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VA Republicans Kill Sen. Herring’s Important Election Reforms in Wake of Election Day Snafus

By
lowkell
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0

The following press release is from Sen. Mark Herring, who is doing great work this session on a wide range of issues. In this case, he’s been fighting to expand and improve voter access to polls in Virginia. As Sen. Warner explains, this “kind of de facto poll tax has no place in today’s society,” and as Rep. Connolly points out, “We must prevent a repeat of the dysfunction we saw on November 6 and guarantee that every Virginian is able to exercise his or her right to vote.” How anyone could oppose this is almost beyond comprehension, but Virginia’s extremist Republicans have managed to do so, and it’s yet ANOTHER reason we need to vote them out of office in large numbers this November.

Leesburg – This afternoon, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, led by Chairman State Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) defeated legislation offered by State Senator Mark Herring (Loudoun & Fairfax) to improve voter access to the polls in Virginia.  

Herring’s legislation, SB 1062, proposed a number of common sense reforms designed to make voting faster and more accessible to all voters.  Those reforms included extended voting hours, more flexible early voting and registration opportunities and requiring the State Board of Elections to develop a plan to minimize wait times for voters on election day.

“This past November, Virginians waited up to five hours to vote at some polling locations across our state and that is completely unacceptable,” Herring stated. “Instead of making voting easier, Senator Obenshain wants to make voting harder for Virginians by sponsoring voter ID legislation. Erecting unnecessary barriers to voting is the wrong approach.”

Virginia’s federal delegation took note of the committee’s action. Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Gerry Connolly are leading the charge in Washington, D.C. to make voting faster and more accessible. They are sponsors of the Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Voting Act of 2012 that would create a competitive grant program to encourage states to aggressively pursue election reform.

“I applaud these efforts on behalf of every Virginian who was forced to wait for hours in the cold on election day simply to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” Senator Warner stated. “That kind of de facto poll tax has no place in today’s society. We need to continue this fight, on both the state and federal levels.”

“If enacted, the reforms in this bill would have been a decisive step forward for Virginia,” said Congressman Connolly. “We must prevent a repeat of the dysfunction we saw on November 6 and guarantee that every Virginian is able to exercise his or her right to vote.”

Delegate Luke Torian (D-Prince William) has also introduced several bills in the House of Delegates aimed at improving voter access to the polls, however, his bills met a similar fate as Herring’s: they were defeated by a voice vote in a House of Delegates subcommittee.

“I am pleased to serve as a co-patron on Senator Herring’s comprehensive voting bill. Unfortunately today’s Senate Committee did not act favorably toward this bill and other pieces of legislation that would make it easier for citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” Torian stated. “I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Herring on other initiatives that will make voting quick and easy for all Virginians.”

Video: Lori Haas, Mother of Virginia Tech Shooting Survivor, Visits Newtown, CT

By
lowkell
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2

More great work by filmmakers Annabel Park and Eric Byler, this time in their Story of America series. Here’s Annabel’s and Eric’s description of the above video, an interview with Virginia Tech mom Lori Haas, who now works full time to stop the kind of gun violence her daughter experienced:

On Jan 15, 2013, about 100 people delivered a petition to Walmart in Danbury, CT near Newtown asking the company to stop selling military-style rifles in its stores. Walmart is the top gun seller in the country. Among the people gathered there was Lori Haas, the mother of Emily Haas, one of the survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting. This is our interview with Lori. The petition was signed by 300,000 and collected by MomsRising.org and SumOfUs.org

By the way, if you believe the work Eric and Annabel are doing is valuable and would like to help keep it going, please click here to donate. Thanks.

VA Delegates and Senators to Cuccinelli: “Virginia Deserves a Full Time Attorney General”

By
lowkell
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1

From the Virginia House Democratic caucus: 

Richmond, VA – Today Democratic members of the Virginia General Assembly delivered the letter below to Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli asking him to resign his office in order to ensure that Virginians have a full-time attorney general as he ramps up his campaign for Governor.

The previous six attorneys general have all resigned in advance of their campaigns, recognizing that the demands of the office are too great to meet while campaigning for higher office. 

— 

Dear Attorney General Cuccinelli,

As people who, like you, were elected to serve the families of this great Commonwealth to the best of our ability, we write to you today to convey a pressing concern about your stated plan to remain in your office even as the demands of your campaign for Governor of Virginia increase over the course of this year.

 

As you well know, nearly every attorney general over the past several decades (including each of the last six), have faced the same choice you face now and determined that running for governor is not compatible with honoring his or her commitment to the people of Virginia to faithfully execute the duties of the office you now hold.

