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Virginia 11th’s End Game

By on 11.8.10 @ 6:08AM

On the frontier between Blue and Red America.

After one of the nation’s hardest fought congressional campaigns, Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly is leading by less than 1,000 votes ahead of Republican businessman and challenger, Keith Fimian in northern Virginia’s 11th congressional district, part of suburban Washington, D.C.

Connolly is ahead with the narrowest of margins, 49.2 percent versus Fimian’s 48.8 percent. Over 220,000 votes were cast in the race.

I have previously observed on this site that, if Keith Fimian won this race, the Republicans would far exceed their success in 1994. As it turns out, a recount is a very real possibility. Whatever the outcome, the tenacity of Fimian’s campaign in a district heavily populated by federal employees and employees of federal contractors was consistent with the remarkable victory of the GOP throughout the nation.

While Connolly will most likely be declared the victor, Fimian is not conceding the race. His campaign manager, Tim Edson, sent out an e-mail letter on November 3 informing supporters that they had hired “an experienced election lawyer and continue paying staff to engage a strike force of several dozen volunteers who are vigilantly monitoring the process.”

A campaign insider told me that the lawyer is Chris Ashby, one of the best in the country for this kind of thing. He has been involved in previous recounts in Virginia. Moreover, the campaign is calling and e-mailing supporters for additional contributions in order to stay in the game until its final resolution, whatever that may be.

Fairfax County (VA) Republican Committee Chair Anthony Bedell sent out an e-mail on Friday, November 5, noting that the Connolly-Fimian contest “remains one of the closest elections in the country,” and citing several developments which may or may not give Fimian supporters some measure of hope for a successful recount, or at least justifying a closer look and playing out the hand.

In Fairfax County voting machines failed to register over 800 ballots. In several precincts there were actually more votes than voters with voting machines reporting higher numbers of votes than the number of voters marked on the pollbooks as having voted. And there were 1,150 absentee ballots that had been mailed out to military personnel and other overseas voters but not yet received or tallied. Finally, adjoining Prince William County rejected over 280 absentee ballots. Fairfax County rejected another 200-300.

Approximately 1.8 percent of the vote was taken by three independent including one Libertarian. This is just a small indicator of how fortunate the Republicans were that the Tea Party movement stayed within the fold, even at the cost of a few unsettling primary results, rather than undertake third-party campaigns such as those by Ross Perot or George Wallace in previous presidential races.

Moreover, the national Democratic Party seemed to put more value on the 11th congressional district than the Republicans given the last minute deployment of $1 million in negative advertising against Fimian, bringing the total support to $1.5 million, a substantial sum not matched by the national Republican Party. This was a measure of how Democratic the district has become over the past few years and the desperation with which that party fought to hold on to the seat.

The GOP either did not have the extra cash or thought the race less competitive than it turned out to be.

Charles Krauthammer has a point, up to a point, when he says that this election was a reversion to the norm in that the Republicans recovered ground lost in 2006 and 2008 and then some. But this election also reflected a hardening of areas both blue and red. The coasts and urban areas are still very much Democratic. Moreover, the South is almost completely purged of Democrats of any stripe. The Midwest and Pennsylvania, however, were game changers.

It is interesting to speculate whether or not the Midwest, Pennsylvania, as well as Virginia’s 11th district, will be as competitive for Republicans in a full-blown presidential election year with its much higher voter turnout.

Virginia’s 11th, located in the expanding suburbs of Washington, D.C., is on the frontier between red and blue Virginia with Democratic and Republican districts on either side of it. It is the crest of the suburban wave. Again, it is unique because it’s a bedroom community for the federal workforce and workplace for those who support them. If there is any place in America that gains hard economic value from a growing, expanding government it is here. In addition, GOP gains by statewide candidates (governor, attorney general, etc.) and well as Fimian’s strong showing came in non-presidential years with lower turnouts, presumably an advantage to them. 2012 will be a different story.

After 9/11 the federal government grew larger. After the Great Recession, it grew some more. Keith Fimian represents a fearful future for many residents in northern Virginia. Congressman Connolly embodies the unsatisfactory present for many others.

