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Do Iowa results suggest Allen could lose GOP primary?

By
Goldmanusa
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0

( – promoted by lowkell)

by Paul Goldman

The Virginia polls showing George Allen with a 60-point lead in GOP Senator nomination fight are hugely misleading based on the results of the Iowa Caucus. Mr. Allen wasn’t the only incumbent Republican Senator to lose in 2006: so did Mr. Santorum. Both men, once rising stars in the GOP, are trying to get “back in the game” this year. Mr. Santorum decided to try is luck in Iowa, as opposed to running again for his former Pennsylvania seat. Now that the voters have spoken, the results appear to suggest

the VA pundits are missing some real – but not yet tapped – weaknesses in former colleague George Allen’s hopes for a rebirth here in the Old Dominion.

Bottom line: The current strategy by the Allen for Senate campaign to run as the “old” Allen from his gubernatorial days is out of sync with the Iowa results.

But you say: “Come on Paul, how can Dr. Sabato and all the others be wrong about Allen being a sure winner, with a likely margin of 60 points over his nearest GOP competitor this June?”

They aren’t wrong in the sense it is the way the conventional wisdom plays out all things being equal.

But to the extent they believe this is how the campaign should play out, then I say this: They are wrong, the “old” conservative coalition is dead, there is a “new right” conservative coalition that is out of step with Allen’s record: or I suppose it should be that Allen’s record is out of step with it.

The Iowa results make it clear: George Allen has real weaknesses this year which he can not paper over against a credible “new right” challenger running to his right.

 

I can hear you say it already: “Did you say Paul to George Allen’s right?” While this seems impossible to Democrats and mainstream pundits, conservatives no doubt had a similar reaction when George McGovern and the “new left” decided the party’s old liberal warhorses were too conservative.

Why is Allen not a sure winner just yet?

The reason Mr. Santorum didn’t score far bigger in Iowa is clear from the exit polls: he was weak with pro-growth conservatives and on even shakier ground with the anti-spending wing of the Tea Party posse due to his record in the Congress. By and large, he and George Allen are in the same penalty box here given their pro-Bush voting records.

In a similar vein, both are basically acceptable to the Tea Party’s anti-tax wing and GOP neo-conservatives, the Bush-Cheney hawks.

The trouble for Allen: These were not the groups which propelled Santorum up the charts in Iowa.

The Rickster’s main political fuel came from social conservatives, the “faith and family values” voters. Had Congresswoman Michele Bachmann agreed to drop out as several top Iowa social conservatives pleaded, Santorum would have had a clear margin over Romney although not as big as Mike Huckabee in 2008.

Unfortunately, “values” voters have never seen George Allen as “one of them” unlike Santorum. Part of the reason is George Allen’s stance on abortion which is not doctrinaire enough for them among other social issues. George Allen is not a “religious conservative” anymore than Mitt Romney in the eyes of the “new right.”

Meaning: George has some real vulnerabilities with key voting groups in the new Republican party.  

Plus: There is the Ron Paul factor.

A look at the last round of polls showed Santorum gaining the most and Ron Paul dropping the hardest. There seems to be some evidence that a good chunk of the socially conservative Ron Paul crowd went to Santorum at the end, perhaps because he was seen as best able to stop Romney.

The Texas Congressman’s voter is anti-establishment to the core. To be sure, a chunk of Paul’s vote is pure independent and Democrat, so they wouldn’t vote in June. But most have been supporting Republicans over the years and thus will surely be attuned to the Senate primary. They are not going to be attracted to a long-time GOP establishment figure like George Allen.

The anti-Federal Reserve, slash a $trillion out of the Obama budget, mantra of Ron Paul surely is safe for any of Mr. Allen’s opponents to adopt as part of the challenge to the former Senator’s record in office: the rest of Paul’s “live and let live” approach to things from drugs to Iran not so much.  

But since this a race for Senate, not President, it is very possible the Paul voters will see it as a domestic issue race, meaning they will not be focused on foreign policy stuff.

