As I read article after article about former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, including the one by the Washington Post’s Orin Kerr that I’ve highlighted, it’s really bringing back memories — bad ones — of that crazed Republican witch hunt against President Bill Clinton. It’s also reinforcing for me why it would be such a bad idea for any Democrat in the Virginia 10th State Senate district Democratic primary on June 9 to vote for Dan Gecker, who was an important behind-the-scenes figure in said impeachement hearings. A few “highlights” of Gecker’s involvement in the attempt to impeach and convict President Clinton over a consensual sex act include the following.
*”During the Clinton impeachment trials, Dan Gecker urged Senator Collins of Maine to vote to impeach Bill Clinton. [Portland Press Herald, 9/24/00]” Also see The Breach for more on this one.
*”In a 2008 interview with Style Weekly, Gecker said he ‘Yes, I believe it’ that Bill and Hillary Clinton had pursued an agenda against his client (Clinton accuser, Kathleen Willey) that included threats, tire slashing and killing her cat.”
*Also see Publisher Says Lawyer Pursued Book Deal For Clinton Accuser, which describes how Gecker “tried to persuade [a book publisher] over a two-month period to buy the former White House volunteer’s life story, including her account of an alleged unwelcome sexual advance in the Oval Office.”
*Then there’s G.O.P. Senators Meet Secretly With Prosecutors on Witnesses, which notes that “two of the House [Clinton impeachment hearings] managers, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, met on Monday with Ms. Willey, a former White House volunteer, and her lawyer, Dan Gecker, to discuss the possibility of her appearing as a witness, said a Republican aide and another person familiar with the case.”
*Finally, for more on the damage that the impeachment witch hunt did to people, see Daughter Blames Lewinsky Scandal for Mother’s Failing Kidneys, about “Julie Hiatt Steele, a former Midlothian resident and friend of Willey’s who was the only person indicted by special prosecutor Kenneth W. Starr in the fallout from the Lewinsky affair.” According to Hiatt Steele’s daughter, Liza Steele:
“My mother really was the victim in that whole scenario,” she says. She can’t prove it, but the daughter believes the invasion of privacy and emotional tumult of the Willey ordeal contributed to her mother’s kidney failure: “It really took a severe toll on her,” she says. “The stress of that is a process.”
Finally, check out Liza Steele’s lengthy comment (I’ve posted it on the “flip”) in the 2008 article, “Kathleen’s crusade” for fascinating background on how “Kathleen [Willey]’s ‘crusade’ conveniently fails to acknowledge the largest of her grope-related lies, which resulted for my mother, Julie Hiatt Steele, in a January 1999, four-count federal indictment by O.I.C. prosecutor Ken Starr, a situation which ultimately led to my mother’s loss of the home she had owned for over twenty years.” And yes, Dan Gecker was involved in all this, as Kathleen Willey’s close friend, advisor and lawyer. Lovely, huh?
Regarding Jason Roop’s February 21, 2008, story, “Kathleen’s Crusade,” let us observe that Kathleen’s “crusade” conveniently fails to acknowledge the largest of her grope-related lies, which resulted for my mother, Julie Hiatt Steele, in a January 1999, four-count federal indictment by O.I.C. prosecutor Ken Starr, a situation which ultimately led to my mother’s loss of the home she had owned for over twenty years. And let us not fail to understand that Kathleen did not leave out that lie because it represented a true sequence of events that she matter-of-factly forgot; rather, let us understand that she left out that lie because it was a lie she told long ago, and, in the manner of one who lies, forgot to remember.
I spent my early teen years watching Kathleen Willey roll up in the driveway of my mother’s house in a black 911 Porsche, wearing skirts that were shorter than the shorts I wore to gym class, and with the requisite high heels and haughty attitude. Given that, the idea that she came crying to my mother – which is the lie she claimed that eventually led to my mother’s indictment – on the backside of being groped by her then-chum Bill Clinton, was not, in the most basic sense, believable. Indeed, by the time she made that claim, Kathleen Willey had spent many years presenting herself as the sort of woman who invites a good grope and can handle one that she doesn’t. To that, it is worth noting that Kathleen Willey and my mother would never have known each other at all had Kathleen and her late husband, Ed Willey, not reneged on the sale of their house at 2320 Castlebridge Road, in Chesterfield County, to my parents, back in 1978, even as the movers were loading the truck to move us from Kansas City to Richmond. Regrettably, my mother subsequently allowed Kathleen to become part of her life, partially because they were both stay-at-home mothers with children of similar ages, but in larger part because my mother is the occasional champion of a misguided soul.
That’s right, in detailing her “crusade,” Kathleen conveniently failed to admit that in the spring of 1997 she asked my mother, suddenly, and à propos of nothing, to confirm for reporter Michael Isikoff of Newsweek Magazine that she, Kathleen, had come, distraught, to my mother’s house immediately after being groped by president Bill Clinton at the White House on November 29, 1993. Kathleen assured my mother that this statement would be “off the record” and that she would “explain later,” and so in the manner of an obliging and trusting friend, my mother reluctantly did as she was asked. In July of 1997, upon learning that Isikoff would go to press with the statement, my mother sought out Isikoff and told him that she could not let him do that, because what Kathleen had asked her to say had not, in fact, happened. It was this combination of obliging a friend and clarifying the truth that found my mother facing Ken Starr’s four-count federal indictment.
