Pat Herrity's Hypocrisy Shines Yet Again

As I pointed out in an earlier post regarding his inability to show up to meetings on transportation issues, it appears as though Pat Herrity is once again trying to make campaign promises that are in direct contrast to his own situation as a politician. The latest incarnation comes as he is proposing that Board of Supervisor offices receive a budget cut of 10 to 15 percent. While it is reasonable to assume that there could be some sort of a cut to the budget for these offices (Democratic members of the Board have suggested a 5 percent cut), it becomes obvious that this is purely a political stunt for Herrity as he actually has the highest paid employee.

This isn’t anything new for Herrity as I have been told by several Supervisors and staff members that he is the most partisan Supervisor that they can remember. Fortunately, this time there is someone who is publicly calling Herrity out for his behavior.

"I find it ironic that Herrity threw out that number when he has the highest-paid employee of all of us," McKay said of the proposal. "If I was paying my people what Herrity paid his chief of staff, maybe I wouldn't have a retention issue."

Herrity devoted more than a quarter of his budget -- $117,000 -- to his chief of staff, Dave Foreman, who worked for former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis.

It’s important to note that the issue on hand is Pat Herrity’s hypocrisy regarding budgetary issues, not Foreman’s right to make a living. In other words, Herrity is a hypocrite for spending almost $30,000 more on a single employee than anyone else on the Board at the same time that he’s ranting about government waste in campaign emails and trying to have the highest proposed cuts to the Supervisor offices.

The hypocrisy continued when a blogger who holds an odd personal grudge against several local elected officials (especially the Democrat Herrity would run against if he wins the Republican nomination for Congress in Virginia's 11th CD) tried to excuse Herrity’s behavior by saying that he was being bullied. Seeing an opportunity here, Herrity’s supporters went into the comment section of the post and claimed that we shouldn’t be talking about this because they believed it was “distasteful” to discuss someone’s salary and that we shouldn‘t be attacking Foreman for making a living.

Of course, the Republican response here completely misses the point that this is taxpayer money that is going to paying the salaries in question and they are therefore public information. Unless the Republicans all of a sudden want to change course and say there should be no accountability in how the government spends money, then it is merely hypocritical to claim that this discussion shouldn’t be taking place. Considering how this is especially the case in this situation because they are directly contradicting Pat Herrity’s claim that he’s going to fight government waste, the Republican response is also clearly an attempt to avoid addressing the contradiction between what Herrity does as an elected official and what he says on the campaign trail.

Cuccinelli Finds His Job "Pretty Boring" When He's Not Wasting Taxpayer Money on Frivolous Lawsuits

Most people who knew Ken Cuccinelli (or had at least followed his career in public office) before he ran for Attorney General were well aware of the fact that his politics were to the far right. When he started running for AG, we even warned that he would be promoting an extremist agenda that could do some harm to Virginia. Nonetheless, he was elected by a rather hefty margin after he was able to convince the public that he wasn’t as extreme as his politics would suggest. As he’s now telling colleges they have no right to prevent discrimination, wasting tax payer money on a lawsuit against allowing people to have access to affordable health care, and wasting even more money on another lawsuit because he doesn’t like that the EPA was using science as the basis for a law, Cuccinelli has gone a long ways to proving that he is indeed an extremist that will be setting Virginia back decades if he’s successful.

As he’s working on doing a significant amount of damage to our Commonwealth, Cuccinelli actually seems to be rather proud of the fact that he’s turned the AG’s office into a law firm that promotes his own political agenda instead of one that stands up for the public. During a speech in Lynchburg, for instance, the News Advance reports he said that his job has “been pretty boring” besides the actions that promote his partisan agenda.

Cuccinelli spent more than an hour explaining to about 100 chamber members that he was “on the right side” on three high-profile issues: a suit that challenges the EPA over scientific data that was used in its greenhouse-gases finding; another lawsuit that says the federal health-care bill is unconstitutional; and a letter in which he advised colleges that they can’t legally designate sexual orientation as a protected class.

Other than those issues, his 2 ½ months in office “have been pretty boring,” Cuccinelli said, as the audience in Liberty University Law School’s Supreme Court room chuckled.

In other words, he finds the important public safety aspects of the AG's office to be "pretty boring." Now there were a lot of people who warned about how Cuccinelli wasn't the best candidate if you wanted someone who would actually work on issues that could actually improve the lives of Virginians and keep them safe. During the campaign, for instance, we even saw clear evidence of how he might ignore these issues because Cuccinelli constantly mocked the fact that Steve Shannon focused on his background as a prosecutor and his desire to fight public corruption, prosecute internet predators, and be a consumer advocate.

What makes the situation even worse is that in addition to joking about how his job is "boring" when he's not wasting taxpayer money on frivolous lawsuits, he doesn't seem to care about how the vast majority of his constituents disagree with his actions. Del. Scott Surovell, for instance, tweeted about how he told Cuccinelli that "95% constituent feedback [regarding the healthcare lawsuit] was extremely negative" and that Cuccinelli responded by suggesting that there's "an election in 3.5 years and they should vote." This essentially means that Cuccinelli not only finds public service "pretty boring" unless it means promoting an extremist agenda, but doesn't care what his constituents think about his actions. I don't know about you, but that's not the type of leadership that I expect from my elected officials.

Krystal Ball Wins Democratic Nomination in the 1st CD

There has been a lot of energy surrounding Krystal Ball's campaign for Congress in Virginia's 1st Congressional District because so many people realize that she's a strong progressive who isn't afraid of standing up for her beliefs. This energy has resulted in her dominating the caucuses and sweeping the delegate totals at many of them. After sweeping yet another caucus over the weekend, it became mathematically impossible for her opponent, Scott Robinson, to win enough delegates at the remaining caucuses to secure the nomination. With that in mind, he issued a statement yesterday conceding

When we started this campaign seven months ago, I had just retired from a 25-year career in the United States Army and was attempting to catch up to my would be opponents by building a political operation from scratch. The factors surrounding that short amount of time proved to be a daunting task. That is why I will be changing directions and am putting aside my aspirations to serve in Congress for now.

I wanted to send you this note so that you would be the first to know of my decision and also be the very first to know how much you meant to me during this campaign. Your support, your financial contributions and most of all, your friendship have made this transition from the military to the political arena much more meaningful.

I'm pleased to see that Robinson made the decision to drop out of the race in a respectable manner because I do believe that he can have a role to play in the political process in the future. After all, he has already served in uniform for over two decades and could potentially help our country on national security issues.

There is one thing I want to draw attention to, however, because I take issue with how his email casts both Krystal Ball and the Republican incumbent in the same boat of having an advantage in terms of a "political operation." While it is indeed true that they both were further along that Robinson was in his campaign, it would be wrong to lump both Krystal Ball and Rob Wittman into the same category. I say this because Krystal has indeed gone through great efforts to build up her base of support through grassroots organizing and inspiring her potential constituents, which is a major reason that she was able to sweep so many of the caucuses. Wittman, on the other hand, got into Congress during a low turnout special election that hardly anyone was paying attention to and has now secured the backing of the entrenched Republican establishment. The grassroots support of Krystal's campaign that involves so many local community members therefore is drastically different from the RNC backed campaign of Rob Wittman.

All that being said, I'm very pleased to see how the residents of Virginia's 1st Congressional District are rallying behind Krystal's candidacy. The 1st CD is going to be a tough race for Democrats to win, but a strong grassroots effort like the one Krystal is putting together could make this a competitive race come November.

