As we enter into 2016, many are asking Presidential candidates what they stand for and how will they govern if elected.
This prompts an interesting question: What does the Republican Party Stand for? What is our Brand?
The answer becomes confusing when we elect those whose behavior is contrary to our core beliefs, especially when we elect them to leadership positions.
While speaking on the John Frederick Show, Monday November 9, Virginia Senator Tom Garrett (22nd) asked Senator Tommy Norment (3rd) to resign as leader of the Senate Majority Leader. Why did he make such a request?
According to the Lynchburg News and Advance, Garrett said in the Frederick interview, “I do hope if he (Norment) chooses to pursue that finance chairmanship that he will step aside and let somebody else take that majority leader position.â€Â With both Senate Majority Leader and Chairman of Finance being run by one person, power and control are significant.
Retiring Virginia Senator John Watkins concurs – too much power in the hands of one man is not a good idea. Even though Garrett and Watkins represent the conservative and moderate sides of the Republican Party in Virginia, they agree – Norment needs to step down.
But as Republicans, is there another concern not mentioned? is there a brand that we need to protect?
Those who truly believe in the Republican Creed of Virginia recite that “faith in God, as recognized by our founding fathers, is essential to the moral fiber of this nation.â€Â Senator Norment’s dalliances mocks the Republican Creed and should disqualify him from a leadership position. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Norment was paying for sex via a website [Ed: He was apparently paying a website that specializes in arranging affairs for married people.  The linked article does not substantiate that the Senator was paying for sex.]. Additionally, the report reveals that Norment has admitted to a long personal relationship with a lobbyist.
This behavior does not reflect the Republican Brand that Virginia wants.
Your Republican Senators need to hear from you.
Norment’s behavior, as well as the enormous power he would wield, does not reflect the values of Virginia Republicans. Call your Senator. Ask him or her not to vote for Senator Norment as Majority Leader. This decision will be made on Thursday November 19th.
When it comes time to make difficult decisions, we need men and women of character making those decisions.
When we restore the Republican Brand, we will Restore Virginia.
UPDATE (11/16/15 3:20 pm): This article is not about Senator Norment or his behavior. It is squarely about yous. Your morals and your standards are on display here.
While others reported that he was a paying member of a website that lead to extra marital sex, the mere fact that he was a member does not mean that he did pay for sex. For this misuse of words, I am sorry and apologize for the possible mischaracterization. From what I understand, Senator Norment has neither confirmed nor denied paying for sex. (But why else would you join the site?)
I do not accuse Senator Norment, nor do I judge him for the actions he has behaved himself into. I merely bring out the fact that as Republicans, actions of our leaders ARE ruining the Brand. If our Republican State Senators elect him to leadership, then what do we as Republicans stand for? I remind the readers, we need men and women of moral character when it comes time to make difficult decisions.
42 comments
This article eliminates any chance that I will ever pay attention to Shak Hill in the future.
I really do try to stand by my blogging self pledge to stay away from these social conservative teaching moments and was well on my way to accomplishing that here until this added addendum, which if I understand it correctly from the author’s perspective, claims this article after all isn’t really about Senator Norment’s moral fiber or lack thereof soiling the sacred purity of the Republican brand, but rather the reader’s if we don’t rise up in moral outrage and demand he be banned from leadership because the poor pitiful fool was presumably temporarily demented enough to signup online for an extramarital affair hookup site with some potentially available digital fantasy woman. As a point of full disclosure I did run this web site’s premise by a female friend of mine of many, many years and after she recovered from her fit of laughter, I believe she did try to explain to me the women’s view of middle age men, male midlife crisis and locker room fantasies. Mr. Hill, I grant that Senator Norment has created for himself a very public disgrace that unfortunately has not only damaged his reputation but impacted his family. But you sir, I wish to personally respond to as you have chosen to make this an issue directed at me by claiming that “your morals and your standards are on display here” – by stating what a self righteous, sanctimonious twit I take you and your Restore Virginia to be and that the best action that can come out of any of this in my opinion is that both you and your organization as rapidly as possible fade from the Virginia political scene.
Well said!
Casting stones and glass houses should be applied directly to Mr. Hill — Just like Dorothy did with her Kansas residence.
Great atricle, Shak! Your points are spot-on. It’s too bad some long knives are coming at you for daring to speak the TRUTH! Guess you’ve hit a few nerves.
But hurt feelings don’t change the facts. Character counts. Fidelity counts. Morality counts. ESPECIALLY in our elected representatives! If someone will not even keep mankind’s most sacred bond – that of his own marriage – then he is untrustworthy, period.