Mr. Roop’s version of the events of November 29, 1993 obviously came from the 1995 civil court sworn testimony version of Kathleen’s ever-changing story, wherein she claims to have gone to Ed’s office and home to bed after a day in Washington – testimony that, ironically, includes neither mention of an upsetting presidential grope nor the additional lie that she had gone to my mother’s house on the heels of one.
By the time of my mother’s May 1999 trial, Kathleen’s claim that she had gone to my mother’s house had changed from no mention at all (in 1995); to definitely, certainly, she had gone; to more certain than not certain that she had gone; to not remembering whether she had gone but claiming my mother told her that she had.
Imagine my mother facing a four-count federal indictment and losing her home because she obliged a friend who later claimed that she herself didn’t remember what happened and was relying on my mother – the very person tasked with lying on the very same subject – for the “facts.” In the end, and without even presenting a defense, my mother was not convicted of the obstruction of justice and false statements charges brought against her by Kathleen Willey’s immorality and indiscretion, but please, could we not hear anything more about Kathleen and the injustice she has faced?
This is 2015. This is Fairfax County, Virginia — with one of the most informed and enlightened electorates out there. And yet we may actually elect as our County Supervisor the man who — as documented by Blue Virginia — co-founded a local Anti-Vaxxer group and has advanced the dangerous thinking of national anti-vaccination organizations.
I commend Lowell for doing his homework in exposing what Dan Storck is all about in advancing anti-vaccination falsehoods. I also admire Lowell for giving Mr. Storck a forum to respond to these revelations. But Mr. Storck’s response — such as asserting in his defense that he vaccinates his own kids – simply underscores how out of touch he is with what it means to be a public servant. Of course he vaccinates his own kids – any normal, informed person would. But to do that, and at the same time propagate falsehoods about vaccines that raise doubt in the mind of other less-informed parents, is the ultimate in hypocrisy. When a public figure promotes falsehoods that can lead to disease and worse, it is not his own family that suffers, it’s someone else’s.
After Mr. Storck got caught, he scrubbed some of the inflammatory material from his website. But only after it became clear that the agenda he has been advancing all along might actually prevent him from getting the job he wants us to give him.
The readers of this blog are among the only people who know the truth about Mr. Storck’s anti-vaxxer ties. If the rest of the county wakes up after the election and realizes what has happened, they’re going to wish they followed BlueVirginia.us as well. If you have time, send your friends the above link to Lowell’s well-researched piece. And ask them to send it to their friends. They’ll be glad they did.
Look at Lowell’s headline this morning about Ken Cuccinelli. Think about how it might apply in our neighborhood…
In our last installment of Ken Cuccinelli’s crazy Facebook page and the bigoted extremists who comment on said page, we featured a status update in which the top-rated comment (by far) said that “illegal immigrant families…deserve a bullet.” Today, there’s another good one, with Cooch ranting and raving (does he ever do anything else?) about same-sex “marriage” (air quotes are his). According to Cooch: “The future is now in Canada thanks to their 2005 adoption of same-sex ‘marriage.’ Ten years later, the tyranny against Christians is well under way. What is this “tyranny” of which he speaks? In short, a strongly anti-LGBT, fundamentalist Christian law school was rejected for certification by British Columbia’s Minister of Advanced Education. Whether or not you think that’s right or wrong, it’s a wee bit of overstatement to claim that it’s evidence of “tyranny”/wholesale “persecution” of Christians in Canada, as Cooch breathlessly claims. It’s also certainly not evidence of what the top-rated comment on Cooch’s Facebook post claims it to be: evidence of the “last days” in which “you will not [be] allowed to buy or sell unless you accept the mark of the beast.” But yeah, just another day in the bizarre, warped, paranoid, constantly-under-siege-from-gays-and-liberals-etc. world of Ken Cuccinelli’s. Again, can you imagine if the nut had been elected Governor of Virginia?!? In the end, he lost, but it was horrifyingly too close for comfort…
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, May 30.
*Krugman: Cutting Back on Carbon (“Next week the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce new rules designed to limit global warming. Although we don’t know the details yet, anti-environmental groups are already predicting vast costs and economic doom. Don’t believe them. Everything we know suggests that we can achieve large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at little cost to the economy.”)
*Hastert accused of paying victim of molestation (“The former House speaker allegedly paid a male ex-student to keep quiet about acts that took place decades ago, a federal law enforcement official said.”)
*BuzzFeed: ‘Potentially Several Alleged Victims’ In Hastert’s Past (There are numerous disturbing aspects to this story, including the fact that Hastert received zero ratings on LGBT issues during his career and led a rabidly homophobic/gay-bashing party. Utter hypocrisy, on top of being evil.)
*Hastert and the Foley Scandal (“Hastert, through the entire drama, was awkward and slow to react or be clear or particularly convincing about what was known.”)
