Yep, it’s “Bobby” McDonnell’s “good friend” Pat Robertson, a huge donor to Virginia Republicans, at it once again. This time, he’s ranting about the public schools, claiming that liberals use them like the Soviets used “gulags” to “indoctrinate” children into their world view. Note that Virginia Republicans never denounce or distance themselves in any way from Robertson’s insane views, or from his money. From that, we should all conclude that they either agree with him, or don’t disagree with him sufficiently enough to tell him where to shove it. Note, for instance, that Republicans and right-wing groups like ALEC have been hostile to public education for years, wanting to defund it, bash teachers, and privatize as much of it as possible. So, the language they use may be different than Robertson’s, but do they disagree with Robertson’s premise that public schools are used for “liberals” to “indoctrinate” children (yeah, into things like “science,” “history,” “empirical/rational thinking,” crazy stuff like that).

P.S. By the way, the Soviet Gulag resulted in “1.6 million deaths during the whole period from 1929 to 1953,” with “[s]ome estimates for total number deaths in the Gulag go beyond 10 million.” Yep, exactly like the public school system here in America!

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, March 1. Also, check out this video, from the Kingstowne Patch, and focus particularly on the unhinged rantings (aka, “Obama Derangement Syndrome”) of Republican AG candidates Mark Obenshain and Rob Bell. Other than being factually incorrect (Obama has rammed through his agenda? that’s why we have sequestration, cap and trade, a public option, etc? gotcha!), it’s simply nuts. Do. Not. Elect. These. Wackos.

*Sequester arrives as Congress heads for exits

*The consequences of doing nothing (“Time and again, we have voted for people who believe that compromise is a dirty word, that the people who disagree aren’t just misguided, they’re evil. We’ve elected people so rigid that they’re actively working against the welfare of America.” Sure, as long as you define “we” as “Tea Party and Republican voters”…)

*Obama administration: Strike down California gay marriage ban Prop. 8

*Press corps to Woodward: Really? (Apparently, Woodward suffers from a combination of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Obama Derangement Syndrome. Poor guy. Heh.)

*Bolling makes case for independent bid for governor, seeks input from supporters

*Warner, Kaine comment on Senate sequester vote (Kaine: “I voted to support consideration of a bill that offered a balanced, specific and accountable approach to replace these cuts entirely. And I voted against consideration of an all cuts approach that would shock Virginia’s economy.”)

*Government workers anxious about furloughs but also effects of bashing (Truly appalling…)

*VIDEO: GOP Candidates for Attorney General, Lt. Governor Speak at Local Forum

*Abortion debate debuts early in governor’s race

*McDonnell gets road tax earful on invitation-only GOP call (“When talk turned to Medicaid, the governor was insistent that legislators had not authorized expansion, despite what Democrats have claimed or how press accounts have been interpreted.” Uh oh.)

*Va. lawmakers watch as Senate budget deal fails

*Virginia worked to build buffer against sequestration

*McDonnell invokes Reagan in defending transportation bill (Right, except today’s Teapublicans would boot Reagan out of that party so fast, he wouldn’t know what hit him…)

*McAuliffe, at VWCC, promises community college support

*Terry McAuliffe on workforce development and sequestration

*Legislative hurdle aside, port operation decision looms

*It’s ‘remarkable’ that Alexandria police officer is alive after shooting, doctor says

Today, candidate for Virginia Lt. Governor Aneesh Chopra submitted the following public comment on proposed regulations regarding women’s health centers. The regulations in question would place burdensome and unnecessary regulations on facilities that provide health services to Virginia women. Chopra’s comment comes during the Virginia Board of Health’s 60-day public comment period.

These proposed regulations do nothing to protect the health of Virginia women. This is yet another embarrassing attempt by politicians to attack the rights of women. I oppose these regulations and strongly urge the Virginia Board of Health to reject them.

The purpose of these regulations is clear: to use whatever means necessary to hamper a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions. Despite a bipartisan outcry against these regulations, the Governor and Attorney General bowed to pressure from the extreme fringe of their party and resisted any attempts to amend them. In fact, the Governor’s own economic advisers admit the regulations will burden businesses and cause job losses.

If we want to encourage growth and innovation in Virginia, we have to stop these shameful attacks on women. The simple truth is that if we continue down this road, people will not choose Virginia as the place to raise a family or start a business.

Chopra encourages all Virginians to speak out against these proposed laws by submitting a public comment.

