Left of the Hill

Steny Hoyer Highlights How Quality Education is Important to the Economy

2011-09-29T12:06:00.001-04:00

I strongly believe that education is one of the biggest issues that we need to address as we're still struggling to recover from the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. That is why I'm pleased to see that several key members of Congress and the Obama Administration have been focusing on education policy.

With that in mind, I wanted to highlight a statement released by Steny Hoyer that reacted to a back to school speech given by Obama. It's worth noting that Hoyer doesn't directly say that we need to invest more money in our schools, but he highlights how important a quality education is for people trying to achieve success in the 21st Century job market. The logical conclusion therefore is that Hoyer's saying investing in a strong education system will indeed help the economy.

So, without further a due, here's Hoyer's statement.

"Our students represent a generation of abundant promise. We can help them reach their full potential by making critical investments today, and this includes providing greater resources to teachers, engaging more parents, and turning around failing schools.

"As President Obama noted, ten years from now more than three out of five jobs will require more than a high school degree, and we need to recognize that taking steps to expand opportunities to attend a four-year college or vocational training will yield benefits to our students and to our economy. This begins with greater access to early education and continues by making sure our students are developing the skill sets that prepare them not only for higher learning but for careers as well. That is why key parts of our Make It In America jobs plan focuses on quality education.

"A good education has always been a path to a good job. Congress can do its part by supporting science and math programs in grades K-12, by helping school districts create opportunities for hands-on learning inside and outside the classroom, and by promoting careers in manufacturing and technology for high school students – all of which are components of our Make It In America plan.

"We risk wasting the talents and intellect of the next generation if our education system fails. Our students have the potential to be tomorrow's innovators, entrepreneurs, leaders, artists, and teachers. It is our responsibility to make sure nothing stands in their way."

Photo Slideshow: Washington Nationals vs the Florida Marlins

2011-09-20T19:03:00.003-04:00

Stephen Strasburg made an impressive start on Saturday against the Florida Marlins, but the Nationals eventually lost the game in 13 innings. As usual, I moved around the park a fair amount during the game and was able to get some decent shots. But the nice thing was that the game went long enough that people began leaving towards the end and I was able to get relatively close up to get some shots. So with that in mind, here's a slideshow of some of the photos I took during the game.

Rep. Adam Smith on Official Repeal of DADT

2011-09-19T18:07:00.001-04:00

With the official repeal of DADT, we're reminded that there are some things that President Obama has done that we would have never seen from the Republicans who ran for president in 2008. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean the fight is over as even the process for repealing DADT has taken much too long and we're also not seeing the Democratic Party being aggressive enough when it comes to standing up for the basic civil rights of the LGBT community. Of course this also comes at the same time that the House Republicans are using tax payer money to do things like hold Congressional Hearings on why same sex couples shouldn't get married.

That is why I'm glad to see that there are some Democrats in Congress who are making a point to highlight how the repeal of DADT is a victory for anyone who believes in equality. Rep. Adam Smith, for instance, is the ranking member on the House Armed Services committee and sent out the following statement about the discriminatory policy.

"I applaud President Obama for fulfilling his promise to remove the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow individuals to serve and protect the nation they love, regardless of their sexual orientation. This is a welcomed change that puts government policy in line with the values of our country.

"For almost 20 years, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has undermined the readiness of our military. The unwise and harmful policy has forced thousands of capable brave men and women, who are only too eager to serve the nation, out of our Armed Forces at a time when our nation needed them most.

"Any concerns regarding potential negative effects of ending this policy should be put to rest. The debate has ended and all of our military leadership has signed off on the repeal. No longer will capable and dedicated Americans need to hide who they are to serve the country they love."

Video: Steny Hoyer on CBC's Efforts to Help Unemployed

2011-09-12T22:13:00.000-04:00

On a night when we saw the crowd at the GOP presidential debate cheer when someone suggested just letting uninsured people die and no candidates offered a strong vision on how to help our economy, the Congressional Black Caucus took to the floor of the House of Representatives to hold a Special Order Hour that focused on job creation and helping the unemployed. This, of course, comes on the heels of the CBC touring the country to hold job fairs and trying to directly help those who need to find a job.

While there were several speeches that are worth paying attention to, here's the speech that was made by Steny Hoyer. A full transcript can be seen below "the fold."

“I thank the gentle lady for yielding and I thank her for her leadership. I want to thank the Congressional Black Caucus, which has raised this issue to a new height of, not only visibility, but of hope. Emanuel Cleaver, the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus told a wonderful story in our Caucus the other day. He said there was a little boy and his dad. His dad was reading the paper and the little boy scratched his hand and as he did so, it obviously hurt. He went in front of his dad, shaking his hand, he walked to and from his father and his father kept reading the paper. And finally his father put down the paper and said, ‘Son, I know you scratched your hand. But there's nothing I can do about it.’ And the little boy looked at his dad and said: 'you can say ouch.' You can understand the pain that I’m experiencing. You can understand the pain that losing a job is causing me. You can understand the pain of a home that is lost because the mortgage cannot be paid. You can understand the pain of a family living in a home who has seen the value of that most important asset of theirs dwindle and be reduced so that the mortgage payment they're paying is more than the value of the home in which they live.

“The Congressional Black Caucus did two things. It said, we hear and we say ‘ouch.’ We understand the pain you're experiencing. We feel your pain. But if all we do is empathize and feel pain, that's not enough. Our President addressed us this last week. He said we can shrug our shoulders and say, there's 14 months until the next election but the people in pain can't wait 14 months. That's what the Congressional Black Caucus did. Tens of thousands of people showed up throughout this nation because somebody offered hope and not just hope but real deliverables. Jobs were gotten. Interviews were set up. Training sessions for how you apply, how you dress, how you talk to prospective employers - those kinds of seminars were given. A difference was made by the Congressional Black Caucus traveling throughout this country.

“So I rise to thank the leadership and all the members of the Congressional Black Caucus. I see Mr. Davis and Ms. Waters on the Floor with Donna Christensen and I thank them for their leadership in particular. Maxine Waters was an extraordinarily strong voice for saying just that, we feel your pain and it's not just empathy, we're going to give you the help that we can give.

“This President came before us last week and said, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to act. It is time to add to the opportunity for success for putting America back to work; for addressing the mortgage crisis in our country; for putting some more money in the pockets of working men and women in this country; for helping small business grow and expand. Making sure, as well, that we pay for what we buy. Every commission that has met, the Bowles-Simpson Commission and the Domenici-Rivlin Commission said we have to get a handle on this debt, for which I’m a strong proponent. But in the short-term, we need to grow the economy. If you do not grow the economy, you will not get the deficit down. Because you need people working so they can support themselves and their families and pay taxes so that their grandchildren will not be deeply in debt.

“So I stand indebted to the Congressional Black Caucus for continuing to focus like a laser on creating jobs. Mr. Butterfield, another member of the Congressional Black Caucus and leader in our House, Chief Deputy Whip, is here as well and will be speaking so that in North Carolina and in America, we can create jobs, invest in growing our economy and give confidence to every single individual, every family and yes, every business, small, medium, and large that this Congress will act responsibly to address a challenge and address the pain that our people are feeling. And make sure in the long-term, as we did in the 1990's, that our country is on a sound fiscal path, leading to growth in the economy, jobs for our people and a stronger and healthier America.

“I am pleased to join the Congressional Black Caucus – thanking them, congratulating them, and saying I look forward to working with them, not just today, but today, the next day, tomorrow, and tomorrow and the next week, until such time as our people are no longer in the pain they now experience.”

Gerry Connolly Tours Prince William County to See Flood Damage

2011-09-10T22:47:00.000-04:00

For a lot of kids in Northern Virginia, their experience with the storms the last few days was simply that we had a lot of rain during their first week back in school. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people who actually suffered because of the severe flooding (hints why Fairfax County and other school systems ended up canceling school on Friday). So that he could see first hand some of the damage and meet with the some of the people who were affected by the storms, Rep. Gerry Connolly spent a significant amount of time in areas that received the brunt of the storms.

On Friday morning, for instance, Gerry went to Woodbridge HS to meet with evacuees from the area who were forced from their homes by the flooding. While he was there, he also met with Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi, American Red Cross officials, and first responders. Unfortunately, he had to leave after 45 minutes to rush back to Capitol Hill to cast his vote on the House floor for the Intelligence Authorization bill. (As a side note: I think this shows one of the benefits of living in the DC area. You’re Member of Congress is able to spend time in the district on the same days that he has votes up on the Hill. That isn’t the case for most of the country).

Considering how one of the big attractions of the Town of Occoquan is it’s proximity to the Occoquan River, it shouldn’t be too surprising that the Town was severely impacted by the storms. Several roads had to be shut down because of the flooding, for instance, and there was some damage to buildings in the community. As a result, Gerry went to the town and toured the town with Toddy Puller and Mayor Earnie Porta.

For what it's worth, here are some photos of Gerry on Friday in Prince William County.

Gerry Connolly visiting with Red Cross personnel at Woodbridge High School.

Rep. Gerry Connolly and state Sen. Toddy Puller talk with Occoquan shop owner Marla Cook about the flooding that covered the downtown area on Friday. Looking on is Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta.

Congressman Gerry Connolly, state Sen. Toddy Puller, Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta, and Delegate Rich Anderson talk with local resident James Phelps about damage caused when a small creek became a raging river Friday.

Congressional Reaction to Obama's Jobs Speech

2011-09-08T20:36:00.000-04:00

After Obama finished his jobs speech tonight, members of Congress have begun sending out press releases reacting to the speech. Steny Hoyer, for instance, highlighted how the Democrats in the House of Representatives have already proposed the Make It In America plan, which includes several of the concepts that Obama spoke about in his speech.

“Tonight the President laid out his plan to create jobs and grow the economy through the American Jobs Act. He reminded us that everyone should have the chance to 'make it in America' through hard work, and how many fear those days are gone.

“That’s why House Democrats developed the Make It In America plan: to restore the manufacturing engine that made our country great, and to renew the faith that working Americans can succeed. This plan includes several proposals the President discussed tonight, such as the creation of an infrastructure bank to facilitate investments in the roads and bridges that businesses need to thrive, and worker training to give Americans the skills they need to fill jobs that are available now, as well as those of tomorrow.

“The American Jobs Act will be paid for. Reducing the deficit is one of the most important things we can do to strengthen our economy, but we must create jobs for our people. If we don’t, we will not be able to balance our budget. The President laid out a path tonight for doing both.

“Many of the ideas in the Make It In America plan and that the President discussed are supported by both parties, business and labor. The American Jobs Act can and should be passed swiftly through Congress. Americans cannot wait any longer for us to take action.”

Perhaps in a sign of how Republicans in the House of Representatives remain in opposition to the President's plans, Rep. John Kline (the Chairman of the Education and Worforce Committee) issued a statement that expressed opposition to the President's education policy.

“At its core, education is a jobs issue, and we must encourage policies that help prepare today’s students to join tomorrow’s workforce. More stimulus spending is not the right solution to our nation’s jobs crisis. Common sense tells us that putting the federal government in the business of school construction will only lead to higher costs and more regulations. It also tells us that another teacher union bailout will not ensure a quality education for our children.

“My colleagues on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce have been working together on a new way forward for the nation’s education system. Our efforts center on reducing federal intervention in classrooms, supporting effective teachers, streamlining education spending, encouraging innovation, and putting decisions back in the hands of state and local officials. Rather than renew his support for the failed policies of the past, the president should join our efforts to chart a better course for our children’s future.”

This statement doesn't specifically highlight anything that Obama spoke about during his speech tonight, so it will be interesting to see if Kline or other Republicans of the education committee address some of the proposals he made -- like having funding to repair schools or keep teachers employeed. This could be important as Kline's committee might have to deal with portions of the bill that relate to education. I'm not entirely sure if that will happen (or if it necessary should right now), however, as I know most of the education focused Congressmen are working on a charter school bill (HR 2218) right now as well as a series of bills to reform No Child Left Behind.

There's obviously a lot of controversy surrounding those bills right now, so it wouldn't surprise me if staffers and individual Members of Congress are more focused on those bills than Obama's speech. As Kline said in his release, however, "education is a jobs issue" so it would be great to see where he comes down on the specific proposals Obama has made.

As more Members release statements or if Kline actually wants to comment on specifics, I'll make sure to post updates if they are noteworthy.

Gerry Connolly Goes After Sarah Palin's for her Remarks About NoVA

2011-09-07T20:53:00.001-04:00

As a lot of folks are tuned into the GOP Presidentlial debate tonight, I think it's kind of important to look at what one of the leaders of the Republican Party recenty said. Sarah Palin attacked Northern Virginians while speaking at a Tea Party rally in Iowa last week by referring to them as “unlike the rest of America" and suggesting that Northern Virginia residents are immune from the economic hardships of the recession because they live near the nation's capital. While George Allen continues to promote policies and an attitude similar to Palin, there are some leaders who have called out Palin and her cronies. Gerry Connolly, for instance, joined former Governor Tim Kaine in criticizing Sarah Palin for her offensive remarks about Northern Virginia.

“Once again, Sarah Palin has delivered a harmful and hateful message that has little basis in fact. If she thinks that Northern Virginia is immune from our current economic recession, I invite her to meet some of our residents who have lost their homes or seen their retirement funds depleted due to the economic policies of the Bush administration,” Connolly said.

“As the former Alaska governor and FOX News media star should know so well, Alaskans reap more federal largess than any other Americans, according to several studies and reports in the New York Times and USA Today. ‘Alaska is the top recipient of federal stimulus dollars per capita — with no close second,’ the Times reported; while USA Today also pointed out that Alaska was the biggest recipient of federal pork barrel spending from earmarks,” Connolly said.

“I would suggest that this is the pot calling the kettle black,” he said.

Of course, this isn't the first time that we've heard the Republicans show a lack of respect for NOVA. During the 2008 campaign, for instance, McCain's brother went on a tirade against the region and called it "community country." In other words, this seems to go beyond a simple statement from Sarah Palin but in fact represents a trend in the GOP. They clearly don't like Northern Virginia even though it's become a crucial area in presidential elections and is home to millions of crucial working class families.

A Labor Day Weekend Discussion on the Minor League Umpires Union

2011-09-06T11:19:00.001-04:00

I have to admit, I don't think it gets much better than taking in a doubleheader on a lazy Sunday afternoon. When it comes to doing so out in Woodbridge and the Potomac Nationals are playing, it also means that you get a really good seat for less than the cost of going to the movies. What made it even better yesterday, however, was the fact that I ran into a friend of mine Dan who I haven't seen in a couple months.

Just for the record, I met Dan through the work we've both done in the political world. It therefore shouldn't be too surprising when I tell you that he works for a labor union and was quick to point out a sign in the outfield that highlighted the minor league umpires union (the Association of Minor League Umpires). With yesterday being labor day, however, it also seemed fairly fitting that our conversation turned in the direction of a labor union.

Briefly setting aside the politics of labor unions, Dan pointed out that the AMLU joined forces with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) back in February of 2010. When they did so, they became known as AMLU/OPEIU guild 322. Why 322? Well, they picked that number to stand for 3 balls, 2 strikes, 2 outs. Of course, that’s the count where we can see a lot of excitement -- like Ryan Zimmerman’s walk off grand slam a few weeks ago against the Phillies.

Now some of you may wonder why a minor league umpire needs to have a union. In my opinion, it simply comes down to the fact that everyone deserves to have a well paying job. Now we’ve all probably heard about how little minor league players make when compared to the major league counterparts, but the umpires don’t get the relatively large signing bonuses that many players receive. They also make considerably less money and don’t have the added benefit of having a “host family” that helps them out like many minor league players do when they’re in the lower leagues.

With that being said, the average salary for Minor League umpires is about $15,000 in Class AAA, $12,000 in Class AA, $10,000 in full-season Class A and $5,550 in Rookie League. While they’re forced to spend basically the entire regular season on the road living out of their suitcase as they travel from hotel room to hotel room, they’re also given about $20 per day per diem (in other words, basically enough to get their meals at a fast food joint).

I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anywhere that you can cover all of your bills on a salary of $15,000 much less the salaries that they earn in the lower leagues. The amazing thing is that these salaries are actually higher than they were before the AMLU began working to protect the rights of umpires. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, however, if we legitimately want to see a day when good umpires are able to make a solid living wage while working in the minor leagues.

This is all also important to take into consideration because the umpires’ current collective bargaining agreement runs through the end of this season. Since the last time we saw negotiations (back in 2006) the talks resulted in a strike, it’ll be very interesting to see how things progress between the union and the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (the company that manages minor league umpires).

Photos from Potomac Nationals vs Kinston Indians

2011-09-06T11:16:00.000-04:00

Taking in a doubleheader is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially when it features two teams who are heading to the playoffs. When it comes to a minor league game, it also means having the opportunity to get good seats for extremely cheap. So with that in mind, here are some of my photos from the doubleheader between the Potomac Nationals and the Kinston Indians.

Photo Slideshow: Nationals vs Mets

2011-09-04T09:07:00.001-04:00

Here's a slideshow of some of the photos I took during the game between the Mets and the Nationals on Friday. I sat in the Red Zone seats, which are in centerfield. I've learned over the years that these are decent seats for the game --especially if you're a fan of someone playing in the outfield -- and are an excellent place to be if you want to catch balls during batting practice. I'm going to be spending most of today at a doubleheader in Woodbridge watching the Potomac Nationals take on the Kinston Indians, so hopefully I'll be able to get a few good shots while I'm there. Perhaps the best news about that game, however, is that the P-Nats have already clinched a spot in the playoffs. Now they're just playing for home field advantage in the first round of the postseason.

Phil Mickelson Takes BP at Fenway Park

2011-09-01T22:54:00.000-04:00

This is cross-posted at Ballpark Banter.

I don’t know about you, but I like to root for the underdog. The fact that I’m a diehard Nationals fan should give that away. But it also explains why I have always been a Phil Mickelson fan. I know he can’t be that big of an underdog when he was ranked number two in the world for awhile, but everyone was an underdog compared to Tiger Woods when he was in his prime. It just happened to be that Phil was the underdog with the best chance of actually catching Tiger. Plus, I always thought he came across as an extremely likeable guy and therefore found it fairly easy to rally behind him when he had a chance to win on Sunday afternoons.

With that being said, it shouldn’t be too surprising that I was excited when I turned on the MLB Network this afternoon and saw that he was actually in the batting cage taking BP with a big goofy grin on his face at Fenway Park. Apparently it was Duncan Webb, who works in the front office for the Red Sox, that was throwing for Mickelson and the 41 year old golfer hit one out to the warning track. He then was on Intentional Talk with Kevin Millar and Chris Rose where he was talking about how excited to be at Fenway.

"I grew up playing [baseball] like most people did," Mickelson said after saying he was “very appreciative” of the opportunity “to be at Fenway Park and take BP.” He then added that "it's fun for us when the Tour is in town here and the Sox are in the pennant race to come to a ballgame here at Fenway. There's nothing more exciting than when the Sox are having a great year and getting ready for the playoffs."

What was real interesting about the whole event was that Mickelson ended up throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Tim Wakefield. It was a decent pitch, but the part that caught my eye was that he threw it right handed. Apparently he does most things right handed, but learned to play golf left handed because he was mirroring everything he saw his dad did (for what it’s worth, he also swings a baseball bat left handed).

It’s also worth noting that he appeared to be genuinely enjoying the entire experience. For a guy who’s been near the top of his sport as a professional, he almost looked like a little kid with the pure excitement of being able to take some BP and throw out the first pitch at Fenway. I think this goes to show how baseball truly is a game that allows the inner child to come out in all of us -- something I imagine we’ll see even more of as the excitement of postseason baseball is rapidly approaching.

Photo Slideshow of the Nationals Last Homestand

2011-08-29T19:14:00.000-04:00

Here's a slideshow of photos I took during the game between the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks last Monday (August 22). As you can see, I was able to move around the ballpark and get a variety of shots since it was relatively empty -- especially compared to what it was like a few days before that when the Phillies were in town.

In case you didn't know this, you can click on the arrows in the bottom righthand corner and it'll make the slideshow become fullscreen.

Politicians Send Out Hurricane Irene Updates

2011-08-27T08:31:00.000-04:00

Like many of you, I'm on dozens (if not hundreds) of email lists and am constantly receiving campaign updates from politicians. The last few days, however, these lists haven't been focused on political events but have instead provided folks with information about Hurricane Irene. The blogger in me wants to point out how this is an example of social media providing a public good, but I'll simply pass along some of the information that I've received since it contains some resources that people could use as we're preparing for the storm.

This email was sent out by Sen. George Barker. I could highlight others, but the others contain very similar information and the one George sent out contained the latest information when I wrote this (8:30 on Saturday morning).

Dear Bryan,
With Hurricane Irene heading our way later today, I wanted to make sure you had key emergency contact numbers and the most current information.

Forecast as of Friday evening:
Saturday: Chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 81. Breezy, with a northeast wind 9 to 12 mph increasing to between 22 and 25 mph. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts up to a half an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Tropical storm conditions possible. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 68. North wind 28 to 33 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Sunday: A chance of showers before 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 81. Breezy, with a northwest wind between 18 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall up to one inch possible.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Utility contact info:
VDOT: For road issues, such as downed trees or other obstructions, call 1-800-FOR-ROAD (1-800-367-7623).

Dominion: In the event that you or your neighbors lose electrical service, call Dominion Power at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357).

NOVEC: For those with NOVEC service, call (703) 335-0500.

Government services:
Statewide: For the latest statewide emergency information and tips, please visit the Virginia Department of Emergency Management:
http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia

Fairfax County: To sign up for Fairfax County's emergency alert system: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cean/

Prince William County: For county-specific information, please check the county's website for continual updates:
http://www.pwcgov.org/

Alexandria: For city-specific information, please check the city's website for continual updates:
http://alexandriava.gov/

My office: As always, you can reach me at (703) 303-1426 and my staff will answer any questions or direct you to the appropriate government contact.

Stay safe and dry,

It isn't just the candidates currently in office sending out these updates as I've received similar updates from Brian Schoeneman's campaign (he's running against incumbent Democrat Del. David Bulova) and Jack Dobbyn's campaign (he's running against Republican Dave Albo) also sent out an email with some tips on how to prepare for the storm.

Baseball Legend Mike Flanagan Passed Away Yesterday

2011-08-25T10:15:00.000-04:00

This is cross-posted over at Ballpark Banter.

I was born in the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC a few months after the Orioles won the 1983 World Series. In other words, I really missed out in terms of major league baseball growing up. Not only did Washington no longer have a team, but I had also just missed out on seeing the closest MLB team win the world series. That didn’t stop me from being a big baseball fan and I was absolutely thrilled when the O’s won the wild card in 1996 and the AL East in 1997. Even during their strong years in the mid 90’s, however, I remember hearing about the glory days in the late 70’s and early 80’s that included players like Mike Flanagan.

