Video: Gerry Connolly On Importance of School Board

Over the weekend, Gerry Connolly spoke at an event in Fairfax about why it matters who is on the local school board. I think one of the things worth noting here is that Gerry points out how we must invest in our school system to make sure it has the resources necessary. This isn't just so that people can feel good about the local schools, but because investing in the school system has a positive impact both on the individuals who are receiving an education but also on the long term economic success of the community. It's for this reason that we must make sure that we have elected officials who are able to stand up for investments in education and make sure they are implemented in a cost efficient way during the tough economic times that we are currently facing.

White House Staffers Telling Insurance Companies Final Bill Won't Include a Public Option

In an earlier post I mentioned how the Republicans have been winning the messaging battle recently and tonight we have yet another example. At a time when Democrats are close getting the 60 votes needed for cloture in the Senate on health care, Rahm Emmanuel is telling people that the public option won't happen in the Senate and other White House staffers are apparently telling the insurance industry that a public option won't be included in the final bill.

Big Pharma and big insurance hate the public insurance option even more than they hate big Medicare discounts. And although the President has sounded as if he would welcome it, political operatives in the White House have quietly reassured the industries that it won't be included in the final bill. At most, the bill would allow the formation of non-profit "cooperatives" that wouldn't have the scale or authority to squeeze the profits of private industry, or a "trigger" that would allow states to form public insurance options eventually if certain goals for cost savings and coverage weren't met.

Now this is part of the reason why it's so easy for the Republicans and insurance companies to control the discussion that's taking place around health care right now. As there are people working hard at the grassroots level to make sure people understand what would go into the bill, you have folks in the White House going around and telling people the exact opposite. This not only takes away credibility from people who support the public option, but it also means that the Republicans messaging is a lot more powerful because their united against any sort of reform -- even if they are spreading lies in order to accomplish their goal.

Video: John Jennison's School Board Campaign Event

Over the weekend there was an event for John Jennison's campaign for a seat on the Fairfax County School Board. It was noticeable that while there were a variety of people there who are active in the political community (such as Gerry Connolly, Chap Petersen, and a few members of the Board of Supervisors), the crowd also was filled with people who have worked with John in various community organizations. I thought this was very telling because it indicated to me that John has built up a reputation among community members as someone who people can count on to do what's right for the community.

The school board is an environment where we need leaders like that because the vast majority of the issues being dealt with on the board should be non-partisan. For instance, parent isn't going to necessarily care what his/her political party is promoting when it comes time to things like the bus schedule or the boundaries for a certain school because they are going to want what's best for their children. We therefore need people to serve on the school board who know their communities well and are knowledgeable about the educational issues that the neighborhoods face. I think that's why so many people have looked at the experience that John has and realized he would make an excellent member of the School Board.

The following video will give you a glimpse into what John spoke about at the event.

ACORN Coverage Is an Example of Republicans Winning Messaging Battles

There's been a lot of coverage by the mainstream media about how the Republicans claim that ACORN is supposedly an evil corrupt organization that is engaged in voter fraud and is trying to advance socialism. Unfortunately, there hasn't been many reports that discuss how the voter fraud allegations are completely false and were trumpeted by right wing politicians because the organization helps lower income families (a group of people who, generally speaking, tend to vote Democratic).

Fortunately, there was some light shined on this by Rachel Maddow during one of her recent shows. This segment helps to illustrate how the Republicans have had a very clear messaging victory here as they've been able to take a group that stands up for working families and make people believe that they are up to no good. In fact, the messaging has worked so well that even Democrats joined their cause when they took away some of the funding that ACORN was receiving to help low income families.

This is important because the Republicans have a very good messaging machine in place and have been getting victories like this a lot recently. By having a united front of people who continuously repeat lies about things like false allegations of voter fraud or the threat that the government would supposedly create death panels, the Republicans have managed to hack away at the popularity at programs that the Democrats have been proposing. The lesson that comes out of this is that the Democrats need a stronger united front about why their initiatives are in the best interests of the general public. The messaging has been improving as of late in some areas, but the coverage of ACORN clearly illustrates how there's a lot more work to be done.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Video: Gerry Connolly Speaks About Historic Preservation While At Centreville Days

Despite the rain that was coming down for most of the afternoon yesterday, there was a decent size crowd in historic Centreville yesterday for Centreville Days. There were a few politicians who were at the event yesterday including Del. Tim Hugo and Rep. Gerry Connolly, both of whom I was able to speak with briefly as they were greeting constituents. Although I didn’t personally see him there, it was rumored that Ken Cuccinelli was also in attendance.

As I was talking with people in the crowd, many people mentioned how they enjoyed the fact that they were able to see some of the historic aspects of Centreville which were in the immediate area. Between the walking tours of the historic portion of Centreville and the Civil War education booth, it gave many people a glimpse into aspects of their community that they didn’t know previously existed. As someone who got his BA in history and is extremely interested in the Civil War, I was very pleased to hear about some of the preservation efforts that members of the local Civil War Roundtable were fighting for in Centreville and the surrounding area.

Another person who expressed some interest in the preservation work that was taking place was Rep. Gerry Connolly who took a moment to talk with me about Centreville Days and the preservation work that was taking place around us. I found it very fascinating that Gerry was so interested in the work that was being done in the field of historic preservation because it's not a topic that people usually associate with members of Congress. The folks from the local Civil War Roundtable also picked up on this and were pleased that their Congressman realized the importance of studying history and making sure future generations are able to learn about their local community's past.

Event Filled Day in Northern Virginia

There is a lot of activity in Northern Virginia today beginning with Centreville Day which has been taking place for almost two decades. It's a great event for the community and, among other things, provides activists and politicians opportunities to speak with people from all across the area. I'll be there for a large chunk of the day talking with people about health care and will also bring along my flip video camera to get a few interviews with some of the elected officials and candidates who will be in attendance.

In the afternoon, John Jennison will be having a campaign event. For those of you who don't know, John is running for the Fairfax County School Board from the Providence District. This is a special election which will be held on November 3 to replace Phil Niedzielski-Eichner who resigned to take a position in the Obama Administration. I'll be at John's event and look forwarding to hearing some more about how his campaign is progressing.

The Public Must Do Rahm Emmaneul's Job on Health Care Reform

One of the options that many people have considering in the Senate recently is that you might be able 60 votes for cloture on a bill that includes the public option, but some of the more conservative Democrats like Sen. Nelson might then decide to vote against the actual bill. This might take some work, but many high ranking members of the Senate believe that it's doable. Nonetheless, it appears as though Rahm Emmanuel has continued the White House's tradition of weakening their rhetoric in support of the public option. As the Hill points out, right as momentum as been gaining for this potential option Emmanuel has said that he doesn't believe that a public option will be able to pass in the Senate.

Emanuel professed pessimism that healthcare reform would include a strict public (or "government-run") option, though he signaled an expectation that House liberals may still push for the prized reform.

"I think Senate's been clear about the prospect there is," Emanuel told PBS's Charlie Rose when asked if healthcare can pass with the public option. "That doesn't mean in the House they're not going to come to the table and demand it."

Now Emmanuel did go on to say that the public option might be able to find it's way into the bill worked out in conference between the House and the Senate, so he's not completely ruling out the public option. Since the administration has a history of backtracking when progressives call them out on moves like this, I'm sure this is what the administration will be pointing towards when Obama's base raise concern about the comments.

What most people who are following the discussion have realized, however, is that these comments likely mean Emmanuel and others at the White House aren't going to be pushing terribly hard for a strong public option. When you combine this with the fact that Administration officials have been trying to push Olympia Snowe's trigger plan, many pro-reform advocates are concerned about where exactly the White House stands on the issue.

