Video: Dave Marsden on the Inside Scoop

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Dave Marsden was on the Inside Scoop yesterday which is a local political talk show based in Fairfax County. For those of you who are interested, here's the video of the show.

Dave Marsden Will Be On the Inside Scoop Tonight

With the January 12th date of the special election in the 37th Senate District rapidly approaching, Dave Marsden will be the guest on tonight's episode of the Inside Scoop. Dave was on the show back in May in an appearance that focused on the budget, last years General Assembly session, and the primaries that were being hotly contested at that point in time. While I imagine there will be similar issues discussed (especially considering all the talk about the budget right now), I definitely recommend tuning in because this will be one of the few opportunities (if not the only one) for a television audience to really get an in depth look at his campaign before the election.

I'll be in the studio tonight working as a member of the crew (as I almost always am when we're focusing on Virginia issues) and you can always watch it on Channel 10 in Fairfax County or watching it online by following this link beginning at 7. The show's an hour long (7pm to 8pm) and you can call in with any questions you might have by dialing 571.749.1166. I'll also be monitoring the comment section here if you want to talk about the show. Once it's over, I'll make sure to post video of Dave's appearance in case you weren't able to watch it live.

Congressional Reapportionment Could Hurt Democratic Presidential Candidates

There has been a lot of talk recently about how the census that's taken in 2010 will have an impact on redistricting. In Virginia, the focus has been on the process that would be used to draw the district lines and the hope that it would be done in a bipartisan or nonpartisan manner. This has been a topic of conversation that for years as people like Creigh Deeds have been trying to get legislation passed in the General Assembly that would address the issue. As the results of the census begin to be counted in just a few months, however, we should also be reminded that these results will actually determine the number of Representatives states have in the House of Representatives.

In the case of Oregon, there has been some talk about the state potentially picking up a 6th member of the House of Representatives. As Kari Chisholm explains at Blue Oregon, however, it appears as though that won't be the case.

If reapportionment were done today, based on the 2009 estimate, Oregon would not get a sixth congressional district. Oregon's prospective sixth seat would rank #438 - falling just outside of the 435 seats that will be filled.

For the third straight year, Oregon's population growth rate has dropped - from 1.70% in 2005-06 to 0.94% in 2008-09. That doesn't sound like much of a drop, but if we'd stayed at 1.7% for those three years, we'd have some 67,000 more residents - and a sixth seat would be a sure thing (#431).

Based on the 2009 estimate, Texas would gain three seats, while Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina would each gain one seat. Losing one seat each are Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Now this obviously will effect each one of those individual states, but there will also be some national implications as well. For instance, the size of a state's Congressional delegation directly determines its number of votes in the state has in the Electoral College. Based upon the projections that Kari put forward regarding which states would pick up seats in redistricting and the results of the 2008 election, this will result in advantage of at least four electoral votes for the Republicans. When you look at the actual breakdown of which states will actually be gaining and losing seats, however, the situation actually gets worse. Before we move forward, lets look at how Kari's projections play out in regards to the 2008 election.

Obama States that will gain a seat: Florida, Nevada, North Carolina
Obama states that will lose a seat: Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvannia

McCain states that will gain a seat: Texas (which will gain 3), Arizona, Georgia
McCain states that will lose a seat: Louisiana

If you look at the states that went for Obama, they are all swing states that had gone for Bush during both the 2000 and the 2004 election. They therefore cannot be relied upon to give their electoral votes to a Democratic candidate. To make things worse, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York are all solidly Democratic performing states in presidential elections and will be losing a seat.

In sharp contrast, the Republicans will pick up seats in states that have performed relatively well for them in recent years. This is a double wammy when you consider that Texas is actually picking up three seats. Perhaps a consolation could be that Louisiana has performed solidly for the Republican presidential candidates and it is projected to lose a Congressional seat.

To get down to the actual numbers, this means that the Democrats are projected to lose 4 solidly blue electoral votes, the total for swing states will stay the same, and there will be an increase of 4 electoral votes from solidly red states. This represents an eight point swing in the direction of the Republicans. Now this obviously wouldn't have changed anything in the 2008 election since Obama won by such a large margin (365 to 173), but the 2000 election was only decided by four electoral votes. This goes to show that these 8 votes could really make a difference in a tight election.

Sunday Morning Talk Show Lineup

The holidays are usually a slow time for news coverage as Congress usually shuts down for a couple of weeks to allow Members to spend time with their families and constituents back in their home district. This week, however, has been an event filled week as we saw the Senate pass the health care reform bill on Christmas Eve which means that health care will once again be a major theme on the Sunday morning talk shows. After sending out David Axelrod last week, the White House is sending out another senior official as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs will be making the rounds.

Meet the Press: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Fmr. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA).

Face the Nation: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Dan Balz (The Washington Post), and Jodi Kantor (The New York Times)

This Week: The show will be guest hosted by Jake Trapper and the guests will be White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader. The roundtable will include Former Bush-Cheney adviser Matthew Dowd, Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, and New York Times columnists Paul Krugman and David Brooks.

Fox News Sunday: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa., Sen. Richard Shelb (R-Ala), and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

Ask Webb and Warner to Support Clean Energy and Climate Legislation

Is the clip cheesy? Yup. Does it give a detailed analysis of policy? Nope. Will it be featured on CNN? Probably not, but that doesn't mean it's not worth watching. You see, Miles Grant did a brief Youtube clip urging people to take action by contacting Sen. Warner and Sen. Webb and asking them "to support clean energy & climate legislation." I agree with Miles on this and one way that you can publicly urge Sen. Warner to support the legislation is by utilizing twitter petition below.

Marriage Equality Isn't the Only Legal Concern Facing LGBT Community

Between Proposition 8 in California and the fight for same sex marriage in Maine, there has been a lot of talk about the campaigns of the right wing to take away basic civil rights from members of the LGBT community. During many of these campaigns there is usually an emotional appeal to how supporters of same sex marriage are simply fighting for love and the fact that everyone should be able to have their relationships legally recognized. When I look at the issue, I have to admit that the emotional aspect of it is something that I strongly consider when I urge people to support marriage equality. In a post he wrote on Christmas Eve at Bilerico, however, “Father Tony” argued that the marriage issue really is about legal protections.

Tony’s post was written as a reflection on the relationship that he has with partner of 26 years – they have been married for 1 year. He points out that while marriage is a rewarding experience and that he’s glad he did it, a significant reason that he married was “to protect our assets and our rights and for the financial benefits.” He then went on to say that the fight for equality needs to continue but that there shouldn’t be an overemphasis on the struggle for marriage.

Although some people might not like the fact that he placed such an emphasis on the legal and financial benefits of marriage, I think Tony’s post highlights an overall theme that needs to be addressed. There are people in our country who constantly face discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. While there was recently a big victory when the hate crimes legislation was passed, there is still a lot of room for improvement and we’re waiting to see action on issues the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would make it illegal for employers to fire someone simply because of their sexual orientation and repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. In other words, Tony’s absolutely correct that marriage is something that should be addressed but there are other issues that need to be focused on as well.

What’s also been clear is that while there have been some shifts in public opinion in recently, marriage equality still remains something that is somewhat controversial. On the other hand, various polls have the public support for a fully inclusive ENDA between 65% and 80% and 56% of Americans (including 50% of those with family members in the military) believe that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell should be repealed. With the Democrats in control of both houses of Congress and a Democrat in the White House, there should be more movement on the issue. Nonetheless, it appears as though the only way this will happen is if there is a large grassroots movement to make it clear that this should be a priority.

This is where shifting attention from marriage to one of these issues would truly come in handy. There are far to many people who believe marriage is the only political issue that the LGBT community is concerned about. This is partly because of all the campaigns surrounding marriage recently, but also because there still needs to be more voter outreach and education done on the issues. And that is where Tony is absolutely correct in implying that there are some people who have become so wrapped up in the movement for marriage equality that it was easy to forget about the other issues. As we move into 2010, we should be thankful for the victories that have already occurred but remember that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in the fight for equality.

