Kaine2005.org

FYI: Tim Kaine recently changed his website, so that the first screen is now a place to tell your "transportation nightmare". If Kaine keeps strong on fixing transportation, and can come up with a better plan than Kilgore's local Transportation authorities, he's looking to clean up in NOVA and Tidewater.

35th House District

NLS and friends have a story going on the 35th House District race between incumbent Steve Shannon and challenger/'03 Supervisor canidate Jim Hyland. In 2003 Shannon won this seat with 51.9% of the vote against Robert McDowell. McDowell did not perform up to the level many expected(most of all the seat's predecessor Sen Devolites-Davis) and lost a seat that he should have won. Shannon had the brilliant move of pitching himself as a moderate and in his final mail piece placed a quote from Congressman Tom Davis(from a letter a few years earlier) along with a picture. This little game gave many people the impression that Steve Shannon was being supported by Congressman Davis and his "good friend"(before the vows) Sen. Devolites. I must say the move was impressive and took the race to lean Shannon from a toss-up. The same cycle Jim Hyland lost to Linda Smyth in the bid to replace current Chairman Gerry Connolly's magesterial seat on the Board of Supervisors. While I do agree that Smyth is a horrible candidate she was running in one of the "lock" districts for Democrats in Fairfax County. Hyland was able to pull 43%, which sounds bad until you compare it with the top-of-the-ticket Mychele Brickner's 37%. I will have to say that this seat will go to Steve Shannon when all is said and done. Jim Hyland is a good candidate, but I do not think he has the ability to raisethe type of money that Steve Shannon will bring into this district. I am impressed by Jim Hyland's individual work ethic in the door knocking world as he personally hit the hard R's in my nieghborhood twice between January and June. But, a lack of money and lack of discontent for the incumbent does not make this seat ripe for the taking. TC Call- Probable Shannon

The Judiciary

The American Judiciary has once again made a horrible, and confusing ruling regarding the Ten Commandments. Swing vote Sandra Day O'Connor, voted against the displaying of the Ten Commandments in Courthouses. This ruling was bad, considering that much of American law is based on Judeo-Christian principles, which the Supreme Court, and liberal ACLU are trying to eradicate from American culture. Besides the obvious irony that theres a 10 Commandment plaque in the Supreme Court itself, the ruling made less sense 50 minutes later. The ruling that then stated that the Ten Commandments COULD be on the Texas State Capitol grounds is very confusing. If one is a violation of the First Ammendment, why is the second not? TC's ruling: In Favor of the Ten Commandments, and against the ACLU

Allen in New Hampshire(Again)

Here is the story on Seantor Allen's latest visit to New Hampshire. Big shocker here is that he used a football metaphor. I bet the people of New Hampshire thought it was a new bit.

Secret Informant

Today the Supreme Court refused to hear the CIA leak case. In this case two reporters have been asked to testify in the Grand Jury investigation over the White House leak of a CIA agents identity. In its refusal the Supreme Court upheld the precedent that reporters first amendment rights are secondary in matters of national interest. I have to agree with this position. There is no reason that reporters should be allowed to throw around the 1st Amendment in matters such as this. In my opinion those who leaked the information need to be found and they need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Whomever did this and whomever authorized the leak should be forced out of the administration as soon as possible.

This One is Heartbreaking...

I just read this story in the Washington Post. At first when I read the story I thought it was inappropriate to keep the mother alive when she was brain dead in order to deliver a fetus with a low chance of survival. But then I began thinking as a husband and father and could not even imagine how tough this must be for the husband/father. All I know is that if you pray each night you should add Jason Torres in tonight.

Just want to point something out here...

Most of the Blog's have thrown up some comments in regards to today's Supreme Court decision. Several solid views on the issue at Q and O, Commonwealth Conservative, Michelle Malkin, and Bacon's Rebellion. Now since I personally know the New London/SE Connecticut region I would like to bring a different spin to this entire situation. As some people may or may not remember the Groton Sub Base got hit in the preliminary BRAC list last month. So, what does this mean? New London is the town directly west of Groton. Groton is not only the home of the sub base but also the home of Electric Boat- the largest submarine manufacturer in the entire world. With the closing of the base the region is expected to lose almost 20,000+ jobs. That is a significant chunk of the working population in the region and does not account for the lose of dollars into the local economy that keeps the service industry up and running. The point? The New London Development Commission pushed this case in hopes of revitalizing the waterfront in their city. Parks, hotels, shops, etc. All of this was in hopes of cashing in on the military and tourist industries that keep southeastern Connecticut vibrant. Well newsflash to all.... YOU JUST LOST 20,000 JOBS! New London and its neighboring communities have alot more revitalization to worry about outside of the waterfront. The only military presence that will remain in the area in five years is the United States Coast Guard Academy, not exactly an economic driving force. Now I do not know what the NLDC and the local developer has planned if the base gets hit in the final list in September. But, a decreasing per capita income, sinking property value, and the leaving of all military personnel is not going to put the local economy in a great position to attract outside companies into the region. We may very well have had a Supreme Court decision that has screwed local property owners for a project that will never happen. Thank you Federal Judiciary once again.