Mr. Allen gets it: This is why he seems uncomfortable every time Tim Kaine engaged him at their last debate on spending and debt issues. These issues are deadly for him.

It will be interesting to see how Mr. Santorum handles his Senate record in the debates this weekend.

But one thing is clear from Iowa: Unlike Mr. Santorum, Mr. Allen can’t deflect attention to his record by telling conservatives he is the best ABR – Anybody but Romney – candidate they are going to get.

Bottom line: Given the results in Iowa, Mr. Allen seems to have one hugely valuable real asset in this race, besides his proven skill as a campaigner and fund raiser — he is the only hopeful GOP voters believe can beat Tim Kaine, a perception enhanced by the published polls.

That is a formidable advantage. But at the same time, GOP voters in Virginia are not as anti-Kaine as they are anti-Obama.

To be sure, the “free” media exposure which allowed the shoe-string Santorum campaign to pull a near miracle upset is not available in a VA Senate nomination race. Thus it will take a lot more campaign money for even a credible challenger to make a credible race for the GOP nomination.

Is there such an anti-Allen primary opponent on the horizon?

Not now perhaps not ever. George Allen is the only Republican ever elected Governor and Senator in Virginia history. He is proven campaigner.  

But this shouldn’t obscure the truth:  The “old” George Allen, the dominating conservative force in Virginia in the past generation, isn’t where his party “is” as they say. Not by a long shot.

He is “too liberal” for them as incredible as that might seem to the people reading this column. So far, the Allen for Senate gurus don’t see a need to create the “new” Allen in hopes of blunting the past. But this is a mistake, for the Iowa results say he is not invulnerable to a challenge from the “new right” despite what his political advisors appear to think.

Thanks to Democratic Policies, Economic Recovery Continues to Pick Up Steam

By
lowkell
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3

The New York Times reports some great news this morning:

The United States added a robust 200,000 new jobs last month, the Labor Department said Friday, in a sign that the long-awaited economic recovery has finally built up a head of steam.

The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent in December, from a revised 8.7 percent in November, the government said. The Labor Department revised the number of new jobs added in November to 100,000, from 120,000.

With that, the U.S. unemployment rate is now just about where it started when President-elect Obama inherited an economy in freefall when he took office in late January 2009. If we look at the unemployment rate since the economic recovery act started really kicking in (note that it was passed with no Republican support) – several months or longer for many of the infrastructure projects to get going – and when one considers the huge, negative momentum the Republican Recession had going when President Obama took office, today’s unemployment rate is now significantly below where it was back in early-to-mid 2009 (around 9.5% then, 8.5% now). And remember, all of this has come in spite of constant Republican attempts to water down or derail economic recovery efforts, to talk down the economy (even this morning, the head of the RNC is doing just that), and to ensure that Obama’s presidency “failed.” Well, sorry Republican’ts, but the only thing that’s going to fail, come November 2012, is your chances of being elected. That is, if the American people want to keep the economic recovery going, and not send us right back into the ditch Republican’ts drove us into in the first place. Tough choice, huh? (not)

Arlington County Democrats Debate to Fill Vacant County Board Seat

By
lowkell
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0



Wednesday night, the Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC) held a candidates’ debate for the five people running for County Board (for the seat vacated due to Barbara Favola’s election to the State Senate) before a packed house (a couple hundred people?) at GMU’s Founders Hall. I posted most of the videos here, but due to very slooooooow YouTube loading, as well as one crash of my computer in the middle of the process, this has taken significantly longer than I’d expected. Anyway, here are the candidates’ closing statements. In order, they are: Peter Fallon, Melissa Bondi, Terron Sims, Kim Klingler, and Libby Garvey. You can also read the candidates’ extensive interviews at Blue Virginia (Fallon, Garvey, Sims, Bondi, Klingler). Finally, make sure you come out and vote on either January 19th (at Washington-Lee HS from 7 to 9 pm) or 21st (from 11 am to 7 pm at Kenmore Middle School).