I bring this up because as I was watching the Nationals game last night, the news broke of Flanagan’s death and quickly made its rounds through the baseball world. Authorities still haven’t confirmed a cause of death, officials are reporting that his body was found outside his home in Sparks, MD at around 4:30 yesterday afternoon. I never met Flanagan and only saw him play in a few games, but even I was sad to hear the news given how he played for the team I cheered for growing up.

During his 18 seasons in the big leagues, Flanagan appeared in 526 games and amassed a 167-143 record with a 3.90 ERA. His best year with the club was when he won 23 games for the Orioles in 1979 and ended up receiving the American League Cy Young Award. Some of his teammates during that season pointed out that Flanagan wasn’t satisfied with the year because the O’s ended up losing the World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In a time when we have a lot of players moving from team to team and trying to rake up individual accolades in order to score a bigger contract, it’s touching to hear of a player who actually cared more about his team’s fate than his own individual awards.

As I watched the Orioles post game show last night, it was clear that Flanagan’s great sense of humor and commitment to his teammates had a big impact on other players and his coworkers at MASN. Throughout the show, broadcasters and former players alike had to fight back tears while talking about their friend. Jim Palmer, who pitched with Flanagan and later worked with him at MASN, for instance, chocked up as he said “we were family. It’s devastating.”

In an interesting twist of fate, the winning pitcher from the Orioles game last night (Jeremy Guthrie) actually wears Flanagan’s number 46. After the game, he tweeted "From day I was given #46 as Oriole, the fans always reminded me of the legacy Mike Flanagan left behind. This is a sad day for #Orioles family." He later added, “Mike Flanagan was an important person to me & touched the lives of countless people in the baseball family & especially in Baltimore. #RIP”

My favorite player growing up, Cal Ripken, Jr., put it very simply in a statement yesterday that I think truly represents how so many baseball fans in this area feel. “I am so sorry to hear about Mike’s passing,” the Iron Man said. “He was a good friend and teammate and our thoughts are with Alex and his family. Mike was an Oriole through and through and he will be sorely missed by family, friends and fans. This is a sad day.”

Jaime Areizaga-Soto Calls on His Supporters to Work for Barbara Favola

2011-08-24T17:22:00.001-04:00

With yesterday being primary day, the big focus of discussion in among activists is how quickly the party can come together. This is especially important this year as the primaries were held several months later than usual because of redistricting, so we only have a little over two months until the general election. Perhaps no place is that more apparent then in the 31st Senate District where Jaime Areizaga-Soto lost a hotly contest primary to Barbara Favola. The negative campaigning used by both camps and the decision of some party leaders to push anybody who wanted to run besides Barbara out of the race early, after all, caused a lot of bitterness during the campaign,

Now that the primary is over, however, Jaime is stepping up to the plate and calling on all of his supporters to do whatever they can to support Barbara in the general. Here's what he sent out on facebook earlier today:

I want to thank all my great supporters, volunteers and team for a great campaign. We ran an energetic, grassroots, progressive campaign. I'm proud of the work we did. I now join all my fellow Democrats in working for a strong Democratic victory in the 31st Senate District and throughout the Commonwealth in the November election. I call on all my supporters to work for a Barbara Favola victory in November.

With that being said, it'll be interesting to see what happens in this race moving forward. Obviously it helps that Jaime has at least put out a statement calling on his "supporters to work for a Barbara Favola victory," but Barbara will need to really step it up if she wants to get a lot of the grassroots supporters to really do the work necessary for her campaign. That's going to be hard after she clearly pissed off a lot of them by doing things like telling a potential consituent (who also happens to be one of the most popular bloggers in Virginia) that Jaime couldn't win because he's Latino. Since the redistricting process turned the 31st from a solidly blue district to one that could potentially be won by a Republican, she'll really need Jaime's supporters to help get people out to the polls so I hope she does reach out to them soon.

The Nats Might Have Won, but the Phillies Dominated the Stands

2011-08-20T15:51:00.001-04:00

In my very first post over at Ballpark Banter, I talked about how “some of my earliest memories are of running around in baseball uniforms and using my backyard to pretend as though I was the star player in a crucial game.” Like most daydreaming elementary school baseball fans, those pretend games included me stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded and two in the bottom of the ninth. Inevitably, it would come down to a full count and I would blast a game winning grand slam. While that never happened to me in a real game, that’s exactly what happened last night when Ryan Zimmerman capped off an amazing comeback with a walk off grand slam a little before 12:30am.

Moments like that are exciting no matter who they’re against, but it was extremely rewarding to see it happen against the division leading Phillies -- especially considering how many of their fans made their way to Nationals Park last night. Considering how close Philly is to DC and the team’s reputation for traveling fairly well, I figured that there would a lot of folks making the 2.5 hour drive down interstate 95. Heck, I even went to last night’s game with a friend of mine who’s a Phillies fan. What I didn’t expect, however, was that I would almost feel like they had taken over the stadium and that we would have a 2.5 hour rain delay to get cozy with one another while taking cover on the concourse.

According to ESPN, Nationals Park has had an average attendance of a little under 24,000 fans per game this season. While it’s hard to give a good estimate since the team colors are so similar, I would guess that about 2/3 of the 37,000 people who came out to the park last night were Phillies phanatics. Their presence was so large that we didn’t even need to wait for the game to start before it was felt. As soon as I made my way onto half street after exiting the Metro, for instance, I was immediately surrounded by people wearing Phillies jerseys -- and this was two and a half hours before game time.

Once I got through the gates, my friend and I went down to the Red Loft section in center field to watch batting practice. This is something I do almost every time I get to a game early enough for batting practice because it’s usually less crowded than other sections and is a good place to get balls that batters hit out or other players toss up into the stands. The section tends to have some regulars that have been using it for years (access to section was actually limited in past years and not everyone‘s caught on that it’s now open to everyone during BP), so I began recognizing familiar faces once I’d used the section to watch BP a few times. During yesterday’s game, however, there was already a fair number of fans there -- most of whom were wearing Phillies gear. (As a side note, Zach Hample -- a guy who travels around to all of the ballparks trying to snag balls and has even written books about how to get a souvenir ball -- was in the section and had already had several very successful days at Nats Park during the series against the Reds).

Since there weren’t too many balls being hit into the section and the Phillies contingent there was continuing to grow, we decided to leave the area a little earlier than I usually do to grab a bite to eat and wait for the gates to the rest of the stadium to open up. As I was enjoying my hot dog and a diet coke, I found it amazing how many fans were already lining up to get into the rest of the stadium. On an average day, there’s a few fans waiting to get into right field because they want to sprint after balls they saw go into the stands earlier or they want to try getting some autographs as the Nationals make their way off the field after their batting practice. Even a good 15 to 20 minutes before the gates opened up yesterday, however, there was about 100 people lined up (about 75 of them were wearing Phillies gear).

Considering how many of the Philly fans who were at the game were making a weekend trip (or at least had the afternoon off to allow for driving time before the game), it shouldn’t be too surprising that I felt like the only Nats there during the first hour or so that I was there. I figured we’d start gaining some ground once people made their way over to the Park after getting off of work. That didn’t seem to happen though because any big gains we might have made compared to the number of Philly fans seemed to be wiped out by the rain as it was mostly local fans who decided to leave during the 2.5 hour rain delay.

It was actually during the game that the way Philly fans took over the park really began to be frustration. There were several loud chants of “let’s go Phillies” or “Ruuuuuuuu” after catcher Carlos Ruiz came up to bat. It was Jason Werth who received the loudest response from the Phillies fans as he was taunted by their fans in right field (one of whom had a sign saying “Pence is Werth more” proudly displayed) and was booed extremely loudly whenever he came up to bat.

Now some of the blame for Philly fans being able to dominate the stadium should be given to Nats fans. As much as I hate to admit it, after all, if more fans showed up to the games then there wouldn’t be as many tickets available for the visiting team’s fans to purchase. That doesn’t make it less frustrating as I began to feel like I was the one supporting the visiting team and was forced to listen to fans mocking my team when Ian Desmond made a careless error at short or Livan Hernandez was getting hit pretty hard during the third inning.

So it’s with that in mind that I was thrilled when the Nationals silenced the Philly fans by coming back in the ninth. As the Nats continued to rally after they tied it up at 4, it was beginning to sound like a Nationals crowd and went absolutely crazy when Zimmerman hit his walk off grand slam. After being at the ball park for 8 hours at that point, it was a great feeling to be able high five the Nationals fans who, like me, had stuck with the home team during a long evening. Even the friend who came to the game with me all decked out in her Phillies gear stuck her hands up and said “helluva game” with a big goofy grin on her face as we slapped five.

Dave Mills: McDonnell Needs to "put the McGimmicks aside and put Virginians first"

2011-08-18T13:48:00.002-04:00

I wrote a post a couple days ago about how Dave Mills called out Bob McDonnell for spending too much time trying to advance his national profile and lobbying for the VP spot on the GOP ticket in 2012. Perhaps in response to comments in the blogosphere that the DPVA should be focusing on the misleading information that the McDonnell's been putting out about Virginia's budget, Dave is once again going after the governor. This time he released a statement that criticized him for using "McGimmicks" to make it it look like Virginia has a large budget surplus.

“Bob McDonnell continues to tout a 'surplus' built with unpaid bills, unmet obligations and fiscal gimmicks. No matter what he calls it, the balance he announced today isn't enough to pay our outstanding bills to the Virginia retirement system and make the investments we need in education, public safety, mental health, and other services that create opportunity for working Virginia families.

McDonnell's self-congratulation over his 'surplus' is similar to a family refusing to pay their mortgage for a year and then celebrating the balance in their savings account.

In his rush to appeal to the Republican presidential field the Governor has chosen boosting his image over being straight with Virginians. Its's time for him to put the McGimmicks aside and put Virginians first as they struggle with a tough economy and the loss of 14,000 jobs in the month of June alone. In short, working families need more Bob's for Jobs and less Bob's for Bob."

I agree with Dave here. Virginia needs a governor who is willing to bunker down and do the hard work necessary to get Virginia families back to work and our economy on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, I'm not too confident that we'll actually see him focusing in on the Commonwealth anytime soon. In the last week or so, for instance, I've heard from folks living in upstate New York and Philly about how McDonnell "seems eager" to be part of the national political scene.

The most noteworthy part of these conversations was that they weren't hearing about what he hopes to do as governor, but instead about how he might be able to bring some swing states into play if he's the VP candidate. I don't know about you, but when you combine that with how he's actively lobbying for the VP nomination, but I don't think it sounds like Bob McDonnell is really interested in remaining Virginia's governor.

Who will win: Professor Right or Professor Wrong

2011-08-18T13:37:00.001-04:00

Great video from Move On.

Dave Mills: We've suspected for awhile that it wasn’t Bob for Jobs but it was Bob for Bob

2011-08-16T11:47:00.002-04:00

With Rick Perry launching his campaign for president, Bob McDonnell has now moved in to fill his position as Chair of the Republican Governors Association. The RGA chairmanship will give him opportunities to travel across the country and meet with a lot of big wigs in the GOP. It also means he can travel to some of the early primary states like New Hampshire. Despite promising Virginia voters during the 2009 campaign that he was “absolutely planning to serve four years,” it appears as though McDonnell is willing to use his new high profile position to help him gain the stature needed to abandon Virginians for a more powerful position -- the VP slot on the Republican ticket.

After McDonnell quit his job as Attorney General in order to run for governor, Virginians should take notice when he’s now actively campaigning for the VP nomination. He’s already quit on Virginia once when he saw an opportunity to move up politically, so it wouldn’t be something new if he did it again. It appears as though he doesn’t even feel the need to hide the fact that he’s going back on campaign promises because he told Politico in an interview that’s received a lot of attention that he’s “very interested” in the VP slot.

With that being said, I just got off a conference call with David Mills -- the executive director of the DPVA. He said that he’s “suspected for awhile that it wasn’t Bob for Jobs but it was Bob for Bob” and this latest development simply reinforces that concept. He continued by pointing out that we need a governor who will be focused in on the local economy during a time when Virginia is still recovering from the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. In the month of June alone, for instance, Virginia lost 14,000 jobs but McDonnell is more focused on GOP national politics then keeping his commitment to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

As can be expected, he was asked about how this compared to the speculation that Tim Kaine was on the short list of potential VP’s for Obama. David quickly pointed out that one of the major differences is that McDonnell is actively campaigning for the job despite specifically stating that he would serve out his entire term. Kaine didn’t do that and kept his commitment to Virginia. “I think it’s safe to say [Kaine] didn’t actively lobby for the spot,” Mills said on the call. “The bottom line is that he kept his commitment to Virginia families.”

So the question now becomes, will Bob McDonnell keep his promises and try to be “Bob for jobs,” or is he already fully committed to being “Bob for Bob?”

Photo Slideshow of Stephen Strasburg's Rehab Start with Potomac Nationals

2011-08-15T10:37:00.001-04:00

As you might have already heard, Stephen Strasburg made a rehab start with the Potomac Nationals on Friday. You can see my reaction to the game by following this link, but I wanted to share the following slideshow of some photos I took during the game.

Democratic Primary for Braddock District Supervisor is Getting Interesting

2011-08-10T14:24:00.002-04:00

The Democratic primary for Braddock District Supervisor has become a very interesting to watch. There were rumors of several Democrats being interested in running for the seat, but it was Chris Wade who stepped up very early to challenge incumbent Republican John Cook. When it looked like none of the other rumored candidates were going to enter the race, Chris quickly received the support of some party insiders who wanted to make sure the Democrats had a good campaign infrastructure in place during the fall -- especially since Wade didn’t have very much name recognition (heck, even most folks who are extremely active in the community hadn’t heard of him because saying “he doesn’t have much civic engagement experience” is putting it nicely).

Concern about Wade’s candidacy really started being expressed by some Democratic activists when it became clear that he had been identifying himself as a strong supporter of the McCain/Palin ticket in 2008. Now as Lowell points out at Blue Virginia, switching parties is perfectly acceptable and one of the biggest successes for Virginia’s progressive blogs was when they helped draft Jim Webb (a former Republican) and gave him a big boast during his campaign for US Senate back in 2006. Jim Webb, however, had a history of standing up for populist ideas and speaking out against some of Bush’s military policies. Chris Wade, however, appears to be a very nice man but doesn’t bring a history of public service to the table and has failed to make it clear what Democratic values he holds dear.

So while Chris had gotten the early support of some activists, Janet Oleszek stepped up to the plate and decided that she would also be seeking the Democratic nomination. I got to know Janet during her time on the school board and her campaign for the state senate back in 2007. I went out canvassing and phone banking for her at least a dozen times as she was running against Ken Cuccinelli and was proud to do so because she has a history of standing up for the working class. As someone who has done a lot of organizing around education issues over the years, I also like the fact that she spent time on the school board and could therefore be an effective voice for the public school system if she was elected to the Board of Supervisors.

Based upon email threads and conversations I’ve had with folks about this race, a lot Democratic activists share these sentiments. Unfortunately for Janet, a lot of people had already committed to supporting Chris Wade's candidacy and are reluctant to go back on their word. Others like her political philosophy but have a lot of questions about tactics she used back in late 2009 when Democrats were deciding who would run to fill the seat Cuccinelli vacated when he became Attorney General. Those questions might not prevent them from voting for Janet on primary day, but they have unfortunately kept some people from volunteering for her (at least until after the primary is over).

Whatever you think about the motivations some people have for either continuing their early commitment to Chris Wade or deciding specifically to remain silent on the race, there’s no denying that this history means it’s worth paying attention when Janet Oleszek picks up a big endorsement like she did today from the Virginia Partisans.

Responding to the endorsement by the PAC Board, Terry Mansberger, LGBT Caucus Chair stated, "Janet has been a long time personal friend of mine and the LGBT community for many years and was a leading advocate for safe schools for all our kids as an At-Large County School Board Member. I'm thrilled to see the VA Partisans PAC return that support and look forward to Janet's strong progressive voice for full equality on the Board of Supervisors for Braddock District and our Fairfax area LGBT community!"

Mansberger went on to say, "While we are all focused on the State Senate this year, we must not forget the importance of these local races that also have a direct impact on the lives of our families. The fight for equality and protection from the extreme agenda of the Cuccinelli machine in Virginia begins here in Ken's back yard. It's time to take this seat back and send a message. . . the tea party is over in Fairfax."

It will be very interesting to see if this endorsement now gives some more party insiders and grassroots activists motivation to speak up in support of Janet’s campaign in the final two weeks before primary day. You can also see the full statement from the partisans blow “the fold.”

Fairfax, VA (Wednesday, August 10, 2011) - The Virginia Partisans, PAC of LGBT Democrats of Virginia, today announced the unanimous endorsement of Janet Oleszek for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to represent the Braddock Magisterial District. VA Partisans President Tiffany M. Joslyn praised Janet's commitment to equality, stating "Janet has consistently stood with the LGBT community, refusing to compromise her principles in favor of politics."

Responding to the endorsement by the PAC Board, Terry Mansberger, LGBT Caucus Chair stated, "Janet has been a long time personal friend of mine and the LGBT community for many years and was a leading advocate for safe schools for all our kids as an At-Large County School Board Member. I'm thrilled to see the VA Partisans PAC return that support and look forward to Janet's strong progressive voice for full equality on the Board of Supervisors for Braddock District and our Fairfax area LGBT community!"

Mansberger went on to say, "While we are all focused on the State Senate this year, we must not forget the importance of these local races that also have a direct impact on the lives of our families. The fight for equality and protection from the extreme agenda of the Cuccinelli machine in Virginia begins here in Ken's back yard. It's time to take this seat back and send a message . . . the tea party is over in Fairfax."

All candidates seeking the endorsement of the Virginia Partisans PAC are required to submit the PAC's 2011 Endorsement Questionnaire. Questionnaires of the above endorsed candidates, and all other candidates seeking endorsement, are available online at: www.lgbtvadem.org/virginia-partisans/endorsements. Endorsements by the Virginia Partisans PAC do not constitute endorsements from the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

The Virginia Partisans was founded more than 20 years ago as a voice for gay Democrats, initially in Northern Virginia. Today, the Virginia Partisans PAC is a statewide Political Action Committee affiliated with LGBT Democrats of Virginia, a project created in partnership with the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia, an affiliate of National Stonewall Democrats. In recent years, the Virginia Partisans has raised and spent more than $100,000 to support the election of pro-equality Democrats at the local, state and national levels from Virginia.

This is a critical election year for Virginia's LGBT community. Currently, Democrats hold a mere two seat advantage in the State Senate and the Republicans control both the Governor's mansion and the House of Delegates. With the entire Virginia general assembly up for election this November and the State Senate hanging in the balance, the Partisans are dedicated to raising 40 for 40-$40,000 for the 40 Virginia State Senate seats-to keep the Virginia Senate blue. The Partisans recently raised over $21,000 at its first of a series of fundraisers dedicated to this goal and will use funds raised to support pro-equality Democrats on the ballot this November. More information can be found at http://www.lgbtvadem.org/.

Gerry Connolly Sponsors Bill to Give Back-Pay to Furloughed FAA Employees

2011-08-09T16:36:00.002-04:00

Most of the outrage over Congress going on recess before solving the situation with the FAA was the fact that thousands of people were being furloughed and Congress decided to go on vacation instead of passing legislation that would give them their jobs back. Fortunately there are some members of Congress who realize that action was wrong and are taking action to rectify the situation. Rep. Gerry Connolly is joining with Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and the Chairmen of the House Transportation and Homeland Security Committees in introducing legislation that would allow the employees who were impacted by Congress’s failure to act to receive the salary and related benefits they should have received during the 13 day partial FAA shutdown.

The “Furloughed FAA Employees Compensation Act” would use the federal Aviation Trust Fund to cover the costs of the back-pay and benefits for the 4,000 employees -- almost 1,000 of which work in the DC area.

As I pointed out in an earlier post, Gerry has made it clear that he appreciates the work that the folks at the FAA (and federal employees in general) are doing and the services that they provide the community. During his recent town hall, he even highlighted how some FAA airport safety inspectors used personal funds to continue to travel and do their jobs without pay. He continued to express that sentiment today in a statement about the legislation when he said “I applaud their dedication to public service, but it is shameful that they were required to reach into their own pockets to keep our airports safe.” He also added that “we need to make these federal employees whole and make sure that we prevent future political shenanigans in Congress that resulted in this shutdown.”

Since Gerry represents so many federal employees, it shouldn’t be too surprising that he’s making a point to make sure they’re treated fairly and this isn’t the first time he’s sought back pay for federal employees who were furloughed through no fault of their own. In March 2010, for example a Connolly bill passed Congress that awarded back pay to 1,922 employees of four DOT agencies who were furloughed when the Highway Trust Fund was allowed to lapse.

There’s clear precedent for compensating federal employees for such furloughs that goes back further than just the ones that Gerry has signed onto. A prime example is that here was one after 26-day government shutdown affecting 800,000 federal workers in late 1995 and early 1996 during the Clinton Administration. It’s worth noting that it was a Republican-controlled Congress that voted to compensate all of those employees. So with that in mind, Gerry said that “it was the right thing to do then, and it's the right thing to do now.”

David Englin Endorses Jaime Areizaga-Soto, Decries "Good Old Boy" Mentality

2011-08-08T12:34:00.003-04:00

The Democratic Primary in the 31st State Senate District has been getting fairly heated. Some would even say that some of those involved in the race are getting rather petty. One example of the pettiness in the campaign is how Barbara Favola made a stink after one of the debates and refused to shake Jaime Areizaga-Soto’s hand, which is what most respectful candidates do even in the middle of the most heated campaigns (anybody remember Sarah Palin asking Biden if she could call him Joe while shaking his hand at the VP debate in 2008?). The pettiness by some of those in the Favola camp doesn’t end there. After having previously made public statements lavishing praise on Areizaga-Soto’s time in public supporters, one of Favola’s key supporter has now flip flopped on that statement because he’s making grounds on Favola. Despite those previous statements, this Favola supporter has now tried to belittle Jaime’s public service by implying that he was just an intern -- a statement obviously meant to imply he’s a liar that inflates his resume and doesn’t have the experience to serve.

This truly is a shame because a Democratic primary should be an opportunity to build up campaign infrastructures that could serve progressive candidates and causes in the future. Just look at what Jim Webb’s campaign did in Virginia back in 2006 (the Brigades formed from many of his supporters and is still influential in Northern Virginia). While I believe Jaime is the better candidate in this race, Favola does bring some positive traits to the table and obviously brings some of the more establishment types into the fold. I therefore believe we could have seen a positive discussion about the two candidates that really motivated various factions of the Democratic Party -- something we really need after two very tough years for Democrats in Virginia. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened and we now are looking at a lot of people who are simply frustrated with the behavior we’ve seen from certain people.

