Krystal Ball to Convention Delegates: “Democratic values are American values”
Democrats helped Krystal Ball (D-Fredericksburg) shed the presumptive nominee label by selecting her to be the official democratic nominee from Virginia’s 1st Congressional District at a convention this past Saturday.
Ball wasted little time in drawing a sharp contrast between her and Congressman Rob Wittman (R-Montross).
When we passed Social Security they threatened to repeal it, when we passed Medicare they threatened to repeal it and now, now that we have passed health care reform they are threatening to repeal it. Well I have one message for Eric Cantor and John Boehner and to Rob Wittman. Let me say this clearly. I don’t care what your buddies in the health insurance lobby want we are not going backwards!
So what are Wittman’s legislative priorities? You’ll have to ask Eric Cantor (R-VA-7th).
As long as we have politicians like Rob Wittman, nothing is going to change. You know Rob Wittman. He has been our Congressman for three years now. And in that three years he’s basically learned one thing, which is how to vote the way Eric Cantor tells him to.
You see Wittman is nothing more than a lap dog for Cantor. As I’ve previously written, Wittman has done Cantor’s bidding 1657 times or 93 percent of time. Folks in Virginia’s 1st district deserve some real representation and not a lap dog!
Ball also notes that while folks in the 1st district are being left behind, Wittman is taking good care of his friends on Wall Street. While Wittman votes against extending unemployment insurance, he fights to preserve Wall Street executive bonuses. It’s called “No Banker Left Behind!”
Worse yet, while Wittman fights for Wall Street over Main Street, he also continues to pay lip service to our veterans and the environment. Priorities Rob, priorities!
Rob Wittman is the worst kind of politician. He is the kind of politician who talks about veterans and then votes against Sen. Webb’s 21st century GI bill. He is the type of politician, who talks about the [Chesapeake] Bay, and how important it is and how we have to clean it up, and then he turns around and votes against the Clean Estuaries Act. Rob Wittman takes his orders from credit cards companies, health insurance companies and banks. But you know what, those guys already have enough members of congress fighting for them. We need a fighter for the 1st district of Virginia!
Ball concluded things best by saying that voters have a clear choice come November.
They can choose between tax cuts for the few and balancing the budget for everyone, between preserving the middle class and preserving Wall Street executive bonuses, between leaders who are willing to stand up for what’s right and those who only stand for their own re-election.
It’s time to fire wrong way Rob and hire a full-time representative who stands up for Main Street over Wall Street, who does more than provide lip service to our veterans and environment and who doesn’t take orders from credit card companies, health insurance companies or banks, but the American people. That person is clearly Krystal Ball!
DPVA on McDonnell: “Misplaced priorities have struck again – and this time it’s our environment that is at risk”
The Democratic Party of Virginia released the following earlier today.
Governor McDonnell: Drilling at any cost
Meets with oil execs while Obama administration takes prudent steps to prevent future tragedies.
The Democratic Party of Virginia is calling on Governor McDonnell to support President Obama’s call to delay any new offshore drilling projects until a full understanding of the causes of this most recent disaster can be determined. Both of Virginia’s United States Senators, Jim Webb and Mark Warner, have made it clear that they support the President’s decision, and expect any lessons learned from the Gulf tragedy to be incorporated into federal regulations that would govern offshore energy production off Virginia’s coast. Yet Governor McDonnell continues to declare unrealistic goals for when drilling should begin and he appears to ignore the safety and environmental considerations that the recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has brought to light.
“Some Virginia leaders are reconsidering their support for drilling off the state’s coast after a fatal well accident in the Gulf of Mexico, even as Gov. Robert F. McDonnell continues to lobby aggressively to drill for oil and natural gas without delay,” the Washington Post reported today. “McDonnell (R), who has made drilling off Virginia’s coast one of his administration’s top priorities, flew to Houston on Monday to tout the benefits of offshore drilling at an industry-sponsored conference.” [Va. officials reconsider support for drilling after gulf oil accident, Washington Post, Tuesday, May 4, 2010; A10]And in an interview on WTOP Radio on April 27, Governor McDonnell stated, “”This is certainly a setback, but I certainly continue to be dedicated to making us first to drill, 2012 at the latest, and over the next couple years these safety and environmental issues will be addressed.”
