Could Bob McDonnell Be the Governor Who "wrecked Virginia's credit rating?

According to Jeff Schapiro's article, "Virginia maxes out credit card", the answer is a most definite "possibly." Here's the problem:

Two days before Christmas, departing Gov. Tim Kaine and the General Assembly got the lousy news: that Virginia, under a self-imposed debt limit, cannot afford for the next two years to issue more bonds.

[...]

The bottom line: With the supply of public dollars at rock bottom, McDonnell is potentially denied an important tool that could give him some maneuverability to begin fulfilling his promise to fix transportation, among other problems, without raising taxes.

[...]

McDonnell would have to reconcile a heftier debt load with his campaign sound bites that suggested Virginians could have it all, even in the hardest of times, free of new taxes.

How does McDonnell get around this difficult, albeit largely self-imposed (by rigid ideology), conundrum? According to Jeff Schapiro, "it requires something supposedly anathema to a self-professed fiscal conservative such as McDonnell...declare it the policy of the commonwealth to incur more debt." Even if McDonnell breaks with conservative dogma, however, he still risks "maxing out Virginia's credit card." As we all know, maxing out our credit cards is not a particularly wise thing to do. Nor is racking up credit disproportionate to our income (aka, "revenues"). In the end, the outcome of borrowing more than we (individuals or Virginia) can afford is not going to be pretty: getting caught in an endless cycle of debt, going bankrupt, finding our credit rating going down the tube. That latter possibility is a real one, and it is how Jeff Schapiro chooses to conclude his ominous article.

...McDonnell and lawmakers run the risk of imperiling Virginia's highest-possible triple-A credit rating. Virginia, in the Moody's ratings, shares that honor with eight other states. But Virginia may be unique, in that it has enjoyed that distinction uninterrupted for more than 80 years.

And the last thing McDonnell wants in the run-up to the 2011 House and Senate elections is a who-lost-China-type debate over who wrecked Virginia's credit rating.

Unfortunately, I don't see an easy way out of this situation. McDonnell and the flat-earth House Republicans are extremely unlikely to raise revenues (aka, "taxes") and we've already cut pretty much all "inefficiency" out of state government. Which leaves the possible option of borrowing more money, but as explained above, that's extremely problematic (e.g., could "wreck Virginia's credit rating"). Which leaves...uh uh uh...no good options as far as I can tell. Unless, that is, Bob McDonnell is prepared to pull a "Nixon in China" by breaking with rigid, right-wing ideology and doing what's necessary to secure Virginia's future. It's Bob McDonnell's choice, we'll find out what he decides soon enough.

Whipple Clip Dozen: Sunday Morning

Thanks to Del. Bob Brink (D-48) for the Sunday "Whipple Clips."

1. KAINE HAD WINS BUT TOOK SOME LUMPS AS GOVERNOR
2. KEY DATES IN GOV. TIMOTHY M. KAINE’S TENURE
3. A TERM OF CRISIS: GOV. TIM KAINE EXIT INTERVIEW
4. BACK TO GOP BASICS
6. LARGE GOP FIELD LINES UP TO TAKE ON REP. NYE IN NOVEMBER
14. TIM KAINE: HELPING VIRGINIA LEAD THE WAY
15. VIRGINIA MAXES OUT CREDIT CARD
21. REPORTERS GET READY FOR NEW GOVERNOR, ANOTHER SESSION
22. EDITORIAL: VIRGINIA TECH LEADS ON SUSTAINABILITY
23. A YEAR FOR MORE EXECUTIONS
24. COMMEMORATING SLAVERY AND CIVIL WAR IN RICHMOND
30. 2009'S GOOD, BAD: TRANSPORTATION EXPERTS MAKE THEIR CALLS

Saturday Night YouTube Video: Broooce, Jon Stewart, Sting

Also, pretty cool who Broooce is sitting next to. Not bad for a blue collar guy from New Jersey. :)

Frank Anderson Talks Ex-Felon Voting Rights on WPFW

Listen to this, then if you agree that people who have served their time and paid their debt to society should have their voting rights restored (as is the case in nearly every other state in America), check out the Restore Our Vote website. Also, there's going to be a rally this Wednesday at DNC headquarters in Washington, DC, in order to to encourage Governor Kaine to restore ex-felon voting rights. Check it out.