Monticello Opening Doors to Corporate Events

Whether visiting on of several Civil War battlefields in the area or going downtown to visit the Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall, I was fortunate to grow up in an area that was surrounded by historical sites. I think this played a large role in why I eventually received my college degree in history, why I’m still constantly reading about historical events, and part of the reason I’m involved in politics today. It’s also why I’m interested in making sure that historic sites are preserved for future generations to enjoy.

As a result of the struggling economy many historic preservation organizations are facing significant budget cuts and are looking for ways to keep their programs alive. It appears as though the Thomas Jefferson Foundation has launched a new way of bringing in revenue for its efforts at Monticello.

A new policy at Monticello allows corporations and other organizations to rent out the grounds of Thomas Jefferson's home for private functions.

While Jefferson's house remains off-limits, available venues include the Jefferson Library, the theater and classrooms in the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center, the Smith Woodland Pavilion and outdoor spots scattered across the estate's 2,400 acres.

My initial reaction to this developments is that I certainly hope the Thomas Jefferson Foundation doesn’t sell out to corporate interests and sacrifice historic authenticity, but it does appear as though there are at least some efforts in place to prevent that from happening. For instance, any corporate events taking place “may not interfere with normal operations” and they aren’t renting out Jefferson’s actual house. Plus they’re actually going to be extending hours during the summer which would allow more people to visit the site. So if these efforts will result in Monticello being able to maintain its authenticity and perhaps even reaching out to new visitors, then I’m glad to see the changes made. Only time will see, however, if the new program is actually successful.

Health Care Reform Bill Passes in the Senate

The health care reform bill passed the senate today with 60 votes, which is somewhat surprising because there was some talk about the potential for a vote or to slip away when it came to voting on the actual bill and only a simply majority was needed. Now the bill will be moving to conference where they'll have to merge the House bill (which includes a public option) with the Senate bill (which doesn't). From what I'm hearing, the conference bill will likely lean more towards the bill that passed the Senate in order to keep the filibuster proof majority.

With all that being said, Sen. Mark Warner issued a statement about the bill's passage this morning.

I voted in support of the Senate health care bill. While this legislation is far from perfect, I believe it will start to curb soaring health care costs for consumers and businesses, reduce our federal budget deficits over time, and extend the life of the Medicare program.

In addition, a dozen of my freshman colleagues worked together to successfully add significant cost containment measures to the Senate proposal, and we have expanded programs that deliver higher-quality care at lower cost. Our amendments, which encourage innovation, broaden transparency and aggressively attack inefficiency and fraud, have received bipartisan support, as well as endorsements from AARP, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, and major businesses that make-up The Business Roundtable.

Rising medical costs are strangling the American economy, hurting American families, and killing our ability to compete globally. This legislation represents a strong start, and includes almost every approach suggested by leading experts to try to tackle medical costs that have more than doubled in the past decade.

As this bill moves to conference, the focus must remain on the goals of reducing health care costs, increasing efficiency and accountability, and incorporating private-sector solutions to our health care challenges.

Interestingly enough Sen. Jeff Merkely, who is one of the more progressive members of the US Senate, issued the following statement which touches on some of the very same themes. I bring this up because it helps to show that goal of the Democratic caucus as a whole was passing meaningful legislation, even if there were a few individual members who were trying to water down the bill.

“Today, we have taken a long stride forward in our decades-long effort to provide affordable, accessible, quality health care to every single American. Thirty million Americans will gain access to affordable health care. Millions more will benefit from insurance reforms that end the insurance practice of rejecting citizens with pre-existing conditions and of dumping citizens off policies after they become sick or injured. And virtually every citizen will benefit from the investment in health clinics, disease prevention, and disease management.

"For far too long, individual citizens have been like lambs to the slaughter when they purchased health insurance. Now they will be able to join with others to purchase policies at the same discount obtained by large businesses.

"The same goes for our small businesses, which have been struggling with double-digit health care inflation. In addition to the ability to join a health-care purchasing pool to drive down costs, they will obtain significant tax credits to drop the price of insurance for their employees.

"This legislation is not all I want it to be. It does not contain a national public option to increase choice and competition. It is imperfect in many other ways as well. But this bill brings peace of mind to Americans struggling to secure affordable health care. This bill attacks runaway health care inflation. This bill establishes that in the United States of America, health care is no longer a privilege, it is a right."

Tim Kaine Gets a Call from "Barry from DC" While on WTOP

Gov. Tim Kaine frequently appears on WTOP radio to discuss issues relating to Northern Virginia and frequently takes phone calls from listeners. Today, one of the callers was "Barry in DC" who supposedly wanted to talk about the traffic problems in the area. It turns out the caller actually was President Barack Obama.

Chris Mathews Was Wrong in His Criticism of the Netroots

I've had several conversations with people over the years with people who claimed that bloggers and online activists weren't really Democrats, but were instead folks who didn't really have any political sense and just wanted to promote their own agenda. These conversations usually take place right after there were a number of posts in the blogosphere that criticized a politician who is popular within the party establishment. Now I agree that there are some bloggers who don't care about anything other than making themselves look good, but the vast majority of the netroots actually want to help strengthen the campaigns of Democratic candidates and to make sure that our elected officials continue to represent the best interests of their constituents. When criticisms are made, it's usually done with the intention of working towards policy decisions that will actually do good for the general public.

Nonetheless, there are still plenty of folks who simply think bloggers are a group of fringe activists who like to toot their own horns but never actually show up when it matters. It appears as though that's what Chris Mathews believes as he was preaching those values on his show Thursday evening.

I don’t consider them Democrats, I consider them netroots, and they’re different. And if I see that they vote in every election or most elections, I’ll be worried. But I’m not sure that they’re regular grown-up Democrats. I think that a lot of those people are troublemakers who love to sit in the backseat and complain. They’re not interested in governing this country. They never ran for office, they’re not interested in working for somebody in public office. They get their giggles from sitting in the backseat and bitching.

As I said earlier, that's completely off base. Just here in Virginia, for instance, I know that I am one of several bloggers who have donated and raised a significant amount of money for various candidates. Furthermore, many of us have served as officers in our local Democratic Committee (including myself) and have also been staffers for campaigns or community organizations (once again, including myself). As Kos pointed out in an appearance on the Ed Show, that's not just the case here in Virginia but can be said about the netroots all across the country. So the next time you here someone try to dismiss criticism simply because it came from a blogger, remember that the netroots are often times some of the most active and insightful people you can talk to about the important issues of the day.

Sunday Morning Talk Show Lineup

The morning talk shows today will be focusing on health care with the Obama Administration sending out David Axelrod. It shouldn't be too surprising that they are sending out a senior administration official today because they've been trying to convince people on both sides of the aisle that the Senate bill is indeed going to make the reforms necessary in a cost effective manner. All of his appearances will be important since the left has been really upset with how the leadership seems willing to cave into any demand made by Joe Lieberman, but I think most people will be turning their attention to Meet the Press where Axelrod and Howard Dean will be both making appearances. Since the White House has been trashing Dean behind his back through anonymous quotes to the media and in conversations with staffers on the Hill, it will be interesting to see how direct Axelrod will actually be when Dean has a chance to directly respond to the criticisms.

With that being said, here is the lineup for the Sunday morning talk shows today.

Meet the Press: David Axelrod and Howard Dean will be on to talk about the difference of opinions within the Democratic Party in regards to the Senate bill. Also of note to the blogosphere is that Kos will be part of the roundtable portion of the show.

Face the Nation: Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

This Week with George Stephanopoulos: David Axelrod, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Il), Jon Kyl (R -Ariz)

Fox News Sunday: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn).