*Virginia owes its neighbor answers (“Kentucky is now rightly outraged that Virginia didn’t bother to inform the Bluegrass State about the millions of gallons of Virginia sewage spilling into the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River”)
Del. Johnny Joannou is arguably the worst “Democrat” in the Virginia General Assembly, horrendous on just about everything, might as well be a Tea Party Republican. For more, see this website, and if you live in the 79th House of Delegates district (Portsmouth, Norfolk), make sure you vote for a real Democrat, Steve Heretick, on June 9!
This is something that’s been bugging me for weeks now, and Jon Stewart really nailed it last night: the media’s coverage of Bernie Sanders has been an utter disgrace. Note that I don’t say this as a Bernie Sanders supporter per se, simply as someone who finds the corporate media coverage of politics in this country – and of Sanders specifically – to be horrendously lame, irresponsible, brain dead, you name it.
Thus, according to the corporate media political hacks, Bernie Sanders is not going to be “taken too credibly” because he’s “a loon” who is a “socialist for god’s sake, is “73 years old, he looks 91;” and, worst of all, “has a thick Brooklyn accent.” My god, a THICK BROOKLYN ACCENT! We certainly can’t have THAT in the White House! (snark)
On the other hand, according to the same corporate media hackdom, the following people ARE apparently to be taken credibly.
Ted Cruz: An extremist who has said so many crazy things, so many outrageously false things, it’s hard to keep track. He also worked hard to shut down the government, is a raging anti-gay bigot, anti-Muslim bigot, etc, etc., denies climate science (an automatic disqualifier in and of itself), and is generally speaking a far-right, theocratic nutjob. Yet he’s treated much more seriously by the corporate media than Bernie Sanders is. Perhaps because he’s a Teapublican, and the corporate media is terrified of those people?
Rand Paul: Same deal as Ted Cruz, pretty much. This guy is an anti-vaxxer who defended BP during the Gulf of Mexico disaster (saying that anyone who criticized the oil company was “really un-American”), compared Benghazi to 9/11, compared healthcare to slavery, frequently “shushes” female rpeorters, is also a climate science denier and apparently a creationist as well, etc, etc. Total nutjob and far-right-wing extremist, in other words, yet he’s a more serious candidate for president than Bernie Sanders, who by world standards would be slightly left of center (my god, he supports expanding Social Security – gasp – he must be a commie!). Again, the corporate media is utterly brain dead.
Jeb Bush: A climate science denier (automatic disqualifier) who’s apparently still for the Iraq War (even knowing now what we didn’t know then), also ran for Florida Governor on “a sweeping set of conservative proposals that, if enacted, would have made Florida a virtual laboratory for far-right policy.” Yet Jeb Bush is treated more seriously by the corporate media as a candidate for president in 2016 than Bernie Sanders, who believes such wild-eyed thing like: we “must transform our energy system away from polluting fossil fuels and towards energy efficiency and sustainability;” “as the rich become much richer, the level of income and wealth inequality has reached obscene and astronomical levels;” and that “Congress must pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and move toward public funding of elections.” Yep, crazy talk…except that it’s not at all crazy, and also happens to be supported by the majority of Americans in each case. But whatever, Sanders isn’t serious, so sayeth the corporate media, and Jeb Bush is. Gotcha.
I could go on and on, but I don’t have all day to cover all the dozen+ far-right Republican candidates (Donald Trump anyone? Ben Carson? Rick Perry?) spewing out their extreme beliefs and la-la-land craziness 24/7. Also, the corporate media seems to have that beat covered, except not in the sense of calling out these folks for their lunacy and extremism, but in treating it all as normal, “both sides,” etc. Only in such a brain-dead world could Bernie Sanders – who Jon Stewart correctly described as a “rational, slightly left-of-center, mainstream politician” – while true extremists like the Republicans mentioned above are juuuuust fine with the corporate media. Sorry corporate media guys, but this judgement reflects a lot more on YOUR inadequacies (intellectual, moral, etc.) than on Bernie Sanders or anyone else you choose to trivialize, marginalize, mock, or ignore for no good reason whatsoever (other than your own cowardice and smug stupidity).
A few weeks ago, I sent identical questionnaires to both Democratic candidates in the 44th House of Delegates district. Below are the answers from Paul Krizek, who I am strongly endorsing this morning (joining other Krizek endorsers — Congressman Gerry Connolly; Former Congressman Jim Moran; Senators Toddy Puller, Adam Ebbin and George Barker; Delegates Scott Surovell, Alfonso Lopez, Mark Sickles, Patrick Hope, Kaye Kory, Marcus Simon, David Bulova, and Eileen Filler-Corn; Supervisor Gerry Hyland and Supervisor Jeff McKay). If I receive responses from the other candidate, Justin Brown, I will print them, but I have repeatedly followed up with his campaign and, despite being told on May 12 that they would have responses back to me “asap,” I haven’t heard back since then. Whatever. Anyway, with that, here are Paul Krizek’s answers, which I’d give an “A+” grade to — thorough, thoughtful, strongly progressive, excellent no matter how you look at them!
