{"id":885,"date":"2008-06-04T17:41:53","date_gmt":"2008-06-04T21:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/?p=885"},"modified":"2008-06-04T17:41:53","modified_gmt":"2008-06-04T21:41:53","slug":"interview-with-candidate-mark-ellmore-8th-cd-on-civil-rights-marriage-equality-and-jim-moran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/2008\/06\/04\/interview-with-candidate-mark-ellmore-8th-cd-on-civil-rights-marriage-equality-and-jim-moran\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Candidate Mark Ellmore (8th CD) – On Civil Rights, Marriage Equality, and Jim Moran"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the fourth and final part of a multi-part interview with Mark Ellmore<\/a>, candidate in the GOP primary, where he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s facing Amit Singh<\/a> (also interviewed at Blacknell.net<\/a>). The winner of the June 10th primary will face long time incumbent Rep. Jim Moran<\/a> (D) this fall. Part I is here<\/a> , Part II is here<\/a>, and Part III is here<\/a>.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

(I’m including part of an answer that has been previously published, to give context to the follow up question).<\/p>\n

ME (Mark Ellmore): [ . . .\u00c2\u00a0 ]Now you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to take extreme measures, unfortunately. Id like to be able to go to the airport like I used to in the old days and just show my drivers license and I walked in there with whatever. Those days are done based on these people who have created a situation for us, and the goal, the responsibility of the United States government is to keep you safe. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goal number one, at all costs.<\/p>\n

MB: Actually, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153goal number one\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States?<\/p>\n

ME: Absolutely, which is . . .<\/p>\n

MB: Which may not be the same thing as keeping me safe . . .<\/p>\n

ME: Hold on . . . [he starts pulling out a paper copy of the Constitution]<\/p>\n

MB: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got one of those, too, in my bag. [I do, about a foot away.]<\/p>\n

ME: Alright, so, but again, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right. Again, from the standpoint, that is. But in the bigger picture, their responsibility is to keep us all safe.<\/p>\n

MB: No, because [I think] there is a tension \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I mean, the next question I want to ask you, obviously, is the place of government in surveillance. Now, theoretically \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe this myself \u00e2\u20ac\u201c if you had a government listener listening in on every single conversation we had, on all callers in the United States \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we might actually be safer, physically. But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a country I want to live in.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ME: You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right.<\/p>\n

MB: That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a country that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s represented by that Constitution in your pocket.<\/p>\n

ME: You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right.<\/p>\n

MB: So, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tension between the two [i.e., keeping us safe and upholding the Constitution].<\/p>\n

ME: Right.<\/p>\n

MB: So, against that background, let me put up another thing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c nobody believes the President, right now, when he [says that],\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re respecting the Constitution, while . . .\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

ME: Hold on. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nobody\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153some people do not\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n

MB: Next to nobody.<\/p>\n

ME: Oh, hold on. Whoa whoa. Because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be a lot of people that do. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying I do, but . .<\/p>\n

MB: Okay. I would say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153very few people believe\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll leave it at that.<\/p>\n

ME: Alright.<\/p>\n

MB: Very few people believe the President when he says that, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re respecting the Constitution while we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re conducting surveillance.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Now, one of the things that [would make] it easier to believe him when he says that is if you have a strong Congress that was there saying that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You know what, we can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell you the details, but you need to believe him when he says that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

ME: Absolutely.<\/p>\n

MB: Checks on each other.<\/p>\n

ME: Checks and balances.<\/p>\n

ME: What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the role of Congress? We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had an Administration that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s taken this and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look, Congress doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t play a role. The judiciary doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really play a role. Trust us.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

ME: I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support that. And I think \u00e2\u20ac\u201c again, what you said \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support that, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think every human being, going through and phone calls, living in a a . . .<\/p>\n

MB: A police state.<\/p>\n

ME: Yes. No, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support that at all. What I believe, and again , I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not the President, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know everything that\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcs in that particular. . .<\/p>\n

MB: Sure.<\/p>\n

ME: . . . I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not an elected official. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got access to information I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have. I just think that what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to communicate is is when they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking to people overseas \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not talking about listening locally, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support that \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that aspect of it I think we need to leave alone. I think though, that when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking about people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and a lot of people that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve apprehended come from some of these phone calls, and \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re only getting bits and pieces of it.<\/p>\n

