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McDonnell’s Legacy Moment: Does He Have Wilder’s Guts?

By
Goldmanusa
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2

( – promoted by lowkell)

by Paul Goldman

In the modern history of Virginia, only one Democratic governor – Doug Wilder – has been forced to make the gut call on redistricting. In 1971, 1981, 2001 and 2011, Republican governors reigned during the constitutionally mandated redistricting year. These four GOP chief executives – Holton, Dalton, Gilmore and McDonnell – have basically used the redistricting process to increase the number of Republicans elected to the General Assembly. Within limits, such partisan redistricting is not only constitutional, but politically inevitable until the process undergoes fundamental change.  

Wilder, however, did something unprecedented, and still unappreciated today: instead of using the process to unfairly benefit Democrats, he instead did the right thing for the people of Virginia. There are those who say he had no choice given the Voting Rights Act. But as the person advising him on the politics, this is simply not an accurate statement of either the law or the politics. He had choices. But he choose to do the right thing despite incredible pressure from short-sighted Democratic Party leaders and activists.

At the time, I was the Chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party. The Party leaders wanted me to fall in line and advise Wilder to support their plan. But the Governor needed my honest opinion. I had to choose.

Don’t get me wrong:  I got where the Democratic leadership was coming from. At the time, Republicans ran the U.S. Department of Justice. The Voting Rights Act and other laws aimed at ensuring minority voting rights were not popular in Virginia specifically, or the South generally. The level of the opposition is not appreciated from today’s vantage point, a generation later. Moreover the Old Guard had run the Virginia General Assembly for a long time. They had reason to believe the Republican Justice would back their redistricting play so as not to be seen as friendly to the VRA.

It was 200-proof politics, power first, the people second.

It is the game. Now, the GOP Senators, fearing their loss of power in 2015, are making the same play. It is likely to be affirmed by the GOP House in a vote this week…

Unless Gov. McDonnell has former Governor Wilder’s guts. If McD makes it clear he isn’t going to play along, then it is DOA.  

 

Back in 1991, Wilder was under great pressure from powerful Democratic forces to approve their plan, or at least agree to a plan to ensure Democratic control for not only the rest of the decade but probably longer.

THIS LAST POINT – the time dimension – is being missed in the current debate on the Watkins’ led Senate power grab due to the absence of Senator Henry Marsh [who has a seat Wilder told me to create for him].  

If the Watkins led power-grab is signed into law by the Governor and then survives legal challenges, IT IS DESIGNED TO ENSURE REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF THE 2021 REDISTRICTING PROCESS IF NOT UNTIL 2031! A Democratic Governor may, or may not, be able to stop it depending on the politics at the time.

THIS IS THE STAKES RIGHT NOW, not merely the 2015 state senate elections.

Doug Wilder understood the power of redistricting.

As did the Old Guard in the Democratic Party. As do today’s GOP Old Bulls.

To claim Governor Wilder had no choice is not only historically untrue, it is silly in the extreme in terms of real politics. We were in new territory, legally and politically. No one knew for certain.

The same now in 2013. Redistricting in 2013 a redistricting plan approved in 2012 is unprecedented in Virginia. The law is unclear, the Voting Rights Act and other considerations different than in 1991.

The GOP power play in 2013 is just another wrinkle of the Democratic power-play in 1991.

Why? If Wilder did the right thing, Democrats would lose Senate seats big time. Virginia had been growing especially in the GOP suburbs. Given the larger size of the Senate districts, any significant change in boundary lines would put a lot of Democratic Senators at risk under the best of circumstances. Given the deep recession that had hit Virginia’s budget harder than any other state on a percentage basis, the GOP young bloods were on the warpath, Wilder’s popularity down.

The Voting Rights Math added up this way: For every new majority-minority Senate seat created for an African-American Democrat, this figured to defeat at least  two white, often Old Guard, Democratic incumbents or a party replacement trying to hold that seat. If you think we have too much racially based voting now, it was worse in 1991.

The Old Guard redistricting plan passed by the Democratically controlled General Assembly called for two majority-minority Senate seats, which seemed to satisfy the Bush DOJ position on the Voting Rights Act.

Governor Wilder rejected their plan, and created 5. I backed him all the way, the only Democratic leader to do so. Party leaders were convinced the party’s control of the Senate would be lost for the first time ever except for the brief period after the Civil War when elections remained under federal control.