Delegate David Englin is one of those who has expressed frustration with the way things are going. In a statement endorsing Jaime Areizaga-Soto, David not only spoke about Jaime’s qualifications but lashed out at some of Favola’s biggest supporters by saying their behavior “smacks of an earlier era of ‘good old boy’ Virginia Democratic politics that most of us soundly rejected long ago.”

The most senior Democratic leaders in the Virginia Senate continue to attack and belittle Areizaga-Soto, who would be the first Latino elected to the Virginia Senate, because he has the nerve to seek his party's nomination against their hand-picked choice. They are so incensed by his candidacy that they have spent tens of thousands of dollars to attack him that could otherwise be used to defend their tenuous Democratic majority. This smacks of an earlier era of "good old boy" Virginia Democratic politics that most of us soundly rejected long ago. I have nothing against the other candidate in this race, Barbara Favola, with whom I have enjoyed working on Arlington County issues over the years. But the seat she and Areizaga-Soto seek belongs to the people of the 31st District, not to party bosses or the retiring incumbent to bequeath to the successor of their choice.

It’s worth looking at what David has to say here because he is a Member of the House of Delegates who has generally been highly respected by both the grassroots and the establishment. As a relatively young rising star in the Democratic Party, he also has a good chance of moving up in the party leadership. He therefore also has a lot to lose by speaking out so publicly while criticizing some of his colleagues in the General Assembly. As a result, his statement carries a lot more weight than some of the other folks who have been outspoken in their opposition to the behavior we’ve seen in this race.

I not only agree with David’s endorsement of Jaime Areizaga-Soto’s candidacy, but I strongly encourage everyone to take his statement to heart. When the evening August 23 rolls around, after all, we will have a Democratic nominee and we’ll need to rally behind our candidate. That will be a lot easier to do if we don’t have to get over folks putting pettiness and a “good old boy” type mentality ahead of progressive values in the final weeks of the primary.

You can check out David Englin’s full statement below “the fold.”

As a progressive leader in the General Assembly, I generally do not endorse Democratic primary candidates in districts where I cannot vote, and I've been especially hesitant to comment on the 31st District Senate primary because my wife is a paid consultant for one of the candidates, Jaime Areizaga-Soto. However, my simmering anger at how my own party's leaders in the Virginia Senate are handling this race has boiled over, and I can no longer remain silent.

Jaime Areizaga-Soto is a Georgetown and Stanford-educated attorney and a U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, whom President Obama appointed to a high-level position at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He served as a White House Fellow -- one of our nation's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service, whose alumni include distinguished Americans like Wesley Clark, Colin Powell, and Doris Kearns Goodwin. On top of all that, he's an Eagle Scout who is fluent in four languages. Yet the retiring incumbent, who just months ago introduced Areizaga-Soto to her constituents as a valued policy adviser, now claims he was a mere intern in her office and accuses him of inflating his resume. Since when does a 41-year-old who is an accomplished attorney, a lieutenant colonel, an Obama Administration appointee, and a White House Fellow need to inflate his resume?

The most senior Democratic leaders in the Virginia Senate continue to attack and belittle Areizaga-Soto, who would be the first Latino elected to the Virginia Senate, because he has the nerve to seek his party's nomination against their hand-picked choice. They are so incensed by his candidacy that they have spent tens of thousands of dollars to attack him that could otherwise be used to defend their tenuous Democratic majority. This smacks of an earlier era of "good old boy" Virginia Democratic politics that most of us soundly rejected long ago. I have nothing against the other candidate in this race, Barbara Favola, with whom I have enjoyed working on Arlington County issues over the years. But the seat she and Areizaga-Soto seek belongs to the people of the 31st District, not to party bosses or the retiring incumbent to bequeath to the successor of their choice.

I urge Democrats in Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun to vote for Jaime Areizaga-Soto for Senate on August 23rd, both because he will be a thoughtful, progressive champion for our entire community, and to send a message that the Democratic Party is still the open, inclusive party of good government we have worked so hard together to build.

Prince William Park Authority Authorizes $150,000 For Upgrades to Pfitzner Stadium

2011-08-07T12:55:00.001-04:00

This is cross-posted over at Ballpark Banter. I wrote this for a baseball blog, so it obviously has an emphasis on the baseball aspects of the decision. I think it's worth discussing here, however, because of the decisions made by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and the Park Authority Board to help in the funding of upgrades to the stadium. While this does mean more investment from the County, it could prove to be very beneficial to the County and local businesses if these upgrades mean more fans make their way out to the park. After all, those fans will be purchasing tickets (which will generate tax revenue) and will be spending money at gas stations and restaurants near the stadium.

When it was announced that Bryce Harper would skip playing High A ball with the Potomac Nationals and head straight to AA, there was a lot of speculation that this move was due to the poor field conditions at Pfitzner Stadium in Prince William County. This wasn’t the first time Potomac got the short end of the stick in regards to the top Nats prospects as Stephen Strasburg never came to Woodbridge even though the original rumors were that he’d start his professional career with the P-Nats. It appears as though some action has been taken to start addressing concern about the field, however, as the Prince William Park Authority Board authorized $150,000 to make improvements to the field.

Some of the specific concerns are about the inability of the outfield to properly drain, which can lead to safety concerns for outfielders like Harper. The lack of drainage also causes a lot of games to be postponed due to rain that wouldn’t be postponed elsewhere. While this isn't as big of a concern as the safety issues, the unnecessary postponed games could put the development of crucial prospects behind schedule when they happen so often. When you combine this with the fact that the training facilities are so outdated that trainers have to go to the concession stand just to get ice for the players they’re treating, it’s really sad to see how poor the stadium has become over its 30 year history.

This isn't just local fans expressing frustration at missing out on top prospects as the drainage issues, poor training facilities, and other problems with the playing field are so bad that baseball officials sent a letter to Prince William County saying that the stadium absolutely had to be improved.

Fan frustration is an issue though as attendance at P-Nats games has been so low that there’s been talk about moving the team to a new stadium instead of investing the money in a 30 year old stadium. Part of the reason that the now go by the Potomac Nationals instead of the Prince William Nationals, for instance, is that the team’s owner, Art Silber, has been looking for ways to get private capital for a new park that could potentially bring in more fans. Part of his so far failed tactics to get a new stadium was to look at other areas in the region for the team to play. The switch to Potomac as the team's identifier instead of Prince William was made as a marketing decision several years ago in case an opportunity for a new stadium was found in Loudoun or Fairfax County.

There have also been a lot of rumors that the team was hesitant to invest in the stadium because it wanted to get so bad that the County was all but officially forced to put some public funding into it or risk losing the team (which is essentially what’s happening now). This not only impacted the quality of the playing field, but also meant the fan experience was negatively impacted by a small and severely outdated stadium.

A prime example of the poor conditions outside of the playing field can be seen in the stadium’s scoreboard. Up until about halfway through last season, the P-Nats had a scoreboard that was more outdated than those seen at most local high schools. It was so bad that when they posted the information about who was up to bat, there were so many lights out that it was sometimes difficult to make out the player’s number and batting average. Thankfully, they finally realized last year that enough fans were getting fed up with the conditions at Pfitzner Stadium that they bought a new scoreboard.

With the rumors about the moving, the letters of reprimand from baseball officials, and the frustrated fans, it’s good that Prince William County and the P-Nats have gotten the hint that action needs to be taken. Hopefully the team and county won’t stop at just bringing the playing field up to the bare minimal standards and adding a new scoreboard. If they make the stadium an attractive place to play and take in a game, after all, we could see the Nationals be willing to have their top prospects play in Woodbridge. This not only will help the P-Nats, but will improve the local economy as Nats fans from all over the DC area make the trip to Prince William County to see the future stars of the Washington Nationals.

Gerry Connolly Applauds FAA Deal, Calls Out GOP Leadership

2011-08-05T11:18:00.002-04:00

During his telephone town hall last night, one of Gerry Connolly’s constituents said he was “appalled” that Congress went on recess before coming to an agreement on the FAA funding bill. Gerry quickly agreed that it was the wrong move and added that he had shared his concern with the leadership before they left. Considering how we’re in the middle of a debate surrounding how to reduce the deficit while also spurring job creation and economic growth, Gerry (like me and the town hall participant) thought it was wrong for Congress to leave for a month while 4,000 FAA employees and tens of thousands of construction workers were out of work and we were losing out $200 million a week in airline fees to the federal government.

Fortunately, it looks like the Senate has reached a deal that would allow a brief extension of funding while Congress works out the details of a long term deal. Gerry applauded the deal and said he hoped the Senate can use unanimous consent rules to pass the legislation. “Both bodies can wrangle over the contentious issues that are stalling the FAA bill when they return to Washington in September, but right now we need to pass some funding to put FAA airport safety inspectors and 70,000 other workers back to work,” he said. “These FAA workers and airport construction workers are not getting paid, their jobs aren’t getting done, and the taxpayers are being robbed of $30 million a day.”

Both during last night’s town hall and during his statement on the FAA compromise, Connolly praised the FAA airport safety inspectors who are using personal funds to continue to travel and do their jobs without pay. “I applaud their dedication to public service, but it is shameful that they are required to reach into their own pockets to keep our airports safe.” Interestingly, the dedication these safety inspectors

In my opinion, the action taken by the safety inspectors also shows how members of the general public realize that there are some programs like the FAA are truly worth a strong investment. The Republican leadership in Congress, however, doesn’t seem to be willing to listen to this concept as it was holding up the legislation to push for new restrictions on the right of airline workers to organize and to seek additional flight slots at Washington National Airport. Gerry also had some issues with the GOP leadership on this as he said “it’s ironic that the same crowd that preaches budget cutting was willing to let the federal government lose hundreds of millions of dollars and leave tens of thousands of airport workers without paychecks to advance their political agenda.”

UPDATE: The Senate did end up using the unanimous consent option today to pass the short term extension.

Rob Dibble: Strasburg's Only Coming Back "To Put Butts in the Seats"

2011-08-05T10:45:00.000-04:00

This is cross-posted on Ballpark Banter. Since so many of my readers are also Nationals fans, or at least DC sports fans in general, I will post some of the stuff I write for that site on Left of the Hill. I definitely recommend going to Ballpark Banter to check out my baseball writing, however, because there will be a lot of pieces I don't cross-post.

Shortly after Stephen Strasburg got hurt last season, Rob Dibble claimed that he needed to “suck it up” and get back to pitching. Dibble has a reputation for letting his opinions be known even if they rub people the wrong way, so I wasn’t terribly surprised to hear the remarks. They were unfortunate, especially after it became clear that Strasburg torn ligament would lead to him needing Tommy John surgery, but it was Dibble being Dibble. Of course, the Nationals didn’t take it as lightly as I did and Dibble ended up being fired from his position as the color commentator on MASN.

Now that Strasburg will be starting his path back to playing with the Nationals by making a rehab start in Hagerstown, it looks like Dibble has even more to say about Strasburg’s pitching career. On his radio show yesterday, Dibble abandoned his argument that Strasburg needs to “suck it up” and instead said that the only reason that “he’s too valuable” to bring back now and that the only reason the Nats are doing it is “to put butts in the seats.”

Via the Nats Enquirer, here‘s a transcription of his remarks (above link is to the audio).

"There's absolutely no reason, other than to sell tickets and to put butts in the seats to bring Stephen Strasburg back, to make a few starts at the end of the season. He's too valuable. He's too talented to even think about stuff like that. But in their case, you know, having worked with those people, the only thing I can say is that there are some people there that think they invented the game of baseball. Which they did not."

And so they think they can do things differently than 29 other teams in the game. That's the problem I had when I was working there, and now, even when I've been working on this channel for the last seven years. It's pretty simple stuff. You want guys to play 15-20 years, you don't need to rush a guy back just to get a couple starts in so you can sell out the stadium and stuff like that. You know, they've been talking about 2012, and what kind of team they're gonna have in 2012 and stuff like that. And you know, if that's the case, and you don't want to put a Bryce Harper in the major leagues until you think he's ready, there's really no point in rushing this kid back just to get a couple starts out of him for this year."

My immediate reaction to the comments was “where was this sentiment last year?” After all, Strasburg’s current trajectory has him getting back to the big leagues about the same point in the season that he got last year. Despite Dibble’s passionate flip flop in position on bringing Strasburg back this late in the season, he’s absolutely wrong that a pitcher can’t benefit from coming back at the end of the season after having Tommy John surgery.

If you’re looking for an example of how making a few starts at the end of the season can help, all you have to do is look at the Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann. After having Tommy John surgery, Zimmerman made came back to the Majors last year and made seven starts beginning in the last week of August. Just like this year, it was pretty clear that the Nats wouldn’t be making the playoffs and Zimm’s performance wouldn’t have helped their efforts even if they were in contention. But he has come back this year stronger and has done relatively well for the Nats this year.

While every pitchers recovery process is obviously going to be a little different, Zimmerman’s experience with the Nats and the fact that Strasburg has been consistently hitting his rehab goals suggest that coming back this season could be beneficial for his recovery. Considering how the team as a whole has also been progressing and even Dibble admits folks have been looking towards 2012 for awhile, having their star pitcher better prepared at the beginning of next season also means this move could greatly benefit the organization as a whole.

What this all means is that Rob Dibble is once again receiving a lot of attention for loudly being on the wrong side of Stephen Strasburg’s recovery process.

Economy is the Main Issue During Connolly Town Hall

2011-08-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

One of the big trends among folks on Capitol Hill has to hold telephone town halls with their constituents because it’s an easy way for them to reach out to thousands of people at one time. Rep. Gerry Connolly has been a big advocate of using this type of forum and he held his 11th telephone town hall since being elected (2nd of this Congress) last night. With so much attention given to the debt ceiling compromise, it shouldn’t be surprising that the economy and that vote were the main topics of discussion during the call.

In his opening statement, Gerry spoke out against the “overly partisan” tone of negotiations the led up to the debt ceiling compromise. He noted that even though Congress had taken the action to raise the debt ceiling at least 75 times, there were some people in Congress who were willing to put their political agenda ahead of the country’s ability to meet its obligations. I’ve heard Gerry take this position during statements on the floor of the House and to members of the press, so this was nothing new. Neither was his explanation that he voted for the package because he felt “the vote was between this package and a catastrophic default” and “not between this package and the ideal.”

What I hadn’t heard Gerry talk about was the impact that the debate had on the local economy. He expressed a lot of concern, for instance, about how Moody’s credit agency has said that the way things are going surrounding the negotiations might cause the bond rating agencies to downgrade the ratings of Fairfax and Prince William counties because of how closely the region is tied into the federal government. I’ve sat through countless meetings at the state and local level during my years as an organizer in Northern Virginia and I can’t even begin to tell you how many times keeping a AAA rating directly impacted how elected officials cast their votes on a certain issue. Perhaps in a hint of why that happens, Gerry pointed out on last night’s call that his experience on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors showed him how having the AAA rating allowed taxpayers to save hundreds of millions of dollars through lower borrowing costs.

After making his opening statement, Gerry took questions from folks on the call. To give you an idea of the questions, you can check a few highlights below “the fold.”

Noah from Lorton: Noah’s question was the first one asked and he expressed concern about “the atrocities” in Syria. Connolly responded by saying “I share you concern.” and highlighted how Hillary Clinton has recently said that the regime no longer had any legitimacy. Clinton’s statement might not sound like a lot to a domestic audience, but Gerry pointed out that this was sending a message in the diplomatic message. For what it’s worth, I was recently at a hearing held by a subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Syria and Iran. During that hearing, Gerry did go after the Obama Administration for not taking a stance on the situation that resonated with a domestic audience. It is the American people, after all, who have to provide the support for the policies our government takes. (I’ll be having more on this hearing soon).

During the call, Gerry also added that he believes the world should condemn the tactics used by the regime and that it should be the position of the American people to stand with those who support basic rights for the general public. “Clearly the Syrian people want to move on,” Gerry said.

Bob from Woodbridge: Bob said that he was appalled Congress went on recess before FAA issue was resolve and Gerry quickly said that he couldn’t agree more. In fact, he lobbied the leadership hard trying to have them reach an agreement before going on break. Part of his reasoning for wanting action is that we’re loosing about $200 million a week in revenue (at a time when we’re already concerned about the deficit), 4,000 FAA employees were furloughed (many of whom worked at the 3 airports in our region), and construction projects were halted which has an impact on the jobs of tens of thousands of folks working for private companies.

Gerry said that this emblematic of how there are some in Congress who are rigidly sticking to the ideology that we don’t need government and ignoring the consequences of not providing programs the funding they need. Not only has the failure to reach an agreement on the FAA situation impacted jobs, after all, but it prevents an organization responsible for keeping Americans safe from operating at its full capabilities.

Katie on twitter: Katie wanted to know why this Congress insists on using federal workers as a pawn in their political battles. With so many people in Northern Virginia working for the federal government, I’ve seen Gerry speak on numerous occasions about the value of the federal workforce. On last night’s call he said that public servants protect our communities and make an enormous contribution to our community. He therefore believes “it’s reprehensible to use [federal workers] as a punching bag.” The congressman also promised that he would continue to stand up for federal employees and that he would work to ensure that they don’t receive “the blunt of the blow” in future rounds of deficit reductions.

Cantor's Constituents Speak Against His Threats to Cut Safety Net Programs

2011-08-04T19:35:00.002-04:00

As Congress is preparing to form the debt ceiling super committee that will make further reductions to the deficit, most Americans want Congress to take a balanced approach that addresses the deficit but doesn‘t destroy crucial programs. It’s simply not right, after all, to cut programs that impact the middle and working class while not asking the uber wealthy to share in the burden as well. Only one day after a debt ceiling deal was reached that only guaranteed substantial cuts, however, Eric Cantor told the Wall Street Journal that he believes we need to cut things like Medicare and Social Security without asking the rich to return to pay a little more in taxes.

Cantor, who primarily represented the tea party‘s interests in the first round of debt ceiling negotiations instead of those of his constituents, said that "promises have been made that frankly are not going to be kept for many.” This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Cantor put promises to his wealthy donors and wall street bankers ahead of the millions of Americans who are struggling to get by as we’re still recovering from the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. Even when Paul Ryan’s plan to do away with Medicare as we know it and turn it into a voucher program was facing fierce opposition, Cantor was one of Ryan’s biggest supporters.

While Cantor might think it’s okay to break promises to the American people, his constituents realize the policies he’s promoting are wrong. Candace Graham, for instance, is a Chesterfield resident who joined a large group of Virginia’s at Cantor’s Glen Allen office a few weeks ago to protest his support of cuts to safety net programs. After hearing about her Congressman blatantly threatening the working class while saying the rich should get off without making sacrifices, Candance (through Virginia Organizing) released a statement making it clear Virginians aren’t standing by his abhorrent policies.

“As a constituent of Rep. Cantor’s I take exception to my congressman saying that the majority of his constituents want cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Poll after poll suggests that people of all ages would like to see the wealthy pay their fair share instead of cutting Medicare and Social Security. Rep. Cantor’s remarks are just one more reminder that he and many of his colleagues in Washington are out of touch with their constituents.”

“Rep. Cantor seems to have the absurd idea that those of us over the age of 55 have no concern about the retirement security of our children and grandchildren so long as our benefits are not attacked this time around. I am not content to tell my children to ‘adjust’ their lives to deal with the cuts to the safety net made by legislators who only represent the interests of the wealthy and corporations. Rep. Cantor said that ‘the math doesn’t lie,’ yet he ignores the math that suggests that ending the Bush tax cuts, closing tax loopholes and returning the tax rate to what it was under the Clinton administration would eliminate the need to raid our safety net.”

Candance isn’t alone in her opposition to Cantor’s remarks and Virginia Organizing is helping empower Virginians as they stand up for the middle and working class. Throughout the summer, for instance, they’ve had a Social Security Outreach program that’s made about 300 presentations (lead by 8 interns and a couple volunteers) that talked about the need to strengthen, not cut, Social Security. While that program ends in about a week, they will continue to organize against unnecessary cuts in the next round of deficit reduction.

Chris Cillizza: Bob McDonnell Biggest Winner From Perry Presidential Campaign

2011-08-04T09:43:00.000-04:00

Bob McDonnell has gained a fairly large national profile since he defeated Creigh Deeds in the 2009 gubernatorial campaign. He’s even gained some support from Republicans to be their party’s nominee for Vice President in 2012 and is currently serving as the Vice Chairman of the Republican Governors Association. As Chris Cillizza pointed out in a post over at the Fix, his profile could grow even more if Rick Perry decides to enter the race for president.

If, as expected, Texas Gov. Rick Perry decides to run for president in 2012, the biggest winner may well be Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Perry would vacate his [RGA] chairmanship if he were to pursue the presidency and McDonnell would step into a job that has emerged as a powerful perch and potential springboard into national politics in recent years.

While no McDonnell supporters wanted to speak on the record about the opportunity such a move would afford the governor, one ally acknowledged that it would “continue McDonnell’s steady move into the national political arena” and added: “The greater exposure should just mean a greater opportunity for him to play a larger role in the current political debate, and, potentially, open up future doors as well.”

Chris did point out that if Perry ends up winning the GOP nomination, it would essentially ruin McDonnell’s chances of being named the VP nomination because the party probably wouldn’t want to nominate two white male southern governors. At the same time, however, McDonnell might be a prime candidate for RNC chair under a President Perry if the GOP ticket performed well in Virginia and won the general election.

Republicans Mock Jaime Radtke for Wanting an RV

2011-08-03T13:38:00.001-04:00

Earlier today I wrote a post about how recent polling suggests that she isn’t doing well among GOP activists because she’s running a poor campaign, not necessarily because of her political philosophy. A prime example of this type of sentiment can be seen over at Bearing Drift, one of the most popular conservative blogs in Virginia.

JR Hoft wrote a post a few days ago that highlights how Radtke has been asking for donations to help fund a campaign RV. Apparently it would cost about $1,000 per month to lease the vehicle, with an additional $1,400 per month going towards fuel and insurance. If she wants the fancy wrap that we see when politicians go on bus tours, it would be a one time payment of $7,500. If used correctly, these stats could be beneficial while trying to raise the necessary money because potential donors could see it as a way to get a better sense of where their money is going to be used.

While going on a bus tour and asking donors to fund specific projects are relatively commonplace, Hoft took this as an opportunity to go after Radtke’s campaign tactics. He pointed out that she’s trying to get an RV despite the fact that her “campaign is apparently underwater,” for instance, and ended the post by saying “as if traffic in Virginia wasn’t already bad enough.” While it’s been clear for awhile that Hoft isn’t a big fan of Radtke’s, the comments left by readers also suggested she’s not running a smart campaign.

If commenters weren’t saying there “more urgent ways for her to spend the campaign money she doesn’t have” or why she didn’t just ask for an airplane while she’s at it, they were questioning the figures that she used to estimate the cost of the RV. The few people who appeared to be Radtke supporters spent most of their time launching attacks against Hoft or George Allen -- not really a way to win over supporters or spread information about a candidate who 77% of GOP primary voters have an opinion about.

