Virginia
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5:34 a.m.
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crossposted from Daily Kos - the link on Webb is to the dailykos version of that piece We have had quite a few analyses of how Obama did in Appalachia, and why. But consider this: Clinton said in her victory speech on Tuesday night that no Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without taking West Virginia. True. But they all could have won without it. The margins of victor...
Raising Kaine - 5:33 a.m.
Over at the Virginian-Pilot, Dale Eisman has an excellent article on Jim Webb's prospects for vice president. ...18 months after his surprising triumph in Virginia, Webb, 62, is pulling political levers that almost surely will put him in the top tier of potential Democratic nominees for vice president , whether the ticket is led by Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton. Webb's tenacious a...
Raising Kaine - 5:33 a.m.
Jim Webb is on the short list for vice president, The Virginian-Pilot writes . Webb, 62, is pulling political levers that almost surely will put him in the top tier of potential Democratic nominees for vice president, whether the ticket is led by Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton. Webb's tenacious advocacy of a new GI Bill, which would give every veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afg...
Howling Latina - 5:32 a.m.
Nothing like a little election year competition, to focus politicians on getting results for their home district. House Passes 2007 Farm Bill - Includes Funds for Chesapeake Bay Clean Up May 14, 2008 The House of Representatives passed a version of the farm bill yesterday that would double the federal government's funding for cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay, adding about $440 m...
Cobalt6 - Fri 9:22 p.m. - 5 clicks 
Recent polling information has piqued interest in the race between Glenn Nye and Thelma Drake in Virginia’s Second Congressional District. A new poll that shows Drake extremely vulnerable and recent Democratic victories in the South have shown that voters are looking for candidates like Glenn Nye that have forward-looking, independent approaches to solving problems. [...]...
Virginia Beach Dems - Fri 9:22 p.m. - 6 clicks
By now, the whole world has seen the following video of George Bush, on foreign soil, Israel’s Knesset to be exact, comparing Barack Obama to those isolationists who sought to appease Adolph Hitler. It was an outrageous statement that brought immediate and furious reaction not only from Democrats but also, as this video shows, from Pat Buchanan. H/t to Raising Kaine (and as Lowell obser...
Anonymous Is A Woman - Fri 9:20 p.m. - 12 clicks
Doug Wilder announced today that he won't seek a second term as Mayor of Richmond. At 77, that likely signals his retirement. With a major lack of support recently in Richmond, how will he be remembered - embattled mayor or historic governor? From WTOP: http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=1... RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, announced Friday th...
Raising Kaine - Fri 7:24 p.m. - 10 clicks
Webb is about to engage in a nationwide media blitz to sell a few books and inform the nation how more than a few Republicans have refused to support the troops. With the recent House passage of Webb's signature GI bill, the junior senator from Virginia will be a guest on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday to talk about the bill, his new book and hopefully embarass wayward Republican senators into ...
Howling Latina - Fri 7:24 p.m. - 7 clicks
It's not often that you get to read a memo written by one Republican arguing that one of their Republican colleagues (and neighbors) is in electoral danger. But now we've got one , courtesy of Rep. Tom Davis (R-11). It's a long memo, but here's the part we particularly enjoyed reading over at Feder for Congress: A look at key House races shows Democratic candidates much better funded than th...
Farewell Frank - Fri 5:13 p.m. - 10 clicks
Today The Shad Plank took on the question of Obama's likely choices for a Vice Presidential running mate. The Shad Plank confidently predicts that Obama will choose a southern white male as a running mate in order to balance the ticket. I don't think Obama's calculations will be quite so blatantly racial, but there Obama does have a few choices available, which The Shad Plank is kind enough to...
The Richmond Democrat - Fri 5:12 p.m. - 12 clicks
Hmmm, the plot thickens. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., will be the marquee guest on "Meet the Press" this Sunday. Last time Webb appeared on a Sunday talk show, he refused to disclose whom he favored, Hillary or Obama. At the time, Howling Latina felt a slight vibration in her soothsaying pulse. Webb preferred Hillary over Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate. Since the House recently ...