I disagreed: it would be close but we could hold on without rigging the system.

Bottom line: Despite the redistricting, the Democrats retained 57 seats in the House, the high water mark in the last generation, losing only a net of one, a seat we should have actually won admittedly. On the Senate side, we lost 8 seats, but two were due to candidates who thought they couldn’t lose. We held onto a 22-18 Senate majority, also the biggest in the last generation.

The Historic Point: Democratic Governor Doug Wilder did the right thing for Virginia. But it did cost the Democratic Party at lot of seats in the State Senate.

Wilder could have let General Assembly Democrats have their way, they surely offered plenty of quid-pro-quos either directly or by inference. They had been blocking many of his ideas.

But he stood on principle.  

Now comes Republican Bob McDonnell’s turn.

Governor McDonnell and his aides say this is his “legacy” Session of the General Assembly.

If Bob McDonnell wants a legacy, if he wants a defining moment, then what better test of character than to say NO to the GOP Senate redistricting power-grab, aimed giving them unwarranted and unprincipled control of the GA for the next generation.

Yes, he can cut a political deal for his transportation plan and let the courts clean up the mess if they have the guts.

Or McDonnell can do what a Governor is supposed to do: Put the interests of the state ahead of his party.

It is a legacy moment.

It’s all on you Bobby Boy.

Virginia News Headlines: Monday Morning

By
lowkell
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3

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Monday, January 28.

*Senators plan major reform of immigration laws

*Makers, Takers, Fakers

*Former rivals Obama and Clinton are best buds in prime-time interview

*Paul Ryan Embraces Spending Cuts He Said Would Devastate The Country

*Cuccinelli will stay out of redistricting fight (Gotta love this guy; he’s gotten Virginia involved in all kinds of fights the past few years, most utterly absurd/misguided/crazy/etc., yet he won’t get involved in this one. Fascinating priorities.)

*Obama scolds press on 2016 speculation (“You know, Steve, I got to tell you … you guys in the press are incorrigible. I was literally inaugurated four days ago. And you’re talking about elections four years from now.”)

*If it is not stopped, the Republican war on democracy will tear this nation apart

*Gov. McDonnell’s pending legacy (“Does the governor want to be remembered as a problem-solver who finally tackled a multibillion-dollar transportation crisis, thereby ensuring the state’s prosperity? Or does he prefer to be known for rubber-stamping a hyper-partisan power grab by Republicans who used legislative skulduggery and cartographic trickery to seize control of what had been an evenly divided state Senate?”)

*G.O.P.’s Cantor, Looking Past Politics of Debt (“In the coming weeks, the majority leader plans to lay out a second, softer track for his party beyond the constant cycle of budget showdowns and deficit talks.”)

*Few limits on where guns can go (“Assembly blocks most plans to restrict where they can be carried.” Make that “Assembly Republicans.”))

*Bill would legalize cohabitation in Virginia

*Today’s top opinion: Yes to outlawing discrimination

*Push for immigration reform renewed in Va. (“In-state tuition sought for some illegal immigrants”)

*Editorial: Don’t force mine on Pittsylvania (“Legislators and supervisors representing the county where a uranium deposit is located oppose lifting a moratorium on mining.”)

*In case of emergency, Pr. William delegate wants to study a separate Virginia currency (Stuff like this is why I call him “Sideshow Bob!”)

*Wintry mix causes school, office delays

Virginia Offshore Wind Development: Hurry Up and Wait

By
Eileen Levandoski
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0

( – promoted by lowkell)

2012 was a big year for Atlantic offshore wind, and 2013 promises to be an even bigger year for its development off the coast of Virginia. But as to what year we actually see any of its electrons powering our homes in Virginia, that’s anybody’s guess.

In 2012, our Virginia WEA (wind energy area) – a 112,799 acre area 23 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach – was identified and cleared for development by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) after consultation with all interest groups, including the military, shipping and fishing industries. It’s an area capable of providing 2400 megawatts of power-enough to power over 500,000 homes and create thousands of jobs in manufacturing and supply chain businesses.

Very exciting stuff! And kudos to the Obama administration for fast-tracking Atlantic offshore wind development. In addition to the lease sales announced for Virginia and Rhode Island, BOEM has put out a call for interest from developers for areas off North Carolina’s coast, is considering lease proposals in Maine and New York, and is conducting preliminary environmental assessments for areas off South Carolina and Massachusetts.