In the end, this really means that citizens must take action themselves and let their Senators know that we must have a strong public option if we want true reform. While you're on the phone with the office of Members who might be on the fence, let them know that we absolutely must at least have their support for cloture. To get in touch with your Senators' offices, you can call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and simply asked to be connected. For those of you in Virginia, these phone calls could prove to be extremely important as Warner and Webb are paying attention to what their constituents are saying on the topic.

Census Worker Hung With "Fed" Written on his Chest

There has been a lot of concern that all the dangerous rhetoric people on the extreme right have been using when trying to attack any program run by the government would eventually lead to violence. Well, it appears as though that might have indeed happened in a rural area as the AP is reporting that a census worker found hanging from tree with the word "fed" written on his chest.

A U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher. He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky.

There haven't been too many details released about the case and the investigation is still taking place, so it cannot be proven as of yet that there's a link between the dangerous rhetoric used by the extreme right and this heinous murder. Nonetheless, I find it very interesting that I actually had several Republicans point me towards the story and suggest they were very worried that their party played a role in creating an environment in which hatred could have led to this death.

Creigh Deeds on Forbes Naming Virginia the Best State for Business

With the news that Virginia had been the best state for business for the fourth year in a row by Forbes, Creigh put out a statement that highlight how he's proud to have been part of a bipartisan group that worked with Warner and Kaine to set policies that have helped Virginia receive the recognition.

“I’m proud to have worked with Governors Warner and Kaine and Republican leaders like John Chichester to make Virginia the best state for business. Thanks to our bipartisan work, Virginia has consistently been recognized for our fiscal responsibility and good governance.

“In 2004, I worked with Governor Warner and a bipartisan coalition to pass budget reform that saved Virginia’s Aaa bond rating and made record investments in education. My opponent stood on the side of fiscal irresponsibility.

“The next governor will be in charge of keeping our economy moving forward, as we weather tough economic times. As Governor, I will keep Virginia as the best state to do business. My opponent’s record shows that he will not.”

There is no doubt that Virginia has managed to do better than other states during this economic downturn, but there are still many Virginia families who are struggling to get by. That is why it's important to have a governor like Creigh Deeds who has a history of actually listening to the concerns of his constituents. At a time like this, we literally cannot afford to have Bob McDonnell win so that he can spend the next four years continuing his career long quest to implement the right wing agenda that was laid out his blueprint for governing.

Coverage of Wilder Endorsement Fits into Horse Race Campaign Coverage

There's been a lot of talk recently about former Governor Doug Wilder and whether or not he would make an endorsement in the gubernatorial debate. Much of this has been due to the fact that he has been quoted in many news articles saying that he's unsure of who he will be supporting. Most people who have followed Virginia politics know that Wilder has a history of waiting until rather late in the election before he makes an endorsement, so it shouldn't be too surprising that he hasn't made an endorsement yet.

Nonetheless, there have been a number of people who have written stories about how President Obama called Wilder to urge him to support Creigh and how an endorsement might be on the way soon. This certainly seems to be supported by the fact that Creigh had a meeting with Wilder on Monday and the fact that Wilder has been telling people he will make an announcement later this week, I think the whole situation has provided people with a prime example of how too much media coverage focuses on the "horse race" aspect of campaigns instead of focusing on the actual issues at hand.

I say this because the coverage that has focused on the Wilder endorsement has suggest that the reason Wilder hasn't endorsed yet has something to do with progressives being upset with Creigh Deeds. The implication of this argument is that Creigh can't even get his own party excited about his candidacy so he's therefore going to lose. Of course this ignores the fact that Creigh has been gaining ground in the polls at least in part because progressive activists have become more energized about the election. The energy of progressives has lead some pollsters to predict a higher Democratic turnout now than we saw in polls a few months ago.

What should really be examined now is not the fact that Wilder hasn't come out and endorsed Creigh's campaign as of yet, but what would make Wilder endorse a candidate earlier than he usually does. Hopefully we'll see some more analysis of this rather than the simple horse race stats that we get all too often.

Paul Nichols Announces Creation of "Veterans and Military Families for Nichols"

Delegate Paul Nichols is one of the incumbent Democrats who have a close race this year. As the election approaching, however, a number of well respected members of the community have expressed their support for the work that Nichols has done during his time in the House of Delegates. That’s why it shouldn’t be surprising that he was joined by Bruce Holley, a Marine who served in the Korean War, and several other veterans during a press conference in Woodbridge yesterday. The veterans were there to express their support for Nichols work on legislation such as a Military Veterans and Personnel Bill of Rights in 2008 and to announce the formation of “Veterans and Military Families for Nichols.”

“All Americans, but especially those of us who are honored to serve in public office, have a solemn obligation to provide for our nation’s veterans and military families,” Nichols said. “In the House, I have fought to expand educational opportunities for our veterans, cut taxes for those who serve, and protect our military from fraud and abuse. Protecting our veterans is not about politics, it is about our responsibility to give back to those who safeguard our freedom.”

“A lot of politicians talk about serving our veterans and military families, but Paul Nichols has actually been there for us,” Holley said. “Paul fought to end the ongoing credit fraud that preyed on our veterans and he made sure we lowered the tax burden on military families who are struggling to get by. Paul has earned the trust of our military because he has honored us through his service in Richmond.”

What I really like about this endorsement is that it wasn’t simply an event that was designed to get press attention. It truly was to announce a group of veterans who will work towards educating residents of the 51st district about all the work that Nichols has done on military and veterans’ issues. Since there are a large number of active and retired members of our armed forces who live in Nichols’ district, the creation of this group could prove to be very important done the line if the election is as close as the numbers I’ve seen suggest.

Stevens Miller Releases New Ad

While there has definitely been a lot of talk about the gubernatorial race in the last few weeks, I think it's important that we also remember that there are important races going on in the House of Delegates. To be perfectly honest, there are some Democratic incumbents who I'm worried might lose their seats. Fortunately, there are also a few races that would allow Democrats to pick up a seat or two. One of the races that's going to be close in the 86th District where Stevens Miller is taking on Tom Rust.

I've heard Stevens speak on several different occasions and it's become clear to me that he would make an excellent member of the House of Delegates. Based upon the enthusiasm that's displayed by so many of his supporters that have been knocking on thousands upon thousands of doors, I think it's clear that this is a belief shared by many people throughout the area. As Miller's knew ad points out, however, there isn't too much that people can support about Tom Rust's record.

Massachusetts Senate Passes Legislation Allowing Interim US Senate Appointment

There's been a lot of pondering lately about what would happen in regards to Sen. Ted Kennedy's seat in the US Senate. The current state law said that there had to be a special election to fill the vacancy, but there were some who argued that it wasn't fair to the people of Massachusetts to have only one Senator during a time when so many important decisions were being made it the Senate. Today it appears as though legislation has passed in the state senate that would allow the governor to appoint an interim Senator who would serve until the special election that's scheduled for January.

The state Senate passed a bill this afternoon that would allow Governor Deval Patrick to name an interim successor to Edward M. Kennedy, potentially paving the way for appointment of a new US senator later this week.

The Senate approved the measure by a 24-to-16 vote, leaving one final procedural hurdle in both chambers before the bill heads to Patrick's desk. The House and Senate are expected to enact the bill on Wednesday, a formality unlikely to derail the effort.

Now a lot of pundits are pointing out that this will likely lead to 60 Democrats in the US Senate, but I think this should be taken with a grain of salt. I say this because while we will technically have 60 Senators who caucus with the Democrats, there are still a number of "Blue Dogs" who might not vote the right way when it comes to some of the important issues. Then there's also the fact that Sen. Robert Byrd isn't doing too well health wise. While I've been told by staffers on the Hill that he'll be able to vote, that's not a definite considering that he has been in and out of the hospital as of late.