P.S. What is the biggest challenge facing Arlington County? You can see the candidates’ answers to that question on the “flip.” In my opinion, it’s something none of them talked about directly — namely, the challenge Arlington will face in coming years as the government downsizes. given Arlington’s heavy dependence on government – military, civilian, contractor – employment, property taxes, etc., that’s going to be a huge challenge for the county, beginning soon if not immediately. Do we have a strategy to diversify our economy? I haven’t seen one yet, but I hope we’re busy working on this!

Virginia News Headlines: Friday Morning

By
lowkell
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3

Here are a few Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, January 6. Also, check out Sen. Donald McEachin, arguing that there should be power sharing in the State Senate, that Democrats will meet Republicans to talk about this anytime/anywhere, but that there have been no negotiations as of yet.

*McDonnell unveils energy agenda (And the Sierra Club gives it an almost complete FAIL.)

*Herring opposes possible meal tax in Loudoun

*Va. residents get chance to chime in on spending $85B

*Virginia Democrats name Keren Charles Dongo leader of 2012 election efforts

*McDonnell’s RGA far outpaces O’Malley’s DGA in fundraising

*Va. governor, lt. governor oppose GOP ‘loyalty oath’ (Agreed. What do they accomplish?)

*Va. GOP urged to drop loyalty oath

*Impact of new defense strategy on Hampton Roads remains uncertain

*Editorial: Bolling dabbles in the law

*Budget matters, transportation top Fairfax County’s legislative wish list

*Changing horses (“Requirements to be on the Virginia primary ballot should be changed-but not now”)

*Regional schools receive awards for performance

*Va. to offer 1-stop service for registering boats, buying hunting and fishing licenses

*Sen. Mark Warner off to India to talk business

*Bill Bolling’s sensible restraint on breaking ties

*Forecast: Mild with plenty of sun, transitioning cloudier and cooler this weekend

P.S. Also see Why would any progressive promote Ron Paul’s worldview? Short answer: they wouldn’t and they shouldn’t; the guy is absolutely antithetical to everything progressives believe or care about.

George Will Fails to Disclose Financial Ties to Polluter Front Groups

By
TheGreenMiles
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3

Why is George Will so aggressively anti-climate science? A new report makes his financial incentives more clear. Media Matters reports that not only has Will been drawing a salary from his role on the board of the extremist-conservative Bradley Foundation, he’s been writing about the front groups they fund without disclosing it in his Washington Post columns:

Media Matters reviewed Will’s columns from mid-2008 to the present and found at least a dozen instances in which he has promoted conservative groups that have received money from the Bradley Foundation without disclosing his connection to the foundation. Those groups include the Heritage Foundation, the Hudson Institute, the American Enterprise Institute and the Federalist Society, and National Affairs quarterly.

SourceWatch has a full rundown of the Bradley Foundation’s activities, funding everything from climate science denial to attacks on minorities as genetically unworthy of any public assistance. Just really the worst of the worst stuff. And as the Media Matters report details, Washington Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt is completely indifferent to Will’s lack of disclosure.

EPA as Job Creation Engine

By
Elaine in Roanoke
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1

The Republican intellectual midgets now vying for a chance to run against President Obama have made railing against the Environmental Protection Agency part of their campaign speeches. Romney calls it “a tool to crush private enterprise.” Rick Perry terms it “a cemetery for jobs.” Both men are lying through their teeth. Right now in Virginia and neighboring states, there is proof emerging that EPA regulations can be huge job and business creators.

For people in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the EPA may be the engine for massive job growth.  A report by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation highlights the number of jobs that will flow from achieving new pollution goals set by the EPA for the Bay. Those rules require pollution flowing into the Bay to drop by 25% by 2025 and have already resulted in state and federal investment in stormwater mitigation projects, sewage treatment facility upgrades, power plant smokestack scrubbers, and better management of agricultural runoff and livestock waste.

Construction of stormwater control projects already contracted for in Montgomery County MD will create 3,300 construction and engineering jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute, similar stormwater projects across the Bay watershed could create 178,000 full-time jobs, 52,000 of them in Virginia.