PPP Polls Virginia GOP Races

2011-08-03T10:14:00.001-04:00

While we have state and elections here in Virginia coming up in November, there has already been a lot of attention giving to the races in 2012 and beyond. With that in mind, PPP released a poll yesterday that showed George Allen with a huge lead in the Republican primary for US Senate.

Despite the fact that we’ve seen the Tea Party taking over the Republican Party all across the country, Allen appears to have been able to ward off any serious challenges from the far right. In fact, Tea Party candidate Jamie Radtke only has 6% of the vote and the poll also shows him with a 58-23 lead over a “a generic more conservative challenger.”

While the Tea Party candidates aren’t doing well in the Senate race, it would be wrong to assume this means the Virginia GOP has escaped being taken over by the extreme right. It looks like Jaime Radtke’s low numbers aren’t because of her political philosophy, for instance, but because of a poor campaign. Despite being in the race for months, 77% of those polled (likely GOP primary voters) didn’t have an opinion of her candidacy. Even some political insiders that I’ve talked to on both sides of the aisle said they either didn’t know much about her, if anything at all. And those who did, weren’t very impressed (a concept that’s also supported by the polling). This tells me that George Allen’s name recognition and lack of quality opposition are why he’s going to get the GOP nomination -- not because the Tea Party likes him.

The polling PPP did in other races, however, does suggest that the Tea Party has a strong influence over the Virginia GOP. I say this because a hypothetical match up between Ken Cuccinelli and Bill Bolling for Governor in 2013 has Cuccinelli leading 45-23 an Michelle Bachmann has the lead in the presidential primary. Plus, Rick Perry also has his strongest showing outside of Texas here in Virginia. This is important because the top of the ticket in 2012 and 2013 will have a very strong influence the debate in other races going on. In other words, George Allen will likely have to cater to the far right and associate with the Tea Party if he wants to get his party’s base excited about his candidacy too next year.

Sen. Mark Warner Wants to be on Supercommittee

2011-08-03T06:46:00.000-04:00

With President Obama signing the debt ceiling compromise yesterday, Congressional leaders now have 10 days to appoint people to the bipartisan joint committee responsible for coming up with another $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions. With the decision regarding the appointments having to made relatively soon, Virginia’s Sen. Mark Warner has been actively lobbying for a spot on the commission.

As we‘re coming off of a tough negotiations that almost lead to a catastrophic default, Warner is using his credentials as a centrist as part of the reason why he wants to be on the committee. He told the Richmond Times Dispatch, for instance, that his “fear is that this could be made of a group that could be the more ideologically rigid in both parties, and [he’s] not sure that gets us to where we need to be."

Warner then went on the Fox News Channel to talk about the deal and some of the work that the new committee would have to do. He pointed out that he believes we need to take bold steps towards addressing entitlement and tax reforms -- something that would receive a significant amount of resistance from members of both parties. Perhaps showing a little lack in confidence that anything very productive will be accomplished by the committee, however, he said that “the fact that I’m willing to do that probably means that I’m not actually going to get on the committee.”

During his lobbying efforts, Warner has also pointed to his experience as a member of the “Gang of 6” and claims this helps to illustrate how he’s been intimately “working on this issue for the last year.” Some pundits have also pointed out that this was the only group that actually came up with a bipartisan proposal (though it didn’t end up receiving much support beyond the group and there was definitely a lot of disputes that even lead to members leaving the group at one time).

While I tend to think that Warner should be considered because he does have a lot of experience on the issues and his reputation as a centrist might help ease tensions, I think his appointment should only come if he’s also surrounded by some strong progressives. I say this because while he would bring a lot to the table, we’ve seen the Democrats give up a lot more than the GOP has given up in recent compromises. I therefore would like to see the Dems appoint some liberals to help ensure we have some strong voices for progressive values in the discussion.

UPDATE: Here's video of his appearance on the Fox News Channel.

Democrats Nominate Adrianne Bennett in 21st HoD Race

2011-08-02T20:47:00.001-04:00

In 2009, Republican Ron Villanueva defeated incumbent Democrat Bobby Mathieson by 14 votes in the 21st House of Delegates district. Since Bobby has since become the US Marshall for the Eastern District of Virginia, he won’t be trying to regain his seat this year. As a result, we won’t see a rematch of the extremely close race. According to a press release from the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, however, we will be seeing a solid race as Adrianne Bennett has officially received the Democratic nomination and will be challenging Villanueva in the general election.

Bennett is an attorney who is in a private practice and a public defender for the City of Norfolk, working on the behalf of underrepresented children and those in the foster care system. She was born in Norfolk, moved to Virginia Beach at the age of three, attended Kings Grant and Holland Elementary Schools, Lynnhaven Middle School, First Colonial High School and graduated from Cape Henry Collegiate School in 1990. Bennett earned her Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from Virginia Tech, and her Juris Doctorate at the University of Baltimore School of Law, graduating Cum Laude in 1998.

“Less than two years ago, in an unprecedented election year for Republicans, Democrat Bobby Mathieson lost the 21st District by 16 votes. We are committed to helping Adrianne win back this seat”, said Joel McDonald, the Democratic 21st House District Chair. “Adrianne has the proven ability and commitment to being an outspoken and dedicated voice in Richmond. I look forward to her representing all of us in South Hampton Roads.”

As somebody who has spent a significant amount of time organizing around education issues, I’m very glad to see that she has publicly said that “she is dedicated to making sure children have access to quality education, from early childhood to college.” In the race to cut our federal and state budgets, it’s far too often students who suffer since most aren’t old enough to go to the polls. These cuts, however, have a huge impact on our communities because they prevent students from obtaining the skills they need to lead a successful life -- which obviously has a harmful impact on the area they live in.

It’s also good to see that Bennett has a history of serving as a public defender. This is tough work and shows a commitment to ensuring that our justice system works as fairly as possible. Far too often we see the poor get rail roaded by the system because they don’t have the resources to properly defend themselves. Having strong lawyers serve as public defenders helps make sure everyone has their rights defended.

As Joel McDonald pointed out over at Virginia Beach Progressives, this has the potential to be very close and it’s important to Democrats since no Democrats currently hold a Delegate seat “primarily representing Virginia Beach.” In other words, it looks like Democrats have nominated a good candidate in what could prove to be a crucial race this November.

Gerry Connolly: It was Between This Proposal and Catastrophic Default Today

2011-08-02T15:57:00.002-04:00

As the debt ceiling bill has now passed, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have been making the rounds explaining why they voted for or against the bill. That included Gerry Connolly, who had a conference call with reporters this morning to explain why he voted in favor of the bill.

Even before the final deal was reached, Gerry was strongly advocating for a compromise so that we could avoid a “devastating default.” When it looked like we had a strong chance of failing to reach a deal over the weekend, Gerry took to the floor of the House to go after the GOP for acting as though compromise was a dirty word and being “more interested in scoring political points than ensuring the stability of the U.S. economy and preserving the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.”

After going after the GOP for promoting the “rigid orthodoxy” instead of what’s best for the American people, Gerry practiced what he preached and voted for a compromise yesterday even though he admitted that there were several things he didn’t like about the bill. Both in a statement released last night and on the conference call today, for instance, Gerry pointed out that there was nothing in the bill that addressed revenue reform. Despite these disappointments, he said that when it came down to casting a vote it "wasn’t between the ideal and this proposal, it was between this proposal and a catastrophic default today.”

Since there’s been a number of outspoken folks on the left who have expressed opposition to the deal, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Gerry took some time on his call today to discuss what Democrats could like about the compromise. He started out by saying that there “was something for everyone to love and everyone to hate” in the bill, which would obviously explain why there’s people on both the left and right who have come out both in support and in opposition to the deal. Specifically in regards to Democrats, however, he pointed out that one of the major wins we had was that the bill gets us past 2012. Gerry also highlighted how this adds more stability than the short term deal that the GOP was trying to ram through at the last minute.

While it’s true that the entire deal gets us through 2012, I’m not fully buying into that argument because the joint committee still has to come up with a deal for the second round of deficit reduction. With the way things have been going lately regarding tough negotiations, I’m not sure how confident we should be that something actually will get something done. And with the rumors already circulating that Boehner and McConnell won’t appoint anyone to the committee who would support revenue reform, I’ve all but given up hope that we’ll see anything addressing revenue come out of this deal.

Gerry appeared to have more hope on this than me though because he believed that the enforcement mechanisms put in place are disdained by enough members on both sides that folks will be motivated to make a deal that could pass. The Congressman also went on to say the actual spending cuts are relatively low in the first two years, so that provides us some more room to recover before the impact of the cuts are felt. While that’s not terribly comforting, it is better than having to face the full blunt of the cuts while we still haven’t fully recovered from the worst economic disaster since the great depression.

All in all, what this means is that Gerry Connolly believes the debt ceiling deal was far from perfect but needed to pass in order to prevent a “catastrophic default today.” While it might not be extremely politically popular, I think that position and the action he took prior to the vote are an example of the strong leadership we need in Congress right now. He fought for progressive values, went after those who were preventing progress, and eventually voted for the best interests of the American people even though we didn’t get everything he wanted.

Video Statement From Mark Warner on Debt Ceiling Deal

2011-08-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

Mark Warner was elected, in part, due to his business experience and his knowledge of financial issues. When you combine that with the fact that he's a "radical centrist" and was a member of the "Gang of 6," he definitely has a history of working across party lines when it comes to economic issues. People from both sides of the aisle realize this, which is why he was elected with a strong majority, remains one of the more popular politicians in Virginia, and has earned the respect of his fellow Senators. As a result, I think Warner's thinking on the debt ceiling deal is not only important to folks in Virginia, but to those who are following the economic talks on the Hill in general.

So with that being said, here's a video statement that Warner's office put out about the debt ceiling deal. Perhaps what's most noticeable, is that he joins most of those who voted "aye" by not being a real champion of the bill, but arguing that they needed to pass the legislation in order to avoid going into default.

Giffords' Office: "No decision has been made about 2012"

2011-08-02T12:52:00.000-04:00

In the middle of a fierce debate a friend of mine referred to as “petty partisan bickering,” Gabby Giffords’ presence on the House floor for the first time since being shot almost 8 months ago resulted in a standing ovation from members of both parties. It was an inspirational moment that briefly reminded all of us that there are elected officials out there who are truly dedicated to serving their country. It also almost immediately lead to pundits speculating about whether or not she would be running for re-election next year.

With all the speculation brewing about her future, however, her office has released a statement saying that "Congresswoman Giffords is focused on her recovery” and "no decision has been made about 2012." While that is the official position as of now, Giffords’ campaign has still posted some very good numbers through the help of friends and being named as one of the DCCC’s “Frontline” candidates for 2012.

A prime example of the support Giffords’ has received regarding fundraising came through what one of her closest friends, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, said on Morning Joe earlier today. The DNC Chairwoman made it clear that the Giffords’ friends are making sure she has the resources necessary to run for re-election if she’s made enough progress in her recovery. "We're certainly getting her ready to make sure she can run for reelection at the point that they're ready to decide on that," Wasserman Schultz said. “Her supporters in Arizona and across the country and her colleagues are making sure that she doesn't have to start from scratch when she makes that decision."

As I have reported several times before, her Congressional staff has also been making sure that her constituents have been properly represented in the House of Representatives. On the Armed Services Committee, for instance, her staff has been working with Rep. Adam Smith on details as small as making sure questions she might ask are brought up during committee hearings. What this all tells me is that if Giffords were to run for re-election, should would have the support of both a good campaign team and solid Congressional office.

Gerry Connolly's Statement on Passage of Debt Ceiling Bill

2011-08-01T21:09:00.002-04:00

The following is a statement put out by Rep. Gerry Connolly regarding the debt ceiling vote tonight in the House of Representatives. The heart of the statement was that the bill was not perfect, he was "disappointed" that a balanced approach that included revenue wasn't initially taken for instance, and we still have a lot of work to do. At the same time, there were some silver linings such as no immediate cuts to federal workers pay and benefits. Most importantly, we saved the country from going into default, which would have had an extremely negative impact on our country's economy.

I agree with Gerry's take on the bill. It's not something that we should be thrilled about, but it did avoid a default. In my opinion, that could have lead to economic disaster which could have completely reversed any recovery that we've made. For all of those on the left who have decided to attack Dems who voted yes, it's important to remember that these cuts might take away resources that are desperately needed, but the cuts are still a lot less harmful than what would have happened if we went into default. With that being said, however, it is important that we hold our elected officials accountable and ensure that they move forward with responsible legislation in the future. The good news is that progressives like Gerry appear to understand that they must stand up to the Tea Party as we move forward.

And with all that in mind, here's the statement that Gerry released.

Tonight’s vote for the debt ceiling agreement averted a catastrophic collapse of the economy. After months of an overly-partisan process, and a dangerous game of chicken played by House Republicans, the House passed the debt ceiling bill by a vote of 269 to 161.

The choice we faced was not a choice between this proposal and the perfect. But rather, it was a choice between this proposal and default by the United States tomorrow. All of us in Congress have a responsibility to do what’s in the best interest of the country and protecting the credit-worthiness of the United States is most certainly in the best interest of the country. The United States has been a creditworthy nation since Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury in George Washington’s first cabinet, and I was not willing to vote to reverse that.

I am disappointed that revenue is not included initially, but under this agreement it will be on the table moving forward and we can live to fight another day. It is absurd to propose that we can solve our long-term debt problem only on the spending side of the ledger. Right now we’re spending 25% of GDP, which is too high, and we are bringing in revenue of just 15% of GDP which is too low. Moving forward, we must address both.

The agreement includes no immediate cuts to federal workers’ pay and benefits, although the spending cuts imposed on civilian agencies will certainly have an impact. Moving forward, I will be working to make sure that federal workers are not forced to bear an inordinate share of the burden of deficit reduction.

They have already sacrificed and further reductions will threaten their ability to provide the vital services we all count on every day. Medicare and Social Security benefits are protected, but again, it is important that we protect the interests of those who have earned these benefits in the coming months. We cannot forget that House Republicans want to cut these important programs, as evidenced by the Ryan budget plan approved by the House majority this year that would dismantle Medicare as we know it and replace it with a voucher plan to help pay for private insurance.

Unlike the cynical legislation this chamber passed on a party line vote last week, this bill commits America to meeting its obligation for the longer term, it leaves all options on the table, including revenue, for bipartisan committee consideration this fall. It also has triggers, painful to both parties, which add real accountability and strict enforcement to this process.

I commend President Obama and other leadership for leading the adult conversation to bring about this compromise.

The American people understand we need balance to restore fiscal responsibility and grow our economy. I join them in working to reach this important goal.

Video: President Obama Explains Debt Deal to Supporters

2011-08-01T14:30:00.000-04:00

Like many folks on the left, I'm not terribly excited about the compromise on the debt ceiling compromise. While it's great that we avoided going into default, which would have had a devastating affect on our already fragile economy, it's still a compromise that cuts programs crucial to working class families while allowing corporations to once again escape without making any sacrifices. Since we've seen deal after deal where this has been the case, I'm also not confident that the joint committee will do anything to address the revenue side of the budget.

What all this means is that I don't like too much of what's in the compromise, but I realize it's better for our country than default. As Nate Silver points out, the fine print of the bill makes the compromises a little easier to take in. One of his points, for instance, is that many of the cuts wouldn't take place until 2013 or 2014. According to Nate, this is good because "fundamentally it is very difficult to bind the actions of a future Congress." Of course, we still can't deny that momentum is on the side of making drastic cuts and it could the ones proposed in this bill could have a very negative impact on our economy in those years.

I therefore wouldn't hold it against members of Congress who voted for the bill, but strongly encourage our elected officials on both sides of the aisle to come together in order to create a balanced solution to our deficit problems. In the meantime, for those on the left who are disappointed with the compromise, here's a video that Obama put out to supporters to explain why the compromise was necessary.

Sometimes the Cheap Seats are the Best Seats

2011-07-30T23:14:00.000-04:00

I can definitely understand why sitting up close during games would be rather enjoyable. I have, after all, splurged a couple times to get seats a couple rows back from the field at Nationals game. And when I go to minor league games I almost always get the closest seats possible.

To be honest, however, I only sit up close at minor league games because they're usually cheap (about the same cost as going to a movie). When it comes to MLB games, however, I simply can't afford to pay for super close seats. The next best seats, in my opinion, are in the infield upper deck.

There are various reasons why I think these are the next best option. For those who are interested in the best viewing opportunity, there's the plain and simple fact that they're the INFIELD upper deck seats helps to show how you're closer (at least horizontally) to most of the action than the seats helps to explain how you're closer seats than somewhere down the baseline or in the outfield on the first level. By sitting up high, you also get a good perspective on how plays develop and a sense of how the defense changes its positioning depending on the batter and game situation.

In ballparks that don't sellout, there's also usually a fair number of empty seats in these sections. As a result, you have more room to stretch out. When you consider that a game usually lasts three hours or so, having this extra space can be nice -- especially if you're carrying a few extra pounds like me.

When you combine the fact that the view is better in many aspects than those in the outfield and down the baselines with the fact that these seats are also cheaper (at least at Nationals Park), I definitely think these are the seats that offer the most bang for the buck.

Gerry Connolly: House GOP Thinks Compromise is a Dirty Word

2011-07-30T16:30:00.000-04:00

Gerry Connolly has taken to the floor of the House of Representatives several times in the last few days to go after the GOP for their willingness to see us go into default instead of compromising. This afternoon he continued that theme as he said he's not optimistic Congress will reach an agreement on a debt ceiling bill before the Tuesday deadline and warned that the American people and the world economy should prepare for a U.S. default.

As the deadline approaches, it become clearer and clearer that the extremists have gained control of the House GOP Caucus and that's why compromise doesn't seem too likely. That's why Gerry correctly put the blame for the looming economic disaster squarely at the feet of the House Republicans. “The rigid orthodoxy of the House Majority and their Tea Party masters has created an untenable situation,” he said. “They are more interested in scoring political points than ensuring the stability of the U.S. economy and preserving the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.”

He went on to say that “As the debate on avoiding a destructive default has progressed over the past months, we’ve heard from many House Republicans that compromise is a dirty word. But the voices we should be listening to are those of the American people. What they’ve said has been loud and clear."

Even as I was at the Nationals game last night, several people in our section were talking about how frustrated they were that Republicans were unwilling to compromise. Some folks even went as far as saying that they believed going into default would cost Boehner his speakership and perhaps will end any hopes the GOP had of winning the White House in 2012. Why? Because, as Gerry pointed out this afternoon, it's time for compromise and poll after poll shows how the American people want a balanced approach -- a concept which the House Republicans appear to be unwilling to take.

Gerry Connolly: "Hell no you can't"

2011-07-30T16:14:00.001-04:00

Gerry Connolly took to the floor of the House of Representatives and went after the GOP for putting the extremists in their party ahead of the best interests of the American people. He even used Boehner's words against him by saying "hell no you can't" to those Republicans who want to turn "our founding fathers into deadbeat dads."

Virginia Democratic Party Launches Iphone App

2011-07-28T11:10:00.001-04:00

Anyone who follows the Virginia blogosphere knows that there’s been some differences between a number of the leading progressive bloggers and the party’s leadership. While there are a number of philosophical issues that have arisen, some folks believe the party is ignoring the netroots and isn’t doing enough to really capture the power of social media. It seems as though at least some folks in the Party are hearing that message because Brian Moran sent out an email today announcing that the Virginia Democratic Party has launched an iphone app and the message focused on how it was viewed as a way to engage the grassroots.

The mission of our organization is to constantly strive to provide the best services and resources possible to our grassroots activists, campaigns, and elected officials. Democrats win when they are educated, trained, and equipped with the right tools. That's what the Virginia Summit was all about, and that's why I'm proud to be unveiling a new tool that will enable us to keep you better informed, and for you to join the conversation by sharing our message with your personal network.

Now this could be a great way to engage folks, but I think it really comes down to how the party decides to use it. If it’s just repeating the same information we get from the emails and press releases they already send out, then the app will be a waste and would help to illustrate why there’s a divide between the netroots and the party leadership. If they use it as a way for the party to truly engage grassroots activists and listen to their concerns, however, it could be a very interesting concern.

Unfortunately, there’s not a version of the app for folks like me who use a blackberry, but if you have an iphone or ipad, you can download it by following this link or search DPVA in the Itunes store.

Jen Little for Mathews County School Board

2011-07-28T07:57:00.000-04:00

I first met Jen Little back in 2007 at an event in the early stages of the last presidential campaign. One of the things that immediately jumped out at me was that she was extremely passionate about giving back to the community -- especially when it came to public education. That is why I wasn’t surprised to see that the Farm Team (an organization that promotes women in politics her in Virginia) cited her “enthusiastic dedication to serving [her] community” as one of the reasons she’s earned “the trust of [her] constituents and the respect of [her] fellow Democrats” and received the Farm Team’s endorsement in her bid for another term on the Mathews County School Board.

Her passion for community service isn’t the only reason to support Jen’s campaign. For instance, she is quick to point out that public education shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It should be about what’s best for our children. As someone who has spent significant amount of time organizing around education issues, I can tell you that it’s great to see a school board member who actually realizes that partisan politics shouldn’t be placed above our children’s future. Don’t get me wrong, I want to support strong Democrats (which Jen definitely is), but education is truly an issue where we need to focus on what can be done to ensure students are receiving the skills they need to secure a bright future.

Jen understands this and even points out that Virginia’s constitution even stresses the importance of education because a free High Quality public education is the ONLY social provision in the constitution. And our children are the reason public education exists.

Because education is so important, Jen also believes we need to make sure that we properly support those who devote their lives to providing students with a high quality education. I have never met somebody whose gone into education to become rich, but that doesn’t mean we should take those who go into the field for granted. Nonetheless, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and others who help our children learn have been forced to do more with less as the costs of insurance have continued to rise while there have been no compensation increases (including the elimination of step increases that have traditionally been there for employees who continue serving over the years).

Forcing them to do more with less is not a way to keep excellent teachers in the classrooms. And in a time we’re still struggling to recover from the greatest economic crisis since the great depression, it’s also worth noting how this impacts already struggling families because the public school systems are the largest employer in many counties throughout Virginia -- including Mathews County.

While the local school board obviously only has authority in the county they represent, its important to know that there’s action taking place at the federal and state levels that impact the local school systems. I frequently cover hearings of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for instance, and one of the biggest topics that comes up is NCLB and Race to the Top. These programs have a direct impact on what a school system is required to do. Programs like these might have been passed with great intentions, but Congress has far too often failed to also hold up to properly funding these mandates. I’ve seen how localities struggle under these burdens, which is why I agree with Jen when she says the state and federal government needs to stop passing unfunded mandates and that the federal government needs to redefine their role in K-12 education.