Flag Desecration

A quick blurb from the National Journal:

AP's Fournier explains why Dems "fear getting singed" by the flag desecration ban and being "forced into a vote" that GOPers "will cast as a test of patriotism." The house passed the ban by a 286-130 vote 6/22 and while its "prospects aren't good in the Senate," GOPers "could still get what they want -- an issue that divides or even conquers" Dems in '06 and '08. Dem leaders "generally don't want to tamper with free-speech rights" but they "were split on whether to bow to political pressure." The flag "means more than ever" after 9/11 and GOPers are "not shy about evoking Sept. 11 in political fights." In a debate over the flag amendment, Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-CA) said: "Ask the men and women who stoop on top of the Trade Center. Ask them and they will tell you: 'Pass this amendment.'" Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) "accused" the GOP of "exploiting" 9/11: "If the flag needs protection at all, it needs protection from members of Congress who value the symbol more than the freedoms that the flag represents." But some Dems say the "power of that symbol shouldn't be underestimated." Dem strategist Ray Strother: "I can't imagine when it gets down to it that any Democrat would vote against the ban. Something strange is happening in this country. More than ever, people seem to be looking for symbols. ... People, particularly the conservative movement, are trying to leave a trail of signs that have larger implications." But other Dems "say it's cowardly not to fight the ban, and are convinced that they won't be punished by voters" for it. Dem strategist Jim Jordan: "Voters simply don't believe Democrats are hostile to the American flag" (6/23).

Frankly I am not in-favor of such a measure. I think burning the flag should be protected under the 1st amendment as free speech. The fact is that our country can not be truly symbolized by a piece of cloth it is an ideal of overall liberty. It is tough to love our country so much that you can allow someone to desecrate our flag, but that is what our society should be about. Frankly I am tired of the discourse in this nation. The right wing seems to attack the liberals for some of the extreme things they feel are free speech. The left wing claims to defend free speech, but the second you say something that is not "politically correct" they will attack you in anyway they can. Fact is both sides seem to be extreme hypocrites on the issue of free speech using it only when it is convienient to their particular set of ideals. Shame on both for their behavior. And before anyone gets up in arms about my flag views I did serve in the military. That always seems to be the immediate retort for the anti-flag burners, "You'd look at it differently if you dedicated any part of your life to defending this nation." Like the saying goes, "I may not agree with what you have to say or what you do... But I will lay down my life to defend your opportunity to do it."

Craddock

A recent story from the national review online focuses on anti-tax challenger Chris Craddock's victory over Delegate Gary Reese. The article discusses the positive attributes Craddock brings to the ticket, while stating the work that still has to be done before November. Incumbent Gary Reese still has thousands of dollars left over from his campaign, it will be interesting to see what he does with the money. Craddock's new challenger , Chuck Caputo has also been active in the community, but it does not seem that he has the ground support that Craddock does. Over at the VA delegate blog, it's stated that Caputo is currently in Europe. Regardless, Craddock does have a fairly difficult race to deal with, but TC hopes it all works out, and throws his support 100% behind Chris the Conservative Craddock. Also-TC wants to thank John Behan for his post this morning.

Death Penalty

TC read an interesting article this morning in the Washington Post regarding Jerry Kilgore's stance on the Death Penalty. Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore wants to make accomplices to murder(2nd degree murder) able to be sentenced to Death. It's been a long running tradition except in certain circumstances, that if a person is on trial for murder, and did not directly commit murder, that they are not able to be sentenced to death. As pro-death penalty as Virginia voters are, this might come off alittle extreme, especially to NOVA voters. Then again, it's NOVA voters who have to deal with the Gang problems of MS-13, which was the main point in Kilgore's plan. It will be interesting to see if Kaine tries to turn this around on Kilgore.

Raisng the Dollars in PWC

The Potomac News did a story on the amount of money raised by the Prince William Delegate incumbents and their November opponents. Typical of the Post this data was available on the 15th and their just now doing a story on the issue. I think the Frederick/Barg race is going to be an extremely tough fight this campaign season. Del. Frederick is a tough worker that will hussle every minute between now and November. He has a good wife that "gets it" and seems to help drive much of the political and fundraising aspects of Jeff's life. She is honestly one of his best assets. Supervisor Barg is a seasoned campaigner. She will not be able to run around pounding on as many doors as Del Frederick, but she is well known in the district. If anyone has a chance of knocking out an incumbent Republican it is this candidate in this district. Current read at TC: Lean Frederick

Local Impact of BRAC

Today the good ole Post did a story on the local impact of BRAC and how many workers will not be leaving town regardless of where the jobs go. One recurring theme in the Blog world has been the battle over assesments and the impact they have in our lives here in No Va. Well news flash to all... Take 30,000 jobs out of job market and you will see the house demand, and therefore your assesments, drop. I can see this impact at least hitting those in the People's Republic of Arlington and Alexandria. I am curious though as to how many other jobs will be lost down the support pipeline. This battle over BRAC is going to be on the national front pages for the next several months. Should be interesting to see what actually happens when the commission makes its final report in September.