I am very happy to see this – good for Del. Toscano, doing the right thing instead of the political thing, in this case. If you haven’t been following this story, see here (1/31/13: “Albemarle County Supervisor Chris Dumler pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery in court Thursday morning.”) and here (2/28: “Woman Involved in Dumler Sex Case Speaks Out”), and here (“Chris Dumler, Resign” Facebook page). Also see here for audio of Albemarle citizens speaking at a 2/25 board meeting about the Dumler case.

STATEMENT ON CHRISTOPHER DUMLER

During the General Assembly session in Richmond, I have been monitoring the debate about whether Supervisor Christopher Dumler should step down in light of his guilty plea.  I am increasingly concerned that Mr. Dumler’s continued service on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has become a distraction. I have met with him, and have discussed the circumstances of his case with a number of county leaders, and while I understand that it is his decision to make, it is my view that it is in his best interest and the best interest of the county for him to step down.   I know it is very hard for him to leave his post because he feels an obligation to many residents of Scottsville Magisterial District who elected him and who are concerned about losing a voice should he resign.   I, therefore, hope that, if he resigns, all efforts will be made to find a replacement who reflects the political views that Mr. Dumler has clearly articulated while on the Board.   The citizens of the Scottsville District and county residents deserve nothing less.

David J. Toscano

P.S. Also see Coy Barefoot’s radio show for discussion of this issue.

From NARAL Virginia: 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                              FEBRURARY 28, 2013

RADICAL ANTI-CHOICE GROUP PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR CUCCINELLI’S WAR ON WOMEN

Susan B. Anthony List to donates $1.5 million to extreme GOP Gubernatorial Candidate

The Susan B. Anthony List, a national organization known for its extreme stance on women’s health care, has announced a commitment of $1.5 million to the Virginia gubernatorial campaign of Republican Ken Cuccinelli. According the Associated Press, Susan B. Anthony List President Majorie Dannenfelser explained the funding decision as an “easy call”, and argued that Cuccinelli “has an ideal track record for someone who is a pro-women candidate.” Danenfelser also indicated the national significance of the race for Virginia Governor: "This is hands-down the most important election in the country right now."

Caroline O’Shea, deputy director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, released the following statement on Susan B. Anthony List’s upcoming announcement:

"The Susan B. Anthony List has a long history of waging war on women’s rights and healthcare, from their support of radical ‘personhood’ legislation to their fight to ban access to abortion in all cases – including rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother. It is unsurprising that they would back Cuccinelli, who shares their extreme agenda and has a similar disregard for the health and well-being of Virginian women.

"Praise for Cuccinelli as a ‘pro-woman’ candidate is laughable, quite frankly,” O’Shea continued. "Cuccinelli has spent virtually his entire political career attempting to insert government into women’s personal, private decisions and keep thousands of Virginian women from accessing the critical medical services they need. As is obvious by this heavy donation, powerful and well-funded anti-choice organizations recognize the importance of Virginia’s 2013 election for the future of reproductive rights – both here and nationally – and they are heavily invested in electing a new Virginia governor who will continue their war on women. NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia is fully prepared to ensure that Virginians understand what’s at stake in this election and  expose Cuccinell’s anti-choice agenda for what it is: dangerous, extreme, and out-of-touch with Virginia voters.”

###

Also see the following from Planned Parenthood of Virginia PAC:

Endorsement from Anti-Women’s Health Group Confirms Cuccinelli’s Dangerous Agenda for Virginia Women

RICHMOND, VA—Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC released the following statement after Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli was endorsed by anti-women’s health group Susan B. Anthony List, who pledged $1.5 million to support his campaign for Governor.

“Today’s endorsement confirms that Ken Cuccinelli’s crusade to end safe and legal abortion will continue if he is elected Governor. Throughout his career, Cuccinelli has pushed forward medically unnecessary bills and regulations designed to chip away at women’s access to health care and safe and legal abortion. Let’s not forget that the group endorsing Cuccinelli today is the same group that defended Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock after their ignorant and dangerous comments about rape.

 “Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC worked hard to defeat anti-women’s health candidates in November and we are stronger than ever for 2013. We will make sure that Virginia voters are aware of Cuccinelli’s dangerous agenda for women and their health care,” said Cianti Stewart-Reid, executive director, Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC.”

Earlier this month, Planned Parenthood Virgina PAC, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Votes launched the “Keep Ken Out” campaign to remind Virginians about Cuccinelli’s dangerous record and agenda for Virginia women’s health and economic security.  

Last month, Cuccinelli compared his fight against the Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit to the civil rights struggle led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and argued that opponents of no co-pay birth control should be willing to “go to jail” to fight the law. Cuccinelli has been described as the “Son of Santorum” by the New York Times and as “the most overtly partisan attorney general in Virginia’s history” by the Washington Post editorial board. 