Republicans can’t admit that 21st century projects in clean energy and pollution mitigation are one of the best sources for future employment and business opportunities because of their ties to entrenched corporate interests that want to maximize their profits by maintaining the status quo.  

According to Environmental Business International, the environmental industry today is worth $312 billion annually and employs 1.7 million people, hardly a “cemetery for jobs.”  In fact, while regulation will always displace some jobs, the net effect of such regulation is to create far more jobs than are lost.

In the past 13 years, 59 sewage treatment plants have been upgraded, and another 21 plants are under construction, all of the projects producing jobs that pay a good wage.

According to a report by the Clean Water Council, every $1 billion invested in water and wastewater projects creates 20,000 construction jobs. At a time when the construction industry still has not recovered from the Great Recession, such pollution mitigation projects are exactly what the economy needs.

Of course, none of this information about jobs flowing from environmental regulation will appear in the mainstream media. Corporate media, like far too many politicians, get their marching orders from the business elite that values only immediate profits and a return on capital that discounts all social costs for the activity. This issue, like so many others, is left to us to get the word out.  

Virginia Sierra Club Not Pleased with Gov. McDonnell’s Energy Initiative

By
lowkell
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0

The Virginia Sierra Club responds to Gov. McDonnell’s “Energy Policy and Budget Initiatives” (see on the “flip”), released earlier today. I agree with the Sierra Club’s assessment: McDonnell’s approach does not acknowledge environmental reality, weakens an already weak, voluntary “Renewable Portfolio Standard” – exactly the opposite of the direction we need to be going – and is simply inadequate in every way to the energy and environmental challenges we face as a state and as a nation. As with the rest of his governorship, Bob McDonnell’s initiatives always end up with reminding us of that old, comic tag line: where’s the beef? In this case, it’s a nothing burger.

Statement of Glen Besa, Virginia Director for Sierra Club in response to Governor McDonnell’s Energy Policy Initiatives

The “all of the above” approach to energy policy touted by Governor McDonnell fails to acknowledge the hard reality of a changing climate and the vulnerability of Virginia to its impacts from hurricanes and droughts to sea level rise. The economic vitality of the Hampton Roads region is second only to New Orleans in vulnerability to sea level rise.

The Governor’s package of legislation includes two weakening amendments to the already broken voluntary renewable energy standard that this past year rewarded Dominion Virginia Power with $76 million in increased utility rates despite the fact that the utility has not built one wind or solar facility in the state.  

With legislation the devil is always in the details, and until we actually read the bills we are concerned with the legislation related to mining and natural gas development. Branded as promoting improved safety in mining, any efforts to expand development of fossil fuels ignores the reality of climate change. At the same time, despite the claim of an “all of the above” approach, we see too few initiatives to advance wind and solar. We are pleased that the Governor has allocated $500,000 devoted to supporting offshore wind power although we note this far less that is needed. We also are pleased the Governor is moving forward with alternatively fueled vehicles in the state fleet using federal funds available to the state.

Governor McDonnell Outlines 2012 Energy Policy and Budget Initiatives

~Efforts to Support Energy Infrastructure to Spur Economic Development, Support the State Fleet Conversion to Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Encourage Alternative Energy Development, Increase Mine Safety~

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell unveiled today a series of recommendations for the 2012 General Assembly session that will advance Virginia’s role as the Energy Capital of the East Coast.

“Virginia is blessed with a bounty of natural resources that can aid in our nation’s growing need for affordable and reliable energy sources,” Governor McDonnell said. “From the sustained winds off our Atlantic coast to the rich coalfields of southwestern Virginia, the Commonwealth has the resources to provide a significant portion of our energy needs and to provide affordable energy resources to other states. To be the Energy Capital of the East Coast we must work together to empower the private sector to invest in the projects necessary to develop these resources. In addition to ensuring access to affordable and reliable energy for our families and businesses, energy development also creates good-paying jobs for our citizens and brings much-needed economic expansion to regions where the projects are located. Only by aggressively developing all types of energy and removing bureaucratic hurdles to this development will we be able to meet our energy needs and reduce our nation’s dependence upon foreign sources of energy. We will aggressively pursue state-based strategies to improve American energy independence and cost reductions in observance of the federal government’s total lack of a coherent Energy policy.”

