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“The
mistake a lot of politicians make is in forgetting
they've been appointed and thinking they've been
anointed” – Rep. Claude Pepper (1900 – 1989)
Russ
Potts, R-Winchester, has always been a
controversial character. Most recently, he has
declared his intention to run as an
“independent Republican” for governor.
Clearly, he marches to beat of his own drummer—a
drummer that has convinced him that he's been
anointed for a higher calling.
The
announcement has irked Republicans across the
state. In a unanimous vote the Winchester City
Republican Committee called on him to resign his
state senate seat, and declared that it longer
recognized him as a member. This is the same
committee that Potts' own father chaired decades
ago.
A
few days earlier, Republican Party of Virginia
Chairman, Kate Obenshain Griffin had this to say
about Potts’ candidacy: "Russ Potts should
resign immediately from his State Senate seat to
allow Gov. Mark Warner to call a special election
for Senate District 27. The voters in Senate
District 27 deserve a Republican who shares their
values. Russ Potts has been flagrantly
disingenuous with hard working
Virginia
families that took him at his word in the last
election."
Other
Republican committees across the state have either
issued similar statements or are considering
similar action.
Potts
remains undeterred. "They don't have the
power to tell me whether I'm a Republican or not,"
he replied. "Only God and myself have the
power to do that."
Hello?
Earth to Potts: You can’t run against your own
political party’s candidate and then claim to
still be a member of that same party. It’s
tantamount to filing for divorce while telling
everyone that you still love and care for your
spouse.
But
Potts’ defiance continues: "It's the party
of my forefathers. ... I will not yield to this
radical, extreme, out-of-touch element in the
Republican Party."
Which
brings up an excellent point. When Potts talks
about the radical, extreme, out-of-touch element
in the Republican Party, is he talking about the
cabal of 15 Republican commissars in the senate
who promote a tax-and-spend philosophy to
the left of the tax policies advocated even by
Democrats?
By
that yardstick, Potts and his Republican-in-name-
only
collaborators in the state Senate are definitely
out of touch with the Republican Party, whose
creed states that “fiscal responsibility and
budgetary restraints must be exercised at all
levels of government.”
It
was Sen. John Chichester, R-Fredericksburg, Potts
and 13 other Republican Senators who voted for a
$4 billion tax increase last year. Even Gov. Mark
Warner, a Democrat, must have choked on that
number, having proposed a more moderate $1 billion
tax increase.
But
Potts wasn’t satisfied with merely voting for a
gargantuan tax increase. He single-handedly
introduced that same year some 25 bills calling
for $2 billion in new spending programs. That’s
billion with a “B” or about 8 percent of the
entire state budget that was approved in 2004.
(See “And
the Winner Is…”)
It
seems that Potts is also a big spender when it
comes to own his personal funds. Since he
announced his candidacy, he has received the
spotlight of attention; as a result, a number of
articles have been written about Potts’
financial problems.
Some
of these accounts recount a saga of dealings that
can be best described as nothing less than
financial shenanigans. Without going into all the
sordid details, Potts was recently in debt to the
tune of almost $1 million. He now claims that
these debts were business related and that they
have all been paid off.
Nonetheless,
in 2003 he took out a $650,000 mortgage on his
residence. At a 6 percent interest rate, the
monthly payment on the mortgage would be
approximately $4,000—his $18,000 Senate salary
doesn’t even cover half the annual payment.
Potts
also has diverted campaign donations to his
business accounts. In past financial reports, he
has shown that he bought office furniture for his
business using campaign donations.
Also, his company maintains the same
address--14 N. Braddock Street in Winchester--as
his senatorial office.
Virginia’s
campaign finance laws are some of the most
permissive in the country.
Candidates can use donations any way they
see fit, although there is a widespread sentiment
that political donations are supposed to be used
for political purposes.
But
the intrigue behind Potts’ candidacy doesn’t
emanate solely from his financial problems.
According to the Connecticut News, the
person responsible for introducing Potts to his
current campaign manager, Thomas J. D'Amore Jr.,
is none other than Gov. Mark R. Warner.
Reportedly,
Warner introduced Potts to Lowell P. Weicker Jr.,
who had also bolted the Republican Party and got
elected governor of Connecticut as an independent.
D’Amore, who ran Weicker’s campaign, now is
running Potts’ quixotic charge to the
governor’s mansion.
It
stands to reason that Warner
would like to see Potts divert some liberal or
moderate Republican voters away from Jerry
Kilgore, the GOP's
front-runner candidate. If Potts manages to divert
even a small percentage of the vote, he will help
the candidacy of the Democrat candidate for
Governor, Tim Kaine.
So,
it’s no wonder that the Republican Party
officials are mightily upset at Potts and are
asking for his head on a silver platter. If he's
unwilling to serve his head, his resignation from
the Party and his committee chairmanship would do
nicely.
On
the other hand, the Republican Party’s
outspokenness against Potts is rather curious.
While GOP politicos lash out against Potts, they
remain muted regarding Potts’ Senate
allies—the same Republican Senators who saddled
us with the largest tax increase in the history of
Virginia and continue to advocate a
cradle-to-grave government.
If Republican officials spoke out against the
other tax-and-spend renegades in the General
Assembly, there might be hope for the Party to
return to its fiscally conservative roots.
--
March 14, 2005
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