Howling Latina - Fri 5:11 p.m. - 10 clicks
A small but important part of the Battlefield Parkway corridor opened this week. Several town representatives gathered with members of Keane Enterprises, the developer of the Oaklawn community at the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and Miller Drive in Leesburg to mark the opening of several new roads, including Battlefield Parkway from Sycolin Road to the Dulles Greenway, Miller Drive from the...
Leesburg Tomorrow - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 11 clicks
Yesterday, the Senate voted almost unanimously to throw out the Federal Communication Commission's new and flawed rule that would allow for more media consolidation. The 30-year-ban prohibited a single company from owning both the local newspaper and a television station. This rule protected diverse community voices. Despite overwhelming public opposition, the FCC voted to approve this giveaway to...
Cobalt6 - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 8 clicks
Jim Galloway warns of nitrogen cascade in the environment -- http://www.dailyprogress.com/c... Charlottesville School Board spends money to save money -- http://www.dailyprogress.com/c... Bush accuses someone (Obama?) of appeasement -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05... Bush's Knesset comments anger Obama campaign -- http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes... Dana Perino is shocked! shocke...
Democratic Central - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 6 clicks
The Fix still lists the Virginia Senate seat as the most likely to switch parties in the fall: “1. Virginia: Former governor Mark Warner (D) is as close to a sure thing as you can get in politics. Warner is so heavily favored to replace outgoing Sen. John Warner (R) that the Fix already finds his [...]...
Virginia Beach Dems - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 10 clicks
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the new GI bill sponsored by our own Sen. Jim Webb 256-166, with 32 Republicans joining the majority. Rep. Bobby Scott voted for it. Rep. Thelma Drake and Rep. Randy Forbes voted against it. In the Senate, the proposal has 58 co-sponsors (including Sen. John Warner). Sen. [...]...
Virginia Beach Dems - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 7 clicks
As many of you may already know, Democrats will be selecting their delegates to the national convention tomorrow, Saturday the 17th, in the 10th Congressional District. I believe this is an important part of the nominating process because it illustrates just how important it is to have Democrats who are ......
Bryan J. Scrafford - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 12 clicks
As first reported by The Shad Plank, Richmond Mayor Doug Wilder will not be running for re-election. In response to this announcement, Dwight Jones, candidate for mayor, had this to say: “Mayor Wilder has been an iconic figure in Virginia politics for many years. “As the first African-American Governor in our nation’s history, Doug [...]...
Vivian J. Paige - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 10 clicks
A federal grand jury has indicted in the MySpace suicide case, according to this article. In a highly unusual use of a federal law generally employed in computer fraud cases, a federal grand jury here on Thursday indicted a Missouri woman accused of using a phony online identity to trick and taunt a 13-year-old girl, who [...]...
Vivian J. Paige - Fri 1:10 p.m. - 6 clicks
It looks like Jim Webb will be practically ubiquitous the next few days as he promotes his new book , out Monday. Sun, May 18: Meet the Press (NBC) Mon, May 19: CBS Early Morning Mon, May 19: Fresh Air (NPR) Mon, May 19: Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) Tues, May 20: Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) Tues, May 20: Lou Dobbs (CNN) Also, I'll have a review of the book on Monday....
Raising Kaine - Fri 1:09 p.m. - 6 clicks
Today I am sending a small donation to the “Friends of Glenn Nye” to help him win the second congressional district of Virginia away from an irresponsible and spitefully corrupt Thelma Drake. Glenn Nye’s campaign has done wonders with volunteers and only lacks a little money to get their message out to the voters of the [...]...
Life is a State of Mind - Fri 1:09 p.m. - 9 clicks
Richmond, Virginia Mayor Douglas Wilder has announced that he will not run for re-election as Mayor. For those of you who did not pay much attention in history class, Wilder was the first African-American Governor ever elected in the USA since reconstruction. Wilder was Governor of the "Old Dominion" from 1990-94 after winning a razor-close election. He had been ahead, comfortab...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Fri 1:08 p.m. - 10 clicks
(cross posted at The Dead Guy ) On March 28, over at Chris Weigant's blog , Chris asked his readers to place their bets (in quatloos ) when Clinton would drop out of the Presidential race. Well, I've done pretty well so far. I predicted that Obama would surpass Clinton in Superdelegates before the West Virginia primary (got it right) and several of my delegate totals from the primaries were...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Fri 1:08 p.m. - 21 clicks
Guess who does NOT support the troops? That's right, it's Frank Wolf, who voted yesterday against Jim Webb's post-9/11 GI Bill. That's right, Frank Wolf joined Virgil Goode, Eric Cantor, and the rest of the Virginia GOP super-patriots (except for John Warner, who is standing with Jim Webb and the troops) in opposing "a historic provision to provide post-9/11 veterans with comprehensive educati...
