The Budding Rand Paul–Bob McDonnell Flame War

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.).Andrew Shurtleff/ZumaPress.com

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On Saturday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) signed into law a sweeping transportation funding bill that lowers the state gas tax, raises the sales tax, and ultimately aims to bring in $1 billion a year in new funding. It was, as Politico‘s Alex Burns wrote, just the kind of signature accomplishment McDonnell had been looking for as he prepares to leave office next January.

But for allies of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, McDonnell’s possible 2016 presidential rival, the transportation bill is something else entirely: disqualifying. Here’s a fundraising email blasted out on Monday by the Campaign for Liberty, the organization chaired by former Rep. Ron Paul (Rand’s father) and actively supported by the senator:

As the Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Bob “Tax Hike” McDonnell’s sellout has ramifications for EVERY man, woman and child in America.

It’s no secret Bob McDonnell has ambitions to run for President.

Needless to say, after this massive tax hike on Virginia citizens – and cave in on ObamaCare – a dog catcher with a record like this is the last thing we need, let alone a President.

And here’s a piece Campaign for Liberty president John Tate published at Business Insider on Wednesday:

Business Insider

The good news for McDonnell, anyway, is that he’s finally being associated with something other than transvaginal ultrasounds.

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LESS DREADING, MORE DOING

This is the rubber-meets-road moment: the early days in our first fundraising drive since we took a big swing and merged with CIR to bring fearless investigative reporting to the internet, radio, video, and everywhere else that people need an antidote to lies and propaganda.

Donations have started slow, and we hope that explaining, level-headedly, why your support really is everything for our reporting will make a difference. Learn more in “Less Dreading, More Doing,” or in this 2:28 video about our merger (that literally just won an award), and please pitch in if you can right now.

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