What this all tells me is that the Farm Team was correct in recognizing that Jen’s passion for community service is one of the reasons she makes an excellent school board member. Her history of putting a quality education for students before party politics, willingness to stand up against unfunded mandates, and desire see school employees properly supported are just a few reasons I’m also honored to announce my support for her re-election campaign. Mathews County has been well served with Jen Little on the school board and she deserves another term.

Connolly Blasts GOP for Ignoring Economy While Repealing Non Existent Bans

2011-07-13T16:59:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows Gerry Connolly knows he's not afraid to confront people who he thinks aren't doing the right thing. It's definitely earned him some enemies, but it also means he can be counted on to call out his colleagues in Congress when they're working against the best interest of the American people. And that is what he did earlier today when he took to the House floor today to go after the GOP for wasting time on trivial matters instead of things like the debt negotiations, high unemployment, and an economy that's barely recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

In response to these existential threats at home and once in a lifetime opportunities for democracy abroad, the Republican leadership has brought to the floor a bill to repeal a non-existent ban on incandescent light bulbs, which was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by President Bush.

Connoisseurs of Internet hearsay are aware that Tea Party conspiracy theorists think President Obama is trying to outlaw the incandescent light bulb. Cooler heads, such as representatives of every major light bulb manufacturer in America, from Philips to Johnson Controls, actually support the light bulb efficiency standards because they provide a competitive advantage for American manufacturers relative to Chinese competitors which produce shoddy, less efficient bulbs. Who knew that the Tea Party contained so many Manchurian sympathizers who have hidden their proto-internationalist agenda beneath the folds of a Don’t Tread on Me flag?

That's right, the GOP has been in power for over 7 months but still hasn't gotten around to introducing a substantial jobs plan and is constantly trying to claim Obama and the Democrats won't take action. Instead of coming up with solutions, however, apparenty they think it's important to appease they're base by repealing non-existent bans. The only reason to so blatantly ignore the needs of the American people with this type of bologna is to win some political points -- and with a presidential election heating up and control of the Senate at stake in 2012, it isn't suprising they're pulling stunts like this. Fortunately, Connolly's calling them on it.

Now this one speech might not seem like a big deal and it doesn't automatically mean we'll get some action on the issue Gerry raises, but I think it's important for his Democratic colleagues to pay attention too. As the negotiations surrounding the budget and debt limit have progressed, we've constantly seen Democrats give into GOP demands only to later see the GOP say they haven't compromised enough. While both sides have to compromise to get a deal done, the way things have been going is, in my opinion, simply unacceptable. After all, the key phrase there is that BOTH sides have to compromise. One way to help that happen is to call out the GOP when they're working against the interests of the American people.

There have been some other progressive Democrats in the House who have taken to the floor in the past to call out the GOP and that's sometimes motivated Dems to take some tougher stances in negotiations. So let's hope Gerry's "biting commentary" (as one Congressional staffer put it) on the GOP can remind Democrats involved with the negotiations that the GOP puts scoring political points ahead of creating actual solutions. The full text of his speech can be seen in the comment section of this post.

Chap! Endorses Jaime Areizaga-Soto over Barbara Favola

2011-07-05T12:08:00.000-04:00

When you’re looking at political endorsements in Virginia politics, I generally believe that they don’t matter much unless someone breaks with the mold or there’s a very clear trend in who’s supporting a candidate. That’s why I think it’s noteworthy that Chap Petersen endorsed Jaime Areizaga-Soto for state senate.

Almost immediately after Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple announced that she wouldn’t be seeking reelection, it became clear that many members of the “establishment” were going to be supporting Barbara Favola in the race. Not only was Majority Leader Dick Saslaw supporting her in the primary, for instance, but the rumors were that he was doing whatever he could to make sure that nobody else got into the race. (This was supposedly one of the reasons that Delegate Patrick Hope didn’t enter the primary.) The fact that Chap Petersen is endorsing Jaime over Barbara therefore means he believes Areizaga-Soto is a strong enough candidate that he’s willing to break with the party leadership to endorse his candidacy.

In a statement released earlier today, we got a glimpse into why Chap! Decided to make the endorsement. "Having worked with Jaime in Richmond and Northern Virginia, I know that he is a hard worker and a passionate advocate for the community," said Petersen. "He represents a new generation of Virginians seeking leadership positions in the Commonwealth. That is something the Democratic Party needs."

As Lowell over at Blue Virginia pointed out, Chap’s endorsement is also interesting because it illustrates a trend in how the endorsements are lining up in the primary. Many of the folks who endorsed Jim Webb back in the 2006 US Senate primary are now lining up behind Areizaga-Soto while folks who supported Miller are lining up behind Favola. Of course, we all now know that turned out -- Jim Webb ended up getting elected to the Senate and Harris Miller appears to be persona non grata even at organizations that advocate for the corporate interests he always seemed to represent.

Morse and Zimmerman to Take Day Off

2011-07-04T22:19:00.000-04:00

Now’s the time of the season when a lot of teams begin to worry about how healthy their players and the Nationals are definitely no exception. With Adam LaRoche on the DL, Ryan Zimmerman spending most of the first half of the season on the DL, and Michael Morse and Adam Werth having some injury scares recently, manager Davey Johnson is a little worried about the team’s condition. That is why both Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse aren’t in the Nats’ starting lineup today.

In both cases, Johnson stressed that they are just playing it a little on the safe side though seemed to be a little more concerned about Zimmerman. That shouldn’t be too surprising as Zimm is sitting out today due to “tenderness” in his abdomen, which is the same area that he had surgery on back in May. It therefore makes sense that you’d want to give him a day off so he doesn’t reaggravate the injury. The good news is that Zimmerman apparently told Johnson that he could still go if necessary and it was the manager who decided to give him the day off.

With both Morse and Werth, they were suffering from getting hit by pitches on the arm over the weekend. Morse got hit hard on the forearm and they originally believed there was a hairline fracture, but a MRI didn’t show anything. He’s still taking the day off though as a precaution. Adam Werth left yesterday’s game early after he was hit in the wrist with a 93 mph fastball. While there was speculation that he could miss a day or two -- especially when you consider a similar pitch recently put him out for about a year -- he refused to even have it X-rayed and is back in the lineup today.

What this all means is that there is some shakeup in today’s lineup as Alex Cora will be playing 3rd and batting 2nd while Matt Stairs will be at 1st and batting 6th. The 43 year-old Stairs has definitely seen an uptick in playing time since Johnson took over as manager and yesterday he finally surpassed pitcher Jason Marquis in the number of hits that he has this season. Hopefully the increased playing time will lead to better timing at the plate and the increased production that has allowed him to stay in uniform for so many years.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T14:10:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July

Tyler Clippard to Represent Nationals in the All Star Game

2011-07-03T19:25:00.001-04:00

With the Washington Nationals losing to the Pirates 10 to 2 today, Nats fans would probably prefer spending their time today discussing the all star lineups that were announced this afternoon. That’s because Tyler Clippard was named to the squad and Michael Morse is one of the players up for the Final Man spot on the NL team.

The All Stars were announced about before this afternoon’s game started, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that Clippard and Morse were the big buzz at Nats Park even before it became clear the Nats weren’t going to be winning today’s game. While Clippard‘s talents have definitely been received well this season in DC and there were rumors he might make the team, it’s still somewhat surprising that he was named to the squad. That’s not a diss on his work, but it’s simply a fact that the only pitchers that usually make the All Star team are starters and closers. Clippard himself even told reporters that the news “was pretty shocking.“ At the end of the day, however, his 1.96 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 46 innings of work during the first half of the season more than justify his first trip to the All Star game.

Michael Morse, on the other hand, was someone who a lot of folks thought had a good chance of representing the Nationals in Phoenix. As stands now, he’s one of the finalist for the 34th spot on the NL squad. Voting goes through 4pm on Thursday and Clippard made it clear that he’d love to see his teammate make the trip with him by saying that Morse has “been our best player all year long.” He even added that “since May, he’s probably been the best hitter in the big leagues.”

UPDATE: Coincidentally, the edition of Inside Pitch handed out to fans this weekend at Nationals Park featured Michael Morse on its cover and a lengthy article on his time with the team. While highlighting his appreciation for one hit wonders from the 1980’s and “his ‘Beast Mode’ post-game t-shirt,” the article focus on how Morse is able to play various positions and had some struggles during the early part of his career. As the article pointed out, however, he has seen a lot more playing time since coming to the Nationals in 2009 which has resulted in him batting about .300 and hitting over 30 home runs.

His hot streak this year has also helped the Nats show improvement over the last few years as he hit for a .403 average with five doubles, six homeruns, and had 15 RBI’s during the month of May. It’s numbers like the ones highlighted in the Inside Pitch article are clearly why he’s a finalist for the Final Man vote for the NL All Star team.

2011 MLB All Star Lineups Are Annouced

2011-07-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

The lineups for the MLB All Star game were announced earlier today. The Yankees came out as the big winners with 4 of their players being voted onto the starting lineup and reliever Mariano Rivera also making the squaid, but the Brewers were close behind as they have 3 guys starting for the National League. With that in mind, here are the lineups for the All Star Game.
American League
1B Adrian Gonzales (Red Sox)
2B Robinson Cano (Yankees)
SS Derek Jeter (Yankees)
3B Alex Rodriguez (Yankees)
C Alex Avila (Tigers)
OF Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)
OF Curtis Granderson (Yankees)
OF Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
DH David Ortiz (Red Sox)

Pitchers: starting: Josh Beckett (Red Sox), Gio Gonzalez (Athletics), Felix Hernandez (Mariners), David Price (Rays), James Shields (Rays), Justin Verlander (Tigers), Jered Weaver (Angels) and C.J. Wilson (Rangers); relievers Aaron Crow (Royals), Brandon League (Mariners), Chris Perez (Indians), Mariano Rivera (Yankees) and Jose Valverde (Tigers);

Bench: catcher Matt Wieters (Orioles); infielders Adrian Beltre (Rangers), Asdrubal Cabrera (Indians), Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) and Howard Kendrick (Angels); outfielders Michael Cuddyer (Twins), Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox), Matt Joyce (Rays) and Carlos Quentin (White Sox); and DH Michael Young (Rangers).

National League
1B Prince Fielder (Brewers)
2B Rickie Weeks (Brewers)
SS Jose Reyes (Mets)
3B Placido Polanco (Phillies)
C Brian McCann (Braves)
OF Ryan Braun (Brewers)
OF Lance Berkman (Cardinals)
OF Matt Kemp (Dodgers)

Pitchers: starters Matt Cain (Giants), Roy Halladay (Phillies), Cole Hamels (Phillies), Jair Jurrjens (Braves), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), Cliff Lee (Phillies), Tim Lincecum (Giants) and Ryan Vogelsong (Giants); relievers Heath Bell (Padres), Tyler Clippard (Nationals), Joel Hanrahan (Pirates), Jonny Venters (Braves) and Brian Wilson (Giants);

Bench: catcher Yadier Molina (Cardinals); infielders Starlin Castro (Cubs), Chipper Jones (Braves), Phillips, Gaby Sanchez (Marlins), Tulowitzki and Votto; outfielders Carlos Beltran (Mets), Jay Bruce (Reds), Matt Holliday (Cardinals), Hunter Pence (Astros) and Justin Upton (D-backs).

There's also another opportunity for fans to weigh in on the lineups with the Final Vote competition. The finalists being voted on are Alex Gordon(Royals), Adam Jones (Orioles), Paul Konerko (White Sox), Victor Martinez (Tigers), and Ben Zobrist of the (Rays) in the AL. For the National League, the options are Andre Ethier (Dodgers), Todd Helton (Rockies), Ian Kennedy (D-backs), Michael Morse (Nationals), and Shane Victorino (Phillies).

Battle Over Same Sex Marriage Turns to Maine Once Again

2011-07-02T01:31:00.000-04:00

One of the big things about the passage of same-sex marriage in New York is that it showed how grassroots efforts to inform the public and elected officials about marriage equality can lead to folks receiving their basic civil rights. As someone who has organized in New York and still is very close with New Yorkers in the LGBT community, I sat in countless meetings with activists from all over the state (though primarially the Rochester area) as we tried to figure out ways to make sure the legislature understood why it was so important to stand against discrimination. I understand how hard folks worked to get their rights and that is why I'm so happy that the day has finally come where they emerged victorius. At the same time, I realize that perhaps one of the greatest things that can come out of this is the momentum and energy it gives for folks in other states to continue fighting for their rights.

Despite progress being made, after all, we still see people trying to legalize discrimination against members of the LGBT community. Even though the governor signed a bill into law recognizing same sex marriage in Maine back in 2009, for instance, we saw Maggie Gallagher and her cronies were able to successfully repeal the legislation. After seeing the success in New York, however, it looks like activists in Maine are going to try to restore basic equaity in the state once again.

With momentum growing from last week’s victory in New York, supporters of marriage equality think that the time has come for another try in Maine.

Today, EqualityMaine will launch a campaign to gather signatures to place marriage equality on the ballot in November 2012.

Just like the efforts in New York, this isn't going to be easy and could come right down to the wire. And the challenge starts right from the beginning as marriage equality supporters have until January to collect the 57,000 signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot in November of 2012.

Jim Riggleman Going Towards Career in TV?

2011-07-01T12:03:00.000-04:00

Jim Riggleman's resignation last week as the manager of the Washington Nationals definitely caught a lot of us off guard. There had been speculation floating around that he might be fired earlier in the season when the team wasn't doing so well, but the fact that he left in the middle of a winning streak. This was especially the case when it turned out to be Riggleman's decision to resign due to the way his contract negotiations (or lack thereof) had been going.

In the wake of the surprising news, pundits have already begun suggesting Riggleman won't manage again in the big leagues. As a result, he might be going the way of working in TV -- something that many former players and skippers are doing nowadays with so many cable sports networks out there. Considering how he's already landed a deal for this weekend's series between the Cubs and White Sox, I'm not the only person who's speculating about Riggleman going to TV.

Riggleman will serve as a pregame and postgame television analyst on Comcast SportsNet Chicago for the Cubs/White Sox series at Wrigley Field this weekend. Wrigley Field is a familiar setting for Riggleman, as he managed the Cubs from 1995-1999, and even led them to a playoff berth in 1998 (well, Sammy Sosa's 66 homers, 158 RBI, and 1.024 OPS were probably the main reasons for that).

With that in mind, it's possible that this will be an audition for him to get a long-term television job at Comcast SportsNet Chicago as a Cubs analyst. Heck, it will be an audition for him to get a long-term television job with any network. Surely the people at ESPN and MLB Network will be paying attention to his analysis and presence in front of a camera.

Now considering how Riggleman resigned from his position with the Nationals because he only had a guaranteed contract through the end of the season, it'll be interesting to see if he quits his TV gig before the game on Sunday since they only gave him a contract through the end of the series. Only time will tell, I suppose.

DPVA Could Learn From My Old State Senate District in NY

2011-06-30T19:39:00.001-04:00

There has been a lot of talk about how New York passed marriage equality. The major talk has been about how several Republican state Senators (including my former Senator, Jim Alesi) voted in favor of legalizing same sex unions. While I'm definitely happy about the news that more Americans will be having their basic civil rights recognized, recent polling has shown that we still have a lot of work left to do.

A Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday, for instance, shows that Virginians oppose same sex marriage by a margin of 52 to 41. There is some good news, however, as this represents fewer people being opposed to same sex marriage since the Newman Marshall Amendment passed in 2006 by a margin of 57 to 43. Furthermore, the polling also shows that there is support for other gay rights such as same-sex couples being able to adopt.

As Claire Guthrie Gastanga from Equality Virginia told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Public support for gay rights is trending upwards in a consistently straight line on workplace rights, adoption and marriage. The General Assembly is behind the voters on this."

When you combine Claire's observations with the fact that a Washington Post poll from back in May actually showed 47 percent of Virginians supporting same sex marriage, with 43 percent against, it's definitely worth continuing to educate the public. A prime example of how this could pay off can be seen with the vote in New York.

A few weeks before I moved back to Virginia, I attended a strategy meeting in Rochester about how we could approach Jim Alesi. The thought was that he probably wouldn't vote for the measure, but it was worth a chance just in case. By having a strong coalition of groups working to put pressure on Alesi, he not only ended up voting for the same sex marriage bill but actually came out in support of it relatively early. This gave other Republicans cover to vote in favor of the legislation. More importantly, however, it gave momentum to the grassroots and showed how having a good public education effort on the topic could actually change some minds.

I bring this up because although New York is more progressive than Virginia, the district that Alesi represents is a moderate one -- much like districts in Virginia that are represented by vulnerable Republicans. As a result, we could see some progress on issues like LGBT equality if we see DPVA and the grassroots step up the pressure on the GOP and let the public know why we need progressive legislation.

Michelle Obama Will Be At Nats Park Honoring Military Families on July 5

2011-06-30T16:16:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has been to a Nationals' game is probably aware of the tradition they have of recognizing members of the military during the third inning every game. While blasting "I'm proud to be an American," soldiers who received tickets in the section right behind homeplate are recognized and receive a standing ovation -- often times even from the players. So it shouldn't be too surprising that the Nationals have decided to take yet another step in the direction of honoring our military families by declaring July 5 "Joining Forces with the Washington Nationals - Honoring Our Military Families."

The Nats are joining efforts with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden on their Joining Forces initiative, which focuses on military families and the sacrifices that they make towards our country. As part of the effort, Michelle Obama will be at Nats Park on July 5 for the first of a three game series between the Nats and the Cubs.

In addition to visiting with the military members who are recognized at the game, Obama will participate in the pregame ceremonies. Part of that will include her being escorted to the mound by military children as one of them throws out the first pitch.

I'm glad to see that the Nats are taking up this project as I have always associated baseball with patriotism during this time of year. One of my favorite traditions, after all, is to go to the ball park during the Fourth of July weekend to take in a ball game and fireworks (this year, there's a double header at Nats Park on the 2nd, which will include fireworks after the second game).

Dems Use GOP's Plan to End Medicare in Fundraising Emails

2011-06-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

As we’re approaching a fundraising deadline tonight, candidates are sending out email blasts like crazy asking for money. One of the major themes that I’m seeing from Democrats is that they’re going after the Republicans for supporting Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare as we know it. In Virginia’s 11th District, Gerry Connolly is making the point that we were less than a thousand votes away from electing someone who would have voted for the legislation.

In April, House Republicans voted nearly unanimously to end Medicare as we know it. For more than 40 years, Medicare has made health care affordable for tens of millions of older Americans. Instead of guaranteed coverage for all Americans over the age of 65, the Republicans want to give out a voucher to buy private insurance -- vouchers that will not cover the full cost of private insurance, forcing seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of pocket.

I will fight to protect Medicare, but I'm going to need your help. John Boehner, Eric Cantor and the Republican leadership want to replace me with someone who will vote in lock-step with their radical right-wing agenda. The 11th District was only 981 votes away from electing someone in 2010 who would have voted for the Ryan Plan. We need to make sure that whomever the Republicans nominate in 2012 never gets a chance to vote for the Ryan Plan.

When we were in the middle of the debates over the health care reform bill back in 2009, I covered many of Gerry’s health care town halls and medicare was almost always the main topic. This was especially the case at the one held at Greenspring, which is a retirement community that has a high voter turnout is heavily sought after by members of both parties. As was the case back then, folks are once again concerned about losing their healthcare and it’s up to the Democrats to educate the public about what’s going on. And the more people realize that the Republicans are trying to do away with a crucial program just to give the profits to the insurance companies that are already responsible for millions of people being uninsured or going bankrupt due to the rising costs of healthcare.

So as much as I tend to ignore the literally hundreds of fundraising emails I get in the final hours before a fundraising emails, I’m glad to see that Democrats are strongly standing against the GOP’s plan to end medicare. It will be extremely interesting to see if this messaging has helped them once the quarterly financial numbers are reported.

Why is NBC Still Staking Out Anthony Weiner's Office?

2011-06-23T11:49:00.000-04:00

Whenever I’m up on Capitol Hill, I usually walk by Anthony Weiner's old office because it's literally right next door to one of the press work rooms. For the last couple weeks, it was fairly common to see about a dozen or so reporters camped out in front of his office. While I personally thought there were a lot more important things that deserved attention, the way he handled the situation caused it to become a huge story (even though sex scandals seem to always get attention anyways) and I wasn’t surprised that news outlets wanted to make sure they were there immediately in case Weiner decided to give interviews while going to and from his office. Considering how most of the reporters were simply reading books or chit-chatting while waiting for a glimpse of Weiner, however, I couldn’t help but think how much more valuable for the public it would be if they were actually sent to cover some of the dozens of Congressional hearings that happen everyday on the Hill that usually receive little attention.

Since Weiner’s no longer a member of Congress, it seemed like commonsense to me that networks wouldn’t be spending money to pay folks to sit outside his office. After all, we are constantly hearing about how news organizations can’t cover as many stories now because they’re losing money and are being forced to layoff reporters. When I walked by Weiner’s office on my way to the press workroom yesterday, however, I noticed that there were still reporters staked out in front of his office. There was a video camera operator from NBC and a still photographer whose affiliation I didn’t catch.

As I said, I understand that in the height of the scandal news organizations were competing over getting the latest developments in the story. But now that it’s over and the only things these reporters will see is staffers occasionally opening and closing the door while on their way to meetings, it’s time for NBC and other news outlets to move on and have their reporters cover some of the more pressing issues of the day -- like the budget negotiations, the charter school legislation that passed House Education and Workforce Committee, or how the Chairwoman of the FDIC was testifying about how banking regulations are important to our economic recovery. All of these events were taking place yesterday, after all, while there were reporters staked outside Weiner’s old office.

Is Tom Perriello More Valuable Outside of Congress?

2011-06-20T12:12:00.000-04:00

There's no doubt that I would rather see Tom Perriello representing Virginia's 5th District than Robert Hurt. Hurt is yet another vote for the Republican agenda and has illustrated this by supporting things like Paul Ryan's plan to end medicare. With that being said, Perriello's voting record wasn't that great either (he scored a 70 on ADA's report card in 2009 and a 75 in 2010). And that is a major reason why I wasn't dissapointed when he implied that he probably wouldn't be running for Congress in 2012.

Another reason I wasn't dissapointed was the reasoning he gave for not running. According to the Daily Progress, Perriello said "I' just trying to figure out places to make a difference." He then added, “I think there’s a big chance in the Middle East right now.” This makes since when you consider that Perriello has been involved in Middle East issues long before the recent uprisings. In fact, some of you might remember that Tom was actually overseas doing work to help locals in other countries when his name was floated as a potential candidate to replace Tim Kaine, which is why he didn't initially respond to questions about whether or not he'd be running.

The fact that he didn't rush home early to take advantage of what was a lot of interest in his potential candidacy tells me that he is more interested in actually making a difference than simply advancing his political career. When you combine this with the fact that he said that he wants to get as far away from Washington as possible and that he would still be a relatively junior member of the minority party in the House of Representatives if he had been reelected, it looks like Perriello's passions and personality could make him more effective outside of Congress. As a result, I'm not only not dissapointed Perriello's not running, but I'm actually happy and look forward to seeing what he does regarding issues in the Middle East.