Farewell Frank - Fri 8:15 a.m. - 17 clicks
I’m running for one of two Obama National Delegate slots at the 10th Congressional District Convention Saturday. I wrote a letter to all the Obama delegates this week and thought I’d also post it here. Click here to embiggen Wish me luck as “unslated” is a tough row to hoe. b ...
Getting Around - Thu 11:45 p.m. - 13 clicks
Why is everybody making a big deal about this memo Rep. Tom Davis sent out to his fellow Republicans after their 3rd straight special election defeat? If this guy’s such a tactical political genius, where was this memo months ago? There have been literally hundreds of polls released in the past 3+ years saying that [...]...
Fred2Blue - Thu 7:16 p.m. - 35 clicks
This is great news, especially if you support the troops like most of us do. Wait a minute, you mean there are people out there who don't support the troops? Like maybe the 159 Republicans who voted "nay" on the GI Bill today? People like Tom Davis and Frank Wolf and Virgil Goode and Thelma Drake and Bob Goodlatte and Rob Wittman and Randy Forbes and Eric Cantor ? Gee, ...
Raising Kaine - Thu 7:15 p.m. - 15 clicks
Governor Tim Kaine brings his transportation plan to Hampton Roads tonight with a town hall meeting at 7:30pm at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. The Governor returns to Hampton Roads on Tuesday, June 3, with a similar meeting in Virginia Beach. That meeting will be held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center and starts at 6:30pm. An [...]...
Vivian J. Paige - Thu 4:03 p.m. - 20 clicks
Freewheeling Spirit’s rant on the damage that pushing unnecessary bike bling does is spot on. There’s definitely a price floor under which you’re pretty much assuring yourself a poor experience on a bike, but there is absolutely no reason in the world to spend thousands just for a decent and serviceable bike. (And if you like [...]...
Blacknell.net - Thu 4:01 p.m. - 16 clicks
The instantly famous Tom Davis memo is now available. Enjoy it, including Davis' constant misspellings of the Democratic presidential nominee as "B-A-R-R-A-C-K." Memorandum To: Republican Leadership From: Tom Davis Re: Where We Stand Today The loss of three straight special elections, in once solidly Republican districts cannot be explained simply by "bad can...
Raising Kaine - Thu 1:22 p.m. - 15 clicks
There are a lot of shades of gray in life, but one thing that's black and white is this: you are most definitively NOT a moderate Republican when far-right-wing state Sen. "Ayatollah" Ken Cuccinelli speaks glowingly about you like this (from the May 15 "Cuccinelli Compass"): Throughout his years in Congress, Congressman Wolf has consistently voted against the federal funding of abortion ...
Farewell Frank - Thu 11:22 a.m. - 16 clicks
In Larry Sabato's "Crystal Ball," he has characterized the states based on how Kerry and Bush fared in 2004. He sees 173 Electoral Votes in "safe Republican" states, meaning that Bush carried the state by more than 10%. It's a group that includes two states that might be in play for Obama -- North Carolina (15 EV) and West Virginia (5 EV). He lists the following state...
Democratic Central - Thu 11:22 a.m. - 53 clicks
After the economy and the war, the third biggest issue in the election is health care. “There were more than 964,000 Virginians without health insurance in 2005, up 28% from more than 752,500 in 2001. Nationally, a total of 47 million Americans don’t have health insurance. For those in Virginia who still had insurance, the price [...]...