Grassroots Movement Growing to Save Bus Routes in Fairfax County

When I was in college I worked for a non-profit opera company that was based in downtown DC (it was actually just a couple of blocks away from the Verizon Center). Even though I used public transportation, it was still a relatively long commute going downtown from the Centreville area. During one of the summers I worked there, I even used the bus system to get to the closest Metro station (which is Vienna in my case). What made that interesting was the closest bus stop to my house was over two miles away, which meant I usually got a ride to the bus stop in the morning and then would walk home in the evening. Although the walk did provide some good exercise, I think it also goes to show how even then the public bus system in Fairfax wasn’t a very convenient option to use (not everyone can get a ride and it's not an easy walk in work clothes).

Unfortunately, it looks like it’s going to be even more incontinent for people in Fairfax County who might want to utilize the public transportation system in our region. In addition to cutting Sunday service, the number of late night routes (which impacts people who work long hours or jobs that aren’t in a traditional 9 to 5 setting), an increasing fares, there are now proposals to cut seven different bus routes. Since these proposals aren’t set in stone, however, there has been a grassroots movement of people speaking out against the potential changes that was started by a woman named Deloris Bailey after she heard that the bus route she uses was going to be cut. As the Washington Post points out, she’s been working hard to make sure the public is aware of these changes.

Now, what started as a few e-mail exchanges among concerned riders has grown into a movement to save the Dulles corridor buses. Bailey created a Web site and Facebook group to help promote discussion. She also organized an online petition that has more than 250 signatures. She distributes fliers on the bus when commuting to and from work.

"It basically got started on the bus," Bailey said about the effort. "There's no meetings. There's no officers."

Her goal is to spread the word and make sure affected riders attend public hearings scheduled for April 6 through April 8 on the budget cuts. Bailey said she has spoken to several Fairfax officials, who told her to bring as many people to the hearings as she could to help get her message across.

In my experience, the online organizing can definitely have an impact on the members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to some degree. It’s having community members attend the public hearings and write letters to their individual Supervisors that truly have the most impact on potential decisions though. That is why I’m extremely pleased to see that Deloris is making sure that people know about the upcoming hearings. With that being said, if you can’t make it to the hearings but you care about easing the burden on our congested roads and allowing people to have an affordable and convenient way to get to work, then I encourage you to the very least sign onto the petition that Deloris started.

Tim Kaine on Michael Steele's Refusal to Sign Statement Condeming Dangerous Rhetoric

I think this really says something about the difference between the leadership of the two major political parties. In a time when Tim Kaine and other Democratic leaders are trying to speak out against dangerous rhetoric, he reached out to Michael Steele about putting out a joint statement condemning hateful speech. Steele refused to sign onto the letter and then sent out a press release blasting the Democrats for fanning the flames of violence (even though it's Republican members of Congress who have been associating with people using violence and are shouting out things like "baby killer" on the floor of the House), which I think says a whole lot about the GOP priorities. That is a real shame because we need members of both parties to stand up and make it clear that we can disagree without being disagreeable.

GOP Spokesman Condones Violence Against Perriello's Family

There has been a lot of talk about the hate and extremist rhetoric that has come out of some Tea Party members and the potential violence it might create. While there have been some people who might want to defend the rhetoric used by some Tea Party activists, even some of the officials supported by the tea party have tried to distance themselves from the threats and violence committed against Tom Perriello and his family. As Lowell points out, this includes Ken Cuccinelli and Bob McDonnell.

In the past 24 hours, several Republicans - Ken Cuccinelli, Bob McDonnell, Lawrence Verga, etc. - have condemned acts of violence or threats of violence against Tom Perriello. For instance, Verga says, "If you disagree with him then don't vote for him in November, but promoting and/or committing any act of violence toward him or his family should not and will not be tolerated." Cuccinelli called the posting of Perriello's brother's address, "appalling," adding, "I think that is way over the line. I don't think it's even close." And Bob McDonnell chimed in as well: "I certainly condemn anybody using any acts of vandalism or violence to express their opinion...That's not the way we do business in Virginia."

Although I definitely disagree with how Cuccinelli and McDonnell have been trying to empower the tea party in the past, I'll give them credit for standing up against violence as a part of the political debate. I also hope that they'll step up their effort on this front by trying to stamp out the extremist rhetoric that's being used and refuse to associate with the tea party when it promotes hatred in the future.

With that being said, it appears as though there are a some folks in the GOP leadership who aren't interested in doing that. In an article on the backlash the Tea Party has launched against Tom Perriello due to his support of health care reform, the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Sere was quoted suggesting that this type of violence was inevitable and that Perriello wasn't a victim.

"Central and Southside Virginians are the ones who are going to have the bear the burden of increased taxes," he said. "What you're seeing is a frustration among his constituents who believe he's not listening to them."

This is extremely disturbing on many fronts. Not only is a Republican Party spokesman essentially condoning violence against an innocent person (Perriello's family in this case), but he's actually trying to use that violence to score political points. That type of behavior isn't acceptable when it's use by extremists in the Tea Party and it certainly isn't acceptable for a leader in the GOP. As Lowell points out, this means that Republican elected officials and party leaders have a very clear choice. They can join with the vast majority of Americans and "unequivocally condemn violence and incitement to violence" or they can "condone it and end up with blood on [their] hands." In the past these so called leaders have tried to attach themselves to the dangerous rhetoric promoted by the tea party but, after we have received a glimpse of what that rhetoric can lead to, most reasonable people now agree they now have a responsibility to help put an end to that dangerous and violent type of activity.

Sharp Contrast Between Cuccinelli and True Leaders at State Level

While Virginia's Attorney General is moving forward with a frivolous lawsuit trying to overturn health care reform with the full support of Gov. Bob McDonnell, the majority of governors realize the importance of this legislation and believe it's in the best interests of their constituents. After President Obama signed the bill yesterday, the Democratic Governor's Association issued a statement expressing its support of health insurance reform.

“Today’s historic signing is a victory for the millions of working families and small businesses in our states. We applaud President Obama and the leaders in Congress who demonstrated the courage of their convictions to make this day a reality,” Governor Markell said. “Our Governors are fully focused on creating new and better jobs in our states. Health care is very much an economic issue. So many of our middle class families and small business owners have told us that years of rapidly rising costs for health care premiums have been major obstacles to their economic growth. This bill helps unleash their economic potential.”

“Seven presidents tried to reform health care and President Obama finally led us to a solution,” Governor O’Malley said. “In each of our states, we can now build on our existing efforts to expand health care reform, control costs and put Americans back in charge of their health care decisions. These historic reforms signal our party’s commitment to all Americans that we will stand up for them, we will make life better for the middle class and we will fight to put this country back on strong economic footing.”

So despite the fact that Ken Cuccinelli is willing to waste taxpayer money while trying to overturn a crucial piece of legislation, there are other statewide elected officials who realize the importance of standing up for the American public. While recent events have help to prove just how out of touch with reality Cuccinelli and McDonnell are, the contrast between Cuccinelli's response to the passage of health insurance reform and that of state leaders like Gov. O'Malley and Gov. Markell shows how his actions are outside of the mainstream. When you consider that we just had to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from our education budget and billions from other programs, Cuccinelli's extremist agenda not only goes outside of the mainstream but is actually detrimental to Virginia (the funds spent on this frivolous lawsuit would be better utilized on things such as funding our schools during these tough economic times).

Unfortunately, Virginians will have to deal with this for the next four years as Cuccinelli appears content on continuing these types of actions. Perhaps someone should let Gov. McDonnell know that instead of supporting his Attorney General, he should point out how Cuccinelli's behavior actually represents that type of action that is "detrimental to the family." Somehow I don't think that'll happen though.

Krystal Ball Puts Out New Campaign Video

I put up a post yesterday which highlighted how Krystal Ball had been endorsed by the Progressive Change Committee. For those of you who might not know much about Krystal, here's a brief video that the campaign put out yesterday that gives some background information. You can also read the interview that Lowell put up on Blue Virginia.