[Before anybody mentions, “glasshouses” as s way to shut down discussion – I’ve been 100% faithfully married for 28 years, so THAT tactic won’t work with me.]
The people of the 3rd Senate District should insist Sen. Norment step down because his moral failings make him unfit to serve in elected office. And Sen. Norment’s very public adulteres – especially related to his elected office – DO damage the Republican brand in Virginia!
Sen. Norment’s extra-marital affair with his lobbyist may well have influenced his votes in office – to the detriment of his constituents. What unsavory corruption in the political process!
Notwithstanding all that baseness surrounding Sen. Norment, Senators Garrett and Watkins are very correct in pointing out how one person would have too much power as both Senate Majority Leader AND Chairmanship of the Finance Committee.
Sen. Norment’s grasping for so much political influence is a different kind of lust, and this is one which all Virginians should decry.
More power = more lobbyist money. All legalized by a corrupt government.
Tommy Norment is my Senator. I am but one person, yet whenever I have needed his assistance, he has freely given it. I know people who get nada from their Senator.
This might be contrary to the majority on this blog, but I believe seniority…institutional knowledge…favor doing…whatever, is important for politicians who actually accomplish anything.
I hope Senator Norment keeps his spot…Give em hell Tommy.
Also, if that website has 37 million members, I think the elephant clan has a larger problem with the last section of the creed.
Mr Hill makes some very valid points, but he undermines his entire op/ed piece by misstating or overstating the situation with Mr Norment’s use of Ashley Madison, the implication of Mr. Norment paying for sex as reported by a media outlet, and Mr, Norment’s relationship with a lobbyist. Mr HIll adroitly avoids setting himself up for potential litigation (hey! they said it, not me!”), I would think, but this is a pretty scurrilous tactic to employ to emphasis a point. Shame, Mr Hill. And you had such a valid point to make about centralization of power, too.
Anybody delving into Ashley Madison should realize that it was a scam and the stupid guys playing were being suckered. For anyone to imply more than falling for a con is stupider than the guy paying for email to a pretend woman. With this silly posturing atop a faux moral high ground, Shak looks he’s the one getting conned worse. (or playing his own game)
Oh, so are you saying we got a “stupid guy” as Va. Majority Leader now?
Yes, but apparently that is not the handicap in Richmond one would think.
While I understand Shak’s concern with too much power being concentrated in the hands of one man, I am shocked that he would irresponsibly charge that Norment “paid for sex.”
As for the Creed, if all the Republicans who are atheists and agnostics quit the party, our numbers would diminish greatly.
I feel strongly that his personal issues are off limits. Norment’s alleged use of Ashley Madison coincides with his affair. Norment has acknowledged publicly this dark chapter in his life. He has also acknowledged that he came clean with his then estranged wife, that he aplogized, that she forgave him, and that she took him back.
Although this has come out in the press, Norment did not try to plaster this all over the press. This is an issue between Norment, his wife, and God. Criticize his politics, but Norment’s personal life from four years ago has long since ceased to be any of our business.
Norment’s repentance of what he did is between him and God and it shouldn’t be any of our business. It isn’t our place to judge another man’s sins or hold ourselves better than him for some reason.
However, if this hinders his ability to lead, he should consider stepping down.
And where does Matthew 7:15-20 come into play if not here?
Norment repented, and his wife forgave and we all know that sincere repentance is forgiven by God. In other words, he’s not a false prophet if he is forgiven for what he has done and he has taken the right path since then.
That doesn’t mean that he is the best leader, or that the questions as to if he is trustworthy aren’t valid, it just means that we can’t stand in judgement over something God has forgiven him for.
And that is my point. He should at least step down from any leadership role. What kind of example has he set for the children? The young adults?
He hasn’t, unless he has been speaking out about his past as an example of forgiveness.
Do you want him to step down from his leadership role or from the Senate entirely? I could understand the former but I don’t think the latter is needed.
Well, first off, I forgive him. We have all come up short.
However, are not all elected officials leaders? Even town council or the school board.
Surely I would hope that the Party could come up with a leader who is above reproach, a man with one woman, in the Virginia Senate.
An example? I do not agree with Speaker Howell on his policy. However, I have nothing negative to say about his behavior.
Yes, I disagree with his behavior and believe that we can find a better leader, but I don’t believe that he needs to leave his Senate seat entirely because of this.
It sounds like you’d like it if had to leave his Senate seat, please correct me if I’m wrong.