Virginia Beach Dems - Thu 11:22 a.m. - 12 clicks
The second installment of Richmond.com’s look at the local community blog scene is up. Here’s an except of Stephanie Brummell’s piece: "It comes down, I think, to the fact that Richmond has these great, old neighborhoods," said John Murden, creator of one of Richmond's first community sites, the Church Hill People's News. "Church Hill is distinct from Jackson Ward and is distinct from the Fan and...
SLANTblog - Thu 11:21 a.m. - 17 clicks
I just received the results of a new 2nd CD poll by Bennett, Petts & Normington. The bottom line of it is that Rep. Thelma Drake is in big, big trouble. Check out some of these findings: *Drake has 95% name recognition, but only 40% would vote to re-elect her . In short, almost all 2nd CD voters know Thelma Drake, yet they want to get rid of her. That's not what you want to he...
Raising Kaine - Thu 11:21 a.m. - 18 clicks
If you are not reading Stephen Retherford (aka Sisyphus, Hoosier in Virginia) regularly, you should be. He has posted the most thoughtful, well researched, and interesting stuff I am reading on the web for quite some time, very consistently and with remarkable insight. He’s changed my mind a few times, and would have [...]...
Life is a State of Mind - Thu 11:21 a.m. - 14 clicks
I just received the results of a new Virginia 2nd CD poll by Bennett, Petts & Normington. The bottom line of it is that Rep. Thelma Drake is in big, big trouble. Check out some of these findings: *Drake has 95% name recognition, but only 40% would vote to re-elect her . In short, almost all 2nd CD voters know Thelma Drake, yet they want to get rid of her. That's not wha...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Thu 11:20 a.m. - 20 clicks
Personally, I think polar bears are amazing animals. Certainly, I wouldn't want to see them lose their habitat or even go extinct. Yesterday, even the heinously anti-environment Bush Administration listed the polar bear as "threatened." Who would want to see the polar bears, these iconic animals of North America, harmed? Well, now that you mention it... ...from the 2006 League of Conservatio...
Farewell Frank - Thu 7:51 a.m. - 10 clicks
Newhouse News Service, as republished at talkingpointsmemo.com -- http://talkingpointsmemo.com/n... -- has an interesting analysis of why Barack Obama is losing in Appalachia. He attributes it to the Scots-Irish -- Jim Webb 's people -- who grow up in a culture that says that if you get in a fight, you keep fighting, even if you're losing; that says that you have to make sure that the o...
Democratic Central - Thu 7:51 a.m. - 16 clicks
Jon Stewart helps illustrate what Obama will be up against this fall. This clip is about West Virginia, but the problem expands well beyond there. I don’t really think that there’s any hope of winning over people like this. Rather, the trick is to make sure the group doesn’t expand. A tall order for the [...]...
Blacknell.net - Thu 7:49 a.m. - 12 clicks
Riley "TippingPoint" Murray has a nice breakdown of the local blogosphere at Star City Harbinger. included is this nugget of information: Chris Graham at Augusta Free Press does a little self-assessment on his loss in the recent Waynesboro City Council elections and then reports on his own "unopposed" run for Democratic Committee Chair in Waynesboro. I'm looking forward to seeing more ...
Cobalt6 - Thu 5:23 a.m. - 15 clicks
Marc Fisher is a great writer and a highly perceptive analyst. Today, he nails it once again, this time on Virginia's transportation mess and Gov. Kaine's plan to deal with it. First, Fisher dismisses the idea of raising the sales tax in northern Virginia to pay for transportation infrastructure: Six years ago, Northern Virginia voters weighed the pain of sitting in traffic against the bit...
Raising Kaine - Thu 5:22 a.m. - 12 clicks
From MoveOn.org: Can you sign up to give The Bush-McCain Challenge in Virginia Beach? Click here. Hosting the Challenge is easy and fun! Just pick a spot with lots of foot traffic. We’ll provide you with colorful posters, flyers, and all the questions to give folks the quiz—plus great ideas for making your table into a fun [...]...
Virginia Beach Dems - Thu 2:04 a.m. - 15 clicks
An Italian boyfriend of a Virginia woman is being held (for 10 days and counting) simply for wanting to visit his girlfriend? He broke no laws, is not a suspected terrorist, has not overstayed his visa, and has a history of visiting and leaving on time. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/us/14visa.html Wow - there is a special hell reserved for [...]...