Bush Admin.: Saudi "Reintegration" of Gitmo Detainees "a very, very good program"

Since the attempted Christmas Day "underwear bombing," Republicans have been pushing a bizarre form of revisionist history. In that version of history, somehow Barack Obama never said the words (in his inaugural address, no less), "Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred." Also, in the Dick Cheney/Frank Wolf version of history, somehow it wasn't the Bush Administration that released - to "art therapy," no less - at least one of the leaders in the "crotch bomber" plot. I'm sure those same revisionists also have forgotten this too, so here's a reminder, from December 2007 (when Bush was president, Cheney was vice president, and Wolf was very quiet):

The Defense Department considered more than 90 percent of the transferred detainees to be terrorist threats to the United States and its allies, but sent them home as part of an agreement that Saudi Arabia would mitigate the threat, according to Cmdr. J.D. Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman.

"Our goal is to transfer out as many individuals from Guantanamo Bay as we can," said Sandra L. Hodgkinson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs. "The Saudis have developed a reconciliation program to address the needs of their population, and we strongly appreciate them finding a way to mitigate the threats that these people pose. We believe this is a very, very good program."

Let's repeat that: the Bush Administration thought that transferring terrorists (90% of them were considered to be "terrorist threats to the United States and its allies") from Guantanamo Bay back to Saudi Arabia -- where they were "treated like a VIP...given a monthly stipend and a job, housed and fed, even promised help in finding a wife" - was a "very, very good program." And perhaps it was "very, very good," as the Bush/Cheney Administration claimed. But then, why do Dick Cheney and Frank Wolf have their underwear (staying with the theme) in a bunch over this all of a sudden, now that the Democrats are in power? Hmmmmm.

But wait, there's more:

Critics are concerned that the arrangement will simply return some extremists to the streets. Defense officials say about 30 of the nearly 480 detainees released from Guantanamo have again taken up terrorist activities.

[...]

Under an unpublicized agreement between Riyadh and the Bush administration, the Saudis are preparing to repatriate half of the approximately 20 of their citizens who remain at Guantanamo. They have promised that all will participate in the reintegration program, Saudi and U.S. officials said.

[...]

U.S. officials have become more comfortable with the program over time, and say the reintegration program has enabled the reduction of Guantanamo's prison population to its lowest point since April 2002, with just more than 300 detainees in custody, down from a peak of 680. The nationalities most represented now are 90 Yemenis, 50 Afghans and 20 Saudis.

The Saudis have briefed the CIA, FBI and Defense Department on the program, and U.S. officials have visited the reintegration facility in Riyadh. Saudi officials said officials of several European nations have inquired about the program and want to determine whether it could work in their countries.

President Bush has said he wants to close the prison, though there has been much internal disagreement on what to do with the captives, some of whom are acknowledged terrorists. But "even as Congress and the administration can't reach agreement [on closing Guantanamo], the numbers are declining," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

That's right, the Bush Administration's policy was to return Gitmo detainees to Saudi Arabia's "reintegration" program, and that's exactly what they were in the process of doing when they left office - emptying Gitmo of these people and sending them back for "VIP" treatment in Saudi Arabia.

Again, perhaps the Saudi VIP/art therapy program for former Gitmo detainees really works great; for argument's sake, let's stipulate that it does. Even so, Bush "Defense officials say about 30 of the nearly 480 detainees released from Guantanamo have again taken up terrorist activities." That's not a bad success rate (450/480=94%), but it's certainly not 100%. Yet somehow it was perfectly fine with Republicans as long as Bush was in the White House. But now that Obama's in there, and now that there's been an attempted terrorist attack (note that there were also attempted terrorist attacks, including the "shoe bomber," during the Bush Administration) the Republicans are shocked - shocked! - and angry - angry!!! - at what's going on. Can we say "utter hypocrisy?" How about "shameless, utter hypocrisy and phony outrage?" Yep, that sounds like Dick Cheney/Eric Cantor/Frank Wolf Republicans to me.