Romney Jokes About How He's Unemployed

2011-06-16T20:33:00.000-04:00

The Republicans love to go after Obama about the high unemployment rate and try to paint him as being out of touch with the realities of the economic recovery. While I think everyone agrees the economy could be a lot better, it is the GOP's proposals to end medicare and other crucial programs while maintaining tax cuts for multimillionaires that makes it Republicans who are actually out of touch with reality. A prime example of how many GOP leaders simply don't understand what the average joe is going through came in the form of Mitt Romney joking about how he's unemployed.

Mitt Romney sat at the head of the table at a coffee shop here on Thursday, listening to a group of unemployed Floridians explain the challenges of looking for work. When they finished, he weighed in with a predicament of his own.

“I should tell my story,” Mr. Romney said. “I’m also unemployed.”

He chuckled. The eight people gathered around him, who had just finished talking about strategies of finding employment in a slow-to-recover economy, joined him in laughter.

That's right, after weeks of making the economy the main part of his campaign, Mitt Romney's making jokes about being unemployed. Pundits frequently claim that a presidential campaign is the toughest job interview you'll ever have, which is probably true. But that still doesn't mean that a business executive worth $200 million has any idea what it's like to be unemployed and worried about how you're going to put the next meal on the table. While he obviously didn't mean this as a way to insult to people he was talking with, the situation did deminish their struggles and provided a glimpse into how many GOP leaders are willing to put large corporations and the uber wealthy before the needs who are just barely getting by.

GOP Tries to Censor Gerry Connolly's Mailer on GOP Medicare Proposal

2011-06-15T13:06:00.001-04:00

With all the polling that’s available and the extremely poor reaction that they’ve received during town hall meetings, the Republicans in the House of Representatives have to know that their plan to end medicare as we know it is extremely unpopular. As a result, it looks like they’re not even willing to let their Democratic colleagues send mailers to their constituents about why they oppose the legislation – something that is frequently done on important issues – unless they change the language to make the GOP look good.

In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday, five Democrats charge that approval of their mailings has been delayed. The lawmakers said that in some cases Republican staff members on the commission have suggested revisions that the Democrats say “are inconsistent with previous approvals and, in fact, disallow specific statements and language that have been approved in previous submissions.”

“Given this abrupt and inconsistent new interpretation of the established Franking Guidelines, we must surmise that there is a deliberate, strategic attempt to censor any Member communication that echoes the widespread public criticism of the Republican Plan for Medicare,” the members wrote.

Rep. Gerry Connolly was one of the members who signed onto the letter and even provided some examples of what type of steps the GOP is taking to prevent word from getting out about their plan. In a mailer he recently wanted to send out, for instance, the GOP staffers said that Connolly couldn’t refer to Paul Ryan’s budget proposal as “The Ryan plan” even though it is, in fact, Paul Ryan’s plan. Furthermore, they wouldn’t let him refer to Ryan’s proposal on medicare as a “voucher system” – even though that is also exactly what it is. If the Democrats were trying to send out factually incorrect mailings, the Republicans would actually have a case here. But the things they rejected from Connolly’s mailers are a prime example of how they simply are trying to censor anything that doesn’t sing their praises.

Since mailers have a history of being approved with little resistance, one has to wonder why all of a sudden we’re seeing things change. Gerry appears to have hit it right on the nail when he spoke to the Post about the change in attitude.

“So, what in the world changed?” Connolly asked in an interview Tuesday night. “What changed? Well, what changed was an election. So now we’re in the thought police with the majority side of the aisle.”

With the Republicans trying to claim that they are the party that would stand up for individual rights and are against big government, it should be noted here that what they’re doing is very Orwellian. When the Democrats propose the government take on a project, it’s usually to do things like provide an economic stimulus or another program that will help folks get back on their feet while facing tough times. As this case helps to show, the GOP appears to like government solutions, but perhaps only on a limited basis like when it comes to finding ways to censor the truth.

Video: David Bulova's Speech at his Campaign Kickoff

2011-05-26T16:54:00.001-04:00

Whether it's been at his own campaign events, when I've seen him done in Richmond when the General Assembly is in session, or at various community events around Fairfax, David Bulova has always struck me as someone who is in office because he genuinely wants to give back to his community. That's why I was pleased to see that this was one of the major themes at his campaign kickoff last weekend. During the speeches that he and others gave at the event, we also got a glimpse into how that desire to give back has also lead to him being a more effective legislator during his time in office. Just some of the examples he gave are the fight surrounding the tank farm legislation and some of the friction that has arisen over the years between my alma mater, GMU, and the Fairfax community as the university has continued to expand.

So with that in mind, here is the speech that David Bulova gave at his campaign kickoff last weekend.

Video: Sen. Chap Petersen Speaking at David Bulova's Campaign Kickoff

2011-05-26T14:30:00.000-04:00

David Bulova is facing what could prove to be a close race as redistricting has changed many of the precincts in his district and his Republican opponent isn't as extreme as some of the other GOP candidates who are running in Virginia this year. That is why it was it's important to note what Sen. Chap Petersen had to say about Bulova's kickoff last weekend.

Dems on Senate Budget Committee Pass on the Opportunity to Show Leadership

2011-05-20T13:46:00.001-04:00

Most of the people I've spoken to on the House side of the Hill were never very confident about the chances of a proposal coming from the "Gang of Six." I've heard folks from both side of the aisle refer to the Senate as "the dark side" because they simply don't seem to be taking the lead on a variety of issues --- especially when it comes to a compromise on the budget. So when the Gang of Six essentially confirmed the House was right to have faith in it by becoming the legislative equivalent of Five Guys, I hoped the Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee would take advantage of the opportunity.

Instead of doing that, however, it looks like they're simply going to wait on the bipartisan groups that nobody else has much confidence in. Senator Conrad, the Chairman of the Budget Committee, for instance, said yesterday that "Democrats on the Budget Committee are very close to an agreement. We will have a budget. But, after broad consultation, we have decided to defer a budget mark-up because of the high-level bipartisan leadership negotiations that are currently underway."

Since he'd probably be accused of stalling, Conrad quickly added how the compromises proposed by bipartisan groups have a history of influencing the final proposals is something that we've seen during previous tough budget negotiations. "The results of those negotiations may need to be included in a budget resolution that would be offered in the weeks ahead. That was the case for both the 1990 and 1997 deficit reduction plans, where a budget resolution and accompanying reconciliation process were used to implement the agreements."

While Conrad is correct that there will have to be a compromise eventually, it would be nice for someone to take the lead in proposing a budget that represents progressive values and fights for the working class. With the Tea Party dominating the debate in the House and the bipartisan groups not making progress, the Senate Democrats were one of the few groups left that could have legitimately moved forward on those values. Unfortunately, Conrad and his colleagues have decided to pass on the chance to show some leadership and kick some ass for the middle and working class.

Penny Gross Speaks About the Leadership We Need from Chairman

2011-05-17T14:24:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in some of the posts I did earlier this week that the main theme at the kickoff of Sharon Bulova's reelection campaign was how her leadership skills has helped Fairfax during tough economic times. While all of the speakers had stories about how they've seen Sharon's leadership in action, I wanted to take the time to highlight the speech that Supervisor Penny Gross gave at the event.

Penny might not always get a lot of the limelight, but there's a reason she's served for a long time and has become vice-chair of the Board. She's extremely knowledgeable about the issues important to Fairfax, works long hours making sure her constituents are represented well and their concerns are met, and I've heard from her staff on several occasions just how passionate she is about serving the community. So when Penny talks about what makes a good Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, people should listen. And with that in mind, here's the video of what she had to say regarding the type of leadership we need.

Video: Gerry Connolly Speaking Sharon Bulova's Campaign Kickoff

2011-05-16T12:16:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I grew up in Fairfax County and am a product of the public school system here (even received my college degree from a public university in Fairfax -- George Mason). I've always considered myself lucky to have grown up here and the organizing that I've done in other counties (both in Virginia and other states) has only deepened my appreciation for the high quality of life that you can find here in Northern Virginia. I know I'm not alone in this sentiment and Gerry Connolly helped to illustrate why this is the case when he spoke at Sharon Bulova's campaign kickoff on Sunday.

In addition to pointing out crucial facts such as our high graduation rates, low crime rates, and relatively good job market, Gerry correctly pointed out that the high quality of life in Fairfax wouldn't be possible without strong leadership. This has especially been the case during these tough economic times that Sharon Bulova has lead the county through. As one person I spoke to at the event put it, "Sharon's a policy wonk" who knows the budget process extremely well and has used that knowledge to maintain high standards here in Fairfax. So with that in mind, here's the video I shot of Gerry's speech.

Video: Terry McAuliffe Pumps up the Crowd At Sharon Bulova Kickoff

2011-05-16T09:59:00.001-04:00

As I promised yesterday, here is the video of Terry McAuliffe speaking at the kickoff of Sharon Bulova's reelection campaign. I'll be posting some video of the other speeches throughout the day, so keep checking back.

Sharon Bulova's Strong Leadership is the Main Theme at her Campaign Kickoff

2011-05-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

Earlier today, Sharon Bulova kicked off her reelection campaign for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. As the crowd gathered at the Mason Inn on the campus of George Mason University, it quickly became clear what the event's message would be -- We need strong leadership to ensure residents of Fairfax continue having a high quality of life and Sharon has already illustrated how she's the leader we need.

I'll be posting video of some of the speeches tomorrow (Monday), but I wanted to take some time today to bring up some of the highlights. Overall, I think it's important to note that officials from all different levels of government spoke about how Sharon's leadership has done fantastic things for the Fairfax community. When you combine this with how many elected officials showed up to the event, it was also obvious that folks believe the race for chairman will be one that's important politically as Democrats are trying to regain some momentum after a tough year at the polls in 2010.

Terry McAulliffe picked up on this theme when he took to the stage. As is typical when Terry takes the stage, he really got the crowd pumped up. He started out by giving us a reminder that during tough economic times last year, voters went to the polls to vote against a lot of incumbents despite the good that they might have done over the years. The way to combat that is to have a good message. While calling Sharon "the best Chairman in history" (while 2 former Chairmen were in the room for what it's worth), Terry said the clear message is that Sharon's leadership allowed the county to preserve funding for education and transportation despite the poor economy.

Terry wasn't just spouting campaign talking points as he told the crowd that the stability Sharon's leadership provides is one of the main reasons he has the headquarters for his new businesses in Fairfax. He also claimed he wanted to ensure Fairfax continues to provide a high quality of life for its residents because he raised his five children here and he wants to see them stay in Fairfax.

When Rep. Gerry Connolly took the stage, he gave us some facts that prove Fairfax is a great place to live. Of the 100 largest jurisdictions in the country, Gerry pointed out that Fairfax has the highest graduation rate, the lowest crime rate, and is usually among the wealthiest counties. The purpose of highlighting this was to mention that you can't get these superlatives without having strong leadership, which Sharon has provided throughout her time on the Board of Supervisors.

While all the political accomplishments and leadership drew a lot of attention during the event, we also heard a lot about about the personal relationships that Sharon had developed during her time in office. Her son, Delegate David Bulova, for instance, talked about how he frequently hears stories from folks about why they personally support Sharon's candidacy. He then added that how everyone in the room probably had a story they could share about why Sharon should be reelected. Penny Gross also added to the conversation about personal relationships when she pointed out that one of the reasons the Board of Supervisors worked so well was that Sharon built a relationship with the other Supervisors that allowed each Supervisor to work on issues they are passionate while coming together to work on the big issues that the county needs addressed.

While Fairfax might have had to make some major cuts due to the poor economy in recent years, anyone who has done some organizing in other counties knows that the speakers at today's events were absolutely correct. The leadership provided by Sharon Bulova and others has helped to keep Fairfax strong during tough economic times. And that is why at least 100 people came together on a rainy afternoon to show they wanted Sharon Bulova elected to another term as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors$

Steny Hoyer on Obama's Immigration Speech

2011-05-10T20:26:00.000-04:00

There's been a lot of talk about Obama's speech on immigration earlier today. One of the people chiming in is the Democratic Whip in the House, Steny Hoyer. While it does cover the same themes, there are a couple of things worth noting here.

First, Hoyer correctly highlights how there are economic benefits to having an immigration policy that attracts the world's brightest people. Secondly, he points out that the GOP is wrong to claim Obama isn't protecting the border. In fact, folks who have been following the immigration debate probably already know that Obama has actually increased resources on the border.

So with that in mind, here's the statement that Steny Hoyer sent out:

"I commend President Obama for speaking out on this important issue and I echo his call for comprehensive immigration reform that will address the millions of undocumented immigrants working and living in America today. In a competitive world, America's openness to immigration is one of its key strengths. I am very pleased President Obama said he was going to keep fighting for the DREAM Act, long-overdue legislation which Democrats passed in the House last year and I continue to support."

"In order to compete in the global economy, America cannot afford to close its doors and not let talented entrepreneurs create jobs here at home. People come here from all over the world to get an education and we should be encouraging them to take root here in the U.S. and create the jobs that will help more families Make it in America."

"While some Republicans continue to insist we need to strengthen our borders before tackling immigration reform, in reality, President Obama has doubled the number of border agents since 2004 and tripled the number of intelligence analysts working there. Comprehensive immigration reform may not be easy, but it is a moral and economic imperative that is long overdue. I urge my Republican colleagues to work with us to forge a bipartisan solution and bring much-needed reform to our broken immigration system."

Open Thread

2011-05-10T16:17:00.003-04:00

I'm working on a few posts that will definitely be worth checking out that will be coming up soon that will be focusing on some of the hearings that have taken place on the Hill lately. This will include an array of topics, including Native American Affairs, the Dodd-Frank legislation, and mine safety issues.

In the mean time, I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to discuss what's on their mind. I'm also using this thread as an opportunity to test the mobile posting option that's offered by the blogging platform that I have. This will make it easier to post when I am not right by a computer and want to get a story up quickly.

Saturday Photoblogging: Mine Safety Hearing

2011-05-07T07:10:00.002-04:00

Mark G. Ellis (left), the president of the Industrial Minerals Association, looks over at Cecil Edward Roberts, Jr. (right)., the President of the United Mine Workers of America, as he answers questions during a hearing on "modernizing mine safety." The hearing was held by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce's subcommittee on Workforce Protections on May 4, 2011.

Eric Cantor: Private Sector Health Care Rationing is Okay With Him and Privatizing Medicare is Good

2011-05-06T17:18:00.001-04:00

As the reports keep trickling in about how many Republicans in Congress are considering abandoning Paul Ryan's budget proposal -- especially the portion about doing away with Medicare as we know it -- Eric Cantor had some cover if he wanted to come forward and stand up for the best interests of the American people. Perhaps realizing this, the Washington Post reported that he did come forward say he was abandoning Ryan's plan. The tea party must have thrown a fit, however, because Cantor's spokesman came forward to say he was misquoted.

The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that Cantor, highly influential with the party’s tea party wing, planned to abandon Rep. Paul Ryan’s controversial Medicare plan, but a spokesman for Cantor said his boss was quoted out of context — and the GOP is keeping a hard line.

“Eric made very clear that our position is the Ryan budget which — as you know — assumes a debt limit increase and includes Medicare, Medicaid and $715 billion in mandatory savings,” Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring told POLITICO. “Whether the Democrats will agree to the proposals we've outlined is yet to be seen, but that is our starting point so we don't continue to kick the can down the road and make real cuts and real reforms this year.”

As if it weren't bad enough that Cantor's desperately trying to avoid being associated with folks who want to protect Medicare, he has also tried to imply that Obama's health care plan was evil because it would ration care. What made this especially unique, however, was that he also admitted that there's actually rationing of care in the private sector.

Cantor appeared to go further than Republicans have in the past by acknowledging that not all patients are certain to get optimal healthcare under a system of private insurance.

"I think that the fundamental nature of our system of third-party payer is the problem," he said. Patients, he added, too often are left with "no decision about what they want and what they can afford."

When you combine Eric Cantor's comments with Paul Ryan's plan to end Medicare as we know it while also lining the pockets of insurance companies, it becomes extremely clear that the GOP leadership is more interested in preserving corporate profits than providing the American people with the best health care possible. I don't know about you, but this is not the type of leadership I want to see in Congress.

Video: Jaime Areizaga-Soto Announces Candidacy for State Senate

2011-05-05T11:08:00.000-04:00

The race for the Democratic nomination to replace Mary Margaret Whipple as the state Senator from the 31st District has been a hot topic in the blogosphere both publicly and behind the scenes. The race seems to not only highlight the frustrations a lot of folks have with the redistricting process, but also has become the center of attention for activists who want more proud progressives in the General Assembly (this has been a strong Democratic seat for years).

Although we've known he probably was going to enter the race for quite some time now, Jaime Areizaga-Soto announced his candidacy at last night's ACDC meeting. Based upon what I've heard from folks who were there and the video that Lowell posted over at Blue Virginia, Jaime received a very energetic reception that included people whistling and chanting his name after his speech. While this obviously was just a reaction to a speech, the energy surrounding his kickoff is important to note because it's hard to get the general public to pay attention to a primary during and off-off year election. Having energetic supporters who are willing to put in a lot of time and energy knocking on doors and making phone calls can therefore prove to be extremely beneficial.

So if you're like me and weren't able to make it to last night's ACDC meeting, here's the video that Lowell took of Jaime Areizaga-Soto's announcement.

How Many Gays Must God Create Before We Accept that He Wants Them Around?

2011-05-05T08:28:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a hearing held by a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee where Maggie Gallagher and Republicans on the committee tried to use their religion as to claim that "traditional marriage" has to be defended. They claimed that to go against this by allowing same sex couples to get would be harmful to children. When some of the Democrats on the committee tried to challenge Maggie's assertions, she became quite angry and accused them of trying to play politics with our moral values.

It was quite a different scene in Minnesota on Monday when state Rep. Steve Simon calmly spoke about his opposition to a constitutional amendment that would ban same sex marriage in the state. Although he touched on several topics, he asked the following question that received applause from the crowd (and anyone who's been to a committee hearing knows applause doesn't happen too often) and has caused his remarks to go viral.

“How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?”

Here's the video of his full remarks:

Briefcase Brigades Draw Attention to Youth Unemployment

2011-05-04T15:05:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows a recent college grad (or anyone under the age of 30 for that matter) realizes that the current economic crisis has had a big impact on younger Americans. When there are 5 people looking for work for every job opening, after all, employers are often able to get more experience workers at a relatively small salary that used to be reserved for entry level workers. Unfortunately, Congressional leadership often ignores younger voters because they don’t think they make it to the polls on Election Day. That is why hundreds of “students, interns, and unemployed Millennials” decided to take action highlighting the struggles that younger Americans are facing during these tough economic times.

As Congress was on a district work period, youth activists from 22 states, including DC, formed what they called the Briefcase Brigades. They all went to their Congressional district offices dressed for an interview, briefcase in hand, with a generational resume to show they are ready for work, but the jobs just aren’t there. While the cost of a higher education is soaring (and the GOP is trying to cut millions from higher education), wanted Congress to pay more attention to how the unemployment for those under 30 is 16.7% -- double the national average.

The main message that the Briefcase Brigades brought to Congress was that we should take a balanced approach to the budget discussions instead of just focusing on cuts to crucial job creating programs. “Instead of focusing on job creation like most young voters want, Congress is talking about cutting necessary investments in our future,” said Briefcase Brigades spokesperson Diane May. “Deficit reduction can’t come at the expense of putting young Americans to work or building a generation that can compete in the world labor market years down the line.”

The following is a video they put together highlighting some of the thoughts of the folks taking part in the DC action.

Is Tribbett's Campaign Legacy That He Doesn't Like Saslaw?

2011-05-04T11:21:00.033-04:00

The big gossip yesterday in Virginia’s blogosphere was that Ben Tribbett has decided not to run for state senate in the 31st District. The interesting bit here is that while Sen. Dick Saslaw (the Majority Leader in the Virginia State Senate) has made it clear that he supports Barbara Favola, there has been a lot of people who have expressed some opposition to the way that Saslaw has been using some back room channels in an attempt to clear the field for Barbara. Many people, for instance, claim that this is a major part of the reason that Del. Bob Hope decided not to run for the seat. It’s this opposition to Saslaw’s decision to supposedly use these tactics that was the primary basis for Ben’s campaign.

Looking back at almost all of the stories that covered Ben’s potential candidacy, almost every story had at least a quote or two about Ben’s frustration with Saslaw. What wasn't immediately apparent, however, was that this frustration goes way beyond how Saslaw handled the primary process. When the General Assembly was in session earlier this year, for instance, Ben was constantly saying Democrats needed a stronger leader than Saslaw. This was especially the case after an anti-choice bill slipped through the state senate despite the chamber having a Democratic majority.

Given his history of criticizing Saslaw and that Ben wasn’t quoted much talking about issues that are likely to be a part of any race in Northern Virginia (transportation, neighborhood development, education) and most the behind the scenes chatter focused on his opposition to the majority leader, you have to wonder if Ben’s main goal in having his named considered was simply to draw more attention to how little he thought of Saslaw. After all, he did do something similar in 2005 when he basically ran against a former state Delegate from Burke who is now in the State Senate (anyone who has followed Ben’s blog likely knows exactly who I’m talking about).

This isn’t to say that Ben wouldn’t have put forward a progressive platform, it’s simply that he never did and seemed to be focusing a large portion of his time to criticizing Saslaw. He even wrote a post recently that explained why he hadn’t been posting much by saying, “this is what I’ve been dealing with” and linking to a story about discussing the criticism of Saslaw’s involvement in the primary process. Note that with his “this is what I’ve been dealing with,” Ben wanted to draw attention to his criticisms of Saslaw and not the discussions he was having about the issues.

With all that being said, it isn’t too uncommon for people to leak that their considering a bid for office in order to advance whatever issue they’re passionate about. In a story about Ron Paul’s decision to form a presidential exploratory committee, for example, the Washington Post highlighted how many of his supporters didn’t think he could win but thought he could steer the GOP debates more towards the idea of limiting government. And in 2008, supporters of John Edwards stuck with him long after it was clear he wouldn’t win because they liked that he caused other candidates to focus on poverty. In those cases, many activists considered their campaigns to be a success for the issues they supported even though they didn't win. I would tend to agree. The obvious difference with Ben is that he was focusing attention on his opposition to Saslaw instead of an issue like poverty, but it’s still the same concept that he was able to get a lot of attention to a single issue by keeping his name in the ring for awhile.

So if the point of Ben considering a campaign for state Senate was to get some attention for his concerns about Saslaw, then you have say that the media coverage he received gave him a victory. The question now is whether Ben was right to focus so much of his energy on Saslaw, or if it would have been better served by drawing attention to the progressive values he thought a candidate should run on (whether that be him or somebody else).