MB: Sure.<\/p>\n

ME: We just get the extreme left version of it, or the extreme right version.<\/p>\n

MB: But most of the pieces we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve gotten never measure up to what [the Administration] says it was in the beginning.<\/p>\n

ME: Sure, exactly. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all extrapolated. All I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying is that I do want to take strong consideration of that. But for me to sit here and say I have a thorough knowledge of every aspect of that . . . again, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be one of these phonies sitting before you lying. So we can talk in principle. I stand on the side of individual liberties, but again, given the turmoil and the time that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in right now, we have to draw a fine line. And I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s protecting us. You, John Q. Citizen, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. As a Congressman, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have a better idea. And I wish that the Congress would do what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re saying. Just step up and say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hey guys, these are people who are trying to kill us, give us information so we know more about what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t leave out in the cold with everything. So we know. That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean tell us every time . . . \u00e2\u20ac\u0153<\/p>\n

MB: Step up and say that to the Executive, you mean?<\/p>\n

ME: No, to the people<\/em>. So we know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on in the country.<\/p>\n

MB: So how can they say that if they haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t gotten that from the Executive?<\/p>\n

ME: Well that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where the communication is supposed to be. See, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re supposed to have a flow of information back and forth. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support the presidential branch of government hoarding everything, and running it from there. Just like when you go to war \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the Constitution tells me that Congress should be the guys that [declare war]. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re fighting a wacky ideological situation here. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a country involved. And I think, unfortunately, with these extreme circumstances, it calls on us to do some extreme things. But again, we knee jerk one way, and it mellows down. We knee jerk another, and it mellows down. We knee jerk over the economy, and it mellows down. We knee jerk over this, and it mellows down. So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a meet-me-in-the-middle kinda guy.<\/p>\n

I just want to make common sense decisions. I want you to be able to call me and say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hey, Mark, can we get a cup of coffee and talk about this?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what a Congressman is supposed to do. Not isolate yourself . You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re supposed to serve all the people. And be involved in the community. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take up residence [on Capitol Hill].<\/p>\n

MB: Well, to get to that point, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not just going to have to beat Jim Moran, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have to beat Amit Singh.<\/p>\n

ME: Yes.<\/p>\n

MB: Differentiate yourself a little bit from Mr. Singh.<\/p>\n

ME: Well . . .<\/p>\n

MB: He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done pretty well in the fundraising, and<\/p>\n

ME: Well that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine, and again, I just believe that the difference would be, one, that I have the level of maturity needed to challenge Jim Moran. I think that my track record for service in the community \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which is what people, when you get in the general election, are going to be looking at \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve owned a home here since I was 25 years old. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve worked in the community for 32 years \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost as old as he is \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a proven track record of service in the community. Working with children with disabilities. Working with the poor. Working with the needy. Working with organizations of all different ethnicities. Working with people from the Middle Eastern community. Serving people in the community \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there are thousands of people that I have helped through fiscal responsibility, in the home lending and financial management piece.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve put two kids into college. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a child who is actively serving in the United States military. So you know, when they say,\u00e2\u20ac\u009dHey, Mr. Congressman Wannabe, how do you have a stake in this?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got my flesh and blood \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the most important thing to me in my life, a kid \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on the North Korean border at Osan [a military base], who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working 12 hour shifts, every day , serving the country AND going to the University of Maryland. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a daughter who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at Marymount University.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done all the things [as a small business operator]. I understand what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to be as a homeowner, to meet a mortgage payment. I understand what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to lose a father when I was four years old, to be the man of the family, of the household, as a boy. And to start working when I was 14. I understand what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to have a mother who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got Alzheimers in an assisted living facility, and to take care of her. I understand what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like to have a father who was a firefighter, who [suffered from his service, dying from work-related inhalation of carcinogens at 45 years old]. I can relate to those folks. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a brother who served for over 30 years in the United States government, honorably, and is retiring soon. I understand the needs of our civil service workers, I understand the needs of the people. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more than saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, by the way, I read the Ronald Reagan website and now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a platform.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been doing it for 20 months, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a grassroots campaign in place \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you saw those women over there. I can connect with people. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read off the webpage and say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, by the way, here I am, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m the next Ronald Reagan. Oh, let me check page 32.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I am who I am.<\/p>\n

