Ken Cuccinelli may be striking a blow to his own gubernatorial campaign. The high-profile Virginia attorney general is publishing a book next month that promises to be a “must-read for every patriot.”
While the book—“The Last Line of Defense: The New American Liberty”—may give Cuccinelli some extra publicity, Politico points out that it may not be the kind of attention he’s looking for.
The 272-page book provides a “behind the scenes account” of the conservative’s conflicts with the Obama administration during his tenure as attorney general.
The far-right Cuccinelli will need to appeal to moderate voters in order to win the general election and writing a president-bashing book just before the election may not help his cause. As the book synopsis on Amazon points out, Cuccinelli claims the title of being the first attorney general to battle against Obamacare in federal court.
The book description also says:
With Obamacare and agencies like the EPA, the FCC, and the National Labor Relations Board attempting to exercise unprecedented control over the American people, the Obama Administration was breaking federal laws, ignoring federal courts, and violating the Constitution to achieve its goals of redistributing wealth, concentrating power in Washington, and rewarding its supporters.
Politico wrote:
Professionals believe Cuccinelli’s best hope to win the race is to replicate outgoing Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s successful 2009 campaign model of focusing on pocketbook issues such as the economy and roads — and deemphasizing many of the controversial social issues that have been centerpieces of Cuccinelli’s tenure as attorney general.
One possible explanation for Cuccinelli’s decision: The attorney general probably signed the contract for the book when Lt. Gov Bill Bolling was still in the race, so he could have thought that such a book would have helped him rally the Republican base during the primary.
But he’s running unopposed for the primary and will likely need to tone down his fiery, ideological rhetoric in order to win. This book could help Democrats define him, preventing him from ever redefining himself--if he wants to--during the campaign.
IN OTHER NEWS:
* O’Malley’s $37.3 billion state budget proposal
* Washington City Paper’s latest cover story—The Republican D.C. never knew it needed: How Darrell Issa became the District’s best friend in Congress
* Costco is one of the first stores to seek a Sunday liquor license in D.C.
* An infographic explaining how a D.C. bill becomes a law (h/t @willsommer)
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* Is the mayor’s One City One Hire program working?
* Jury selection begins for Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold, who is accused of using his security detail to have an affair
* McDonnell received $50,000 in gifts last year, Cuccinelli got $9,000
* Chuck Thies: Tommy Wells for D.C. mayor
* Is Bolling recruiting for an independent ticket?
* Virginia working with U.S. on health exchange
Photo Credit: Virginia Attorney General's Office