So while it is good news that the people of Massachusetts will have their proper representation in the US Senate, there is still a lot of work to get done in making sure that Congress passes meaningful legislation. Furthermore, for all my readers who live in Massachussets or have friends and family there, I strongly encourage you to let the Governor know that you support an interim Senator who will honor the legacy of Ted Kennedy by passing meaningful health care reform, providing valuable educational opportunities, and standing up for workers' rights.

Steve Shannon's New Ad Focuses on Public Safety

One of the reasons that I've always been a big Steve Shannon supporter is that he has a history of working hard on public safety issues. In fact, he got involved in public service through working with his wife to create the AMBER alert for the DC area and then as a prosecutor. Throughout his career in the House of Delegates and now in his campaign for Attorney General, his dedication to standing up for public safety issues continues to be at the heart of the work he's doing.

That's why I was pleased to hear on a conference call this morning that his first ad would be focusing on his record as a public safety advocate. The ad will be set to air in the Tri Cities area, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Roanoke, and some of the outer suburbs in Northern Virginia.

Video: Values Voters Don't Want Reporters Covering Their Summit

Now this is rather interesting. Folks who have been spending their summer shouting down their fellow citizens at town halls and claiming that the media isn't covering the whole story are now trying to disrupt invited reporters who are trying to give air time to the values voter summit. It's almost like the people who are coming up to the reporters are afraid that the outside world might actually gain access to the top secret rituals that are practiced at the summit if a reporter actually gives a live report.

In all seriousness though, I've been at plenty of events where reporters are giving live reporters and I have never had them distract my ability to listen to the speakers on stage. In my experience, that's because the reporters usually speak in extremely hushed tones and the live reports only last for a few minutes anyways. By standing up and creating a scene, however, these people are actually creating a distraction well beyond what some whispering might cause. In all reality, they are therefore doing the very thing they are complaining about.

Humane Society Endorses McDonnell and Shannon, Slam Cuccinelli

As we are about 45 days away from Election Day, there's been a number of groups who have started rolling out their endorsement in the statewide races. One of those is the Humane Society, which endorsed Bob McDonnell and Steve Shannon. While I disagree with the Humane Society's choice for governor, I think the fact that they endorsed members of both parties helps to show that they aren't partisan and will endorse candidates who they truly believe will best serve Virginians. This is further emphasized by the fact that they didn't even endorse in the Lt. Governor race (perhaps a sign that neither candidate stood out and that they wouldn't endorse unless they truly supported a candidate).

Another interesting aspect of the endorsement was that while they had a lot of good things to say about McDonnell, they didn't have anything bad to say about Creigh Deeds. In fact, they didn't even mention him at all in the press release. When it came to the AG race, however, they not only highlighted the good work that Steve Shannon has done but they pointed out how Ken Cuccinelli has an absolutely horrible record.

In the race for attorney general, HSLF backs Steve Shannon, who has also been an advocate of the humane treatment of animals. As a member of the House of Delegates, Shannon was a co-patron of legislation to upgrade the animal fighting law, and has supported a wide range of bills to protect pets and other animals. His opponent, Ken Cuccinelli, has often stood nearly alone in the Senate as an opponent of modest and mainstream animal protection reforms. Cuccinelli was one of only two senators to vote against a stronger animal fighting law (SB 1190, Feb. 2, 2007), and one of only three to oppose restrictions on large-scale puppy mills (HB 538, March 4, 2008).

"It would be a major setback for the commonwealth’s top law enforcement officer to be a person like Ken Cuccinelli who opposed having animal protection laws on the books in the first place," Markarian said. "Steve Shannon’s support for the humane treatment of animals stands in stark contrast to Ken Cuccinelli’s obstinate and extreme views. Voters who want a common-sense and mainstream approach to animal protection enforcement should support Steve Shannon for attorney general."

I think the Humane Society really gets at how Cuccinelli truly doesn't have the qualities that Virginians should expect from their Attorney General. Between this and the crazy video that the Cuccinelli campaign put out earlier this week, one would hope that more people would catch onto the fact that Ken's simply out of touch with mainstream values here in Virginia. Unfortunately, recent polls suggest that his political ability to hide his extremism has created resulted in the Shannon campaign having some work left if Steve Shannon is going to become our next Attorney General.

ACORN Controversy Impacts Virginia's AG Race

I know a lot of people who have worked for ACORN and used their time with the organization to stand up for working class families. This is something that we need more of in our country as the debate surrounding health care can serve as a prime example of how big business and the Republican Party can use millions upon millions of dollars to distract from programs that would do things like ensure everyone has access to affordable health care. At the same time, there has been some troubling information coming out about certain employees that work at ACORN which have also turned into a PR disaster and have taken away from some of the good that the organization actually does.

Like many large organizations, ACORN had a few employees who weren't exactly the best folks in the world and were engaged in tactics that shouldn't have been used. These employees don't represent the organization as a whole and, in most cases (if not all), were removed from their posts. Nonetheless, the Republicans have used this as an opportunity to remove all federal funding from the group despite the fact that the funds were actually being used in legitimate purposes to serve the American people. Of course, you also now get candidates like Ken Cuccinelli who will do anything to tie their opponents to ACORN.

Cuccinelli released an ad the attacks Steve Shannon because he has received some support from SEIU, which represents service employees such as janitors, health care workers, and security personnel. Most people would think it's a good thing for Steve to have the support of these workers, but Cuccinelli thinks it's bad because ACORN has a relationship with SEIU. He therefore makes the outrageous claim that this therefore means ACORN absolutely must have a relationship with the Shannon campaign. Setting aside the fact that ACORN as a whole shouldn't be cast as evil like Cuccinelli would like it be, this link is simply an attempt to distract from the fact that Steve Shannon is truly the candidate who would look out for the best interests of the working class.

Hopefully Virginia's voters are able to look past the spooky and (as Lowell put it) the game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon and realize that we simply cannot afford to have Ken Cuccinelli as our next Attorney General. Instead, we need to elected a leader who has a history of standing up for working families -- Steve Shannon.

Video: Nancy Pelosi Warns of Rhetoric Leading to Violence

Nancy Pelosi spoke this afternoon about how some of the rhetoric that's being used could lead to violence. In a sign of how she is genuinely worried about this, she chocked up as she referenced the murder of Harvey Milk during the 1970's and the violent rhetoric that lead up to that tragedy. I think it's important to note hear that Pelosi is absolutely not saying that we cannot have a productive discussion. Instead, what she's saying is that the hate speech that is being used and promoted by so many people has the potential to lead to violence.

I most definitely have to agree with Pelosi's statement. I have to admit that I was absolutely shocked at some of the rhetoric that was being used by some of the people attending the townhall held in Reston a few weeks ago and there were several times when I thought there might be some sort of riot inside the gymnasium. As I was leaving that evening I actually was told by a police officer that there were some fights outside the building while the event was taking place. Unfortunately, there are many leaders who not only refuse to distance themselves from this type of behavior but actually are encouraging the rhetoric and using it themselves.

Creigh Deeds Needs To Define What It Means to be a "Creigh Deeds Democrat"

During the gubernatorial debate earlier today Creigh Deeds refused to say that he was a “Obama Democrat” and instead insisted that he was a “Creigh Deeds Democrat.” In the few hours following the debate I have already heard a few people say that they didn’t really get why he’d refuse to call himself an “Obama Democrat.” While I understand that these activists might want our gubernatorial candidate to use the opportunity to show more solidarity with the president, I’ve been running into a lot of people who don’t know what either candidate really stands for and this debate could have served as a platform to truly define what it means to be a “Creigh Deeds Democrat.” I therefore liked that he decided to call himself a “Creigh Deeds Democrat” instead of an “Obama Democrat.”