And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got that connectivity in the community[.] You know what? When the rubber meets the road and Jim Moran gets up there, you better be able to articulate your message. And I think I can do that. And I think I can earn the trust of the people here in the 8th District. I can meet these people and get them to say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Okay, this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t some whackjob that read a manual. This is a guy that literally loves where he lives and wants to serve.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not in it for me. When I was in my thirties, I spent that time serving myself. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m ready to serve others now.<\/p>\n

MB: Good. One more specific issue question and then a final wrap up and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be done. I think it was 68% of the people [in Arlington] that voted against the [anti-gay marriage Marshall-Newman Amendment to the Virginia Constitution].<\/p>\n

ME: Right.<\/p>\n

MB: I think you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on record as saying you support DOMA [the federal Defense of Marriage Act]. I want to make sure that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m clear on that.<\/p>\n

ME: I supported \u00e2\u20ac\u201c do you want me to go ahead and give you the answer to this now?<\/p>\n

MB: Sure.<\/p>\n

ME: Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my point on this \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we have so many people of all different backgrounds in this state. Where I stand on that is traditional marriage is between a man and a woman. Number two \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I respect anybody who is above the age of 18 to be love with, to be in a relationship with, to form a civil union with \u00e2\u20ac\u201c at the state level \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to do whatever they want. I think that the Federal government should absolutely stay away from that and make it a state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rights issue. But I supported the same amendment because I like what Elton John said \u00e2\u20ac\u201c<\/p>\n

MB: [I start laughing]<\/p>\n

ME: Elton John! Who is one of my favorite musicians \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Elton John just came out and said \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Guys, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a marriage<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a civil union between two individuals who are in love!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

MB: So you supported the Virginia amendment?<\/p>\n

ME: Yes.<\/p>\n

MB: But didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that take away all the rights of civil unions? All the possibility<\/em> of a civil union?<\/p>\n

ME: [pauses] I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that that is . . .<\/p>\n

MB: It took away any of the rights that you could get to through marriage from any couple [that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t married].<\/p>\n

ME: Yeah.<\/p>\n

MB: And they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even make it same sex. It was actually any couple living together in Virginia.<\/p>\n

ME: Right, but you see, we had one or the other. So in that particular case, to protect marriage, because again, okay . . .<\/p>\n

MB: So you would trample on the rights of individuals to have that relationship . . .<\/p>\n

ME: No no . . .<\/p>\n

MB: . . . a civil union . . .<\/p>\n

ME: . . . no . . .<\/p>\n

MB: to protect traditional marriage?<\/p>\n

ME: No. What I . . . well . . . in this particular case, for the state of Virginia, that was the bill that was offered up. And I had to say yes or no to that particular amendment. So because . . .<\/p>\n

MB: You had to pick?<\/p>\n

ME: I had to pick because I stand for traditional marriage. On the other hand, I support peoples rights to have a civil union. And would support that.<\/p>\n

MB: But that constitutional amendment didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You vote for this OR we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have gay marriage.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like you were forced into that. You picked . . .<\/p>\n

ME: Right. But I picked what . . . I had a choice. I had . . .<\/p>\n

MB: . . . a choice between . . .<\/p>\n

ME: . . . . red or blue. I had \u00e2\u20ac\u0153support the amendment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153not support the amendment.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And I \u00e2\u20ac\u201c because I believe – the bigger vote for me was on \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in the state of Virginia \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just the definition of marriage. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it.<\/p>\n

MB: So that was the way I put it. You picked preserving the definition of marriage as being between a man and woman . . .<\/p>\n

ME: Yes<\/p>\n

MB: . . . over the possibility \u00e2\u20ac\u201c not the reality, but the possibility<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c of civil unions between any couples [regardless of sexuality].<\/p>\n

ME: Right.<\/p>\n

MB: That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more important to you.<\/p>\n

ME: But you see, I see them as separate and distinct issues.<\/p>\n

MB: But you precluded one by voting for the other.<\/p>\n

ME: Well, but again, you have to go back, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the chicken before the egg. I had no choice. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s either one or the other. When the vote came up, I had to make a choice right then. Do I support making marriage in the state of Virginia between a man and a woman? And again, maybe shame on me for not getting the entire bill in front of me and really doing my due diligence and learning more about that. So maybe shame on me that maybe if I had more information, and looked at it, but again, under the pretense that I had, I support states rights. And I believe in an individual right of any couple \u00e2\u20ac\u201c of two individuals \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to do whatever they chose to do.<\/p>\n

