The shutdown and the Virginia governor’s race

The two major-party candidates for governor of Virginia – Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli – took to the PRwaves early Tuesday to blame each other’s political allies for the federal government shutdown.

The Terry McAuliffe statement was headlined: “McAuliffe Statement on Cuccinelli’s Tea Party Allies Forcing Government Shutdown.”

“Today my opponent confirmed that he is more concerned with appeasing his extreme Tea Party allies than protecting the economic well-being of Virginia. His refusal to stand up to the radical Republicans in Congress who, in their zeal to push an ideological agenda, forced a government shutdown, reinforced the fact that he is more closely aligned with the extreme faction of his party than mainstream Virginians.

“What Virginia and our nation need now are strong leaders who will work together to find a bipartisan solution to get our government back up and running, and mitigate the effects that a shutdown will have on Virginia’s economic growth and middle class families across the Commonwealth.”

The Cuccinelli statement:

“I am very disappointed that President Obama and both parties in Congress proved unable to work together to prevent an unacceptable outcome for Virginia: a shutdown of the federal government. As I have said from the beginning, no one wanted to see this happen. There are nearly 175,000 Virginia workers who are employed by the federal government. These are men and women who – as of this morning – face a great deal of uncertainty as to whether they will be able to adequately provide for their families and loved ones if the government remains closed.

“While we’re all frustrated by what’s going on, what has surprised me most of all has been the steadfast refusal on the part of Democrats – led by President Obama and Harry Reid – to even sit at the negotiating table.

“Of course, it’s not surprising that Terry McAuliffe, who has redefined what it means to be a Washington insider, is trying to score political points over a government shutdown that is going to affect hundreds of thousands of Virginians. The reality is, he’s the only candidate in this race who has repeatedly called for a shutdown of Virginia’s government when he said he would not sign a state budget that did not include the ObamaCare Medicaid expansion. And just this past weekend, he told The Washington Post that he ‘sided with Democrats who refuse to bargain’ over ObamaCare.

“The truth is that ObamaCare is falling apart as we speak. Nearly every day it seems like the White House has exempted another entity or another core component of the law has been illegally delayed. Indeed, the only people who will have to deal with the law are families and small businesses. It’s not fair that those Virginians are going to have fewer healthcare choices at a higher cost while big business and big government don’t have to deal with those problems. Despite all of this, Terry McAuliffe and other Democrats have drawn red lines.

“The bottom line in Virginia’s Governor’s race is this: if Virginians like what they’re seeing out of Washington right now, they have a candidate in Terry McAuliffe who will replicate that intransigence and failure. If voters want a governor who will always do what is right for our Commonwealth and fight for them, I respectfully ask for their support.”