Unfortunately, I don’t think Creigh fully took advantage of the opportunity that he was given with this line of questioning. The answer he provided should have been followed up with an explanation of what it really means to be a “Creigh Deeds Democrat.” I think this could have helped persuade some of the 20% of likely voters who are still undecided to vote for Creigh and could have also inspired some of the progressive activists who haven’t been too energetic about Creigh’s campaign. Furthermore, it would have been a great messaging tool as it could have been used in ads or youtube videos in addition to giving canvassers and phone bankers something to refer to when talking with people who want to get a general sense of Creigh’s values.

While Creigh might not have fully utilized the opportunity he had here to define what it means to be a Creigh Deeds Democrat, now is the time when people are beginning to truly tune into the race. Hopefully he doesn’t pass on the opportunity too many more times because it is especially true in a relatively low turnout election (like this race will likely be) that the victor will be the candidate who is best able to define what they stand for and why they should be elected.

Steve Shannons Will Fight Public Corruption As AG, But Will Ken Cuccinelli?

There has been a lot of talk lately about how Phil Hamilton was negotiating salary with ODU at the same time that he using his status as a member of the House of Delegates to request funding for that very same job and other projects at ODU. This move obviously reeks of corruption, but yet Hamilton remains in office and is currently seeking another term. The fact that Hamilton is seeking another term after using his office in order to create another job for himself is a prime example of why the laws surrounding public corruption need to change. Fortunately, Steve Shannon appears to understand that we need more transparency and stricter penalties for those who so blatantly engage in corrupt behavior.

"Public corruption is a public safety issue," he said. "It's not something that should simply go to the voters for a referendum."

Shannon said that if he is elected, he would increase the penalties on conflicts of interest and increase transparency in Richmond to further discourage lawmakers from using their influence for personal gain.

"Our laws are weak," Shannon said. "They're outdated."

Of course Phil Hamilton continues to claim that he did nothing wrong and that this is just a partisan move. I think that's something we really need to look at. Hamilton is essentially arguing that fighting public corruption is a partisan agenda, even though this is an issue that truly shouldn't include partisanship. Steve Shannon clearly understands that as he isn't just calling for an investigation into Hamilton's actions, but wants to implement tougher penalties on corruption in all cases no matter what party the offender is affiliated with. Ken Cuccinelli, however, is the only statewide candidate from either party who hasn't called upon Hamilton to resign.

So when it comes down to deciding which candidate for Attorney General will do more to fight public corruption, I think the response to the Hamilton situation provide us with a very clear picture. Steve Shannon has said that "Del. Hamilton's actions are intolerable" and serve as a reminder of the work that must be done to address the issue of public corruption. Ken Cuccinelli, on the other hand, has stood by Hamilton despite his dishonest behavior.

Sen. Jeff Merkley Takes Strong Stance in Support of Public Option

One of the reasons that I supported Sen. Jeff Merkley last year when he ran for Senate was because I thought he had the ability to be a strong voice for the working class in the US Senate. Since being sworn into office he's done just that and has proven to be a fierce advocate of the public option during the discussion surrounding health care reform.

On Tuesday evening he was on the Ed Show where he talked about how he'll keep pushing for a public option, which is good to see because we need more Senators publicly fighting for the public option since the media at times seems content to let the teabaggers control the discussion.Something else worth considering is that Sen. Merkley's a member of the HELP Committee which, along with the Finance Committee, will play a role in the shaping of the final bill coming out of the Senate. He's committee assignment therefore makes it even more important to pay attention to Merkley's strong stance in support of the public option.

I also want to highlight something that he said about the idea of a purchasing pool (aka co-op). Merkley points out that the general idea behind a purchasing pool might be a good one, but we simply cannot hand everything over to the insurance companies who have been responsible for the costs of health care doubling every 6 to 7 years. Instead, we need a structure that will truly allow all Americans to have access to affordable health care.

Insurance Companies Spend $700,000 a Day on Lobbying

In case you needed more proof that the insurance companies need to bring a lot more to the table, a watchdog group has just released a study that shows gives us a reminder of what the insurance companies have been up to recently. At the same time that hard working families are going bankrupt due to the enormous costs of health care (even if they do have insurance), the insurance companies and HMO's are spending $700,000 a day in order to pay just under 2,000 lobbyists to encourage Congress not to pass health care reform.

A campaign finance watchdog’s analysis of insurance and HMO political contributions and lobbying expenses found the industries spent $126,430,438 over the first half of 2009 and $585,725,712 over the past two and a half years to influence public policy and elected officials. The group, Public Campaign Action Fund, found that in the first part of 2009, the industries were spending money at nearly a $700,000 a day clip to influence the political process and that the monthly pace of political spending this year has increased by nearly $400,000 over the average spent per month in the previous two years.

There are 535 Members of Congress (100 in the Senate, 435 in the House) and there are 1,795 lobbyists who are registered to represent the health care industry. This means that there are 3.35 anti-reform lobbyists per Member of Congress, many of whom are trying to argue that a public option would actually drive the private insurance companies out of business. I suppose that they are deciding to ignore the fact that if the insurance companies didn't do some much overkill with their lobbying expenses then they'd actually increase their ability to compete with a public option.

Since so many of these companies train their employees to put profits above people's health, however, we shouldn't be surprised that they're willing to spending $700,000 a day on fighting plans that would ensure everyone has access to affordable health care. Nonetheless, I still think it serves as a prime example of what is wrong with the health care system that we have in place today.

Gerry Connolly On Joe Wilson's Outburst

There's been a fair amount of discussion about the resolution that called out Joe Wilson for screaming "you lie" during Obama's speech. I think the heart of the reasoning behind the resolution is that we've seen the teabaggers try to spread lies and shout down anyone who tries to speak the truth and Wilson's remarks were a small attempt to take that behavior onto the floor of the House of Representatives -- a place that should be respected.

The belief that the floor of the House of Representatives should be a place for respectful debate is thankfully shared by the majority of Representatives, including Virginia's Gerry Connolly. Here's what he had to say about the issue when asked by CNN.

"No president has been subjected to that type of treatment on the floor of the House of Representatives, and if we go down that road, then it's the law of the jungle, and I think that's just wrong," said Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia.

I'm very pleased that Gerry Connolly voted the right way on this legislation and stood up for all of his constituents who believe we should have a productive discussion and not a shouting match.

Video: Teabaggers Discuss Why They Were Protesting in DC

This video, which was filmed at the teabagger protest in DC this weekend, is most definitely worth watching. I think it serves as a prime example of how the teabaggers are blindly following people like Glenn Beck and believe all the lies that he's putting out. I know there are some Republicans out there who are smart enough to know that the lies being promoted here don't help our discussion whatsoever, but until they begin standing up against this hatred the teabaggers like those featured in this video will continue to be the party's spokespeople.

Steve Shannon Has $1.6 Million Cash on Hand

With the fundraising numbers due today I've been receiving a lot of numbers from the various campaigns. Among the campaigns sending along very good news is Steve Shannon's campaign for Attorney General. In addition to raising over $534,000 in July and August, Steve also has more than $1.6 million cash on hand. The cash on hand numbers are impressive not only because it means that they are probably saving up money to do lots of advertising (and perhaps even some on network TV in NOVA), but it's also double the amount that his opponent reported earlier. As Steve hinted at while reflecting on the numbers, it also indicates that he has a campaign and set of ideas that people truly believe is worth investing in.

“Once again I am honored by the strong support I have received from thousands of Virginians from Martinsville to Mount Vernon who have responded to my plan to make Virginia safer by cracking down on gangs, drunk driving and Internet predators who target our kids. With their support I will be able to continue running a strong campaign and communicating my public safety vision across Virginia."

While these numbers are definitely a good sign, the polls are still showing that Steve has a lot of work to do if he wants to beat Cuccinelli. If he's able to use this money on a good advertising blitz during the final weeks and is able to put forward a good ground game, then the race is still winnable but that must essentially begin immediately. Adding to the difficulty that he faces is the plain and simple fact that most people are paying attention to the gubernatorial campaign and the downballot races are having a lot of difficulty getting attention from the press. The advertising and field campaigns are therefore going to be the primary source of information for voters in the AG race.