MB: But you voted against that. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m getting at. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean to harp on this, but . . .<\/p>\n

ME: No, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine.<\/p>\n

MB: I mean, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking about a state issue right now, not DOMA or some federal act, but the state level. You precluded \u00e2\u20ac\u201c by supporting [the VA amendment] \u00e2\u20ac\u201c any two individuals from entering into the relationship that they want to.<\/p>\n

ME: But as a result of the fact that I voted on that, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re bringing a piece of that legislation up to me that I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have completely articulated to me when the time came, okay?<\/p>\n

MB: [I give him the look that you give someone when you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe them, and I am sure he interpreted it correctly.]<\/p>\n

ME: Then yes, I am guilty, if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way you would look at it and say . . .<\/p>\n

MB: No, I . . .<\/p>\n

ME: Right, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just saying that I support traditional marriage between a man and a woman. And so is there, in that state bill, and maybe, if I read every bond referendum that we voted on, all the way through it, if I looked at every single amendment. . . I was voting on the simple fact that, in the state of Virginia, I would like it to say that a man and a woman defines marriage. I do firmly stand behind \u00e2\u20ac\u201c two men, two women, whatever you have \u00e2\u20ac\u201c having a civil union and that you be allowed some of those same privileges, rights, and benefits that are afforded to couples.<\/p>\n

MB: But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a possibility anymore, because that amendment passed.<\/p>\n

ME: I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go back and put it in a bottle. So the answer to your question would be \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we can sit here and debate all day long over why.<\/p>\n

MB: Sure.<\/p>\n

ME: I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have an answer. And again, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a good liar. So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not going to sit here and BS you. I voted yes. I believe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a man and a woman. But I do support civil unions, and let that be a states issue, how they define a civil union and a unification of two people who love each other. And I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to get into that.<\/p>\n

MB: Okay. So, as a closing issue, assume that you pick up the nomination. What do you say to all these voters on why you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll do a better job than Jim Moran?<\/p>\n

ME: I feel that Jim Moran hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done enough on the key issues, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disconnected from the community. I think that Jim Moran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s let us down when it comes to being responsible. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying that spending isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t important and we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have needs in the community, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone from being a \u00e2\u20ac\u201c do what you need to keep us safe \u00e2\u20ac\u201c again, this is the way I do business here, in my view \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the things to keep us safe and the things to keep the quality of life here high for everybody. I think there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s enough resources here and at the federal level, the money that has been sent to the community here to do that.<\/p>\n

I think that Jim Moran has let us down when it comes to fiscal responsibility with his reckless earmark spending. You know, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying that there wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a time \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as Frank Wolf [used earmark money] for gang violence. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t support earmarks myself, in that way, because I think it puts you on a slippery slope, but because I would rather go out and stand before the members and say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, by the way, guys, we need to widen 66 inside the Beltway. Guys, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have rail to Dulles. Do you think you could step up and help us get that funded?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

MB: Sure. Would you vote for an earmark that would give us a tunnel to Dulles?<\/p>\n

ME: It wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be an earmark. You need to be bold enough to go stand before the other Members of the United States House of Representatives \u00e2\u20ac\u201c like it was meant to be, before these shady earmarks came along \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and unless they are for national security purposes, right, that says oh by the way this particular undercover organization, or this . . . that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a whole different story. But when you stand before \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and you need to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, by the way . . \u00e2\u20ac\u0153 They didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any problem going to get the money for the Wilson Bridge project.<\/p>\n

MB: Would you support a bill for the [Metro to Tyson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s] tunnel?<\/p>\n

ME: Absolutely. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to get that done. We had it! I support federal support \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a portion, the state of Virginia a portion, and privatize. Let it get in the hands of the private sector and get all the people to do fair and open bidding. [Ellmore would say to Congress, ]\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But guys, you gotta understand, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the Tyson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tunnel done. Twenty years from now, the cost will be nothing in retrospect. Why don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t we have the Tyson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tunnel? Why don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t we have the rail to Dulles, so we can get people off the road? Why isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t 66 done inside the Beltway?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Moran has stood and watched.<\/p>\n

