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A New Chapter With Emerge Virginia And The Farm Team

By
The Farm Team
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0

Yesterday our kick-off Emerge Virginia event marked the beginning of a new chapter for women’s political representation in Virginia. At pivotal moments like these, it is useful to take time and reflect on what lies behind us and take stock of the work that is yet to come.

We have come so far and achieved so much since 23 of us gathered at former Attorney General Mary Sue Terry’s farm in Critz, Virginia, in September 2008. I look forward to watching the effects of a new injection of energy, perspectives, and passion into the ongoing project that started with The Farm Team and that now partners with Emerge America in forming Emerge Virginia.

In the past 4 and ½ years, we have endorsed over 45 competent, committed Democratic women who ran for political office in Virginia. We have helped beat back Reverend Jerry Falwell’s attempt to intimidate and unseat Lynchburg’s Mayor, Joan Foster.   We helped defeat Eric Cantor’s Republican junta in Richmond with our support and work for Shannon Taylor in her victory as Commonwealths Attorney in Henrico.  

We will continue to stand up for representation of the majority of Virginia’s citizens – women. Many of you have heard me repeat a Gov. Granholm quote – “If we (women) are not seated at the table, than we are on the menu”. And, we will change that.

I am so grateful for the hard work of so many dedicated women on this journey.

Emerge Virginia will subsume many aspects of The Farm Team.  New friends and hard workers are joining us and stepping into the breach to help carry on the work that the founding 23 have done to transform the politics of our Commonwealth.  

While The Farm Team will maintain its candidate endorsement function (PAC) to assist and promote Democratic women, Emerge Virginia will take on the vital work of training candidates with a seven month in-depth training program.  Emerge Virginia will shortly begin the process of accepting applications for the program so stay tuned.

Speaking for myself, and I know my fellow current and future Board Members, we are all looking forward to the effects of this innovative collaboration reaching all parts of Virginia.

Many new and very talented women have joined us to help lead the charge we started with The Farm Team, and I am thrilled with the involvement of many of our most accomplished women elected officials – Senators, Delegates and local elected officials across the Commonwealth.

We have shown that women bring many skills, including diplomacy and a willingness to collaborate, to politics. In a time of partisan gridlock, this is why women’s voices need to be heard.

This has been the work of The Farm Team for the past four and a half years and will continue to be the work of Emerge Virginia, as we move towards a Virginia in step with history, where women have full control over their own medical choices and are considered equal in their personal and professional lives.

Susan S. Platt

Founding Member, The Farm Team

Implications of a Chained CPI

By
Elaine in Roanoke
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26

President Obama has released his budget, and so far reaction has been pretty predictable. Republicans, for the most part, dismiss it out of hand (like everything else this president does). Democrats are divided, with criticism coming mainly from the party’s base, centered around the proposal to change the way the cost of living is figured annually.

Progressives have expressed strong disagreement to the “chained CPI” concept in Obama’s budget (by the way, the same offer he made last December to John Boehner and which Boehner turned down). The whole idea of a “chained CPI” was floated by economists in the 1990’s and a proposal for adopting it as the measure of cost of living increases was embodied in a 1995 report prepared for the Senate Finance Committee, the Boskin Commission Report. Briefly, their conclusion was that inflation measured traditionally is too high because it doesn’t take into account people’s actions when faced with inflation. People buy less of something or switch to a cheaper product when prices rise.

Why are so many Democrats upset by the Obama budget proposal? Because the people most impacted by a switch to a chained CPI are those on Social Security or those receiving other federal program benefits that go up automatically as the cost of living goes up. However, I personally don’t see why many Republicans and Independents aren’t also questioning the change. It will affect their sacred cows, too.

A change in the CPI to a lower figure (even though it probably only amounts to about 1/3% per year) will impact a host of other things, including tax deductions and tax bracket movement. For example, if the chained CPI is used to reset tax brackets and you got a raise higher than that CPI, it’s more likely you will move into a higher tax bracket. The standard deduction and the personal deduction will also rise more slowly than under the usual CPI. Not only that, but a change to a lower CPI will have a compounding effect over time, so a small change year to year will become ever larger decades down the road. In essence, it’s a creeping tax increase, one that will impact those with higher incomes to a fair degree.

