What Capitol Square Does Governor McDonnell Live On?

( – promoted by lowkell)

Bob McDonnell is too busy campaigning out of state to know that his legislative agenda is in tatters

Hours ago, Governor Bob McDonnell released a review of how is legislative priorities are faring in the General Assembly, titled “At Crossover, Governor McDonnell’s Legislative Initiatives Move Forward with Broad Bipartisan Support.”

Poor Bob. The only bipartisan component of his agenda is its rejection by the General Assembly. Yesterday he suffered two crushing defeats:

First, the Virginia Senate rejected the cornerstone of Governor McDonnell’s education package, a bill that would have placed new teachers on three-year contracts. McDonnell has been trying aggressively to weaken teacher tenure and make it easier to fire teachers.

The Senate knew better. Senators recognized that weakening employment protections for teachers would make it harder for the commonwealth to recruit high quality teachers, because all five states bordering Virginia have continuing contracts, and would offer significantly better job security. Virginia’s kids deserve the best teachers in America, and the Senate rejected the Governor’s attempt to weaken our schools.  

Second, the full Senate did not take up the Governor’s transportation package, but instead voted for a Republican-patroned transportation plan that raises the gasoline tax in order to finance desperately needed infrastructure spending – a commonsense proposal that Governor McDonnell, with his eye on the vice presidency, will likely be unable to support.

The only legislation uniting Republican legislators is a divisive social agenda that is taking Virginia backwards by limiting women’s access to abortion and contraception, codifying discrimination against gays and lesbians, drug testing welfare recipients, hurting Virginia’s workers, and making it easier for criminals to obtain handguns.

Since January 20, when Governor McDonnell announced he was supporting presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, has been named “a critical Romney surrogate” and “Romney’s Hatchet Man.” He has campaigned for Romney in Virginia, Washington, D.C., South Carolina, and Florida, and seems to spend many of his nights spinning for Romney on cable TV shows.