Government bureaucrats strongly inclined to vote for Democrats sunk Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli’s bid for Virginia governor, especially those staffing the military-industrial complex, said former Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul on Wednesday.
Paul, a 2012 candidate for the Republican nomination, supported Cuccinelli in his bid for the Virginia governor’s seat against the winner, Democratic Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe. Paul blamed government workers that reside in the D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia for Cuccinelli’s loss.
“You know, a couple weeks ago Ken was way behind and nearly caught up,” Paul said on Wednesday’s “Your World” on the Fox News Channel. “So, I would say it was still an issue. But I think government workers was a bigger issue. I think it was sort of like throwing in D.C. people into the race because of northern Virginia. So, that’s a completely different story.”
Host Neil Cavuto asked Paul if the federal government shutdown last month ultimately cost Cuccinelli the election. Paul said it may have made a difference, but he attributed the loss to the larger influence of corporate money.
“Well, I don’t think — no, I don’t think that’s the deciding factor, but I think in northern Virginia it played a role into it,” Paul replied. “But I don’t think that makes it right or wrong. I think all this race did was prove Hayek’s point that the worse rise to the top. And I think this is the case of what happens so often that people who can be the most negative and appeal to the lowest common denominator and I think this is the reason some people can win and McAuliffe had a lot of money. He had corporation money.”
“This whole story, you know, that the rich always support the Republicans and the conservatives — I think this proves the point that you know, the Democrats, like many Republicans are in bed with big corporations,” Paul continued. “In this case, you know, McAuliffe raised, what, $30-some million, twice as much as Cuccinelli. So you know, money talks. Big corporations talk. The military talks because of the military-industrial complex in northern Virginia. So you have to be realistic, I think if anything you should say that Obamacare is going to decide — is decide itself with the American people because they are not happy now. They are not happy with the website. They’re not going to be happy with the medical care. So, if somebody wants to say oh yeah this is a victory. Obamacare is actually better than a lot of people were saying, they’ll be kidding themselves.
As for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s win in New Jersey on Wednesday, host Neil Cavuto asked Paul if that might labeled to be the new way to win as Republican. But the former Texas congressman dismissed that, saying New Jersey wasn’t a “litmus test” for the county.
“If [Christie] wants to go by the way of McCain and Romney, I guess he can go ahead and do it,” Paul added. “Maybe he can become the nominee, but I think he will be saying the same old stuff again, wishy-washy stuff. Chased all the constitutionalists, limited government, libertarians — chased them home. Why vote? You know, if that’s what he wants to do. I mean, I don’t think New Jersey is a litmus test for the United States of America.”