Because such a change hits people on Social Security and people making less than $100,000 a year (those most likely to use the standard deductions at tax time) the greatest, the President tried to balance that hit with hits to those who are well-off. Here are my favorite tax reforms that probably have little chance to actually see the light of day, but should:  

The “Buffet Rule” would apply to households making more that $1 million per year, resulting in a minimum tax rate of 30% (after charitable giving). Tax deductions would be capped for high-income individuals. A loophole would be closed that allows individuals to accumulate millions of dollars in tax-deferred retirement accounts (like Mitt Romney). The budget would provide permanent tax incentives for research and development, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Oil and gas and corporate jet loopholes would be closed. The ability of people in finance to pay taxes on “carried interest” as if it were a long-term capital gain would end… Sorry, Mitt, but you did lose that election.

There are some other more progressive ideas in the budget of the president. It provides a bit of relief for those taking out student loans, in the form of lower interest rates. It makes permanent the program that currently helps 11 million students and their families afford college, and it improves the Earned Income Tax Credit and the tax credit for working families with children.

President Obama has said he will not agree to a compromise that adopts chained CPI but does not end tax loopholes for the rich and doesn’t assist middle-class families. That should be the only way progressives can possibly support this budget. Otherwise, it’s just another plan to make the “least among us” pay for the structural deficit we have, a deficit created by deliberate actions taken by the previous president, George W. Bush, and his allies in Congress.

Personally, I would get a double hit from a chained CPI. My Social Security and my Virginia Retirement System pensions would both be receiving smaller inflationary increases; however, I’m  willing to do that as my part of deficit reduction, with a very big caveat: People benefiting from tax loopholes and preferential tax treatment of their income also must contribute. Otherwise, count me as opposed to this budget plan.

Thank You to Senators Kaine and Warner for Voting “Aye” on Background Checks

By
lowkell
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1

The 68-31 Senate vote this morning was on cloture (“on the Motion to Proceed”), so that the Senate can proceed to debate the Toomey-Manchin gun buyers’ background checks bill (“A bill to ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale, and for other purposes.”), and other gun-violence-related amendments. Both Senators from Virginia – Tim Kaine and Mark Warner – voted “aye,” and I thank them for doing so. Not that this took enormous courage, given that 90%+ of Americans support universal background checks for prospective gun buyers, but still, I’m glad to see Senator Warner in particular, despite his nauseating NRA “A” rating, voting the right way on this bipartisan compromise legislation. (note: Tim Kaine’s been generally strong on gun violence issues since he was Mayor of Richmond)

Now, the question is will this bill ever become law? I’m not holding my breath, given the remaining tortuous path through the Senate, then the Teapublican-controlled House, then possibly a conference committee. Just thinking about this daunting obstacle course makes me wonder how we ever get anything at all done in Washington. But the bottom line is this: if Congress can’t pass commonsense, bipartisan legislation that 90%+ of Americans support, just a few months after the Newtown tragedy, then they (well, at least the Republican members, plus a couple of pitiful “Democrats” like Mark Begich and Mark Pryor, both of whom voted “nay” on this bill) should just fold up their tents and go home, because they’re utterly worthless. We’ll see what happens…

McAuliffe: Next Governor Must Eliminate Uncertainty on Implementation of Transportation Compromise

By
lowkell
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0

From the Terry McAuliffe for Governor campaign.

Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe today reiterated his support for implementation of Governor Bob McDonnell’s bipartisan transportation compromise and urged Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to promise to implement the legislation despite his personal opposition.

“Final passage of Governor McDonnell’s bipartisan transportation compromise was the first step to keep Virginia competitive,” said McAuliffe. “The next Governor faces the important task of efficiently implementing the plan to ensure that Virginia is investing in the projects that will most effectively reduce gridlock and create long-term economic opportunity.”

Last week, Attorney General Cuccinelli refused to rule out repealing the law if elected Governor. He has not stated if he would implement the plan that was passed.

“I urge Attorney General Cuccinelli to state unequivocally that he will not repeal this bipartisan transportation compromise,” said McAuliffe. “The uncertainty created by Cuccinelli has the potential to hurt Virginia’s businesses. There should be no question for Virginia companies and families that the next Governor will implement the transportation compromise that was passed with bipartisan support. 

The transportation compromise was passed with bipartisan support in the General Assembly and with the support of Governor McDonnell and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling. McAuliffe personally urged lawmakers to pass the compromise during multiple stages of the process.

Cuccinelli repeatedly attempted to torpedo the compromise and has refused to rule out attempting to repeal it next year. 

