PHOTOS: Barack Obama at the Patriot Center
Panorama shot of the crowd, click to embiggen.
Thousands of supporters greeted Barack Obama at a last-minute rally before the expected health care reform vote on Sunday. Flickr set, slideshow below.
Breaking: Tom Perriello Will Vote FOR Health Care Reform
I just heard the great news, will provide more information as I receive it. Thank you Congressman Perriello!!
UPDATE: If you want, you can thank Tom by contributing to his reelection campaign.
UPDATE #2: The News & Advance confirms that Perriello will vote “yes,” noting that “he’s convinced that the bill will not use tax dollars for abortion, and also has provisions that could reduce the number of abortions.”
UPDATE #3: Tom Perriello’s statement.
After all of the valid ideological debates, health care reform for me comes down to whether this bill will save money for working families and small business and whether it will keep our hospitals and clinics from closing their doors. It will. At this moment, we either move towards solutions or point fingers while our health care system, our federal treasury, and our middle-class families go bankrupt. I will not sit by while that happens to our nation and our families. I came to Washington to do what is necessary, not what is easy, and reforming our health care system ranks near the top of that list.
This legislation will reduce our federal deficit by $1.2 trillion, and for a family of four making $60,000 a year, they can expect to see their costs lowered by $1,000-$2,000 every year under this legislation, and probably more over time. That is real money back in the pockets of working families at a critical time.
I believe this health care reform legislation is a critical step forward for America. But I cannot support the backroom deals and kickbacks infamously inserted into Senate side, like the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase. Nor can I support the crushing 40% tax that would fall on many middle-class families under their bill. So I am prepared to vote yes on health care reform as soon as 51 Senators commit to seeing this reconciliation bill through to completion.
President Obama at GMU: Pregame Activity
Prior to President Obama’s speech on health care reform today at George Mason University, there was the standard “pregame activity” by protestors and supporters of various sorts. Here are a few photos, I’m hoping to get better ones later from people with real cameras instead of Flip videos…
P.S. Speaking of video, I’m uploading President Obama’s excellent speech to YouTube now, hopefully it will be available later this afternoon or this evening at latest.
UPDATED: Excellent new photos thanks to Mary Lee Cerillo!
“Congress, and its Catholics, should say yes to health care reform”
The National Catholic Reporter weighs in on health care reform.
Congress, and its Catholics, should say yes to health care reform.
We do not reach this conclusion as easily as one might think, given the fact that we have supported universal health care for decades, as have the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Health Association and other official and non-official organs of the Catholic church. There are, to be sure, grave problems with the bill the House will consider in the next few days. It maintains the squirrelly system of employer-based health care coverage that impedes cost reduction. Its treatment of undocumented workers is shameful. It is unnecessarily complicated, even Byzantine, in some of its provisions. It falls short of providing true universal coverage.
Nonetheless, the choice Congress faces is between the status quo and change — and the current bill is a profoundly preferable step in the direction of positive change. The legislation will lower costs, not only for individuals and small businesses currently burdened by rising premiums, but for the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which threaten to strangle the federal budget. It will extend health care coverage to 30 million Americans who currently lack it. Finally, a society that covers most of its citizens will be a society more likely to eventually cover everyone — our immigrant brothers and sisters included.
[…]
The current health care bill, for all of its problems and all of its controversies, will further turn our society in the direction of solidarity and away from the Social Darwinism its opponents prefer.
Congress, and its Catholic members who seek to promote the common good, should vote yes.
Speaking of “common good” Catholics, I certainly hope that my friend Tom Perriello ends up voting “yes” on this bill, imperfect as it is, for the reasons laid out by the National Catholic Reporter, the Catholic nuns, and many others. Thanks, Tom.
McDonnell Poised to Sign Dangerous Gun Legislation
For Immediate Release
March 17, 2010
MCDONNELL POISED TO SIGN DANGEROUS GUN LEGISLATION
State Police Chiefs Describe Guns in Bars as a “Recipe for Disaster”
Richmond, VA- Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has until April 12 to take action on three unpopular gun bills that would put state residents at greater risk of gun violence: SB 334, SB 408, and HB 1217. Four gun violence prevention organizations-the Virginia Center for Public Safety (VACPS), the Virginia Chapters of the Million Mom March, Protest Easy Guns (PEG) and the Angel Fund-are calling on Governor McDonnell to veto this dangerous legislation and stand by a March 10 press release where he declared, “The foremost obligation of government is public safety.”
