McDonnell's '89 thesis stirs the pot, recalls Verbena Askew firing...

Republican Bob McDonnell's 1989 thesis from Regent University in Virginia Beach is the latest hot button in the race for the governor mansion between McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds.

McDonnell brought up the thesis while talking with the Washington Post, and the 93-page document available on the Regent website has immediately stirred controversy because some of the staunchly conservative viewpoints don't match McDonnell current campaign image.

Just take a look at the lead from Amy Gardner:

At age 34, two years before his first election and two decades before he would run for governor of Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell submitted a master's thesis to the evangelical school he was attending in Virginia Beach in which he described working women and feminists as "detrimental" to the family. He said government policy should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators." He described as "illogical" a 1972 Supreme Court decision legalizing the use of contraception by unmarried couples.

Here's the full Washington Post report...

And here's a link to the full 93-page thesis...  

Deeds senior adviser Mo Elleithee just called the thesis "devastating to the McDonnell campaign."

For the past few weeks, Republicans have accused Deeds of focusing on divisive social issues, because the Bath County Democrat started highlighting McDonnell's effort in the House of Delegates to restrict and more tightly control abortion. Deeds' campaign staff said they are trying to make sure the voters have a full and clear picture of the Republican nominee.

Republicans said Deeds was simply worried about McDonnell getting to far ahead in the campaign and was cynically relying on hot button issues to go negative on McDonnell.

Now this thesis, penned while McDonnell was working to get a degree at Pat Robertson's evangelical college in Virginia Beach, gives the Democrats plenty to ammunition to show to Northern Virginia voters. 

McDonnell is referring to the thesis as an "academic exercise" and the folks over at the Republicas Party of Virginia are pointing out that Sen. Jim Webb wrote an article about how women can't fight in the military - long before he took up the Democratic mantle. And President Barack Obama also downplayed the importance of his own dated writing. 

Here's a quote from Obama.

"This is an example of what happens when you look at things backwards,'' Mr. Obama said when asked whether he had his political future in mind when he first began to write. ''Then everything looks like, 'Ah! Of course this was part of some well-calibrated consideration.' But frankly, no. It would have been very hard for me to anticipate that I'd be where I am today, where a book that I wrote almost 20 years ago now would even be read.'' (New York Times, May 12, 2008)

The story in the Washington Post also recalls the heated controversy over Newport News Circuit Court Judge Verbena Askew. Here's the full excerpt.

One controversy that drew wide attention was an effort in the General Assembly in 2003 to end the judicial career of Verbena M. Askew, a Circuit Court judge from Newport News who had been accused of sexual harassment by a woman who worked for her. As chairman of the Courts of Justice Committee, McDonnell led the effort in the House. He said he was opposed to Askew's reappointment because she didn't disclose, as required, that she was a party to a legal proceeding.

McDonnell was widely quoted at the time as saying that homosexual activity raised questions about a person's qualifications to be a judge. Spokesman Tucker Martin said McDonnell was misquoted and does not consider homosexuality a disqualifying factor for judgeships or other jobs.

Askew, who was not reappointed, denied any wrongdoing and was never found by a court to have harassed the employee.

That is not going to sit well with a lot of folks on the Peninsula who still remember the Askew controversy, which took place nearly 15 years after he wrote the thesis.

Comments

[Harleys R. Toofuknloud]

The social pendulum swings both ways, just like the perverts and God-forsaken humanists that Ol' Bob is doing his darndest to apply the counterweight of reason against. If I was a working woman, bastard generator, fornicator, homosexual, or humanists I would also be illogically afraid that this guy would force us to all quit pretending that we're equal. The Deeds smear campaign is gonna backfire.

[concerned]

Askew needed to be removed, not for her sexual preference, but for her inability to understand the law and her inability to work a full day. She should have never been appointed to the position.

[concerned]

I hope you information is correct.

[cringeworthy]

Old McDonnell had a FARM E I E I O!!!! Wylie coyote is stupid...

[jeffkramerak]

who knows what the deal is here...things have been crazy ever since the new year with politicians! They can't be trusted, PERIOD.

[Wylie Cyoti]

Just my two cents - (maybe a three cents)

American Vision and Values, by Edward Rauchut is a great book that explains the breakdown of society from 1770's - 2008.

The book is even broke into itty bitty little chapters that Republicans could read and understand. Sorry, no pictures, so Democrats are out of luck. But, if Democrats tried real hard and learned how to read, I am sure you would be able to understand this isn't an issue of invasion of privacy, or individual freedoms or personal liberties, but a no kidding wakeup call on the awareness relating to the breakdown of society.

The issue is the make up of the family. However one family does it, it needs to endure the pain of having nothing so the end result is they have everything - a tight nit family.

Do you dare drive down below 40th street in NN? I wouldn't. The gangsta's, thugs and little wannabe's roaming the streets will shoot ya and getcha and go home and slap their girl around and make more babies celebrating the fact the capped someone off. Why? Because Big Daddy made the baby, but didn't stick around to help momma raise the baby. Momma is out working the night shift trying to make the money to pay the bills. (Momma working the night shift could be whatever job you want her to have, but realistically, most business and financial jobs are close at 5PM and most retail centers are closed by 9 - so why does Momma need to be out past 11?)

Seriously .. think about it. If the man would stick around longer than the 7.4 seconds it took to make the baby and if the woman would be more selective in her fornication partners.. would we have the issues we have today? Statistics show that the family that sticks together, prays together and lives together, have FAR less social issues and much more success in life and raising the children’s children.

BTW - if you are going to come at this discussion with your beliefs, please bring good statistical numbers to back up your argument.

[David Newport News]

Dave - Nice views to share. Do you also agree with McDonnell that:

a woman's place is in the home;

Yes it is, and so is the man's.

that a single-parent raising her child is not a "family";

Only in extraordinary conditions should there be a single-parent family. This is a break down in our society. People that make babys need to stay together,...this is called commentment.

that the government should control what adults have access to birth control;

Birth control is basically responsibility and accepting responsibility for your actions instead of just gratifying yourself with another person. The woman/man should not just be a sex object.

that government should oppose the growing availability of childcare?

If the family is together, and the people of the family take responsibility for raising their children, get good education and maintain a good life standard, the health care would not be a problem.

We have to grow a good society, not degrade to a lower level with governmental controls. Government is designed for maintaining a level of safety for people so that they can pursue basic happiness, not purveying sexuality and favoritism.

[David Newport News]

I suspect that people do not find a corelation of liberal acceptance of degraded morality and deterioration of society. History has examples of this phenomenon,.. the Roman empire, Greek empire,.....Sodom and Gomorrah etc. Diluting a good society with degraded personal morality is not a fix to the societal ills we face. If McDonnell has a personal feel for the way society should be and does no harm to society with his agenda, he is a good man for the job. No man is single handedly going to stop homosexuals from being homosexual and if that one man is defending the individual rights of the society, he will not be deleting any homosexual or other individual persons basic rights. We need good men to stand for good moral principles,.....we have very few representing the people now, most just cow down to loud minorities.

[Dean Cockrum]

Covered the Democrat talking points and deversion points. Race, Sex, Gender. Its ok for Dems to do this i.e., Webb, but not Republicans. Come on Virginians are smart and won't buy this BS. Remember "fool me once shame on me, fool me twice and shame on you". Say hello to the next Governor, Mr. McDonnell is what the doctor ordered.

[Marie Mayo]

Dave Breston, you and those who think as you, wear an uneasy crown. Vote as you choose, your narrow mind is not one to reason with.