note earlier, I have known Rob Wasinger in northern Virginia for the past 15 years; all this stuff about him not being Virginian enough is preposterous. My kids go to school with his kids in Virginia public schools, and he has probably put more kids through Virginia public schools than all the other candidates combined. He is a great guy, and I would be proud to have him as my congressman.
Jay, welcome!
FYI, I can’t say why you were unable to post earlier, but no one deleted your comment. I’ve deleted four comments from this site (ever). They were all posted by the same person within the last 24 hours.
Steve, Thanks for hosting the site. I read your piece after seeing the WaPo piece and googling Wasinger. He is the real deal and a rock solid conservative. I hope you all will give him a fair chance.
Thanks, Jay. We’ll do our best, but don’t hesitate to tell call us out if we’re falling short of where you think we should be.
Actually, Wasinger seems to be more than just a carpetbagger, he is apparently a congressional seat shopper. When Jerry Moran retired in 2010, Wasinger ran for his seat in Kansas — but got just 9% of the vote in the primary and finished fourth.
Now he wants to run for Frank Wolf’s seat and represent Virginia. Whether its rural Kansas grain farmers or the high tech suburbs of Fairfax and Loudoun, evidently he feels that the need for his presence in Congress is so great that it doesn’t matter what State or district he runs in. I guess he figures as long as he can get elected, he can figure out the details of what the district he represents is like while on the job. Maybe he can go to California next and try to take Henry Waxman’s old seat and flip it to the GOP — the primary isn’t until June 3rd, so when things don’t work out here . . .
He had some very interesting things to say on Red State about his deep Kansas roots when he was running in 2010. Maybe he can cut and paste ‘Virginia’ in over ‘Kansas’ and recycle the same message:
“My name is Rob Wasinger. I am a husband, a father to nine wonderful children, and a conservative. I want to introduce myself to Red State readers because I want to be a part of the conversation about moving our party and our country forward. And I think Red State will be a big part of that discussion.
Next year, the voters of the First District of Kansas will decide who will succeed Jerry Moran to represent them in Congress. I believe I am the right person for the job. I have worked for the people of Kansas for almost 15 years – in both Kansas and the nation’s capital – I believe I am uniquely qualified to do the job, and do it well from day one.
We are all products of our upbringing, so let me tell you about who I am and how I got here. I was born in Hays, Kansas, to parents who believe in the traditional values of hard work, honor, and answering the call to service. I tried to live by those values and was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to go to Harvard. I took advantage of that opportunity. And when I finished college, I came home to Kansas.
When I returned, I went to work for the people of Kansas – first, for Governor Bill Graves, then for Jerry Moran, who then was state senate majority leader, and finally for Senator Sam Brownback. I was Sam’s legislative director and ultimately his chief of staff.
This, as you might imagine, has given me tremendous experience working on both Kansas and national issues. Along the way, I gained a reputation as an effective expert on budget and life issues, and I have an abiding interest in rural health care and economic development. From education to Social Security and a dozen issues in between, I know the impact the federal government can have on all our lives, for good and ill, and especially how Washington affects our rural Kansas communities.”
Read it all here
http://www.redstate.com/robwasinger/2009/03/31/my-campaign-for-the-first-district-of-kansas/
Thanks for posting that. It seems to be a powerful message of public service rather than something negative. I read about his record on life issues but I was not aware that he was an expert on budget issues. A lobbyist might be good at budget issues also because they need to know how to skim taxpayer dollars and help contribute to ballooning deficits.
And Johan, you do realize that it is a ‘powerful message of public service’ from 2009, aimed at rural Kansas residents and stressing his rural Kansas background and connection to the state???
How sincere can that possibly be from a man whom we are told is a 20 year resident of Northern Virginia, who has educated all of his children here, etc???
Sounds more like in 2009 he was saying what he thought the voters of Kansas wanted to hear, and now he is going to recycle the pitch for Northern Virginia.
It should be greeted with a lot of skepticism.
Actually I think it was a powerful message to average, middle class Americans like we have here in Virginia. He probably wasn’t looking to persuade the average DC lobbying client.
No, he was trying to persuade Kansas voters he was from Kansas, and shared their rural values and outlook, just like he is now going to try to convince Virgina voters he is of our area, and shares the values and outlook of the 10th district, even though VA-10 and KS-1 have very little in common.
You’re right, better to stick with a lifelong resident like Howie Lind.
I’m glad to see the facts in a primary. I’m tired of the ball being hidden and someone being crowned and then the roof caves in during the general election when all the baggage is aired. Air all the facts and if the best we can do in the 10th District for the Republican party is a lobbyist that supports gay rights so be it. If the worst you can say about Wasinger is he grew up in Kansas before spending 20 years in Virginia he is worth a good look.