Charlie Diradour Goes After Eric Cantor

In reality, Charlie Diradour doesn't have much of a chance in the against Eric Cantor. Going up against an incumbent is hard to begin with, but Cantor's position in the Republican leadership means that Republican members of the House will be doing whatever they can to make sure that he doesn't lose his seat and I don't expect this race to be close at all.

With that being said, I think we need more people like Diradour to stand up against those who are supporting the extremists who are spreading lies about death panels and resort to calling the president a Nazi whenever they forget the other hateful talking points they are supposed to recite.

Alexandria Resident Barbara Keenan Nominated To 4th Circuit Court

President Obama has nominated Barbara Keenan to the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Keenan currently serves on the Virginia State Supreme Court and lives in Alexandria. After Sen. Warner and Sen. Webb recommended Keenan for the position a few months ago, I called around to speak with lawyers who practice in various fields and the vast majority had a lot of respect for Keenan and thought she would make an excellent judge on the Circuit Court.

Another interesting bit of information is that if she is confirmed by the Senate, Keenan would be the first female from Virginia to serve on the federal appeals court. As Gov. Kaine highlights in a statement made yesterday, this bit of history couldn't go to a better person as Keenan is extremely well qualified.

“Justice Barbara Keenan is the ideal combination of intellect and judicial temperament. With her impeccable credentials and experience in multiple Virginia courts, Justice Keenan is well-suited for a judgeship in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. In nearly three decades on the bench, Justice Keenan has earned the respect of her colleagues and the broader legal community for her balanced and thoughtful judgment in cases both clear and complicated.

“I have personally known Justice Keenan to be a balanced and thorough arbiter—her nomination today is good news for Virginia and good news for this important court. I am confident she will continue to wield justice fairly and equitably as a 4th Circuit judge.

There's always a lot of attention given to the Supreme Court nominees, but I believe that nominations to Circuit courts are also extremely important even if they aren't covered as often by the mainstream media. For that reason I'm glad to see that Obama has made a wise selection here that is being well received in both the Senate and among Virginians who know her well.

Local Union Busting Inspires Students To Stand Up For Workers' Rights

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was part of the Employee Free Choice Act Coalition that held a lobby day event last week (I was there in my role with the Working Families Win project and helped to guide the Virginia delegation around the Hill). As I was talking with members of the Virginia delegation to hear about what motivated them to come to DC, there was a very unique theme that became apparent amongst a group of students who had come to participate from William and Mary.

In the following video, Cherie talks about how the union busting that took place at William and Mary strongly impacted her and was part of the reason that she is so passionate about making sure the Employee Free Choice Act passes. I think her experience provides us with a reminder of how the passage of EFCA would benefit hard working people right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Rally Held In Roanoke On Restoration of Voting Rights

During the Democratic primaries earlier this year we heard a fair amount of discussion about restoring the voting rights of convicted felons once they've completed their sentences. Even though this is something that so many people believe is something that must be addressed, there are many politicians who are afraid to take it up as part of their platform because they don't want to be accused of being soft on crime. Perhaps that's one of the main reasons that there hasn't been much discussion on the topic since the primaries ended.

Fortunately, there are are still some folks interested in rolling back the extremely restrictive policies that were originally adopted in Virginia in order to disenfranchise black voters. According to the Roanoke Times, there was a rally held that was designed to draw attention to this very issue.

Total Action Against Poverty of Roanoke, acting with several human rights and welfare organizations as co-sponsors, organized Sunday's rally -- called Voices for the Vote -- to change, relax or eliminate the restrictions that face felons exiting prison. Many states restore lost rights automatically once a felon completes his or her sentence and related requirements such as restitution and probation. In Virginia, one of few with significant restrictions, it takes approval of a written application sent to the governor.

Before applying, there is a waiting period of five years for a violent felony or drug crime and three years for a nonviolent offense, as well as a background check and other requirements. At least 300,000 felons are disenfranchised in Virginia, even though many have completed their sentences.

Restoration of rights for felons might not be the most popular political stance, but it's something that should be addressed. One of the best ways to cut down on crime is to address some of the issues that might lead to people breaking the law in the first place. Promoting a policy that doesn't keep felons as second class citizens even after they've completed their sentence would be one way to begin addressing those issues.

I know Del. Onzlee Ware has been doing some work on this issue as he actually addressed the rally and pushed for legislation last year that would have automatically restored the rights of nonviolent felons once their sentence was complete. Unfortunately that didn't pass in the Republican controlled House, but he has stated that he'll try again during the next session. In my opinion this shouldn't be viewed as a simple political issue. It's one of common decency and civil rights and I'm pleased to see that Del. Ware will be continuing his push to improve the lives of over 300,000 Virginia who currently don't have their full rights.

Monday Open Thread

Over the weekend the teabaggers came to DC to protest the Obama administration. As John pointed out, they have been lying all along about health care reform in hopes of getting people scared of change so it shouldn't be too surprising that they also have been spreading misinformation about the size of their coalition. While the fire department has said that there were 60,000 - 70,000 there, the teabaggers are claiming that they had anywhere from 1.5 million to 2 million people there. Now 70,000 is still a decent showing, but it loses it's impact when the teabaggers are so desperate that they have to inflate their crowd by a factor of more than 20. It certainly makes it seem like they believe that if they lie enough all of their claims will come true.

Feel free to chat away about that and other topics.

Video Coverage of Virginia's Delegation to EFCA Coalition

Over the last few days there was a large contingent of 300 grassroots activists from all over the country who were visiting members of Congress to express support for the Employee Free Choice Act. I was there in my role with Working Families Win to guide the Virginia delegation through its meetings and I have to admit I thought we had a fantastic group of people. Our group included people from all over the Commonwealth who are active in civil rights, women's rights, student organizations, the Sierra Club, and the faith community and had all come together because we thought it was important to express our support for the Employee Free Choice Act.

Here's the video that we put together which includes interviews with several of the volunteers that had come to participate from all over Virginia.

9/11 Anniversary

Since I grew up (and still live) in the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC, I know many families who have at least one loved one who works in the Pentagon. Needless to say I remember quite vividly how worried some of my friends were when they couldn't get in touch right away with their family members. The girl who sat next to me in the class I was attending when the attacks happened, for instance, was worried about her father who worked in the Pentagon at the time. Another friend told me the next day about how her dad worked in the portion of the Pentagon that was hit, but at the last moment had decided to take the day off -- a potentially life saving decision.

In classes that day we all watched the news reports as they were coming in and simply didn't know how to respond. There were some tears out of fear for what might come in the future and some of sorrow for those who gave their lives. We were all moved as we heard from our president and Members of Congress sang God Bless America. If there was a bright side it was the pride we all felt in our country as we all came together in the weeks following that horrible day. I hope to see a day when we can have that much unity again but around a much more positive event.

Please feel free to share your memories of that fateful day.

Thursday Open Thread

After spending the day on the Hill helping to guide the Virginia delegation from the Employee Free Choice Act Coalition I have to admit I'm a little tired. We had a lot of great meetings with staffers for most of Virginia's Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and I truly was quite pleased with the way the day turned out. I look forward to continue the discussion with the folks on the Hill as well as the volunteers who came out to participate in the Lobby Day events.

While I'm taking a break for the evening, feel free to use this as an open thread.

School District Bans Obama's Speech, But Buses Kids To Speech by George W. Bush

If you didn't already realize that the people protesting Obama's speech to students were very hypocritical, then here's a prime example of what I mean. The Arlington Independent School District in Texas refused to show Obama's speech because so many parents were throwing hissy fits over how they thought a speech about working hard and staying in school would really spark a socialist revolution. Nonetheless, the school district is going to be busing students to another site on September 21 to hear a speech from former President George W. Bush.