“Governor McDonnell’s misplaced priorities have struck again – and this time it’s our environment that is at risk,” said David Mills, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia. “When responsible leaders learn of relevant new information, they adapt their positions. Senator Webb and Senator Warner have agreed that the President’s call for a delay on new projects is the responsible course of action until the cause of the tragedy in the Gulf is determined — yet Governor McDonnell continues to push for unrealistic timetables.”
Mills further stated, “Just last night, Governor McDonnell was in Texas rubbing elbows with oil industry executives as they discussed the profits to be had from offshore drilling. A spill of this magnitude off Virginia’s coast would devastate our coastal economy and endanger the effectiveness of the world’s largest navy base at Norfolk. A responsible leader with the right priorities for Virginia would join Senators Webb and Warner in their commonsense approach. “
Very well said by the DPVA!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Priorities Bob, Priorities. The responsible thing to do is take a step back and pause. Throughout this debate, we’ve been repeatedly told how safe offshore drilling was and how any fear was unfounded. Clearly this is a huge issue now and the safety of such rigs must be looked at more carefully.
McDonnell is more concerned in assisting the oil industry fat cats than Virginia businesses and workers who rely on a strong coastal economy. Imagine what kind of hit a spill like this would be to Virginia’s tourism industry that relies so heavily on state beaches ($19.2 billion industry, 210,620 jobs) or its fishing industry ($1.23 billion in output sales, $717.4 million in value-added income and 13,015 jobs). This doesn’t even take into consideration the negative environmental impact to our wetlands, wildlife and aquatic life or water quality. Oh yeah, the U.S. Navy is also deeply opposed to drilling.
Could you imagine the impact that a spill would have on our economy?! I cannot even begin to imagine.
Given the immense risk of drilling, one has to wonder is it worth it? The Virginia Conservation Network’s data clearly suggests no.
The Atlantic OCS has significantly less recoverable oil and gas reserves than any other OCS region, with an estimated 3.82 billion barrels of oil and 36.99 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. At current rates of consumption, the entire Atlantic OCS would supply the U.S. with only 6 months worth of oil and 18 months worth of natural gas; Virginia’s offshore supply of oil and gas would last less than 7 and 18 days, respectively.
Meanwhile, four times more gas and oil is available in areas already open to drilling than in waters protected by the moratorium, and the industry is using only a fraction (18-20%) of what it already has access to. These unused areas could produce an additional 4.8 million barrels of oil and 44.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day, nearly double current domestic oil production.
Weighing the effect such a spill would have on our economy against any potential benefit, I would have to say that drilling doesn’t seem worth it to me. Regardless, the only course of action right now should be to pause and reassess. This decision is far too important to be made rashly and the consequences too great. McDonnell should follow the lead of Senators Warner and Webb and put commonsense above ideology.
JCFR to McDonnell: “Divisive effort to revisit sectarian public prayer at state police events…creates unwelcoming environment…[for] religious minorities”
Another week, another controversy has erupted for Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA). As the Washington Post reported yesterday, McDonnell made the decision to “quietly” reverse “a policy banning Virginia State Police troopers from referring to Jesus Christ in public prayers.”
For those of us in the Fredericksburg-region, you may recall the 2005 controversy surrounding City Councilman Hashmel Turner’s. In addition to being on the Council, he is also an ordained minister and part-time pastor at a local church. He filed suit in 2005, after the City Council implemented a policy requiring that all legislative prayers be nondenominational. He insisted that this violated his First Amendment rights and that he must close his prayers in the “name of Jesus Christ.”