Three proposals off New Jersey’s coast have progressed to a point where BOEM is now looking at a proposal to link up the three areas to each other via an offshore transmission backbone.  Maryland’s excitement for developing its wind energy area has led to legislation that would support purchase agreements for the renewable energy. Finally, in Delaware, BOEM issued a lease to Bluewater Wind, which is off and running with all its preliminary site assessments.

Virginia is well placed in the Atlantic offshore wind race. In February 2012, BOEM issued a Call for Interest for Virginia, and eight developers responded. Later in 2012, BOEM asked for public comment about the potential auction format, then acquiesced when the Commonwealth (apparently acting under the influence of Dominion Power) urged that our entire WEA be leased to one bidder who would be allowed a prolonged phase-in period. The opening bid for the anticipated Spring 2013 auction starts at $5 per acre, for a total of $563,995, plus $ millions in surety bonds. The winner will have to spend millions more dollars to conduct the necessary studies before submitting a construction and operations plan. Deep pockets required!

It is very likely that the company 1) winning $76 million from the Commonwealth as reward for purchasing cheap, out-of-state renewable energy credits from pre-WWII facilities, 2) including zero offshore wind in its integrated resource plan mapping electricity generation for the next 15 years, and 3) now putting all its eggs in the fracked natural gas basket with proposals for three fracked-gas plants in Virginia, will emerge the winner of BOEM’s auction.  Once sold to this company, Virginia offshore wind prospects might just come to a screeching halt.  That company is Dominion Virginia Power, one of the nation’s largest utilities and Virginia’s biggest polluter.

Judging by the fervor of activity up and down the Atlantic, BOEM appears anxious to satisfy the President’s agenda and provide him with a big American “win” on the renewable energy front.  The energy resource and the job-creating potential are just too huge to tolerate any slipping from that aggressive agenda.  

And it’s an agenda that involves the entire Atlantic coast, where we can succeed only if every state does its part. The estimated $200 billion in economic activity comes when every Atlantic coast state is lined up with wind farms off each state. That investment in turn supports 300,000 new jobs including the American manufacturing of the 8,000 parts that go into each wind turbine thus lowering the cost for generating that electricity. There can’t be any holes in that line-up. The crisis of climate change demands that states look beyond the short-term energy agenda pushed by Big Oil and Big Coal. That’s why Virginians need to press BOEM to approve only proposals, contracts and plans that move us aggressively yet responsibly to seeing steel in the ground as quickly as possible and to reject attempts to stall or prolong its development.  

Virginians have an opportunity to do so now with public comment on the proposed lease sale notice.  Click here to send BOEM a message insisting that Virginia’s upcoming lease sale be conditioned such that the winning bidder be required to develop our WEA in its entirety and as soon as possible.

Our comments at this stage will have only limited impact, however.  The lease itself won’t hinder any Dominion plan to stall and otherwise prolong Virginia’s WEA development.  The Construction and Operating Plan (COP), due in five years, will contain Dominion’s multi-phased plan stretching development of Virginia’s WEA to however long it choses, say 30, 40, 45 years.

At that point, BOEM could reject Dominion’s COP on the grounds that it is too prolonged.  But Dominion could respond with a COP to develop only a small portion of Virginia’s WEA and forfeit the remaining lease areas back to BOEM.  So five years after the monopoly monopolizes our WEA, we’d be back to the drawing board.

Slowing the process further is an extensive Federal permitting process following approval of the COP, to include permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, EPA, just to name a few.  While BOEM has been laser-focused on quickly moving along the WEA identification and leasing process, it will soon turn its attention to speeding up the permitting process with coordinated concurrent efforts.

So ours is a drumbeat that must live for five years and more.  But as long as we keep the vision of that clean energy future in sight, we can win out over the fossil fuel forces.  We need all hands on deck to keep the pressure on all players from BOEM to Dominion to the Obama administration to our state regulators at the State Corporation Commission.    

Fossil Fuel Interests, Including the Koch Brothers, Funnel Millions Into Attacking Climate Science,

By
lowkell
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0

Cross posted from Scaling Green

This story caught our eye, as it highlights what clean energy is up against: an extremely wealthy, powerful , entrenched fossil fuel industry willing to spend whatever it takes to head off the disruptive (to their industry) threat of non-carbon-based energy sources.