Working to make Virginia the Energy Capital of the East Coast, Governor McDonnell has pursued an “all of the above” strategy for advancing development of Virginia’s energy resources, through the passage of legislation, updating Virginia’s Energy Plan, and working with industry and stakeholder groups. The governor is leading in the push to develop offshore energy, supporting expansion of renewables, and advocating on behalf of traditional fuels including coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear energy in order to secure an adequate supply of affordable, reliable energy for Virginia’s future.

Since the beginning of his administration, Governor McDonnell has been a strong advocate of offshore oil and gas development, and supported moving to alternative fuel vehicles, including compressed natural gas, in an effort to reduce the Commonwealth’s dependence on foreign oil. With his leadership, Virginia continues to aggressively fight back against federal limitations of offshore oil and gas development and oppressive new anti-competitive federal regulatory activity that is creating obstacles to developing our domestic energy resources, leaving private capital that could be invested in expanding our domestic energy resources on the sidelines at a time when private investment in business expansion and job creation is so urgently needed to heal our ailing economy.

Lieutenant Governor and Chief Jobs Creation Officer Bill Bolling added, “As a part of our overall economic development strategy, we have established an aggressive goal of making Virginia the East Coast’s energy leader. While we have made great progress in our effort to achieve this goal over the past two years, there is more that we need to do. Working with our friends in the legislature and the private sector, these proposals will enable us to take another step forward in our effort to accomplish this aggressive goal. By continuing to support our energy infrastructure, and encouraging alternative energy development, we will send a message that Virginia is committed to doing everything it can to support traditional forms of energy like coal, nuclear and natural gas; while pursuing efforts to develop offshore energy resources, making advancements in alternative forms of energy like wind, solar and biomass; and supporting responsible energy conservation measures. This type of an ‘all of the above’ approach is what we need to position our state as the East Coast’s energy leader and do our part to help our nation adopt a comprehensive and effective national energy policy.”

“Virginia has a robust and plentiful reserve of natural resources that can be a significant asset to our nation and the world economy,” said Senator John Watkins. “Through the targeted development of all of our energy sources, Virginia will become a leader in East Coast energy production, and can be home to thousands of new energy industry jobs. Virginia can be a leader in a national push to reduce our dependence upon foreign energy sources and meeting the current and future needs of our nation, and our state government can lead by example through prudent investment in energy efficiency, economic development and alternative fuel utilization.”

Delegate John Cosgrove said, “Virginia should responsibly utilize all of our natural resources for an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy production, including conservation and renewable energy. Increased efficiency and conservation is a key component of meeting our future energy demands. Encouraging the private-sector development of renewable energy resources like biomass will enhance the Commonwealth’s ability to meet our energy demands while protecting the quality of life for all who live in and visit our great Commonwealth.”

The following seven legislative proposals will support energy infrastructure expansion and access to traditional energy sources, promote conservation and efficiency, and support the development of alternative and renewable options.

Natural Gas Infrastructure Expansion for Economic Development (Delegate D. Marshall and Senator Wagner)

·         Allows natural gas utilities to expand infrastructure as necessary to provide natural gas to economic development projects where it is not already available and when a project developer commits to at least a five-year contract for natural gas use. At present, a gas utility is not permitted to invest in infrastructure construction costs above the amount that will be paid for gas use. The proposal will also increase the potential for expanded natural gas use in areas of the Commonwealth, spur economic growth and job creation in those areas, and expand the markets for Virginia natural gas resources.

