"Conservative" McDonnell From Virginia Spends Taxpayer Dollars On A Team That Plays Its Games In Maryland
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is one of the names being mentioned as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney. In addition to being the governor from what is considered an important swing state, McDonell supposedly has strong credentials as a fiscal conservative that would help Romney wit the GOP base.
But you really have to wonder whether McDonnell deserves the reputation as a conservative after the decision he announced yesterday to spend millions of state dollars to upgrade the Washington Redskins' practice facility in Ashburn, VA. Keep in mind that:
1. The Redskins aren't just a privately-owned team, they are one of the most profitable teams in all of professional sports.
2. This is the Washington Redskins, not the Virginia Redskins.
3. The team plays its games in a stadium located in Maryland.
The redskins are based in
The redskins are based in Virginia, probably pay virginia taxes.
Doesn't every republican have
Doesn't every republican have credentials as a "fiscal conservative"? And there's the hypocrisy.
Conservatism is as conservatism does
Let us recall the comments of your erstwhile co-blogger, Bruce Bartlett, who said two years ago that today’s GOP is ”the greedy, sociopathic party” driven by an “ambition to retake power so that they can reward their lobbyist friends with more give-aways from the public purse.”
Remember, the Bush administration, working with folks like John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and Paul Ryan, passed Medicare Part D, federalized education policy, and asserted the executive's right to wiretap-- and detain and torture-- US citizens without charges or a warrant. Also we invaded Iraq.
All these departures from Burkean prudentialism earned Pres. Bush an approval rating of around 80 percent from self-identified "conservative Republicans" throughout his presidency. (When he left office, his approval rating among independents was around 30 percent, but over 80 percent among conservative Republicans).
Being a Republican is about experiencing a tribal allegiance, not any particular ideological or policy preferences. Conservatives perceive Bob McDonnell as "one of us", so what he does is conservative. And what do Republicans do? They reward their lobbyist friends with more give-aways from the public purse.
Redskins
You are correct Chad. the Redskins are a Virginia Corporation and therefore pay Va taxes. In addition, they announced they are moving their training camp to Richmond in 2013. Nothing like omitting pertinent facts to bolster your story Stan.