2018 General Election Lost 53 — 47

Endorsed by J Street

Why should an endorsement from this liberal Jewish pro-Israel group matter?  Charlottesville, the largest city in the district, has one synagogue.  Evangelical voters matter a lot more in this heavily rural district. 

Why should an endorsement from this liberal Jewish pro-Israel group matter?  Because Leslie Cockburn (pronounced Co-burn) has been accused of being an anti-Semite.  By the Republican Party of Virginia whose advertisements were criticized by J Street.  By an organization called Aish Ha Torah which listed politicians they thought were anti-Semitic.  They sandwiched her between a Nazi running for Congress and a municipal official who they say blamed the Rothschilds for creating climate disasters.  By the American Jewish Committee which lists her, along with Nazis, right wing fanatics, and pro-Palestinian politicians as among the worst candidates of 2018.  The AJC accuses her of having made unfounded accusations against Israel.

Leslie Cockburn https://www.lesliecockburnforcongress.com/ is a journalist and a film maker.  Much of her work has been with her husband, Andrew.  One of their joint works is a 1991 book “Dangerous Liaison:  The Inside Story of the US-Israeli Covert Relationship.”   Her critics say they agree with the New York Times.  A 1991 Times review suggests the Cockburns always see Israelis as a menace.  The review also criticizes the Cockburns for making a big deal out of Israeli behavior which is common knowledge.

When the book was published, other reviews did not see anti-Semitism.  Kirkus Review described the book as an “an unflinching, fact-packed, closely reasoned exploration of our relations with our strongest ally in the Middle East.” J Street is with the Kirkus Review and with the Cockburns.  Neither saw Leslie Cockburn as anti-Semitic.  Neither saw her as anti-Israel.  Both see the Cockburns book as critical of Israel, as critical of Israel’s relationship with the US.  You could side with J Street or the American Jewish Congress.  In that case, you might stop reading here.  You might, on the other hand, read on and consider other campaign issues.

This is a campaign for an open Congressional seat.  The freshman Republican Congressman is not running.  He had been criticized for having staff run personal errands.  He acknowledged that he was an alcoholic and checked into rehab.Through a caucus, the Republicans nominated Denver Riggleman, previously a libertarian oriented Republican candidate for governor.  A former Air Force intelligence officer and owner of a local distillery, he had made a special point about the regulations he had to overcome to start his business.  He has also described how he prevented a natural gas pipeline from crossing his land. 

Riggleman insists he made no deals to get the nomination.  Immediately after he was selected, defeating a Tea Party acolyte, he announced he would join the Tea Party Caucus if elected.  Maybe he made a deal, a deal consistent with what he believes.

Denver Riggleman and Leslie Cockburn each have multiple point programs.  Here are summaries:

  • Health Care:
  • She would preserve the best of the Affordable Care Act — protecting those with preexisting conditions and extending Medicare.  She would take steps toward Medicare for all.  And she would address the opioid epidemic with treatment.
  • He would replace the Affordable Care Act with health care savings plans, encourage states to require “skin in the game” for people on Medicaid, and would revise how (or where) medical residencies are supported by Medicaid so that more residencies would occur in rural hospitals.
  • Environment and Infrastructure
  • She would stop the fracked gas pipelines that disrupt Virginia farmers and spoil natural beauty.  To slow climate change, she would work to return the US to the Paris Agreement.
  • He would protect people’s property from the government’s use of eminent domain.  Infrastructure, he says, can be managed effectively without private corporate interests manipulating the government.
  • Education
  • She supports increasing spending on public schools so that programs like gifted and talented services can be retained, early childhood programs added, and teacher pay increased.  She opposes shifting funds from public schools to charter schools.  She would seek ways to ease the problem of student debt.
  • He would like the federal government to get out of education altogether — leaving the responsibility to parents, local communities, and states.
  • Women’s issues
  • She would do what she can to ensure equal pay for women, to protect women’s reproductive rights, and to support publicly funded family planning.  She would end the global gag rule preventing NGOs from providing reproductive health services to women.
  • He does not address women’s issues.
  • The Economy
  • She would support the development of a renewable energy and a tourism industry.  She opposes the cuts to the Farm Bill proposed by Trump.  She supports a higher minimum wage, public transportation improvements (buses, train stops), and improved broadband service.
  • He supports the Republican tax cut saying it is good for business.  He would make the individual tax cuts permanent. He would join the President in “draining the swamp,” getting rid of regulations that, he says, lobbyists have imposed on behalf of large corporations. He expects the government to keep a balanced checkbook just like families do at home.
  • Criminal Justice Reform
  • She would take steps to end the school-to- prison pipeline and end or minimize the use of cash bail and asset forfeiture.
  • He does not address criminal justice reform.
  • National Defense
  • She does not address national defense.
  • He touts his experience as a former officer and as a defense contractor, and says he understands national defense needs.
  • Immigration
  • She does not address immigration.
  • He accurately describes the largest illegal immigration problem as visa overstays.  Then he pivots to the southern border — calling for additional funds to protect the border and to build the proposed wall, funds to be found, he says, from wasteful military spending.
  • Israel
  • She notes that she has been endorsed by the J StreetPAC and notes their views:  pro-peace Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people through policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
  • He explains that, based on the experience of being deployed to Israel for presidential protection, he understands the need for a close relationship between the US and Israel and for Israel to continue to have a military edge against adversaries.

Analysts suggest that Riggleman, the Republicans nominee is a mainstream candidate.  They see the Republicans as having escaped a certain loss of this seat if they had chosen the Tea Party candidate. These analysts see anti-Semitic charges against Cockburn and the Republican character of the district making the race a Toss up. 

Leslie Cockburn’s https://www.lesliecockburnforcongress.com/  views are generally in the mainstream of the Democratic  Party.  A Democratic win in this district would be part of winning the House of Representatives.  Help her make this toss up district into a Democratic win.  Give her some resources.