P.S. Speaking of Frank Wolf, I recommend that you watch his latest "get off my lawn" tirade in this video. I particularly recommend that you tune in at about the 2-minute mark. I'll have more to say about Wolf's wild-eyed irresponsibility in coming days.

Will McDonnell Stick To His Campaign Promises?

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article on Bob McDonnell entitled, "Back to GOP Basics: Virginia's governor-elect Bob McDonnell on his plans for spending cuts, offshore drilling and charter schools." In it, McDonnell pretty much sticks to his campaign promises: "hold the line on taxes," "cut spending," sell off ABC stores and earn "a huge chunk of money," become "the first state in the country in 2011 to drill [for oil] offshore," and downplay "social conservatism" (although McDonnell also points out that he's "100% prolife" - whatever that means exactly - and "unequivocal about our position on marriage"). The problem is, these promises never made any sense in the first place. Here, for instance, is former Governor Linwood Holton (R), speaking in late September 2009 about McDonnell's proposed sale of ABC stores and also on offshore drilling, which McDonnell bizarrely seems to believe will provide a gusher of oil revenues in the next few years.

1) Sale of ABC Stores: "There will be no sale of the ABC system in Virginia as long as the General Assembly of Virginia exists, they will not permit the sale of a source of revenue that produces $100 million a year for them to use for schools and other public needs"

2) Revenues from oil drilling: "That couldn't possibly bring us a dime within the next 10 years...oil profits is a false promise."

So...is there any reason to believe that Linwood Holton is wrong and that Bob McDonnell is right about this? Also, now that Governor Kaine has announced billions of dollars more in cuts to state services, now that we don't have any money at all to pay for pretty much anything, and now that we've shaved essentially all the "fat" out of the budget, what else is there left for McDonnell to cut at this point?

Logically, of course, if there's nothing else left to cut, the only way to balance Virginia's budget will be to figure out some way to raise revenues. On NPR last night, there was a report on how states around the country are closing loopholes and raising "fees" on anything and everything, as long as they aren't called the dreaded "t" word. Is that a possible path for McDonnell, to outwardly stick to his campaign promise not to raise "taxes," while simultaneously raising desperately needed revenues? Or, will McDonnell attempt to do what Linwood Holton says makes no sense and/or can't be done? We're going to find out soon enough, and whatever the answer is, it will tell us a great deal about Bob McDonnell's governorship and also about what "back to GOP basics" actually means.

Whipple Clips Dozen: Saturday Morning

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Saturday "Clips."

1. KAINE REFLECTS ON TESTY TERM
2. KAINE: SHORT-TERM LOAN PROGRAM SHOWS PROMISE
3. GIFTS TO KAINE RANGE FROM THE BANAL TO THE BIZARRE
4. WINNERS & LOSERS OF 2009
5. SHAD PLANK: A DECADE OF BI-PARTISAN BLOOPERSHIP
6. ACCEPTING OUT-OF-STATE PRISONERS RILES NEWPORT NEWS SHERIFF
8. VA. MOM FAILS TO HAND OVER DAUGHTER IN CUSTODY DISPUTE
10. EPA OUTLINES CONSEQUENCES FOR INACTION ON CHESAPEAKE BAY CLEAN-UP
17. GOVERNORS DESERVE SHOT AT RE-ELECTION
19. ARLINGTON COUNTY BOARD FORMS ENERGY TASK FORCE TO ADVISE ON EMISSIONS
20. WITH HELP FROM SWEDEN, 4 NORTHERN VIRGINIA FAMILIES ARE 'CLIMATE PILOTS'
23. LEE COUNTY MULTI-USE TRAIL PROJECT EDGES FORWARD

President Obama's Weekly Address: "The Fight Against Al Qaeda"

The full transcript is here.