A Republican majority in Congress is a problem for the former group and deliverance for the latter.

Hence the importance of a ballot recount that tilts the race Keith Fimian’s way.

About the Author

G. Tracy Mehan, III served at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the administrations of both Presidents Bush. He is a consultant in Arlington, Virginia, and an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (38) |

WilliamInWien| 11.8.10 @ 8:29AM

As a resident of Virginia's 11th District, a few observations....Connolly has a history, dubious in my view, but name recognition and as a winner in prior elections, national and local. The impact of our national economy is not felt in this district due to the large number of government employees and contractors, as noted in the article. Try to get into a restaurant on any Friday evening without an hour or more of waiting time! Fimian lost the previous congressional election to Connolly and had to overcome a "loser" image, which he came close to doing. Not until late in the campaign did I begin to see small red signs linking Connolly with Pelosi, having voted with the speaker 97% of the time, I thought this association should have been highlighted earlier on and linked to Connolly's claim that he is an independent voice for his constituents. Despite the results nationwide, I suspect Connolly will vote for Pelosi if she truly intends to run for minority leader and will align himself with longer-term congressman Jim Moran for direction. Still, one would think that Connolly, recently briefly hospitalized, would make an effort to address the values of the 48.8 percent who voted against him. I think not.

loulou| 11.8.10 @ 11:58AM

Fimian's campaign should have linked Connolly to the Saudis. They own him.

Dean| 11.8.10 @ 8:37AM

It is mind-boggling that in Virginia and so many other jurdisdictions that they cannot count votes accurately. And then there is the case of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where boxes of ballots "appear" days after the election, with no chain of custody or accountability . . .

I have worked as an election inspector and precinct chairman in a suburban Michigan township since the 2004 presidential election. We have never had any issues with irregular vote counts. We are issued a specific number of ballots at the beginning of the day. At the end of voting, we tally up the number of ballots that were counted on the tabulator, account for any spoiled ballots and the unvoted, left over ballots. The numbers always come out correct. We put ALL of the ballots in a container and seal it, and I take the box to the township clerk's office; a fellow election inspector follows me to ensure there is no funny business between the polling station and the clerk. The clerk securely stores the ballots for a period set forth in state law. Paper ballots are available in case of the need for a recount.

It is not rocket science to run a well-organized and honest election. I cannot understand how so many places make a mess of things !

Beer for My Horses| 11.8.10 @ 9:59AM

Can't understand, huh? Think "corrupt Democratic party operative." That will help you get your head around it.

loulou| 11.8.10 @ 12:00PM

VA 11 is part of the People's Republic of Northern Virginia. Of course, they find new ballots for their candidates and loose ballots for their opponents. NoVA is a mini Chicago.

The Donkey| 11.8.10 @ 6:47PM

I worked "election protection" for the Democrats in the Office of Elections on election day.

There was no significant fraud, and there is no chance that Fimian will pull this out.

The author of this article erred in uncritically reprinting the "issues" identified by the FCRC chair, without investigating them.

The straight dope is here:

http://www.bluevirginia.us/dia.....nt-concede

Libby| 11.8.10 @ 8:34PM

What does "no significant fraud" mean? That there was fraud but it didn't change the outcome? Who gets to decide that? This seems to be more of the "oh well, it doesn't matter anyway" attitude I highlighted below.

The Donkey | 11.8.10 @ 8:53PM

Let me be clear: it is impossible to prove that there is no fraud in any election.

But the Blue Virginia article pretty clearly debunks the claims of irregularities advanced by the FCRC.

If you really doubt the facts in the Blue Virginia article, go ahead, make a donation to the Fimian Campaign so they can blow it on lawyers.

But do it quick: I predict he will concede tomorrow.

Whatever. It is your money.

Albert| 11.8.10 @ 3:55PM

Dean: Stalin once said "Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything." I'm sure this is quoted elsewhere on this page. You sir, are an honest precint worker. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of precint workers everywhere.