The United States Fourth Circuit of Appeals eventually ruled that since the “prayers at issue here are government speech, we hold that Fredericksburg’s prayer policy does not violate Turner’s Free Speech and Free Exercise rights.” This ultimately resulted in police chaplains being instructed, in 2008, to offer only nondenominational prayers at any department-sanctioned public event. This had been the standing policy, until McDonnell “quietly” reversed this decision recently.
Virginia Legislators have stood behind this policy, since 2008, and defeated several bills over the years to legislatively change this policy.
The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond has responded to this controversy by sending a letter to McDonnell, blasting the prayer policy change.
It leads us toward unnecessary religious clashes, demeans our Commonwealth’s Jeffersonian principles, and creates an unwelcoming environment for the Commonwealth’s Jewish citizens and other religious minorities. A final concern is the likelihood that revisiting this guidance would ultimately lead to litigation costly to our Commonwealth.
In the letter, Fredericksburg Rabbi Devorah Lynn sums things up best when commenting on this issue, “When you are asked to speak in public for a group of people with different religious practices you need to think not of who you are praying to but who you are praying for.”
McDonnell once again proves that he is more interested on pushing his radical social agenda than on focusing on critical issues facing the Commonwealth. This has become a disturbing pattern with him. He continues to move Virginia backwards, essentially slamming the door shut on creating a more welcoming environment for all in favor of pushing a divisive social agenda. He seems more interested in spending time in the courtroom than the boardroom. Priorities Bob, Priorities.
Delegate Bob Marshall Suggests Shooting Lawmakers Over Policy Differences is OK
At a recent Stafford County Tea Party rally, Delegate Bob Marshall (R-13th) suggests that it is OK to shoot lawmakers over policy differences. First we have Corey Stewart comparing the Obama administration to the Nazi’s, now we have this.
Obviously, he was just misquoted.
Again, this sort of irresponsible rhetoric may cause someone with violent tendencies to think it is acceptable to act out in this way. You can obviously hear the teabaggers laughing and shouting words of encouragement. Unbelievable.
I just can’t understand why Virginia Republicans are falling all over themselves to appeal to teabaggers. They are becoming more of a fringe party everyday.
Stewart Offers No Apologies for Nazi Comparison, Reaffirms Using Tax Dollars to Break the Law
I wrote on Monday about comments that Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, made comparing the Obama administration to that of the Nazi’s.
Today, Stewart responded to his deeply offensive remarks by claiming that he didn’t “intend” to compare the Obama administration to the Nazi’s. Stewart went on to say, “Oh, that’s ridiculous. That’s ridiculous. Absolutely not.” He then said that he would continue to offer similar remarks.
Of course, he said all of this is a “typical liberal reaction.”
I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that he claims that he didn’t draw the comparison or that he defiantly insists that he will continue to use this sort of language.
I thought that Stewart would try to claim that he was taken out of context, so that is why I posted the entire video. Stewart was clearly trying to fan the passions of the crowd with this comparison. This was a common theme throughout the program. There is no doubt in my mind that he knew what he was saying. No doubt.
While this may be all fun in games for Stewart, the reality is that this sort of rhetoric may cause someone with violent tendencies to act out. It’s already happened with Congressman Tom Perriello’s brother.
Besides stoking violent tendencies, this also trivializes and diminishes the crimes perpetrated by the Nazi’s against 6 million Jews and countless others. As the Prince William Democratic Committee noted,
It is the height of insensitivity to both the survivors of the 6 million Jewish people slaughtered by Nazis, their families and to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II to end these atrocities for Stewart to make these comments.
Stewart’s dismissiveness on the subject reminds me of the recent controversy involving the omission of slavery from a Confederate History Month proclamation by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA); and, the subsequent comment by Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) that this whole controversy “doesn’t amount to diddly.”