So let's get this straight, the school says Obama's speech can't be viewed even though it's being livestreamed to kids all over the nation, but it's okay to bus kids to bus children to hear from President Bush. That simply is illogical and, according to MSNBC's website, it appears as though I'm not the only one who's has some major concerns about the differences in policies.

Dwight McKissic Sr., the senior pastor of Arlington's Cornerstone Baptist Church, said he's concerned about the district's decision to not broadcast Obama's message while transporting students to hear a message from Bush.

"I do not understand the duplicity in this situation," McKissic said in a news release from the church. "I believe the students and the public deserve and need to have these differences explained."

Essentially what the school district is doing is leading kids to believe that Obama is an evil man who cannot be trusted to talk to children. This was already the case with so many of the districts who banned students from watching the address, but the Arlington School District has made it clear what's really going on. The right wing wants to teach it's children that Obama = the devil while Republican leaders = absolute angels. That is rather disturbing.

Video of President Obama's Education Speech

Here's the President's speech that he delivered earlier today at Wakefield High School in Arlington. It's very interesting how this is a speech that very clearly focused just on how students should work hard and stay in school, but yet parents around the country insisted on pulling their kids out of class because they thought this was spreading socialism. Unfortunately the extremism that's promoted by the right has resulted in situation where they don't even think the president can try to encourage students to try their best.

Former Classmate Says I Shouldn't "get [her] started on the Nazi propaganda speech that Obama's giving to children today."

Earlier today I was mailing a package when I ran into a woman who was in one of my classes in college a few years back. We see each other every now and then, but don't know each other terribly well so one of the first things she asked was where I was working. When I told her that I was working for an organization called Working Families Win she insisted that I was "working for the wrong side." I decided to kind off brush this off because I thought it was odd that someone would think standing up for working families was "the wrong side."

To top things off she then added that I shouldn't "get [her] started on the Nazi propaganda speech that Obama's giving to children today." This one I couldn't pass up so I asked her if she had read the speech which was released yesterday on the White House website. She responded by saying that she didn't need to read the speech to know that it was just "the president's way of promoting his socialist agenda." It was at this point I realized it probably wasn't even worth pursuing the conversation much further so I simply asked how her kids were doing and then politely excused myself so I could finish my errands before heading off to work.

Now here's what I find very interesting. This woman just finished up her Master's degree in education and wants to be a teacher, but she doesn't even know that there is a difference between the Nazis and Socialists. In my opinion this simply reinforces that the Republicans are just interested in trying to make everyone think Obama is evil but don't actually have an intelligent reason for why they adamantly oppose every single policy that he's put forward. Secondly, she's received a fair amount of formal education but the right wing's talking points have worked so well with her that she's not even willing to read a speech to see if the talking points have any truth to them. This is perhaps the more troubling part because it illustrates how so many people get their news from the soundbites that they hear on TV and oftentimes don't have the time and/or desire to do their own independent research.

So now I want to hear from you. What do you think I should take away from this experience and has anyone had something similar happen to them lately?

Court Officials Endorse Peggy Frank

I just received this from the Peggy Frank for Delegate campaign. Peggy has put together a great team and is running a very good campaign down in the 7th House District. In 2007 she received over 47% of the vote and the way things are going for her this year I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up winning the seat.

(Christiansburg, VA) – Peggy Frank announced today that her campaign has been endorsed by five court officials who represent the localities in the 7th House District. The 7th House District includes the City of Radford and portions of Montgomery and Pulaski Counties.

“I first met Peggy Frank almost 15 years ago in the Montgomery County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Her tireless work ethic is well known and she shares our values of family and community. Those of us who work in the courthouse know Peggy Frank as a hardworking prosecutor who puts service to others first,” said Montgomery County Clerk of Court Erica Williams.

Also endorsing Frank today were Pulaski County Clerk of Court Maetta Crewe, Pulaski County Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Fleenor, Radford City Clerk of Court Ann Howard, and Radford City Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Rehak.

“I am honored to receive the support of these elected officials who share my commitment to serving our community,” said Frank. “I learned from my parents the values of hard work, family, and public service. That’s why I graduated early from high school and accepted a job at the Pentagon. It’s why after working my way through college and law school as a single mom I went to work as a prosecutor, serving the people. My desire to serve is why I am running for the House of Delegates, where I will work hard to be an advocate for the people of the New River Valley as we rebuild from this economic recession.”

Frank has over 18 years of experience as a prosecutor in Montgomery and Pulaski Counties. She currently serves as Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Pulaski County. She and her husband Marshall have lived in the New River Valley for over 23 years and are the proud parents of three children.

Kos on Countdown Talking About Support for Public Option

Kos was on Keith Olbermann talking about the broad support for a public option. For all those members of Congress who are saying that they are struggling with what to do on the public option, I think the message here is very important. Not only is the public option the only option being considered that represents true reform, but it also has the support of a strong majority of Americans.

Sunday Open Thread

Labor Day weekend is often viewed as the time when the general public starts paying attention to campaigns so it shouldn't be too surprising that all three Democrats running for statewide office this year will be making appearances together this weekend. Today Steve Shannon, Jody Wagner, and Creigh Deeds will all be joined by Gov. Tim Kaine at both the Democratic rally in Dublin, VA at 3pm and the banquet in Harrisonburg this evening. At the event in Dublin they will also be joined by Congressman Rick Boucher (D-9th District). I think these events could be important in the long run because they could serve as a useful way to get volunteers excited, which is what we need because it's volunteers who ultimately do a lot of the work that's needed to win an election.

On the national scene the debate surrounding health care reform continues to be the hot topic, which can be seen in the guests on the Sunday morning talk shows. David Axelrod, for instance, will be on Meet the Press in order to discuss how Obama will be moving forward on the issue. It'll be interesting to see if he says anything concrete about the public option. With Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress coming up, one of my first thoughts after hearing that Axelrod would be on the show was that he's at least partially making the appearance in order to test out some positions and see what type of reaction they get.

What else are people hearing this holiday weekend?

Video: Gerry Connolly Featured On CNN

Now I don't exactly know why they're calling the 11th CD conservative (it's been represented by moderates of both party essentially since it was formed), but I think it's rather interesting that CNN is doing a profile on a freshman member of Congress. Simply based on the number of blast emails I've received and conversations I've had with Congressional staffers, I am confident that there are many more senior members of Congress who would have liked the chance to have a story featuring their views on health care reform.. To me it seems to suggest that they believe Gerry Connolly is going to be a force to be reckoned with -- perhaps he already is since his colleagues elected him president of the freshman class.

Another interesting point is that he joins Jim Webb and others in claiming that the president could have shown some more leadership on laying out some of the specifics of what he wanted to see in the health care reform bill. I think the increasing number of Democrats in Congress who are criticizing the president's handling of health care reform truly goes to illustrate the importance his speech to the joint session of Congress.

Saturday Open Thread

Creigh Deeds will be in the Hampton Roads area today as he's going to be attending office openings in Chesapeake and Newport News before heading off to events in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Although the appearances were already planned, the timing is rather interesting when you consider that there's been a lot of discussion about a Federal grand jury investigating Del. Phil Hamilton.

With this being the start of Labor Day weekend, it shouldn't be too surprising that a lot of people are talking about the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). I'll be spending much of this afternoon talking to community members about how important it is that we stand up for workers and will be collecting signatures in support of EFCA.

In the meantime, chat away as this is an open thread.

Video: Steve Shannon on Why He's Running for Attorney General

I originally posted this video the day after he made this speech, but I wanted to post it again because I think it's important that folks remember just how it important it is that Steve Shannon becomes our next Attorney General. For those of you who are wondering, Steve gave this speech in December of 2008 at an event in the Vienna/Oakton area.

