Posted on 01/19/2014 9:04:19 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
If you ever doubted that money outweighs principles in contemporary politics, then the case of Richmond campaign consultant Boyd Marcus should permanently erase such ambiguity in your mind.
Marcus, a prominent figure in Virginia politics for two decades, made headlines in August when he abandoned a lifetime of supporting Republicans to endorse Democrat Terry McAuliffe for governor.
McAuliffe’s team and Marcus trumpeted the conversion as an important political sign that mainstream Republicans were rejecting the tea party conservatism espoused by GOP candidate Ken Cuccinelli II.
Instead, we learned Thursday, the primary motive was entirely mercenary. An e-mail was made public showing that 16 days before announcing he was backing McAuliffe, Marcus had offered to work for Cuccinelli if the Republican agreed to pay him “something in the range of $75,000 -$100,000.”
In other words, Marcus was perfectly willing to work for Cuccinelli — whose politics he then spent the rest of the campaign decrying — if the price were right.
When Cuccinelli’s campaign turned him down, Marcus followed the greenbacks. His firm received $40,000 in consulting fees from the McAuliffe campaign in four payments from September to November, according to Virginia disclosure statements.
Those events alone are enough to disillusion even the jaded. But the story has another chapter.
It seems that the $40,000 was only a down payment for Marcus’s turnabout.
McAuliffe has created the first controversy of his new administration by appointing Marcus to a well-paid position as a member of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Is it really any wonder that so many people have given up on the political process? The corruption is so rampant that it seems impossible to sort out any “good guys.” And those who favor direct citizen action, like referenda, keep seeing their efforts invalidated by unelected judges and indifferent and corrupt regulators. Seems more psychologically comforting just to ignore politics altogether.
I really hate what these sleazy creeps are doing to this country.
And its these consultants who appear on Fox news and lecture on purists and berate Conservatives who don’t vote for the liberal Republican.
In Navy recruit training I learned an apt title from one of the guys. Rat Fu**er. Kinda says it all.
I have a newsflash for Mr. McCartney-money has outweighed principles in politics in most all places most all of the time.
Marcus served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Eric Cantor in 2002. So he’s experienced in weasel tactics.
Boyd Marcus
Photo credit: Bob Brown
He looks like the kind of guy who grows up to look like his own grandmother.
Thus they see no requirement to maintain any kind of party loyalty and would rather not be known as either a Repellican or Demonicrat political consultant.
It is much more important for them to be known as a "winner," than as a partisan or any kind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.