Daily Archives: October 7, 2010

Last night, a reporter for WSLS in Roanoke asked Robert Hurt about the charges that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which had just endorsed him, was using funds raised from foreign corporations to run ads in the Fifth District against Tom Perriello.

Here is Hurt's answer:

I'm not aware of any illegal contributions that they have accepted, and I know nothing about their ad campaign.  That's something that's done completely independent of this campaign.

Hmmm. Lets see. This story was all over the internet and discussed on television. The allegations were the subject of innumerable newspaper articles, and was the specific subject of a charge leveled at him by his opponent, but Robert Hurt knows nothing about it?

Where have I heard that before?

Oh yeah:

Grab some popcorn, everyone, this is going to be fun to watch!

The deep, dark secret is revealed: George Allen will be running in 2012 (at least try to look surprised, willya?) and he's trying to clear the decks in advance of his run...

...the real contest isn't between Allen and one of the congressbeings, it's with Del. Bob Marshall...

In other words, it's a racist dolt vs. an insane, sex-obsessed fanatic for the Republican nomination to take on Jim Webb in 2012. This should be fun.

You may tell yourself, "No one will vote for such a dummy."  

Therefore you sit there, eat Cheetos healthful whole grain snacks with celery stalks on the side, and watch YouTube educational documentaries.

Vote or be ruled by dummies.

(Also posted at my place.

I'm sure this idea will go over really well with voters in the 11th CD. Not.

In other Keith Fimian news, check out Fimian's Urban League No-Show Draws Ire of Fellow Republican. You know you're a loser when even your fellow Republicans attack you "for a no-show at a candidate's forum hosted by one the region's leading African-American advocacy organizations, the Urban League." I dunno, maybe Keith Fimian a $250,000 bonus for showing up to events he's supposed to be at?

More video from last night's Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting, this time Rep. Jim Moran - who spoke for nearly 1/2 hour total - talking about "stealth" Republicans, the bogus GOP "Pledge," and what this election's all about. Great stuff, should get you "fired up, ready to go!"

P.S. By the way, attendance at last night's meeting was very low, maybe 1/3 of the chairs filled. It seems the "enthusiasm gap" is alive and well in Arlington. Ugh.

Are Virginia Republicans masters of obfuscation? Private sector ownership is always the best choice, except for ports. The budget must be balanced and transportation funded unless it means the ABC stores remain public. But the mastery comes not by design but by simple intellectual sloth; principles applied in isolation.

What seems brazenly obvious is that when the outcome will benefit a Republican interest, principles apply; if a Democrat is involved, principles apply selectively. Big donors want the ABC system privatized; McDonnell is blocking a plan to keep take the Port of Richmond private. These are actually related issues for they both affect transportation and on both the Republicans select the position detrimental to transportation and, more generally, the future of Virginia.

"In a statement, McDonnell spokeswoman Stacey Johnson did not address whether there is an inconsistency in the governor's position on privatization of liquor sales and the port authority's takeover bid." - Richmond Times Dispatch

note: the correction of the word "keep" to "take" which draws a better parallel, and thanks to J Tyler Ballance for pointing it out.

Last night at the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting, County Board Vice Chair Chris Zimmerman gave a powerful speech on immigration, and specifically on the program called "Secure Communities." Check it out.

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Thursday "Clips."

1.  MCDONNELL'S ABC PLAN FACES QUESTIONS IN HIS OWN PARTY
2. DEMOCRATS KNOCK MCDONNELL FOR TOUTING GRANTS APPROVED IN FEDERAL HEALTH CARE LAW
3. MCDONNELL RAISES MONEY FOR CALIFORNIA CANDIDATES
4. STATE TAKEOVER OF PORT OF RICHMOND QUESTIONED
6. KAINE: ANY MOVE TO WHITE HOUSE "NEWS TO ME"
7. MORE POLLS SHOW PERRIELLO, NYE NARROWLY TRAILING
11. VFW ENDORSES PERRIELLO IN DANVILLE
19. BALL ISSUES STATEMENT ON SUGGESTIVE COSTUME PHOTOS...
23. PRO-GUN DEMOCRATS WIN ENDORSEMENTS FROM NRA
24. HAMPTON ROADS ECONOMY: RECOVERY IS SLOW, AND THE SIGNS ARE WORRISOME
30. A $47 MILLION HOLE IN VIRGINIA'S LIQUOR PLAN IS UNACCEPTABLE
37. VIRGINIA'S 5TH DISTRICT RACE MAY SAY A LOT ABOUT THE ELECTORAL LANDSCAPE

Here's Del. Adam Ebbin (D-Arlington, Alexandria), speaking at the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting last night talks about why "you should be hissing" about Bob McDonnell's absurd, gimmicky, half-baked, damaging ABC privatization proposal.

Fortunately, according to Ebbin, "I don't know of one Republican or Democrat who favors the proposal...so it's not likely to go anywhere."  Still, what a waste of everyone's time and energy, when Governor McDonnell should be focusing on much more important issues, like finding $1-$2 billion per year in the new, dedicated revenues for transportation that are required in Virginia just to keep from falling further behind.  Right now, all he's talking about is a one-shot, $458 million blip to the huge hole we're in on transportation, after which Virginia actually would lose money every year.  As Adam Ebbin points out, this might be enough to build an interchange or mow the lawns, but that's about it. All so we can have a lot more liquor stores in Virginia?  Horrible, horrible idea.

It has been a mystery to me why Robert Hurt would support policies that would result in the outsourcing of jobs.

It was a mystery because Mr. Hurt seemed slicker than that. Mr. Hurt is, if nothing else, the quintessential pandering politician, practiced at the art of crafting positions he believes will attract to enough voters to get him elected, while at the same time avoiding any kind of a mine field that could get him into hot water.

His position on trade and tax legislation that could potentially result in the outsourcing of U.S. jobs, however, didn't seem to fit that pattern. While not necessarily a position reflecting any particular principle, and arguably consistent with GOP policy, it nonetheless seemed counterintuitive in a place like the Fifth District, where outsourcing has been particularly unkind to so many workers and families.

A couple of recent news items, however, provide a possible explanation for Mr. Hurt's incongruous position. The inferences to be drawn from these news items suggest that Hurt may be carrying water for the very foreign corporations that benefit from the outsourcing of U.S. jobs, even as they devastate our own country, particularly Southside.

At a minimum, these disclosures raise a number of legitimate questions that Mr. Hurt ought to answer.

(more on flip)