SB 334 would allow concealed carry permit holders to bring loaded handguns into establishments that have a liquor license in Virginia, including bars, nightclubs, restaurants, pizza parlors and bowling alleys. The bill would bar permit holders from consuming alcohol while armed, but contains no mechanism to enforce this provision.
The legislation is directly at odds with the expressed wishes of Virginia residents. In an October 2009 Christopher Newport University poll, 68% of likely voters in Virginia answered “No” when asked, “Do you think people with concealed weapons permits should be allowed to bring their weapons into restaurants that sell alcohol?”
SB 334 is also opposed by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association. In a letter to Governor McDonnell on behalf of the state’s police chiefs, Virginia Beach Police Chief Jake Jacocks, Jr. wrote, “We can fully expect that at some point in the future a disagreement that today would likely end up in a verbal confrontation, or a bar fight, will inevitably end up with gunfire if you sign this legislation into law.”
Bar owners would be allowed to put up a sign that prohibits firearms in their establishments if the bill is signed into law, but as Robert Hodges, the owner of Bud Foster’s Restaurant, noted, “How likely is someone from out of town to enter a restaurant or bar where they have a big sign posted that says ‘No guns allowed?'”
Randy Rayburn, a Nashville restaurant owner, has commented on the effects of Tennessee’s gun in bars law on the state’s tourism industry: “It’s very critical to our industry that our customers and our employees feel safe … [The law] has been used against our industry by our competitors across the country to encourage tourism and conventions to not come to our cities in Tennessee.”
Another bill on Governor McDonnell’s desk, SB 408, would allow those without concealed carry permits to keep loaded handguns in their vehicles or boats if stored in a locked container such as a glove compartment. Previously, Virginia residents were required to keep loaded handguns in plain view in their vehicles so that law enforcement could easily spot weapons during traffic stops.
Finally, HB 1217 requires the Virginia Board of Education to establish a standardized program of gun safety education for students in elementary school. The National Rifle Association’s “Eddie Eagle” program is named in the legislation as being an appropriate model for the Board. The legislation ignores numerous studies that demonstrate that familiarizing children with guns makes them more-not less-likely to handle firearms when adults are not present.
Despite the fact that the NRA’s Director of Federal Affairs was a member of his transition team, “Governor McDonnell promised to pursue a moderate path as Virginia’s Governor,” said Andy Goddard, President of the Richmond Chapter of the Million Mom March. “Unfortunately, rather than focusing on issues that Virginians are deeply concerned about-such as transportation, the economy and jobs-Governor McDonnell encouraged his friends in the legislature to waste valuable time considering dozens of bills promoted by the gun lobby.”
“The governor talks about the importance of public safety, but in practice he has cut millions of dollars in public safety funding from the state budget and supported a number of dangerous changes to Virginia’s gun laws,” said VACPS Board Member Lori Haas. “Commonwealth families now have one last chance to hold him to his word and insist he veto SB 334, SB 408 and HB 1217.”
CONTACT: Lori Haas of VACPS at (804) 399-4893 or clewthaas@comcast.net, Andy Goddard of MMM-VA at (804) 240-5614 or info@mmmrichmondva.org, Abby Spangler of PEG at abbyspangler@protesteasyguns.com and Joe Samaha of Angel Fund at contactus@angelfundva.org.
The Virginia Center for Public Safety (formerly known as Virginians Against Handgun Violence) is a statewide organization that was founded in 1992 after a young person was shot outside a school in Hampton Roads. The organization seeks to create a safer Virginia through education, public forums, youth outreach, and work in the public policy arena. VACPS believes that a chief cause of gun violence is the easy access that criminals and youth have to guns in the state.
As the nation’s largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, working with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.
Protest Easy Guns is a grassroots protest movement of Americans that emerged in response to the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history at Virginia Tech. We are outraged at how easy it is to obtain a gun in the United States and believe it is time to change lax laws that allow criminals and dangerous individuals easy access to guns. Each of the movement’s “Lie-In” protests includes 32 individuals (symbolizing the number of students and teachers murdered at Virginia Tech) who lie on the ground for just a few minutes (signifying the brief amount of time it takes to buy a gun in the United States). Our goal is to encourage like-minded citizens to stage their own protests around the country so that we can influence the public discourse and ultimately the legislative process with regard to this critical national problem.