A secretive funding organisation in the United States that guarantees anonymity for its billionaire donors has emerged as a major operator in the climate “counter movement” to undermine the science of global warming, The Independent has learnt.

The Donors Trust, along with its sister group Donors Capital Fund, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is funnelling millions of dollars into the effort to cast doubt on climate change without revealing the identities of its wealthy backers or that they have links to the fossil fuel industry.

However, an audit trail reveals that Donors is being indirectly supported by the American billionaire Charles Koch who, with his brother David, jointly owns a majority stake in Koch Industries, a large oil, gas and chemicals conglomerate based in Kansas.

[…]

Robert Brulle, a sociologist at Drexel University in Philadelphia, has estimated that over the past decade about $500m has been given to organisations devoted to undermining the science of climate change, with much of the money donated anonymously through third parties.

The reason these people are attacking climate science, of course, is that the implications of global warming strike directly at the heart of their industry’s long-term profits, which come from extracting and burning fuels which directly contribute to…that’s right, global warming. At the same time, attacking climate science also helps the fossil fuel guys undercut an important argument for clean energy. A double whammy, in other words. Pretty clever, huh?

Virginia House GOP Holds Huge Financial Edge Over House Dems Heading into 2013 Elections

By
lowkell
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7

Have you seen a horror movie recently? Any interest in checking one out? Well, no need to spend $10 on a ticket, plus whatever ungodly sum they charge for artery-clogging popcorn and diabetic coma-inducing candy and soda. Nope: if you’re a Virginia Democrat, or simply a Virginia citizen who doesn’t want to see our state plunged into the Dark Ages by the Teahadists, all you need to do for a serious scare is check out cash-on-hand numbers over at VPAP. From a progressive and/or Democratic point of view, they’re terrifying.

So, which party has all the money as we head into an election cycle during which every single House of Delegates seat will be up for grabs (and in which Dems currently hold only 32 seats out of 100)? Hint: it’s not the one with the donkey as a logo. To the contrary, as of December 31, 2012, Virginia’s Republicans held an elephant-sized cash-on-hand advantage over Dems of something around $4.5 million. That’s right, it’s approximately $6 million “red team” to about $1.5 million “blue team” (note: I say “approximately” and “about” because it depends exactly what you count; also, there’s at least one strange-looking number in there, for Adrianne Bennett, who either has $211,000 or minus $42 cash on hand, depending on which page you look at). [NOTE: See the “flip” for a list of the top Democratic cash on hand totals]

By the way, note that one of the top Dems in terms of cash on hand is Johnny Joannou, with $144,621, yet he’s given only $11,500 to the House Democratic Caucus since 1997 (no, that’s not a typo, and yes it averages out to less than $1,000 a year!). Clearly, we’ve got some “issues” here.

It’s not just Cash on Hand, either; it’s also the amount of money raised leading up to 2013. Out of the top 10 highest totals from 7/1/2012 to 12/31/2012, as of the end of last year, 9 of those are Republicans: Howell ($244k), Kilgore ($219k), Cox ($201k), Hugo ($198k), Ramadan ($169k), Comstock ($165k), Watson ($143k), Jones ($140k), Farrell ($128k). The only exception: House Minority Leader David Toscano, who raised $282,000 during the second half of 2012. Meanwhile, several Democrats in solid “blue” districts in some of the wealthiest areas of the state raised very little money (e.g., in the $20,000-$30,000 range).

Clearly, part of this advantage for the Republicans is that they’re in the majority, and it’s a lot easier to raise money when you’ve got the power. Another advantage is that they get reams of money from the usual suspects – corporations, fossil fuel interests, etc. Still, the fact that the gap is so large is disturbing. The question is, what are we going to do about it?  

In talking to Democratic delegates, one theme I keep hearing is that Terry McAuliffe will be spending a ton of money in 2013, and that this will help Democrats up and down the ballot. My view is that while T-Mac is likely to spend a lot of money, no doubt, there’s no guarantee that this will help House of Delegates candidate per se. We’ll see. But regardless, I don’t believe that House of Delegates Democrats should be relying on T-Mac or anyone else, other than their own efforts.