State of the Union: David Axelord, Sen. Lindsey Grahm (R-SC), Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NYC), Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R- California, and Andy Stern (President of SEIU).

Anonymous Is A Woman Is Closing Up Shop

I've gotten to know Karen from the blog Anonymous is a Woman over the last few years. We've bonded over our passion for standing up for the working class and the work we've done behalf of progressive candidates. One of the best moments of election night in 2008 was when I got a big bear hug from Karen's husband Dan. Karen was right there too enjoying the celebration and already talking about how great this was for working families. The excitement both of them displayed that evening really went to show the pure joy they received when their extremely hard work ended with the result we'd all been hoping for. When you combine that with the fact that Karen was one of the best writers in the Virginia blogosphere, I am saddened to learn that she has decided to stop blogging.

If there's any consolation, it's that the decision comes largely as a result of her receiving a new job which will be requiring her attention. Any organization that has Karen on its staff is in very good hands and I wish her nothing but the best. I know I'll still be seeing her around in the community, but her voice in the Virginia blogosphere will most definitely be missed.

Gov. Tim Kaine Issues Statement on Continuing the State of Emergency

With the snow continuing to come down relatively hard here in Northern Virginia, conditions are relatively hard to get around in. So while the blizzard warning is no longer in effect, the major news channels are still all running wall to wall coverage of the snow and everyone is warning people not to head out unless it's absolutely critical that you do so. So with the conditions in mind, Gov. Tim Kaine issued a statement about how he declared a state of emergency yesterday in preparation for the storm and it's continuing for the time being.

"With the winter storm emergency in full effect and snowfall continuing in regions throughout the Commonwealth, Virginia authorities are working in close coordination to ensure public safety and address particularly tough conditions in a number of communities. Following on my declaration yesterday of a state of emergency for the Commonwealth, I have authorized an additional 600 National Guardsmen to participate in our response to the storm.

"18 Emergency Operations Centers are currently open across the state, 20 local shelters are offering services to more than 400 individuals, and 27 local emergencies have been declared to date. Since last night, Virginia State Police have assisted motorists and responded to more than 2,900 accidents or disabled vehicles. We expect temperatures to drop as another low pressure system moves up the coast as well as mixed precipitation -- including 3-8 inches additional snowfall west and north of Richmond and 1-3 inches across the rest of the state. Western parts of the state have already accumulated 18 inches of snowfall, and a blizzard warning has been issued for Northern Virginia.

“VDOT is assuming snow management responsibilities from its contractor in parts of the I-81 corridor and adding state resources to other private contractors where necessary.

"While state authorities remain vigilant in our response efforts, I strongly encourage Virginians to stay off the roadways to avoid accidents and ease snow removal."

Video: Obama's Weekly Address on Health Care Reform

During his weekly address, President Obama focused on health care reform. What is noticeable about this is that he is really going after the insurance companies and frames the debate as those companies being the enemies of real reform. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise to anyone who has been following the debate as the insurance companies don't want to lose the huge profits they receive from denying coverage to those who need cancer treatment or life saving prescriptions filled. As Obama points out, at the same time that they are denying this coverage to the general public, the insurance companies are still shelling out millions of dollars to make sure they don't lose their precious profits.

The insurance industry knows all this. That’s why they’re at it again, using their muscle in Washington to try to block a vote they know they will lose. They’re lobbying. They’re running ads. They’re spending millions of dollars to kill health insurance reform, just like they’ve done so many times before. They want to preserve a system that works better for the insurance industry than it does for the American people.

He also made sure to praise the bill that already made its way through the House and the one currently on the floor of the Senate. Directly taking on his critics on the left, Obama said that it would simply be foolish to claim that either bill doesn't do enough to make the reforms necessary.

Simply put, the protections currently included in both the health insurance reform bill passed by the House and the version currently on the Senate floor would represent the toughest measures we’ve ever taken to hold the insurance industry accountable. Anyone who says otherwise simply hasn’t read the bills. Just open these proposals at random and you’ll find on almost any page patient protections that dwarf any of those passed by Congress in at least a decade.

All of this rhetoric goes right along with what we've been hearing from the White House for the last few weeks. In a time when so many progressives worked hard for Obama on the assumption that he would fight hard for real health care reform, the Obama Administration here is basically saying that at least we got something -- even if it's far from the real reform that the American people actually wanted.

Attention House of Delegates, Cutting Coffee Service Won't Save the Budget

As an organizer I've had to deal with working for organizations that had tight budgets and quickly learned that one way to prevent some extra expenses is to cut out luxuries -- or at least find other ways to procure them. In preparation for some meetings, for instance, I would try to get some volunteers to bring in coffee and bagels and one a few occasions I even got local businesses to donate to the cause. These were just common sense solutions that were immediately taken when I realized how tight our budget was going to be. It's also worth noting that something that political campaigns often do, so it isn't like politicians are unaware of these concepts.

I bring this up because it appears as though the House of Delegates is just now realizing that doing away with small unnecessary costs can save money as it's cutting the coffee service for Delegates. According to the News and Advance, one of their other revolutionary cost saving measures is to hold certain meetings on the same meeting so that they don't have to reimburse members for trips to Richmond on various days. Now I'm glad that the House is taking these steps now as it represents some money that doesn't have to be cut from programs that can help the less fortunate, but one has to wonder why these cuts weren't made as soon as the Commonwealth began facing financial difficulties.

This situation also represents a larger problem that we have to examine. At a time when the General Assembly will likely be making a lot of cuts to important programs, there needs to be some sort of accountability in the decision making process. Since it's just now that these unnecessary costs are being cut, however, it's obvious that it's difficult for state employees to find cost saving measures and even harder for the general public to contribute ideas to the process. I imagine that there could be non-profits that assist in the process of making programs more efficient or perhaps the addition of a few extra positions on the state payroll (perhaps the blogs could even play a role if the budget was more accessible), but I highly doubt any of those will happen before the General Assembly has to vote on the budget in a few months.

Despite the difficulties in trying to make the budget process more efficient and my poor hopes for this go around, I strongly believe that the discussion needs to begin on how the process could be improved. While the forum might need to much larger in the future, the comment section of this post would be a great place to begin.

Absentee Voting Starts Today In 37th Senate District

During any election it's obviously extremely important to make sure your supporters actually make it out to the polls. With the special election coming up in the 37th Senate District on January 12, this will be harder to do than usual because people simply aren't necessarily going to be aware of the date of the election (hints why Dave Marsden's yard signs have the date of the election on them). One way of making sure that people don't forget to vote is to have those who qualify vote absentee. That is why Dave Marsden's campaign sent out an email reminding people that absentee voting starts today.

Today marks an important milestone in our quest to take the 37th State Senate seat and prevent one-party Republican rule here in Virginia: Absentee voting in-person begins today. That’s right – a mere 25 days from the election, voters have already begun casting their ballots for Dave Marsden, and I hope you will join them. You may vote absentee in-person at the Fairfax County Government Center, Office of Elections, (12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 232) from today until January 8th, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and on Saturday, January 9th, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

If you think you may not be able to get to the polls for any reason on Tuesday January 12th – including if you will be on vacation or if you will commute outside of Fairfax County on Special Election Day - you can vote absentee, and please encourage your friends and family to do the same. You can also request an absentee ballot by mail here.

So if you live in the 37th Senate District, there's really no excuse to not find the time to vote. I'm also very glad to see that the Marsden campaign is actively promoting this because it means they are looking at all the available ways to turn out their base. I know that seems like common sense that should be taught in Politics 101, but I've seen far too many campaigns fail to do so. In a close race that will have low turnout, following through on the basics could prove to be very beneficial.