Photo Slideshow From Immigration Reform March on the National Mall

I was down on the National Mall yesterday to take part in the march for immigration reform. I'll be putting up a write up of the event tomorrow, but here are some photos that I took while there. As I was in the middle of the crowd I didn't really get any shoots that truly show how huge the crowd was, but I'd say there was about 200,000 people who all brought a positive message with them and spoke about how great America truly is. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Progressive Change Campaign Committee Endorses Krystal Ball

Although we have plenty to celebrate after Congress has stood up to health insurance companies by passing reform legislation, there is still a lot of work left to do. That is why the Progressive Change Campaign Committee is already looking at candidates to support in the 2010 elections and this morning they sent out an email announcing that they support Krystal Ball in Virginia's 1st Congressional District. Following up on last night's historic vote, the PCC highlighted how Krystal supports the public option and would sign on as a co-sponsor to Alan Grayson's "Medicare You Can Buy Into Act" if she were elected.

It's also worth noting that this endorsement comes before the primary is even over. This is worth paying attention to because it makes it clear that the Progressive Change Campaign Committee isn't just interested in endorsing whichever candidate receives the Democratic nomination, but wants to support candidates that are interested in truly standing up for the best interests of their potential constituents.

In the email announcement, the PCCC also announced that it would be having staffers work in the 1st CD to help highlight why Krystal should be elected to Congress. Since an effective ground game will be crucial in Krystal's attempt to defeat an incumbent Republican in slightly Republican leaning district, having extra staff out in the field will most definitely be useful. Plus, when you combine that with the fact that Krystal was in the first pair of candidates the organization endorsed, I think this also shows that the Progressive Change Campaign Committee really wants to see Krystal elected and is going to do much more than just send out an email or two.

Gerry Connolly's Statement on Passage of Health Care Reform

By now you are probably all aware of the fact that the House of Representatives stood up to health insurance companies and passed health insurance reform. After listening to what his constituents had to say about the bill, Rep. Gerry Connolly was joined the majority by supporting reform. After last night's final vote took place, he released the following statement.

“Tonight, the Congress made history by sending to the President landmark legislation that will better the lives of tens of millions of American families and tens of thousands of families in Northern Virginia.

“After more than a year’s work, we have fulfilled a promise I made to my constituents. This is not a new concept or a new process. For more than 100 years, since the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt, Democratic and Republican presidents and Congresses have attempted to enact meaningful health care reform in this country. Tonight, we succeeded.

“The Passage of this reform legislation will stop insurance company abuses, rein in health care costs for families and small businesses, strengthen and guarantee the solvency of Medicare for our seniors, reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion, retain access to doctors and health plans, and expand quality health care to more than 30 million Americans.

“This legislation rivals the passage of the Social Security and Medicare laws in terms of how it will improve the lives of all Americans and for future generations. For 30 million Americans who lack health insurance and for the 14,000 Americans who lose their health insurance each day, this was a life-changing, and sometimes lifesaving, vote.

“Tonight the U.S. House of Representatives put principle above politics. This was not an easy vote, but it was the right vote for the 11th Congressional District of Virginia and our nation.”

Gerry Connolly to Vote Yes On Health Care Reform

We received some excellent news today as Gerry Connolly announced that he will be voting for the health insurance reform bill that is coming up for a vote tomorrow. Based upon conversations I've had with Gerry and speeches that I've heard him give, I knew he strongly believed that we needed health insurance reform but that he was struggling with certain aspects of the bill. As the old saying goes, however, you can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Although you can see Connolly's full statement, including a long list of some of the bill's benefits, on his website, here's a portion that's worth paying attention to if you live in the 11th.

In the 11th Congressional District of Virginia, Connolly said the legislation will: lower premiums by 14 to 20 percent for the self-employed and others who purchase their own insurance, provide tax credits and other assistance to help 87,000 families and 16,800 small businesses afford coverage, and protect more than 1,400 families from medical bankruptcy in the next year alone.

“These are meaningful reforms for which Democrats, Republicans, and the American people can be proud,” he said. “Contrary to what some might contend, this is a bipartisan bill. The House and Senate bills include distinct Republican ideas and amendments. In fact, 147 of them are in the bill before us today. But rather than engage in a rational, thoughtful debate on this complex and critical reform, the organized opposition has preyed on the public’s fear and anxiety and repeatedly fallen back on bumper-sticker slogans.”

“Right now, 14,000 Americans lose their health care coverage each day because of out-of-control costs. We cannot afford to delay any longer,” Connolly said.

Now Pat Herrity and Keith Fimian have been trying to reach out to the Tea Party and sending out emails that call Gerry names (Pat Herrity seems to like calling him Gerry Pelosi), but they don't actually take the time to propose their own ideas or do anything except promote the falsehoods spread by the Tea Party folks. As the video below shows, this shouldn't be too surprising as it's pretty clear that Pat Herrity, Keith Fimian, and their GOP allies on the Hill haven't been doing much to actually give their supporters facts (probably because the facts simply aren't there to support their arguments). This is in direct contrast to the fact that Gerry Connolly and other Democrats on the Hill have been taking the time to hold town halls and communicate with the public about the facts of the legislation.

Jeff Barnett Introduces Himself By Asking For Money

Like many people who are involved in the political process, I get tons of emails everyday and many of them are simply emails sent out to their lists either asking for money or some sort of other action. A candidate that has a good communications team in place will send out emails every now and then that simply provide updates on the campaign. Some campaigns even try to use their lists to send out information to their supporters before it makes the info available to the general public (a prime example of this is how the Obama campaign had people sign up to receive a text message announcing who his VP pick would be prior to it being announced). Although the finance shop in some campaigns would like the list to be utilized almost like an ATM and constantly send out requests for donations, I strongly believe that in the early stages of a campaign the list can be more valuable in getting information out about a candidate and including bits and pieces about how people can also get more information.

It appears as though someone on Jeff Barnett’s campaign didn't think of this concept as he sent out an email with the subject line “Please allow me to introduce myself.” When I saw this, I was expecting a good email that included some of his positions on the key issues facing the 10th and perhaps some information about his own background. Now he did point out that he was a 26 year veteran and that he’d lived in Northern Virginia with his wife for a number of years, but what struck me as odd was that while he didn’t lay out how his background qualified him to work on these topics while trying “to introduce” himself, he did manage to ask for money three times. That’s not sticking with the spirit of trying to use an email list to truly interact with grassroots supporters.I have enough commonsense to know that email lists are designed to spur people into action. Heck, I’ve even advised campaigns on how to use their email lists more efficiently in the heat of campaign season. The email the Barnett campaign sent out suggests that they are placing more emphasis on trying to get money out of the people on the list rather than actually giving them information and trying to engage them on the grassroots level. This doesn’t rule out the possibility that the campaign might change it’s focus later in the campaign, but it definitely isn’t a great way to make an introduction.

As someone who has knocked on thousands of doors and made thousands of phone calls into the 10th Congressional District in support of various candidates, I know first hand that it will take a large grassroots effort to defeat Frank Wolf in November. While I’ve seen Rich Anthony spending the time reaching out to the grassroots and expressing an interest in getting more people involved in the political process, I haven’t see the same enthusiasm so far from Barnett. Although I haven’t made an endorsement in this race, this has raised some concerns for me about Barnett’s chances of winning and the style of leadership he would show if elected to Congress. So while people might try to dismiss this as one email, I think it really represents a much bigger picture that I’m seeing from his campaign.

Annual Neighborhood Tradition Brings Reminders of Spring and Lessons for Elected Officials

As I was out for a walk yesterday enjoying the wonderful weather that we’ve had lately, I walked by Centreville High School and got yet another reminder that it’s spring time. You see, every year Centreville High School has a mulch sale in order to raise money for the school. The mulch always gets dropped off in the school parking lot on a Friday so that groups of students and parents can use the weekend to deliver it. Thinking back on my days at Centreville, this was actually an enjoyable (but exhausting) ritual as the members Senior class all came together to deliver the mulch. Even as people are tired and dirty after loading and unloading the heavy bags all day, everyone still had friendly competitions to see who could lift the most or finish their truck the fastest.