Improved Regulatory Approval Process for Electric Transmission (Delegate Merricks and Senator Stanley)

·         Authorizes a utility to seek approval for a 138kv transmission line from either the State Corporation Commission or the locality or localities in which the transmission line will be located. These transmission lines are frequently used for economic development projects. Currently, the utility must go to the State Corporation Commission for approval, and the lengthy approval process can sometimes be a barrier to the success of projects. This option will allow faster approval and increase the opportunity for job creation and economic development.

Increased use of Energy Efficiency Programs (Delegates RL Ware/Cosgrove and Senators Watkins/Puckett)

·         Supports the adoption and approval of energy efficiency programs, including customer engagement tools that result in measurable and verifiable energy savings and pass any three of the four cost-benefit tests applied by the State Corporation Commission. The proposal also authorizes the State Corporation Commission to approve energy efficiency programs that provide measurable and verifiable energy savings to low-income and/or elderly customers.

Enable Research and Development for Renewable Energy (Delegate J. Miller and Senator Norment)

·         Encourages investment in renewable energy research and development by providing renewable energy certificates to utilities for investment in research projects to advance renewable energy technologies. The proposal will allow a utility to meet no more than 20 percent of its annual voluntary renewable energy goal with investments in such research and development projects. The awarded certificates will be based on the amount of the investment divided by the average price of a Tier 1 and Tier 2 renewable energy certificate in PJM, the regional transmission organization of which Virginia’s electric utilities are members, for the previous year.

Providing Renewable Energy Certificates for Renewable Thermal Energy (Delegate Cosgrove)

·         Provides renewable energy certificates for the thermal energy produced in a combined heat and power facility fueled by a renewable energy resource such as biomass. This will make renewable energy cogeneration projects more feasible by permitting the sale of the renewable energy certificates to utilities that need to meet voluntary or mandatory renewable energy goals. This does not change the cap on the use of round wood for renewable portfolio standard purposes.

Create the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversion Fund (Delegate Poindexter and Senator McWaters)

·         Creates the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversion Fund to support the implementation of a plan to convert the state’s fleet to alternative fuel vehicles. The plan was requested by the 2011 General Assembly in HB2282 and was advanced by Governor McDonnell’s Executive Order 36. The fund would receive a small portion of federal funds provided for congestion mitigation and air quality improvement and be used to pay the difference between the cost of traditional fuel vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles, or for vehicle conversions. Progress is already under way to use the PPEA process to develop a plan to move the Commonwealth’s vehicles to alternative fuels and thereby support the expansion of fueling infrastructure, and the markets for Virginia energy resources. The administration has narrowed the field to two potential vendors and will work with them and possible local government partners to negotiate a contract that will allow the conversion of state government vehicles in a practical and cost-effective manner.

Ensure Safety of Mining and Drilling Operations (Delegate O’Quinn and Senator Carrico)

·         Requires mine operators to submit a map of planned mining to the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy before beginning production and notification of any directional changes that would take mining outside of the original map. This will ensure safety for miners and natural gas drillers who may be working in close proximity to one another, because these important energy resources occur in close proximity to each other.

The governor also included the following two budget initiatives in his introduced budget.

$500,000 in FY13 for research and development to accelerate and assist private development of the Virginia Wind Energy Area

·         This will allow the Commonwealth to continue its efforts to develop data and additional information concerning the resource available in the federally designated “wind energy area” off the coast of Virginia. The data will be available to reduce development costs and assist developers in the federal leasing process.

$300,000 in each year to support the Division of Gas and Oil for public safety oversight

·         These funds provide the Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy’s Division of Gas and Oil the ability to strengthen permitting processes and ensure efficient oversight of the increasing number of wells, pipelines, and associated facilities across the Commonwealth.

“We have worked to identify existing obstacles to the expansion of natural gas and electric services to locations across the Commonwealth that need these resources to attract new businesses and jobs,” said Maureen Matsen, the governor’s energy policy advisor. “If Virginia can streamline the burdensome and time-consuming approval processes and regulations in a responsible way, it will allow the expansion of services to locations that can attract new business to create jobs and expand our economy. It will also make Virginia more attractive to investment in the development of all of its abundant energy resources.”

What Would Another Fukushima in America Mean for the Foundations of US Society?

