Anyone who has remotely followed this year’s elections knows that illegal immigration has become a hot button issue. This is especially when you consider how some incumbent Republicans have used it as a last ditch effort to hang onto their seat. It’s for that reason I was glad to see Bruce Roemmelt has a new mail piece which addresses the issue of illegal immigration. (Follow this link to see the ad and this one for some info on Roemmelt’s stance on the topic).
One of the things the mailer does well is it points out how “Instead of doing something real about illegal immigration, [his Republican opponent Bob] Marshall just set up another do-nothing government commission.” Although the flyer doesn’t go into this, there is also a little back story that makes this commission even more interesting. Generally speaking, the lawmaker who establishes a commission is elected by his colleagues to be the commission’s chairman. When it came time to elect the chairman of the Virginia Commission on Immigration, which Marshall established, however, even his fellow Republicans believed he shouldn’t be the chairman of the commission he formed because he’s “too combative.”As the Washington Post reports once it became apparent that he wouldn’t be granted the chairmanship, he truly proved how combative he could be and his fellow Republicans “had to wrestle the gavel away from Marshall.” I don’t know about you, but it surely seems as though Marshall wouldn’t be a productive leader on this issue if even his Republican colleagues believe he’s unqualified to lead a commission on the issue.
Roemmelt’s mailer reminds the voters of the 13th, there is an easy solution to this problem. They can “fire Bob Marshall.” Now this is the part of the mailer I really like because it essentially reminds voters that they are “hiring” someone to represent them when they go to the polls on November 6. It is their tax dollars, after all, that pay the lawmakers’ salaries. Therefore, there is no need for voters to rehire a person like Delegate Marshall who isn’t holding up his end of the contract.
Roemmelt has proven to many voters that would make an excellent member of the House of Delegates and I’m glad to see that he is also taking the time to remind the voters how unproductive Bob Marshall has been during his tenure.
Filed under: 2007 Elections, Bob Marshall, Bruce Roemmelt, House of Delegates, Immigration, Local, Politics, Virginia, Virginia Politics
It is disappointing to see Roemmelt join the demogogues, particularly since Marshall hasn’t.
Lovell, you might not have written that comment if you knew one of the main reasons Marshall wasn’t allowed to chair the commission is because he is so conservative makes Ken Cuccinelli look like a liberal. He’s extremely anti-immigrant and wanted to use this commission to advance his racist cause.
Marshall has done nothing for the 13th district, except introduce bills that have nothing to do with improving transportation ills in the district – bills that don’t even make it out of committee. Marshall is ineffective, combative to the point that even his fellow Republicans denied him the chairmanship of this immigration committee, and simply wastes our tax dollars with his idiot “moral agenda” activity. PLEASE, let’s vote in Bruce Roemmelt to at least try someone that seems to understand the needs of the majority of the 13th district constituency.
[...] Bryan J. Scrafford likes Roemmelt (here). [...]
[...] Bryan J. Scrafford takes up the Roemmelt attack on Marshall’s stance on illegal immigration (here). [...]