Ray Morrogh for Commonwealth's Attorney

For me, this was the toughest election of the year to decide how to vote.  There is a lot to like about the Republican nominee Patrick McDade, who has outworked his opponent this election and has made himself available to anyone in Fairfax County willing to listen to him.  I totally agree with most of his platform, especially the points he has made regarding the lack of prosecutors and how that impacts state funding,  creating a never ending cycle of an office too small for Fairfax County's size.  He is also right that the office needs significant technological upgrades and that the next Commonwealth's Attorney needs to focus on administration as much as prosecuting to be successful.

On the other hand, I've been a little cold on Ray Morrogh.  I don't like the way he was anointed a few days before the filing deadline and frankly if this was an even political county he would lose this election because he has been outworked.  He is totally reliant on the Democratic Party label to get across the finish line, and he better hope the polls are staffed with sample ballots because party ID is not on the ballot.  In addition the Cornejo case is a disaster from what I can see and the lack of public comment is really not good from a public official.

That having been said, I am a Democrat, so even with all that I was undecided going into the last few weeks.  I'm glad I didn't commit early because over the last 10 days I have seen a different side of Ray Morrogh.  He stood up with Chap Petersen when his opponent sent out a mailing with his home address and children's name, a sick and twisted political move.   I am thrilled the Commonwealth's Attorney in Fairfax can make time in his schedule to try and ensure children's safety even when it means stepping into a political landmine.

The result of Ray's courage has been political pressure and thuggery from the Davis machine.  No surprise there, because it is all they know how to do. But Ray has stood strong against the pressure and shown that he will do the right thing, even if it means crossing the most organized and petty political machine in his area. That's the kind of independence I have been hoping he would show during this campaign, and it's enough for me to overlook the other issues with his campaign and give him a chance for a full four year term as Commonwealth's Attorney. 

At the end of this term if Ray has not improved the problems with that office, I will very strongly consider endorsing his opponent, especially if it is Patrick once again.  But I've seen Ray is willing to take a chance in doing the right thing, and so I am willing to give Ray a chance to show what he can do as Commonwealth's Attorney. 

This is an important election, and both candidates have earned your attention before voting. Also, I hope this isn't the last we see of Patrick McDade who is a rising star in the Fairfax Republican Party.   Patrick has an ad up on our toolbar and has gotten over 1,000,000 page views since the first one went up, including over 360,000 in the last month so if you have any questions for him you should visit his website and email him, he is very good about responding personally to every contact to his campaign.  I hope Ray will try to be as aggressive as Patrick has been in community outreach once the campaign is over.

Comments

[pathetic]

endorsement based on your mancrush with Petersen

This blog is a pathetic shadow of what it used to be

[Not Larry Sabato]

Pathetic (i.e. Novamiddleman)-

Classy.

[novamiddleman]

classy from you?!?!

just look at your blog posts the last couple days

Seriously, I think the closeness of the senate races has clouded some judgements.

[Not Larry Sabato]

I'm Chap's friend, I was his campaign manager when he first ran for Delegate, he was an officer in the Fairfax YD's when I was Chair, and we have been friends a long time. I have never hidden that. You on the other hand are a false moderate who has never crossed party lines (unlike me) and have no credibility.

[LAS]

You tell him, Ben!

[Prediction: McDade beats Morrogh]

Ray is an incompetent stooge that does not know how to lead. If anyone thinks that Morrogh wasn't taking his cues from Horan on that whole Chap fiasco, they are sorely mistaken. Ray couldn't campaign his way out of a paper bag and he sure as hell can't run a the CA's office worth a damn.

Patrick McDade has the smarts and leadership to take over the CA's office and produce real change. Change that WILL not occur if the public elects Ray Morrogh.

That is why I am voting for Patrick McDade for Commonwealth's Attorney!

Note to Morrogh: This is not Patrick's campaign. I just want to see actual change occur in that office.

[Not Harry F. Byrd, Sr.]

Obviously, none of you have seen Ray Morrogh wax McDade in any of the multiple debates they've had.

McDade hasn't (a) run an office or (b) tried a significant felony yet. The guy has 2 years of experience.

This one isn't even close.

[Not Jack Herrity]

Morrogh is still refusing to investigate a guy who might have gotten away with murder, and he goes around openly telling people his staffing is fine and there are no problems in his office. But standing with Chap at a press conference is more important? Sorry Ben, you lost me on this one.

NJH

[Va Blogger]

Hold on a damn second here, Ben.

You go on and on about how McDade is a better candidate and has great ideas to run on. That's fine.

Then you talk about how you're a Democrat, and are inclined to support other Democrats. That's fine as well.

But you list your primary reason for supporting Murrough because he "stood up to the Davis machine"? Is *this* how far your pathetic obsession with the Davis family extends?

In any other place, the acting Commonwealth's Attorney announce, while standing next to a member of his own party in a tough election campaign, that he's launching an investigation into his party's political opponent *A WEEK BEFORE ELECTION DAY* would be considered a highest breach of political tampering and unethical behavior.

But as anyone who has read this blog more than once knows, you're hopelessly obsessed with the Davis's. So its understandable why you would applaud Murrough for tampering with Jeannemarie's re-election campaign.

However, calling it an act of "independence" is the largest crock of shit in history. Murrough's actions couldn't be further from "independence" of any sort. They are 100%, tried and true, partisan reasons. And though you are as equally partisan, and apparently don't see the trouble with it, there's absolutely no chance that anyone could be dumb enough to think that his actions indicated even the slightest amount of "independence".

In five days, Jeannemarie will lose. Hopefully after then, your embarassing crusade will stop and you'll get some goddamn sense.

