Posts tagged ‘Virginia’
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.
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.
Stafford Tea Party Leader Vince Ellis is a “Hater”
Vince Ellis, leader of the Stafford County Tea Party, spoke at their April 10th Tea Party Rally in Stafford County, Virginia. He wanted to make sure that everyone knew that he was a “hater.”
He hates sexual predators, he hates rapists, he hates sexism, he hates murderers, he hates national debt, he hates social medicine, he hates auto companies, he hates banks, he hates student loans, he hates lies in the public schools and he hates bigotry against Christians.
Vince Ellis is one big hater!
So anyone against him and his radical group must love sexual predators, rapists, sexism, bigotry, murderers, national debt, etc. Doesn’t everyone hate student loans, banks and auto companies?! This guy obviously is not playing with a full deck here.
To think that this guy mentioned later that he would be working on writing educational legislation with Del. Mark Cole (R-88th), this should scare the heck out of everyone.
The fact that Virginia Republicans were falling all over themselves to speak at this rally should tell you just how far of a fringe party they have become!
Cord Sterling Sheds Moderate Myth, Comes Out of Closet as Tea Bagger
On April 10, 2010, Supervisor Cord Sterling (R-Rock Hill) addressed his fellow tea baggers at a Tea Party rally in Stafford, VA.
Sterling is the worst type of politician: one who will say or do anything to further his political ambitions by distorting the truth. He loves to portray himself as a moderate Republican, but pretty much shattered this self-created myth when he came out of the closet as a tea bagger this past weekend.
Sterling railed against the recently signed health care reform law. In trying to get the crowd pumped up against this, he described how Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) daughter was so happy that she didn’t need to work and could now be added to his health care plan. He claimed that this epitomized everything that was wrong with this bill. Only one problem for Sterling, this couldn’t be further from the TRUTH!
Here are Sterling’s exact words:
[Sen. Chuck Schumer’s] daughter had just called him, she was graduating or graduated from college, she said, “Good news dad, I don’t have to get a job now I can be on your health care bill.” He thought that was great, she gets health care I get the bill.
Here’s Sen. Chuck Schumer on March 28, 2010 on Meet the Press:
If you’re up to 26 years old you can stay on your parents’ health coverage. My daughter is graduating from law school. We told her the day after she graduates she’s on her own. She has a job in September, but she was fretting what does she do for the four months? Does she buy health insurance for $1200 a month? Well, she called me up at midnight after the bill passed and said, “Dad, I’m covered.”
I love how Sterling just makes shit up. This has become a disturbing pattern with him.
Sterling then pivoted from health care to judicial activism. Sterling rallied his fellow tea baggers, when he alleged that judges were displaying judicial activism by advocating the need for additional courtrooms within Stafford County, Virginia. Nothing fires up tea baggers more than evil judges.
Here’s what Sterling actually said:
The judges that occupy this building, they want to tell us that we need to spend an additional $30 million to build them a new courthouse…we have six judges, seven courtrooms and they think we need more courtrooms…it is essentially a 7 or 8 percent tax increase that they want to force upon us.
This is a convenient argument for Sterling. Only problem, if you’ve already guessed it, it isn’t completely true. I’m sure that you’re shocked by now.
The need for additional courtroom space has been many years in the making. In fact, Stafford Supervisor Paul Milde (R-Aquia) was on the original committee, I believe back in 2006 or so, that was tasked with the responsibility of coming up with cost-effective designs for new courtrooms. The total cost of their proposal was around $36 or $37 million.
The Board of Supervisors actually decided that this was too costly and voted to defer it until a later date. They decided to eventually revisit this issue and setup a citizens committee that they hoped would develop a more cost-effective proposal. They ended up proposing to refurbish the existing courthouse to the tune of between $23 and $25 million, which would have added two additional courtrooms.
I’ve spoken to several folks associated with Stafford County. They all noted that the current facilities are incredibly crowded and more space is needed. The courts are facing significant caseloads and are becoming overwhelmed, due to the facility constraints.
I know someone who recently served on a jury who said that the current facilities were a mess. Folks were strongly complaining about the overcrowding and the incredibly high temperature, due to so many people packing themselves into the facility. The Board of Supervisors have clearly identified the need for additional courtrooms; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been trying to find a cost-effective solution all of these years. The reality is the problem has only gotten worse.
The judges have simply identified a need and haven’t dictated a $30 million solution. It is folks like Milde and a citizens committee that have come up with these estimates.
There is no doubt in my mind that a real need exists. Sterling can ignore a county need, which he is really good at doing, or directly address it by coming up with a cost-effective solution. It’s clear to me that he would rather use this for political theater versus directly addressing it. If I were him, I wouldn’t get pulled over in Stafford County for any speeding tickets.
After his judicial activism bit, he wasn’t done with misleading his fellow tea baggers.
He praised himself for ridding the county of its Department of Transportation (DOT). He did rightfully note, in my opinion, that this department was completely unnecessary. I noted this in a prior blog post. However, his claim that he got rid of this department and saved money is a bit of a stretch. Stafford’s DOT employees were simply moved to another department. I’m by no means advocating that they should have fired these employees. What I am saying is that his claim that he is shrinking the size of government is a complete stretch. Plus this was the first time I’ve ever heard him speak out about this issue, so it’s interesting that he is claiming credit for it now.
Sterling wasn’t done with his distortions and attacks. He saved the best for last. He launched into a blistering attack of the school board. He claimed that the school system was asking for a $7.5 million increase in their school budget from last year, of which only $126 thousand would be used for education and the rest would go towards school administration. This is another flat out distortion of the facts by Sterling.
I’ve written quite a bit about our schools, so I won’t reiterate everything I’ve said before here (you can check out posts here, here and here). The short of it is that the school board requested the same level of funding that they received last year, which is actually a decrease when you take into account rising costs and cuts by the state.
I’ve spoken to folks associated with the school board and it appears that Sterling is simply adding up increases to various line items in the school budget without taking into account all of the line items that have been cut. He is simply cherry picking numbers that further his political agenda, which is defunding and crippling our public school system. This was a popular theme throughout the Tea Party rally.
Sterling’s additional assertions on how money is being spent couldn’t be further from the truth. He simply doesn’t understand the school budget.
If he were so concerned about how money was being spent, you would think that he would sit down with school administrators or school board members to ask questions and work with them? You see that would make too much sense. He would rather scream, yell and distort the facts for his own political gain. His re-election slogan next year should be, “Putting Politics Ahead of Our Children.”
I also especially love Sterling’s call for the school to find efficiencies, which I think they have done an admirable job of thus far. This from the Board of Supervisors who haven’t had a clean audit in years! In the name of saving money, the school board refinanced some debt that saved the school system and county around $3.6 million. Sterling rewarded the school board by robbing them of this savings and using it to fund some of his other priorities. After all, getting re-elected is paramount.
I especially love the tea baggers from the crowd that screamed, “Fire them.” Referring to the school board, which Sterling responded, “I’m all for it, that’s in your hands. It’s in my hands too as a voter. I can’t fire them as a Supervisor.” Naturally, for Sterling, publicly insulting the school board and calling for their firing is a great way to build a strong working relationship.
I have a message for Sterling. The only person getting fired next year is you!
Richard Lorey – “An Angry American” (Part 1)
Richard Lorey (a.k.a. “An Angry American”) spoke at an April 10th Tea Party Rally in Stafford, VA. This pretty much sums up the Tea Party movement to me. If I were he, I’d take my tea as decaf for now on.
Where was Richard when Bush was running up deficits and spending money like a drunken sailor? We could have used a few “Angry Americans” back then. All I can say is wow!
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