1. Tell us a bit about yourself, and specifically, what in your background and/or temperament makes you the best qualified of the Democratic candidates to represent the 44th House of Delegates district in Richmond.
I love Mount Vernon, and I am deeply committed to my community. I grew up in the 44th House District in Mount Vernon, went to the local public schools, and have a daughter at Carl Sandburg Middle School.
I want to go to Richmond to help those that are struggling in our community just as I have done as a charity executive and before that, as a legislative staffer for Congressman Jim Moran, where I worked for eight years on legislation and constituent service for the people of the 8th Congressional District. I find helping people immensely gratifying and rewarding.
After leaving the Hill, I joined my father’s “labor of love,”- Christian Relief Services Charities (CRSC)-the charity he founded after he retired from the State Department (and later the Pentagon as he went back on active duty to the Air Force retiring as a Colonel) My dad was a long-time Democratic campaigner, having run President Kennedy’s Presidential campaign in Washington state. Working with my dad , who at 87, still comes to work at the office and helps with my campaign, is a highlight of my career. He has a heart of gold and, together with my mother, an immigrant from England, instilled in me at a young age those all important values that we share as Democrats, especially that public service is not just a good thing but a high calling. Today, I run Christian Relief Services, which is the largest of the 15 charities under the CRSC umbrella, and I also serve as the General Counsel for the entire the organization.
Now that you have heard about my dad, you know that it is in my DNA. It is why I am a Democrat and have worked so long and hard to get good Democrats elected. I am a 30-year member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) and have held many different offices from Chair of the Mount Vernon District Democratic Committee, Vice Chair and Chair of FCDC, and Bylaws Committee member, Outreach Committee member. I also served as a member of the 8th Congressional District Committee for almost 12 years. A highlight was my election as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago during President Clinton’s reelection. But I am most proud of my work as a campaign volunteer going door to door canvassing for votes or calling voters on the phones. I remember fondly my first big role when I got my driver’s license, at age 16 years old, was driving folks to a fundraiser in Mount Vernon for my good friend, David Temple, when he ran for Delegate many years ago. I was hooked for life, and can think of no better calling than being a life-long Democrat!
2. What three issues are you most passionate about and why?
Transportation, Workers Rights, and Affordable Housing/Healthcare (I will expand as to why I group these together below)
What specifically have you done to further those issues?
Transportation: I have followed closely the successful efforts of Senator Toddy Puller and Delegate Scott Surovell to secure funding for widening Route 1, installing a bus rapid transit system as well as bike, and pedestrian paths, and extending the Yellow Line to Hybla Valley and the Blue Line to Fort Belvoir. I attended last year’s presentation of the multimodal study, a result of their efforts. I recognize that what Route 1 needs is to become a revitalized transportation corridor that will be a catalyst for our entire community — for good jobs, quality housing, better stormwater management, a reduction of traffic and pollution by including Metro stops at Beacon Mall and Hybla Valley, and one day to Ft. Belvoir. That is why, together with Scott Surovell, I gathered nearly 500 petition signatures from Mount Vernon and Lee citizens districts and packed the hearing with 130 people all clamoring for the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to fund the project that would bring Bus Rapid Transit from Huntington to Woodbridge. Earlier this month, the the NVTA announced a further $1 million dollars in addition to the $12 million it has already allocated for the project. The public pressure, which demonstrated a real consensus in our community to make Route 1 a priority, succeeded in that the NVTA secured more funding to to show the Federal Government that we are serious about this project when it begins allocating Federal Highway Funds. This is just the first step toward revitalizing the Route 1 corridor to be a clean, eco-friendly and vibrant community. Our high quality of life in Mount Vernon depends upon it.
Raise the Minimum Wage: It is impossible to live and raise a family in Northern Virginia on the current minimum wage. The 44th District has one of the most economically diverse populations in Virginia, with both extreme wealth and extreme poverty. At the very LEAST, we need to give Virginians a raise to $10.10, and as soon as possible. I use this figure because that is where we start all of the employees at my non-profit. If an employer values their employees, they should show it by paying them accordingly.
Affordable Housing and Health Care: I lump these two issues because they are the main issues for many people in my district who live near the poverty line. Christian Relief Services operates a large number of affordable housing units in Fairfax County because providing affordable housing to mentally handicapped, physically handicapped, and moderate and low-income residents is an economic necessity in high priced Northern Virginia. When implementing the vision of the Route 1 multimodal study, it is important we make affordable housing a priority. I served as Mount Vernon Housing Commissioner to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority and worked to increase affordable housing on the Route 1 corridor, especially for our seniors. Safe, decent housing that is affordable is the foundation upon which stable families and vibrant, diverse communities are built. Our economy can grow when workers of all incomes have opportunities to live near their jobs, and businesses can recruit and retain employees. Affordable housing is also the key to preventing and ending homelessness. The legislature’s continuing refusal to pass Medicaid expansion has tragic consequences. People without insurance cannot get treated in a timely way to prevent the progression of diseases to the point where they cannot be cured. Thousands of families in Virginia need increased access to quality, affordable health care. My zip code, 22306, leads the county in non-serious emergency visits, which is an expensive way to provide health care and drives up all of our premiums. In the 44th District almost 13,000 residents, most of whom are children, receive health care through Medicaid, which means that their parents are likely not getting any healthcare. It is a travesty that our neighbors are not covered by health care and are leaving untreated serious health issues that without timely intervention can result in expensive and devastating consequences. As a liberal Democrat, that is something that I cannot accept. Everyone deserves quality healthcare. It is a core value of mine. I will vote for Medicaid expansion and work with other Democrats to find alternative proposals that may be acceptable to our Republican colleagues.
