My congressman, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, has certainly had a lot of practice with elections lately. First, he was on the ballot last Nov. to be reelected to the House of Delegates. Then, only days later he emerged victorious after the now-legendary marathon 1st Dist. Congressional nominating convention to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Congresswoman JoAnn Davis. Finally, in Dec., he handily won the special election to fill the seat. As he comes up on what amounts to his fourth election within a year, Wittman is exhibiting that he is putting that experience to good use, revving up his well-oiled campaign machine that stretches from PWC down to Williamsburg and beyond.
Congressman Wittman and Riley talk politics on the day of the 2008 Virginia Presidential Primary
Even though Wittman’s Dem opponent Keith Hummel has suspended his campaign and thrown the entire donkey party into chaos (well, even greater chaos than usual), Wittman isn’t sitting back and coasting. Over the weekend he attended a breakfast with over a hundred supporters in Newport News. Then the congressman headed over to the Caroline County Agricultural Fair Saturday afternoon to take part in the watermelon eating contest. Sunday he was shaking hands at the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair. Somewhere in between all this he managed to find time to speak with voters at the gas station regarding the rising price of gasoline and its impact on the economy.
Wittman’s campaign now has three fully operational headquarters, the most I’ve ever seen in a race in the 1st Dist. Even without an opponent (and it is still possible the Dems might place someone on the ballot, but that window is closing rapidly), Wittman plans on running hard so he can deliver his message and plans for Washington to the voters of the 1st Dist.
The campaign is inviting everyone to come out to their Southern headquarters opening in Newport News this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and then head out to do some good ol’ fashioned door-to-door campaigning. Infomation will be posted at robwittmanforcongress.com shortly.
Filed under: 2008 Elections, Rob Wittman
Jim, Robb has been running for one political office or another for over 22 years. Obviously, he has the concept down now.
Still waiting on those budget cuts to pay for his $132,500,000.00 in earmarks.
The whole point is Wittman isn’t lazy. He’s a hard worker…imagine that! That’s a snide comment from Bowden. Leave it to Republicans to eat their own. The good news is, we are going to hold this seat and we have a rock star congressman that everyone likes (except Bowden). This allows necessary funds, etc, to go toward Drake’s race.
And I’m still waiting those budget cuts to pay for his $132,500,000.00 in earmarks.
It’s interesting how a major contributor to his campaign last year managed to get sponsored for $3,125,000.00 in earmarks by Wittman.
And how is the former director of field operations, Division of Shellfish Sanitation, Virginia Department of Health a “rock star”?
Based on that comment alone, I would think you were being satirical, but the rest of your comment doesn’t jibe with that.
It sounds like we’ve gone from cases of Obama worship to Wittman worship.
It’s damn sad either way.
Kelly: Affection isn’t the issue. Everyone likes Rob. Politics in office should be an issue for all Republicans.
If you are part of the spending problem in Congress, then you are part of the spending problem – regardless of your rock star status among political groupies.
Also, political funds are a zero sum game. A dollar spent on a candidate who doesn’t have an opponent could be spent on a candidate who does – like Jim Gilmore.
Um, Kelly, there are a lot of people who do not like Rob Wittman. Rob is just lucky that they are all to his right, and thus have no interest in whatever tomato can the Dems eventually put up.
When they have a full campaign cycle, as they will after November 2008, things could get very interesting come nomination time . . .
I remember a time when people looked at the Democratic party as being extremely radical in their approach to politics, and now it seems that label has swung to the right and placed itself on the Republican party. We have a proven and effective leader in Rob Wittman, who happens to have a moderate and more centrist view of things. And in all honesty, I have never seen an elected official work as hard for their constituents as much as Rob. Like him or not, he is doing a damn good job and could use more support from us conservatives in the 1st instead of needless gripes.
How has Wittman been a “proven and effective leader”?
For crying out loud, name one bill that he sponsored that has pass, besides the one that renamed a bloody post office.
Explain why he stated we needed to cut defense spending a couple months ago (Cawley, Jon. “‘FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY’ TOUTED. The Daily Press, 2008-02-17.):
For someone who blasts the Free-Lance Star on a regular basis, I am suprised that you believe everything you read in a newspaper!!!
These same people would be whinning if Wittman was not fighting for the 1st districts fair share. He has been a workhorse for the 1st in his short time in office.