The Last One from Me...

It has become apparent over the past few weeks that James Young reads the blog over here ar Too Conservative more than anyone else in the Commonwealth. While I do appreciate someone paying attention to what we are saying it has begun to upset me some that he feels the need to constantly attack our values and refer to us as "PWC Squishes". Well let's set a few things straight for Mr. Young. (Editor Note: While I can speak for myself and Too Conservative on this one I do not know Mitch outside of his online/blog persona. TC and I have come to very much respect Mitch's views on the blog's pertaining to VA Politics, so we invited him to join. Therefore I will not speak on his behalf in this post.) 1.) Neither myself or TC live in Prince William County. While I did at one point and members of my family continue to live in PWC I am no longer a resident. TC has never lived in PWC. This would be why our Blog's subtitle is "A NOVA Republican viewpoint on statewide politics" and does not refer to PWC. From now on if we are to be referred to as "Squishes" please give the appropriate location. 2.) TC and myself have extremely different views on many of the issues impacting our party and our state. He tends to be much more "conservative" on social issues while I would love to eliminate the government from anything in our lives outside of schools, roads, and police. Combine our views and you would have a borderline theocratic anarchist... Might be a little scary. From now on when referring to us as “Squishes” please point out to who you are referring and in what area; social or fiscal. 3.) Mr. Young continues to feel the need to attack people he deems moderate on a regular basis. If he feels that accusation is false then he should simply look at how he links to our Blog from his. We as a party must welcome different view points in as much as possible. If we feel the need to have the “small tent” mentality and attack Republicans that are successful then we will soon lose the majority. I for one will trust the majority of people with a R next to their name more then most D’s. Mr. Young however feels the need to attack people with R’s on a regular basis. I am interested good sir on when you will run for office and be victorious in that pursuit. Pounding ideology into the ground does you no good if you are never even close to being in a position to affect policy. I am even more interested on the last time you chose to have a civil conversation with any elected official you disagree with in hopes of changing their views on the issues you feel are important. With that being said I choose to no longer comment on anything Mr. Young says until he shows respect to his fellow Republicans.

Chuck Hagel

As seen on Raising Kaine, Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel recently said that George Bush was "disconnected from reality". -I don't quite understand the antics behind these anti-Bush Republicans, or where they think their random outbursts against the President are going to get them, but these things don't seem like they'd sit well with the Republican base if Hagel, or these rogue Republicans, ever wanted to run for President.

New No Va Bloggers

Two big No Va elected officials(or soon to be electeds) are now blogging weekly with Not Larry Sabato

The Debate Debate Rolls On.

Another story by C Jenkins today in the Post. Now this is my feeling on the issue. Sure Potts probably will not win. In fact I bet Sen Potts doesn't pull over 15% in the General Election. But, he has just as much of a right as anyone else to debate the other candidates for Governor. Through the hard work(and possibly dollars) of his campaign and supporters he turned in 150% more signatures then he was required in order to get on the ballot. I am sorry, if your name is going to appear on the ballot then the people have a right to hear what you have to say. Jerry Kilgore needs to develop a little bit of a backbone here. He would easily trounce Potts in a debate and quickly show the people that Russ is in this just to get his 15 minutes of fame before we primary him out in 2007(if he has the backbone to go again). So Jerry.... Debate Tim and Russ, beat Tim and Russ, and let's party in Williamsburg next January after you are inaugurated as Governor.

Why the anger?

A recent post on the Virginia Club for Growth's website by Phil Rodokanakis blasts Sean Connaughton, and Steve Baril. The article states:"Across the state voters elected Sen. Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor and Del. Bob McDonnell for Attorney General, both strong anti-tax, conservative candidates who had been challenged by pro-tax moderates.” This primary has blatantly shown the negative attack views of the right-wing establishment of the party. Yes Mr.Rodokanakis, thats nice that the "tax cutters" won(even though Bolling is a tax raiser, but thats another story), but the November election is completly different. These extreme tickets will be hard for the average Northern Virginian to chose between, and I fear that they will chose the way of loony Leslie just because her roots are in Fairfax. Connaughton's race proved once again that Northern Virginia, Tidewater, and hell, all of the rest of prosperous Virginia has its own unique problems, and that the residents of those areas will vote for a candidate who will talk about issues dear to them. A question for the readers: Why don't the rural , poor counties that voted overwhellmingly for Bolling realize that they are poor because politicians like Bolling , sit in Richmond and don't help their cause? Sean Connaughton has a record of creating jobs, Bolling does not. Maybe one day Virginia will wake up and realize that a candidate like Connaughton is needed to actually bring about a positive change in Virginia's economy. Also, on a side note: Credit to George Fitch for carrying the entire county of Fauquier!