What would be the first bill you’d introduce in the House of Delegates?
A bill to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.
3. How would you describe yourself ideologically – “progressive,” “moderate,” “liberal,” or something else? How does your record of votes, endorsements, employment, and other activities reflect your political ideology?
I am a liberal and a die-hard Democrat. I just received endorsements from both The Washington Post and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia.
I have been endorsed by key electeds in the district including Delegate Scott Surovell, Senator Toddy Puller, Senator Adam Ebbin, Mt. Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland, and Lee Supervisor Jeff McKay. This is in addition to Congressman Gerry Connolly, Congressman Jim Moran, Senator George Barker, Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Mark Sickles, Delegate Patrick Hope, Delegate Kaye Kory, Delegate Marcus Simon, Delegate David Bulova, and Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, among others.
I will always support legislation that reflects my values about enabling people to have safe affordable housing, healthcare, education, and a living wage; to build a sustainable community in my district; and to protect and enhance the natural environment and shift to renewable energy. You can see these values reflected in my past work with Congressmen Jim Moran, the Mt. Vernon and Fairfax Democratic Committees, as Housing Commissioner to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and with Christian Relief Services Charities.
4. Who is your favorite and who is your least favorite current Virginia politician and why?
My favorite current Virginia politician is Senator Tim Kaine. I first met Tim when he visited the 8th District Democratic Committee to run for Lieutenant Governor and I supported him right away. I loved that he approached the statewide race from a local government angle having been the Mayor of Richmond. Tim has excellent constituent service and works hard every day with the goal of improving Virginians’ lives.
It is tough to choose my least favorite Virginia politician. I am disturbed by the seemingly endless stream of ethics scandals coming from Richmond. Joe Morrissey and Phil Puckett come to mind most immediately as candidates for my least favorite politician.
5. If you had been in the House of Delegates at the time, would you have voted for a) HB 2313, the comprehensive transportation package passed in 2013; b) repeal of Virginia’s estate tax, which is costing our state around $130 million a year in order to benefit a few hundred of the wealthiest Virginians; c) the 2011 redistricting bill HB 5001, which gerrymandered the state and helped to lock in a Republican majority in the House of Delegates for the rest of the decade; or d) the 2014 and 2015 ethics reform packages, which many (myself included) have criticized as extremely weak, possibly even a step backwards in the case of the most recent “reforms.”
1. Yes, I would have voted for HB 2313, even though I was disappointed that it lowered the tax on gas while raising sales tax. But, the $350 million for Northern Virginia alone was badly needed revenue, and to have a dedicated transit fund for the first time (if you discount NoVa’s add on to the gas tax for Metro) is a godsend to the critical infrastructure needs of our transportation system, such as our effort in Mount Vernon to extend Metro down the Route 1 corridor.
2. No, I would not have voted to repeal the estate tax, which is tax relief for the wealthiest Virginians at the expense of the rest of us. $130 million a year could allow us to begin to address the chronic underfunding of K-12 costs.
3. No, I support any effort to draw up districts that stick to real communities of interest, in a nonpartisan, objective, and transparent way, and not for helping incumbents to get reelected. I served on the Fairfax County Advisory Task Force on District Reapportionment, for each of the last two redistricting cycles, in 2001 and 2011, and I know it can be done fairly and openly.
4. No. I don’t think compromising on ethics is ethical. You can’t be 50% ethical, can you? I don’t understand why Virginia allows any gifts at all. The simplest and most effective legislation would just be to ban all gifts (and paid travel) or to give them to Virginia charities chosen randomly.
6. What is your vision for Virginia’s energy future? Do you support any of the following: offshore oil drilling, natural gas “fracking,” new natural gas pipelines (e.g., Mountain Valley Pipeline, Atlantic Coast Pipeline) uranium mining, new coal-fired power plants, mountaintop removal coal mining? If not, what will you do to fight against these things, and to fight for a healthy environment, energy efficiency, and renewable power?
To be a 21st century economic leader, and do something about the most serious issue facing our planet-climate change- Virginia needs to invest in its solar and offshore wind energy sources, and reduce greenhouse emissions through efficiency, education and conservation. Our dependency on coal and oil is a major contributor to global climate change. Personally, I do everything I can to reduce my carbon footprint, by working very close to home (indeed my office is located in the 44th and we are adding showers to encourage staff to cycle to work), composting, reusing and recycling. My family spends time doing volunteer clean ups in the community and we contribute to environmental organizations. A clean, safe environment is the least we can leave to the next generation.