By
Progressive86
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0

If a nuclear disaster like Fukushima can rip apart a historically cohesive society like Japan, what effect would a Fukushima-like disaster have on American society? The Asahi Shimbun reports that “ties” have unraveled in Japanese society in the wake of the Fukushima catastrophe. Thus, what was once seen as a benign source of energy for the Japanese people has turned into an issue that stands to undermine the very foundations upon which modern Japanese society is resting upon: the government, the family, social trust.

In America, we’re assured by engineers, nuclear industry experts, government bureaucrats, and political “leaders” that the dangers posed by nuclear power are miniscule and in particular, a Fukushima-like disaster can never and will never happen here in the U.S. Whether or not we experience another Fukushima here in the U.S., however, there are disturbing trends that collectively add up to serious human and environmental health consequences. For instance, there have been at least 48 U.S. nuke sites that have been found with tritium leaks, a highly toxic substance. This list could grow in the coming years.

What might be most frustrating of all is that some nuclear power suppliers and their cronies in political office are attempting to force their respective customers and constituents to foot the bill for new nuclear power plants years in advance of their actual construction. In Georgia, such a taxpayer subsidy is being proffered by Georgia Power and their political stooges. But even if the idea of paying for energy years, maybe even a decade, in advance of its actual use doesn’t bother you, the horrific history of nuclear plant delays and eventual abandonments are enough to make anyone reconsider any bid for down-payments for nuclear power plants, payments which may never be recovered by the taxpayers if the project is abandoned.  

The main point, however, is that trusted individuals within many different segments of our society (e.g. business, government, academia) have promised, implicitly or explicitly, that we as Americans have nothing or very little to fear from nuclear power generation. But what if they’re wrong, what if the unthinkable happens? What would such a disaster do to the very foundations of our republic? Our republic is after all based upon the legitimacy of the governing by the governed. So what if their prognostications turn out to be wrong, what’s Plan B? Japan’s Plan B seems to be to gradually pick up the pieces and hope to regain the people’s trust again. But there are never any guarantees and maybe Western-liberal style government in Japan has taken another blow that may take generations to recover from, if it does at all.  

An Optimistic Tim Kaine at the Tower Club

By
Teddy Goodson
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0

Former Governor Tim Kaine, now Candidate Kaine for Senate, spoke this morning at the January breakfast of the Northern Virginia Democratic Business Council (held at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner). Kaine called this the beginning of “the Sprint” to election  day in November, providing the friendly audience with a sample of what will be the main themes of his campaign. With typically sunny Kaine optimism and gentility, certain key words emerged: “balance,” “working together” to solve the country’s problems, and focusing on encouraging “education and talent.” These concepts emerged as guiding principles when tackling one topic after another, from deficit reduction to immigration to education. Democrats, he noted, are the party of business and of opportunity for all.

Kaine reminded the audience that in the 1950’s, Virginia was 49th among the 50 states in percentage of children in school, yet today we rank 7th, thanks to finally following Thomas Jefferson’s original notion of broad public education, and to building a powerful, balanced economy that attracts successful businesses and outside talent. “No state has moved as far as Virginia,” according to Kaine, and in his view, Virginia can show America how to move forward.

In dealing as Governor with the state budget during a severe recession, Kaine pointed out that he never applied across-the-board cuts, but used surgical precision in selecting not only where and how to cut, but sometimes actually increasing funding to reflect priorities, focusing on encouraging talent and creating and favoring business development. Kaine will apply the same ability to make hard but principled decisions at the national level because, he noted wryly, “No one has ever cut their way to prosperity.” By encouraging immigration of talented people, Kaine attracted new businesses to Virginia, even in the midst of a recession.

As he has crossed the Commonwealth, Kaine claimed that the main problem troubling voters everywhere, regardless of political affiliation, was not the deficit nor even the economy, but a demand that elected officials at every level must work together. In other words, the public regards the current dysfunction of government as being due not to a broken system, but to demagoguery and an unwillingness to work together (across the aisle)  in simply governing.  Using his term as Governor, when he worked with a Republican Assembly, he said he had plenty of experience in getting things done by working with political opponents.  The key, in his words, is “not to let disagreement on one issue poison the relationship,” just move on to the next topic and see where you can create a meeting of minds.