It’s also a great way for the community to support the school and a lot of families get their mulch through the program so they can do just that. I think this is a concept that is important for everyone to remember as our localities are moving forward with discussions about their local budgets. When it comes to things like our schools, the vast majority of people believe we should support our public schools and are generally willing to do their part to help make sure our schools succeed. After all, Vivian Paige was correct when she pointed out that even people who don’t have students in the public schools have a financial interest in making sure that our schools are successful.

I bring this up merely as a reminder that our elected officials should come together and work hard on the issues that would benefit the community. If our officials decide to put community leadership above their own partisan agenda, after all, we’d see a lot more solutions on important issues like health care reform and our public schools. So while I don’t expect everyone to come together like the folks in the Little Rocky Run neighborhood do every year around the CHS mulch sale, I sure do hope that some of our local leaders take that spirit into consideration as the debate moves forward on local budgets.

Video of Obama Speaking At George Mason About Health Care Reform

For those of you who weren't able to see Obama's speech in person earlier today at George Mason, here's the video. Also don't forget to read my post about the event and check out some of Kenton Ngo's photos.

My Reaction to Obama Speaking at GMU Today

As the House of Representatives is preparing to move forward on a vote this Sunday, President Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of almost 10,000 people about the current state of health care reform. Although I saw Keith Fimian outside talking to a small crowd of Tea Party folks (Pat Herrity was supposedly there catering to them too), it was very clear that the vast majority of people in attendance were supportive of health care reform. What was also extremely telling to me was that the tea party folks were waiving signs equating health care reform to socialism, displaying posters of aborted fetuses, or claiming that Obama was trying to have the government take over everything. The fact that the tea party activists were so clearly trying to take attention away from what’s really in the bill makes it obvious that they don‘t want people focusing on what‘s actually in the legislation.

Besides the few tea party people there and the Republican candidates trying to get their votes, the people who came out to George Mason this morning were genuinely interested in hearing what the president had to say about health care reform. As I was walking to the Patriot Center, for instance, I spoke with one mother who had brought along her four year old daughter. She had voted for McCain and considered herself a Republican, but she also spoke about how she strongly supported holding insurance companies accountable. So while she disagreed with some aspects of the bill, she was eager to see Congress actually pass this legislation and wanted to provide her daughter with an example of how you can put your differences aside in order to do what’s good for the general public. When I asked her if she could have taught her daughter that by joining the Tea Party, she responded by saying “I’m taking her to hear a civil discussion, not hear people scream lies and obscenities.”

Once I was inside, I spoke with a med student from George Washington University who had come to show her support for health care reform. She spoke about how she decided to go to med school so that she could help people -- especially children (she wants to be a pediatrician). In her view, on the biggest struggles that is facing the medical community right now is the fact that health insurance companies frequently get in the way of treating patients either by refusing to cover critical procedures, not always covering important preventative care, or by simply getting in the way of the doctor/patient relationship. In her opinion, the legislation currently being considered by Congress might not solve everything but it would most definitely be a step in the right direction.

Another person I spoke to was working on his master’s degree at Mason and wants to be a teacher once he finishes. He spoke about how he was forced off his parents plan when he turned 23 and was now paying a “ton of money” for a plan that only covers him if he has “to go to the hospital or get some sort of other catastrophic care.” He was very pleased when Obama addressed this issue during his speech because, as Obama put it, the last thing you should have to worry about when you’re first starting out is whether or not you’ll go broke just because you get sick.

Getting down to what was said during his speech, much of what he said has already been discussed in one form or another. The setting of a college campus and the large number of younger people in the crowd, however, made it obvious that Obama was hoping to primarily reach out to people in their 20’s with this speech. He started out by highlighting how the last time he was on GMU’s campus, it was the beginning of his presidential campaign and people had “counted us out before we even started.” In the end, however, it became obvious that the American people didn’t want more of the same from Washington and voted for change. Of course, one of the changes that people wanted was to see health insurance reform implemented after presidents from both parties had been trying to do just that since Republican Teddy Roosevelt was in office.

On the issue of funding, he mentioned that the bill would cost about $100 billion a year. When a woman in the crowd shouted out “that’s okay,” he spoke about how it’s only okay because they are going to pay for it by doing things such as cutting down on some of the inefficiencies that are currently in the health care system. For instance, there are some programs currently in place that give subsidies to the health insurance companies. Doing away with those subsidies and putting them towards actually providing coverage to the American people will prove very beneficial. There are also some ways to save money by using technology in a way that prevents unnecessary tests. An example Obama used was using electronic communication to share test results instead of doctors 5 different tests that give them same result. When you combine these with other cost saving measures, the CBO has proposed that there will a reduction in the deficit of over $1 trillion in the next two decades. In other words, this is something that will not only allow more people to have access to quality health care but will also ease some concerns of people who are worried about the deficit. The crowd wholeheartedly agreed when Obama therefore concluded that “not only can we afford to do this, but we can’t afford not to.”

Turning to the political aspect of the discussion over health care reform, Obama pointed out how he thinks the media coverage in Washington sometimes make it sound like the health care debate is some sporting even being covered on Sports Center. In a slight jab at opponents of reform, he pointed out how all the “nay-sayers” also claimed that Social Security would lead to socialism even though it’s a program that has saved millions of people from living in poverty. To all the people who suggest that we start over and just pass the legislation incrementally, he pointed out that the time for reform is now. We’ve been struggling to have reform implemented for over a century and the American public should no longer be forced to wait.

A prime example of the need for reform now is a story he told about a single he met in Pennsylvania whose insurance company informed her that her rates were going to be doubled. This meant that she was being forced between helping her daughter get through college or having health insurance. In a time when the costs of both are skyrocketing, there were many people in the Patriot Center who were forced to deal with similar circumstances. It’s situations like the one facing that family that truly draw attention to why we need health insurance reform and the energy in the room was clearly behind reform because the positive response to Obama’s speech was the loudest I’ve ever heard the Patriot Center. As members of Congress have just a few days left to make up their minds regarding the health reform bill, the public support for the legislation that was on display today illustrates how the American people want Congress to stand up to insurance companies and help make sure everyone has access to affordable health care.

Rachel Maddow Calls Out Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli

Rachel Maddow called out Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli for pushing an extreme right agenda despite promising during the campaign that they'd govern from the center.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jay O'Brien Will Seek Rematch Against George Barker in the 39th Senate District

In 2007 George Barker earned the nickname "21" by defeating Jay O'Brien in an extremely close race in the 39th Senate district and giving the Democrats the majority in the state Senate. Even in the immediate aftermath of the election, the word on the street was that O'Brien would be running for political office again in the future. There were even some rumors that he'd consider running for statewide office, but he decided not to run after Bill Bolling declared his intention to run for reelection. So with his desires to move up to higher office essentially quashed, it now appears as though he's decided he wants his old seat back in the state Senate. According to Inside Nova, O'Brien just declared his intention to run for the seat in 2011.

Before he gets his rematch with Barker, however, he will likely have to defeat fellow Republican Scott Martin in a primary. Martin is an assistant dean a George Mason and actually ran for the Fairfax County School Board in 2003 but had a very poor showing. Given the fact that O'Brien still has a following in Republican circles and has run successful campaigns in the past, O'Brien has to be the early favorite in the Republican primary. Since that actual contest will be taking place in over a year from now, however, you never know what could happen. With that being said, I imagine George Barker is looking forward to possibility of facing Jay O'Brien again in 2011.