Life is a State of Mind - Wed 11:23 p.m. - 18 clicks
In his Recommended diary today, Senator John Kerry relates yet another chapter of Republicans behaving badly. Rep. John Boehner and Rep. Eric Cantor – senior leadership in the House GOP -- decided to ignore the actual meaning of English words and simply invent something Barack Obama didn’t say. snip These statements by Representatives Boehner and Cantor are so bad ...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Wed 11:22 p.m. - 22 clicks
originally posted at Daily Kos I have no idea whom Obama will consider. Nor do I know for certain that Webb would consider an offer if made, although I believe that he might well. And before I start, I will disclose that (a) I was on the edge of the group that persuaded him to run for the Senate (although I played little part in the actual persuasion; (b) before the primary I had a conve...
Cobalt6 - Wed 7:46 p.m. - 28 clicks
That appears to be the core claim of this ridiculous piece, which is a rehash of something I’ve seen peddled on Virginia political sites before. ...
Blacknell.net - Wed 7:44 p.m. - 21 clicks
After yesterday's thrashing of Obama by Hillary, she picked up a superdelegate from Tennessee, What??? Didn't everyone get the message...? Obama has won the Democratic nomination; just ask the pundits and bloggers. Well, apparently not just yet. Talk Left posted : Tennessee Automatic Delegate Vicky Harwell announced her support for Hillary Clinton today. Harwell, of Pulaski, is president of t...
Howling Latina - Wed 2:10 p.m. - 43 clicks
I have no idea whom Obama will consider. Nor do I know for certain that Webb would consider an offer if made, although I believe that he might well. And before I start, I will disclose that (a) I was on the edge of the group that persuaded him to run for the Senate (although I played little part in the actual persuasion; (b) before the primary I had a conversation with a key advisor that...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Wed 2:09 p.m. - 24 clicks
On Saturday May 17 from 1-4 pm, Democrats will meet at the Williamsburg Marriott Kingsmill for the First Congressional District Convention. Not only will delegates be chosen to attend the National Convention in Denver this summer, but they’ll also choose a Democrat to run against Rep. Rob Wittman for his House seat. Dr. Keith Hummel [...]...
Fred2Blue - Wed 10:23 a.m. - 21 clicks
Hillary Clinton won West Virginia yesterday with a pretty impressive margin. As everyone but Senator Clinton knows though, that win (and her likely win in Kentucky) amounts to nothing more than window dressing, since Senator Obama is the presumptive nominee. David Weigel at Reason’s Hit & Run has a pretty good take on yesterday’s results [...]...
The United States of Jamerica - Wed 10:23 a.m. - 17 clicks
On June 10th, registered voters in Virginia’s 8th, 10th, and 11th United States Congressional districts will get to vote in open (to all registered voters) primary elections. Virginia scheduled primaries for all districts, but in all the other districts either no candidates filed in time, or only one did from each party, or the [...]...
Life is a State of Mind - Wed 10:21 a.m. - 21 clicks
The Board of Supervisors has been doing outreach in eastern Loudoun , listening to residents concerns and having a conversation about where eastern Loudoun has been going. This initiative was pushed by our Democratic supervisors with the support of the majority of the Board. Chairman York has been reporting on these conversations, and made an interesting observation and clarification in his l...
Leesburg Tomorrow - Wed 7:15 a.m. - 13 clicks
According to this article, the Norfolk City Council informally approved the city’s $1.2 billion budget yesterday. As expected, th budget, which goes into effect July 1, does not include a reduction in the real estate tax rate. One change made by council was to increase the income eligibility for the Tax Relief Program for Seniors [...]...
Vivian J. Paige - Wed 7:15 a.m. - 14 clicks
With nearly 150,000 more votes than Obama in West Virginia, Hillary Clinton has retaken the vote lead over Obama. Yesterday, Hillary received 239,062 votes to 91,652 for Obama -- a whopping 41 point advantage that wiped out any Obama total tally lead. But not to worry, Obamaphiles. The media has already informed us not to get uppidy. Hillary's win means absolutely nothing . In fact, in a...