His anti-women’s health agenda is out of touch with Virginians. According to election night exit polls, 86 percent of Virginia voters believe abortion should remain legal in at least some or all cases.

Cuccinelli, the first attorney general in the country to file a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, supports letting employers decide whether a woman has access to affordable birth control; introduced an amendment to defund Planned Parenthood in Virginia; isopposed to safe and legal abortion even in cases of rape or incest; supported targeted regulations of abortion providers (TRAP) designed as a backdoor ban to eliminate access to safe and legal abortion in Virginia; and is a leading advocate for extreme and dangerous so called “personhood” efforts that if enacted, could interfere with personal, private, medical decisions relating to birth control, access to fertility treatment, management of a miscarriage, and access to safe and legal abortion.   

You’ve probably heard the argument for Ken Cuccinelli’s electability statewide, that he’s proven he can win in “deep blue,” “liberal” Fairfax County. For instance, this Tea Party site claims that Cuccinelli “has been repeatedly elected in the Deep Blue county of Fairfax, Virginia.” And this right wing site says Cuccinelli hails “from the very blue county of Fairfax.” This conservative site argues that Cuccinelli is electable because he is “from Fairfax County, the epicenter of Virginia’s liberal population.” And Cuccinell himself repeatedly claims that “he keeps winning ‘in the tough part of Virginia, in Northern Virginia, without sacrificing my principles.'” (Note: just yesterday, Cuccinelli said “he’s won three state Senate elections in a Fairfax County district ‘in the most liberal part of Virginia'”) Finally, Waldo Jaquith, who is normally absolutely accurate (and astute) in his analysis of Virginia politics, claims that Cuccinelli “represented Fairfax in the General Assembly for two terms.”

The problem is, none of these are accurate. A few points.

1. Ken Cuccinelli did not – repeat, NOT! – represent “Fairfax County.” Keep in mind that Fairfax County is Virginia’s largest jurisdiction, with around 1.1 million people (1/7th of Virginia’s entire population). Fairfax County is so big that it’s represented by 9 state senators (in part or whole) and 17 delegates (ditto). Ken Cuccinelli was one of those 9 state senators for about 7 years, from when he was first elected in a special election in 2002, through his election as Virginia Attorney General in 2009. Again, Cuccinelli never even came close to representing all of Fairfax County, just 37 precincts out of 223 total precincts, or around 17%.

2. Cuccinelli’s district, the 37th, was not – repeat, NOT! – a particularly “blue” or “liberal” district, certainly not when Cuccinelli first ran there! In fact, just a year before Cuccinelli was first elected from that district in 2002, guess who carried the 37th in the 2001 Virginia governor’s race, Democrat Mark Warner or Republican Mark Earley? Nope, it wasn’t the Democrat, even as Warner was winning the state by nearly 100,000 votes. Instead, Republican Mark Earley won the 37th, albeit by a small (1.2 percentage point) margin. Hmmmm.

3. In 2004, Republican Tom Davis demolished Democrat Ken Longmyer by around 26 points in the 37th State Senate district precincts of the 11th congressional district. Oh, and Republican Frank Wolf annihilated Democrat James Socas in the 37th State Senate district precincts of the 10th congressional district. Yeah, real “deep blue” and “liberal” – not!

4. As the district trended from light red to purplish, Cuccinelli’s victory margin declined, from 10 points in 2002, to just 6 points in 2003, and to less than 1 point (101 votes over Janet Oleszek, who as much as I love her, would probably admit she’s not the strongest political candidate in the world!) in 2007. In other words, we won’t be calling him “Landslide Ken” anytime soon for his narrow wins in the “purple” 37th State Senate district.

5. Cuccinelli was replaced in the State Senate by moderate Democrat (and former Republican) Dave Marsden, a former appointee of Republican Governor Jim Gilmore. Marsden narrowly won a special election (in January 2010), 51%-49%, in this supposedly “liberal”/”blue” district. Yeah right!

In conclusion, Cuccinelli certainly never represented Fairfax, and its 1.1 million people, as a whole, but instead a small fraction (around 17%) in one of the county’s most “purple,” or even “red,” areas. By no stretch of the imagination was the 37th State Senate district “the epicenter of Virginia’s liberal population,” as Cuccinelli fallaciously claims – not now, and CERTAINLY not in 2002 or 2003 when Cuccinelli was first elected. In other words, Cuccinelli’s lying, and to the extent the media’s also claiming that Cuccinelli won in a “very blue”/”liberal” part of Virginia, they’re simply perpetuating the lie. Stop doing that!