Well, besides the Kansas thing, there’s several other issues that ought to give conservatives pause:
The guy has never given any of his money to support GOP candidates in Virginia http://www.vpap.org/donors/search?query=Wasinger&x=0&y=0
He hasn’t been active in promoting GOP causes in the district — he was a Chief of Staff for a Kansas senator for years, and now is Chief of Staff for a freshman Michigan representative in a district targeted by the Democrats. So I guess he is ready to ditch his current employer during his first re-election campaign in order to satisfy his own ambitions to run for Congress. Doesn’t sound like the kind of team player we need.
Some of the people he has chose to associate himself with make me very nervous. He worked for Jon Huntsman in 2012, not exactly a conservative guy, and one who once he lost, started talking to the media about the need to have a third party aimed a moderates. And of course, Huntsman’s top strategist was John Weaver, who filled the same role for John McCain in 2008 — after a stint working for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
No thanks
Since Wasinger has been a federal employee, I’m not surprised that he hasn’t given money to NOVA candidates. Do most of the staffers on the Hill give money to local candidates?
Since it looks like has been making about $168,000, just $4,000 short of the maximum allowed by law, it would seem to me that he should have a little bit laying around to support GOP candidates and causes in Northern Virginia.
After all, he claims to have this strong 20 year connection to the area — you would think that at some point in that time, since he evidently is so committed to our area, that he would have donated something to VA GOP candidates, or local GOP committees. It’s not like Virginia hasn’t been one of the most important battleground states in the last several elections . . .
With 11 kids, I don’t know how he has money to do anything!
And with 11 kids, I don’t know how he thinks he has time to take on a 100 hour a week job, be an effective voice for the 10th District, AND be a good father, husband, and family leader at the same time. And I mean no personal animosity or vindictiveness to the man or his family in saying this — it’s simply hard for me to understand how anyone could do all that, or would want to in the first place.
Knowing what an absolutely brutal toll running for and being a Member of Congress takes on family life, and time away from your children, I am really surprised that he campaigned and ran for Congress all the way out in Kansas in the first place. Since he ‘lived’ out there for that run, and has ‘lived’ in Northern Virginia for 20 years, I guess that means his wife stayed behind to try to handle 11 kids by herself, while he prioritized his ambition to be a Member of Congress.
Since he is running here now, I guess he once again is willing to put 11 kids on the back burner in favor of 100 plus hour campaign and work weeks. While it is his right to do so, and I am sure his wife supports him in this decision, it is troubling to me. Military families often have to endure this kind of family separation for extended times when someone is on an overseas deployment, but generally they don’t actively seek it out. For the second time, he is actively seeking a job which will take him away from his family for 100 or more hours each week — a job that is open-ended in duration — and one judging by his ambitions, he hopes will last the rest of his career.
First he runs in Kansas, now he runs in Virginia. Both times, he commits the huge amounts of time to run for office which will take him away from his family. There is nothing wrong with having a much larger than average family, which he certainly does. Good for him and his wife. But there can also be no doubt much along with that larger family, there are greatly increased needs for parent time and attention to the children than most families face.
Is he running for Congress because he wants to serve people, or is it an ego thing to fulfill his own ambition? Is it truly so important to him to be a Member of that body that it is worth all that to him? Is his presence in Washington so truly indispensable?
I have just two kids, and many years ago, cut back my career ambitions to spend more time with my family and be a positive influence on my kids life. Seeing that investment of time pay off and them grow into the fine young women they are today is far more rewarding to me than any title of ‘Congressman’ could ever be.
You need to get out more. There are so many big families in this area who have mastered the fine art of multi-tasking. As a parent of 6, I find your comment offensive and judgmental.
Sorry to offend you Red Lizard. I know many people who take on that challenge with busy schedules — but I don’t know of many who are so eager to take on a much bigger work commitment that keeps them away from their families even more. That’s the difference here. Most multi-tasking families work hard to manage their responsibilities as parents — not go out of the way to add further and unnecessary challenges to their ability to do so in order to fulfill some personal quest for political power.