Howling Latina - Wed 7:13 a.m. - 65 clicks
Although Jim Webb has said he is " not particularly interested " in being Barack Obama's running mate, that's not stopping Roanoke County Clerk of Court Steve McGraw. Star City Harbinger: SCH: What prompted you to publicly support the idea that Jim Webb should be Senator Obama's first choice as a vice-presidential running mate? McGRAW: This is not a new idea, and it has been discussed at gr...
Cobalt6 - Wed 5:26 a.m. - 19 clicks
Terry McAuliffe, the Hillary Clinton advisor and cheerleader, (and unfortunately a VA superdelegate) has giggled silly once too often. What is he smokin'? Sunday, he was the enthusiastic fool on Meet the Press . Tonight on MSNBC, McAuliffe said that after the West Virginia primary, Hillary Clinton would deliver one of the greatest speeches of all time. Whew. Wow. Holy horse sh*t. Keith Olberman ...
Cobalt6 - Wed 5:26 a.m. - 14 clicks
At a great blog called "That's My Congress" , there is a story about Georgia Republican Paul Broun and his ' Sanctity of Human Life Act ' (HR-4157) that is right on the money. Let's find out about the bill itself, shall we? H.R. 4157, which Representative Broun refers to as the Sanctity of Human Life Act, might more accurately be entitled the Zygote Political Enfranchisement Act or the Anti-...
Cobalt6 - Wed 5:26 a.m. - 15 clicks
I was on record as saying before the election that I thought that Obama might lose by 50 or even 60 points. I was probably basing that judgment on the same thing Bill Clinton was when he said that: a look at how the counties bordering West Virginia voted. I've looked at those counties again to come up with a quick and dirty analysis of the election that I think has not yet appeared e...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Wed 3:09 a.m. - 42 clicks
Profiles in Courage Poor Prince William County just can’t afford to be racist Here’s a dilemma for you: Let’s say you’re a mean-spirited municipality that doesn’t cotton much to outsiders, and prefers to scapegoat a powerless group of caramel-colored folks for all of its (largely self-inflicted) problems. Now, let’s say you pass an ill-conceived law ...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Wed 2:19 a.m. - 22 clicks
This year the Democrats are 3 for 3 in House special elections, all in heavily GOP districts. The latest is Mississippi’s 1st CD where Travis Childers defeated Greg Davis by 8% in a R+10 district. Last December there was a special election in Virginia’s 1st CD (R+9) that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chose [...]...
Fred2Blue - Tue 11:06 p.m. - 25 clicks
Hillary Clinton wins West Virginia tonight by a landslide. According to CNN, the New York senator is leading Obama 65 to 29 percent as of 10:00 PM. Even though Obama spent twice as much $$$, she leads by almost 100,000 votes. Like the rest of Hillary wins, she "drew strong support from white, working-class voters." The New York Times observes that her huge margin of victory "raise[s] fresh ques...
Howling Latina - Tue 9:24 p.m. - 22 clicks
OK, so it’s not a surprise that Hillary Clinton has been projected the winner of the WV primary. But did you know that no Democrat has won the White House since 1916 without winning the WV? Democrats carried West Virginia in 1992 and 1996, [...]...
Vivian J. Paige - Tue 7:50 p.m. - 25 clicks
Last week in a conference call with Democratic Party officials, bloggers including Lowell Feld of RaisingKaine, Jane Hamshear of FireDogLake and myself were introduced to a brand new voter contact tool on the Democrats official party website. For the past several weeks they’ve been testing it out in Kansas with eye-opening results, and now they’re ready to take it nationwide. [...]...
Fred2Blue - Tue 4:53 p.m. - 29 clicks
Funny, seems like this is pretty much the Bush plan that Frank Wolf has rubber stamped the past 7 1/2 years....
Farewell Frank - Tue 4:53 p.m. - 21 clicks
I was reading the local paper last week, and a letter to the editor sprang up at me. In it, a volunteer for the VFW chapter in Farmville wrote that the Veteran’s Hospital in Richmond does not have enough socks for their patients, many of them long-term care patients. The injured soldiers’ feet get cold [...]...