Sen. Herring Calls for Independent Investigation by DOJ into Cuccinelli, McDonnell Scandal

By
lowkell
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6

I just got off a conference call with Senator Mark Herring, Democratic candidate for Attorney General of Virginia, in which he discussed the ongoing scandal involving Governor Bob McDonnell, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and Star Scientific. Also, check out Sen. Herring’s letter to Jack Smith (Chief, Public Integrity Section, United States Department of Justice), requesting that his office “conduct an investigation into the relationship between Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and the company Star Scientific and its Chief Executive Officer Jonnie R. Williams Sr.”

On the call, Sen. Herring further explained his reasoning behind his call for a “fair and independent” investigation of the Star Scientific matter. This whole situation, in Sen. Herring’s view, raises “very serious and troubling concerns” on this “clear and obvious conflict of interest.” Only when there was a great deal of media scrutiny did Cuccinelli belatedly recuse himself. Meanwhile, “additional revelations” and “serious allegations” have come out, raising more questions about “lavish gifts” to the governor and his family (also not reported), “conflicts of interest with the Attorney General, at a time when this company that they have these relationships and dealings with has important business before the state.”

More broadly, in Sen. Herring’s view, public officials shouldn’t be accepting gifts of this order and magnitude, especially when they come from a company with business in front of the state. That’s why, in Herring’s view, ethics rules need to be reformed and strengthened, including an outright prohibition on gifts of this sort. Also, this isn’t an isolated case: these types of ethical problems are happening more and more frequently in Virginia, underscoring the need for strengthening ethics laws.

Anyway, check out Sen. Herring’s letter to the US Department of Justice on the “flip.” Also, if you want to help elect Sen. Herring as Virginia’s next Attorney General, please click here to get involved. Thanks!

April 11, 2013

Jack Smith

Chief, Public Integrity Section

United States Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Mr. Smith,

In order to restore public trust and assure the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia that their best interests are being represented, I write to ask you and your office to conduct an investigation into the relationship between Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and the company Star Scientific and its Chief Executive Officer Jonnie R. Williams Sr.

Serious questions have been raised by a sizeable payment, some $15,000, made by Mr. Williams to pay for the costs of catering at Governor McConnell’s daughter’s wedding, a “gift” which was not reported by the Governor, which could be a violation of Virginia law. Moreover, Governor McDonnell and his family have taken actions on behalf of Mr. Williams’s company, raising the question of a quid pro quo being involved. As more revelations of his direct involvement have become known, the Governor’s explanation of these events has changed. For instance, a Washington Post story from April 9, 2013 shows Governor McDonnell may have had prior knowledge and involvement in the transaction.

Furthermore, it has come to light that Mr. Cuccinelli failed to disclose that he owns stock in Star Scientific and has accepted gifts from Mr. Williams. Until recent press scrutiny, Mr. Cuccinelli had refused to recuse himself in a case involving the Commonwealth of Virginia against Star Scientific over a $700,000 tax assessment. Mr. Cuccinelli’s claims that he was unaware he held as much as $10,000 in shares in Star Scientific also raises questions.

Due to the high positions these individuals hold in Virginia State Government, I am asking for an outside and independent investigation so the public can be assured the investigation is free of political influence and focused on the sole purpose of determining whether any laws have been broken or if public policy has been unduly influenced as a result of the relationship between these public officials and this corporation.

I appreciate your timely response on this matter.

Sincerely,

Mark Herring

Gift Wrapped: VA Dems Should Call for Special Session to Fix, Expand Rule

By
Goldmanusa
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5

by Paul Goldman

Governor McDonnell had a chance to turn his Star Scientific lemon into lemonade. How? By calling for a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to enact new, tough laws on gift reporting and other activities for public official, candidates, their families, and business associates. It all could been done in  time for the November elections. Instead, McDonnell jetted to China, where they don’t have any financial disclosure laws since they don’t have any elections, at least not those where the public actually gets to vote.

For McD, this is continued bad politics and governing from His Excellency. On the flip side, it’s a great opening for Democrats, especially since Ken Cuccinelli is also caught up in this Star Scientific mess.

Under the VA Constitution, the governor can call a special session, or two-thirds of the members in the House and Senate can jointly call for one. Here is a very basic legislative/PR strategy for winning this issue this year. This will produce a steady stream of stories, all good, all aimed at fixing a real problem in real time.

1. Democratic leaders in the Senate and House hold a press conference and ask the governor to call a Special Session. Do it respectfully; the public isn’t interested in a big “Your Momma” thing, this is about honest governing. We can assume Governor McDonnell will not agree, although he should say yes. He might, instead, punt the ball to the GOP leadership in the GA.  