WOW! How low can you go? A true pro life conservative who walks the walk and you ATTACK HIS CHILDREN as a dis-qualifier? I am sorry, but this is EXACTLY the kind of discourse that turns voters off. You should be ashamed. Really? Is nothing sacred? Who do you support? Does your candidate subscribe to attacking a man’s family? Here is a good man, prepared to make a sacrifice and run to serve his country and he needs to take this? What kind of blog is this? I thought this was about being conservative in the Old Dominion. Next you will attack his wife too? Families should be off limits, and you owe this man an apology! Will you provide for us the number of children a man is allowed to have in order to run for office in VA? I hope this is the last of this type of commentary. There is plenty to discuss and argue about without this kind of gutter politics!
Fred, no offense but evidently you have a problem with reading comprehension, or just want to ignore facts and to try to make a dramatic statement.
What part of my post where I said ‘I mean no personal animosity or vindictiveness to the man or his family in saying this’ do you not understand? How is that an ‘attack on his family’
Did I say anywhere that there is anything wrong about the man’s family, or that there was anything wrong with have a large 11 child family???
Where exactly did I ‘ATTACK HIS CHILDREN’? I’m sorry, what did I say that was bad about them in any way???
My post raised the questions of what exactly the priorities are of Mr. Wasinger when he is so seemingly obsessed with being a Member of Congress that he has shopped for a seat in two states now, despite having such large obligations as family man to small children? Is there no other way he can serve the conservative or pro life cause than by being a Member of Congress???
Another poster said a likely reason he hasn’t contributed money to GOP causes in NOVA is that his family is so large there is likely no money left over.
I get that reasoning, but then doesn’t it also stand to reason that since time is more valuable than money, particularly time with your family, that it might not make sense to spend time with them now while you can, and put your ambitions on hold for a decade so they can enjoy you being around? He is a young man — he could run in 20 years, and still be a young man.
My criticism is reserved for what I perceive to be his personal world view that being in Congress is worth not being there as his kids grow up — because if you know anything at all about what life as a Congressman is like — he isn’t going to be able to be there much at all.
At least to me, that is a man with the wrong priorities.
Seriously? I am surprised that you continue the attack? You are
straight out suggesting that he has too many kids to run. That IS an
attack on him and on his family. (As you are suggesting the number of
children he has ought to disqualify him! Unbelievable!) I think you ought to
back off. Really. Someone should rein you in a bit. Take a
break from the computer. Unless this is really going to be your campaign
strategy? I seriously hope not. I am just going to truly give you
the benefit of the doubt that you don’t realize what you are saying. But
you have written what you have written.
You ought to be supporting a man who is willing to walk the walk on life
issues.
I could go into how large families support and care for each other, how they
are involved with things together, etc. But I suspect it will be lost on
you. (Hint: 2 kids=hard, 3 kids=little easier, and so on. Ask
around)
But this is the WRONG ISSUE my friend. I will stop here and simply appeal to
your sense of reason. I recommend strongly that you leave his family out
of it and focus on some other topic. I will assume you didn’t mean it,
that you are so used to doing whatever it takes for your candidate that you
didn’t notice yourself crossing that massive line. I don’t think this is
what Comstock is all about. I think you went off the reservation.
Meanwhile, why can we not simply discuss where the
candidates stand on the issues?! The ends do NOT justify the means.
That is a Democrat philosophy, no? People HATE this kind of
politics. Let’s raise the level of discourse.
Frederick, you evidently have trouble with reading comprehension, or just simply want to make sensational accusations out of whole cloth.
I am not suggesting that he has too many kids to run for office. He could run for office if he had 20, 30 or 40 kids for all I care — it doesn’t disqualify him.
What I do say is that running for office is prioritizing his personal ambitions over his already existing responsibilities to children he has brought into this world. Do you really, really think that those kids are going to benefit by having a Dad who is away for 100 plus hours each week, and cannot devote much if any time to them?
Odd that you discuss Democratic philosophies to close out here. The actions of putting career ahead of family and relying on others to fill the role of an absentee parent (and as a Congressman, he won’t be able to help but be one) are benchmark Democratic philosophies. They have been used to justify any number of things Democrats have championed such as ever-bigger government, government subsidized day care, other nanny state items, attacks on stay at home moms, and even abortion — abortion extremists from NARAL have used a woman’s ‘right’ to preserve her career trajectory against the inconvenience of children for decades as an argument against repeal of the Roe v. Wade abomination. While you accurately point out Wasinger has ‘walked the walk’ of a pro-lifer when it comes to bringing the gift of children into the world, his eagerness to run for office with so many small children at home is more typical of what the other side does.
So who is actually acting like a Democrat here?
The American people observe and understand the brutal schedules Congress undertakes. That’s why the approval rating for Congress is low. I understand, however, there may not be full disclosure to the American people about how much time they run around having dinners with lobbyists. That must be brutal and something I hope we can start to change for the better in this election.