Heartland of Virginia - Tue 4:53 p.m. - 26 clicks
At a great blog called “That’s My Congress”, there is a story about Georgia Republican Paul Broun and his ‘Sanctity of Human Life Act‘ (HR-4157) that is right on the money. Let’s find out about the bill itself, shall we? H.R. 4157, which Representative Broun refers to as the Sanctity of Human Life Act, might more [...]...
Heartland of Virginia - Tue 4:53 p.m. - 21 clicks
David Brooks argues that advances in neuroscience will profoundly influence the way we approach religion and religious belief: Just as “The Origin of Species” reshaped social thinking, just as Einstein’s theory of relativity affected art, so the revolution in neuroscience is having an effect on how people see the world. And yet my guess is that the [...]...
The United States of Jamerica - Tue 1:29 p.m. - 26 clicks
A few years ago the GOP looked to Rep. Eric Cantor to express outrage over DNC Chairman Howard Dean’s assertation that the Republican Party is primarily comprised of white christians. They looked to Cantor because he’s the only Jewish Republican in the House (thus helping to prove Dean’s point in the process btw). Heck, Joe Lieberman, [...]...
Fred2Blue - Tue 10:10 a.m. - 25 clicks
Be prepared for a stomping tonight, Obama fans. Hillary Clinton is going to win West Virginia, and win it by massive numbers. I had predicted earlier that Clinton would pick up a net gain of 6 delegates in our neighboring state. However, after looking at recent events, I feel that my earlier prediction was an [...]...
Virginia Beach Dems - Tue 10:09 a.m. - 23 clicks
From the tone of Tim Russert's question on Meet the Press last week, you'd think Barack Obama was denying food to starving children: MR. RUSSERT: Why are you against giving taxpayers in Indiana, North Carolina, a relief from federal gasoline tax this summer? The nerve of that Obama! You know what other jerks are against giving taxpayers in Indiana and North Carolina "relief" (a ter...
The Green Miles - Tue 10:09 a.m. - 20 clicks
Until mentioned in the Governor’s news release, I was quite unaware that a local income tax option existed. According to the Code of Virginia: The Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach hereby authorized to levy a local income tax [...]...
Vivian J. Paige - Tue 8:05 a.m. - 19 clicks
Obama is my candidate, and has been since he won Iowa, and I started entertaining the possibility of him as president and decided I felt good about it. Talking in West Virginia yesterday Obama struck a sour note. I am happy to see him wearing a flag pin, or not. I am happy to see him trying to connect with conservatives, even if most of them won't vote for him. When he is president...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Tue 6:08 a.m. - 53 clicks
Prior to yesterday, you probably never heard of a company called the DCI Group or its chief executive, Doug Goodyear. But now you have . The public relations executive whom Senator John McCain’s campaign had chosen to run the Republican National Convention this summer resigned his post on Saturday after a magazine reported that his firm had lobbied for the military junta that runs Myanmar. Th...
Farewell Frank - Tue 3:36 a.m. - 28 clicks
Virginia’s future prosperity depends upon the Commonwealth having a 21st Century transportation system. Growing up in Fairfax County, and later representing Virginia Beach in the House of Delegates, I have seen firsthand the transportation challenges that we face. I believe it is imperative we modernize and improve the transportation system in the Commonwealth, and I [...]...
Waldo Jaquith - Tue 3:35 a.m. - 37 clicks
It's now official: Prince William County Supervisor Corey Stewart is a big fat liar. For those readers who may not be familiar with darling Corey, he is the idiot who ran off every Latino/a -- whether legally in the county or not -- created a real estate meltdown and initially lied to voters to get them to go along. Promising the county would save millions of dollars once 'illegals' left,...
