No, this isn't a recent photo. This is back in May that dreadful Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe was smiling that, er, creepy smile.by KenThe last time I wrote derisively about the appalling Terry "The Bagman" McAuliffe as the best Virginia Democrats could come up with to succeed downward-spiraling Gov. Bob McDonnell, a commenter noted that McAuliffe in fact has a good chance of winning. Even if I believed that, my point would be, "So what?" Yes, better that he should be elected than the unspeakable right-wing-crazed Cuckoo Ken, but that's the only standard by which there's anything positive to say about Terry M. After all, principal, if not only, qualification for electoral politics is his experience shoving enormous sums of cash through the Democratic electoral pipes -- hence the nickname.So to recap:* The worst outcome of the race is that Cuckoo Ken becomes governor of Virginia.* The second-worst outcome is that Terry the Bagman becomes governor.I suppose I should be concentrating on figuring out the exact difference between the worst and second-worst outcomes, to try to figure out how much to care, or worry, about the outcome.Only now, as you may have heard, Complications Have Arisen. It seems the Bagman is under investigation by the SEC. As the Washngton Post's Tom Hamburger rehashed it in a follow-up story, "McAuliffe says he didn’t know SEC was investigating his former company": "The documents [concerning the investigation into McAuliffe's former company, GreenTech Automotive] show that the SEC is examining the way in which the car company and a sister firm, Gulf Coast Funds Management, solicited the participation of foreign investors, mostly Chinese citizens seeking to enter the United States."So what, you're asking, does the candidate have to say about the investigation story? Here's the opening of Tom Hamburger's report:
Terry McAuliffe, the Virginia gubernatorial candidate, issued a statement Saturday saying he had no prior knowledge of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of his former company, GreenTech Automotive — and he criticized a Republican senator who has focused on the firm.The statement is the first formal comment directly from McAuliffe about the inquiry since The Washington Post learned of it last week while reviewing hundreds of documents obtained by congressional investigators.
Want more? Here's our Terry:
“I left GreenTech in early December of 2012 to focus full time on running for Governor,” McAuliffe said. “The first I learned of this investigation was earlier this week when the Washington Post reached out to my campaign.”
And then there's this. (What you need to know here: "GreenTech has sought overseas investors through the federal EB-5 Visa Program, which allows foreign nationals to enter the United States if they agree to invest at least $500,000 to create jobs." The program has had strong bipartisan support for two decades, but "in recent years, the SEC and other government agencies have stepped up oversight of the investment for visas plan.")
I find it unfortunate that a Republican Senator from Iowa -- who has a long history of support for the EB-5 program -- selectively released information for the purpose of partisan attacks instead of getting facts.
The senator from Iowa is Chuck Grassley, who mumbles about "whistleblowers," having suddenly become a great fan of whistleblowers, provided they're blowing the whistle on behalf of right-wing or right-wing-compatible crusades. You can read about the details for yourself.Let me stress that I'm making no attempt to judge the rights and wrongs here. I'm just saying that Virginia Dems are stuck with a candidate whose principal professional credential is financial finagling. What on God's green earth did they expect this campaign to be like?Meanwhile, Cuckoo Ken still has his wee gift-acceptance problem to swat down, but that's going to be a lot easier than it was before. What's more, Cuckoo Ken, a former prosecutor, is up on all sorts of state issues that I doubt the Bagman knows anything about. I take for granted that down the line Cuckoo Ken's take is cracked. But he may not sound so cracked, especially measured against an opponent who is being successfully made to look crooked.As of today, I'm measuring that difference between the worst and second-worst election outcomes at 12. I don't know 12 what?. Just 12.#For a "Sunday Classics" fix anytime, visit the stand-alone "Sunday Classics with Ken."