Video and Analysis of Gerry Connolly's Campaign Kickoff

Gerry Connolly’s annual St. Patrick’s Day event has grown from a small gathering that was held in his home during the 90’s to a great event that brings Northern Virginia residents together to enjoy a festive occasion. This year was no different as at least 1,000 people came out to show their support for Gerry Connolly as he officially announced he was running for reelection. What I think is important to note here is that the crowd was extremely diverse group of people who were truly united behind Gerry’s candidacy and were eager to do what they could to help him win another term in Congress. This solidarity and support for Gerry’s campaign should definitely be viewed as a good thing for his candidacy because it shows the support that he has obtained from all across the 11th District, but last night’s event was also in sharp contrast to the events that were held by the two Republican candidates fighting for the right to run against him in November.

Pat Herrity appears to have liked Gerry’s idea of having a St. Patrick’s Day party so much that he held a St. Patrick’s Day party at the Springfield Country Club on Tuesday evening (yes, he couldn’t even manage to hold his St. Patrick’s Day party on St. Patrick’s Day). There has been some controversy in the number of people who attended the event as the independent reports all suggested that only 250 or less could manage to come out to the event, but Herrity’s campaign didn’t quite like these numbers so they sent out an updated number of 400. That move reeks of Herrity trying to compensate for the relatively low attendance, but I’ll be extremely generous and split the difference and say there might have been 325 people there.

Keith Fimian also recently held his kickoff in Fairfax at Brion’s Grille, which is an establishment right across the street from GMU and was a student hangout when I was at Mason. Fimian’s kickoff event there might have reached a crowd of 100 people. From what I’ve heard, however, even that is stretching it. Nonetheless, video from the event shows that he decided to use the event as an opportunity to not only go after the Democrats but to bash his opponent in the Republican primary (Herrity) as well. What this means is that I was absolutely correct when I wrote a post suggesting that this was going to be a bloody Republican primary. Not only are the candidates and their supporters attacking one another, but the low turnout at the campaign kickoffs for the Republicans also suggests that there’s not too much excitement about their campaigns. After all, even if you combine the number of people at both of the Republican events, they still weren’t even half the size of the event Gerry Connolly had last night.

So while the Republicans are obviously divided about how they want to move forward in the 11th and aren’t showing up to events in large numbers, Gerry is attracting a lot of people to his campaign who are clearly energized and looking forward to participating in grassroots action in support of his candidacy. The passion of his supporters wasn’t only apparent in conversations that I had with people who were there (one of whom told me it took him almost 15 minutes to even find a parking space because the lot was so full), but it was obvious that they really liked what he had to say during his speech. After making his way through the crowd and taking the time to speak with as many people as possible, Gerry spoke about how he’s been working hard to get things done on issues such as equal pay for women, extend SCHIP coverage for children, and the need for health care reform.

For those of you who are interested, I have posted video of Gerry’s speech below. What I think is worth taking away from this event, however, is just how passionate people were about doing their part to make sure Gerry was reelected. This was exciting for me to see because there were so many people at this event who aren’t heavily involved in the political process, but still felt strongly enough about this campaign to come out to the event and show their support for Connolly’s candidacy. In a year when the pundits claim it’ll going to be tough for incumbents, I think the grassroots support that was visible at this event will go a long ways in helping Gerry secure a second term in the House of Representatives.

Keith Fimian Gets Caught Trying to Blantantly Mislead the Public

We’ve already seen how even Republicans don't like how Keith Fimian threw "a temper tantrum" when Pat Herrity ruined his plan to have a clear path to the Republican nomination, but now it appears as though he’s once again trying to blatantly mislead the public in order to gain support. As Roz points out in a post earlier today on the Washington Post’s blog, Fimian accused Gerry of pursuing earmarks instead of being concerned about the deficit.

The ad works on a pig theme and accuses Connolly of going after earmarks at a time when the national debt is rising. Pretty standard political stuff.

But then, the radio narrator tells you this: "Gerry Connolly says, quote, 'I want to be there with all four paws and snout in the trough.' "

The problem is, the quote is taken completely out of context in hopes that nobody would take the time to investigate what Gerry was really talking about. As Roz points out, Gerry was actually going after Eric Cantor hypocritically attacking the stimulus on the national political scene while bragging to his constituents about how it will do a whole lot of good for the local community.

[Gerry] was making a point about Republican Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who he accused of touting dollars for his district after campaigning against the stimulus plan. Here was the full quote from Connolly:

"You can't have it both ways. You can't on the national stage say this is a bad bill ... but when it comes to my district I want a big chunk of that money. I want to be there with all four paws and snout in the trough."

Now it’s rather obvious that Fimian didn’t want people to actually look at the source of this quote because it really highlights how hypocritical Eric Cantor can be. That hypocrisy isn’t something Fimian would want to receive a lot of attention because his campaign is constantly highlighting how Cantor is supporting his candidacy. Fimian had even more motivation to hide the true context of the quote because Cantor is a member of the GOP’s leadership in the House of Representatives, which means the hypocritical GOP whip is someone who Fimian would be looking to for advice in Congress. Furthermore, Cantor's position in the leadership means that drawing attention to the real quote wouldn’t win Fimian many friends from the Republican house membership and he’s hoping they'll help willing to help him during the campaign.

Considering all the negatives that could result from people hearing the full story surrounding what Gerry said and the fact that Fimian did his best to hide the real context, the only reasonable conclusion we can come to is that Fimian hoped nobody would actually investigate the quote that was used in the radio ad. In other words, he hoped he could blatantly mislead the public and get away with it in order to gain a few votes. If he’s already unwilling to be straightforward with the public when his actions don’t necessarily have an impact on our lives, how are we supposed to trust that he’ll make the right decisions if he’s elected to Congress. Hint: We can’t.

This Explains Cuccinelli's Hypothetical: Barack Obama is Irish!

I guess the reason Cuccinelli was able to claim he was only answering "a hypothetical legal question" was because he thinks Obama was born in Ireland -- not Kenya like his he was recorded suggesting in an interview.



Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Obama to Speak At GMU About Health Care Reform on Friday

There are a number of events this week (including Gerry Connolly's famous St. Patrick's Day event tonight), but there's been a lot of discussion about how President Obama will be speaking about health care reform at George Mason's Patriot Center on Friday. The doors will open at 9am with the actual program scheduled to begin at 11:30, but anyone who has been to a presidential event knows that you have to get there early.

This isn't the first time that Obama's been to GMU. He was there in February of 2007, about a week before he actually launched his presidential campaign and spoke to thousands of students who lined the halls of the Johnson Center (Mason's primary student union) to hear what the then junior Senator from Illinois had to say. Even at that point in time the energy surrounding his campaign was amazing and it was great to see so many young people excited about the political process.

It's also worth noting that with health care reform at such a crucial point in the legislative process, it just might happen that the House is voting on the legislation relatively shortly after Obama's appearance at Mason. What he has to say during his at my Alma Mater will therefore be heavily scrutinized by both the pundits and community leaders who be looking at the speech for any indicators it might give about where the legislative process stands. For those of you who are interested, I am planning on being at the event and will be providing coverage of both the speech and the reaction from people in the audience.

Gerry Connolly Discusses Health Care Reform on CNN

Gerry Connolly was on CNN this morning discussing the fate of the health care reform bill. Perhaps the most important aspect of the interview is how Gerry talks about how health care reform is something that absolutely needs to get done and that he believes that creating meaningful reform is more important than his own political future. When you combine that sentiment with the fact that action needs to be taken immediately, that is why he voted for the last bill even though he doesn’t like every aspect of the bill and will likely do so again.This concept is something that I’ve heard Gerry speak about both at public events and in private conversations that we’ve had, so I’m confident that he wasn’t just taking this position in order to look good in a news report.