Open Primary System

Jaded JD has a discussion going on the open primary debate in the courts.

... And it Will All be Spent!

Good ole C Jenkins over at the Post wrote a story today on the continued growth in revenue from our flourishing economy and the Warner Tax Increase. These statewide races should be an interesting one for the future fiscal plans of our state. Fact is neither candidate is speaking our against the Warner increase(of course Kaine wouldn't), nor is either addressing remvoing the increase and returning taxes to their pre-2004 levels. But, everyone is lining up to tell you ways they would like to spend that extra money. This past Tuesday has made it clear that the "anti-tax revolt" does not even truly exist within the GOP let alone the general population of the state. Grover and company have to be scratching thier heads wondering what is going on.

Jim Young has apparently felt the need to comment on our blog over at Skeptical Observer. I will leave it to you readers to comment on this one. But just so he knows, we're not all Prince William GOP posters. If we were then we would probably be a Blog dedicated to PWC Issues and not all of No Va. ... Yes I know by posting this I give him the attention he so desperately craves. Such is how things go.

The Primaries in Prince William: A Winner and a Loser

Now that Tuesday has come and gone, I’d like to share a few thoughts on what the results mean in Prince William County. Overall, turnout was dismal. That was probably to be expected, though many of us were hoping for better numbers. The big winner on Tuesday, from a Prince William perspective, was Sean Connaughton. Now granted, I’m a Connaughton supporter. But let’s face facts: Sean took 63% of the vote in Prince William. To a casual observer, that may seem a bit low for a popular, incumbent BOCS Chairman. Keep in mind, however, that there is a segment within the county party apparatus that sincerely dislikes Sean. Some of it is issues, some of it is personal. The bottom line is that Sean is a leader and his own man. He doesn’t kowtow to the party’s self-appointed leaders. He didn’t when he won in 1999 and hasn’t ever since. So, in spite of having some of the Committee “leadership” working aggressively against him, he won the county decisively. Moreover, he took 60% of the vote throughout Northern Virginia and went along way in establishing positive name recognition throughout the state. I don’t know specifically what Sean’s next step is in the political sphere. But if he runs for another office in Northern Virginia, don’t bet against him. Tuesday’s biggest loser from a Prince William perspective is clearly Corey Stewart, Supervisor for the Occoquan District. Stewart was the lone member of the Prince William BOCS to endorse Bill Bolling and spoke out against Connaughton and in favor of Bolling on many occasions. This is a clear case of winning the battle and losing the war. On Tuesday, Stewart worked on the other side of the county, steering well clear of his home district. Maybe he read the tealeaves correctly. The Occoquan District voted for Connaughton 73% to 27%. This was by far the largest margin of the county’s seven districts. Rumblings about disaffection for Stewart had already been gaining momentum prior to the Primary. Tuesday’s result is a clear indication that Stewart and his constituents just don’t see eye to eye. The word around the campfire is that Stewart, who won a four-way primary and three-way general election in 2003, has potential challengers already waiting in the wings. Should make for an interesting two years.

Greetings!

The good folks at Too Conservative have graciously invited me to join their blog as a regular contributor. For those of you who have read my comments on this and other blogs, you are well aware that I always have an opinion and am rarely shy about sharing it. Thus, how could I resist? I am a Prince William County Republican, and I hope to offer some insight from my small (but rapidly growing) corner of the world. As a matter of disclosure (no, I'm not revealing my name), I consider myself to be a "moderate" or "pragmatic" Republican, though there are certainly those who will feel to label me as a RINO. Fair enough. Expect my posts and comments to reflect those views, though I'll try my best to respect the opinions of those who disagree. As MR JMS noted in a previous post, we're a different breed in Northern Virginia. Sometimes the harsh realities of living on the doorstep of the most powerful city in the world force us to look at things through a different lens than our brothers downstate. Doesn't make us any more or less Republican. But we do face complex issues that require practical solutions rooted in, but not limited to, conservative values. So, here goes nothing. Let the games begin!

Craddock

Too Conservative gives his best to Chris Craddock, who defeated incumbent Gary Reese in a huge upset , literally. Craddock walked away with huge numbers, and proved that these liberal incumbents do have to watch out, as long as they have a legitimate challenger. Craddock will have a race in November though, which will not be as easy as the Reese challenge.