Approaching Snow Provides Reminder of What's Wrong With the Republican Leadership

It's no secret that the DC area pretty much shuts down whenever it snows. Even the hint of snow in the near future can cause a riot as everyone heads to the grocery store to make sure they have enough food in the house (hints why the Giant near my house was more crowded today than it was the day before Thanksgiving). With all the snow that's projected to come in the next few days, however, I'm reminded of the simple fact that our roads can be dangerous during snow storms. This is especially the case here in Northern Virginia where we already have horrible traffic conditions. Add in the fact that some people forget how to drive when there is bad weather and it's not a pretty picture.

What all of this really comes down to is the plain and simple fact that in snowy conditions our government must have all of the resources necessary to make sure our roads can be plowed and kept safe. The Republicans, however, are refusing to entertain the possibility of raising the revenue needed to maintain our roads and keep our transportation system going. So if you're going to be out driving this weekend simply remind yourself that the extremely partisan agenda being promoted by the Republicans is risking the programs that keep our roads safe during snow storms and other situations.

McDonnell Warns State Employees of "the Uncertainty of Tomorrow"

Bob McDonnell wrote an email to state employees on Tuesday which suggested that there might be some major job cuts in state agencies in the near future. This is largely due to the fact that McDonnell won’t consider delaying or rolling back some tax cuts (like the estate tax) which largely favor the wealthiest people living in Virginia. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, there are some people who are rushing to McDonnell’s defense by claiming that he was simply trying to reach out to the state employees. The tone of McDonnell’s email, however, make it clear that some major changes are coming and employees should prepare for the negative impact.

"The challenges we face in state government reflect the challenges faced by private-sector employers and families in every community in our state," McDonnell wrote Tuesday.

"Revenues are down. Cuts have been, and will continue to be, made. The uncertainty of tomorrow looms constantly over the work that must be done today."

As it currently stands, there are 120,800 people who are on the state payroll and the vast majority (a little over 95 percent) of them work for agencies that are controlled by the governor’s office. With a $3.5 billion budget shortfall over the next two years, there needs to either be some new revenues, major cuts made to crucial programs that have already been cut to deal with shortfalls in previous years, or some combination of the two. Since Bob McDonnell has already made it clear that he won’t support generating new revenues because that might not sit well with his wealthy donors, it shouldn’t be surprising that the 120,800 people who work for the state are being told to prepare for the worst.

Bernanke Named Person of the Year But Still Faces Opposition

Whether it was when Congress was working on the stimulus bill in the early part of the year or when the unemployment rate has recently climbed to 10 percent, there is no doubt that economy has dominated the news this year. It’s even played a role in some of the gossip news as the coverage of Tiger Woods personal difficulties has touched on what this will mean for his endorsements and the economics of professional sports. It therefore shouldn’t be too surprising that Time Magazine’s person of the year was deeply involved with economic news. Since Time Magazine is also stressing that this goes to a person who isn’t necessarily a hero but someone who was a driving force behind the news, the selection of Ben Bernanke as person of the year is very understandable.



The timing of this announcement is somewhat interesting as the Senate Banking Committee will be voting today on Bernanke’s nomination for a second term as Fed Chair. Shortly after Time announced that Bernanke had been named person of the year, I received a statement from Sen. Jeff Merkely’s office stating that the senator would be voting against the re-appointment. Now this vote definitely wasn’t in response to Time’s announcement, but does represent how many progressives are disappointed with the role that Bernanke played in bailing out Wall Street.

“For too many years, federal regulators turned a blind eye to signs of an impending financial crisis. Tricks and traps proliferated in the credit card and consumer lending industries. Predatory mortgage loans exploded, fueling an unsustainable housing bubble. Regulators lifted rules requiring banks to keep adequate capital, and a laissez-faire approach to securitization, derivatives, and proprietary trading encouraged excessive risk-taking on Wall Street. As a member of the Board of Governors, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and then ultimately as Chairman of the Board of Governors, Dr. Bernanke supported each of these decisions, failing to take the necessary precautionary steps that could have averted or mitigated financial collapse.

“These failures are very relevant to the future. We need economic leaders who understand that the ultimate goal of economic policies and the key to meaningful economic recovery should be financially successful families, not oversized Wall Street profits.

“Indeed, it should be recognized that although Wall Street prospered in the short-term from reduced leverage requirements, securitization of faulty mortgages, and the explosion of derivatives, Americans did not. The expansion that occurred from 2002 to 2007 became the first economic expansion in which working families were worse off at the end than at the beginning. This is not a path that we can afford to travel again.”

Now Bernanke will face some tough opposition from progressives like Merkely as well as some conservatives who have a different set of disagreements with the Fed Chair, but most pundits agree that he will approved for a second term. What I really hope happens, however, is that Bernanke takes to heart what his critics have to say and truly does make sure that the policy he promotes truly does favor Main Street instead of Wall Street. After all, that is the best way to make sure our economy remains stable and is able to succeed in the long run.

Video: Gerry Connolly Speaks on Floor of the House About Reducing the Budget Deficit

Rep. Gerry Connolly spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives about reducing the deficit. As he points out in the speech, Gerry believes that Congress should use some of the TARP funds to pay down the deficit. This isn't a new position as he recently wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi supporting this same move that was signed by 13 other freshmen members of Congress. This is an interesting connection because Connolly argues in his speech that the high deficits and fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush Administration at least part of the reason he (and other members of the Congress) was elected.

Dean Goes on Countdown to Explain His Opposition to the Senate Bill

Yesterday I wrote a post that touched on Howard Dean's comments about how he thought they should kill the bill in the Senate since it doesn't represent true reform. He was Countdown to explain his position and really stuck to his argument that they should be using the reconciliation process which would help to take a step in the right direction.

George Allen Speaks Out Against Medicare Buy In

There has been some speculation that George Allen would seek a rematch against Jim Webb in the 2012 US Senate race. He's been making the rounds of the important Republican functions and there have been more than a few times recently that the media has gone to Allen for the Republican position on current events. With that in mind, Allen told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he doesn't support the medicare buy in that would allow people aged 55 to 64 to purchase access to medicare. Even if the Democratic leadership were to cave into Lieberman's demands and drop the medicare buy in, however, Allen says that he still couldn't support the bill.

"Even if they do drop the so-called Medicare buy-in option, there are a ton of things wrong with this health-care bill," Allen said.

"Number one, there are tax increases on small business owners, and that's wrong. There would be half-a-trillion dollars in cuts in Medicare. They're going to make health care more expensive with their regulations."

Now the interesting thing here is that by spreading misinformation about the bill and trying to scare people into believing that health care reform would destroy small business, George Allen is taking the position on the issue that would allow him to once again build up his base in the Republican Party. Considering that he’s never displayed a big interest in actually making sure that all Americans had access to affordable health care, the main reason he’d appear to have for publicly commenting on the issue is for potential political gain. As a result of the rhetoric that he used, it’s clear that he still believes that the government should do whatever big business (in this case the insurance companies) wants even if it goes against the best interests of the American people.

Howard Dean Urges Killing the Senate Bill

I've been hearing from a lot of grassroots activists who are calling for Congress simply to start over on health care reform because they are so frustrated with the stunts that Lieberman has pulled and the White House urging the Senate leadership to cave into his demands. It appears as though there are some leaders of the movement for true health care reform are joining that call as Dr. Howard Dean has said that "the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill."

According to Greg Sargent, Dean's remarks were made during an interview he did with Bob Kinzel which will be airing on Vermont Public Radio at 5:50pm.

The gauntlet from Dean — whose voice on health care is well respected among liberals — will energize those on the left who are mobilizing against the bill, and make it tougher for liberals to embrace the emerging proposal. In an excerpt Kinzel gave me, Dean says:

“This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”

Kinzel added that Dean essentially said that if Democratic leaders cave into Joe Lieberman right now they’ll be left with a bill that’s not worth supporting.

According to my sources on the Hill, there is still talk about trying to come up with one last compromise before the Senate goes home for Christmas. The staffers I've been talking to about it, however, have said that the only type of compromise they could likely reach before Christmas is one that would only further aggravate progressives. Furthermore, it might even be so bad that it results in a few liberal Senators saying they can no longer support the bill. In other words, a good compromise isn't likely to come anytime soon.

