The Current Crisis
McAuliffe’s Mischief
I see that my chum Terry McAuliffe will be in Virginia’s June 9 Democratic primary competing for his party’s gubernatorial nomination.
WASHINGTON — I see that my chum Terry McAuliffe will be in Virginia’s June 9 Democratic primary competing for his party’s gubernatorial nomination. He is up against two party stalwarts, Brian Moran and R. Creigh Deeds. Already his supporters are huffing and puffing about any unfavorable treatment he gets in the press. Just the other day one of his indignados appeared in the correspondence page of the Washington Post complaining that the newspaper had printed a news story detailing the dubious methods by which my old pal amassed his fortune. The story also noted McAuliffe’s propensity for exaggeration.
Frankly there was nothing particularly surprising or controversial in the story. All the Post did was report well-known highlights of McAuliffe’s celebrated career. For years his friend Hillary Clinton has been chided for her “Cattle Futures Deal,” the one that saw her investment of $1,000 metastasize into nearly $100,000 in but ten months. That is nothing compared to McAuliffe’s magic touch.
As the Post reported, he entered into a deal with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ pension fund in the early 1990s. The fund put in about $40 million. McAuliffe put in just $100. Several years later he who would be governor of Virginia walked off with a profit of nearly $40 million, which was actually more than the union’s profit. Good show, Terry! Then there is his famous investment in the now-defunct Global Crossing run by his friend Gary Winnick. He who would be governor of Virginia invested $100,000 and walked off with a cool $8 million just before his friend’s jerry-built conglomeration went belly-up.
In its report, the Post chides McAuliffe for his tendency to exaggerate. It points to his claim that a construction company controlled by him constructed 1,300 homes, a claim that had to be scaled back to “closer to 800” after the newspaper apparently contacted the company. As for McAuliffe’s boast that he started “five businesses” in Virginia, creating jobs for large numbers of Virginians, the Post reports, “It turned out that all five are investment partnerships, with no employees, registered to his home address in McLean,” a posh Virginia suburb.
The only uncharitable reference to McAuliffe that I saw in the Post piece was its reference to him as a “huckster.” Yet that is precisely what McAuliffe calls himself in his bizarre memoir What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals. The Post was merely quoting him. It is a surprising quote, but McAuliffe’s identification of himself as a huckster is one of the book’s rare accurate statements.
The book was the occasion for me to enter into a four-month correspondence with him back in 2007. I guess you would say that we became pen pals, hence my earlier mention of him as a “chum.” The book abounds with false claims, false charges, and errors, most of which are easily demonstrable. It is a perfect example of his penchant for exaggeration and, dare I say it, mendacity. Our correspondence displays his utter refusal to face fact. Are the Virginia Democrats going to put their money on him?
My favorite exaggeration is, as you will understand, his assertion on page 58 that in The American Spectator, “…they [my editors and writers] cooked up the nonsense they put out against Clinton, alleging that he’d ordered the murder of political opponents….” That is a serious charge, and I wrote him as soon as I was aware of it: “I have not been able to find such articles. Could you give me citations?” He failed to respond. Shortly thereafter, when I encountered him in the green room at MSNBC, he was evasive about my inquiry. Thus began our correspondence. Again I asked him to supply the citations for the articles wherein we claimed President Bill Clinton had ordered murders. He ducked. He weaved. He never came up with the evidence, which is not surprising. The American Spectator never published such charges. Yet he kept responding to my letters with his stubborn deceits — weird!
He never backed down. He never admitted to his calumny, though he could provide no evidence, and if there were evidence he could have easily proved that he had not lied to his readers. There are two items here that Virginia Democrats might consider. My friend Terry is brazen. To make up such a charge against a magazine is also reckless, that is the second item. Another example of his recklessness is his repeated correspondence with me. A prudent politician would never have responded. Terry did, and we published the whole correspondence in our “Current Wisdom,” a section of the magazine reserved for nonsense from notables.
As with his patrons, the Clintons, McAuliffe gets into trouble for no particularly good reason. Do the Virginia Democrats really want to put up a candidate with a penchant for self-inflicted wounds? I leave it to them on June 9.