Sabato's Take on Yesterday

Here is Sabato's take on yesterdays events:

Neither party nominee for Governor got the ticket he wanted. Many leading Democrats had hoped that state Senator Phil Puckett of Southwest Virginia would be the nominee for lieutenant governor, to strengthen the ticket in rural areas. Instead, the most liberal candidate, former Congresswoman and state Senator Leslie Byrne of Fairfax County, won. Almost all of Byrne's voters already plan to support Tim Kaine, and Democrats are already muscular in Northern Virginia. On the other hand, Byrne might increase turnout in NoVa come November. Similarly, the Kilgore campaign was privately hoping that Prince William Board Chairman Sean Connaughton would win the lieutenant governor berth to strengthen the ticket's appeal in Democratic-leaning NoVa and broaden the GOP's draw among moderates. But conservative state Senator Bill Bolling of Hanover County--as far right as Byrne is left--captured the nod. Bolling is from the Richmond metro-area, where the GOP is already entrenched outside the central city. This match-up demonstrates anew what we are increasingly seeing in Virginia and around the nation. The political parties attract a wildly disproportionate share of ideologues to their nominating contests, resulting in the triumph of the left and the right to the exclusion of the center. The primaries drew a "bar-bell" shaped turnout of strong liberals and conservatives, instead of the "bell-curve" shaped turnout of a general election, where moderates and Independents are often the majority. This trend is reinforcing the political and partisan polarization so evident across the United States.

Those of us that tend to be "moderate" or pragmatic as I call it now have no one to truly turn to. Both parties have nominated complete ideologues in the down-ticket races. The future of governance seems to have been abandoned yesterday in-favor of wack jobs.

Our Future Decided on Tuesday...

Welcome to our soapbox for a few minutes. It has become obvious to me that our state is quickly swinging over to the Dem side of world. Why is this happening? It is not because the ideology of our state is becoming less conservative. Nor is it because the Democrats truly offer better governance than we do. This shift exists because we have an inability as a party to get along with one another. We are like siblings craving mommy’s attention and willing to pummel one another to get it. So, what does this mean? It is simple. On Tuesday we will see the two sides of our family go head-to-head. It will be a contest between the ideologues and those who wish to truly govern. It is a match-up of a group of people whose life depends on existing within the political realm versus a group of people that seek elected office in order to make our world better for our children. The odd thing is we are not debating the issues that generally set Republicans apart(social issues and the multitude of ways to view them within the “conservative” label), rather we are arguing over what “fiscal conservative” truly means. One group feels the government should not raise taxes under any circumstances, yet provides no real solutions to limit spending. The second group feels that raising taxes should always be the last resort and that we need to set real conservative priorities for how we spend the money that we have. The second group also refuses to sell its soul to special interest in order to get elected and further their lives within their own self-aggrandizing political aspirations. Now, where has this family battle led us? We have two candidates for Lt Governor. Both of these candidates are equally qualified and hold almost the exact same line on all of the social issues(it appears that Bolling is more conservative on guns while Connaughton seems a little more conservative on abortion). The difference between the two? Bolling is a man that exist only to make his next move on the political realm. His self-worth comes from the respect that comes with elected office as opposed to his own personal accomplishments. Connaughton is an odd political beast. He is a man that runs for office simply because he truly feels he can make a difference in the way our world operates. If he loses then he returns home and his life continues forward with no real bump in the road. I think the average person would much rather have Connaughton over Bolling for this very reason. Governance is always preferable to ideology amongst the general public. Yet both parties seem to nominate the ideologues to carry the banner every November. A few other opinions I have developed on this race…. - Bolling has yet to provide a reason why he should be our next Lt Governor. It seems to me that his entire campaign has existed on two premises; that he has been running for four years and therefore should be the nominee and that Connaughton is a liberal in his mind with a multitude of issues. Ok. Any real reason why you are qualified Sen. Bolling? (If anyone can provide me with any literature where he lays out the good reasons why he should be LG I would appreciate it.) - If Connaughton loses our region goes to the Dems. We have very few Repub’s left in No Va that can both win the party nomination on the state level and be electable in a General Election. In addition to that we have seen an exodus of our regions business leaders to the Democratic side. A Connaughton lose would most likely solidify this shift. So that is how we see it here at Too Conservative. Tuesday will be a pivotal moment in the future of our party(especially the near term). We can only hope that Connaughton is successful on Tuesday and that our entire ticket wins in November.

Someone Finally Said It....

Good editorial out of the The Daily Press today. This piece sums up what many people are saying on the race for Lieutenant Governor. Do we as a party continue on this hateful, ideological manner of operating or do we finally start electing people that want to govern everyone regardless of ideology. (Side Note: Notice how I said ideology and not party since we are apparently now eating our own when we call a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-gay marraige candidate "liberal"). Here is the most interesting portion of the editorial

Just watch. Should Bolling become the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, he will run precisely the same empty-headed campaign against whoever becomes the Democratic Party nominee. Bolling didn't invent this stuff. A wing of the Republican Party has been running campaigns like this for years and winning. The only thing different this time is that they've turned their shrieks of "liberal, liberal, liberal" against their own. Connaughton has stuck to his guns and told audiences that the number and costs of unfunded state mandates have increased dramatically in the past five years and have resulted in a shift of the tax burden to property owners throughout the state. That should surprise no one, given the habit so many state politicians have of governing by slogan and kicking the difficult, meaningful choices down to local government.