Although I'm still a little skeptical about killing the Senate bill and starting over because it might end up giving even more momentum to anti-reform advocates, what I'm hearing suggest we have many other options. In the best of circumstances the Democratic leadership might be able to use the next few weeks to convince Lieberman or a moderate Republican to at least vote for cloture on a final bill. If that hasn't happened by the middle of January at the latest, and I highly doubt it will, then I think the Democratic leadership needs to take Dean's advice and "kill the Senate bill."

Now there's no doubt that part of the reason that we're in the position where Lieberman has so much power is that the strategy of how to proceed with the bill was poorly managed by the Senate leadership and some aids in the White House. It is therefore extremely important for some strategic planning to begin immediately on how to proceed with reconciliation. That way Congress can move forward swiftly if the decision is made to kill the bill currently being considered in the Senate.

Could A Councilman Lose His Seat for Being An Atheist

In Asheville, North Carolina, there is a city councilman named Cecil Bothwell who received a lot of opposition from the right wing because he is an atheist. What makes this especially interesting is the fact that the right wing could have some legal points here because Article Six of the state constitution in North Carolina actually states that atheists cannot hold elected office. Of course, this also leads to some bigger questions as that state law is in direct contradiction to the US Constitution.

Since the US Constitution must be followed when their is a contradiction between local and federal law, it's very likely that Bothwell will be able to keep his seat on the council. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how far the right wing goes on the issue and if anything is done to resolve the contradiction between the state constitution and the US Constitution in regards to the issue.

Here's a segment that Rachel Maddow did on the story.

Call to Action: Urge Harry Reid to Stand Up to Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman has been doing whatever he could to prevent Congress from moving forward on real health care reform, so I wasn’t at all surprised when the news broke that he would be joining the Republican filibuster if people aged 55 to 64 were able to purchase Medicare coverage. He’s already announced that he couldn’t support a public option (perhaps even if it included a trigger) and had constantly speaking out against proposals put forth by the Democratic majority, so it simply made sense that he’d likely speak out against the latest compromise since it wasn’t what insurance companies supported. What is truly frustrating, however, is that White House officials apparently have been urging Sen. Harry Reid to make a deal with Lieberman.

I understand that the White House wants to get the legislation passed since Obama has spent a lot of political capital on the issue, but it doesn’t do any good if Congress passes a bill simply for the sake of passing legislation. In fact, making yet another deal with Lieberman could actually do the country some harm because it would take away some of the urgency of needing reform even though we wouldn’t be much better off. On top of that, it would empower Lieberman by showing him that he can get whatever he wants by simply threatening to join a filibuster. Of course by letting him keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee, the White House and Senate leadership has already proven that there won’t be any consequences for Lieberman if he goes against the will of his constituents and the American people in general.

In case you believe that Lieberman is actually trying to stand up for what he believes is right, there is amble evidence that Lieberman has made it clear on several occasions in the last few months that he would support allowing people aged 55 to 64 buy in to Medicare. He expressed his support for the concept during an interview with a newspaper in his home state of Connecticut back in September and apparently had also told Senate leadership that he’d be supporting the move shortly after the deal had been made. His sudden flip flop, however, has definitely made him the center of attention once again and it appears as though some people are ready to give him whatever he wants just to get his vote.

Now Politico is reporting that Harry Reid is so frustrated with Lieberman that he’s a little uneasy following through with the recommendations made by Rahm Emmanuel and others to negotiate with Lieberman. I therefore believe that it is extremely important for people to remind Reid that the American people do not think the Senate should cave in to every demand Lieberman makes. While it is especially important for Nevadans to contact Reid’s office on this issue, everyone can do so by simply calling 202.224.3542. When you call in, politely let his staff know that you support letting people aged 55 to 64 buy into Medicare and that you expect him to support that as the Majority Leader.

UPDATE: Here's the video of Sen. Lieberman talking with a local newspaper about why he supported a Medicare buy in for people age 55-64. Of course, back then that was his reasoning for not supporting the public option. Now that Senate leadership was ready to compromise on the public option, Lieberman has all of a sudden changed decided that he can't support this concept either.

Rally for Marriage Equality Tonight

After voters in Maine narrowly rejected a marriage equality law, there were some pundits who were quick to declare momentum had shifted away from equality. Those pundits are absolutely wrong as more and more people continue to express their support of love and equality. Furthermore, it appears as though there will be a new victory for those who believe in equality because when it meets tomorrow, the DC City Council is likely going to take the second step necessary by passing a marriage equality bill tomorrow. Although it's likely to pass, there will be a rally for marriage equality tonight in downtown DC to show support of the measure.

The DC Council is expected to pass the marriage equality bill a second time tomorrow morning and though Mayor Fenty has pledged to sign the bill into law, we still need as many voices as possible showing support for equality! LGBT people and our allies are excited for a win in this hard fought battle but we need your support TONIGHT.

The rally is set for this evening, Monday, December 14, starting at 7 pm. The Kennedy Recreation Center is located at 1401 7th ST, NW Washington, D.C.

What may not be readily apparent to a lot of people is that Congress will have the ability to reject this bill. That's because all laws passed by the City Council and signed by the Mayor are still subject to a 30 day review period by Congress. Considering the fact that Congress might have to face votes on the Defense of Marriage Act in the near future, it will be very interesting to see if the right wing tries to stir up trouble by combating equality in DC. In addition to the overwhelming majority that the vote is likely to get from the Council, tonight's rally could go a long ways in letting moderate members of Congress know that DC residents support equality. It is therefore very important that there's a good showing at the event tonight.

Falls Church Considers Changing Local Election Date

There are a few jurisdictions in Northern Virginia that have their local elections held in May instead of the traditional election date of November. In races that often don't receive very much media attention to begin with, having the election in May frequently leads to low voter turnout. Furthermore, having addition election days throughout the year can add some extra costs to the local community which is something that many leaders are looking at during these tough financial times.

As the Washington Post points out, those facts are now being taken under consideration as one of those jurisdictions, the City of Falls Church, is now in the middle of a debate about whether or not the elections should be moved from May to November. The City Attorney John Foster, for instance, said that this move could save Falls Church $18,000. On top of that, both supporters and opponents of the move are drawing attention to the fact that moving the election to November will get more people involved in the election as voters will already be heading to the polls to cast their ballots in Congressional races. Supporters point out that it’s a good thing to have more Falls Church residents letting their voice be heard in regards to who represents them on the City Council. Opponents, on the other hand, argue that these voters might not be as knowledgeable about the local issues. The implication of this, of course, is that adding more voters to the process will result in the City Council being filled with members who don’t actually represent the community.

I tend to agree with the supporters of moving the election to November because having more voters involved is a good thing and I strongly disagree with those who imply that adding more voters to the process is a bad thing. More voters casting ballots for City Council very well might result in people who haven’t closely followed the work the Council’s done, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to decide who represents them. After all, if the City Council wants to represent the entire City of Falls Church, then they should be in favor of setting up a process that would encourage as many voters as possible to take part in the process.

Where this becomes somewhat complicated is how to go about making the change. There are some members of the Council who are supposed to face re-election in May. This ultimately means that immediately moving the election to November would extend their terms without giving the voters a say in whether or not they should get that extension. The added length to their terms would somewhat discount of the major points in moving the election date (giving voters more of a say in who serves on the Council). This gets further complicated by the fact that the Council will be making some budget decisions during tough economic times right before the May elections. Some activists believe this is therefore just an attempt of the Council members to add a little distance between the budget debate and election day.