To the surprise and pleasure of former military in the audience, Kaine  emphasized his commitment to helping veterans re-integrate with civilian society, finding them jobs when they come home. For the first time, he mentioned his likely Republican opponent, George Allen, by name, mentioning that Allen’s answer for the economy and job creation was the stale formula of “cut taxes, cut regulations, and drill but we have already tried that policy, and it brought us the Great Recession—- obviously, Kaine implied, we need more practical answers, which he has.

After Education/talent and helping veterans, Kaine listed the Budget Deficit as his final major priority , once more emphasizing “Balance.”  Here he acknowledged that Social Security was not in trouble, but  bluntly said, Yes, some other entitlements might have to be cut, but at the same time the Bush tax cuts must also be allowed to expire for the wealthier part of society which would therefore mean there would be pain at both the top and the lower income levels.  You cannot achieve balance via im-balance, a concept he feels Virginians grasp and approve. This naturally raised the question of bipartisanship in Congress, something he says will have to start naturally in the Senate, a more collegial body, than in the politicized House, where, in fact, we have already seen the Senate passing the jobs bill with 95 ayes, thus forcing the House to, well, behave itself and also pass the legislation.

Among questions raised by the audience was one about the effect on Virginia of upcoming Defense cuts   Kaine pivoted to technology as a partial answer, raising the idea that despite the necessary cuts, we might want to consider actually putting more money into cyber resources in the future. No Child Left Behind came up, and Kaine’s approach was to change the emphasis from developing minimum standards of competence to setting goals and outcomes to encourage excellence. He also wants to develop more technical education and broaden pre-school education for children if we want to keep America competitive. Moreover, the policy of forcing the for-profit colleges to prove their success rate should also be applied to regular institutions of higher education, in his opinion.  As he said, while education is supposedly a matter of state control, not federal, the truth is, other countries   have national policies, and we are falling behind without national goals of our own.

The Occupy Wall Street movement came up in the context of getting those participants to vote, and vote Democratic; as Kaine noted, the Occup6y movement has specifically refused to be co-opted; interestingly, he regards the movement primarily as a critique of policy makers. The Occupy movement senses that the system is rigged against them as a result of policy decisions made by elected officials, and, in fact, most members of the Tea Party actually agree. The concept of the 99 percent has entered political discourse, and, in Kaine’s view, this entire idea will be even more important if Romney, the quintessential financial economy businessman, becomes the Republican nominee for President.  One member of the audience archly inquired if we had verifiable statistics on the number of jobs lost from Romney’s work at Bain Company, acquiring and gutting other companies; Kaine remarked it was a good question, but he had no figures firm enough to go public with them.

To the audience’s pleasure, Kaine added that he had no intention of “distancing” himself from President Obama. He felt the man was doing a good job, he liked and admired him. He believes he is going to win, is very positive and says there has been too much doom and gloom. Unlike some peddlers of doom, Kaine does not believe America is in decline. Our best years are ahead of us, and he will campaign on that note.

Did John McCain Endorse Flip or Flop, Willard or Mitt?

By
lowkell
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0



Great video, this really encapsulates the ridiculousness and utter lack of authenticity that is Willard “Mitt” Romney’s campaign for president. This is a guy, after all, who has flip flopped on just about every issue, including on whether he flip flops.  No wonder why Republican voters aren’t buying what he’s trying to sell.

By the way, is there anyone who still takes John McCain in the least bit seriously, after he picked Sarah Freakin’ Palin to be his running mate in 2008? That did it for me, and I say this as someone who used to really admire John McCain as a seeming “Teddy Roosevelt Republican.”  So much for that. Now, he’s just an angry old man who wants to get back at Barack Obama for demolishing him in the 2008 election. So sad.

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