Food for thought for everyone out there.

Dean at it Again?

I saw this article on Yahoo! just now. I have to sit here and wonder at what point the Democrats are going to get the hint that this guy only hurts the party. This week we saw several big name dems, to inclue Ex-Veep nominee John Edwards, state that Dean does not speak on behalf of all Democrats. Dean seems to be trying to drive an ideological wedge between the moderate god loving christians that can swing either way and his party. He is heading in the exact opposite direction of HRC and Edwards as they attempt to court the south that seems conservative in its faith and relationgship with God, but can swing Dem if the candidate is moderate enough. Don't expect to see any southern Blue Dogs lining up behind Chairman Dean anytime soon. Side Note: Did Chap! steal the exclaimation point from Yahoo!? If so, I think they should sue him for illegally using intellectual property.

Unease with the Iraq War

Poll nubers just aren't looking good for the Big Boss man Today's top poll from NJ~

More than half of Americans now believe the war in Iraq has failed to meet one of the fundamental aims President Bush laid out in his case for invasion: making the United States more secure in the long-term. That's according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, which also found that 49 percent of the public frowns on Bush's handling of the country's campaign against terrorism -- the highest number in the poll's history. That's a significant shift in opinion from December 2003, when more than 60 percent felt the war in Iraq would help protect the United States from future terrorist attacks, and from March 2005, when 52 percent said it would contribute to the country's long-term security.

Our Tax Dollars...

The Wash Post ran a story today about Metro spending and some of the waste of funds. Fact is Metro is quickly becoming a drain on our region. The organization continues to be unprofitable and frankly inconvienient for the majority of people within our region. As many of the other Blogs out there have stated on this issue, people love the concept of Metro, but will never get out of their own cars to use it.

Post Weighs In

Today the Washington Post ran a story on Sean Connaughton for the last profile piece for the statewide campaigns. The interesting assertion within the story is that the Davis machine might live or die based on this race. I do not entirely buy that way of looking at it, but Mr. Shear always seems to be smarter than me. So, I guess we will see what happens here. Poli Amateur over at Commonwealth Watch weighs in on this one as well. Chris Jenkins wrote a piece on Bolling as well a few weeks back.

Special Guest for Kilgore Cookout's

Here is the word from the National Journal today:

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: Bring Your Gun, And Your Appetite GOP strategist Mary Matalin will be the guest of honor for on of ex-AG Jerry Kilgore's first "Cookouts for Kilgore" (release, 6/6). Looking Downticket The Dem LG candidates -- Del. Viola Baskerville, ex-Rep. Leslie Byrne, Del. Chapman Petersen and state Sen. Phillip Puckett are profiled by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Baskerville "has been the only" candidate to "publicly question" Kaine's property tax plan, and wants to address health-care reform. Puckett calls himself a pro-life Dem and opposes gay marriage, and said his conservatism and being from Southwest VA would help the ticket 11/05. Byrne said education is the top issue facing the state, as well as transportation. Petersen said he's more moderate than Baskerville or Byrne and has a record of receiving crossover support. In what's likely a low-turnout race, each will be working to get out their voters. Petersen: "If you have a lot of friends and family, you'll be in good shape" (Stallsmith, 6/7).

Turn-out continues to be the big question on bth sides. June 14th will be very interesting.

Get in the Contest

Everyone should peek on over to Mr. Behan's Blog and get involved in his Crystal Ball contest with Raising Kaine. The guesses all seem to agree that Kilgore and McDonnell will win this one. The big question is the LG race for the GOP. It will be very close. The even bigger question mark is what happens on the Dem side of the house. I really do think this is anyone's ball game!

Where did he get this?

In an e-mail out to Bill Bolling supporters, they blatantly accuse Connaughton of "Work Polls-The Connaughton Team has been telling their supporters to vote three and four times in the Primary. Sean Connaughton has also hired out of state people to come in and man a 72 Hour Get Out the Vote Plan. Based on this new information, we need the support of every Bolling volunteer on Primary Day to ensure a fair election." and then "Signs- Despite the fact that some of the Connaughton team has been tearing down and vandalizing Bill Bolling signs for the last 6 weeks, we expect our volunteers to maintain a higher standard of conduct and refrain from engaging in similar activities." -Worthy of tabloids-

What was the Senator Thinking?

So I am not one that generally gives much credibility to press releases in these primary races. Both sides seem to do whatever they can to beat each other up on a pretty regular basis, some of it is fair and some of it is a little slanted. I give credit to Sean Connaughton for taking the high road most of the time, but even he has slipped up a few times. Well, today I was browsing both campaigns websites and I came across this. What was the Senator thinking on this one? Here is a man that has never served his country. The fact is many a people worked hard to earn the rank they hold in the military and in many other official capacities. To give out a "rank" in your "brigade" that you have made up for donors while soldiers in Iraq and police officers in Virginia work their whole lives to putting their lives on the line to attain such a position is ridiculious. Perhaps many people won't be upset by this, but I find it sad. I hope Seantor Bolling apologizes to the man and women he has offended with this cute little game of his.