There is a compromise in this, however, that would result in financial savings, increased voter participation, and wouldn’t directly benefit sitting Council members. The change in voting date could be implemented for future elections, but keep the 2010 elections in May. This would help to ensure that Council members wouldn’t be voting for the move just because it benefits their own political fate and would also mean that nobody would get their term extended without the consent of the voting public.

No matter what happens, the decision will have to be made very quickly and it appears as though some decisions in the process might be made as soon as tonight’s City Council meeting.

Webb Hints at Re-Election Campaign By Sending Out His First Fundraising Email

While reminding folks that he's "not a 'Born Fundraiser'," Sen. Jim Webb sent out his first fundraising email since being elected to the United States Senate. He went on to discuss how he didn't enter the 2006 Senate campaign until February of that year and had to come from behind to win the primary and the general election year. He credits the large grassroots support that he had in his campaign for playing such an important role in his election and spells out how he has worked hard in the Senate in order to stay true to the values that inspired so many volunteers to work for him.

The email he sent out states that "the time has come for [Webb] to begin thinking seriously about what it will take if [he'll] decide to run for re-election in 2012." Despite the fact that this rhetoric leaves some room for him to decide not to seek re-election, the overall tone of the email definitely has left me believing that he's going to be running again. I imagine that the purpose of the email (besides the obvious wanting to raise some money for his campaign) is to address some of the speculation about whether or not he would actually seek re-election.

Webb's only half-way through his term and wouldn't be on the ballot again for almost three years, so some people might be questioning why he sent out the email now. In my opinion, the answer to the email's timing is fairly simple. There are several people in the Virginia Democratic Party who would like to run for higher office and the rumors are that Webb's Senate seat might be the next opening. These rumors have come about because Webb's been focusing on several issues that could hurt him during a campaign even though they need to be addressed (like reforming our criminal justice system) and his fundraising numbers have been incredibly low. There's also the plain and simple fact that Webb's known for not enjoying the campaign process.

Since it usually takes a significant chunk of time to build up the campaign and funds necessary to win in a statewide election, any potentially challengers would likely have to start floating the possibility of a candidacy relatively soon. This is especially the case now that we have three freshman Democratic members of Congress who are up for re-election next year and a potential Senate candidate would probably want to enhance their credibility by getting involved in helping them keep their seats. The timing of Webb’s email therefore could be to let his potential replacements on the Democratic side know that he’s not going to be giving up the seat so easily.

Referring to the “Karl-Rove-style politics” that George Allen and the Republican Party used against him in 2006, Webb also made it clear that he knows the Republicans will do whatever it takes to beat him in 2012. Perhaps in an attempt to start rebuilding the grassroots organization that helped him to victory in 2006, he pointed out that the Republicans already have some candidates in mind and are beginning to pull together resources. In order to make sure that he can run another effective campaign while also serving in the US Senate, he therefore wants to get an early jump on the competition so that the Republicans can’t try to use dirty tactics in an attempt to discredit him like they tried to do in 2006. This email can therefore also be viewed as letting the Republicans know that he’s going to continuing fighting for the best interests of Virginia and wants to make sure we have the best representation possible in the US Senate.

There is no doubt that Jim Webb has the respect of so many grassroots activists here in Virginia and his work in the US Senate has also gained him the support of members of the “establishment.” Nonetheless, it still is going to take a lot of money and effort if he wants to keep his seat. When you combine this with the fact that he’s known as someone who doesn’t necessarily enjoy campaigning, I think he’s smart to get things going early for his re-election campaign so that he can build it up gradually. With the fundraising email he sent out this morning, he has taken the first step in starting a campaign that will hopefully focus on his record and stance on the important issues facing Virginians.

Federal Funding Secured for Projects in Virginia's 11th Congressional District

According to a statement I received from Gerry Connolly’s office, the House of Representatives approved an appropriations bill that contained federal funding for several projects in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. The funding, which was sought by Connolly on behalf of his constituents, included $3 million for gang prevention, $3.2 million for Chesapeake Bay restoration, and almost $250 million for infrastructure investments including bridge, highway and pedestrian improvements and money for extending metro to Dulles.

Now anyone who lives in Northern Virginia (or has driven through it for that matter) knows that traffic is extremely bad in the situation and our state government hasn’t been able to come up with any real solutions to the issue in recent years. I’m therefore very pleased to see that Gerry was able to get some federal dollars to be directed towards improving our infrastructure in a manner that will also likely help to ease some of the traffic burden. Of course another added benefit I see from this is that some people in the area will have to be employed to work on these projects – something that is extremely beneficial during these economic times.

For a breakdown of where the funding will be heading, here’s what Gerry’s office sent me:

Connolly said the legislation contains funding for a number of specific transportation projects he and other members of the congressional delegation requested for Northern Virginia. Among the major projects are: $974,000 for the I-95/Fairfax County Parkway interchange in Newington; $584,000 for the Fairfax County Parkway interchange at Fair Lakes; $300,000 to replace the deteriorating bridge over Accotink Creek on Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) in Fairfax City; $584,400 for interchange improvements at Routes 1 and 123 in Woodbridge; $500,000 for sidewalk and street improvements in the Town Haymarket; $150,000 for pedestrian safety enhancements in the Town of Occoquan; and $9.5 million for an access road at Fort Belvoir.

A number of transit projects also were included in the appropriations bill, Connolly said. The Dulles Corridor Metrorail project will receive $85 million in funding under the bill, while another $150 million was approved for capital and preventive maintenance for the Metrorail system. Also approved was $1 million for construction of a western bus maintenance facility in Prince William County for the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, $500,000 for a Richmond highway public transportation initiative in the Route 1 corridor of Fairfax County, and $3 million for rail cars for Virginia Railway Express.

In addition, $3 million in federal funds were approved for the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, a program long-championed by Connolly that has had great success in reducing gang activity across Northern Virginia.

Also approved in the bill were $3.3 million for Chesapeake Bay restoration, $200,000 for the Fairfax Childhelp Center to help combat child abuse, $550,000 for George Mason University’s Center for Infrastructure Protection, and $500,000 for Northern Virginia Community College to develop electronic medical records training to prepare students for new jobs in the health records field.

Connolly said the legislation also contains funding for a number of other projects across Northern Virginia that he requested in the appropriations bill.

Brian Moran Sends Out Fundraising Email for Dave Marsden

As I've repeatedly said, endorsements only help candidates if the person making the endorsement is willing to actually do something for the candidate. Well, here we see that Brian Moran is taking one step in helping Dave Marsden's campaign for state Senate by sending out a fundraising email. Whether or not you supported Brian in the gubernatorial primary, there is no denying that he is a progressive who had a large following because of his hard work on behalf of the working class. He also had a lot of support among the Democratic base here in Northern Virginia, which means that his email might be able to get a few extra volunteers for the Marsden campaign in addition to some donations. Both of these accomplishments would be extremely important in a special election that will have low turnout.

I've heard several members of Marsden's campaign team speak about how the Senate is now the only check on the Republicans and that it's extremely important for us to pick up this seat and increase the Democratic majority. Dick Saslaw even spoke about this at the Democratic State Central Committee meeting down in Staunton over the weekend and joked about how his majority is so slim (it's 21 to 19) that he gets worried if one of his members gets "the sniffles." It therefore wasn't too surprising to see that Brian Moran hinted at this in his email to supporters.

On January 12th, there will be a special election in Fairfax County for the State Senate to replace former Senator Ken Cuccinelli. I am asking you to support Dave’s candidacy, and help us keep the State Senate in Democratic hands.

It is imperative that we win this race. With Bob McDonnell and the Republicans sweeping into office this year, the Senate is now the only check on their right wing agenda. We need and deserve a strong local leader to come through for us on transportation, school funding, and fiscal responsibility.

Dave is ready for the challenge – but he needs your help. He is a strong advocate for transportation solutions, school funding, and sound fiscal policies.

