The Virginian-Pilot
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VIRGINIA BEACH
Republican Bob Tata is proud to have crossed party lines in his 25 years in the House of Delegates. His opponent, French Mackes of the Constitution Party, says Tata's not conservative enough.
Tata is endorsed by both a statewide anti-abortion group and the local teachers' association.
Mackes, who left the Republican Party last year, said he would draw a harder line on government spending and social issues such as abortion. He has drawn backing from both his Constitution Party and the state Independent Greens, who like his support of mass transit.
Mackes faults Tata for voting against a bill that defined life as beginning at conception. Tata said the bill would have been unconstitutional.
Holly Smith, chairman of the political action committee for the Virginia Society for Human Life, said the group supports Tata, who has a "perfect voting record with us."
Tata, a moderate Republican, has represented Southeastern Virginia Beach in the House of Delegates since 1984. In what he said will be his last run for office, he has taken a laid-back approach to fundraising, sending a single letter offering each donor a copy of a military thriller written by his son, retired Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Tata.
Mackes, a systems analyst at Norfolk State University who previously ran for the City Council and School Board, has found support among taxpayers' groups and at Tea Party events in the region.
He had raised about $500 through August, compared with nearly $55,000 raised by Tata.
Mackes is a staunch opponent of abortion and would increase transportation funding by cutting other areas, he said. He opposes raising taxes and believes that parents should be able to send their children to any school, public or private, at public expense.
"The Republican Party has become a very liberal party," Mackes said. A member of the Constitution Party's state executive committee, Mackes has used social networking site Facebook to promote his party and to communicate with 115 "friends."
"It's the technology of today," Mackes, 46, said.
Tata, 79, also has a page, maintained by aides, with 267 "friends."
"I don't even know how to get on it," he said.
Tata, who heads the House Education Committee and i s on the appropriations and transportation committees, helped pass bills this year requiring planning time for elementary school teachers and increasing the grievance rights of school support personnel.
He also has pushed for light rail and a public, state-run, four-year college in the city, efforts he said would be his main goals if he wins another term.
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
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The comment by HenryR is a
The comment by HenryR is a perfect example for explaining why the United States is in our current economic situation. Don't stand by your conservative, constitutional principles - vote for the Party. All of you fiscally conservative individuals, Republican and Democrat, out there that voted for the lesser of two evils,rather than stand on integrity and principle, are responsible for instilling our Marxist President. The bailouts, stimulus package and Obamacare would not have happened with a Constitution believing individual in office. You had the opportunity to vote for two Constitution believing individuals, Chuck Baldwin or Bob Barr, and you threw away your integrity. If you continue to vote the same way, you will receive the same result - higher taxes and less freedoms.
On November 3rd, vote for principle - French Mackes
French Mackes = Nelson Flavor
Remember Nelson Flavor on "Mork and Mindy", the perennial "people's candidate"? That's who French Mackes reminds me of. Mackes ran for City Council...and got creamed. Mackes ran for School Board...and was routed.
Having run out of non-partisan offices he could lose at and knowing he'd never get Republican Party support to run for partisan office, he party switched to the Constitution Party. It doesn't matter: Tata will roll up over 75% of the vote.
French Mackes
If I were in the 85th District Mr. Mackes would have my vote. Mr. Tata is well past an age to serve and he has compromised Republican principles. He should have stepped down years ago.
Support for the Constitution Party
The current race in the 85th District between Mr. Tata and Mr. Mackes exemplifies the entrenchment of the Career Politician and the difficulties beset his Challenger.
It seems we are mired in elected officials who ignore the will of the people they allegedly represent. We have Politicians that are so deeply entrenched in the fabric of political power that they are almost impossible to unseat. And our faith in the political process for bringing change we so desperately need and can believe in is suspect.
Virginians have a real choice this off-year election. They can vote for the same old, tired rhetoric of Career Politicians or choose a new breed of Delegates who want to restore the values of what the Founding Fathers intended. The Founding Fathers never intended that public service become a life’s pursuit. For them it was a calling and they returned to private life after serving. But the Career Politicians have different ideas. They desire to prolong their incumbency indefinitely. The original reason they have sought public office is quickly forgotten and the Public Interests are soon replaced by the Special Interests that are in harmony with the Career Politician’s
Tata
Vote for Tata...The "other" guy is a turncoat who will desert you when HE feels like it.
"Vote for Tata...The "other"
"Vote for Tata...The "other" guy is a turncoat who will desert you when HE feels like it."
We join political parties which reflect our principles. The "other" guy you label a turncoat left the Republican party when the Republican Party abandoned the principles that originally attracted him to the party. He stayed true to his principles and found a party which better represented his political views and values, the Constitution Party. That is not an example of a turncoat rather it is an example of a principled man.
Vote for French Mackes, a man of principle.
Check it out!
Don't just see CONSTITUTION Party and rule it out as some far right group.
I am a "normal" person, who has gone from Democrat to Republican to Constitutional.
IF you don't like the way things are heading (or already are) you owe it to your self to find out more.
http://www.constitutionparty.com/
Do your own research on Abortion
If you look at CDC and Jones Inst. data, you will see that abortions dropped more dramatically during clinton years than bush years. In fact they spiked up in 2003:proveing that a politicians stance on abortion has very little to do with what really happens. Abortion decisions are tied more to the financial situation of the person making the choice. When the economy is good, like in the 90's, we saw a massive drop in abortions. They only fell marginally during the bush years. If republicans want to see abortions fall, they should perhaps vote for more social & educational programs for poor people. But republicans don't want that, they want to keep their low income voters enslaved with ignorance. they play the Christian card but are hardly christian. We need to focus on the economic & educational issues. If we have a strong economy and people are getting educated, Abortions are sure to drop. Abortion studies will show that almost all abortion decisions are made with regret & are not easy.