National Journal Update

I will begin posting the daily synopsis of the Governor Race as provided by the National Journal. All of the statewide press characters are pulled together for one quick snip of what is going on in our state.

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: Warner Helps Kaine Stay On Top In Green LG Tim Kaine (D) "continues to outraise" ex-AG Jerry Kilgore (R). Kaine's camp said it raised $2M in the 2-month period ending 6/1, $1M of which came from a 5/24 fundraiser headlined by Gov. Mark Warner (D). Kilgore's camp said it raised almost $1.5M. To date, Kaine has raised $10M, to Kilgore's $8.5M (Whitley, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/4). Kaine leads in COH $5M to $3.2M. Noting the Warner fundraiser, Kilgore manager Ken Hutcheson: "The Kaine camp rolled out their biggest gun in the month of May. We still have the very high probability of a presidential event, which is going to even up the race financial and then some." Hutcheson also said the Kaine edge comes from "the $1.5M that [DNC chair] Howard Dean gave him." Kaine officials said the DNC money was provided by ex-chair Terry McAuliffe. Both camps have spent $2M in the past 2 months, and "are well on their way" to raising $15M each. State Sen. Russ Potts (R/I) declined 6/3 to release his fundraising totals, saying he spent most of his time in the period collecting signatures. Warrenton Mayor George Fitch (R) had raised $155K through 4/1, and couldn't be reached for updated totals (Shear, Washington Post, 6/4). Have You Heard? The RNC Is Focusing On This Race VA GOP chair Kate Obenshain Griffin told the state central cmte 6/4 that the RNC is sending staff to VA "as part of an unprecedented grass-roots organizing effort." Griffin: "We've never had anything like this." VA GOP exec. dir. Shawn Smith said 20 RNC staffers will help with voter registration, voter ID, coalition building, training and GOTV. FEC reports show the RNC has spent $80K so far. Griffin said the RNC regards VA as it did OH and FL in WH'04, and wants to "bridge the gap between" between WH and state elections. A GOPer has won VA in 10 straight pres elections, but Dems have won 4 of 9 GOV races. The DNC has pledged $5M for grass-roots efforts. NJ GOV "is expected to be won handily" by Dems. VA Dem spokesperson Kevin Griffis chided Kilgore for brining out-of-state help when Kilgore criticized Kaine for doing the same (Whitley, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/5). WH Dep. CoS Karl Rove, "viewed by many as a regular guy," spoke at a VA GOP fundraiser in Richmond 6/5, and said Kilgore is an "authentic and real" candidate. He said afterward that Pres. Bush would be willing to stump for Kilgore, and visits "would not be confined" to NoVA and DC. Rove, at the dinner: "We cannot assume [Kilgore] will easily win." He urged guests to register voters and get them to the polls. Kilgore, at the dinner: Kaine had "more flip-flops than a Nags Head gift shop." Griffis termed the remarks "rewarmed rhetoric" and said the race "is going to rise and fall on Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore. Period" (Krishnamurthy, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/5). Moving On Kilgore's Turf Dems "moved to counter Kilgore's strength" in southwest VA. A top Dem source said the state party would announce as early as today that Dem chair Kerry Donley will be replaced by ex-House Maj. Leader C. Richard Cranwell of Roanoke. Cranwell is "a sharp-tongued lawmaker who was considered the party's top legislative strategist" and is "popular" in the region (Shear, Washington Post, 6/5). Kaine, in a statement on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturning VA's ban on "partial birth abortion": "Because of my long-standing opposition to partial birth abortion, in 2002 I proposed an amendment that would have made this ban constitutional. Unfortunately, partisan politics got in the way and that amendment was rejected by the General Assembly. As I have in the past, I will work with both parties to pass a constitutional ban on partial birth abortion" (release, 6/3). Dasching In Kaine "has enlisted" ex-Senate Min. Leader Tom Daschle (D) to counter an RGA ad that calls Kaine a liberal. On the Web site www.itstopsinvirginia.com, Daschle compares the ad to the Swift Boat ads, and said the group that produced it is "dangerous and must be stopped" (Washington Times, 6/6). Stirring The Potts Potts 6/3 "lambasted" Kilgore and urged Dems and moderate GOPers to vote for centrist GOPers in the 6/14 open primary. Potts said he's already voted for Fitch "despite having major disagreements with him." He criticized Kilgore's call for tax referendums: "How do you spell referendum? C-O-W-A-R-D." He also "took aim" at Kaine, and said he sees both candidates as "individuals who literally put a finger in the air and say, 'Which way is the wind blowing?" Kilgore spokesperson Tim Murtaugh called Potts an "angry, bitter, spiteful man." Murtaugh: "It's sad to see him ending his career this way" (Shear, Washington Times, 6/4). Only One More Week Of Fitch Stories CW indicates that a candidate who "lacks the support of party leaders, fundraising and name recognition would have no shot of winning." But Fitch "is no stranger to what seems like an impossible challenge," having helped found and coach the Jamaican bobsled team. Fitch: "I believe you can succeed if you've got a much better message and you are a more credible messenger." Fitch will have canvassed at least 13K miles of VA by 6/14, but has done no advertising and won't do any mailers. He thinks he can run the state like a business. Kilgore has "all but ignored" Fitch. George Mason Univ. prof. Mark Rozell: "It's a no-brainer in terms of who is going to win." UVA's Larry Sabato said Kilgore needs a landslide to signal that he has the GOP's full backing: "If he can't clear 80 percent, he's in trouble" (Bellantoni, Washington Times, 6/6).