Gerry Connolly on McDonnell Signing Tank Farm Bill Into Law

2011-05-04T08:54:00.000-04:00

The Governor had signed SB 843 into law yesterday. The law, which was sponsored by Delegate Bulova and Senator Chap Peterson, will force the Pickett Road Tank Farm to come up to State Code requirements or shut down. As Chap pointed out in his post about the bill, "This is a major issue in central Fairfax where the Tank Farm has had nearly annual spills and leaks, which have caused untold environmental damage."

Gerry Connolly has taken an interest in this issue and even worked on preventing the leaks in his roll of president of his neighborhood's civic association when they were first discovered back in the 1990's. As a result, here's what Gerry had to say about the Governor's decision to sign the bill into law this afternoon.

“This is a major step forward in our efforts to bring an end to the environmental problems which have plagued the Pickett Road tank farm and endangered residents and the watershed in that area on the border of Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. I applaud Senator Petersen and Delegate Bulova for their tenacious efforts to win approval of their legislation and convince their colleagues in the General Assembly to override Governor McDonnell’s amendments that gutted the intent of the bill. The Governor also deserves recognition for signing the bill, even after his amendments were rejected and the legislation was returned to its original form.”

Dennis Kucinich Might Move to Washington

2011-05-03T19:53:00.002-04:00

As Virginia has just gone through its redistricting process, I’m beginning to receive a lot of emails from elected officials with comments about the results. While most of them are tying the comments in with their campaign kickoffs, we’re also seeing some interesting possibilities about the action other states are taking. In Ohio, for instance, the state is going to lose two Congressional Districts – one of which is rumored to be the one represented by Dennis Kucinich. Instead of retiring or facing a potentially very tough re-election bid in Ohio, however, there are a lot of rumors about Kucinich moving to the state of Washington which will receive an additional district as a result of redistricting.

Kucinich is fueling those rumors as he appeared at an event in Washington last week and told the crowd, "I intend to stay in Congress. I just don't know where my district will be.” His communications director event released a statement that essentially confirmed Kucinich is considering the move.

After people found out that Congressman Kucinich's district could be eliminated or substantially altered in congressional redistricting by the Ohio Legislature's Republican majority, Congressman Kucinich received requests from people in twenty states, including Washington State, encouraging him to move and run in their area. The Daily Show interview is instructive of this sentiment.

Congressman Kucinich appreciates the interest expressed in his public service. As he has repeatedly said, he fully intends to remain in Congress; he just doesn't know in what district he will run. In the meantime, he is devoted to serving Ohio's 10th district as it currently stands.

Moving into a district to run for office is something that isn’t very rare. As you might remember, State Senator Dave Marsden did it in 2009 when he decided to run for the seat he now holds. The GOP tried to make a big deal about this, but the voters simply didn’t buy their argument because Dave was staying in the Burke area. Since he was just moving down the street, already represented a large portion of the district in the House of Delegates, and had been attending community events for years, the voters were confident that Dave knew the district and would represent it well in the state Senate.

Kucinich, on the other hand, might run into some problems because he’ll be moving half way across the country in order to remain in Congress. Although many people are probably familiar with Kucinich, it takes some time to learn about local communities when you move to a new area. Anyone who has tried to organize in a new community, for instance, can tell you that it simply takes some time to learn who the movers and shakers are and the local history of a community that just can’t be found by reading the newspaper. While the move could be good for Kucinich’s long term political career, the first election or two would probably be relatively close for the corky Congressman who has a strong history of standing up for progressive issues.

Connolly and Other Dems Speak About Their Consituents' Opposition to GOP's Cuts to Medicare

2011-05-03T15:10:00.001-04:00

Before a meeting of the Democratic Caucus this morning, several members of the House of Representatives held a press availability to talk about town halls that they held with constituents during their district work period. Among those who spoke was Gerry Connolly, who highlighted how there’s a clear “difference between the Democratic message and the Republican message.” The difference, as Gerry put it, is that the Republicans only focus on the cost of programs but don’t seem to look at the value. Democrats such as himself, however, understand that “the need to make strategic investments is something that is very important.” During a town hall Obama held at the Annandale campus of NVCC and a telephone town hall that Gerry held during the work period, his constituents illustrated how they also strongly support funding programs like Medicare that provide crucial services for the public.

As Connolly pointed out, a poll that his office conducted during his telephone town hall showed that 73% of his constituents opposed the plan put forward by Paul Ryan and the GOP that would essentially end Medicare as we know it.

Several days [after the President’s townhall at NVCC] I had the largest telephone town hall meeting, my 11th, that I've ever had. 31,000 constituents in the 11th congressional district of Virginia participated in this telephone town hall meeting. And we did a poll. And we asked them whether they supported efforts by Mr. Ryan, the Budget Chairman on the Republican side to dismantle Medicare as we know it because we can't afford it, and to replace it with essentially a voucher system starting with people who are 54 or younger, or whether we wanted to preserve Medicare as we know it. We made the pro-Ryan question came first so that we didn't skew the results. We had very substantial participation in the poll question during the telephone town hall meeting. And by a margin of 73 to 27, my constituents flatly rejected the Ryan approach. They want to preserve Medicare as we know it. That's something worth fighting for in their minds. I have to admit that was a somewhat surprising result in terms of the margin.

I represent a swing district, a district that voted for George Bush in 2004, voted for President Barack Obama in 2008. And I had a close election myself in a very divided last November. So to have that kind of overwhelming result to me was a telling sign of the attitude of voters with respect to the Ryan budget. And certainly that's something I'm going to take into consideration as we move forward here in the Congress. Thank you very much.

There are a couple of things I think are worth noting about Gerry’s comments here. 1)Gerry does represent a swing district. As a resident of the 11th, in fact, I can tell you that during election season I often see more GOP than Democratic bumper stickers and yard signs. This is important because it highlights how opponents to Paul Ryan’s plan aren’t just some lefties who will oppose anything put forward by the GOP.

2)Like many of the other House members who spoke at the event, Gerry represents a district with highly educated constituency. When you combine that with the fact that it’s based right outside of DC and is home to thousands of federal workers, it’s very likely that they are knowledgeable about what’s going on in debates surrounding the federal budget (many of their jobs depend upon it, after all). As a result of this and the wording of the question, their opposition to the GOP’s proposed cuts to medicare is very strong and isn’t that is simply being swayed to score some political points.

For those of you who want to watch the full press availability, you can see it here:

Gerry Connolly Goes After GOP For Supporting Big Oil Instead of Sound Energy Policy

2011-05-03T12:17:00.000-04:00

Rep. Gerry Connolly took to the Floor of the House of Representatives earlier today to talk about gas prices, renewable energy, efficiency, and energy independence. One of the main things that Gerry highlighted was his a proposed amendment to H.R. 1230 – a reckless bill that is slated for floor action on Thursday and is sponsored by Doc Hastings (R-WA) entitled Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act.

I’ve always been amazed about how the GOP loves to publicly speak out against high gas prices, but refuse to do anything about the HUGE tax payer subsidies that go to the oil companies. If we’re going to be giving subsidies at a time when we’re trying to reduce our deficits, you would think the American people would get some sort of a break at the pump. Anyone who has driven by a gas station recently, however, realizes this isn’t the case even though the GOP continues to remain loyal to the oil companies and their profits.

That is why I’m glad to see that Connolly is highlighting that hypocrisy by proposing an amendment that would strike the language in the bill that short-circuits safety rules for offshore oil exploration and replace it with language that would eliminate $37 billion in tax loopholes for Big Oil. Instead of allowing Big Oil to bring in huge profits (Exxon Mobil had 5.6 billion in profits last quarter), the amendment would divide that sum equally among licensed drivers in the U.S so they could get the break at the pump that they deserve. It’s estimated that each driver would get approximately $185, for an effective reduction on gas prices for individuals of approximately 27 cents per gallon.

From what I’m hearing, the Republicans will probably reject the amendment, but it serves to highlight the facts that they are doing nothing to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and playing politics with gas prices.

Photos of General Ham and General McNabb Testifying Before House Armed Services

2011-05-02T18:54:00.000-04:00

The following are photos I took during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee. General Carter F. Ham, commander of the US Africa Command, and General Duncan McNabb, commander of the US Transportation Command, were testifying before the committee about their respective 2012 budget proposals. As I mentioned in a post the day after the hearing, General Ham also spoke about the situation in Libya since he is the head of the Africa Command.

Gerry Connolly's Statement on Death of Osama bin Laden

2011-05-02T11:36:00.001-04:00

As the world is still absorbing the news of bin Laden's death, the major question that has arisen is "what does this mean for our efforts in Afghanistan?" Gerry Connolly released a statement about last nights news that makes it clear that while this is indeed a great victory and "justice has been served," our efforts against Al Queda and terrorism aren't over. I think this is worth highlighting because it's also what most of the national security experts have been saying on the question. The following is Gerry's full statement.

The confirmation by President Obama that Osama Bin Laden was killed by a secret U.S. government operation is a significant development in our war against Al Queda. We have cut off the head of the evil terrorist organization that killed more than 3,000 Americans and thousands more across the world.

I hope the news of Bin Laden's death brings some measure of comfort to the families of those who perished in the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as well as the American military families who have lost sons and daughters in the war against terrorism.

Justice has been served.

President Obama made it clear from his first days in office that bringing down Bin Laden was a top priority. I applaud his persistence and that of our nation's military and intelligence community in seeking out Bin Laden. I'm confident our forces will continue to aggressively pursue other Al Queda leaders and weaken this vile terrorist organization.

While bringing this chapter of the war to closure is welcome news, the United States and other nations around the globe must remain vigilant to protect ourselves from future terrorist attacks and to further weaken Al Queda.

Rep. Peter King's Statement on bin Laden's Death

2011-05-02T00:39:00.002-04:00

As the news came in that Obama was calling a press conference that was originally scheduled from 10:30, I was online talking with people who were speculating about what he was going to be speaking about. Once it became clear that he'd be announcing that bin Laden had been killed, most of the folks from both sides of the aisle simply were pleased to come together to express support of our troops and satisfaction that justice had finally come (though there was one person who specifically refused to given Obama any credit). So to join in the bi-partisan spirit, I wanted to highlight the statement that U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, issued on the killing of Osama bin Laden:

“I commend President Obama on the announcement of the killing of Osama bin Laden.

“Today, the American people have seen justice. The leader of the United States’ top enemy has gotten what he deserves for orchestrating the deaths of nearly 3,000 innocent Americans on September 11, 2001.

“In 2001, President Bush said ‘we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.’ President Bush deserves great credit for putting action behind those words. President Obama deserves equal credit for his resolve in this long war against al-Qaeda.

“This great success would not have been possible without the tireless work of countless brave men and women who have served around the world in this War on Terror.”

As the facts are coming in there's a lot of questions about all the details surrounding the event and Pakistan's involved. If you're fascinated by mysteries like this and want to learn the skills for solving crimes, it's safe to say you should check out forensics science for some of very useful info on the topic.

Steny Hoyer on Osama bin Laden's Death

2011-05-02T00:26:00.000-04:00

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight after President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan, and the U.S. is in possession of his body:

"Nearly ten years after the horrific attacks of September 11, the United States has killed the mastermind behind that attack that took thousands of lives. That terrible day has been seared into our memory, and I hope Osama bin Laden's death brings some measure of comfort to the families of those killed on 9/11 - and to everyone across America who wanted to see him brought to justice.

"President Obama made bin Laden's death or capture a top priority, and it was that focus that helped bring about our biggest victory against al Qaeda. Our military and intelligence community have tirelessly pursued Osama bin Laden, and it is a testament to their skill and determination that bin Laden has been killed. I, along with all Americans, commend their efforts and thank them for their service.

"While the enormity of this moment cannot be overstated, we all recognize that the threat of terrorism still exists and we must remain vigilant. We will continue to stay alert and confront the national security threats we face."

Rep. Adam Smith on Changes to National Security Team

2011-04-28T16:19:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot of bipartisan support for the changes Obama's proposing to his national security team. Even Mitch McConnell has issued a statement saying "the President is to be commended for choosing competence and continuity in asking General Petraeus to serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense." This seems to suggest that Obama's nominees won't face too much resistance as they go through the nomination process.

As I've been covering events on the Hill, I've quickly learned that the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), is someone who is extremely knowledgeable about military issues and isn't simply going to praise Obama because he's a Democrat. He's also had to worked closely with both Leon Panetta and General Petraeus through the various committee assignments he has. So while the approval process for the nominees only goes through the Senate, I wanted to take a moment and highlight the statement Rep. Smith made in response to Obama’s decision to nominate current CIA Director Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense, Gen. Petraeus as Director of the CIA, General John Allen, Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan and Ryan Crocker, Ambassador to Afghanistan.

"Secretary Gates has done a tremendous job and his leadership will missed. Replacing him will not be easy, but Leon Panetta has the professionalism, knowledge and support to step in and do a tremendous job. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I worked closely with Leon Panetta and his team. He did a great job as Director of the CIA and I am confident he has the skills and know-how to do a great job as Secretary of Defense.

“I have also worked closely with General Petraeus in my capacity on the House Armed Services Committee. He has shown strong leadership in a number of high level national security positions and I have no doubt that he will continue that effective leadership as Director of the CIA.

"The additional nominations of General John Allen to Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan and Ryan Crocker to Ambassador to Afghanistan will add two more respected and seasoned leaders to the President's national security team.

"Together these four nominations will bring together a strong team of experienced leaders and I look forward to working with them as we continue to address the significant national security challenges our country faces today.”

VA Supreme Court Rules Payday Lenders Made 9.2 Million Illegal Loans

2011-04-28T10:59:00.014-04:00

Payday loan companies have a history of prying on the poor to rake enormous profits setting up their customers to fall into severe debt. So many Virginians had fallen victim to the predatory practices used by the payday loan industry that there have been several attempts to reform the industry, though there is still some progress that needs to be made. Part of those reforms included a provision that required a waiting period of at least one day after a customer pays off a loan before they can receive another loan from the same payday lender. Those provisions have helped in some circumstances, but the payday lenders are still doing whatever they can to bend the rules.

This can be seen through a Virginia Supreme Court ruling issued last week in Ruby v Cashnet INC that says when a payday lender “makes a loan to a borrower immediately after the borrower repays in full a previous loan,” it’s a violation of the 2002 Virginia Payday Loan Act. According to Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible lending (VaPERL), that means Virginia payday lenders made an estimated 9.2 million illegal loans between 2002 and 2009. To help realize the extent of what’s at stake, it’s important to note that this isn’t 9.2 million dollars in loans, but 9.2 million loans.

VaPERL suggests that the Supreme Court decision is also important because it exposes yet another example how predatory lenders mislead borrowers and the public. For example, payday lenders and other predatory lenders market their loans as “a short-term loan to meet a financial emergency” but the high court had a better description of these loans: “…a vicious cycle of debt.”

What this all means is that legislators have tried to simply reform some of the regulations on the payday lenders and that’s brought some small success, but the high court’s decision illustrates how the General Assembly should revisit the issue. The 9.2 million loans that are deemed to be illegal are how this ruling shows that predatory lenders cannot be expected to follow the law when “reform” measures are passed. Dana Wiggins from VaPERL therefore pointed out what he believes to be how the GA should address the issue when he said “the only way to effectively regulate predatory lending is to return to interest rate caps that worked well before the General Assembly started creating all these exceptions for payday lenders and others.

Justice Stephen Breyer Wishes Supreme Court Could Fight Gerrymandering

2011-04-28T10:15:00.000-04:00

As there are battles here in Virginia and across the country over redistricting, I thought it was worth looking at some comments that Justice Stephen Breyer made last year when he was on C-Span discussing his book, Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge’s View. When asked if there was a case he would like to revisit, Breyer says he would like to take on gerrymandering. He went on to say that we need fair districts in order for our democracy to function fully and that the current system causes some people to be jaded because certain districts are drawn to protect one party or the other.

Harry Reid Will Bring Ryan Budget Up for a Vote

2011-04-28T08:08:00.002-04:00

As Congress is finishing up a two week district work period, House Republicans have been forced to defend their votes for Ryan budget during town hall meetings. They were getting so much heat that the Republican caucus even held an emergency conference call to go over how they should respond to their critics. Realizing that this represents an opportunity to put the Republicans on the record regarding the Ryan budget, Harry Reid told reporters that he will be bringing the Ryan budget up for a vote in the Senate. Here’s what Sam Stein had to say about the conference call.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on Wednesday that he would host a vote on Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget as a means of forcing moderate GOP senators to weigh in on the legislation’s controversial proposals. He did not provide a specific date for when that vote will take place.

“There will be an opportunity in the Senate to vote on the Ryan budget to see if Republican senators like the Ryan budget as much as the House did,” Reid said on a conference call with reporters. “Without going into the Ryan budget we will see how much the Republicans like it here in the Senate.”

Reid, who had been traveling with other senator’s in China, accused the Ryan plan of fundamentally changing Medicare and burdening health care consumers with uncertainty and higher costs. By holding a vote on the bill—which his own party will vote against en masse—the majority leader is hoping to not only drive a wedge within the GOP but keep the Ryan budget in the news.

With outside groups already been launching ads against vulnerable Republicans who voted for Ryan’s budget, it’s safe to assume that the same could happen to Senators who voted for the bill. Reid’s decision to bring the Ryan budget up for a vote is a very smart move politically. Since there are some rumors of division among the GOP in their support for the extreme measures found in Ryan’s budget, forcing the moderate Republicans in the Senate to vote on the measure could also further divisions within the GOP.

While the vote could make an uncomfortable situation for Republicans in the Senate, it’s still unlikely to actually pass. With the public opposition to the proposal already increasing every day, however, this measure would keep the GOP’s cut to programs like Medicare in the news. This could be very important in the coming weeks because I've heard that the Gang of 6 will have some trouble gaining support for the proposals it comes up with. Instead of the press focusing on how the group trying to come up with a moderate proposal is in danger of becoming irrelevant, having the Senate on the Ryan budget is therefore a way to keep the story on the extreme measures proposed by the GOP instead of the lack of an alternative that could pass both chambers.

With all that being said, it looks like Congress is struggling to get a budget. So if balancing budgets one of your strengths, check out online accounting degrees so you can have the qualified degree when you put your voice forward.

ICYMI, Some Quick Must Reads

2011-04-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

In case you missed them over the last few days, here are some stories that are worth reading.

**Before Obama decided to release his long form birth certificate (which confirmed what he’s been saying all along), the big news today was going to be that there’s going to be some changes in Obama’s national security team. Current CIA Director Leon Panetta will replace Robert Gates as secretary of defense, General David Petraeus will become the new CIA Director, and Ryan Crocker will become Ambassador to Afghanistan.

**George Allen said he supports Ryan’s Tea Party budget plan. As we’ve already seen that Virginians don’t support the drastic cuts to Medicare and other crucial programs, the DPVA Communications Director Brian Coy quickly highlighted how “the plan makes drastic cuts to investments that create opportunity for working families, and weakens essential safety nets – like Medicare – for seniors, people with disabilities and those who have lost their jobs.” He continued by highlighting how “despite all of this, the Republican budget still won't solve our financial problems. In fact, it threatens to make them worse by endangering the progress we've made to stabilize our economy and create jobs. Virginians need smart fiscal leadership to cut spending and keep our economy growing. We don’t need another six years of George Allen’s fiscal irresponsibility.”

**In an example of why the LGBT community hasn’t been thrilled with the Obama Administration, Attorney General Eric Holder praised the lawyer who resigned from his law firm because the firm decided not to help John Boehner defend the Defense of Marriage Act. In other words, just as folks were praising the Obama Administration’s decision not to defend a policy that blatantly discriminates against same sex couples, Eric Holder is slapping the LGBT community in the fact by actually commending someone who is protesting opposition to the law.

**There are a lot of questions about the tactics colleges use to claim they have opportunities for women to compete in athletic programs. The New York Times even highlighted how some universities even count even have men who are the practice teams for women’s sports so that they can have a higher number of women athletes in reports they have to submit to the Department of Education.

How Do Gerry Connolly's Fundraising Numbers Compare to Other "Vulnerable" Candidates?

2011-04-27T11:57:00.000-04:00

After a close reelection campaign last year, Gerry Connolly started off 2011 by putting together some good fundraising numbers. A chart released by Roll call that highlighted fundraising numbers for House members who "won with less than 55 percent of the vote in 2010, are considered vulnerable by either party, or both,” showed that Gerry had raised $345,000 during the first quarter and had $303,000 cash on hand.

Since the chart prepared by Roll Call focused on what could be some of the closest races during the next election, I thought it was worth doing a little analysis of the numbers to see how Gerry’s numbers compare to those reported by others on the list. Here are some of the stats I came up with:

Of the 119 members who made it onto the list, 64 were Republicans and 55 were Democrats.
Of those on the list, the average amount raised was $190,848.74 and the average cash on hand was $264,840.34.
29 of those members on the list raised less than $100,000 during the first quarter
Only 21 members on the list (10 Republicans and 11 Democrats) ended the quarter with more cash on hand that Gerry.
Only 10 members on the list actually raised more money than Gerry. Of those 10, only 8 ended the quarter with more cash on hand.

It’s also worth noting that Michele Bachmann was the only one on the list who raised more than a million dollars (she raised $1.748 million and has $2.832 million COH). Much of that was because she has become the darling of the Tea Party and is considering a presidential campaign. Since the funds in her Congressional campaign’s account could be transferred to a presidential campaign, these funds are likely a result of people donating to express their support for her potential presidential bid. Besides Bachmann, only Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) had more than a million dollars in their campaign accounts at the end of the first quarter.

What this all means is that when compared to the other potentially vulnerable candidates, Gerry’s fundraising numbers were much better than his cash on hand numbers. This makes sense because a close race is going to drain the campaign coffers no matter where the race is held. When you combine this with the fact that the Northern Virginia media markets are some of the most expensive in the country and Gerry’s race was so close in 2010, it shouldn’t be surprising that there wasn’t much money left in Gerry’s campaign account. The fact that the donations are already flowing in quickly this early in the 2012 cycle shows that donors are energized about keeping Gerry Connolly in Congress. These strong numbers can only help as the campaign advances.

Supreme Court Refuses Cuccinelli's Request to Fast Track Challenge to Health Care Law

2011-04-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

While it shouldn’t be too surprising to anyone familiar with Virginia politics, Ken Cuccinelli has been trying to use his position as Virginia’s Attorney General to win some political points with his base. Not only has he been advocating against allowing loving same sex couples to adopt children, but he’s also been spending tax payer money to challenge health care reform. As part of his desire to see affordable health care coverage prevented as quickly as possible, he had even requested that the Supreme Court allow his challenge to the law head directly to the highest court instead of going through the normal appeals process. Fortunately, the Supreme Court announced it wouldn’t be granting Cuccinelli’s request.