All in all, Brian is absolutely correct in stressing the importance of this race. Considering the fact that redistricting is coming up, the decisions being made in Richmond during this term could have a direct impact on the ability for Virginians to have proper representation for the next ten years. I therefore encourage everyone to do what they can to join Brian Moran and so many others in helping Dave Marsden win on January 12.

Washington Times to Make Major Changes

Growing up in the DC suburbs, I'm well aware of the fact that more conservative families in Northern Virginia often times subscribe to the Washington Times because they view the Post as being "too liberal" (which is rather entertaining since many progressives argue that the Post is too conservative, especially in regards to business related issues). Nonetheless, it appears as though the right wing owners of the Washington Times are running into some difficulties as there are going to be some major cuts in staff and reporting at the paper.

With the announcement that 40 percent of the Times' staff is getting pink-slipped, and that the daily's no longer even going to bother with traditional who/what/where/when/why reporting, instead publishing an opinion-heavy publication that will be free of charge at a diminished number of local outlets, Times owners look like they're angling to be a Weekly Standard wannabe, churning out lots of predictable GOP Noise Machine opinion prattle. (Paging Andrew Breitbart!) What is clear is that the daily's days as a functioning newspaper are now over.

The economic times might have played a role in the diminished capacity of the owner's to actually keep the paper's inability to maintain a staff, but that wouldn't be the whole story. You see, the Washington Times was owned by Rev. Sun Myung Moon who claims that he was visited by Jesus when he was 16 and was told that he had to create an "automatic theocracy to rule the world." The Washington Times was a way to spread his right wing agenda and try to enhance his own power. As the dwindling readership numbers and almost half of the staff being laid off shows, however, he hasn't been too successful in that mission.

If there's any lesson in today's news, it's that starting a paper that tries to brainwash people into helping to create an "automatic theocracy to rule the world" probably won't lead to the most productive business platform.

Sen. Jeff Merkley Announces Health Care Bill of Rights

With the Republicans and insurance companies spending so much money lobbying against health care reform and the tea party folks helping to spread their misinformation, I think a lot of people have lost track of what's really at stake here. That's why I was very pleased to see that Sen. Jeff Merkley unveiled a “Health Care Bill of Rights” that highlights reforms in the health care legislation that put patients first, protect Americans from being denied coverage, and end discrimination in our health care system.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act guarantees Americans will have the right to:

• buy insurance if you have a pre-existing condition
• keep your insurance if you become sick or injured
• health insurance without lifetime limits on coverage
• have affordable insurance if you lose or change your job
• stay on your parents’ insurance until your 26th birthday
• preventive care without extra costs
• fair insurance premiums without discrimination based on gender, health history, family history, or occupation
  

Here's Merkley announcing the Health Care Bill of Rights (a full transcript is in the comment section).

Grassroots Efforts for Marsden Going Strong, Even in the Snow

During the weekend’s events down in Staunton, there was a lot of talk about how we needed to get behind Dave Marsden as we have just a little over a month left before the special election in the 37th Senate district. It appears as though this also wasn’t lost on many of the grassroots activists that didn’t make it down to Staunton as there were over two dozen volunteers who turned out to help spread Marsden’s message throughout the district despite the weekend's snowy weather.

I’ve been canvassing in the snow before on several occasions and while it’s not necessarially the most enjoyable weather to canvass in, I know that the dedication it takes to actually canvass in the snow does impress people who you speak to in the community. Furthermore, there’s usually a higher contact rate since more people are home (NOVA drivers are infamous for not wanting to drive in the snow) so having a lot of canvassers out in the community on these days can really help to get the word out about a campaign.

According to Mark Henson, Dave’s campaign manager, in just a seven day time period the campaign “knocked over 3,000 doors and made over 2,000 phone calls.” It almost always helps to have an effective ground game, but in a special election that will likely have low turnout in a swing district, the ground game is even more important. When you take into consideration the fact that the Republicans won this seat by less than 100 votes in 2007 during a general election, there is no doubt that the number of contacts already made could prove to be useful (though the grassroots support obviously still needs to continue). Based upon the fact that these volunteers were willing to go out in the snow to canvass, I also have a feeling that the campaign will be able to continue having a good volunteer presence.

The Marsden campaign isn’t taking the volunteers for granted, however, and made sure to thank the volunteers for helping the campaign and reminded them of the hard work that must be done if we want to make sure we maintain our top notch public schools, make sure small businesses can create jobs, and address the traffic situation that’s been in desperate need of attention for so many years.

“I'm impressed by and thankful for the hard work put in this weekend by committed supporters across the district," said Marsden. “From Sully to Springfield, Democrats and Republicans care about the same things I care about: fixing our broken government in Richmond and making it work for the people of Fairfax County.”

“Dave’s amazing grassroots support clearly shows that people recognize how important winning this Senate seat is for Fairfax County,” said campaign manager Mark Henson. “They know we need a serious leader fighting for us in Richmond during these tough times, and that Dave Marsden's proven commitment to the people of Fairfax County makes him the obvious choice in this race.”

Video and Analysis of Tim Kaine's Speech at DPVA Meeting

With Sen. Jim Webb and Sen. Mark Warner unable to attend the DPVA Central Committee meeting because the US Senate was busy working on health care reform (good excuse, and they did send video statements), the highlight of the meeting for many people in attendance was the speech that Gov. Tim Kaine gave. Although he’s obviously going to remain very active since he’s the DNC Chair, this weekend’s event was the last quarterly DPVA meeting that would be held while he’s the governor of Virginia. People were therefore very interested in hearing he thoughts on the last few years and how we can move forward after a devastating election last month.

Kaine’s speech had three different major themes which I will touch on (I’ve also divided it up with the youtube segments to match the three themes). The first segment is Kaine’s reflection on how he moved to Virginia in order marry his wife and became a civil rights lawyer, but eventually became involved in politics. He then highlighted some of his personal electoral victories, but focused on how the Democratic Party as a whole has strengthened significantly here in Virginia during the last few years. Kaine mentioned how this can be seen by the fact that we now have a majority in the state Senate, two Democratic US Senators, and a Democratic majority in our delegation to the House of Representatives.



The second portion of the speech focused on the big elephant in the room – the election last November where we lost all three statewide races and lost a net total of six seats in the House of Delegates. For many of the people who I spoke to while in Staunton, this was the portion of the speech people were anxious to hear. While a lot of people were expecting a version of “everything is going to be okay,” there was a real sentiment that it would be nice to hear Kaine or someone else come out and admit that Democrats performed poorly in 2009 and that we needed to take away some concrete lessons from the election.

What we got from Gov. Kaine was something in the middle. He stressed that one of the main reasons we lost was that there was an enthusiasm gap, which he argued was as a result of Republicans being really energized after having lost for several years in a row here in Virginia. While this certainly is true, I think his speech failed to take into consideration the plain and simple fact that part of the enthusiasm gap was a result of candidates running away from Democratic values. Fortunately, there were a lot of people in the crowd who seemed to understand this concept. In casual conversations throughout the weekend, for instance, a lot of people spoke about how we learned that we cannot run as Republican Lite (a frequent phrase during the event) and still expect to rally the base and win elections.



The final portion of Kaine’s speech was very good as he spoke about being Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and what it means to be a Democrat. To help illustrate the point that we need to create policy that looks out for working class families, Kaine spoke about the health care clinic that’s held in Wise County each year. He even pointed out how the event reminded him of the missionary work that he did in Honduras – but this in the United States of America and not one of the poorest countries in the world like Honduras.

Kaine continued by pointing out that with the majority in Congress and the White House, we need to get things done that help to solve problems like the lack of health care that sends so many people to the free clinic in Wise County. It’s his job as DNC job to help the president pass legislation that creates those solutions. This portion was Kaine at his highest and represents what we should be focusing on as Democrats. Although I think he could have been more specific here about how these values need to be actively promoted by our candidates, I sincerely hope that we remember this portion of the speech as we move forward to 2010.