 

As he announced his resignation, former Governor and Attorney General Jim Gilmore said, “I have concluded an office of this importance should have no part-time campaigners.”

 

Another Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore said of his similar decision, “Virginia needs an attorney general who can fully focus on this office, it's the right thing to do.”

Finally, before his resignation, our current Governor Robert McDonnell said, “The office is a very difficult job. It demands a full-time attorney general to do the hard work that's required.”

 

The hard work that's required of the attorney general to keep Virginians safe, protect consumers and small businesses, and offer sound legal counsel and representation to state government demands more than a part-time commitment. That is why we write to you today to ask respectfully that you resign your office in order to ensure that Virginians will have an attorney general who is focused full-time on putting their best interests first.

 

At the heart of our request is what's right for the people we all serve. If running the state's law firm were not a position that required full-time attention, the people of Virginia would not be asked to proffer the resources to allow you and your staff to work full time without other income. Seeing however that they do pay the Attorney General a full-time salary, they deserve a full-time commitment to the affairs they hired you to conduct.

 

None of the undersigned would begrudge you the right to seek the governor's office this year. Nor would they disagree that your interests are best served by running a vigorous campaign that includes an aggressive travel schedule, hours devoted to meeting Virginians and raising money and any other activity that you deem necessary to achieve your goal. Many Virginians, included we who write you today, would however object to you performing those activities at the expense of the position with which the taxpayers have entrusted you.

 

It is our hope that you will consider our earnest request to follow the example of your predecessors of both parties and turn the responsibilities of your office over to someone who can give them his or her undivided attention. The role of the Attorney General is too significant, and the challenges we face together as a Commonwealth are too great to allow the demands of your campaign for Governor to overrun the needs of the Virginians we all serve.

 

Thank you for your consideration of this urgent matter.

 

Sincerely,

 

Senator Louise Lucas

Senator Mamie Locke

Senator Ralph Northam 

Senator Adam Ebbin

David J. Toscano, House Democratic Leader

Mark Sickles, House Democratic Caucus Chair 

Delegate Ken Plum

Delegate Robert Brink

Delegate Jennifer McClellan

Delegate Charniele Herring

Delegate Scott Surovell

Delegate Patrick Hope  

Virginia Senate Republicans Reject Commonsense Measures to Curb Gun Violence

By
lowkell
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2

From the Virginia Senate Democratic caucus: 

Republican Senators ignore evidence, law enforcement, and mainstream opinion 

RICHMOND, VA — Today, Republican Senators on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee defeated several proposals to reduce gun violence on a party-line vote. These measures were all backed by substantial majorities of Virginians in recent opinion polls.

Senator Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) said, “This is most unusual. The Republicans decided to hear every piece of gun-related legislation on a single day at an unscheduled committee meeting at an irregular time. It’s clear what the Republican agenda is: get rid of commonsense proposals to reduce gun violence when the public isn’t looking.”

Rejected: Universal Background Checks
Senator Donald McEachin (D-Henrico), Democratic Caucus Chair, said, "I am deeply disappointed that my Republican colleagues failed to support this commonsense measure to prevent terrorists, felons, or the mentally ill from obtaining dangerous weapons. Fixing background checks to include the sale of all firearms is supported by the evidence, law enforcement, and a majority of Virginians. Rejecting this measure flies in the face of mainstream opinion of both citizens and public safety officials. In light of the mass gun violence in the past year, this is the least we can do to prevent future tragedies.”

Rejected: Giving Localities Increased Flexibility
Senator Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), Democratic Leader, said,  “Localities currently don’t have any control over firearms on their property. This is just common sense: giving municipalities the ability to make their own rules about guns on property they own. I know the localities I represent need this flexibility.”

Rejected: Magazine Size Limit
Senator McEachin said, “Virginia Republicans are so far out of the mainstream they can’t even accept limiting the high-capacity magazines manufactured for just one purpose: killing people. Hunters don’t need super-high-capacity magazines to bring down a deer.”

Should VA Jews, Catholics, Christians be Offended? Or Just Say Nothing?

By
Goldmanusa
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0

by Paul Goldman

During Doug Wilder’s historic campaign to break the color-line in state politics, I set a campaign rule: We would turn the other cheek at certain comments, keeping our eyes on the prize. The staff did a great job in that regard. According, my initial reaction to the story this morning in the Washington Examiner concerning a comment attributed to Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert wavered between “Who cares about such a dumb ass, or whether I owed my family, along with all Christian, Catholic and Jewish families in Virginia” the column written here today.