[Reality Bites]

Well at least you admit that she'll lose (when is Tom going to admit it?)

[SJ]

I like Chap, and am glad he stood up when he thought his opponent did something inappropriate to his family. But as acting Commonwealth Attorney, it was an indictment of Morrogh's credibility that he stood up there to throw the weight of the CA's office into a political dispute. No laws were broken by Devolites, just bad judgement.

The CA's office is supposed to protect victims of crimes, not political victims. Morrough just proved how dependant he is on other people to appear respectable, and his use of the office just shows what an amateur he is.

There's nothing "middle" about "novamiddleman"

You all are pathetic, this string has shown how off base this blog can get. Morrogh is the only choice based on experience, credibility and ability. You can like a snot nosed rookie lawyer all you want, modernizing an office with technology is useless when you have no ability to try the serious cases in one of the nations largest jurisdictions. Has anyone attended the debates? Obviously not.
As for the "investigation," that is a Davis myth. Period. Give me a break guys.

[Not Wayne Rooney]

This line takes the cake:
"I am thrilled the Commonwealth's Attorney in Fairfax can make time in his schedule to try and ensure children's safety even when it means stepping into a political landmine."

Give me a break.

Great endorsement Ben, and if you are voting for Ray so am I.

[Va Blogger]

Let this be a lesson to other political candidates. If you want Ben Tribbet's endorsement, all you have to do is do something against Tom or Jeannemarie Davis. It doesn't matter if its illegal, unethical, or blatantly partisan. It doesn't matter anything you've done in the past. Ben is a one-issue guy.

[Educated Voter]

Disappointed in you Ben.

It's no secret that you're a democrat, but to blindly support someone because of their political theatrics is just form over substance. You're endorsing a candidate because he took the opportunity to physically stand behind your beloved Chap and be a media whore.

If you have ever stepped foot in the Fairfax courthouse and became educated on how unprepared and sloppy Morrough's office performs then perhaps you wouldn't wave your political flag so high. As an attorney, I find the current CA's office embarassing and think the office would be better served by someone who's consistently been tough in prosecuting cases. Horan was younger than McDade when he was first elected, yet voters gave him a chance because he was a good attorney - as is McDade. Yes, McDade is not as old as Morrough. But many years of running a subpar office doesn't make you the better candidate.

If you practiced law in Northern Virginia then you would know that there's a huge difference in the reputation that McDade has in the courtroom v. the Fairfax CA's. McDade actually prosecutes felonies.

[Still Waiting for an Answer]

Amazing that Morrough can make the time to jump into the policial fray, but doesn't have time to explain to his constitutents and the Cornejo family why his office has failed them.

[SJ]

Tell us how you really feel Morrogh @ 3:04.

You know, that post is kinda the problem with the whole Morrogh philosophy. This entire campaign season he's been acting like he's earned this post by breathing. Like it's been this huge inconvenience that he's had to go outside and explain what he's doing in the commonwealth attorney's office. If it wasn't for McDade's campaign you get the feeling he wouldn't bother hiring anyone, looking at the office, talking to victims, or anything he's supposed to be doing.

He hasn't stated once that he has a plan for the CA's office. He just keeps talking about his "passion" for prosecuting child abuse.

My mother-in-law saw the channel 8 debate they did a little while back and said "I would never vote for a politician like that. He looks too fat and self satisfied, like he hasn't had to work or worry in 10 years."

Half jokingly I said the statistics back her up on that...

[Dan Geroe]

Look, Ben, middleman has a huge thing for the Davis people. That's fine. Personally, I think that he could find somebody better to idolize than Senator Turdfart and her bitc...I mean husband. But that's just me. His belief that this blog has become "pathetic" is just his disappointment at how you've spent so much time going after the Davis crowd. Stuff like this happens.

Yeah, this blog is so pathetic, that's why its traffic is through the roof!

http://blog.oxroadsouth.com/2007/10/31/morning-coffee-at-the-senior-center.aspx#comment-631468

"I say this as an independent-minded, staunchly moderate registered Republican who voted Webb, will vote Mark Warner, and would vote for you (if I lived in your district instead of adjacent to it). Tom Davis is the Tom Delay of Virginia, and his wife's campaign crossed the line into Abramoff territory with this series of campaign e-mails, in my opinion."

[Sam]

I voted absentee a couple weeks ago, but the last couple days has made me quite happy to have voted for Ray Morrough three weeks ago.

Morrough's no idiot, and the CA's office is well aware of politics, and in light of the Holtzman-Vogel/Plowman saga, Morrough knows what happens when a CA steps in and makes a decision that can be construed as political. Morrough did it anyways because it was the right thing to do, and I am happy to have voted for him, and to have voted for Chap.

Like Ben, I'm a Democrat, but I too was considering voting for McDade. I'm now truly happy I voted for Morrough.

[reality bites]

Check out RK. Breaking scandal on the Davises. Apparently, they are using the Federal contractor email list to send out invites for a JMDD fundraiser tomorrow night in Ffx City.

Good thing that JMDD is relying on her own merits to win this thing ...

[Mike@Blueweeds]

Ben - Thank you for the attention you have helped bring to the CA race - and particularly to the Cornejo matter. I am surprised about your endorsement, but understand your position. You have been an important part of extracting a vital concesstion from Morrogh as a candidate - his committment, should he win, to personally relooking at the Cornejo case. For two years he has been unwilling to make that committment and would not have considered relooking at the Cornejo killing if not for the public reaction he has faced during this campaign. If Morrogh wins, I hope you will continue to track the Cornejo case to ensure the CAO does not whitewash another investigation into the Cornejo killing.