Liveblogging Arlington's Political Dorkapalooza

Posted by The Green Miles

And we're live from the Arlington County Government Building! The Green Miles has dragged himself out of bed (surprisingly hangover-free! 2010, I like you already!) for the Arlington County Board's traditional New Year's Day meeting.

Why have a meeting on New Year's Day? The County likes to brag that it's "the only local government that 'gets to work' on the first day of the year." But we all know the real reason" Because that's what ginormous political dorks Arlington residents are. We just can't wait until Monday to look ahead to the county's 2010 priorities. If you think I'm making fun of my county, ask yourself this: Who ranks higher on the dork scale, the ones who organized the meeting, or the one who liveblogs it?

It's already looking like an interesting meeting -- with 10 minutes until the start of the meeting, there were three people in the room under 75! That's already a new record in my years of attending the New Year's Day meeting. (I kid. Sorta. This thing doesn't exactly draw the young'uns.)

You can watch the meeting on the Arlington Video Network, either on Comcast or Verizon cable or online. Please add your thoughts in comments, and I'll be keeping an eye on the #acb tag on Twitter.

UPDATE 11:07am -- Outgoing Chair Barbara Favola gavels the session to order. The County Board rotates the gavel annually, so Jay Fisette takes the 2010 Chair, with Chris Zimmerman serving as Vice Chair.

11:11am -- Barbara Favola points out the Board will do two budget expenditure public comment sessions again this year in addition to one revenue hearing. Says they did two spending sessions for the first time in 2009 and it worked really well.

11:15am -- Chris Zimmerman begins explaining the County Board's tiebreaker rule. The dorks ooh and ahh! Literally! Apparently this has been something of a teeny tiny controversy at some point in the past that the state law could be interpreted that the Board could appoint a tiebreaker in case of a tie vote. However, the county attorney & board agree that any vote that doesn't get a majority should fail.

11:18am -- Lots of commission & committee appointments. Not terribly exciting. I emailed Lowell yesterday & asked, "So do you think I should live-blog the Arlington County Board meeting, or would people not be interested?" He basically answered, Meh, not like there's anything else happening on New Year's Day. The dorks carry the day!

11:20am -- Jay Fisette recognizes School Board Chair Sally Baird, School Superintendent Pat Murphy, and former Delegate Karen Darner. Pretty low turnout this year, usually there are more electeds in the house for the New Year's Day meeting & often a full house for public seating, but several empty rows this year.

11:37am -- Jay Fisette says 2010 will be about sustainability -- specifically, fiscal and environmental sustainability. Says that we must maintain our social safety net even in tough budget times. Announces the creation of a "green ribbon task force" -- the Community Energy & Sustainability Task Force, building off the Fresh AIRE effort. Announces the task force members, which include an impressive range of leaders from businesses, community organizations & utilities, along with State Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple. Was a little surprised not to hear anyone from ACE on the panel, but there are other environmentalists involved like "Solar Scott" Sklar.

11:45am -- Chris Zimmerman echoes the importance of sustainability, pointing out that a few years ago, scientists had forecast the Arctic could be summer sea ice free within a century. Now, they say the Arctic could be free of summer sea ice within a decade. (The Green Miles tangent: Debates in the media are always focused on whether scientists are wrong on the low end of global warming, that climate change might not be as bad as predicted. What if scientists are wrong on the high end, and climate change will be worse than forecast?)

11:50am -- Walter Tejada says one of his top priorities in 2010 will be maintaining affordable housing, both for home owners and for Arlington's renters. He also pledges to further Gov. Kaine's leadership on clean air, promising to work towards a smoking ban on Arlington playgrounds and at building entrances.

11:55am -- Mary Hynes says she'll work to continue traffic calming measures even with little new funding expected to be available in 2010. She'll also work to provide alternative activities to teens to curb binge drinking.

12:05pm -- If you want to know why Arlington Republicans can't even win elections in GOP wave years like 2009, check out the Twitter feed of Arlington GOP Chair Mark Kelly. It's the triumph of ideology over reality. Sample tweet: "CB member Zimmerman also focusing on global warming. OK, but what budget cuts are U planning & what taxes/fees are U raising?" I know there are major community problems that need solving but I HATE TEH TAXES.