Mark1957| 11.8.10 @ 10:02AM

I also live in VA 11th, and followed the election results closely all night. Keith was ahead from the start and stayed that way with 70% reporting. When the 90% reporting numbers came out, Connolly had jumped ahead by about 500 votes and Keith was unable to retake the lead. There seems to be a pattern of late votes that push the Dems over the finish line. I cannot prove that there was fraud involved, but I believe that there was. I hope that Keith demands a recount and goes over EVERY vote cast with a fine tooth comb.

WilliamInWien| 11.8.10 @ 11:21AM

MARK1957 There were four votes cast in my household, all for Fimian, but at three different times. My older daughter and I voted at about 08:30 and walked right in and voted. My younger daughter voted at about 1:30 PM, again, walked right in and voted. My spouse voted at 6:45PM and had to wait about 25 minutes with about 50 people in front of her. I suspect many USG employees voted after work, but at the same time, all of us used the paper ballot having no faith in the electronic alternative. I hope there is a recount that is closely monitored by both parties. I do not like the idea of my vote not counting!

Derek Leaberry| 11.8.10 @ 11:04AM

The move to the left of Northern Virginia is the product of multiple failures of the Republican Party. First, the Republicans have failed miserably over the years in cutting the federal government. As Montgomery County, MD has run out of room and no sane person willingly lives in Prince George's County, MD, liberal government workers have been forced to live in Northern Virginia, making that area more Democratic. Second, uncontrolled Third World immigration, most of whom are attracted to the Democratic Party, have altered the demographics of Northern Virginia. Some portions of Northern Virginia are truly Third World and no longer American. Third, both Republicans and Democrats have allowed developers in Northern Virginia to overbuild. This not only has required expensive transportation solutions, but it has increased the population density of Northern Virginia. One of the truest laws of modern American politics is that the more densely populated a jurisdiction, the more likely it is going to vote Democratic.

Finally, much of the reason for the decline of the Republican Party in Northern Virginia can be laid at the feet of the Presidents Bush. The two presidents Mr. Mehan has served have helped create the dire situation facing the Republicans in Northern Virginia.

loulou| 11.8.10 @ 12:03PM

You are quite right about Northern VA. Full of Third World squatters.
The VA GOP is emasculated RINO through and through. Thank you, Bushes.

Publius| 11.8.10 @ 3:59PM

You make an excellent point about the 3rd World Immigration in Northern VA, that more explains the success of Dems in Nova than any other. Further, your conclusion that the Dems benefit from Federal Employees and contractors. I'd see that as likely splitting 50/50 as much as anything else. While they may not worry about job security and economic issues, many federal employees and contractors (particularly in NoVa with the military and intel jobs around the Pentagon, Ft. Belvoir, etc.) are by and large a conservative constituency - think of the many former Military who make up a large number of the contractor cadres.

Finally, don't just blame the Bushes. If you have a problem with contractors blame the patron St. Reagan, who had the idea that outsourcing work from the govt. to the private sector would save money. It didn't work out that way, as none of the work was done temporarily, but instead became permanent programs for consultancy, and a revolving door of hiring the most qualified, highest skilled, most educated workers from the govt. by paying them 2x what they earned, and then charging the govt. 3x their old salary to come back and do the same job they did before they went to work for the Beltway bandits.

Pelligrino| 11.9.10 @ 3:14AM

Publius,
One of the greatest myths, perhaps the greatest myth forthrightly stated EVERY election cycle is that the "military is pretty much a solid conservative voting block."

El Rushbo was again pounding this point away on radio last week. To his listeners, he bellowed, "You just KNOW that the military absentee votes are going to be Republican....."

(as he pointed out once again that inept or corrupt election officials find new ways to screw up the absentee overseas voting process)

This myth also comes up as others cite hopes that US Senate candidate Joe Miller can pull it out in Alaska with the military absentee voter ballots.

As if there was some kind of 75-25 or 65-35 assured lopsided favor within active military, Reserves, Guardsmen, defense contractors, Dept. of Defense Govt. Service employees, defense company employees, etc. toward the GOP.

HOGWASH!

(believe me, I know.)

