( – promoted by lowkell)
By Paul Goldman
Finally, the 200% proof truth is coming out, after roughly a 1 years worth of moonshine, first from candidate McDonnell and then from Governor McDonnell, the real motivation behind the Governor’s political rhetoric is finally coming out. All the campaign and other promises about how his “privatization” plan was going to do X and Y, how it wouldn’t blow a hole in the state budget, yada, yada, yada.
But now, we get the truth: three weeks, the Governor said not to worry about a $20 million hole in the budget. Now it is $47 million, usually a Governor tries to fix the hole, not grow it.
It is no longer about anything but pure ideological ranting, as if the current ABC system was put into place by Liberals!!
The most conservative politicians in the state’s history put the current system in place, not some guys from Red China.
It is hard to believe, given all the months they spent trying to balance things, that they didn’t always have this new budget-buster plan in reserve since they knew the math as well as anyone.
We took the Governor at his word on revenue neutrality. So the question is: When did he decide that it was okay not to keep it?
If Democrats don’t call his bluff, and dare the Governor, and the GOP to take the issue to the public, then they are making a huge mistake, of historic proportions.
A referendum election set in June of next year, so it can be a clean one, just this issue to debate before the public, will offer a once in a generation opportunity to engage the public in a real discussion of key issues, the ABC thing is really just a way to have a broader and more important conversation with Virginians.
Yes, the McDonnell side will spend huge dollars on smoke and mirrors. But I trust the people of Virginia to make the right choice, and the coalition for a sensible liquor control policy will win a big victory on many levels.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