About the Author
R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. is the founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator. He is the author of The Death of Liberalism, published by Thomas Nelson Inc. His previous books include the New York Times bestseller Boy Clinton: the Political Biography; The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton; The Liberal Crack-Up; The Conservative Crack-Up; Public Nuisances; The Future that Doesn’t Work: Social Democracy’s Failure in Britain; Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House; The Clinton Crack-Up; and After the Hangover: The Conservatives’ Road to Recovery.
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Robert Rosencrans| 5.14.09 @ 7:06AM
While decrying the rich Republicans at every turn, many Clinton graduates, including Bill Clinton himself have gotten fabulously wealthy under the George W. Bush economy.
Examples:
Bill Clinton owed several million in legal fees after his Presidency ended. He's now worth over $100 million.
Al Gore. In 2000 he was worth 2 million. Now, thanks to creating a social hula-hoop, he's worth 100 million.
Franklin Raines: Clinton appointee to Fannie Mae. Made over 94 million at this government sponsored enterprise, before he was forced to resign.
Jamie Gorelick: Author of the infamous wall between the FBI and CIA. Walked away with 23 million at Fannie Mae.
Terry McAullife: As described in the article above.
It's the financial version of jogging in Marcy Park.
moron| 5.14.09 @ 7:18AM
And these Dem crooks are the ones wanting to prosecute Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzales--for the crime of protecting Americans--their primary responsibility.
Son Of Sam | 5.14.09 @ 9:11AM
I wouldn't give a damn how much money these limousine liberals have made doing basically NOTHING if in return they'd agree to leave the rest us alone. Stop promising "middle class tax cuts" that they NEVER follow through on (Clinton in 1993, Obama in 2009); stop soaking us with more and more taxes on everything from soda to gasoline; stop spending money my not yet conceived grandchildren haven't earned yet; stop blaming us as being the "root cause" of terrorism, poverty or the fact that promiscuous gay males keep dying of AIDS.
In short, back off now,while you still have the chance to do so gracefully
stand strong until freedom dawns
Son Of Sam
http://www.geocities.com/samadamssos
Crusader| 5.14.09 @ 9:24AM
Never underestimate the ignorance and stupidity of the average American Democratic voter. My $$$ in on McAuliffe.
Skep41| 5.14.09 @ 9:37AM
This is another example of Demo voters backing an Al Franken-like quasi-criminal for high office. At least he never said "Macaca", which should get him the wholehearted support of the Washington Compost.
Anthony| 5.14.09 @ 10:02AM
An arrogant, prevaricating, sociopathic crook: Exactly what the Democrat Party looks for in its candidates.
Mr. Global Crossing will win the VA. Democrat primary hands down, or, should I say, hands up.
I would entreat Mr. Mc Auliffe's opponents to invest in remote car starters.
Remember, when hacks like McAuliffe accuse others of unspeakable acts, it's mere projection on their part.
stmichrick| 5.14.09 @ 2:00PM
I would not say that Mr M is anything more or less than mainstream Democrat politics: float myths about things that many on the left wish were true; some of it sticks, some doesn't, truth be damned.
The man is a master at this and fundraising so I say he is a shoo-in for modern Virginia politics.
On the bright side for non-Virginians, once again we will be entertained by Clinton-style hijinks and scandal without the pain of impeachment.
JP| 5.14.09 @ 3:34PM
Not to nitpick, but Global Crossing is still around. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001. It is owned I think by a group of Asian investors, and provides data services worldwide. Winnick made a fortune when he sold his shares off (right before the stock began to tank). GC bankruptcy was the 7th biggest filing in US history.
Alan Brooks| 5.14.09 @ 11:42PM
This guy is ok with me. He means what he says.
American Hero| 5.15.09 @ 1:38AM
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Ed Wallis| 5.15.09 @ 8:48AM
The author, "Do the Virginia Democrats really want to put up a candidate with a penchant for self-inflicted wounds? I leave it to them on June 9."
Why leave it up to the Democrats? The primary is OPEN, and I plan to voice MY influence...
...heh.
Richard Baker| 5.17.09 @ 11:45AM
To Alan Brooks:
He means what he says? Did you READ the article? As a Virginian, I say we don't need another liberal carpetbagger in the Old Dominion.
Northern Virginia has been ruined by these interlopers.
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