What I’d do is threefold. First, I’d heavily ramp up fundraising efforts by “safe blue district” Democrats, with the goal of using that money to help other Democrats take back as many as possible of the 18 HoD districts carried by President Obama in 2012, but currently held by Republicans. Second, I’d start making a play for national, grassroots/netroots money, leveraging the fact that Virginia will have the marquee political races of 2013, as well as the fact that there are some perfect Republican “villains” (anti-LGBT, anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-environment, anti-healthcare, just generally wacked, etc.) we can point to (and ask for help in stopping them). Finally, I’d ramp up fundraising efforts with major national individual and institutional donors (e.g, LGBT, abortion rights, enviro groups) to bring in millions of dollars this year.

Obviously, all of this will take effort. And yes, I’m aware that we’re caught in somewhat of a vicious cycle, where donors ask why they should give money when we don’t have any power anyway, but where we’re not going to have power unless we start winning elections, and where that’s not going to happen unless donors start giving money. What we need to do is figure out a way to break that vicious cycle and start turning it into a virtuous cycle, where we start picking up seats in the House of Delegates, where that leads donors to sense the potential for getting back into power, and where that leads them to pour money into top-quality Democratic House candidates. No, it’s not going to be easy, but what are our other options? Give up? Screw that! Unless, of course, the thought of a state governed by Ken Kookinelli and a Teahadist-controlled General Assembly appeals to you. No, I didn’t think it would.

*************************************

Top Ten House Democratic Cash on Hand totals (as of 12/31/12)

House Democratic Caucus: $313k

Del. David Toscano: $285k

Del. Scott Surovell: $100k

Del. Mark Sickles: $90k

Del. Joe Morrissey: $71k

Del. Charniele Hering: $67k

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn: $53k

Virginia First (Toscano): $52k

Del. Kenneth Plum: $38k

Del. Matthew James: $36k

Virginia News Headlines: Sunday Morning

By
lowkell
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0

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, January 27.

*Virginia case highlights need to stop gerrymandering by GOP, Democrats alike (“Both Republicans and Democrats regularly exhibit such greed and dishonesty in manipulating electoral maps that a Columbia University expert who studies the practice likened his work to that of an anthropologist who observes cannibals.”)

*Today’s top opinion: Seeing red: The Electoral College

*Schapiro: Va. Senate Democrats divided, dysfunctional, naive (” More than divided, they are dysfunctional. Their leadership – what leadership? – is better at speaking out after the fact than outsmarting Republicans before it. And Democrats are naïve, believing if they’re nice to Republicans, Republicans will be nice in return.”)

*Electoral College Change Could Weaken Northern Virginia’s Influence

*Ken Cuccinelli Opposes Electoral Vote Split Plan: “I Don’t Like Breaking Up States”

*Cuccinelli seeks bipartisan backing to ease ballot access rules in Virginia

*Virginia’s GOP lawmakers endanger Gov. Bob McDonnell’s legacy

*Virginia Democrats criticize electoral vote changes they once supported

*Editorial: Allow Dreamers to pay in-state tuition (“Legislators should note the growing clout of Hispanic voters and adopt enlightened immigration laws.”)

*Gun-related homicides and injuries down as firearm sales soar

*In Virginia, Teach for America may fill gaps

*Fairfax County water plan could block homeowners from adding on

*Prospect of East Coast uranium mining dividing Virginia in debate over jobs vs. environment

*Rapid growth drives frequent boundary changes in Northern Virginia schools

*A bad wager on betting referendum

*Why Virginia ♥ Panama

*D.C. area forecast: Heading out of the deep freeze

A Few Photos, Video from Today’s March on Washington for Stemming Gun Violence in America

By
lowkell
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2



Check out more photos of today’s March on Washington for Gun Control on Sue Langley’s Facebook page. I’ve also posted a few more photos by Sue, as well as video from the AFP news agency, on the “flip.”

It’s great that people were marching today, because the bottom line here is that the ONLY way there’s going to be action on this issue – or anything else, for that matter – is via organized, sustained, mass public pressure. In terms of policy, it’s obviously long past time for reasonable measures, such as universal background checks, to stem gun violence in this country. And the fact that the VAST majority of Americans (92% according to a recent CBS/NY Times poll) support expanded background checks shows that this is a political winner as well (note: it also shows just how far out of the mainstream the NRA and its loony-tunes “leader,” Wayne LaPierre, are on this issue). Now, it’s time for Congress to listen to the will of the American people and to take action!

P.S. Also see the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence’s photos.

millionmomcapitol

millionmomvirginia

Finally, here’s an image by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. FYI, Reema Samaha was a beautiful, talented young woman who was killed by a gun-wielding murderer at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007.