Hello All

Well. Mr TC has asked me to join his Blog over here. I guess some of my wonderful comments made on Virginia Conservative, Commonwelath Watch, and all the other big ones have led him to believe I am worthy of such an honor. We will soon see if that is a mistake or not. Anyways. I hope to help spice things up a little bit around here and provide even more information to the Blogosphere as it becomes available. Hopefully we will one day get this little place up to the level of the other Blogs previously mentioned. One goal of mine here is this... We need to begin opening the eyes of the party to the fact that No Va is a force that can not be ignored. This 300 pound Guerilla will soon be leaving the room and when it does we as a party will be in poor shape. Let's stop being harsh and alienating ideologues and lets begin working together as a team. We will defineitely need this after June 14th.

Dems. Go on the Air

Phil Puckett, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, began recently with his TV ads. The full article is found here on the Augusta Free Press. Right below it is also an article on Bolling's negative ad.

Good ol' Potts

Russ Potts, I'm sure George Fitch, Sean Connaughton, and Steve Baril all wish to thank you for your vote in the primary, and will shortly place your endorsement on their websites........... A good article on the matter can be found here. It's odd that yet again the paper brings up that Pat Robertson is tighly intertwined with McDonnell, when he's also with Connaughton. Senator Bolling has already let out a press release regarding Russ' speech at VCU today, when he stated "Bolling is a right wing extremist" Heres an excerpt: During the same speech Senator Potts announced that he had already cast an absentee ballot for Senator Bolling’s opponent, Sean Connaughton, in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor. Senator Bolling added, “It does not surprise me that Senator Potts would endorse Sean Connaughton for Lieutenant Governor. Sean Connaughton shares the liberal belief that higher taxes are the answer to the issues facing Virginia. Senator Potts’ endorsement of Mr. Connaughton should send a clear message to Republican primary voters – I am the only true conservative candidate for Lieutenant Governor.”

Too Conservative is getting heated

Click here to view Bill Bolling's latest hit ad against Connaughton. This ad is yet again a false attack on Connaughton.I don't understand "conservatives" like Bill Bolling that slam a fellow Republican, when they themselves have the exact same flaw. Bolling admitted in an interview earlier this week that taxes did go up when he was Chairman of Hanover, but that "He never said that they didn't!" and to "Look at my(Bollings) record in the State Senate". TC's message to Bolling: Running Hanover County is substantially different than running a suburban quickly growing County like PWC. Under Connaughton PWC had the #1 job growth rate in America.Okay Bill, thats great that Sean said that Gilmore's fading out of the car tax was "catastrophic", because it was. He left the state in financial ruin.... Virginia's budget isn't getting any smaller, so the money has to come from some place else, some other tax, some other way. Saying Connaughton is endorsed by an organization that backs gay marriage, although it may be true, its simply ridiculous because Connaughton DOESN'T support gay marriage. If Republicans want to win in November, they need Connaughton on the ticket, no doubt about it. I also don't understand candidates like Bolling who want to help NOVA's "transportation" problem, vote to use money from the transportation trust fund, and refuse to raise taxes to get the money. Where will the money come from Bill? and say you get it from somewhere else, what other program has suffered? Connaughton has consistently ALWAYS done what was best for his constituants, and these attacks from the right on Connaughton are simply ridiculous. Connaughton sat down with Gilmore months before Bolling to discuss a possible endorsement, and Connaughton has the endorsement of Pat Robertson, who I highly doubt would be supporting a "Tim Kaine gay lover". Connaughton has not been in a position to vote on the life issue, and the gun issue, but is a conservative on both. As Lieutenant Governor, a mostly ceremonial position, how will Bolling's far right stances do anything to change Virginia? Also a side note on Corey Stewart. He is angry because Connaughton and the rest of the Board have showed him up numerous times, and his blatant attacks against Connaughton should be compared to a teenager acting out on their parents. Connaughton is conservative,and Connaughton SHOULD BE Virginia's next Lieutenant Governor.