Bob McDonnell's Thesis

On Sunday The Washington Post published an article about Virginia GOP gubenatorial candidate Bob McDonnell's 1989 thesis. The thesis, was written to satisfy the JD and public policy course requirements at CBN University (now called Regent University) the school founded by Pat Robertson (yes, THAT Pat Robertson).


The thesis, entitled The Republican Party's Vision for the Family: The Compelling Issue of the Decade, was written by McDonnell when he was a 34 years old married father. In it lays out policy goals to uphold the "traditional" family of a wage earning father and a homemaker mother. He describes working women and feminists as detrimental to the family. He argues that a Supreme Court decision allowing the use of contraceptives by unmarried people is illogical. He contends that sexual behavior can and should be overseen by the State.

Two years after the publication of he thesis, Bob McDonnell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. The Post article points out that during the following fourteen years, he pursued at least ten of the policy goals outlined in that paper. As recently as 2001, McDonnell voted AGAINST a resolution in support of ending pay disparity between men and women.

When contacted by the Post about the thesis, McDonnell gave the usual "some of my best friends are...." answers. He stated that he employed women in his office while AG and that his wife and daugthers work. Nice to know you allow that Bob.

McDonnell is trying to present himself to Virginia voters as a moderate. A reading of this thesis and a review of his voting record in the General Assembly shows how inaccurate that label is. He is a classic fundamentalist, right wing politician whose main goal is to put his religious beliefs into law.

I encourage all Virginia voters to visit the Washington Post site and read Mr. McDonnell's thesis. Let me know what you think.