So I decided to look up how Republican Eric Cantor, who the GOP regularly calls the most prominent Virginian who happens to be Jewish in their party, would handle it. My research concluded: He would address Mr. Gilbert and his shamelessly offensive remark about the Holocaust directly, not shrug it off. Presumably, Mr. Cantor would do the same about the rest of the remark.  

According to the Washington Examine story, the reporter says Delegate Gilbert declared “taking guns from citizens is what led to the Holocaust and mass killings under the Soviet Gulag.”  Mr. Gilbert gave this historical observation as a reason to justify his position on certain bills now before the General Assembly. It is not clear whether he told this to the reporter after the debate on certain gun legislation in the House or on the floor of the body. I presume the former.

Mr. Gilbert is a graduate of the University of Virginia, which I realize has been having its struggles lately. Is this really what they teach these days at Mr. Jefferson’s University? If so, then the school has a lot more issues than whether Ms. Dragas should be reappointed to the Board.  

However, under the Cantor rule, I want to be fair to Mr. Gilbert. So I believe the Republican House Majority Leader would handle any reaction to Mr. Gilbert’s remarks as follows. (1) Wait to see if Delegate Gilbert issues a press statement or otherwise makes public that he has contacted the Washington Examiner demanding an immediate retraction and apology for falsely claiming he made such a defaming and offensive remark about the victims of Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution” and the victims of the Soviet Gulag system. (2) Wait to see whether he made the comments ON the House floor, or OFF the House of Delegates floor which is not absolutely clear from the Washington Examiner story. (3) Wait to see what Mr. Gilbert’s colleagues in the House of Delegates have to say about his comments when the GA Session opens today. (4) If Mr. Gilbert does demand a retraction, see if the Washington Examiner says one is owed, or whether the paper stands by the story.

It is possible the paper got it wrong, and Delegate Gilbert is owed an apology. If that is so, then the newspaper has done him a great disservice and it must endeavor to restore the damage done to his credibility.

HOWEVER, if Mr. Gilbert doesn’t demand an apology or retraction, then he has to decide whether he wants to be taken seriously as a legislator, indeed as a political figure in Virginia. I get the fact he is passionate in his views on the second amendment and related matters being debated in the GA in response, in large measure, to the Newtown massacre.

He is entitled to his views on what the law should be.  He is likewise entitled to his views on history. And moreover, he is under no requirement to have any interest in being taken seriously on any level in politics or life generally.

But assuming he went to college to be better educated, that he went to law school to be educated and enter a profession where facts are considered rather important, and that he went to the General Assembly to be more than a laughing stock, then I hope he would take the Cantor rule rather seriously.

Because as I read the Cantor rule, the Virginia Congressman doesn’t tolerate such shamelessly offensive remarks about the Holocaust and its victims.

Governor McDonnell, another Republican, recently said he thought people who had made a nonviolent mistake and paid their debt to society deserved a second chance at having their political rights restored. In that spirit, I will now address Mr. Gilbert’s remarks.

Mr. Gilbert sir: If you said what you said, then you really do need to make it clear this is not what you believe, you really need to make it clear that you don’t believe the victims of the Holocaust are in any way proof of your position on the debate over the second amendment and related legislative matters. The same for the victims of the Gulag.

In case you didn’t notice, my family and millions of others had to amass the greatest armada in history to defeat Hitler’s Regime. My uncle landed at D-Day and marched across Europe, my father went through the war only to then be sent to be pre-positioned to be part of the planned invasion of Japan. I presume your family joined them.

I could go on. The idea that your position on guns is somehow proven correct by the tragedy of the Holocaust is really hard for me to fathom: and in my time, I have had to overcome the views of a lot of politicians who had held Virginia back for a long time.

So again, I would urge you to take Mr. Cantor’s advice: If you said what is reported, then apologize today as quickly and totally as possible. If you do, I will do just what the Governor says: wipe the slate clean, and move on, “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me” kind of thing. Life is too short.

However, this is only true if you have any desire to be taken seriously by those of us with a real record of moving the state past this kind of historic view that held us back. Perhaps you don’t.

This is a state which suffered through the Virginia Tech massacre. So for us, the debate today has a special meaning. We are likewise a state that suffered through the violence of slavery, the violence of segregation. We had an anti-lynching law for a reason. Do you get my drift here?

We need to learn from the mistakes of the past, not try to change history to suit our own political ambitions or causes of the moment.

Bottom line: Left uncorrected, you destroy your credibility. But if corrected, you actually gain a new measure of credibility by showing the character to “step up.”