Could Medical Marijuana Be Big Issue in 2013 Virginia Elections?

By
Goldmanusa
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0

by Paul Goldman

Tucked away in the recent poll by Christopher Newport University is this surprise: An overwhelming majority of Virginians are “jake” with allowing the use of weed for “medical” purposes. They were against, although not by huge margins, following states like Colorado in legalizing the so-called “recreational” use of weed. But Virginians were ready to let folks light-up for medical purposes, although this could change once voters had to focus on the precise implementation of the law.

This poll, the first credible one in my memory to ask the question, raises the self-evident: Is there going to be a candidate for statewide office this year prepared to jump of this political cliff?

It is a guaranteed front-page, lead story on the news, kind of thing, a definer perhaps of a candidate for Governor or Attorney General.

The issue is hot nationally and it might sneak into the discussion as the Obama Administration copes with the new laws in Colorado and elsewhere challenging federal policy on drug use under any circumstances. There is a libertarian streak in the debate which has appeal across the aisle these days.

As a practical political matter, we can assume legalization of weed for medical use has huge support for voters under 40, less so perhaps for those over 65. The key to the 2013 may be turnout, with Republicans banking on their usual advantage in the turnout model skewing their way a few extra points in the VA off-off year statewide races this November. All things being equal, the electorate this November will be a few points older and less diverse than in 2012, replicating the 2008 v 2009 scenario.

The point being: In theory, Democrats will do better in direct proportion to the relative increase in turnout among younger voters.

Would a pro-medical marijuana stance, given its apparent broad support, be a prudent risk vs reward for say an AG’s race which will have time getting much attention if it follows the usual parameters of the debate between the contestants?

It is an intriguing question, especially given the recent political experience with gay rights issues. Not long ago, they were thought to be sure took hot to handle: now, as a political matter, far, far less so. Polling wise, tacking a risk on medical marijuana seems a better play than gambling on gun issues due to the strong single-issue voter profile of the NRA constituency in southern states like Virginia.

To be sure, we are talking 200-proof politics, merely assessing the raw vote getting politics, not debating the substance.

As a medical matter, the jury is still out on medical weed: if you read the experts, they have some wide and passionate disagreements on the use of weed for treating medical issues relative to other available stuff.

Right now, the medical weed issue is not part of the Virginia debate. The “anti” side has a lot of ammo in my view. But if 3 out 4 Virginians say they are “cool” with legalizing the stuff –  and if this is a real, not poll, number – then any strategy guy looking for an issue to shake up a race will have it on his dance card.

The anti-politicians could come across to younger voters as the old Guard.

A “pro” candidate has enough medical community support to make a credible case, and it will seem daring, modern, a “new” Virginia look to younger voters. Like it or not, a lot of winning votes involves “optics”: e.g, a candidate saying it was time to stop wasting zillions on putting people in jail, on police time taken away from the real bad buys, on forcing cancer and other patients to suffer horrible pain, when there is proven way in other states to think outside the 19th century box.

Hard sell in Virginia, big mistake politically? Or a sleeper issue, one that enable an underdog to outflank the opposition? Should we be spending our scarce law enforcement dollars on people who use weed to help them cope with pain, or instead using those funds to crack down on those doing violence to our kids and families and law-abiding citizens?

The anti-drugs message is well known; it has won a lot of campaigns for a lot of candidates who used it. But does it work against a pro-medical weed candidate, who gambles he or she can have it both ways, indeed the pro-message makes the anti-message better in a counter intuitive way?

If the CNU poll numbers are accurate, we might see a candidate take the risk this year.

What’s the Worst Bill in Richmond? You make the call!

By
kindler
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5

It’s time again for Richmond’s favorite reality show, WORST BILL EVER!  Excited Republican state Delegates and Senators are lining up today to try to pass the weirdest, dumbest, most cynical or just plain revolting legislation. Make sure to vote in the poll at the end of this post for the bill you think deserves the prize.

This round’s contenders include:

– Del. Bob Marshall’s “Funny Money” bill (HJ 590) — Sideshow Bob is the Rocky Balboa of freaky legislation, and he never fails to disappoint. This worthy contender, to study whether Virginia should print its own currency, is one for the ages — I encourage you to read it in full, while enjoying such lines as “WHEREAS, many widely recognized experts predict the inevitable destruction of the Federal Reserve System’s currency through hyperinflation in the foreseeable future…” Needless to say, this bill has been approved in subcommittee.