Agreed, and with 11 kids how does he have time to run for office?!
I’m sorry, is there a litmus test for how many children you can have and run for office?
No, but there is a limit on how many hours in a day there are, and how much you can get done in them for your self, family, and employer.
If he wants to go up against that limit and beyond, that’s his choice. But it stands to reason that with so much going on, somebody is going to end up getting shorted on time and effort.
Your concern for the Wasinger family is truly touching, but Wasinger has been in public service for a long time, and those 11 kids weren’t born overnight, so obviously he has done quite well in managing to fulfill his obligations to his family and his job for a while now (by all accounts he is happily married, and he is well-respected in conservative political circles). Stop trying to make having a large family a liability. It should be a huge plus for any conservative voter in the 10th District.
Having a large family is not the liability for Mr. Wasinger.
Mr. Wasinger’s ambitions to be a Member of Congress, as soon as possible, whether from Kansas or Virginia, are in my opinion a liability for his family. 7 a.m. breakfast fundraisers and constituent meetings, all day on the Hill, in Committees, on the floor, taking votes, appearing in the media, doing dinners and meetings at night, meeting the voters on the weekends, trying to raise money non-stop in a targeted district — that’s just the beginning of what he will be doing all day, day in and day out, virtually every day of the year. And all of this before the kids get to spend a single moment with Dad — if they are even awake when he gets home.
Does he truly not care about all the soccer games, school events, musical performances, dance recitals, parent-teacher conferences, and everything else that he will miss 99% of as a Member? Because he is definitely going to miss out on all of that stuff and more. You are right that he has worked for years as a Chief of Staff to a Member — but their is a HUGE difference in the workload once you become a Member.
You are certainly free to feel differently and are entitled to your opinion.
To me, his actions speak more loudly than words as to what his priorities are. He can choose to do whatever he wants, but for me, all I am seeing is political ambition > all else.
Lots of federal employees donate money to political candidates across the ideological spectrum, and doing so is not a Hatch Act violation.
Congressional employees like Mr. Wasinger are not civil servants, and thus are not bound by the Hatch Act at all. He could give as much as he felt like, up to the legal limits set by the feds or state.
And I applaud the Bull Elephant for letting fact-based political commentary live. Anyone should be free to post research on any candidate, as long as it is based on fact. The glare of scrutiny is important to preserving freedom.
Though I think the “research” you’ve linked is garbage (and will write soon on why I think that), you are welcome to post it. It’s part of the debate. Just do it honestly, and not with four different aliases.
Here is oppo on Comstock per the Daily Caller:
http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/04/heres-the-opposition-research-packet-on-barbara-comstock/
Comstock came from Massachusets, worked for Ted Kennedy, and gave 112k to Hillary. This is all factual. She also took $30k from Paul Singer and voted for a gay judge who wants to overturn Virginia’s marriage amendment.
Also, some guy said he kicked me off the Bull Elephant for using a psuedonym. This is my real name: Jonathan Scott Weinberg.
Please support freedom of speech and truth. The Wasingers have raised their family in Virginia. All of their kids were born here and have gone to school here.
Rob was born and raised in the heartland. He moved to VA to make a difference. He’s a fighter, with core decency. He has the ability to win. He is a true conservative. We need fresh horses.
Conservatives will unite. I do not understand how a Republican could support Comstock. She is a true liability. Could someone please explain why they would support her, given the corrupt lobbying she has been involved with?
“Some guy”? I told you last night if you kept up with the sock puppetry that I’d ban you. You’ve used four different names, associated with four different email addresses, in just the past 24 hours…all to push this shoddy smear masquerading as opposition research.
I thought maybe you were associated with the Hollingshead campaign (apologies to them). It’ a shame that this is how the Wasinger campaign chooses to do business. That kind of crap may fly in Kansas, but not here.
Steve, I don’t want to argue with you. I posted a comment as Scott Weinberg, and was blocked. Because of this, I posted a comment as Jonathan Scott, and was blocked, evidently because someone did not like my comment. I now post a comment as Jonathan Weinberg. Would you like to see my birth certificate?
As to this research, it is all true and it is not smear. Comstock was paid tens of thousands of dollars by Carnival to help secure their fraudulent contract. She took $30k from Singer. She;s from Mass.
Why are you so angry?
Rob campaigned in Kansas. This is not a big deal. He dipped his toe into the water. Now he is running for VA-10 where he has raised his family, where all his kids were born and raised. Comstock is from Massachusetts and she worked for Ted Kennedy. Fact is not smear. If you do not like it, then discuss poetry instead of politics.