But for Americans like my uncle and my dad, the death toll from Hitler would have been immensely higher. Even armed to the teeth and with all the courage a man could posses, it took all their might to push back the Germans. For you to suggest that innocent women and children in Germany could have saved themselves if they had been armed is really so shamelessly offensive; don’t you see that?

Delegate Gilbert, I hope you take the opportunity granted to you by the Cantor rule. Moreover, to the extent these comments impact on the reputation of the House of Delegates, it would be wise for others in the body to address the problem.

If need be, call Mr. Cantor. In this instance, I am confident he will give you very good advice.        

Virginia News Headlines: Friday Morning

By
lowkell
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1

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, January 18.

*GOP pollster: Stop talking about rape (This party is a really, really bad joke.)

*Obama campaign to relaunch as tax-exempt group

*Sober proposals run into the NRA (It’s an extremist organization, what else would anyone expect?)

*Christie calls NRA ad criticizing Obama daughters’ security ‘reprehensible’ (Speaking of the extremist NRA…)

*In Virginia, Republicans block easier voting (“Perhaps GOP lawmakers in Richmond equate easier voting with unpalatable election results. If so, that’s a flimsy foundation on which to build a political future – and it may not even be true.”)

*Howell says parts of McDonnell’s roads plan are negotiable (How about ALL of it? Get real; this plan is the exact opposite, in many ways, of what Virginia should be doing on transportation.)

*House subcommittee defeats gun control bills, refers Marshall bill to task force (#FAIL as always by the Teapublican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates.)

*Va. Senate Republicans block repeal of ultrasound bill

*Virginia lawmaker’s AK-47 sparks gun debate on House floor

*Virginia’s elite rescues Helen Dragas (Charming, huh?)

*Bill to expand Virginia HPV vaccine mandate to boys fails (Science? We don’t need no stinkin’ science, Teapublicans say!)

*Kaine: Rand Paul Using ‘Code Word’ on Gun Control

*Cuccinelli says Medicare scammers targeting Virginians

*Webb will speak at UVa commencement

*Virginia Senate panel endorses 4 schools bills

*Virginia lawmakers to consider utility regulation

*Senate honors late Norfolk Sen. Yvonne Miller

*Va. bills cutting menhaden catch move ahead

*Virginia Senate panel kills anti-abortion measure

*Firing Loudoun assessor Todd Kaufman – was it part of plan to reorganize assessment in Loudoun?

*Snow falls, melts, leaving Hampton Roads mostly soggy

*Is Lance Armstrong the world’s biggest liar? (He’s certainly among the world’s biggest liars. Also a total scumbag.)

*Manti Te’o, And When The Sports Media Fails (I’d say the corporate media in general…they are desperate for ratings and revenues, so they run with stories without checking them. Pathetic.)

Cuccinelli’s Payday from Predatory Lenders

By
ProgressVA
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1

Ken Cuccinelli’s recent campaign contribution from payday lender Ace Cash Express is nothis first–nor is it likely to be his last from the predatory industry. He’s collected at least $27,000 from the payday loan industry over last 10 years. Predatory lenders likely aren’t disappointed with their return on the investment. In 2010, Attorney General Cuccinelli issued an opinion exempting predatory lenders from stricter regulations. In 2008, he was the ONLY member of the State Senate who didn’t vote on legislation to cap exorbitant payday interest rates.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see more contributions to Cuccinelli from the predatory lending industry during this campaign. This payday to play politics has certainly paid off in the past for the predatory industry. See below for the facts.

Cuccinelli Previously Collected $27,400 from Payday Industry

In March 2011, an editorial in the Virginian Pilot noted, “He has collected $27,400 from predatory lending companies over the past decade, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.” [Virginian Pilot Editorial, 3/09/11]

Cuccinelli Issued Opinion Exempting Payday Loan Centers from Stricter Regulations

In June 2010, Cuccinelli issued a formal opinion stating local governing bodies could provide a “special exception of special permit use” designation to payday loan centers.

Such a designation would spare payday loan centers from being held to the same standards as banks and credit unions.

The opinion was issued in response to Del. Glenn Oder (R-Newport News). Office of the Attorney General, Opinion 6/23/10

NOTE: Oder has been at the forefront of tightening regulations on payday lenders

Cuccinelli was the Only Member of the Senate to Not Vote on Legislation to Cap Exorbitant Payday Lending Interest Rates

In April 2008, Cuccinelli was the only member of the state Senate to abstain from voting on bipartisan legislation to cap exorbitant interest rates charged by pay day lenders.

