Benedict Puckett

by Kindler

Benedict Arnold. Judas Iscariot. Brutus. Quisling. Add to the names of history's traitors one Phillip Puckett. This former Democrat apparently made a deal to resign his Senate seat just to hand the majority to the GOP. In return he gets - no, not thirty pieces of silver, but a seat on the Tobacco Commission and a judgeship for his daughter. Judges, you know, those people who are supposed to administer the law fairly, honestly and dispassionately? You might think that obtaining the job through such sleazebaggery would taint the rest of her career a bit. Is this act of openly bribing a state official even legal? All I know is that if Republicans want to play such unscrupulous, hardball, no-holds-barred politics, the answer is not to respond by playing patty cake with them. If they are going to take power through dishonest means, just playing along is not the way to honor or maintain a democracy. If they want a fight, let's give them a fight.  Let's shout out our protest everywhere from social media to the streets. Democrats should boycott every institution rendered illegitimate by this dirty act, from the General Assembly to Mr. Puckett's daughter's courtroom. Virginia was born when the people in this colony could no longer brook the tyranny of King George III. From that fight we gained democratic governance. Now we need to fight to bring that principle back.

kindler :: Benedict Puckett

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According to the Virginian Pilot, Washington Post, Times Dispatch, etc, "State Sen. Phillip P. Puckett- D-Russell has resigned his seat, leaving Democrats one vote shy of the majority they need to control the chamber." Here's a screenshot of (part of) Puckett's resignation letter:
Gov. McAuliffe's statement:

I am deeply disappointed by this news and the uncertainty it creates at a time when 400,000 Virginians are waiting for access to quality health care, especially in Southwest Virginia. This situation is unacceptable, but the bipartisan majority in the Senate and I will continue to work hard to put Virginians first and find compromise on a budget that closes the coverage gap.

Progress Virginia statement:

ProgressVA executive director Anna Scholl responded Sunday evening to news Virginia State Senator Philip Puckett struck a deal with Delegate and Tobacco Commission Chairman Terry Kilgore to resign his seat in exchange for jobs for himself and his daughter. "Virginians deserve answers over the next days over how state jobs were used as leverage in a political fight over extending affordable health care to Virginia families. Right now, it's hard to decide who to be more disgusted with: Delegate Kilgore and his GOP colleagues who seem to be treating the Tobacco Commission as their own personal slush fund or Senator Puckett, who apparently has prioritized his personal interests over the best interests of his constituents."