In endorsing Jody Wagner over Bill Bolling for lieutenant governor, the Washington Post writes that she is "easily the better choice" and "would represent a sharp improvement over the incumbent Republican seeking reelection, Bill Bolling." The Post adds that Wagner is "[s]mart, tough and capable" and that she would be "among the best-prepared public officials to assume the job."With regard to Bolling, the Post describes him as a "conservative lawmaker" who has been "more attuned to political expediency than the actual business of governance." In addition, the Post points out that Bolling is a hypocrite, having "voted for some of the more ambitious spending packages in the state's history" but who now "attacks Virginia's outlays as having been profligate." Finally, just like his ticketmate Bob "Pat Robertson's Manchurian Candidate" McDonnell, the Post slams Bolling for "patently unworkable" ideas on transportation, including "raiding already bare-bones core state services" but refusing to say which ones ("education? public safety? human services? health?") he would slash.
As if all that's not bad enough, there's also an issue that hasn't really come up in this campaign but was certainly raised by Democrats in the 2005 campaign: Bolling's role in the Reciprocal Group, aka "the Enron of the insurance industry." Here's what the DPVA wrote in a letter on 9/16/05:
Senator Bill Bolling has come under scrutiny for his role as Second Vice President of The Reciprocal Group, an insurance company that recently went into receivership with the State of Virginia. Other high-ranking Reciprocal executives have been sentenced to nearly two decades in federal prison for fraudulently inflating the company's worth. After the group's collapse, thousands of patients, hospitals, doctors and lawyers were left without coverage and payments due for injury.To my knowledge, that correspondence has never been released, raising the obvious question: what is Bill Bolling hiding? Until we know, we shouldn't even consider putting him "a heartbeat away" from the governor's mansion.
"Virginians deserve a Lt. Governor who is open and honest," said Senator Whipple. "If Bill Bolling truly has nothing to hide about his involvement in The Reciprocal Group, he should voluntarily release any and all correspondence."
P.S. The Post doesn't say it, but I'd also argue that, all things being equal (which they certainly aren't in this case), we'd be better off with some diversity - gender, in this case - among the top three slots in Virginia state government.