Sunday Morning Talk Show Lineup

I'm still in Staunton (after a quick trip to Charlottesville to watch the UVA University Choir and symphony do their holiday concert) and have a meeting this morning before I'll be heading back up to Northern Virginia. I've already posted several videos from the State Central Committee meeting, but I will be posting video of Gov. Kaine's speech with some analysis either later today or tomorrow morning. Plus tomorrow I'll be writing some reaction to the weekend's events in general.

In the meantime, this morning's political talk shows will largely be focusing on Afghanistan policy. Secretary of Defense Bill Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are making the rounds to talk about the speech that Obama gave on Tuesday and how they are preparing to move forward on that policy.

Meet the Press: Secretary of Defense Bill Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. John McCain

Face the Nation: Secretary of Defense Bill Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

This Week with George Stephanopoulos: Secretary of Defense Bill Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wisconsin)

Fox News Sunday: Gen. David Petraeus, Dick Durbin (D-Ill), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

State of the Union: Gen. Jim Jones (Obama's National Security Adviser), Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), Mitt Romney

Video: Tom Perriello Speaking at DPVA Meeting

Here is Tom Perriello's speech at the DPVA Central Committee meeting. His speech was over 10 minutes, so I had to split it in two segments due to time restrictions on Youtube.

Part 1:



Part 2:

Video: Creigh Deeds Speaking At DPVA Central Committee Meeting

Earlier today I posted video of Steve Shannon's speech at the DPVA Central Committee meeting. Here's video of the short speech that Creigh Deeds gave at the meeting. Also, keep checking back as I'll be posting video throughout the day.

Video: Steve Shannon At DPVA Central Committee Meeting

There's a lot of been a lot of talk here in Staunton, VA at the state central Democratic Committee meeting about the importance of the special election in the 37th Senate District. Almost all of the speakers have touched on it and it's been on the minds of the activists in attendance as we talk about how to move forward.

During his speech, for instance, Steve Shannon even mentioned how he's going to be canvassing in the 3 precincts in the 37th that he's represented in the House of Delegates for the last several terms. With that in mind, here's the video of Shannon's speech.

On the Road: In Staunton Virginia

I'm going to be on the road for the next few days, so blogging will be light over the weekend. However, I'll have plenty to post about in the early part of next week.

I just arrived in Staunton, VA (aka the Queen City), where the Democratic Central Committee will be meeting (the Steering Committee has a meeting tonight and the entire Central Committee is meeting tomorrow). I have some commitments while I'm down here in Staunton and will actually be making a detour to Charlottesville on Saturday evening, but let me know if you'll be attending the Committee meetings or if you're in the Staunton area.

In the mean time, feel free to treat this as an open thread.

Comcast Purchases NBC Universal

After months of negotiations, it appears as though Comcast has finally reached a deal with G.E. and will be purchasing NBC Universal.

The agreement will create a joint venture, with Comcast owning 51 percent and G.E. owning 49 percent. Comcast will contribute to the joint venture its stable of cable channels, which includes Versus, the Golf Channel and E Entertainment, worth about $7.25 billion, and will pay G.E. about $6.5 billion in cash, for a total of $13.75 billion. For now, the network will remain NBC Universal, but ultimately Comcast could decide to change the name.

For the time being, NBC's headquarters will remain in New York and the current head of NBC, Jeff Zucker, will be staying on board with NBC as the chief executive (though he will apparently be reporting to the chief operating officer of Comcast). The overall tones of the announcement also don't give any clues as to whether or not there will be any change in programing philosophy in the immediate future. Since part of the reason that G.E. wanted to sell was the poor ratings and lowered advertising rates, however, I wouldn't be too surprised if we eventually heard about some changes being made in regards to programing.

What will be interesting to watch is what, if any, impact this deal has on the news coverage that is presented on NBC. After all, CNBC and MSNBC are also included in this deal. During its time as the owner of NBC, G.E. always claimed that it stayed out of impacted the news that was reported and there are some people who want to take the Company for its word in that regard. According to various reports, however, it's become clear that that isn't always the case as GE officials have apparently taken steps to influence news coverage on NBC and its affiliates. It will therefore be interesting to see how Comcast attempts to strike a balance between its own corporate interests and NBC's responsibility to provide viewers with information about current events.

Olbermann and Markos Discuss Lack of Substance in Republican Criticisms of Obama's Afghanistan Speech

On MSNBC's Countdown, Keith Olbermann and Markos Moulitsas discussed just how the criticisms that the Republican leaders have of Obama's speech regarding Afghanistan policy. I think this really gets at the point that a lot of people have been making -- debate is a good thing if it's done honestly, but criticizing just because the plan was offered by a member of the opposite party doesn't help our country.

Although Keith and Markos are obviously discussing Afghanistan here, some of the same arguments can be used about the way the Republican leadership has been handling most of the important issues of the day. In regards to health care, for instance, the Republican moan and groan about the public option but they have yet to actually put forward a comprehensive alternative of their own.

I'm glad to see that there are some reporters, such as Keith Olbermann and Chris Mathews, who have been willing to point this out but there still needs to be more attention brought to the lack of solutions being proposed by the Republicans in Congress.

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

Republican Jim Dillard Endorsed Dave Marsden for Senate

In a special election where there won’t be high turnout, endorsements can have a play a bigger role than usual. At the same time, the only way they’ll really have an impact is if the person making the endorsement has a following and is willing to activate his/her base or if the endorsement is somewhat unexpected. Today we see perhaps the first endorsement that meets both of those requirements as former Republican Delegate Jim Dillard has endorsed Dave Marsden’s candidacy for Senate from the 37th District.

In a time when our economy as a whole is struggling, I think it’s extremely important for Virginians to be able to obtain a very strong education. Of course, this means that our elected officials will have to work hard to figure out a way to maintain the high quality of our public schools despite the fact that there will have to be budget cuts. In his statement announcing his candidacy for the state senate, Marsden highlighted the need to invest in our school systems. Dillard, who was a moderate Republican known for his work on education issues, also recognized the dedication Marsden has displayed to our schools and his ability to work in a bipartisan manner to create solutions.

“I'm a Republican, and I'm for Dave Marsden because he is the pragmatic, moderate leader we need for Fairfax County in these tough times," said Dillard. "Dave has shown that he can bring Republicans, Democrats and Independents together to get results and end the petty squabbling down in Richmond - especially when it comes to helping small businesses create jobs, growing our economy, holding the line on taxes and spending, and protecting our world-class public schools."

“In tough times like these, defending education budgets can be challenging, but Dave voted to protect education against billions of dollars of cuts and to support our teachers. I think the choice is clear – I encourage people of all parties to support Dave Marsden for Senate,” said Dillard.

Now that Dillard has endorsed Marsden’s candidacy, it will be very interesting to see if he’s able to convince some Republicans to vote for him in the special election on January 12. I think this is something that could be done as Dave is known as a moderate Democrat and was able to earn a lot of cross-over votes when he was re-elected to the House of Delegates in November.

The timing of this endorsement is also very interesting as it comes the day after Steve Hunt won the Republican nomination in a firehouse primary held at Centreville High School (which, for what it’s worth, is actually outside of the district). Hunt is extremely conservative and during his time on the Fairfax County School Board actually spent a significant amount of time trying to promote his right wing social agenda instead of focusing on making sure our school system remains one of the best in the country. I imagine this wasn’t lost on Dillard and while accepting Dillard’s endorsement today, Marsden definitely made it clear that he’s willing to have the voters compare his record to Hunt’s.

"I am thrilled to accept the endorsement of Delegate Jim Dillard, one of the strongest leaders Fairfax has had. I'm looking forward to finding out whether Steve Hunt agrees with me that we need to get government focusing on helping small businesses create jobs, holding the line on taxes and spending, protecting our schools, and finally addressing our traffic problem or whether he will keep saying more of the same," said Marsden.