The active military + DOD employees + military contractors + defense industry + Reservist & Guard are overall a large segment of our nation. However, it would be a huge mischaracterization to say that they are overwhelmingly conservative -- OR that they would tend to vote conservative.

No, they are certainly not 'more than likely' to be choosing Republican candidates.

Neither this election cycle (despite the economic debacle our country is in) nor any election cycle.

Why?

Easy answers.

THEY ARE FULLY PART OF OUR BLOATED, OVERSIZED LEFT-LEANING GOVERNMENT.

The military and all its ancillary parts are just more of the gargantuan federal bureaucracy.

(As one tiny example: Just look at the infrastructure beneath the Defense Intelligence Agency. Why do the Army, Navy, and Air Force each require their own massive intelligence agencies under the DIA's infrastructure? In fact, why do any of them exist at all? How is military intell so significantly different than overall intell? What's the CIA doing? NSA? And I could name 8 other 3-character acronyms that we now have. I frankly lose count of all of them. We have OVER 2 dozen national intelligence agencies, all firmly entrenched establishments. No one can justify this. They often work against each other insofar as one wants to claim superiority over the other.)

And the intelligence services are just one small fraction of our overall massive military infrastructure. So that is just one tiny area....compared to the whole.

No general or admiral is every going to tell you their organization has done such a good job that they’re now shutting down permanently ________________ (fill in the blank) with all employees immediately released, all equipment reallocated, etc.

Same as any other Federal agency or sub-agency.

No the generals and admirals tell you just what any other federal bureaucracy hack would tell you, “I need much more budget and resources for next year. We’re barely getting by! We can barely do the mission!”

They all love what they have: A guaranteed paycheck, health benefit options the general public doesn't have, much earlier retirement pensions -- if done right, 30+ days of vacation per year, all Federal holidays and some more, guaranteed cost-of-living raises every year, lots of promotion potential (with salary increases)etc., etc.

They are all on what they lovingly call the "Gravy Train!" (with 'U.ncle S.ugar' doling out the sweets)

All of them love their twice monthly government salary paydays AND all the benefits that our modern day moocher class citizenry adore.

(Yes, I know that the contractors and those in the defense industry are working for private companies, but Uncle Sam, aka the American taxpayer, is the real paymaster.)

Most know that their salaries in the private sector would be far lower. (Heck, they might even be characterized as just lowly "hourly wage earners" in the private sector.)

Who in this “military complex” class of our electorate is going to shoot himself in the foot on election day by voting for a Tea Party Rand Paul who wants to massively slash all bloated government agencies?

This voter class is NOT interested in fiscal conservatism.

(A Rand Paul-type is not going to spare the Dept. of Defense. And I support him in this. I know from years of being there how wasteful we were with taxpayers monies while I was on active duty. Nobody talked of responsibilities to the US citizen or good stewardship of ALL resources. No one had a 'conscience' over bloated military budgets. Just watch how all military agencies spend like maniacs in the last two months of every fiscal year – the months of August and September)

ALSO: Please note the overwhelming demographics of our entire present-day military and government (to include defense & defense industry) workers in Northern Virginia & Maryland.

The demographics include LOTS of so-called minority groups who forever claim inferior opportunities for ALL aspects of their lives in modern day America.

(Let me tell you, some of the loudest anti-Allan West – soon-to-be-new Congressman from Boca Raton, Florida – vitriol is coming from men like him who are still in the ranks, those recently retired, those now in defense contractor positions, etc. They are the ones who most consider him a traitor.)

This is indeed the "I-must-have-my-quota-class."

They wear the permanent "chip on their shoulder" as a badge of honor.....and

They vote liberal so their juicy benefits and overall easy jobs won't reduce or dry up. And they support liberals directly so that the drumbeat for quotas will NEVER cease.

They are all for massive government. They are for liberal policies. They directly benefit from the never-ending largesse.

The ongoing myth that the “military is by-and-large a conservative group of voters” or a group that would tend to always favor Republicans needs to cease.

No way.