– Del. Marshall’s “Cold, Dead Hands” bill (HB 2340), which would prohibit state employees from helping to enforce new Federal gun laws. Whaditellya? Like Michael Jordan, Sideshow Bob never just takes one shot at the basket. Of course, this bill is too mild for our friends at the Virginia Gun Owners Coalition, who point out that it fails to include a provision to arrest Federal officials who themselves try to enforce Federal laws. Well, good point, but Rome wasn’t brutally massacred in a day. This bill, needless to say, has been reported out of committee.  

– Sen. Watkins’ “Make Virginia Glow” bill (SB1353) to open the floodgates to uranium mining in the wet, heavily populated state of Virginia.  This bill bravely ignores the opposition of Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, Virginians and North Carolinians in the area that would be subject to the risk of radioactively contaminated lakes and streams.  As the Simpsons’ Montgomery Burns would say, “Eeeexxxxxceellent!”  This bill has the added advantage of the support of Democratic Senate leader Dick Saslaw, proving that being bought by industry can be a sacred bipartisan value.  For some reason, this legislation has not yet made it out of committee.  Step it up, people!

– Sen. Watkins’ now-famous “Panda Burger” redistricting bill (now HB 259), so named for the honor it received of being honored by Stephen Colbert in his Alpha Dog of the Week feature.  This bill to change district lines without the burdens of Constitutional authority, consent from the Democrats who run half the Senate, hearings, etc., has of course passed the Senate and is awaiting House action and potential signature by Governor Bob McDonnell, who continues to keep that option open, saying

There’s a lot of bills that I get that I might not like the way it was done, that I don’t like the way they were amended and so forth…But my job when I get a bill is not to look at the process, it’s to look at the bill on the merits.”

Yeah, only wimps care about stuff like Constitutional, democratic process!

I apologize for cutting off the list at this point, knowing that there are many other worthy contenders out there.  Please feel free to add your favorites in the comments section. We truly have here an embarrassment of riches.  Or…maybe just an embarrassment?

[poll id=”

112

“]

The Chesapeake Bay’s Toxic Present Could Be Our Country’s Toxic Future

By
Progressive86
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0

Every nation has and needs a natural symbol or symbols to represent its vibrancy, its past, its present, and its future, and its ties to the land upon which it has built its civilization. On the Atlantic Coast of the United States, the Chesapeake Bay is undoubtedly one of those symbols. Once a point of social and communal life for a number of Native American tribes, the Chesapeake Bay became a point of arrival and commerce for the newly arriving and established colonists. In other words, the Chesapeake Bay is a natural land mark that tells a story of our country’s past. But it also tells a story of our country’s future.

And if the health of the Chesapeake Bay is any indication of where the United States is headed, our future won’t be a very clean one and, consequently, one worth striving for. A new technical report by the Environmental Protection Agency goes beyond the TMDL discussions and research and explores the toxic contaminants that are present in the Bay, and the results aren’t savory.  

Some of the contaminants that are “widespread in the Chesapeake Bay” include the following: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); mercury; and pesticides. Other toxics that were found in some areas and not others include the following: dioxins; petroleum hydrocarbons; chlorinated insecticides; aluminum; and lead.

Not all areas of the Bay are equal, therefore, in their level of contaminant pollution. But the overall conclusion is not much less disconcerting.

I hope it is clear to many what these chemicals mean to wildlife and human health. But the inundation of the Chesapeake Bay with sediment, lead, mercury, PCBs and so forth also exposes one of the U.S.’s most powerful symbols of the past and present and cultural health to a fatal conclusion: the U.S. is fundamentally harming itself at the same time that it is prospering and the ambitions that we share as a country and as a people may be coming at an unjustifiable cost.

The U.S. once prided itself on the idea of a landscape so vast and a Manifest Destiny so powerful that the laws of nature were almost seen as bending to America’s will. But the sordid condition of the Chesapeake Bay is a constant and sober reminder that future generations of Americans will reap what previous generations have sown. That is not right. That is not just. That is not in line with the American dream.

We have the opportunity to turn the health of the Chesapeake Bay around. If we ‘lose’ the Chesapeake Bay, we not only lose an important source of revenue, an important job creator, but an important part of who we are as Americans. That is something that money cannot buy.

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