12:13pm -- Chair Jay Fisette gavels the meeting to a close. Overall, good to hear the board focused on what can be done in tough times. But while the members tried to stay positive, what they didn't say spoke just as loudly. No big promises, no major new commitments. 2010 will be about staying afloat locally in what is hopefully the beginning of a national economic recovery.

Rough Sledd-ing

Waldo Jaquith sums up my feelings on the Robert Sledd story:

Robert Sledd would love to be Secretary of Commerce. But he also wants to be on the board of directors of a few companies, including ginormous Richmond-based tobacco company Universal Corporation. And Bob McDonnell figures that's A-OK. This is *exactly* the crap that I feared from McDonnell. It's not a matter of partisanship; thinking that the secretary of commerce can oversee himself is simply unbridled asininity, the very worst of Bush-era business "regulation" that brought us our recession.

Conservative blogger Norm Leahy agrees:

This ought to be a no-brainer -- if you're on boards of companies that might benefit from your government position, you have an obligation to give up either the government job, or the board seats.

No conflicts, no appearance of conflicts and no headaches for the boss.

Then there's this:
Additionally, Sledd said, "I kind of need that income."

Then the choice becomes even simpler.

Finally, here's Vivian Paige on this situation:

Public service is not about personal gain. If Mr. Sledd finds that he cannot make do with the salary of the position offered, if for him public service does not carry with it a higher calling, then he should decline the appointment. We don’t need in our government people who cannot and will not relinquish situations that are ripe for conflict. I’m quite sure that McDonnell can easily find someone equally qualified who is willing to do the people’s business for the price offered.

If not, then we have a much, much bigger problem.

I couldn't agree more with Waldo, Norm and Vivian on this one. So, the question is: will Bob McDonnell tell Mr. Sledd that the type of arrangement he's contemplating is completely unacceptable? Or, will McDonnell allow our state government to become a de facto arm of wealthy corporations? What McDonnell decides to do here will be highly revealing about the next four years.

Barack Obama: Brighter Days Are Ahead Of Us

Whipple Clips: New Years Day

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the New Years Day "Clips."

1. MCDONNELL ADMINISTRATION: HELP WANTED
2. VIRGINIA LIKELY TO MAKE MORE ELIGIBLE FOR DEATH PENALTY UNDER MCDONNELL
3. KAINE ON LIFE AFTER THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION
4. KAINE'S DECEMBER TRAVEL
5. KEN STOLLE RESIGNS SENATE SEAT, TAKES OFFICE AS BEACH SHERIFF
6. GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRE-FILED BILLS: CELL PHONES, LICENSE PLATES AND MORE
9. VA. GOP NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
16. DEAR BOB: DON'T SPEND THOSE PROCEEDS YET
17. TRYING A BETTER BUDGET CYCLE
19. DULLES TOLL ROAD FEES RISE TO HELP PAY FOR SILVER LINE; INCREASES ARE CRITICIZED
20. WASHINGTON METRO TO CUT CALL CENTER HOURS TO EASE SHORTFALL
23. HURT PROPOSES FIVE DEBATES FOR 5TH DISTRICT

Kaine Won't Run For President, Senate; Would Consider Running For Governor Again

Verrrrry interesting.

Kaine said he probably would not run for office again, but left the door open to it.

He said he considers the job of president the only higher office than governor but ruled that out because "you have to give up way too much to do that job."

He said he would not run for senator because "there are other best uses of my skills,'' but he could, one day, run for governor again. "Never say never," he said.

Former RPV Chair Parrots Dick Cheney's "big lie"

In this morning's Washington Post, Eugene Robinson editorializes on "Dick Cheney's lies about President Obama." Among other things, Robinson calls Cheney's remarks "corrosive and nonsensical," "like the pearls of wisdom one hears from homeless people sitting in bus shelters," a "histrionic Rottweiler-in-Winter act," a "shrill screed," "outright mendacity," "the big lie," and "completely off the rails." What prompted this torrent of (accurate) adjectives from Eugene Robinson was Cheney's "flat-out untrue" statement, "As I've watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war." There are so many problems with this statement, it's hard to know where to start. But first and foremost, as Eugene Robinson points out, the problem is that it is "[f]lat-out untrue."