I came out to say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hey, let the people speak!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And the people of Arlington said , \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hey, get it done.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The people of the 8th said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Get it done.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jim Moran hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done enough. The little things. I meet the people on the street that say he hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done enough. And when they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking to people, they just want a guy who comes with a clean heart. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a political agenda. I have a service agenda. I want [you] to sit down with me and say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Congressman Ellmore, this is really jacked up. Do you mind if I get five minutes of your time to tell you what a wreck this is? Will you please not patronize me and send me some stupid letter? Will you actually take a few minutes \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or a member of your staff reach out to me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the difference. I worked 30 years loving and caring for and serving people in my profession. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all I do. Is serve people. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m ready to kick it to the next level.<\/p>\n

And I believe in term limits. Three terms, maybe four, get out. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a lifetime appointment.<\/p>\n

MB: Is that your pledge, today? Serve four terms, get out?<\/p>\n

ME: Absolutely. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not supposed to take up residence over there. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what keeps you from doing your job. Cause you vote to stay elected. Jim Moran signed off on CAFTA. Is that a good liberal issue?<\/p>\n

MB: Do you support CAFTA?<\/p>\n

ME: Absolutely. You gotta support CAFTA.<\/p>\n

MB: How can you jump off on Jim Moran [for it] if you support CAFTA?<\/p>\n

ME: Well, because, again, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m for free trade. But what I want, and where I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m at . . . Jim Moran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a Democrat! He let down the whole Democratic Party. He was the Whip. Do you understand what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying? Jim Moran stood before everybody and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, by the way, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m the poster child for this.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d So I support free trade. But what I do support, that Jim Moran won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come out and tell you, is that I say, for every ship that comes into the United States with your bag of stuff on it, I want the same weight, right out the door. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way we keep it balanced and free trade. What comes in, I want the same boat filled going out.<\/p>\n

MB: What if it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t?<\/p>\n

ME: Well what if it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, well, you have to . . .<\/p>\n

MB: Do we have tariffs? Do we . . .<\/p>\n

ME: No, you have to work \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just part of the agreement when you set that up. Whether it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dealing with the Colombians . . . Jim actually authored legislation and offered up with a Sri Lankan free trade agreement.<\/p>\n

MB: Okay.<\/p>\n

ME: I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see these agreements. I think the Constitution says that Congress is the only one that can set up a trade agreement, if I read it correctly.<\/p>\n

MB: Yeah, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little tricky these days . . .<\/p>\n

ME: It is tricky. But again, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like anything else. The horse has left the barn on a lot of this stuff. I just want to make common sense decisions. I want [you] and other members of this community, when we sit down together to talk about how to go forward and serve the community, that we do it evenhandedly. That yes, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a conservative guy, and this is what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to get , but I want to serve everybody. Not just the handful of people who say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, by the way, why don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you go be a hater one way or the other.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d You have to be willing to meet people in the middle. And that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean water down my message. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take away from who I am. But there are a lot of people in this district that are very very different-minded than I am. And I have respect for them. And I want to listen to them. And I want to serve. And I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to come out and say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, by the way, hang on, let me go to my Ronald Reagan manual, oh it says here, bang! I got an answer!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

MB: So what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re saying is that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a Ronald Reagan hater?<\/p>\n

ME: No!<\/p>\n

MB: Just kidding.<\/p>\n

ME: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just saying I love Ronald Reagan, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m an independent thinker that knows what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got on our hands here. I want [you] to come to me someday and say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Man, you know what? You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the best customer service representative we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had, here. You love the people of the community. And you listen to me. You care about what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on my mind. You care about what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in my heart. Your staff solved my issue. You keep me safe. And you keep the quality of life here high for me. And you respect my individual liberties.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it.<\/p>\n

[That concludes the interview with Mark Ellmore.\u00c2\u00a0 My reflections on this, as well as the interview with Amit Singh, will be posted in a separate piece.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the fourth and final part of a multi-part interview with Mark Ellmore, candidate in the GOP primary, where he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s facing Amit Singh (also interviewed at Blacknell.net). The winner of the June 10th primary will face long time incumbent Rep. Jim Moran (D) this fall. Part I is here , Part II is here, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-virginia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blacknell.net\/dynamic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}