It not only this, it is the whole package. Check the link below for more.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginias-ethical-vacuum-needs-to-be-broken/2014/09/05/c825e7da-352f-11e4-8f02-03c644b2d7d0_story.html
Casting stones? Glass houses?
Not really. Just think elected’s should be held to a higher standard.
Apparently so does the MSM.
Especially so for Republicans and State Central Committee members.
You have seen what goes on in Richmond and Washington? This probably helps him bond and gain more respect amongst his peers. Or perhaps it helps him be humble and less pompous when looked upon by his peers. If they don’t like him, they can bounce him — up to his district and the body.
Than that’s just a sign of how corrupt Richmond and DC politics are.
Of course it will come down to the Senate members, they decide their own leaders. However, the Senate is a mix of various kinds of Republicans, including Evangelical Christians, meaning that Hill’s words are going to carry weight with a number of people.
How is this type issue a personal issue once the public media gets their teeth in it? Why is McCarthy not Speaker of the US House? Just look back to since 2009 and the job Republican hate radio has done on President Obama AND his wife and children. Please provide links where you defended Obama? Or, is it only a personal issue when it involves a Republican?
Sorry, once the public media gets it, it’s no longer personal.
And, the public media has had this for a long time.
Ashley Madison proves universally that guys are stupid across all spectrums. Norment ain’t the first, and there are a lot more foolish men throughout the commonwealth and country. Also there is much more AM documents to come — holier then thou folks aren’t that quite in the clear.
So what you are saying is that there is no uniformity in standards? That behavior can be compartmentalized, that one may pick and choose one level of conduct as one pleases without impact upon a wider public realm. The further implication is that a mind can be divided as a house against itself, and that this division of mind solely by a process of self-determination has no impact upon the culture-at-large?
You also seem to suggest, with a degree of artificiality attached, that “that the issue [is] between Norment, his wife, and God.” By this same reasoning, it could be supposed that the writings of the Marquis de Sade were soley between the Marquis and God without any spillover into his readership, and the culture-at-large? This would be to assert that the Marquis de Sade has no influence save upon himself.
Yours may be a neat and sanitary assertion, but has the effect of diluting personal responsibility for behavior to non-performance and non-accountability.
I’ve updated the post to address some of the misconceptions about the point I am making.
 (But why else would you join the site?)- shak hill….. faux apology when you don’t pull the dagger completely out. Had to catch one more jab.
Shak, I hope you don’t decide to run again, I will AS YOU HAVE HERE publish lies about you daily…. And like TBE I will say the lies over and over until they become truth…… I hope Steve takes this down AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, before Senator Norment SUES THE HELL OUT OF YOU….
This column needs to be corrected. Norment never paid for sex as this column wrongly states. He paid to join a dating/meetup site many years ago when his marriage was on the rocks. The issue has since been resolved within his family.
Falsely implying he was party to an act of prostitution is over the line, regardless of whether you agree with his leadership as a Republican.
These are exactly the sort of trumped-up personal attacks which I hoped we as a party could avoid with session less than two months away.
If that service through Ashley Madison led to a sexual encounter than Norment paid for sex via his payment to the website. Not a big leap of logic.
Furthermore, what state his marriage was in shouldn’t matter.
I won’t judge a man’s sins, that’s between him and God Almighty. However if his personal scandals tarnish his ability to lead effectively, in this case because of the objections of the more Evangelical Republicans like Hill, than Norment should step down.
That’s like saying if you picked up a lady at a club and the club had a cover charge, if you sleep with her you paid for sex.
That’s idiotic.
Why are we even wasting our time with this? Is it because of a Sen. Majority Leader who’s personal behavior begs for constant debate?
We’re wasting our time because a failed candidate wrote a post on this little blog.
Establishment are you now?
Of course I am, Yoda.
No, because the point of the website was to get someone to have sex. That’s all subscribing was about, and you know it.
In other words, you’re defending an indefensible position.
Thanks, Rollin. Please see the editorial note.
One is either married or they are not married. If a person would like to have an affair then get divorced first. If your spouse can not trust you, how could any constituent?
If Norment is the best Republican’s can do, I will vote Democrat. I voted for Republican Del.Chris Peace, but I voted for the Democrat in Norment’s District. And frankly, I do not have a clue about them. If for no other reason than Norment was one of the leadership trifecta of HB 2313, the largest tax increase in Virginia history. I might also add that one other of that same tax and spend trifecta is now a convicted felon.
Tell me Steve, why do we not have these type issues with either Congressman Wittman or Brat?
Am I off my meds again?