The Supreme Court on Monday turned down Virginia’s request that it rule immediately on the constitutionality of the nation’s health-care overhaul.

The decision to reject Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II’s request for expedited review, announced routinely without elaboration or noted dissent, is not surprising. The court rarely takes up issues that have not received a full review in the nation’s appeals courts.

This decision has already received a lot of praise from both local and national officials. DPVA Chairman Brian Moran, for instance, quickly put out a statement praising the decision and encouraging Cuccinelli to devote more of his office’s resources to fighting for Virginians who are struggling in this economy.

The Supreme Court did the right thing in requiring our litigious Attorney General to pursue his personal crusade against health reform through the proper legal channels. It is unfortunate, however, that this ruling all but ensures that this issue will continue to distract Ken Cuccinelli from more important issues for the foreseeable future.

Instead of using his taxpayer-funded office to challenge a law that has already helped more than 100,000 young Virginians keep their access to health insurance, the Attorney General should devote more of his time and our resources to fighting for middle class families that are struggling to find work and stay in their homes in this difficult economy. Virginians should not have to foot the bill for his personal political agenda.

It should also be noted that even though this is a victory for those who support providing affordable health care to the public, the court battle over health care reform is far from over. As Moran pointed out, for instance, Cuccinelli’s crusade against health care reform isn’t even over as the case now will just be following the normal appeals process. When you combine that with the fact that some other states are pursuing cases against the law, it looks like we’ll be seeing some Republican leaders trying to play politics with health care for quite some time.

RIP Bruce Jamerson

2011-04-27T07:06:00.000-04:00

We've seen some bitter partisan battles recently here in Virginia, but politicians and activists from both sides of the aisle have come together to express their sorrow over the passing of Bruce Jamerson. Bruce, who served as the clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates for years, passed away under sad circumstances earlier this week.

Although I didn't know him well, I had the honor of meeting him several times during trips I've made to Richmond over the years and he was always extremely pleasant to interact with and showed a clear passion for the work he did with the House. I first met Bruce during my senior year at GMU when I was down in Richmond visiting legislators during a citizen lobby day event. I had just started a job as an organizer for a progressive nonprofit at the time and when I brought up that I was about to graduate with a degree in history, he became extremely eager to talk about the long history of the House of Delegates and what it meant to modern day politics.

Based upon what other folks have been saying both on the floor of the House and in the Virginia political community, I'm definitely not the only one who believes he will be missed.

GOP's Defense of DOMA is Running Into Problems

2011-04-26T08:21:00.001-04:00

The Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives in last year’s elections because they insisted that they would focus on job creation. Since taking control of the House, however, it’s been established that they are spending a lot of time focusing on social issues. One of those issues is same sex marriage, which they decided to take on as an issue after the Obama Administration said the DoJ would no longer be defending it because they believe the law to be unconstitutional. In other words, the House Republicans are focusing on social issues instead of jobs and will be spending money during these tough economic times to defend a law that takes rights away from people.

That decision, and how they’re handling the situation, has caused the GOP to run into a few roadblocks. In a recent hearing of the Judicial Committee’s subcommittee on the Constitution, for instance, the Republicans got a lot of heat for having Maggie Gallagher testify about DOMA but refusing to even extend an invitation to the Department of Justice. Since the entire hearing was supposed to be about how the DoJ will no longer be defending DOMA, this decision appeared to be very odd since you’d think anyone wanting the full story would want the DoJ there. As Rep. John Conyers pointed out during the hearing, anyone who has been following the situation is painfully aware that the GOP is just playing political games with people’s basic civil rights.

So as the Obama Administration has said it won’t spend money to continue stripping people of their rights and the GOP was caught playing political games at a hearing, Boehner was probably hoping defending DOMA he wouldn’t cause him any more problems. Nonetheless, he ran into some more issues yesterday as the law firm he was using to take up the defense has decided to drop the case. The firm’s Chairman, Robert D. Hays, Jr., had the following to say about the decision.

Today the firm filed a motion to withdraw from its engagement to represent the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives on the constitutional issues regarding Section III of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Last week we worked diligently through the process required for withdrawal.

In reviewing this assignment further, I determined that the process used for vetting this engagement was inadequate. Ultimately I am responsible for any mistakes that occurred and apologize for the challenges this may have created.

The GOP is maintaining that they should continue defending the law because Obama’s decision supposedly goes against tradition and the constitution. As Steny Hoyer said when he announced his opposition to Congress defending the law, however, “ there have been over 50 instances [since 1979] in which both Democratic and Republican Administrations have declined to defend acts of Congress.” What this ultimately means is that they are spreading mistruths about why the Obama Administration was wrong in a desperate attempt to hide the fact that they’re simply spending money in an attempt to push their own social agenda on other people. For a party that told the American people it would focus on job creation, these actions are a prime example of how the leaders of the GOP are going back on their promises.

Tibetans Still Being Attacked By Chinese

2011-04-25T07:53:00.001-04:00

For a lot of Americans, the Free Tibet movement is something that they know is somehow connected to the Dalai Lama. Some might even understand that Tibetans living in their homeland have had their rights deeply restricted and aren't even allowed to mention the name of their spiritual and rightful civil leader. What most don't understand, however, is that the Chinese government still uses a severe amount of force when dealing with Buddhist monks and the Tibetan people.

Chinese security forces have detained more than 300 Tibetan monks at a besieged monastery in Sichuan, taking them away in buses and brutally beating local Tibetans who attempted to come to their rescue, exile Tibetan sources said.

Two of those attacked—an elderly man and woman—were killed, sources said.

The monks at Kirti monastery in the Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture had resisted a forced campaign of “political re-education” following the March 17 self-immolation death of a monk protesting Beijing’s rule in the area.

In addition to the human rights violations that should obviously concern everyone, this is one of the circumstances where China holding much of our debt is cause for some concern. After all, it's hard for the US to take a firm stance on the issue when we owe the Chinese so much money and we're desperately trying to get them to change some policies about the value of their currency.

Gerry Connolly Discusses Spending and the Budget on Washington Journal

2011-04-23T07:03:00.000-04:00

Rep. Gerry Connolly was the guest on Washington Journal and discussed the budget and spending issues. As you can see from the video below, the interview was rather long and in depth which allowed them to get into some really good discussions. They started, for instance, by highlighting how 73 percent of the constituents participating in the poll conducted during Gerry's recent telephone town hall meeting (which had 30,000 people participating) said they don’t support the Republican plan to eliminate the current Medicare program that provides health care for all seniors and replace it with vouchers that would help seniors pay part of their cost of purchasing private health insurance.

Another big point was that one caller asked about why we should actually raise the debt ceiling. In addition to pointing out how not doing so could lead to us going into default and have a devastating impact on our economy, Gerry highlighted how the founding fathers (with Alexander Hamilton as Washington's Treasury Secretary) actually worked hard to establish the US as credit worthy. The obvious implication of this is that not raising the debt ceiling would cause us to take action that goes against what our founding fathers envisioned. I thought this was interesting because the GOP really likes to claim they're continuing the work of the founding fathers, but they are actually the ones right now who are considering policies that would contradict the founding fathers.

Also, when Gerry was asked about the Ryan Budget proposal, he had similar comments to what he said right after it passed. He said it was a "radical document" that was not in the best interests of the American people. Instead of trying to take a balanced approach to many of our budget issues, Gerry highlighted how it allowed tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires at the same time that crucial programs were being severely slashed.

Photos and Reaction to Democratic Press Conference on GOP's Budget

2011-04-22T15:18:00.000-04:00

After the GOP budget passed last week, several Democratic members of the House Budget Committee came out to speak to the press. Although even some of the speakers highlighted how this budget is dead on arrival in the Senate, they wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the extreme measures that can be found in the Republican budget. It’s worth noting that Rep. Chris Van Hollen focused on how debate isn’t about “whether or not we should work together on reducing our deficits and the debt, but how we do that.” This important because the extreme measures in the GOP budget are why he also said the Democrats “believe the Republican budget makes the wrong choice for America.”

Quickly turning to why he thought the GOP budget was the “wrong choice,” Van Hollen highlighted how it would hurt the fragile economic recovery by keeping tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires at the same time that it would slash investments in education and force seniors to be at the whims of the private insurance industry by ending the medicare guarantee. The Democrats on the budget committee aren’t the only ones who spoke out about the harmful cuts to medicare.

Gerry Connolly expressed many of the same ideas of those at the press conference by saying that he “could not support the Republican majority’s draconian budget plan that would destroy the Medicare program and break faith with our seniors.” He then added that “denying and rationing medical care for seniors, increasing out-of-pocket costs for medical services and prescription drugs, and putting the fate of our seniors in the hands of the private insurance companies do not represent my values or the values of most Virginians or Americans.”

The Democrats also quickly highlighted how the Republicans are having some difficulty trying to defend their budget. Rep. John Yarmuth, for instance, claimed the GOP’s proposal wasn’t “a reality based budget” and that their argument that tax cuts to the rich would spur growth is a myth that only the Heritage Foundation would support. There was also the myth the cuts wouldn’t impact anyone over the age of 55. As Rep. Kathy Castor pointed out, this is simply incorrect because medicare providers won’t have much incentive to stay in the program if they know it’s going to be ending soon. When you combine this with the fact that there are going to be major cuts to nursing homes, this could make it extremely difficult for seniors to get the care that they need.

In a sign of how some of the false arguments that the GOP used during the debate, Van Hollen also drew attention to one argument that also illustrated the hypocrisy of some GOP leaders. During the early stages of the debate, some of the Republicans claimed they were essentially turning medicare into a program that resembles what Members of Congress receive. This is simply untrue because Members of Congress receive what’s called a fair share payment, which covers a certain percentage of their health care coverage. This means their payment is directly proportional to the overall cost of their coverage. In other words, their costs won’t skyrocket if the costs of health care increases. With the way the GOP budget is set up, that wouldn’t happen with the medicare program because seniors would just receive a flat payment amount. As a result, seniors would have to pay more for health care on a limited income if the private insurance companies decide they want more profits.

Van Hollen pointed out that this is rather hypocritical because it’s asking seniors to be at the whims of private insurance companies while Members of Congress aren’t going to worry about increasing costs. On top of that, they’re giving some of their corporate and wealthy allies a big break by refusing to restore the tax rates to what they were during the Clinton era – a time when we had balanced budgets and a strong economy. And that is why the Democrats are correct in pointing out that the GOP budget is “the wrong choice for America.”

Photos from Hearing on Chinese Cyber Attacks

2011-04-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the photos I shot during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The topic of discussion was “Communist Chinese Cyber-Attacks, Cyber-Espionage and Theft of American Technology.”

Photos from House Hearing on DOMA

2011-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

The following are photos I shot during a recent hearing in the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution on "Defending Marriage." The purpose of the hearing was supposedly to examine the Obama Administration's decision not to defend DOMA in court. I'll have more to come on the hearing, but I hope you enjoy these shots.

Wasserman Schultz Wants to Close Gun Show Loophole

2011-04-19T16:04:00.000-04:00

There’s been an effort in Virginia for several years to close the gun show loophole, but the gun lobby has been able to use money and lobbying efforts from preventing the measure from being passed. As a result, there are many criminals who might be able to get their hands on a weapon because a background check isn’t required during “private” sales. In light of the recent gun tragedies like the shooting earlier this year in Tuscon, however, we’ve now seen some national leaders taking the lead on closing the gun show loophole.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is a good friend of Gabby Giffords, will be introducing legislation in the House of Representatives that will require a background check on all gun sales.

"It is outrageous that gun buyers evade the background-check system every day, even in broad daylight," Wasserman Schultz said Monday at a gun-reform rally in Miami sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

"While we likely cannot end all gun violence, we certainly can do much, much better," she added. "We have laws on the books designed to keep guns out of the hands of those that should not have them. We just need to close the loopholes and improve the information available to law enforcement."

Although there have been some politicians who called for stricter gun control laws after events like the tragedy at Virginia Tech, the fact that Wasserman Schultz is the one sponsoring the legislation is important to note. Not only has she been a rising star in the Democratic Party in recent years, but she’s also the new head of the DNC. This means that any legislation that she’s actively working on will likely receive a lot of attention. When you combine this with the fact that Chuck Schumer is introducing companion legislation in the Senate and President Obama has advocated for an “instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks,” there is the real possibility of legitimate action on the issue.

Despite the hope for some concrete action, however, there’s no doubt that the NRA will be able to dump millions into lobbying against the legislation. At the same time, there are many groups who simply want to make people aware of the gun show loophole who are running into problems. A group just outside of Chicago, for instance, received a lot of resistance from the owner of the building where the show will be held. According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, the owner ''prohibited the group from entering the show, threatened them with prosecution and suggested that (if they chose to ignore this warning) he could not vouch for their safety.''

In other words, the legislation being introduced represents a step in the right direction but clearly doesn’t mean the fight is over.

Forbes: Now Gov. Scott Walker Wants to Take Over Local Governments

2011-04-18T13:22:00.000-04:00

As we're going through the budget debate, Republicans claim that they want smaller government and to focus on the economy. As we've seen them try to force a government shutdown over planned parenthood funding and invited Maggie Gallagher to testify last week about why same sex couples shouldn't be allowed to marry (more on this later), it's become apparent that the GOP leadership don't mind a big centralized government when it means they're able to impose their own agenda on the public.

A prime example of this can be seen in Wisconsin. When Gov. Walker rammed through legislation that would strip the public sector workers of their collective bargaining rights, he claimed he was just doing it because the unions were costing the state too much money. He still stuck to those claims after the unions granted him all the financial concessions he requested and literally hundreds of thousands of people came to Madison, Wisconsin to protest his decision. Now that he has already showed he doesn't care about the democratic process or the will of the people, Forbes is reporting that Walker is taking his actions a step forward by trying to take over localities that have financial policies he disagrees with.

Following the lead of Michigan GOP Governor Rick Snyder, Walker is said to be preparing a plan that would allow him to force local governments to submit to a financial stress test with an eye towards permitting the governor to take over municipalities that fail to meet with Walker’s approval.

According to the reports, should a locality’s financial position come up short, the Walker legislation would empower the governor to insert a financial manager of his choosing into local government with the ability to cancel union contracts, push aside duly elected local government officials and school board members and take control of Wisconsin cities and towns whenever he sees fit to do so.

Such a law would additionally give Walker unchallenged power to end municipal services of which he disapproves, including safety net assistance to those in need.

One would think all of the Tea Party activists would be up in arms about such a blatant power grab from Walker, but they are still standing by their man because he went after the supposedly evil unions. What this ultimately helps to illustrate is how Gov. Walker and his Tea Party supporters weren't interested in stripping workers of their rights for financial reasons. Instead, they did so in a drastic attempt to gain more power for themselves. Organized workers represented a threat to their political agenda and that was simply unacceptable in their opinion.

Since this power grab also highlights how Walker isn't done trying to impose a radical agenda, it also shows just how important the recall elections are of those Republican state senators who support Walkers agenda.

Gerry Connolly Votes For Budget Compromise

2011-04-14T19:00:00.001-04:00

As the budget compromise headed to a vote in the House of Representatives today, there was a lot of buzz about how many Republicans would vote against the CR. Despite the constant talk about the divisions in the GOP caucus, however, there was never really any doubt that it’d pass the House because there were a number of Democrats who were likely going to vote in favor of the bill. As the bill passed on a vote 260-167 today, Gerry Connolly was one of the 89 Democrats who supported it.

Although he did speak out about some of the cuts to important programs contained in the CR, he said one of the main reasons he voted yea was the inclusion of $150 million in “desperately-needed funding for Metro capital improvements and transportation projects to deal with 22,000 new workers coming to Fort Belvoir due to BRAC.” This shouldn’t be too surprising because Gerry has been working since February to restore cuts to Metro that the GOP proposed.

In the Republicans’ original short-term budget bill (HR 1), the GOP eliminated the annual $150 million payment for Metro that is matched by $50 million each from Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.In an effort to save the funding, Connolly offered an amendment on the House floor, wrote to Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell urging him to weigh in with the entire Virginia congressional delegation, communicated the urgency of the matter with his Senate colleagues, and lobbied the White House and the House leadership to ensure the funding was included in the final compromise spending bill that came to the House floor today.

When the Republican budget plan came to the floor in mid-February, Connolly offered the amendment, supported by most of the Washington-area congressional delegation, to restore the annual $150 million payment to Metro. During debate on his amendment, Connolly argued that, “The effort by Republicans to eliminate the fiscal year 2011 federal payment to Metro is an egregious abrogation of the contract Congress made with Virginia, Maryland, and DC. It jeopardizes everything we’ve tried to do, in a bipartisan manner, to improve Metro safety.”

Since the funding was supposed to match the funds donated by Virginia and other local states, Connolly decided to put some pressure on the GOP by writing Governor McDonnell and urging him to use his relationships with Republican leaders to restore the federal funding. Although it took him some time and public pressure, McDonnell eventually followed Gerry’s lead for standing up against the cuts and wrote a letter to the Republican Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, and the Virginia delegation in support of the funding. McDonnell also raised Connolly’s concerns at a March meeting he held on Capitol Hill with the entire Virginia delegation.

Even though the cuts would have a devastating impact on the economy in Northern Virginia and the ability of people to get to work (including members of the federal workforce), the GOP’s leadership refused to listen and the funding wasn’t included in the GOP’s CR. Considering how the GOP wasn’t showing any interest in honoring federal commitments, the budget compromise represented a rare opportunity to make sure the funding was actually in place. That is why, despite all the drastic cuts to other crucial programs, Gerry’s vote on the CR is one that even opponents of the compromise should understand.

Sen. Jeff Merkley Introduced Fully Inclusive ENDA

2011-04-14T14:29:00.001-04:00

Throughout my time as an organizer and blogger, I’ve always been amazed at how there are some people who oppose basic civil rights for all. While I can see where opponents of gay marriage are coming from (though I vigorously disagree with them), it simply doesn’t make sense to me when I hear people suggest that it’s alright to deny employment to someone just because of their sexual orientation. That is why I was extremely happy to see that Sen. Jeff Merkley is once again trying to end discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace by introducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

The legislation would prohibit employers, employment agencies, labor organizations and joint labor-management committees from firing, refusing to hire, or discriminating against those employed or seeking employment, on the basis of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. Such protections are already in place prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability.

“The right to work hard and earn a living is a fundamental right. It is essential to the success of a family. It is essential to the pursuit of happiness. It is part of equality under the law,” Senator Merkley said. “The test of whether you can get and hold a job should be whether you can do the job, not your sexual orientation or gender identity. I’m proud to join Senators Kirk, Harkin, and Collins to introduce the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and take an important step in the march towards equality.”

As you probably already know, various versions have been previously considered by Congress and some have even been passed by the House. The plain and simple fact that we’re once again seeing the legislation introduced, however, shows how we haven’t seen an end to workplace discrimination signed into law. In fact, some of the previous debate surrounding ENDA have caused some internal divisions in the LGBT community as people like Barney Frank and HRC’s Joe Solmonese claimed a fully inclusive ENDA couldn’t pass and therefore decided to sell out the transgender community by dropping gender identity from the bill.

Not too surprisingly, this caused a lot of people to be extremely frustrated. The grassroots already had a testy relationship with HRC and the organization’s willingness to ignore a group of people it was supposed to be standing up for was simply the final straw. Donna Rose, the first transgender member of HRC’s board, even resigned her position out of protest.

"Less than a month ago, HRC President Joe Solmonese stood before almost 900 transgender people at the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta to pledge ongoing support and solidarity," said Rose, in a statement released to the media Oct. 3. "In his keynote address, he indicated that not only would HRC support only a fully inclusive ENDA, but that it would actively oppose anything less. That single pledge changed hearts and minds that day, and the ripple effect throughout the transgender community was that we finally were one single GLBT community working together. Sadly, recent events indicate that those promises were hollow."

Those who were upset by this move were correct to express their outrage. The whole purpose of ENDA is to end discrimination in the workplace and it was simply wrong to sell out any portion of the LGBT community. That is why I was extremely pleased to see that Merkley’s version of ENDA is fully inclusive.

As there’s growing support for a fully inclusive ENDA, we’re also seeing a lot of support for the policy from the business community. This can be seen by how more than 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies already extend workplace protections based on sexual orientation and more than one-third on the basis of gender identity. Furthermore, several businesses expressed specific support for the legislation that Merkley has introduced.

“Nike stands with Senator Merkley and the other co-sponsors toward the reintroduction and passage of a fully inclusive ENDA bill,” said Nike U.S. Director of Government and Public Affair Orson C. Porter. “At Nike, we firmly believe that diversity drives innovation, which is a cornerstone of our business. Although more and more businesses in the U.S. have implemented policies that address workplace fairness for LGBT employees – the nation still needs a federal standard that treats all employees equal. Now is the time to do the right thing and pass ENDA into law.”

“At Sara Lee, we operate in a multi-cultural marketplace,” said Sara Lee Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Mark Demich. “Therefore, we believe that having a workforce comprised of people from different backgrounds and life perspectives can lead to better customer and consumer insights, greater innovation and a more inclusive environment for our employees. Such an inclusive environment embodies who we are. In fact, Be Inclusive is one of our core values. Therefore, we strive to create and sustain a culture of inclusion and a workplace that is fair, equitable and free from discrimination. We strongly support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that outlaws discriminatory practices based upon sexual orientation and gender identity. And we thank Illinois Senator Mark Kirk for signing on as a co-sponsor.”

Despite the support from the business community and the fact that the bill stands up for basic equality, it looks like there will be some difficulties getting the bill through Congress. When similar legislation was introduced in the House of Representative a few weeks ago, for instance, there was about half the number of co-sponsors. There’s no doubt that this is directly related to the Republican takeover of the House. In other words, the party that gained the majority by claiming it’d focus on jobs is actively opposing legislation that would help ensure people won’t face discrimination in the job market.

Video: Gerry Connolly Goes After GOP's Attacks on Medicare

2011-04-14T10:59:00.000-04:00

As our economy is still struggling to recover from the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the GOP has proposed a 2012 budget that could do some severe damage to the fragile economy. Among other things, the Republicans are channeling George W. Bush as they're trying to privatize Medicare and would cut Medicaid by $750 billion over the next decade. In other words, they are willing to leave the most vulnerable members of our community at the mercy of large insurance corporations in order to appease the Tea Party. That is simply unacceptable.

Fortunately, there are some folks in Congress who realize the devastating impact the GOP's plan would have on the country. Rep. Gerry Connolly, for instance, took to the floor of the House to highlight how the Republican budget is actually a "path to the past" and not to prosperity. It's also worth noting that Gerry is actually considered relatively moderate on fiscal issues, so it's not like he's some crazy leftist going after Republicans just for the sake of it. Instead, he's an advocate for passing a budget that takes steps to address our debt issues while also investing in programs that will help our community and the economy.