The fact is that Obama has said many times that we are at war against terrorists. He said it as a candidate. He said it in his inaugural address: "Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred." He has said it since.

As Cheney well knows, unless he has lost even the most tenuous grip on reality, Obama's commitment to warfare as an instrument in the fight against terrorism has won the president nothing but grief from the liberal wing of his party, with more certainly to come. Hasn't anyone told Cheney that Obama is sharply boosting troop levels in Afghanistan in an attempt to avoid losing a war that the Bush administration started but then practically abandoned?

Either nobody's told Cheney or he has his fingers in his ears, singing "la la la la la I can't hear you!" Same thing with former Republican Party of Virginia chair Jeff Frederick, who chimes in with this gem:

Is Obama pretending that US is not @ war w/ terrorists,thus resulting in near Christmas bombing of airliner? Are we less safe w/ BO in chrg?

There are many ways one could respond to this wretched drivel, including with peals of mocking laughter. For now, I'll just quote two excellent responses on Twitter. The first comes from Kyle Blankenship, who writes that we should "just be glad @JeffFrederick isn't competent enough to actually DO anything other than TALK a big game." The second comes from Trent Armitage, who snarkily comments, "I guess being out of office has not made @JeffFrederick any less crazy."

By the way, I'd just remind everyone that the organizers of the latest terrorist plot against America were released from Gitmo by...that's right, the Bush Administration. Oh, and when they were released, you know where they went? That's right, an art therapy program in Saudi Arabia. Can you imagine if "liberals" had done that? My god, what would Dick and Jeff be saying then? Ha.

"Biscuit Run" To Become a State Park

This is great news, thanks to Governor Kaine for his efforts in preserving Virginia open space during his time in office. I would certainly hope that Bob McDonnell will continue along the path that Governor Kaine has laid down in this area.

GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES PURCHASE OF BISCUIT RUN SITE FOR FUTURE STATE PARK
~ Purchase brings state closer to reaching 400,000 acre open-space goal ~

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the purchase of approximately 1,200 acres in Albemarle County known as “Biscuit Run” to be held by the state as a site for a future state park.

“When developed as a state park, this extraordinary piece of land will benefit the citizens of Albemarle, Charlottesville and the Commonwealth for recreation, natural resource protection and the preservation of open space in a fast growing area,” Governor Kaine said. “This property is a real jewel and I am very pleased to add it to the long list of properties preserved during my Administration.”

This purchase will add to the goal of 400,000 acres of open space preserved during Governor Kaine’s Administration.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the state to acquire such a valuable property which offers spectacular mountain views, abundant flora and fauna and is in the viewshed of Mr. Jefferson’s Monticello estate and farms,” said Secretary of Natural Resources L. Preston Bryant, Jr.

“The need for a state park in this region has been identified for more than 20 years in Virginia’s official Outdoors Plan,” said Joseph H. Maroon, director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which operates 35 Virginia State Parks, none in the immediate Charlottesville area. “This purchase brings us closer to meeting the recreation and conservation needs of the region and the Commonwealth and will bring additional tourism and outdoor recreation dollars to the area.”

Funding for the purchase was provided by a combination of federal grants and existing state bond funds available through the Virginia Public Building Authority and the State Parks and Natural Areas bond, voted on by the public in 2002. The ability to apply for state land preservation tax credits allowed the sellers to offer the property to the state at a greatly reduced price.

The property is south of Interstate 64 between state Rt. 20 and Old Lynchburg Road minutes from downtown Charlottesville and surrounds a stream named Biscuit Run. The property is also adjacent to polo fields owned by the University of Virginia. In 2007, the property was approved to be the largest planned residential development in County history. However, the project stalled because of the economic downturn and declining housing market.