According to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the bill would cap interest rates at 36 percent, extend the time borrowers have to repay loans, and limit to ten the number of loans that may be obtained in a year.  The bill would also require the creation of a database to track borrowers and loans and allow lenders to charge a $5 fee per loan to pay for the creation and maintenance of the system.

The bill was the result of three years of negotiation and passed the Senate 38-0-1 (abstention) and the House 90-7 and was signed into law. SB 588, Vote 4/23/08; Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, General Assembly Preliminary Legislative Report 2008

Received $1,000 from Payday Lender Ace Cash Express

According to Cuccinelli’s campaign finance report filed January 15, 2013, he received $1,000 from Ace Cash Express located at 1231 Greenway Drive in Irving, Texas.

Ace Cash Express is a payday lender. Cuccinelli Financial Report, Filed 1/15/13; Ace Cash Express website, accessed 1/15/13

Ace Cash Express Typically Charges Consumers 15 to 17 Percent Interest

According to US News and World Report, “Here’s how the industry works: At payday lending centers (examples include Advance America and ACE Cash Express) throughout the country, workers can come in and take out loans. Typically, interest is between $15 and $17 per $100 borrowed. Loan recipients agree to pay back the money when they receive their next paycheck.” US News and World Report, 1/28/10

Ace Cash Express Faced 20 Lawsuits and 96 Consumer Complaints in Home State of Texas

In April 2010, WFAA Dallas reported, “ACE Cash Express, an Irving-based company that makes payday loans and cash advances, faces at least 20  lawsuits in state court over its debt collection practices, and 96 similar complaints with the Texas Attorney General’s office.” WFAA Dallas, 4/28/10

Consumer Federation of America: Payday Lenders Strip Money away from Families

“Payday {lending} just strips money out of the scarce resources of families that live paycheck to paycheck,” says Jean Ann Fox, the director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. US News and World Report, 1/28/10

Want to Understand the Pro-Gun Tribe? Watch “Death Wish”

By
TheGreenMiles
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2

At Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall has a long post up about being part of the “non-gun tribe.” I’d call myself a member as well – I’m all for hunting, and if you feel safer with a well-secured handgun in your house that’s your choice, but I personally don’t feel safer in the presence of guns and see absolutely no reason for assault weapons or high-capacity magazines.

I didn’t fully understand the pro-gun tribe (and I’m talking about the NRA, not about hunters) until I saw the movie Death Wish. It’s a time capsule into the era when whites abandoned cities as urban economies declined and crime rose. Death Wish is white revenge porn: White crime victims, young brown criminals, police won’t help, older white vigilante with borderline-superpowers dishes out instant capital punishment to would-be muggers (never hitting any innocents, of course) and makes entire city safe again.

Today, it looks like the Birth of a Nation of its era, part of the start of a conservative movement that worships white men with guns and demonizes minorities, cities & the young – even to this day. If you’re under 30 and don’t remember the Death Wish era, at least watch the trailer.

White Males Frank Wolf, Scott Rigell Teach GOP “Successful Communication with Minorities and Women”

By
lowkell
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2

Is this parody, self parody, satire, or what?

The House Republicans are holding their annual winter retreat in quaint tourist village Williamsburg, Virginia, this weekend in order to recuperate and prepare for upcoming legislative battles. Besides partaking in discussions about the debt ceiling and gun restrictions, GOP congressmen and women will also be getting schooled in the fine art of how to have “successful communication with minorities and women.”

[…]

And what better place to talk about making inroads with oppressed groups than in a room named after a famous Williamsburg plantation, located in the tony Kingsmill Resort, which itself is on the site of another plantation? The GOP has heard your complaints, blacks and Latinos and women, and they’re going to try to suss it out while sitting atop dead slave bones.

Hahahaha. Of course, I will say this for Frank Wolf: despite being a total right wingnut, he remains inexplicably popular in the Democratic-leaning 10th CD. So, apparently he knows how to communicate with someone. Or maybe it’s those mythical “good constituent services”(what does he do, hand deliver pizzas and send out handwritten birthday cards to everyone in his district?) we always hear about (as if no other representative could be responsive to constituents, while also not voting in lockstep with Can’tor et al)?

Video: Del. Alfonso Lopez Speaks Out Against Military Grade Ammunition Magazines

By
lowkell
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0



Thank you to Del. Alfonso Lopez for helping organize the official House and Senate Democratic Press Conference on Public Safety and for speaking out against high capacity ammunition magazines.

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