I would LOVE to see Bowden attempt to primary Wittman. I cannot wait to see the results of that race.
Rep. Wittman is going to be around for a very LONG time, get used to it.
I have to say, with regards to Wittman taking money from Gilmore thats a first. Like it or not Gilmore has brought his financial woes on himself. Having long time Gilmore loyalists blame his campaign troubles on Wittman is silly and stupid. If I were in Wittman’s shoes I would be building a campaign warchest and spending as much time in the district as possible. Just like Wittman is currently doing. Getting the rank and file Republicans excited in the his district is his responsibility. Keep up the good work Rep. Wittman!!!!
Mytwocents: Have we met?
Chipper Jones: Have we met?
Can someone tell me one thing that Wittman has done?
He went from calling for a prohibition on earmarks this year to requesting $132,500,000.00 in earmarks.
Did he show leadership like Eric Cantor (R-7th) by not requesting any earmarks?
Of course not, that would be too simple.
The major earmark you keep referring to was for a non-profit hospital system that provides medical care for majority of the rural segments of the 1st district. You cry that Rob is trying to cut funding for medicare and medicad, but when he tries to pump money into his districts health care system, which includes a great number of elderly and retirees, you cry foul. Mr. Watson, you cannot have it both ways and it is clear that you have not your proper homework. For the short amount of time Rob has been in Congress, he has done an exceptional job trying to connect with his constituents and doing the best he can to work in a system that is more interested in toeing the party lines than to provide for the people who could care less if their leader has a D or R behind their name. Even before Wittman got elected you have been ragging on him with nothing more than a pun on his last name (Wittless??? Come on, my 6 year old niece can come up with better), What the 1st district needs, as well as rest of America, are more leaders and less people being a bunch of nags. Rob has shown himself of great character not listen to rhetoric such as yours and do the job he was elected to, and that is represent and provide for the 1st district.
Nowhere did I complain about Wittman cutting Medicaid/Medicare; which he hasn’t.
I complained that he stated he wanted to cut defense spending.
Oh, by the way, Medicaid/Medicare aren’t discretionary spending as Wittman said, the government is required by law to fund those programs.
Let’s see, what hospitals got funding from earmarks from Wittman?
Why, it would be the one whose president gave him thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.
The same president gets paid tens of thousands of dollars from the same hospital system.
Further, the earmarks for Riverside would have benefited Newport News; not rural areas!
The only other hospital that received funding from Wittman’s earmarks was one that isn’t even in his district; it’s in Bobby Scott’s district!
Meanwhile, I don’t see Mary Washington Hospital or any hospital in the Northern Neck getting money.
Also, all those construction projects at Fort Eustis are also outside the 1st Congressional District!
Not to mention, the fact that the DoD didn’t request that construction, the city of Newport News did!
So, when did a city decide what military construction projects are built?
So the question I have is: Does Wittman even know where his district begins and ends?
The true question is: Do you? Within your last statement alone proves to me that you really don’t know that much about the first district at all. I notice your blog site is titled “I’m Surrounded By Idiots”. It now has become apparent to me that you must be the leader of the pack!!!
It sure is a shame that the 1st district’s own congressman doesn’t even now the boundaries of the very district he represents and his sycophantic supporters have no defense for him.
By the way, still waiting on those budget cut that he promised would pay for those $132,500,000.00 in earmarks.
Actually, instead of budget cuts, we’ve gotten massive budget increase. For example:
*A pork ridden $290,000,000,000.00 corporate welfare “farm” bill.
*When the NASA Langley Research Center offered a $456,000,000.00 budget cut, Wittman demanded they (NASA) rescind the budget cut offer!
*There’s the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008 which gives federal employees paid leave for the birth of a child at the cost of $850,000,000.00 over the next 5 fiscal years.
Besides his lack of fiscal conservatism, there’s the fact that he stated that the House Armed Services Committee was holding a “top secret briefing” on bombing Iran, including the fact that briefing contained, “discuss[ion on] the state of Iran’s air defense network, the extent of Iran’s hardening of nuclear-related and other facilities, and likely responses by Iran or Iranian proxies to possible actions against Iran.”
There’s also the fact that Wittman apparently thinks that our fighting men and women can fight and die for this country; but, they can’t decide what they should read or watch for themselves (i.e., H.R. 5821).
Need I go on?
Blah Blah Blah !!!!! Someone please fix this broken record.