“I am delighted with the transfer of Biscuit Run to the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Lindsay G. Dorrier, Jr. of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. “Albemarle County has some of the most beautiful land in the state and with this transfer, nearly 1,200 acres of land will be preserved for generations to enjoy. We look forward to working with the state to plan the state park in the coming months.”

The property will not be open to the public until a master plan is developed with public input and funds are made available for development of park facilities and staffing.

In 2009, the Virginia State Park System received a record 7.4 million visitors and had a $180 million economic impact on localities.

Whipple Clip Dozen: Thursday Morning

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the last-day-of-the-aughts "Clips."

1. MCDONNELL SEEKS TO OVERTURN TERM LIMIT
2. KAINE TALKS PAYDAY LOANS
3. PRE-FILED PICKS: LEGISLATION TO WATCH
4. STATE GOP SWITCHES LEADERS
6. VA. MOVES QUICKLY TO USE STIMULUS MONEY FOR WATER-QUALITY PROJECTS
7. VA. BUYS ALBEMARLE TRACT FOR STATE PARK
14. CHESAPEAKE BAY ADVOCATES CALL EPA CLEANUP PLAN TOO WEAK
15. WASHINGTON TIMES LAYS OFF EDITORS, WILL FOLD SPORTS
16. FAIRFAX COUNTY MAY CUT BACK FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN
18. DOUBTS IN VA. BEACH FOR LIGHT RAIL
19. ROBERT SMITH, 81, DIES; CREATED ARLINGTON'S CRYSTAL CITY
21. CENSUS BUREAU WILL HIRE THOUSANDS LOCALLY, KICKOFF EVENTS PLANNED

Rachel Maddow Takes Down Republican Hypocrisy on Underwear Bomber

Great job by Rachel Maddow -- nothing left to say, right? Actually, there is; check out this video of Rep. (and former Navy Commander) Eric Massa (D-NY) rebutting Draft Dodgin' Dick Cheney. I love it when Democrats push back hard against Republican hypocrisy, doubletalk, smears and lies.

Virginia ACLU Executive Director: Ex-Felon Disenfranchisement "related to Jim Crow"

The ACLU weighs in on the ex-felon disenfranchisement issue:

“The entire felon disenfranchisement issue is very connected to race,” says Kent Willis, executive director of Virginia’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Willis cites as examples Virginia’s 1901 constitutional convention that instituted the poll tax and literacy tests for voters, in addition to the disenfranchisement of felons. The three “are all related to Jim Crow,” Willis says. It still affects African Americans significantly more than anyone else. Of the 300,000 people in Virginia who are disenfranchised, Willis says, roughly 50 percent are African American.

[...]

"The sad truth is that the governor holds complete control over who gets their rights restored," he says, noting that there is no process in state law that dictates criteria for voting rights restoration. "It’s completely arbitrary and that’s the process we’re trying to change."

In sum, if Governor Kaine has "complete control over who gets their rights restored," if this policy is "related to Jim Crow," and if Kaine himself said recently, "I very strongly believe that people who have paid their debt to society should have voting rights restored," then why on earth doesn't he do it? I'm baffled.

h/t: Not Larry Sabato

UPDATE: Just to clarify, in no way/shape/form do I believe that Tim Kaine is in the least bit racist. The entire point here is that voter disenfranchisement has its roots in Jim Crow racism, and to this day it continues to disproportionately impact African Americans. That's one huge reason why Governor Kaine should issue a blanket reinstatement of voting rights, at least for non-violent ex-felons, because we need to remove this disgraceful stain of racism from Virginia once and for all.

Mo Elleithee: Republicans "playing politics with terrorism"

Virginia's #2 most important political operative of the decade, Mo Elleithee, nails it:

There’s no question that Republicans, and especially Dick Cheney, are playing politics with terrorism.

How hypocritical and off-base are their attacks? Let us count the ways.

[...]

In 2001, following the attacks of 9/11 and the attempted shoe-bombing attack in December, Democrats didn’t criticize President Bush. We were united as a country. Everyone agreed that our security was more important than politics.