Angel Fund is the family, friends, neighbors and advocates of Reema Samaha, who was tragically killed on April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech by a lone gunman, along with 31 other students and faculty. There were many complex issues that contributed to the Virginia Tech tragedy: mental illness, campus safety and security, lack of information sharing, privacy and gun laws. We would like to address those policies and laws we felt contributed to the tragedy and to seek practical and reasonable solutions to avoid another similar tragedy. We, therefore, would like to honor Reema’s memory by making the world a safer place through education, advocacy and implementing practical solutions.
[poll id=”
1
“]
Programming Note: “Old” Blue Virginia URLs
Just a quick programming note. You may have noticed that your links to diaries at the “old” Blue Virginia – the Blogger version – are no longer working. You may have also noticed that when you click on Google search results of “old” Blue Virginia articles, you get a broken link. The reason is not that the articles are gone, it’s just that they’ve moved and Google hasn’t picked up on that yet. If you want to find any of those articles, simply change the portion of the URL that says “bluevirginia.us” to “bluevablog.blogspot.com” and you’ll find what you’re looking for. Sorry for any inconvenience, and hopefully we’ll have a simpler and easier fix soon.
Intrade: 80% Chance “Obamacare” Will Pass
“Will ‘Obamacare’ health care reform become law in the United States?” According to the “prediction market” Intrade, the chances are now up to 80%. Let’s hope Intrade is accurate, and let’s also hope that these four Virginia Democrats all vote “yes” this weekend. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no good reason for them to vote “no,” and I’m really not interested in any excuses at this point. Just. Do. It.
Whipple Clip Dozen: Friday Morning
Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Friday “Clips.”
1. CUCCINELLI RENEWS THREAT TO CHALLENGE HEALTH-CARE REFORM
2. CUCCINELLI: PRIVATE GROUPS CAN BAR GUNS IN PUBLIC SPACES
3. STATE SCHOOLS WILL LOSE $700 MILLION IN 2 YEARS
4. TWO REPUBLICANS TO CHALLENGE BARKER FOR SENATE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
5. DEMOCRATS CRITICIZE MCDONNELL FOR ATTENDING NATIONAL REPUBLICAN FUNDRAISER
6. CANTOR MEETS WITH SALAZAR TO URGE DRILLING OFF VIRGINIA’S SHORE
8. GOP CANDIDATES PRESS PERRIELLO – AND EACH OTHER
11. VIRGINIA EXECUTES MAN IN 1999 MURDER OF WOMAN, RAPE OF HER SISTER
24. PASS THE BILL
30. TYSONS PANEL TO WEIGH DENSITY MAXIMUMS, 40-YEAR SPAN FOR PLANNING
31. METRORAIL OUTAGES ON ESCALATORS, ELEVATORS FRUSTRATE RIDERS
34. VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS CRUCIAL TO HEALTH-CARE REFORM VOTE
Video: “The Tea Party and the Circus” on Health Care Reform
A few key points on this video. First, note that anti-healthcare-reform “tea partier” after “tea partier,” when asked, can NOT name specifics in the bill (or anywhere else) to back up their heated rhetoric/talking points. Second, note that when asked where they got their information, it’s from totally biased (which they admit when asked) sources like “Fox News” and not from actually reading and understanding the legislation. Third, note how time and again, tea partiers in this video simply deny facts they find inconvenient, like the FACT that there are 30 million people without health insurance in this country. Fourth, note that lack of compassion, for instance that people without health insurance should just “go to the hospital.” Fifth, note the cult-like worship of Glenn Beck and his “principles.” Finally, note the excellent job the interviewer does in trying to pin these people down and letting them attempt to respond. It may not be a “circus,” exactly, but it sure is funny at times. If you find “dark” and “disturbing” to be funny, that is.
P.S. Check out this graph, courtesy of Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com, which demonstrates that conservatives are moving in a completely different direction on health care reform as liberals and moderates in this country. Gee, I wonder if 24/7 echo chamber brainwashing by Faux News, Rush, Glenn, etc. might just be causing that. Hmmmm.
UPDATE #2: See Paul Krugman’s “Why We Reform” for an intelligent, well-informed argument (the exact opposite of what we see in the above video) why we need health care reform now.
Krystal Ball Romps Again, Nabs 16 More Delegates
Good news courtesy of Sean Holihan. Congratulations to Krystal Ball, quickly becoming the inevitable nominee in the 1st CD!
UPDATE: Marc Broklawski calls out the Robinson campaign on its “sore-loser act” and adds that they “should be ashamed at the way they have conducted themselves throughout this entire process.” He concludes, “There really is only one option left for Scott to salvage his reputation and any dignity he may have left: get behind Krystal and exit this race.” Ouch. The truth hurts.