Pick a name. (I can think of one that might fit nicely, but I’ll understand if you’d rather go with the one of the names your mother gave you). Then, post only under that name.
BTW, it’s not a good idea to tell lies when I have the forensic record in front of me. First, you have never been blocked (under any of your aliases). Second, you’ve been posting under Scott Weinberg. Then you posted this “oppo research” garbage under Jonathan Weinberg. Then under “Jon Scott.” Then under just “Jay.” I deleted those comments and warned against further attempts at deception. It was only then that you posted the “oppo research” under your usual name, and I warned you that further sock puppetry would not be tolerated.
This kind of thing is juvenile. Do you think this is doing anything other than make your candidate look bad? If so, you’re mistaken.
After having a solid guy like Frank Wolf represent us all these years, I think the 10th deserves better than a dilettante who ‘dips their toe’ in the water here and there, trying to find the easiest path to promote themselves from Chief of Staff to Congressman.
Well, here is some opposition research that you clearly missed (or chose to ignore): If Barbara Comstock is such a liability, then why does she continue to win general elections as a Republican in Beltway territory with an A rating from the NRA, a vote against the transportation bill’s tax increases, and dems constantly peppering her with war on women attacks?
Hmmm… Maybe it’s because she can build the type of broad voter coalitions needed to actually win a general election as a Republican in urban Northern Virginia. You can’t convince a broad electorate to embrace conservatism unless you win and have the governing opportunity to demonstrate its value. Mark Levin even recognized that fact and endorsed her.
District shopping… sounds like Wasinger needs to hang out with Ron Meyer.
Carpetbagger? He’s owned a home in NOVA for over 20 years. It’s NOVA, everyone’s from somewhere else except Howie Lind and Bob Marshall.
According to this ad, he claims he is a “4th generation Kansan”…..how does that jive with be a “20 year resident of NOVA”?
PS, he’s been renting his house out.
Are you guys talking about the same person?
Yes, they are. Rob Wasinger ran for Congress in Kansas in 2010 and got 9% of the vote, 4th place, in the GOP primary. Now he’s running in the 10th.
His parents, grandparents, ggrandparents lived in Kansas and he was born there. People who were born in other states can still claim to be Virginians and often do. Not sure what the rules are on that. How long do we have to live in Virginia before we can claim to be Virginians?
Rob Wasinger has lived in NOVA for the last 20 years, and owned a house in Fairfax Station for 11 years. He returned to Kansas in 2009 to run for office but kept his house here. Not sure what makes this so difficult. Hilary was Senator from NY with a residency in AR, a home in NY, and a home in DC.
He is not renting his house out in NOVA. Property records show his house in Fairfax Station as his residence. Since he’s worked on Capitol Hill for over 20 years, he had to be living somewhere in NOVA.
So if that was his residence in 2009 and 2010, was it listed as such on the paperwork he filed in Kansas?
Hillary Clinton shopped for a Senate seat in a big liberal state to further her higher ambitions, because it was convenient to do so.
So now we have a GOP candidate doing essentially the same thing, and holding Hillary Clinton, of all people, up as an example of why it is OK to do so.
I think we can and should do better with a nomienee than someone following in Hillary Clinton’s footsteps.
He’s lived in NOVA for 20 years while working on Capitol Hill. You’re right, Hilary had lived in NY about a minute and half when she ran in NY. It’s not at all comparable.
No use in any tit for tat with you and Weinberg. People know an opportunist when they see one.
The only opportunist I see in this campaign is Comstock based on the issues she pushed when she was a lobbyist, the contributions she has taken from pro-gay marriage sources, and some of her questionable votes as a delegate. Not consistent with someone who claims she is conservative. BTW one of her campaign staffers denied she was a lobbyist (he contacted me), but the hundreds of lobbying disclosure forms available to the public tell a different story. She seems like someone who lets the money determine her positions.
Wasinger worked for a pro-gay marriage politician, Jon Huntsman.
He didn’t just take a contribution from an individual who happened to also give to other causes.
He took a paycheck from a guy who thinks gay marriage is A-OK,
Big difference in my book.
How shocking! An opportunist in politics! I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked!
I’m not the one defending the guy. You and Weinberg have fun. http://thebullelephant.com/wasinger-campaign-opens-with-amateurish-smearing-of-comstock/
I agree. If he’s a carpetbagger, so is Comstock. After all, she’s from Massachusetts. Isn’t anyone else bothered by the fact that she started her political career sitting at the feet of the liberal master, Ted Kennedy?
Yawn. The only thing this carpetbagger is missing is the bowtie.