Should Officials Draw a Line in the Sand During Discussions on Health Care Reform?

John Fritze wrote an article for USA Today which talks about how some lawmakers have taken concrete positions about what must (or must not) be in the bill if they are going to vote for health care reform. Considering that there is a movement taking place right now trying to encourage members of Congress to sign onto a pledge saying that they won't support a bill that does not include a public option, I thought this was a rather timely article.

As I've pointed out before, there is some resistance to this movement on the Hill because members don't want to have the flexibility to consider a co-op or another method that they believe is almost as good as a public option (although I still insist that a public option is the minimum we can do if we want real reform). One member of Congress who told Fritze that our elected officials need to be open to negotiation is Virginia's own Gerry Connolly.

"I think we're all best served, if we want to get health care, by not drawing bright lines in the sand," said Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va. "All of us are going to have to be prepared to give and take."

I can see where Gerry is coming from as there is almost always going to be some disagreement on the fine details of a bill and you cannot rule out the possibility of a compromise. This is especially important to remember when the extreme right has gotten so riled up that there are literally people walking into Obama's townhall meetings with loaded assault rifles slung over their shoulder. There are, however, a couple of points that I think are important to remember as Congress begins to come back to DC and continue the debate over health care reform.

First of all, the public option is already a compromise that was made by people who supported a single payer system but realized that they probably wouldn't be able to garner bipartisan support for it. In the interest of giving the Republicans an opportunity to come on board with legislation that would help to ensure everyone had access to affordable health care, the Democratic leadership came out early with this compromise.

Secondly, taking a stand and saying you will only support a bill that has a public option doesn't mean that you aren't willing to negotiate. There are plenty of discussions that need to take place about what exactly would go into the public option, how to pay for it, etc, and some "give and take" can be done in these negotiations without having to sacrifice a strong public option. You could even argue that drawing the line in the sand at the public option might even help negotiations because everyone would know what must be included in a final bill if it's going to pass.

And finally, the Republicans have proven that they aren't willing to truly engage in a productive dialouge on the issue. In addition to spreading outright lies about what's being considered, Republicans in Congress have made it a point that they are dedicating all their efforts to destroying any chance that health care reform has of passing. One of the Republican Senators making that claim, Mike Enzi, is even part of the "Gang of Six" which is supposed to be coming up with the compromise plan that could be voted on by the Senate.

So as the debate continues I think Gerry is absolutely correct that we need to make it clear we support a discussion that focuses on the issues when it comes to health care reform. In the end this is what will hopefully lead to true reform and I'm confident that this is why Gerry is encouraging a productive discussion. I simply would add that my three points above should also be taken into consideration.

Friday Open Thread

It appears as though Creigh Deeds is focusing on visiting businesses today in Northern Virginia. After visiting various sites in Occoquan and Leesburg, he'll be visiting some businesses just a few miles away from my home in the Centreville/Clifton area. In Centreville he will be visiting the Grand Mart and the Sikgaek Restaurant around 5:15pm, both of which are extremely popular with the Korean community in the area. After the stops in Centreville, Creigh will heading to Manassas to meet with some teachers before heading to the Osbourne Park High School's football game.

I wonder what Bob McDonnell would have to say to all of the women who work at the businesses that Creigh's visiting today. McDonnell's thesis, after all, argued that working women are "detrimental" to society.

Virginia Receives National Recognition for Government Websites

In an email statement yesterday Gov. Tim Kaine said that Virginia's official website for reporting of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (the stimulus bill) has received a national Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government-to-Citizen category by the non-profit Center for Digital Government.

“Since day one, citizen input, transparency, and accountability have been top priorities in the process of distributing ARRA funds,” Governor Kaine said. “This honor affirms that Stimulus.Virginia.Gov is an effective mechanism to achieve these goals and is yet another way that Virginia is taking the lead in its use of technology to engage citizens.”

More than 9,000 ideas were submitted to Stimulus.Virginia.Gov by citizens, localities and other groups between February 10 and March 6, 2009. Since that time, the site has transitioned to an easy-to-use graphical, geographic reporting resource of ARRA funds received in the Commonwealth and projects undertaken. The stimulus website was created by a cross-boundary state team including the Governor’s Webmaster and staff, the Department of Planning and Budget, the Department of Accounts, the State Comptroller and VITA’s Enterprise Applications Division.

The statement went on to point out that the City of Virginia Beach was recognized as having the "best city web portal in the nation, and Fairfax County as best county web portal in the nation. Virginia’s official state Web portal was ranked first in the nation among states in 2008, and therefore did not compete in this year's state category."

What I found to be very interesting is that many bloggers from all across the country talk about how Virginia has one of the strongest set of state progressive bloggers. It's therefore very interesting that the Commonwealth should also receive these awards -- especially when you consider that the two localities that received individual awards are also in regions that are home to some of the most widely read bloggers in the state. I'm obviously not claiming that bloggers are responsible for creating these websites, but merely pointing out that the Commonwealth that was recognized with these awards also home to many people who have received national recognition for using the internet to open up the political process.

What The Media's Saying About Bob McDonnell's Thesis

Here's a brief little youtube clip of some of the coverage that the media has done regarding Bob McDonnell's thesis that argued working women are "detrimental" to society.

Rasmussen Shows 49% of Likely Voters Following Story on McDonnell's Thesis

There was a new Rasmussen poll released yesterday in the gubernatorial race in Virginia that showed Bob McDonnell has slightly increased his lead. Even though this data was collected in the days after the news of his thesis broke, the Republican was still leading Creigh Deeds by a 9 point margin -- 51% to 42%. Since McDonnell's ultra-conservative blueprint for government which called working women "detrimental" to society has been receiving so much attention, at least one of the questions in the poll asked if folks were following the story and if they thought it was important.

The survey was conducted shortly after news stories broke about a thesis paper written by McDonnell in 1989. The thesis reflected very conservative views on the role of women in society and other topics. To this point, just 49% of Likely Voters say they’ve followed news stories on this topic even somewhat closely. Twenty-four percent (24%) say they’ve followed the stories Very Closely.

Thirty-six percent (36%) say the writings are at least somewhat important in terms of how they will vote. Forty-nine percent (49%) say they’re not important. Nearly half of all Democrats consider the thesis important while two-thirds of Republicans say they are not. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 32% say the writings are important including 18% who say they are Very Important.

It's important to note that the revelation that McDonnell argued women are "detrimental" to society is just the beginning of the story. As people who've followed McDonnell's career already know, he's been promoting policy from the 15 point agenda that his thesis promoted throughout his career as an elected official. Since he's spent the last year or so trying to counter-act that image, however, it might take some time to remind voters of his real record. The poll numbers that come out in a month or so will therefore be a much more accurate reflection of where voters stand. This is especially true when you consider that most voters don't start paying attention to the race until after Labor Day anyways.

Along those lines, it's also worth noting that this poll includes people who are just leaning towards a specific candidate which means there could very likely be movement as more details become available about McDonnell's right-wing blueprint for governance. What we need to watch closely is to see how these "leaners" move in the next month in order to get a better picture of where the race is headed. If you look back at the Democratic primary, many of these leaners ended up voting for Deeds after his campaign showed some momentum and they began to learn a little more about his campaign. This is despite the fact that he was considered the underdog for almost the entire race. As we're in the final months of the general election, I wouldn't be too surprised if a similar movement happened again.

McDonnell's Blueprint for Governing Impacts House of Delegates Races

The controversy surrounding Bob McDonnell's thesis has most definitely been growing as more and more people hear about the horrible ideas that the Republican's gubernatorial candidate has been promoting. After all, most reasonable people don't believe that working women are "detrimental" to society or that people who use contraception should be charged with a felony. Nonetheless, Bob McDonnell argued in favor of those ideas in a thesis he wrote in his mid-thirties and has been working towards promoting those and other extremist ideas throughout his political career.