Frank Anderson | 11.8.10 @ 11:37AM

The Spectator needs to do some research before repeating the GOP's claims about vote counting. Even the Republican-controlled Board of Elections in Fairfax County agreed that Bedell's allegations were without merit.
http://www.bluevirginia.us/dia.....nt-concede

J. Chase| 11.8.10 @ 12:03PM

I live in VA-11, in Prince William, where Fimian did win the majority. I just finished looking at the election results precinct by precinct at the VBE website. There weren't many surprises. Most precincts were close, those that I thought would tip the scale one way or the other did. But Lorton and Lorton Station were quite a shock. Perhaps I don't understand the demographics of that area, or perhaps something wasn't counted right. But it appears to be a statistical anomaly: 25% for Fimian to Connolly's 73% in Lorton, and 31% for Fimian to 66% for Connolly in Lorton Station. Very strange.

Regardless, as the author alludes, this is an election that the Democrat machine hijacked from the grass-roots, pure and simple. I believe many probably voted "against" Fimian due to the negative campaign ads, especially towards the end. But to anyone who based their vote purely (of course no one would admit it) on some 10 second half-truth or outright lie in a TV or radio ad... shame on you! ...especially in this day and age where research is so easy with a few clicks.

loulou| 11.8.10 @ 12:04PM

Aren't there a lot of Hispanics in Lorton?

NoVACon| 11.8.10 @ 5:05PM

I live in Fairfax Station and voted for Fimian as a proud but lonely conservative -- a stranger in a strange land.... I worked in the USG for ten years before the private sector, but I was involved in National Security. Hard not to be a conservative when you have a glimpse into the threats we face. Here's hoping for a miracle that Fimian somehow pulls it off.

J.P. Travis | 11.8.10 @ 12:24PM

It's a shame that Democrats are allowed to win every single close election in this country. We all know it's done by fraud, we even have people telling us afterward that it was done by fraud (the anonymous former member of the Chicago machine and the NJ teachers union official) but nothing is done about it. The more we let the Dems get away with it, the more they will do it. http://www.jpattitude.com/ElectionFraud2010.php

Helen Zeyen| 11.8.10 @ 12:39PM

No one likes the idea of their vote not counting. I think that we can all agree that voter fraud is becoming worse.
However, until the outrage is equal to and the uproar is as loud over the dismal and immoral way the votes of our out of country's military is dismissed, the situation will only become worse.

ViennaGuy| 11.8.10 @ 1:37PM

I provided some minor help to the Fimian Campaign during the primary and general election. I have no trouble at all believing Northern Virginia can't control or count ballots. In fact, I suspect they have a vested interest in NOT doing so...

I live in VA-11 and have followed various campaigns over the years and I have seen RINOs like Davis (and his wife) help push the district more toward the blue side of the spectrum.

But Connolly is a new level of corruption for NoVA. He needs to go and I expect his minions at the local Dem-wit party will spare no amount of chicanery and outright fraud to avoid answering to the people of the district.

BTW, there was literature linking Connolly to Pelosi quite early in the campaign. I don't recall if this was directly from the Fimian campaign or not though.

We can win VA-11 for conservative candidates if we make the right arguments and clean house at the county level but it will probably take a very long time as the GOP establishment in Fairfax County is mostly deep blue RINOs...

Pelligrino| 11.8.10 @ 4:15PM

I, too, have ZERO confidence in the autheniticity of our election results on 2 November 2010.

Why?

Simple: I have ZERO confidence in the following:

1. The total integrity of those working the polling stations. (impartiality? professionalism? nonpartisan? Oh, you must be kidding)
2. The (LACK! of) training for those working the polling stations. Were they even trained in how to do their jobs/work the technical equipment? (Yes, you do need some skills, training, and experience to correctly work the equipment.)
3. The oversight on voter fraud. The ACCURACY of what is in the voter registration database for a precinct and entire state.
4. The simple mathematical skills of those who hand-count in the 65 -75 minutes after poll stations close. YES, hand counting, pencil, pad, and simple arithmetic are still what is used in 2010. (Nothing wrong with this, BUT you have to have people who can competently do it.)
5. Poll workers in Virginia averaged $130 for their work day at the polls. (Just exactly who do you think you can "hire on" for a one-day event like this? The "best and the brightest?" Ha!)
6. At the poll station you have about 1.5 seconds per person wishing to vote at times to decide what to do when a voter approaches you with something not quite right. MOST EVERYONE at the polling station has no idea of the state's electoral laws/rules. (just a vague understanding) The overriding laziness means: Just letting the person go ahead and vote.
7. Most everyone gets irritated at the polling station if you verbally speak up to claim, "But I think that person should not have been permitted to vote. When asked, he couldn't even state his residence address accurately!" Eyes roll. Their body language, facial expressions, and under-breath remarks say, "Stick it. It's just one vote, you jerk. Even if it is erroneous, what will one vote matter?"
8. I cannot tell you how often I heard poll station chiefs say on November 2d, "Look, our primary aim is that you leave here having voted...." (when the person was producing an out-of-state driver's license, not showing up in the voter registry, claiming to have recently moved into the area....)
9. Ask who has been prosecuted in your state in the last 10 years for committing voter fraud. Anyone?
10. When a poll worker can see 5-9 adult names in a precinct’s voter registration database ALL with the very same residence address…..shouldn’t this lead to some questions? (And, no, those showing up don’t seem to be 18-24 year olds all living in some campus frat house. They’re all older than that….)
11. A state law that permits the “voter” to vote on an election day….despite having no photo ID or ID of any kind. Yes, such a person is permitted under Virginia law to vote. No ID is required. I watched dozens of people who 'produced' no ID when asked; they all voted on November 2d.

Please see my post one hour ago in this American Spectator online forum, the NEVADA/Harry Reid article -- also posted today -- if you want to know how simple it is in America to engage in Voter Fraud on an election day.

I could have committed this felony offense multiple times successfully on 2 November. I am sure you could have done it, too.

No oversight. No consequences.

BE wary. BE skeptical. I have zero confidence in the integrity of our voting system.

A 1,000 vote difference is ripe for a thorough investigation. (Please check every name, age, residence address, gender, and date of precinct registration in the 11th District's voter registry database. And cross-check all that information with ALL other voter registries in Virginia. You WILL uncover fraud.)

Libby| 11.8.10 @ 4:35PM

I also live in the 11th, and what bothers me the most is the ho-hum attitude of election officials with regard to the discrepancy between the number of votes cast and the number of voters. Apparently Fairfax County General Registrar Edgardo Cortes wrote in an e-mail that the problem with precincts having more votes than voters crops up every election and is perfectly normal. (http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/11/connolly-fimian-recount-could-the-
race-flip-it-s-not-likely--29418.html)
Huh? That doesn't make me feel any better about the process. And yes, Frank Anderson, I read your Blue Virginia piece. Your speculation about overly tired poll workers forgetting to mark voters off in the poll books isn't convincing. Every time I vote there are two poll workers checking to make sure each voter is marked off, not to mention one or two observers peering over their shoulders. If Dean can get an accurate vote count in Michigan, why can't we do the same here in Virginia?

Frank Anderson | 11.8.10 @ 7:25PM

Libby, it's not speculation. I was in the room where they were conducting the canvass. The Republican at the table agreed with what I explained took place. Also, the Republican-controlled Elections Board agreed that there was no substance to Bedell's claims that Mehan repeats here without fact-checking.

Libby| 11.8.10 @ 7:53PM

Frank, unless you were in the room with the poll workers and observed them forgetting to mark off the voters because they were tired, your explanation is indeed speculation. It doesn't matter who agreed with it. Why don't the Michigan poll workers have the same problem?

American Citizen| 11.8.10 @ 5:08PM

The several comments about Virginia being home to third world immigrants smacks of bigotry. How many of you are Native Americans and are from this country? There may or may not be valid complaints here, but the people who posted those comments should read the inscription on the plaque of Statue of Liberty.

ViennaGuy| 11.8.10 @ 6:10PM

I am a native America. I was born here nearly 50 years ago. I am married to a legal immigrant. The county fiscal condition is heavily stressed by illegal immigrants who are predominantly happen to be from 3rd world nations. If the Swedish and Swiss start flooding us with illegal immigrants you would hear the same complaints.