Offshore oil drilling: No
Fracking: No
New natural gas pipelines: No
Uranium mining: No
New coal-fired power plants: No
Mountaintop removal coal mining: No
If not, what will you do to fight against these things, and to fight for a healthy environment, energy efficiency, and renewable power?
I support increasing our Renewable Portfolio Standards and will advocate for policies like cap-and-trade and a carbon tax, which will allow us to start reducing the impact we have on our climate and put financial teeth into our energy policy. I support President Obama’s (the EPA) very effective regulations on carbon dioxide that are being challenged at the State level. I will offer legislation to restore tax credits for solar panels and energy efficient home improvements.
7. Yes or no answers. Do you support: a) a strongly progressive tax system, including a reasonable estate tax on the wealthy; b) a “Dream Act” for Virginia; c) allowing gay couples to adopt; d) closing the “gun show loophole” and taking other common sense gun measures; e) raising the gas tax and/or instituting a carbon tax (revenue-neutral or otherwise)?
a. Yes, and the estate tax is also beneficial to the philanthropic sector as it encourages the wealthy to bequeath some of their wealth to charity as their legacy.
b. Yes, children should not be pawns of politics. Every child should share an equal opportunity to higher education. It is the right thing to do.
c. Yes, as an adoptive parent I encourage everyone to consider adopting. There are ten million orphans in the world and gay couples and single parents should have the same right to be parents as anyone else. Marriage equality is a core value of mine.
d. Yes, I support the efforts of the Governor in this regard.
e. Yes, and the extra revenue could go toward diversifying our modes of transportation to include Metro expansion, more bicycle lanes and paths, rapid and dedicated bus lanes, and even telecommuting centers.
8. Given that the 44th House of Delegates district is a solid “blue” district, and thus “safe seat,” it is crucial that whoever is elected has a plan to help elect Democrats – preferably progressives – across Virginia. That includes fundraising, organizing volunteers, and maximizing turnout in the 44th district for statewide and Congressional elections. Do you agree with this vision for the Delegate from the 44th district, and if so, what exactly is your plan to accomplish it?
Undoubtedly, yes. Strong Democratic seats are obligated to help out our fellow Dems in competitive districts. I have spent my career helping Democrats and furthering our causes. I was chair of the Mount Vernon District Democratic Committee and have been a member of and served in various leadership positions in the Fairfax County Democratic Committee for 30 years. We absolutely have to win back the General Assembly if we want to enact progressive policies. If elected, I will work with the Democratic Caucus to identify good candidates around the Commonwealth and help prepare them for their campaigns, offer funds and volunteers to help them win.
9. Do you agree or disagree that Richmond is broken – for instance, the tremendous influence of money, lobbyists and corporations (e.g., Dominion Virginia Power, car title/payday lenders) on legislation – and needs major ethics reform? More broadly, if elected to the House of Delegates, would your general attitude be more “go along, get along” with this system or to “shake things up?” Please be as specific as possible in your answer. For instance, would you support campaign finance reform that sharply curtails the power of corporations, lobbyists, and special interests?
Richmond is broken; it is an archaic system that is two centuries behind the times. It is working exactly as it was designed back when we were an agricultural economy and our citizen legislature consisted of wealthy farmers. It’s a short session of long hours with lots of bills introduced. Our 21st-century legislature is forced to rely on lobbyists for much of its information and fundraising, which fosters a culture of political dependency. We desperately need two things to start reforming: non-partisan redistricting and campaign finance reform that includes publically funded elections. Until we have these two changes, it doesn’t matter what ethics reform packages we pass, someone will find a way to get around them because of the great expense of running a campaign. It is far easier to get a few big checks from corporate lobbyists in Richmond, than to spend hours on the phone calling small-dollar donors inside the district. I am proud of the fact that virtually all of my campaign donations came from individuals, nearly all of whom are residents or grew up in the 44th district.
10. Please tell us how you would stand up to party leadership, and even to a Democratic governor, if you believed that they were wrong about an issue and/or that it would hurt the 44th district.
My primary responsibility is to represent the people of the 44th district. I will try to find areas of commonality and agreement, not to engage in demagoguery. But if the party leadership or the Governor wants to push a policy that will hurt this district, I will be on the phone with the Governor ASAP to explain the problem. I will push back and fight for my constituency. If the leadership or the Governor push a policy that I know is not good for my district, for example, I will first try to explain my position to them privately, in an effort to encourage them to have a change of heart. Then, if I have to, I will vote against the measure, even if it’s 99-1.
11. What is your vision for the Route 1 corridor, in terms of transportation, economic development, environmental sustainability, etc..?
The Route 1 corridor is in need of big transit improvements, redevelopment, revitalization and environmental upgrades. Extending Metro will do all of this and provide a serious investment in this part of the county. From stormwater upgrades and new high-quality businesses to traffic relief, the 44th District is in significant need of investment. Mixed-use redevelopment with high quality jobs, retail and new parks and green spaces will all happen once we have Metro stops at Beacon Mall and Hybla Valley. And, redevelopment must be done in conjunction with good stewardship of the land, adding and protecting existing green space, like the Fairchild property in the Spring Bank community. And finally, we must not lose sight of the need to keep and guarantee affordable housing for the young millennials and those working lower wage jobs, the low and moderate income who will want to be near their jobs and mass transit. This is a prerequisite to turning the corridor into an economic powerhouse that is prepared for future military base realignments and population increase.