Another interesting aspect of the interview is that it also highlights how Connolly hasn't heard from either President Obama or his chief of staff Rham Emmanuel about health care reform. Now you would think the White House would want to make sure they had the support of all Democrats from swing districts, but Gerry's one of the Members of Congress you'd think they'd really want to reach out to. Not necessarily because of his individual vote on the bill, but because he's the president of the Freshman class of Democrats in the House and is in the position to potentially help the White House with other freshmen. This piece therefore really does raise some questions about the White House's leadership on health care reform.

Some More Context for Ken Cuccinelli's "Birther" Comments

During the last 24 hours the news has spread like wildfire that Ken Cuccinelli has once again proven that he deserves to be associated with the extreme right wing fringe. During an interview he gave between the time he was elected Virginia’s Attorney General in November and was sworn into office in January, Cuccinelli appears to have publicly admitted he’s a member of the “birther” movement by claiming it “doesn’t seem beyond the realm of possibility” that President Obama was born in Kenya. To top it off, the audio of the interview, which was posted by Ben Tribbett of NLS, also reveals that he passionately spoke about how he could potentially play a role in discrediting Obama’s presidency.

Q What can we do about Obama and the birth certificate thing?

Cuccinelli: It will get tested in my view when someone… when he signs a law, and someone is convicted of violating it and one of their defenses will be it is not a law because someone qualified to be President didn’t sign it.

Q: Is that something you can do as Attorney General? Can you do that or something?

Cuccinelli: Well only if there is a conflict where we are suing the federal government for a law they’ve passed. So it’s possible.

Now Cuccinelli has come out and said that he was simply answering “a hypothetical legal question” and that he doesn’t really believe Obama was born in Kenya. Due to Cuccinelli’s recent bouts of extremism, however, his credibility is shot and it’s extremely difficult to actually take him at his word on this issue. Ignoring the fact that he recently wrote a letter to colleges and universities in Virginia saying they can’t prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, this isn’t even the first time that he’s proposed some sort of government conspiracy. As the folks over at Right Wing Watch remind us, for instance, Cuccinelli once claimed that he might not get his child a Social Security number because “it’s being used to track you.” In other words, our Attorney General is speculating about how he could prove that President Obama was born in Kenya and about how people shouldn’t have a social security number because it’s a way that big brother is conspiring against the public.

Now most progressive activists, especially those of us from Northern Virginia, knew that we should be worried about what Cuccinelli would do if he were elected Attorney General because we’ve been seeing his extremism first hand for years. I even had several Republican leaning acquaintances that he represented in the state Senate tell me that they were worried about what he’d do as AG. Despite many of us knowing the truth about Cuccinelli, the fact that he performed well on the campaign trail and came across as a good guy meant that a lot of voters simply didn’t see the extremism that he’d bring to the office. After only a few short months in office, however, it appears as though people are beginning to look past all the smoke and mirrors. The question we must now ask ourselves is “how can we prevent Cuccinelli’s extremism from damaging the great Commonwealth of Virginia?”

Although there is a lot of work that must be done to prevent Cuccinelli’s fringe beliefs from causing damage, the blogs on both the national and local level have joined forces with other grassroots activists to help prove how simply drawing attention to Cuccinelli’s actions can go a long way. After the public became extremely outraged over Cuccinelli’s letter to colleges promoting discrimination, for example, Gov. McDonnell desperately tried to distance himself from his fellow Republican and made it at least slightly harder for discrimination to take place (though there still needs to be a lot of work done on that issue). Plus, both McDonnell and Cuccinelli have lost a lot of credibility as it’s become apparent that they don’t plan on following through on their campaign promises to govern from the center.

As we move forward, I think the most obvious path at the moment is that bloggers and other activists must continuing making sure that Cuccinelli and the other right wing Republicans in office cannot get away with trying to move Virginia backwards. There are some rumblings of potential projects moving forward to make sure this happens, but whatever happens Cuccinelli’s recent actions suggest that we all have a lot of work ahead to make sure he’s held accountable for what he says and does while in the AG’s office.

Virginia: Standup and GetEQUAL

Here in Virginia we currently have a governor who refuses to continue the tradition set by former governors of issuing an executive that bans discrimination in the state workforce based upon sexual orientation and an attorney general who wrote a letter to Virginia's colleges saying they shouldn't have rules that prevent discrimination based upon sexual orientation. This unfortunately means that Virginia has turned into an example of how the extreme right has been successful in allowing the basic civil rights of a group of people to be blatantly violated. Fortunately, there are people from all over the country who believe that discrimination is wrong and that we should stand up for equality.

It is in the spirit of standing up for love and equality that Robin McGehee and Kip Williams, who were Co-Directors of the National March for Equality, have launched a national organization called GetEQUAL with the mission "to create a movement of everyday people—lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and straight—who are dedicated to bringing about full legal and social equality." Their first action was to send out an email asking for people to join them "in pledging to take bold action to demand equality for LGBTQ people, and to hold accountable any person or organization who stands in our way."

They also included a video of Will Phillips, who is a young man who refused to say the pledge of allegiance because he believes discrimination against members of the LGBT community means there isn't "liberty and justice for all." The video helps to remind us of how a relatively small action can have a large impact. Plus, if a elementary school student has the courage to stand up for equality, then why can't others?

VOP Presents Check To Governor's Office After Holding "Bake Sales for the Budget"

The possibility of raising taxes is one that politicians generally try to avoid discussing because they don't want what they say about the topic to be taken out of context and used against them in the next election. The Virginia Organizing Project (VOP), however, held a series of "bake sales for the budget" last Thursday to help prove that many Virginians would be willing to pay a little more if it meant that the crucial services wouldn't have to be severely cut. When delivering a check of $921.01 to the Governor's office, the VOP stressed that they believe the "cuts-only approach to the budget shortfall is irresponsible and will hurt public systems and structures at a time when Virginians need them most."

Of course the VOP wasn't just advocating raising taxes to cover the enormous budget shortfalls that we're facing during these tough economic times. They argued that there needs to be a balance between cuts and changes made to our revenue streams in order to make sure that crucial service can still be provided to the public. Here is what Janice “Jay” Johnson, the Chairperson of VOP, had to say about the topic.

“We are presenting this check today to show that our legislators and our Governor have choices with the state budget. We went out and raised $921.01 in revenue. We wish there could be more zeros behind that number but any small amount of revenue helps.

“We have got to really begin to look at other options for the state of Virginia. We have got to take some serious look, as citizens and as organizations, at the correct approach to this budget crisis. We cannot rely on a cuts-only approach. These cuts touch everybody. This is not about the haves and have-nots. This is about people whose children are disabled who are not going to get the help that they need and about children who will not get a decent education. The cuts are across the board and cutting very deeply.

“When this General Assembly finishes, we will be 'fee’d' to death. What is the difference between charging a million little fees and raising taxes? If it comes out of your pocket, it doesn’t matter if it comes out of the left or the right. It’s still coming out. My grandfather had a saying: If you keep cutting off your wooden porch to feed your fire, eventually you are going to burn your house down. That is where we are in the state of Virginia. We are burning our house down.”

Now I don't know how realistic it is to actually think that we will see politicians in Virginia openly advocating for a lot of revenue increases, especially considering how conservative the Republican controlled House of Delegates has become and how some politicians are afraid of being confronted by Tea Party activists, but I do think these "bake sales for the budget" were a creative way to get some discussion started about the topic. After all, the VOP isn't advocating for taxing people to death, but simply wants our elected officials to consider a balanced approach when trying to decide how to move forward on budget related issues.

A Look At How Education Faired in the Budget Compromise Reached In Richmond

After a long series of negotiations on the state budget, it appears as though a compromised has been reached. In regards to education funding, which was one of the major disagreements between the House and Senate, it appears as though the final budget will look a little closer to the Senate's version. It's still not too great though as there will be $293 million in cuts, which come at a time when fully funding our public schools could be more beneficial than ever to our local communities.