J Kelley| 11.8.10 @ 7:54PM

Democrats always win the close recounts. Republicans have to win with a large majorty. The Dems find lost ballots in the trunk of a car. They even find votes in a warehouse. But nothing is ever done about fraud. Acorn registered phony voters and nothing was ever done. Each election they get more bold. With the Holder Justice department don't expect it to get better.

The Donkey| 11.8.10 @ 9:01PM

To some Republicans, facts are, apparently, whatever validates their meme of the day.

Try to think critically!

Bobby Fontaine | 11.8.10 @ 8:39PM

I live in Lorton, in fact I ran a write in campaign (http://bobbyfontaine.com) against Fimian and Connolly. I don't know how I did. I'm waiting to see if Fimian goes for the recount, which I think he should,, I only ran to try and force some issues on the table that Connolly as my representative refuses to look into, which so do all other Washington insiders.

I handed out the highly volatile flier at the link below at a fair at Luther Jackson Intermediate School explaining my issues. At the Fimain booth, I was greeted with praise for my efforts and told Fimian might meet with me after the election to discuss my concerns. I was chased away from the Connolly table where they refused the flier and told me not to talk to people in front of "their area."

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByryxSfO6xoPNWI3ZTNmMWEtMmI2Zi00MzkxLTkzMmEtMjMwYjc3OWM3MWQ1&hl=en

Frank Anderson | 11.9.10 @ 7:26AM

Bobby, we didn't "chase you away," we asked you to leave because your campaign makes no sense. You refuse to apply to get your right to vote restored, and thus can't vote for yourself, but you expect others to vote for you. That's not a winning strategy no matter what your convoluted logic tells you.

Besides, it was the day before Election Day and we were there on the campus of GMU to talk to actual voters.

Bobby Fontaine | 11.9.10 @ 10:41AM

This is what I wrote - "I handed out the highly volatile flier at the link below at a fair at Luther Jackson Intermediate School explaining my issues.", not GMU. I forgot that you people chased me away that day too, which was because you thought my plan to tear down the whole system and replace it with one that works wasn't valid unless I joined the system that doesn't work first.

Frank is one of Connolly's people who is a felon who got his right to vote restored. He was a thief. I lost my right to vote while exposing what was behind the economy collapsing, which was in 2003. I threatened to kill Enron lawyers and ex senator Phil Gramm along with all the heads of the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). They’re now credited with laying the foundation for the looting of the economy, something neither Connolly or Fimian realize how crucial it is to understanding what’s really going on, and don't seem to want to know.

I threatened them to get arrested figuring I would be sent to a federal judge in Houston, Ewing Werlein. He’s close friends with Phil Gramm, in fact he was recommend for the bench to the first Bush president by Gramm. He also worked for the same lawyers I threatened before the appointment, something there was no way I should have known. The arrest came months after the threats as the invasion of Iraq began, just as I had suspected it would. As the war began, legislation was tabled that would put the burden of over a trillion dollars mistake made by UBS, Enron, and the oil industry on the American people. The war was being used as cover while the news media was busy covering it. I used my arrest to attract attention to what they were doing where ultimately the legislation failed. The whole story is long and exceptionally horrifying, both personally and politically, one that needs to be told or the crisis this country faces will not end but only keep getting worse.

Let me ask you this Mr. Anderson, after you refused my flier at your booth, have you now gone back and read after my having provided a link to it above? I didn't think so. For anyone else out there who might be reading this, the information in that flier and follow up clarification from me of its can end the economic collapse, and a lot of other problems our country faces. What I have is the smoking gun that can prove beyond doubt who and what is behind the collapse and what can be done to end it, which first and foremost would be getting the people that caused it out of the equation. I can do that if my story is simply vetted. Connolly and even Fimian can do it too, with my help. But they don’t even care to even look into it but would rather prefer to dance with each other in a political system that doesn’t work while telling me if I want to lead, I need to become part of it. All I need to do is be listened to,, by any of you. If you doubt what I say, make me prove it,, I can prove it.