As previously mentioned, I worked with Delegate Surovell to petition the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the NVTA, to fund the widening of Route 1 from Napper Road to Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway. We received over 500 petition signatures and organized a grassroots effort that brought out more people to the NVTA Route 1 hearing than any other NVTA hearing. Due to our efforts, the NVTA prioritized funding for a road widening that will increase Route 1 to six lanes through a significant bottleneck on the corridor, provide a multi-use path and sidewalk on a currently dangerous stretch of the road. Recently, another pedestrian was killed trying to cross the highway. Widening it will ease traffic congestion, also preserve space for Bus Rapid Transit and further implement the vision of the Route 1 multimodal study.
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, May 29. Also, congratulations to Del. Patrick Hope, who last night received the Aggie Wolf Defender of Choice Award from NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia (photo by Catherine S. Read).
*Hastert indicted over alleged secret payments (“The longest-serving Republican speaker in the history of the U.S. House faces charges that he violated banking laws in a bid to pay $3.5 million to an unnamed individual to cover up ‘past misconduct.'”)
*Virginia campus sexual assault task force releases recommendations (“A new report from the governor’s task force on college campus sexual assault recommends longer and more uniform storage for evidence, more cooperation between colleges and police, and more frequent notifications to students when an assault occurs on or near campus.”)
The Virginia Sierra Club scorecard for 2015 is now available, and sadly, an issue that should equally concern all of us – protecting the environment we all inhabit – continues to show a lamentable, absurd, frustrating partisan divide. For instance, courtesy of Ivy Main’s Power for the People VA blog, note that every single Senator and Delegate receiving a perfect Sierra Club environmental score is a…yep, Democrat.
Thirteen Senators scored a perfect 100%, including Sen. Barker (D-39), Sen. Colgan (D-29), Sen. Dance (D-16), Sen. Ebbin (D-30), Sen. Favola (D-31), Sen. Howell (D-32), Sen. Lewis (D-6), Sen. Lucas (D-18), Sen. Marsden (D-37), Sen. McEachin (D-9), Sen. Miller (D-1), Sen. Petersen (D-34) and Sen. Wexton (D-33).
Twenty-five Delegates scored a perfect 100%, including Del. Bulova (D-37), Del. Carr (D-69), Del. Filler-Corn (D-41), Del. Futrell (D-2), Del. Herring (D-46), Del. Hester (D-89), Del. Hope (D-47), Del. Keam (D-35), Del. Krupicka (D-45), Del. Lopez (D-49), Del. Mason (D-93), Del. McClellan (D-71), Del. McQuinn (D-70), Del. Morrissey (I-74), Del. Murphy (D-34), Del. Plum (D-36), Del. Preston (D-63), Del. Sickles (D-43), Del. Simon (D-53), Del. Spruill (D-77), Del. Sullivan (D-48), Del. Surovell (D-44), Del. Toscano (D-57), Del. Ward (D-92) and Del. Watts (D-39).
Again, I take no real pleasure in that list (although THANK YOU to everyone who voted for the environment, not for the polluters, in 2015!). The fact is, Republicans and Democrats breath the air and drink the water equally, so there really should be no partisan divide at all when it comes to the environment. Also, even if you’re utterly cynical about it, the fact is that BOTH parties receive a lot of money from Dominion Power and other fossil fuel interests (although no doubt Republicans receive even more dirty fuel dollars than Democrats do), so again that should cut against such a stark partisan divide as we see in Virginia. Yet here we are, even as the science is screaming at us about the enormous environmental challenges we ALL face, with this stark partisan divide on what SHOULD be an utterly non-partisan issue.
In that context, you’ll understand why I find it sad and outrageous to see the Republican Party — formerly the party of conservationist Teddy Roosevelt and even Richard Nixon, who did some excellent things for the environment — become an earth-pillaging, Koch-sucking disaster. With that, here are the worst of the worst in the Virginia General Assembly, the Republicans who received “D” or “F” grades from the Sierra Club.
Oh yeah, and let’s not forget two “Democrats”: the godawful Johnny Joannou (“F” grade) and also Matthew James (“D” grade). No excuses there, but at least in Joannou’s case, he has an opponent (Steve Heretick), who hopefully will beat him on June 9! As for the rest of the “D” and “F” Senators and Delegates, polling clearly shows that they are wildly out of step with their constituents, large percentages of whom (of both parties) support switching to clean energy and reducing carbon pollution. The question is, why aren’t their supposed “representatives” listening to their constituents?!?