2. After giving the other side sufficient time to act – no more than a week – the Democrats in the GA dramatically announce they will all meet in Richmond. Pick a day.

3. The Dems meet and sign two petitions, each the same, each calling for a special session as required by the VA constitution.

4. The next day, a delegation of Democrats personally delivers a copy of the petition to both Speaker Howell and Senate Majority Leader Norment (and better yet to LG Bolling, who should be an ally on this due to his recent political conversion to “independent Republican” status).

5.  We can assume Howell and Norment will not agree. So after say a week, the Democrats hold another press conference to present the legislation – easy to draft – they want to pass. It should include new, tough disclosure rules for broader range of public officials, candidates and their families, and business associates including some outright bans. It should include new rules on how and when an AG can recuse his office from a matter. This is a point the Democrats have missed so far; they have not read the law close enough as regards the Star Scientific matter. It should include new rules on using the Governor’s Mansion, the governor’s image to hawk commercial products, etc. You get the drift.

6. Assuming the Governor will not act, the Democrats should all agree to voluntary extra disclosure, etc., calling on GOP candidates to do the same.

This is merely a first-cut draft of a PR strategy for the early phase of this election year. There will be more openings as the campaign moves on. As a general rule, voters are not normally much interested in these “process” matters. But this is the unusual moment given the massive PR on the Star Scientific matter due to the governor making a huge PR blunder. When these kinds of things break, once you see the press digging in, then you’ve got to get out ahead of it.

The actual initial story was manageable for His Excellency since McDonnell has a clean image. I had expected him to agree the rules needed changing, admit he probably should have handled it differently, do something pro-active. Surely didn’t figure he would hide behind the loophole, daring the media to dig deeper. I tried that once, and it didn’t work so well. Live and learn.

Because of how he played it – trying to talk around it – McDonnell not only made it far worse for him, he also has created a dynamic where the public will reward those who ACT, not just TALK, about the matter. In that regard, the AG played it far smarter than the governor. But as I point out above, if you read the law carefully, there is a very technical reason why the AG insists on his having no conflict. It is not just a political thing, but a legal one as well. Cuccinelli did better than McD, but read the law and you decide.

Democrats should therefore go into ACTION JACKSON mode here. It is all upside from here for Dems if they play it right. There are probably a dozen good story days here, that’s a lot between now and election day.

As I say: McDonnell has made a huge mistake. He has let the story get way out in front of him. He is in a lose-lose posture on it if all he can do is call for action after he is gone from the Mansion. Big Mistake. Given Star’s apparent other troubles, this all bad for McD. He has the bully pulpit right now as governor; he had best use it, because he will soon enough lose it.

If only to cut off the GOP’s line of retreat, Democrats need to call for a special session. That’s win-win: if the GOP agrees, then Dems will get credit for the legislation passed. If the GOP balks, then Dems get to campaign on the high road this year. Either way, they win. Hey, if Michigan had had a few more of these easy dunk shots, they might be NCAA B-Ball champs instead of chumps.

Virginia News Headlines: Thursday Morning

By
lowkell
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1

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, April 11. Also, check out First Lady Michelle Obama emotionally addressing youth – and gun – violence.

*Some hints of openings in partisan wall (“On gun control, immigration, the budget, some Democrats and Republicans are talking – and working – together.”)

*Obama: White House dinner with GOP senators ‘constructive’ (Yeah, we’ll see…)

*John Boehner on hot seat as Senate acts (Huge problem right here: House Teapublicans are impossible to deal with.)

*Conservative Infighting Over Immigration Reform Grows

*Budget deal with Republicans Obama’s top fiscal priority

*Immigration reform rally draws thousands to Capitol calling for path to citizenship

*D.C.-area disability rolls grow as more opt out of job market

*Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments reverses support for gun control following local outcry

*Residents Deliver Gun Violence Petitions to Warner’s Office (“McLean-area Concerned Citizens Against Gun Violence collected more than 3,000 signatures.”)

*McAuliffe’s Greentech forced to pay tax due to a lack of production

*Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s role in GreenTech scrutinized

*Tighten up ethics loopholes (“The only limit on gifts to public officials is a requirement that they disclose the swag, but McDonnell found it’s easy to avoid that rule.”)

*Tracking the anti-Lingamfelter political hits

*Amid conflict questions, Cuccinelli calls for ‘gift’ transparency (How about banning “gifts” like these, and how about “too little too late” in this case?)

*Conservative group nabs new Va. director from Md.