While McDonnell has desperately been trying to change the subject, it appears as though the controversy will have an impact on other races as well. Members of local communities want to know if the Republicans running for the House of Delegates support the ideas of their party's leader. John Bell pointed out that his opponent, Bob Marshall, has a history of supporting extreme positions and thought everyone should know what Marshall's position on the thesis. Now Stevens Miller's campaign has released a statement which highlights some of the votes that Tom Rust has taken which suggests he supports at least some portions of McDonnell's ultra-conservative ideas. Since Rust has those horrifying votes and hasn't spoken out against the thesis, many people are assuming he plans on following the blueprint laid out in McDonnell's manifesto.

“The women of Northern Virginia deserve to know that their rights to advance in the workplace earn equal pay for equal work and have access to contraception will be in imminent danger under a McDonnell-Rust platform,” said Shaun Daniels, Miller for Delegate campaign manager. “There’s no doubt that McDonnell’s blueprint for an anti-women’s rights Virginia is too extreme for the residents of Herndon and Sterling. Stevens Miller condemns this agenda and he also condemns McDonnell’s and Rust’s attempts to hide their record and present themselves as moderates.”

“Tom Rust has been a key ally of McDonnell’s during their time working side-by-side in Richmond,” Daniels said. “The issues that Rust and McDonnell would concentrate on in the coming years won’t work towards any new jobs or roads. If Rust and McDonnell had their way, McDonnell’s cringe-worthy manifesto could become reality and the entire commonwealth would take two giant leaps backwards.”

After voting for things like drastically cutting funds for the "FAMIS Moms program, which provides medical coverage to low-income pregnant women who meet financial eligibility requirements," Tom Rust has already been following parts of McDonnell's blueprint and who knows what he'll do if McDonnell is elected governor.

Bob McDonnell Must Think This Family's EXTREMELY "Detrimental" To Society

Although there was some question about whether or not they had collected enough signatures after there was a relatively high error rate, the Maine Secretary of State certified yesterday that the anti-gay folks had collected enough signatures to get the measure to repeal marriage equality on the ballot. With that being said, both sides will have to get things going very quickly as the election day is rapidly approaching and Maine has absentee voting laws that will allow people to start voting in about a month.

Here is one of the ads that will be hitting the airways which touches on how a same sex couple can do a fabulous job of raising a child. Of course, anyone who's been following the extremism promoted by the GOP would know Bob McDonnell would tell this family that they are extremely "detrimental" to society since there are two working women who are in a same-sex relationship. According to McDonnell's thesis, that's a double whammy and the government must do something about it.

Obama Will Address Joint Session of Congress But Likely Won't Insist on Public Option

Just a few days ago I wrote a post about how Sen. Jim Webb and other members of Congress are disappointed with the fact that President Obama hasn’t been more specific about what he’d like to see in a health care reform bill. So when I was driving to a meeting today and I heard that he would be making an address before a joint session of Congress to lay out a more detailed vision, I was quite pleased. Perhaps he should have done this from the beginning, but at least he was going to be giving some clear direction in what he wanted as the discussion moves forward.

Unfortunately, it appears as though this might not be a good thing for those of us who support a strong public option. According to a story on Politico, it appears as though Obama won’t be using this opportunity to advocate for a public option. In fact, some White House aides have suggested that they are simply looking to make a quick compromise in order to make Obama look good in the polls and believe that not insisting on a public option will provide an opportunity to claim Obama can stand up to the Democratic base.

On health care, Obama’s willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.

People like Rahm Emmanuel seem to be very concerned about Obama’s approval ratings. What they don’t seem to realize is that his numbers are decreasing partially because he hasn’t been living up to some of the ideas he presented during the campaign that excited the Democratic base. This isn’t just a one time thing either the White House has weakened it’s rhetoric on the public option on several occasions during the last few weeks. Every time they did it before, people genuinely interested in true health care reform expressed their concern and Robert Gibbs was forced to come out and say that Obama still supports reform.

While the White House's flip-flopping on the issue definitely doesn't help things, the truly disappointing part of the Politico story is that it suggests Obama has some advisers around him who are so concerned about his poll numbers that they are willing to sacrifice an opportunity to help ensure everyone has access to affordable health care. This is an issue that people have been working on for decades and it appears as though we are the closest we’ve been in decades to actually passing substantive legislation. If folks like Rahm Emmanuel are going to let extremists on the right scare our leaders into sacrificing any hope of real reform, however, then we might have to wait even longer while even more families are forced to declare bankruptcy due to the ever increase cost of health care in our country.

If the president’s advisers are going to continue to give him such bad advice, then we need to make sure that our elected officials (including Obama) receive the advice of the majority of Americans who support the public option. I therefore strongly encourage folks to write letters to the editor, call into radio talk shows, attend rallies and lobby day events, and contact your members of Congress. The huge insurance companies want to keep the status quo so that they can continue to rake in the large profits, but we cannot let them win. It’s time to stand up for what’s right and make sure that he listens to the advice of the American people.

Warner to Hold Health Care Town Hall Tomorrow

Mark Warner, who has been one of the Democratic Senators who has been waffling on the public option, will be hosting a town hall meeting tomorrow in Fredericksburg. His office is asking people to RSVP on his website, but is also pointing out that this doesn't guarentee admission because they are expecting thousands of people to want to attend and the Convention Center can only hold about 3,000 people. Since Jim Moran's event had an overflow crowd recently at a venue that help about the same number of people, it's probably a safe bet that they will reach a capacity crowd since Warner represents the entire state and not just one Congressional District. I therefore highly recommending taking his office's advice and showing up early.

While the event will also be live-streamed on his website, here are some of the location details for those of you who are interested. You get a much better idea for the atmosphere and what's going on in the community when you attend the event rather than just watching it on the internet, so I highly encourage people to attend the event if you can get out to Fredericksburg.

Date: Thursday, September 3, 2009
Time: 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Location: Fredericksburg Expo Center
2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway | Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Considering that Warner has been targeted by national organizations on both sides of the aisle and has receiving thousands upon thousands of people contacting his office about health care reform, I imagine this has the potential to be a very interesting meeting.I've been to some meetings in the last few weeks where the mood has been relatively calm and they ended up being extremely worth while for people on all sides of the aisle. I've also been to several here in Virginia that have gotten out of hand and didn't allow any productive discussion. For the sake of those who actually want to learn about the reform being considered, let's hope that people actually allow discussion at this event and don't come out just to disrupt other people's right to obtain valuable information.

Wednesday Open Thread

Creigh Deeds will be in Northern Virginia today as he will be at office openings with supporters and staff members in both Alexandria and McLean this evening. With some of the PPP poll that was released today showing that he is gradually gaining on McDonnell, it should be interesting to see if these offices are soon filled with even more volunteers making phone calls and doing what they can to help. With many people energized by the fact that the media is calling out McDonnell on his extreme thesis that claimed working women are "detrimental" to society, now would appear to be a good time for Deeds to try to capitalize on a potential game changing revelation by getting more volunteers involved.

For those of you who live in Northern Virginia, there will also be a community meeting at the Fairfax County Government Center regarding health care reform. The meeting was organized by the VOP and some of their allies and will start at 6:30 with the doors opening at 5:30. If this event is anything like the one organized by VOP in Front Royal then it will be extremely informative and most definitely worth your time. I've also heard that Move-On has organized a vigil for tomorrow night at the Government Center, which could be a very nice addition to the evening as well.

Feel free to chat away in the comment section here as this is an open thread.

Video: Local Nurse Speaks About Need for Health Care Reform

During a community meeting last week Kathleen Crettier, who's a nurse from the Front Royal area, spoke about her perspective on health care reform and why it's needed. I've posted her initial remarks here because they provide a some local context on the national discussion from someone who works in the medical field.