This is fascinating: Siobhan Dunnavant, running for the Republican nomination for Virginia State Senate in the 12th district, completely contradicts the accounts of three Democrats — Senator Dick Saslaw, Senator Donald McEachin and another unnamed Democrat – she met with. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Dunnavant met with the Democrats “toward the end of the 2015 legislative session,” and “what was shared…is that she was for Medicaid expansion.” In addition, as John Fredericks reports in this interview:
1. Dick Saslaw said Dunnavant’s brother called him (Saslaw) “to set a meeting up with the Democratic caucus because, he said, you were exploring running for State Senate and were exploring the potential for being the Democratic nominee, and he said that was the genesis, that was the catalyst of the meeting.” (Dunnavant’s response: “I don’t know what happened between Ken [Stolle] and Dick…”)
2. All three Democrats who met with Dunnavant said that Dunnavant didn’t follow up with them, but Dunnavant said she DID follow up with them and told them she was running as a Republican. According to Dunnavant, “I have no explanation for why they said that, I spoke directly with Sen. Saslaw, and I called Sen. McEachin and within a few minutes he returned my call and we spoke…thanked them…I don’t know why they don’t remember that, I’m sure it was a busy time for them.“)
Dunnavant goes on to spin a convoluted conspiracy theory, about how “now when my campaign is surging, all of a sudden this is coming up and being presented as an issue.” She continues, asking “why is a powerful Democratic Senator getting involved in a Republican primary, except that I’m the best candidate and he doesn’t want me to get the nomination?”
3. All three Democratic Senators say that Dunnavant told them she favored Sen. John Watkins’ “Marketplace Virginia” Medicaid expansion compromise. Dunnavant says “I don’t remember us talking about Marketplace Virginia at all...I can’t answer for them…I can only tell you that I have a longstanding record of discussing these issues…and there are many people that will be happy to tell you my position, which is consistent with the position I’ve stated today, including the fact that I was invited to serve on a coalition for Marketplace Virginia to advocate for it and I refused.” Again, Dunnavant implies a conspiracy theory, saying she’s running her campaign, getting great feedback, and says the story is about a “courtesy meeting” she had with Democrats “when you’ve got McEachin and Janis collaborating to undermine my campaign…and we’re not talking about that.” She asks, “why isn’t that the story?”
Of course, as John Fredericks follows up, why would Dunnavant even be setting a meeting up with Minority Leader Dick Saslaw at all, “why would you even be…making phone calls, having your brother make phone calls, or even be meeting with him at a hotel, when you’re thinking about running on the other side, what would be the objective of that?” Yet again, Dunnavant says it was all “courtesy,” that “of course” she’d meet with the Minority Leader, that Fredericks’ “premise is flawed.” Hmmmm.
Dunnavant adds that at the time of the meeting with the three Democrats, she was still in the process of pondering whether or not she might want to run for State Senate, in fact at the time “was pretty sure I wasn’t running and I believe I told them that too.” But, as Fredericks states, “they’re telling me, ON THE RECORD, that during the meeting you were exploring how you would go about being their nominee, how the process would work, talking about committee assignments and things like that.” Her response: “oh my god…no.”
Finally, Fredericks asks (somewhat incredulously), “why wouldn’t [the Democrats] be in favor of you winning” (“maybe you’d actually work with them”), given her position on Medicaid expansion, “certainly better than some of the more conservative people in there,” then what’s the “incentive [the Democrats] they have to put this out there now.” This is where Dunnavant really lays it on thick and “protests too much”:
Right, so that’s curious that you don’t see the incentive…because I see the incentive, the incentive is they don’t want me to be the nominee. And you’re exactly right, it doesn’t add up. Why would somebody who was a College Republican, who has been a pro-life OBGYN, who has advocated for conservative principles and Republican candidates ever run as a Democrat?…The only thing that makes sense…is that this is a courtesy meeting on my part for a family friend that has been misconstrued and has some political advantage for the Democrats if it is interpreted in the way they are presenting.
So, Fredericks asks, is she saying that Senators Saslaw and McEachin are lying? “No,” she says. Huh?
Let me just add one other thing that doesn’t make sense: this district is a rock-solid “red” district that was easily one by Ed Gillespie, Ken Cuccinelli, Mark Obenshain, Mitt Romney, George Allen and Bob McDonnell. Why, why, WHY on earth would Democrats want the more “moderate” Republican in the race to lose, let alone go through all these convoluted shenanigans and supposed conspiracies to try to make that happen? I’m baffled. Any theories, other than that Dunnavant is simply protesting too much, methinks?
As I read article after article about former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, including the one by the Washington Post’s Orin Kerr that I’ve highlighted, it’s really bringing back memories — bad ones — of that crazed Republican witch hunt against President Bill Clinton. It’s also reinforcing for me why it would be such a bad idea for any Democrat in the Virginia 10th State Senate district Democratic primary on June 9 to vote for Dan Gecker, who was an important behind-the-scenes figure in said impeachement hearings. A few “highlights” of Gecker’s involvement in the attempt to impeach and convict President Clinton over a consensual sex act include the following.
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, May 29. Also, congratulations to Del. Patrick Hope, who last night received the Aggie Wolf Defender of Choice Award from NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia (photo by Catherine S. Read).
The 