Eugene Robinson rightfully noted in an Op/Ed on the subject that “they — and the rest of us, too – should know the extent to which the history of this country was shaped by what was euphemistically called the ‘peculiar institution,’ he went on to say, “McDonnell’s original proclamation, before he amended it, seemed designed to appeal to a fringe group for whom the Civil War is still an open question.”
History matters. Words matter. Folks need to understand this when addressing these time periods. Trivializing the role slavery played in history or the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi’s, to appeal to a fringe group, only serves to diminish the horror of these time periods.
This sort of historical insensitivity and ignorance has become a trademark of Virginia Republicans. This was on display most recently again with Gov. McDonnell’s essay requirement for felons who wanted to get their voting rights restored. Some have compared that essay to the “literacy test” Mississippi had in place before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had the effect of preventing poor, illiterate African Americans from getting the right to vote.
Corey Stewart needs to understand that history and words do matter! To use the terrible atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi’s, to appeal to a fringe group, is not only in poor taste, but is also deeply offensive. Stewart needs to apologize and stop using these sort of incendiary comparisons.
If all of these comments weren’t enough for you, Stewart’s assertion that he will use taxpayer dollars to break the law is crazy. Stewart plans on introducing a resolution to order county staff to refuse to administer the new Medicaid benefits, under the new health care reform law.
He claims that the current cost to administer Medicaid in Prince William County is $10 million, which will rise to $15 under the changes in the current law. He argues that monies will be diverted from teachers, fire and rescue and police to pay for it (see video).
Let’s look at the facts, based on how things stand now in Prince William County. I talked to a source in Prince William County who provided the following information:
As of now, Prince William County only has 2 staff administering Medicaid – and half of their cost is picked up by a non-profit foundation. If the county determines that it would need to add some staff in 2014, that staff cost would be offset by the great gain to the county of most residents finally getting health coverage, and no longer passing their emergency room care on to other county residents in the form of higher taxes and higher health premiums. But the fact is, the county doesn’t know yet what the impact will be, based on how the state will handle both Medicaid and health care exchanges – which will make coverage affordable for more than 1 million Virginians.
How Stewart can make such outrageous claims is beyond me, especially when the state hasn’t even determined how they plan on handling things. The staff cost to administer Medicaid, thus far, seems far from onerous – not to mention that half of the cost is currently picked up by a non-profit organization. Stewart’s fears are completely unfounded and ludicrous. This has more to do with furthering a political agenda then doing what’s best for Prince William County residents.
He seems to be welcoming a lawsuit by blatantly breaking the law, which will undoubtedly cost Prince William taxpayer’s money. That’s a fact!
What’s worse is that he is emboldened by the fact that Virginia’s Attorney General (AG) Ken Cuccinelli won’t sue him, if he breaks the law. Cuccinelli’s statements and actions are setting a dangerous precedent in the Commonwealth, which will encourage other folks to break the law too. I thought the AG was supposed to enforce the law and not his political agenda!
Enough is enough.
Cuccinelli Has Mandate to Continue Wasting Our Tax Dollars
At the same April 10th Tea Party Rally in Stafford, VA where Corey Stewart compared the Obama Administration to the Nazi Regime, Ken Cuccinelli insisted that he had a mandate to reign in the Federal Government. He pretty much stated that we should expect more of the same from him (i.e. more frivolous lawsuits).
My favorite quote from him was, “There’s no hide the ball with Ken Cuccinelli. What you see is what you get.” So Ken, if you’re so open, why don’t you level with taxpayers on how much these frivolous lawsuits are costing us? If you have nothing to hide, why don’t you turn over the information requested in a second FOIA request by the Democratic Party of Virginia? They recently requested the following information:
The schedules of Ken Cuccinelli, Solicitor General Duncan Getchell and Deputy Attorney General Wesley Russell for the month of March; a log of communication between Cuccinelli and national Republican political organizations about the lawsuit; a log of communication between Cuccinelli and 13 other state attorneys general who filed suit; communication between Cuccinelli and Governor Bob McDonnell regarding the health care legislation; a list of current Office of Attorney General staff and their salaries.