The Democratic caucus in the Senate sent out a statement regarding the budget last night and the following is what they had to say about education.

Public education funding was the top priority of the Senate’s Democratic-led budget negotiators. The final budget agreement makes $253 million in K-12 education cuts over the biennium, but prevents over $400 million in additional cuts that were desired by the House of Delegates. The Virginia Education Association estimates that this protected 12,118 jobs in our schools. The Senate also rejected the House of Delegates’ plan to cripple at-risk programs by turning their funding into “block grants,” and rejected the House’s plan to eliminate funding for teachers’ planning periods in middle and high schools.

Governor McDonnell’s decision to unfreeze the Local Composite Index, the formula by which the state funds local schools, would have reduced funding to 97 Virginia school districts. The Senate fought to mitigate these reductions and the final budget will hold these districts harmless in 2011 and 50% harmless in 2012.

School districts asked for any cuts to be temporary and for flexibility to implement the required reductions. These elements were key components of the Senate’s budget and are reflected in the final budget agreement.

The Virginia Commission for the Arts and public broadcasting faced elimination under some budget proposals, but the final budget moves towards the Senate position by imposing a 15% cut instead of total elimination.

Now while there weren't as many cuts to education as the House Republicans wanted there to be, there still isn't any reason for education advocates to let their guard down. Even though the economy is technically improving, for instance, we're still now in the clear so there is the potential that Republicans will try to cut public education funds again in the future. Plus, it's still not a given that education funding will be restored to their proper levels in the future even if the economy shows steady improvement. People who care about the quality of our schools therefore need to continue putting pressure on our elected officials to make sure they're aware of the public's desire for Virginia to have a strong public school system.

In the immediate future, it's also important to note that localities will be making decisions regarding their budgets in the next few months. In Fairfax County, the decision process also includes several opportunities for Fairfax residents to weigh in on the advertised budget through public hearings. You can see the full schedule by following this link, but the following are some important dates to note for those who are particularly interested in education related funding

• April 6, the School Board will present it's budget to the County Board of Supervisors.
  
• April 6-8, the County Board of Supervisors will be holding public hearings on the budget. These hearings would be a very good time for members of the public to remind their Supervisors that they want the school system to be fully funded
• April 27, the County Board of Supervisors will be approving the transfer to the schools which will let the School Board know the exact amount of money they'll be able to work with while finalizing their budget
• May 11-12, School Board holds public hearings on budget
• School Board adopts FY 2011 Approved Budget May 20, 2010
  

As you can see, we are rapidly approaching the date in which the County School Board will be presenting to the Board of Supervisors. This means Fairfax residents should make sure to contact the School Board very soon if there's any particular program that they want to make sure is fully funded. I will be monitoring this process and will be providing frequent updates of new developments. At the same time, I also encourage anyone who has a particular education concern to contact me as I work to provide in depth coverage of the budgetary process in a manner that I hope will truly help the public understand what is taking place.

Tonight's Inside Scoop Will Feature the Ambassador from Nepall, Shankar P. Sharma

As I am almost every Sunday (and some Mondays as well), I will be in the studio for tonight's Inside Scoop. On tonight's show, which airs on Channel 10 in Fairfax starting at 6:30, Dr. Sam Hancock will be having a discussion with "H.E. Shankar P. Sharma, Ambassador, Embassy of Nepall: and Larry J. Silverman, Esq., an Environmental Attorney. Here's part of the show's discription that Dr. Sam sent out earlier today.

The EmeraldPlanet program for March 14th will provide valuable insights to our world-wide viewers on how the ancient nation of Nepal, which sits at "The Roof of the World" is the proverbial "canary in the coal mine" on severe climate change. The best kept secret in international relations is that of Nepal--a country of 28 million people embedded between India and China in the Himalayan mountains. It is one of the most strategic and geo-politically important countries on earth. One of five people on planet earth depends on the rivers that originate in Nepal and its Himalayan neighbors of Bhutan and Tibet for their primary water.

The Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and many other rivers of Asia originate in the mountains of Nepal, water its foothills, and flow through its semitropical plains while quenching the thirsts of one and one-half billion people. Key to this water system for a large swath of the human family for thousands of years are the great mountain glaciers. Nepal's glaciers are comparable to the American Great Lakes as reservoirs of fresh water.

These glaciers and the supported natural and man-made systems are in trouble. These are melting at a rate and volume which threatens a stable future by repeating cycles of flood and drought while politicians and scientists in the West dither over the pace of change. The people of Nepal are awaking to vast lakes that were not there the month before which may then violently burst the river banks in the next. Such drastic change disrupts the seasonal monsoon rains and the other climate and water changes that threaten safety, health, food supply, livelihoods, and civil peace of one-fourth of humankind.

If you don't live in Fairfax County, or simply prefer to watch the show online, you can follow this link. The stream will go live once the show starts at 6:30 tonight. In addition to being able to watch the show there, there is also a chatroom feature which will allow you to communicate with the crew and potentially even leave questions for the host. Plus, I'm often the person who monitors the chatroom so you could always send along messages there that you'd like me to see.

Krystal Ball Sweeps Delegates In Caucuses Earlier Today

In the 1st Congressional District, Democrats are going to be selecting their nominee at a convention in May. While there is still a fair amount of time left before the convention, the caucuses to select delegates to the convention have already started and it appears as though Krystal Ball is off to a great start. According to Marc Broklawski, the former chair of the Stafford County Democratic Committee who now blogs at LeavingMyMarc.com, Krystal had a great field game in place and swept the delegates from the caucuses held in Fredericksburg and Stafford today.

Krystal Ball proved that “money, message and mobilization” is the key ingredients of a successful campaign. Her field operation was absolutely dominating today, turning out more folks than I’ve ever seen before at not one, but two caucuses. In what can only be described as a thumping, Krystal swept all delegates and alternates from today’s contests in Fredericksburg and Stafford. The key number to look out for is the number of delegates that committed to vote for Krystal. She captured 35 of them today, which is slightly more than one-third of the number that she needs to secure the Democratic nomination.

While there are plenty of contests left before the 1st Congressional District Convention in May, the math for Scott just got a whole lot harder to secure the nomination – if not impossible. The fact is that Krystal’s base of support is strong throughout the district, especially in the southern part of it. I’m also confident that Krystal understands that she cannot take anything for granted and will continue working hard throughout the entire district.

Now Krystal's primary campaign will definitely benefit from these delegates, but I think there's something even more important to look at here. The 1st CD is going to be a very tough race for Democrats to win, but we can if there's a very good ground game in place that can get the word out about a good candidate. From all the accounts that I've heard about today's caucuses, Krystal's grassroots supporters were a large part of why she was able to perform so well. When you combine that with the fact that it's still relatively early in the campaign, I think there's the real possibility for her ground game to grow even larger which will help during the summer and fall months as canvassing efforts will play a large role in educating the public about her candidacy.

All in all, this is most definitely a good sign for Krystal's campaign and I'm glad to see that there's so much excitement surrounding the Democratic primary in the 1st.

Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple Says "Nothing has changed" After McDonnell's Directive

There has been a lot of discussion about how Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli have not only refused to legally prevent discrimination in the state workforce and on college campuses, but have actually made it a point not to. After the public expressed outrage over their actions, McDonnell finally felt like he had to do something that made it look like he wasn't allowing discrimination to take place. Unfortunately, he did so in the form of an "Executive Directive" which isn't legally binding and is simply symbolic. When you consider that his Attorney General has been working hard to make create situations in which public institutions would be able to discriminate against people based solely on their sexual orientation, a symbolic move is not enough. After all, those legal protections would simply be returning Virginia back to the legal protections that had previously been in place for almost a decade.