Howling Latina - Mon 9:42 p.m. - 25 clicks
Remember Virgil Goode? Goode, whose name is pronounced like spreading goo rather than doing the right thing, entered Congress as a Democrat, but jumped to the GOP side when he feared being in the minority. Once on Team Bush, he remade himself as the man who is afraid of Muslims During today’s House debate on Iraq, virulently anti-Muslim Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) said suppo...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Mon 8:12 p.m. - 23 clicks
Teacherken, one of my favorite Virginia bloggers, has a great diary at Raising Kaine , highlighting Tom Perriello, congressional candidate from the 5th CD, who is running against Virgil Goode. Tom has made a unique proposal. He will tithe ten percent of volunteer hours from his campaign to the community. From a press release Perriello sent out, here's the explanation: May 12, 2008—Danville, Cha...
Anonymous Is A Woman - Mon 8:12 p.m. - 21 clicks
Keith Hummel M.D., aka the Virginia Populist, is up not only with a new campaign site, but a blog as well. Dr. Hummel is a Democratic candidate for Congress, looking to take on freshman Rep. Rob Wittman in the 1st congressional district. Hummel on Outsourcing: It’s a problem we can no longer afford to ignore. The Indian [...]...
Fred2Blue - Mon 4:15 p.m. - 25 clicks
The forces of conservation advanced a small yard today here in Loudoun. The Cox Farm, a large farm in Lucketts on the Potomac, has placed its development rights in a conservation easement, insuring it will remain undeveloped for future generations. A land preservation group last week announced an agreement with the owners of a 371-acre farm on the Potomac River near Lucketts that will protect th...
Leesburg Tomorrow - Mon 1:37 p.m. - 20 clicks
The latest Rasmussen polling numbers indicate that both Virginia and North Carolina will be closely contested in November, and that Obama and McCain have very different profiles of support in those states. ...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Mon 1:35 p.m. - 33 clicks
Browsing the Opinion page of Leesburg Today provides an interesting perspective on the people of Loudoun County. On the very same page we can find letters bemoaning the increase in fees for childcare at County facilities and letters complaining about property tax increases . It may be the case that some of our neighbors do not quite understand the relationship between the taxes they pay and t...
Leesburg Tomorrow - Mon 11:08 a.m. - 20 clicks
It's not only traffic that proves we need transportation help in Loudoun. How about when it rains, a lot. List of Closed/ Restricted Roadways Experiencing High Water or Flooding Alder School Road between Purcellville Road and Route 287- Restricted Turneysville Rd at Harper's Ferry Rd- Closed Branchriver Rd at Harper's Ferry Rd- Closed Rt 606 Eastlanes at the Greenway is down to one lane d...
Leesburg Tomorrow - Mon 11:08 a.m. - 18 clicks
Head on over to Bryan Scrafford's blog and check out Judy Feder's live blog at 3 pm today. Thanks to Bryan for doing this, and also for being such a strong supporter of the 10th CD's next congresswoman! :)...
Farewell Frank - Mon 11:08 a.m. - 22 clicks
Governor Tim Kaine will propose his transportation plan in a press conference at noon today. The Daily Press has AP writer Bob Lewis’ report on last night’s conference calls with Senate and House Democrats. The Virginian Pilot also has an article on the topic. According to my sources, the Governor’s plan takes a three-pronged [...]...
Vivian J. Paige - Mon 11:07 a.m. - 26 clicks
Looking at Hillary wins in Ohio, Pennsylvana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennesee, and soon to be wins in West Virginia and Kentucky, it amazes the howler that no one has connected Hillary's coalition in swing states with the old Democratic coalition of Scots-Irish. But no more... In a must-read post, Anglachel of Anglachel's Journal connects the dots and previews: I will simply repeat what ...
Howling Latina - Mon 11:05 a.m. - 26 clicks
I am honored to announce that Judy Feder will be live blogging here today from 3 - 4 pm. Please feel free to leave your questions/comments for Judy in the comment section of this post. As you may know, Judy is running for Congress from Virginia's 10th District and has been ......
Bryan J. Scrafford - Mon 5:52 a.m. - 36 clicks
An odd question makes the front page of today's Washington Post. Are there any skunks left in Arlington? "We're 40 percent paved over, so there's not much nature left," he said, shrugging. With a growing population of 200,000, the 26-square-mile county might be reaching a "critical mass" of dense urban landscape, [Arlington County naturalist Greg Zell] said, where even the hardiest wild ...
The Green Miles - Sun 1:15 p.m. - 33 clicks