What’s clear is that Cuccinelli is using the Attorney General’s office to further his political agenda.
Of course, Cuccinelli continues to claim that this lawsuit has only cost $350; and, he has continued to hide the true costs of this lawsuit. If anyone out there actually believes that this lawsuit has only cost $350, I have a bridge to sell you in Alaska.
PWC Chairman Corey Stewart Compares Obama Administration to Nazi Regime, On Eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day
In case you missed it (and boy I wish I did), the Tea Party folks held a rally in front of Stafford County’s courthouse on Saturday. One of their featured speakers was Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart. This is the same person that recently sent a letter to Ken Cuccinelli thanking him for his frivolous health care reform lawsuit.
With all the crazy things that Stewart has said or done in the past, nothing prepared me for what I witnessed this past Saturday from him. There were many things he said that were non-factual and completely offensive, but his comparison of the Obama administration to that of the Nazi regime was outrageous (fast forward to the 5:25 mark or view it here):
You might remember the story of Sophie Scholl during the Nazi Administration in Germany. She was a student and she spoke out. And she and her brother and other students were beheaded by the Nazi regime for speaking out. It’s up to each and every one of us when we see wrong to standup and say no not only no but hell now we’re not going to do it we’re not going to go there.
For Stewart to even suggest that this administration is anything like that of the Nazi’s is way over-the-line, irresponsible and deeply offensive. How the chairman of the second largest county in the Commonwealth of Virginia could make this despicable statement is beyond me?!
You can also audibly hear the tea baggers applauding at the end of Stewart’s Nazi remarks. This is totally pathetic and in poor taste, not that I have come to expect anything more from them.
One side of my entire family was virtually wiped off the face of this earth, at the hands of the Nazi’s, during the Holocaust. Up until my grandfather’s death, just talking about it was, at times, too much for him to take and opened up old wounds that never completely healed.
This comparison by Stewart has the effect of diminishing and trivializing the crimes of the Nazi’s against six million Jews (including my family), heroes such as Sophie Scholl and countless others.
His comments also came on the heals of Holocaust Remembrance Day (“Yom Hashoah”), which took place on Sunday and the Days of Remembrance, which is a week long commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust that was established by the U.S. Congress – it takes place from April 11 – 18 this year.
Stewart, like all Americans, has every right to voice his opinion on issues, but has no right to diminish the severity of the crimes perpetrated by the Nazi’s by comparing them to Democratic policies. This sort of irresponsible propaganda is not only offensive, but also serves to portray policy disagreements in an evil way that is meant to provide an excuse for people to act out violently. These sorts of comparisons have no place in our politics or society!
On a separate note, Stewart also continued to distort the facts on the recently signed health care reform law and promised to keep causing trouble.
I intend on May 4, 2010 at 2 pm in Prince William County to pass a resolution, which will direct our county staff to refuse to administer the new Medicaid benefits. This, some will argue, will be unlawful. The only ones who can determine whether or not it is illegal is the court; and, the only one who can sue Prince William County or any other jurisdiction that refuses to administer these benefits is the Commonwealth of Virginia. And in that responsibility lies with the Attorney General of Virginia, Mr. Ken Cuccinelli.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I don’t know where this is going to end, I don’t know what the end game is. All I know is that this is going to shake things up, cause a little trouble. But, I kind of like that frankly. And I do know that we all have a responsibility to do something.
Stewart and Cuccinelli are two peas in a pod, they would both rather waste precious government reasons on trying or defending unnecessary lawsuits then use our limited resources to support our schools, fix our transportation mess or to fund a litany of other areas that effect our quality of life within the Commonwealth. They are both intent on using their offices to push their political agendas, using taxpayer dollars to do so. Enough is enough.
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