In an email she sent earlier today, Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple went after the executive branch and pointed out that "nothing has changed" as result of McDonnell's directive. We therefore still need to work hard to make sure discrimination cannot take place on college campuses or in the state workforce.

If you’ve seen any news out of Richmond lately you’ve probably read about Virginia’s non-discrimination policy towards gay state workers and college students. Eight weeks ago I never would have expected this topic to garner so much publicity so I want to take just a minute to discuss what has happened.

The Democratic-led Senate is the only body in Richmond to have passed legal protections for Virginia’s gay state workers. Senate Democrats voted unanimously to pass SB66 which would have given gay Virginians the same legal protections from workplace discrimination that every other state worker receives.

The Republican-led House of Delegates killed our bill while Governor Bob McDonnell sat silently and Attorney General Cuccinelli urged colleges to weaken their anti-discrimination policies. After these actions received national attention Governor McDonald signed a symbolic “Executive Directive” outlining his position against discrimination.

What you should take away from all these reports is this: Nothing has changed. Gay state workers and students still do not have the same rights as everyone else under the law and the Senate Democrats are the only entity in Richmond to have done something about it.

Video: Rally and March in Richmond Against Cuccinelli's Extremist Agenda

In reaction to Ken Cuccinelli's letter to the colleges and universities in Virginia saying that they shouldn't have rules that prevent discrimination based solely on sexual orientation, approximately 150 students participated in a rally at VCU and then marched to the state capital. From what I've been told by people who were at the event, the crowd was filled with a wide variety of students who were all coming together because they did not want discriminatory policies to be put in place at their university. As one student who is straight said in an email to me, "college is about learning more than just what's taught in the classroom. We cannot allow bigotry to prevent students from the full college experience." In other words, preventing LGBT students from attending college wouldn't only harm their future but could have a negative impact on the learning experience of other students as well.

As an interesting note, there were several people at the rally who are currently serving in the armed forces. Considering that DADT hasn't been repealed yet, I think the risk they took by attending this event truly shows how passionate they are about speaking out against Cuccinelli's letter. Others who were at the event have recently served and thought they could be open about who they are since they're no longer in uniform, but are instead having to face the potential of discrimination once again due to the right wing agenda that Cuccinelli is trying to push on our institutions of higher learning.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch did have some coverage of the event including some footage of the event. Here is one video which includes a few interviews with students participating in the event.

Roanoke Times Calls Out Cuccinelli's Bigotry

Throughout the 2009 campaigns I had numerous conversations with progressive activists who were worried about what would happen if Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli were elected to office. We had a lot of concerns of about their economic policies, but were even more worried about how they could send Virginia so far backwards by trying to push their extreme right wing social agenda on the Commonwealth. As I made phone calls and knocked on doors to talk with voters about the election, I had several people express some concern about this as well but they usually wanted to take McDonnell and Cuccinelli at their word that they would focus on creating solutions and not promoting backwards social policy. Bob McDonnell’s refusal to ban discrimination in the state workforce and Cuccinelli’s letter to colleges saying they shouldn’t have rules preventing discrimination based upon sexual orientation have helped to show the average joe that they had every right to be concerned about the negative impact the GOP leadership could have on Virginia.

In an editorial that asks “Who knew Virginia could regress into a social and cultural backwater so quickly,” the Roanoke Times highlights how the actions taken by McDonnell and Cuccinelli have already had a negative impact on Virginia and could potentially even result in more backlash in the very near future.

Between a governor who dropped a ban on discrimination based on sexual-orientation from state hiring guidelines, a General Assembly that again this year refused to add sexual orientation to the state anti-discrimination law, and now Cuccinelli's broadside, Virginia's national reputation is becoming one of intolerance.

Companies with more progressive policies -- say Northrop Grumman Corp., which is considering moving its headquarters to Virginia -- will take notice and think twice before creating jobs where some of their employees and their families risk open discrimination. Likewise, schools, if they do as Cuccinelli asks, risk alienating alumni, donors, potential faculty and students.

Those who blink innocently and say Cuccinelli merely stated the law to prevent illegal activities demonstrate negligent naïveté or, more likely, despicable dishonesty. He urges bigotry, nothing less.

I think it’s also important to note here that nobody could claim that the Roanoke Times is a liberal paper, so the fact that the editorial board has aggressively called out the GOP leaders for their extremist actions really goes to should how absolutely horrible they really are. Although there has been a fair amount of media coverage of the bigoted policies promoted by Cuccinelli and McDonnell, those Virginians who believe in basic civil rights need to make sure that the public never forgets just how extreme these two are.

They might have been able to fool voters in 2009, but that doesn’t mean we should simply stand back and let them get away with allowing discrimination. Speaking out against hatred and highlighting responsible editorials like the one in the Roanoke Times are just the beginning and we've already beginning to see that it has the potential to make a difference. I simply hope that everyone continues to draw attention to the extremism that's being promoted by officials like McDonnell and Cuccinelli.

Grayson Introduces Bill Allowing All Citizens to Buy Into Medicare

Congressman Alan Grayson, (D-Orlando) introduced a bill (H.R. 4789) that would give all citizens of the United to buy into Medicare. Otherwise known as the "Public Option Act," this bill doesn't give people subsidies but simply allows people to buy into the Medicare system at cost. As Grayson pointed out in his speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, it wouldn't force people to use the public option but simply gives people an option who don't trust the insurance companies to before actual patient care before their profits. To help provide some context of how insurance companies put profits before patients, he even spoke about how his insurance company refused to cover the costs of the birth of one of his children.

The initial reaction that I've heard from sources on the Hill is that they don't think this has much of a chance of actually moving forward. What it could help to do, however, is put pressure on the Senate to actually pass the public option through reconciliation. Although there is some questions about whether we would have the 50 votes to do so, Bernie Sanders did tell a group of bloggers this afternoon that he thought there would be enough votes for it to pass. Considering that only 41 Senators have publicly said they'd support a public option, perhaps Grayson's measure would help put pressure on the extra 9 senators that are needed in order for the reconciliation option to work.

In case those Senators need a little reminder of why the public option is important, here's the video of Grayson's speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Connolly's Bill Compensating Furloughed Federal Workers Passed the House of Representatives

I recently wrote a post about how Sen. Jeff Merkley spoke out about how Sen. Jim Bunning (R - KY) was taking advantage of an arcaine Senate rule that allowed him to block legislation that would help the working class even though he was the only one who objected. While I focused at the time on how Bunning's actions would mean unemployment benefits that wouldn't be able to get to those who so desperately needed them, there were other people who would be impacted as well. One set of people were 1,922 employees of the Department of Transportation who were furloughed on March 1 and 2 when the Highway Trust Fund lapsed due to Bunning's actions.

Fortunately, there are some members of Congress who are standing up for those employees and I'm pleased to say that one of those is my Congressman -- Gerry Connolly. Earlier today a bill he sponsored that would compensate the DOT employees for the two days of work they missed passed the House of Representatives. While speaking in support of the bill, Gerry pointed out that there was precedent for this action as the Republican controlled Congress in the 90's compensated workers after a 26-day shutdown of the federal government. He also pointed out that the employees were impacted through no fault of their own, but instead based solely on the political gamemanship of one member of the US Senate.

“These DOT employees became unwitting victims of an arcane practice in the upper chamber that allows one member's objection, no matter how specious, to grind to a halt the work of the American people,” Connolly said on the House floor during consideration of his measure. “By taking action now, we will prevent a 20% cut in the next bi-weekly paycheck for these dedicated public servants and their families.”

Jon Stewart on "VA Gaywatch"

Jon Stewart might not be the next in line to host a Sunday morning talk show, but I think he has a role to play in the way America gets its news. Yesterday is a prime example of this as he did a great job of pointing out just how absurd Gov. Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli have been in promoting policies that allow discrimination.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Gaywatch - Virginia Edition
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h/t Vivian Paige