I found in my campaign that Northern Virginians don’t care much for what’s going on in the rest of the country, except for the few that the economy has actually taken a heavy toll on. In the 11th district, they were few because there is so much money here, money that comes from the US taxpayers. Those few hung on my every word regardless of whether they thought I knew what I was talking about or not . What I found was that people who are hurting are willing to listen to anything anyone has to say in their quest for answers. The rest of you don’t seem to care for anything that requires taking anything in this country too seriously.

The people of the 11th district run the country, one way or another, by supporting the government as employees or contractors, elected officials, or as lobbyists who created this mess in the first place. And you live so high on the hog while screwing the rest of the country that you don’t care to try and solve the problems you create. That’s the lesson I earned for my efforts in this campaign, a story to tell about my home district to the rest of the country when I head to parts of the country who have lost everything where I know they will want to hear what I have to say about what really goes on behind the scenes back here in Washington.

When I get through with my campaign, Fimian will be glad he lost and Connolly will regret the days his people chased me away from their tables rather than seeing that I am a constituent with something important to say that they ought to have paid attention to. And thank you very much Frank for the clear and clever validation that indeed your camp does not care to hear anything I have to say. This is the reason I want to change the system, it obviously doesn’t work,, I mean the answer is one click away and the guy refuses to even look.

Fuck-em all, Party of Outlaws
http://partyofoutlaws.com/

Bobby Fontaine | 11.10.10 @ 10:12AM

What's wrong Mr Anderson, cat got you're tongue? This is just like when I came to your booth at GMU, when you couldn't convince me there was no other way to look at this issue of my getting my voting rights restored even though it goes against my whole belief system, you had nothing else to say. Believe it or not Frank but the problems this country faces has nothing to do with voting,, if voting worked, the U.S. would still be #1.

The truth is that our Constitution and Bill of Rights allow us the Freedom to fix our own problems without government or elected officials, that is what makes this country unique and part of what made us strong, that is until we forgot it. The United States has become institutionalized,, you know, like how you got when you were in prison where everything followed a distinct pattern where rules governed cause and effect over common sense and real effort. If you look at the high rate if incarceration and recidivism rates in the U.S., it's becomes clear institutionalization doesn't work, not with prisons nor society at large.

Somewhere along the road that life has lead you down, you must have been a rebel, then you became a thief, now you're trying to be a rebel again, which I applaud. When you get you're head screwed back on the way it ought to be, let me know because Connolly won't have any use for you after that

PCP Smoker| 11.8.10 @ 9:10PM

What I'd like to know, is what is that as@$ole Goober Graham (Senator, SC) doing to help Keith win this race? Ok, maybe nothing now, but what did he do before the election to ensure GOP success in this race?
Right. F*ck him and his Rinos, and yes, that includes Newt Gringich

Pelligrino| 11.12.10 @ 3:21PM

I am informed that Keith Fimian has "conceeded."

Really?

Why?

When did he 'conceed?'

I can tell you that with the total number of DOZENS of precincts in the Virginia 11th Congressional District, THERE IS NO WAY thorough checking, re-counring, verifying could have occured in less than 10 work days.

(I am told that Fimian conceeded only 6 days

Just NO WAY.

Folks, if you doubt what I say, PLEASE go work or volunteer to observe at a polling station NEXT election.

And, very important: YOU MUST stay until poll closing and thereafter as the "quick" count is made.

(so, yes, if you want to know truth, you must have commitment)

Is it 74 precincts in the 11th District in Virginia? Yes, I believe it is.

That is 10 solid 14-hour work days of checking. Not something you can achieve with ease.

1,000 votes is nothing.

(If you run for office, spend some time learning the mechanics of how polling station setup, voting proceedures, voting laws, counting, and (minimal) oversight take place. And the criteria for getting registered to vote.)

Much of what you learn will not inspire confidence in the integrity of our voting system(s).

Don't be delusional.

More Articles by G. Tracy Mehan, III

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March 26, 2013 | Robert Stacy McCain

http://spectator.org/archives/2010/11/08/virginia-11ths-end-game

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