It is sad that eight years later, Republican leaders seems to have forgotten that lesson.

Yes, it's sad, but Republicans appear to be consumed with "Obama Derangement Syndrome," so it's also sadly unsurprising. (begin snark) Of course, wouldn't you be deranged if a Republican president had just saved the economy from complete meltdown and was trying to get you affordable, quality health care? Yeah, I know, it's horrible! Makes me froth at the mouth just thinking about it. (end snark)

Good Riddance, Decade From Hell

A few weeks ago, Time Magazine dubbed the 2000's the "Decade from Hell." Here's what Time had to say:

Instead, it was the American Dream that was about to dim. Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post–World War II era. We're still weeks away from the end of '09, but it's not too early to pass judgment. Call it the Decade from Hell, or the Reckoning, or the Decade of Broken Dreams, or the Lost Decade. Call it whatever you want — just give thanks that it is nearly over.

Calling the 2000s "the worst" may seem an overwrought label in a decade in which we fought no major wars, in historical terms. It is a sadly appropriate term for the families of the thousands of 9/11 victims and soldiers and others killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the lack of a large-scale armed conflict makes these past 10 years stand out that much more. This decade was as awful as any peacetime decade in the nation's entire history. Between the West's ongoing struggle against radical Islam and our recent near-death economic experience — trends that have largely skirted much of the developing world — it's no wonder we feel as if we've been through a 10-year gauntlet. Americans may have the darkest view of recent history, since it's in the U.S. that the effects of those trends have been most acute. If you live in Brazil or China, you have had a pretty good decade economically. Once, we were the sunniest and most optimistic of nations. No longer.

No argument here, this decade was awful. I'd add that it began with the Supreme Court handing an election to George W. Bush, despite the fact that Al Gore won 544,000 more votes than Bush. We then suffered through 8 terrible years of what was, arguably, the worst presidency in U.S. history. We experienced the horror of the 9/11 attacks, including one plane that hit us right here in Virginia. Now, of course, we're dealing with the terrible recession bequeathed to us by Bush, plus the enormous debt Bush accumulated over his 8 years in office by giving huge tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans while simultaneously invading and occupying Iraq. Finally, as the decade comes to a close, we are witnessing the rise of a nasty, right-wing populist movement, the likes of which we haven't seen since...the 1930s? the McCarthy era? Wonderful, huh?

So, I'm trying really hard to think of a worse decade for this country than the one we've just endured, and the only one that's coming to mind is the 1930s, which saw the Great Depression, the rise of Fascism, and the start of World War II. Other than that, I can't think of a consistently worse decade than the 2000s. Yes, the 1960s were tumultuous, but many good things (civil rights, women's rights, economic growth) happened in that decade as well as bad things (Vietnam, racial problems). Also, the 1970s were a bad decade - Watergate, stagflation, the Iranian hostage crisis, a lost war in Vietnam - but I'd still argue that this past decade was worse on balance, given the magnitude of crises - the economy, debt, terrorism, war, global warming, nuclear proliferation, etc. - we're currently dealing with.

Here in Virginia, we moved from a "red" state to a kinda-sorta "blue" (or, more likely, "purple") state, then back to a "red" state once again. We saw Jim Webb defeat George Allen and a Democratic presidential candidate win the state for the first time in 44 years. We went from good economic and budgetary times to extremely difficult economic and budgetary times. We found ourselves mired worse than ever in transportation gridlock, with the 2002 defeat of one possible funding source (tax referenda in NOVA and Hampton Roads) and the abuser fees/regional authorities fiasco of 2007 (so much for those sources of transportation revenues). We were attacked on 9/11. And, last but not least, we experienced the horror of April 16, 2007 in Blacksburg. All in all, I'd say this was a difficult decade here in Virginia, with bright spots but also plenty of dark ones. It could have been worse, but it also could have been a lot better.

Anyway, what do you think? Were the years 2000-2009 the worst decade in U.S. history since the 1930s? Or were they not really all that bad? Make your case in the comments section, and let's hope for a peaceful and prosperous second decade. Happy New Year.