*Study of extending light rail to Norfolk Naval Station begins

*Admiral: Maintenance work by private yards won’t be cut

*Fairfax County chooses Texas woman as next school superintendent

*Fairfax County Puts $11 Million Toward Pedestrian Improvements

*Set a place for the public on rail

*Washington Capitals proudly sit atop inferior Southeast Division

Help Name the Star Scientific Scandal!

By
kindler
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6

It’s been a long time since Virginia’s had a good scandal.  (I mean, since harassing a climate scientist on behalf of the coal industry and denying poor people the right to vote and forcing women to have unnecessary vaginal probes and threatening to defy Federal firearms laws are, of course, NOT scandals.)

So we should welcome all the continuing revelations about the close ties between Gov. McDonnell, AG Cuccinelli, former AG Kilgore, Star Scientific owner Jonnie Williams and a cast of thousands.  The drip, drip, drip of juicy new details continues every day — Cuccinelli “forgot” to report his donations from the company! The CEO paid for part of  McDonnell’s daughter’s wedding!  He also paid for Cuccinelli’s political trip to Kentucky!  The company sells tobacco products geared to minors!  It just keeps getting better.  Since Gov. Bob has been such a booster for flim-making in the Commonwealth, I think we should find a few liberal Hollywood types willing to come to the state and start filming “Star Scientific: the Movie.”

But every great scandal needs a great name, and this one is still struggling in that regard.  Help this scandal out!  Here are a few suggestions — please vote for your favorite, or come up with a new one.  Whoever comes up with the best alternative wins a free subscription to Blue Virginia — delivered right to your screen!

– Star-gate (has that science fiction-y ring to it)

– Sci-Fi (short for “Star Scientific Financing Scandal”)

– Quid Pro Tobacco (for those who like stuff in Latin)

– L’Affaire Jonnie (for those who like stuff in French)

– Supplement-gate (if just works)

– Wed-her-gate (okay, I admit that’s lame so never mind…)

Poll appears after the flip — vote early and often…

[poll id=”

115

“]

Video: President Obama Announces the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget

By
lowkell
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4



According to the White House, “The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget demonstrates that we can make critical investments to strengthen the middle class, create jobs, and grow the economy while continuing to cut the deficit in a balanced way.” What do you think of this budget? I have mixed feelings, one of which is that the LAST thing we want to be is Charlie Brown as Lucy repeatedly pulls the football away at the last second, causing us to fall painfully on our butts. Yet why is it that this image keeps popping into my mind as I watch President Obama keep trying, over and over again, to meet Republicans half way, and then have them slap him in the face/kick him in the groin/etc? Anyway, we’ll see, but I’m certainly not holding my breath expecting different results this time around, with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner playing the role of Lucy.

USPS Board of Governors Agrees with Rep. Connolly, Reverses Decision to Cut Mail Delivery

By
lowkell
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0

From Rep. Gerry Connolly, who requested and received a decisive legal opinion from GAO on this issue. Nice job!

Postal Service Board of Governors Reverses Postmaster General’s Decision to Cut Mail Delivery from Six-to-Five Days in August

USPS Confirms Conclusion by Rep. Connolly & GAO that USPS Lacks Authority

WASHINGTON – The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) issued a statement Wednesday confirming the conclusion by Congressman Gerry Connolly and the U.S. Government Accountability Office that USPS lacks the legal authority to cut mail delivery from six-to-five days.

“I applaud today’s decision by the Board of Governors to direct the Postmaster General to cease his misguided efforts to blatantly disregard the will of Congress, and the rule of law itself,” said Connolly. “Whether one believes we must preserve our Nation’s universal service standard, or prefers that we drastically cut mail volume and revenue, we all should be able to agree that it is imperative that the Postal Service follow the law.”

Connolly has argued for months that USPS is bound by current law to continue 6-day mail delivery and rural delivery of mail at not less than the 1983 level of delivery.  His assertion was backed up by a legal opinion issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, at Connolly’s request, on March 21.

“The USPS finally admitted it had no legal justification to circumvent existing law and unilaterally implement a change in delivery service that many believe will not only disrupt mail service, but also exacerbate USPS revenue losses and contribute to the decline of this constitutionally-mandated service to all Americans,” Connolly said.  “I hope this quells the fervor of those in Congress, the Postal Service, and in the media who encouraged the Postmaster General to ignore the rule of law.”

Connolly said, “I hope it is now clear to those who supported the reduced mail delivery that no one and no agency, including the U.S. Postal Service, is above the law.”

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