Find out how Cooch took $55,000 from the disgraced "U.S. Navy Veterans Association," in apparent exchange for his promise to get the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs (which had "notified Thompson's group that it no longer qualified for an exemption from state registration requirements") off the group's back. Can we say "pay-to-play?" Find out more.
Right now there is a bill in the House of Representatives to stop that rule from moving forward: the "Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act" (H.R. 2401). The bill blocks and indefinitely delays two of the most important clean air regulations of the past few decades - including the mercury and air toxics standards that we all advocated so hard for.
Based on our outreach here in DC, we believe that Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA 10) is yet undedicated on whether he'll vote "party-line" in support of this bill, or stand up for public health and wildlife and oppose the TRAIN Act.
Which way will Rep. Wolf vote today? If you live in Virginia's 10th Congressional district, please call Rep. Wolf's DC office at 202-225-5136 right now. If you can't get through to Rep. Wolf's DC office, call his Herndon office at 800-945-9653 or his Winchester office at 800-850-3463. Let us know what you hear in comments.
I had a chance to meet General John Douglass a couple weeks ago, and was very impressed. I definitely feel like he's a strong challenger to Frank Wolf, aka the rubber stamp for John Boehner and Eric Can'tor's radical, right-wing agenda in the House of Representatives. Clearly, 2012 should be the year that Frank Wolf is sent to a well-deserved retirement, and replaced by someone like General John Douglass. Anyway, check out the press release and well-made video and see what you think.
Our country is under tremendous stress. But too many in Washington are playing political games instead of facing up to the challenges of jobs, energy, transportation, education, health care, national security, and more.
I've served this nation for over three decades. I've served presidents of both parties. I rose to the rank of General because I have a proven record of standing up, taking on the tough fights, and winning them.
This won't be easy. My opponent has been in Congress for decades, getting a free pass for too long. As I've talked with my neighbors throughout Virginia's 10th district, I've heard them loud and clear: It's time for an independent voice and a focus on practical solutions to our nation's challenges.
We face grave challenges. But when it comes to America, failure is not an option.
Two points on this: 1) gotta hand it to Frank Wolf, at least he's been consistent in his dislike of tunnels, either at the airport (where we don't need one) or in Tysons Tunnel (where we badly DO need one); and 2) good for the union members protesting Wolf's constant anti-worker, pro-corporate, right-wing ideological votes on everything from health care reform to the environment to huge tax breaks to rich people to defunding Medicare to...you name it. Every time Wolf pokes his head out of his spider-hole, he deserves to be confronted with protests like these.
Rep. Frank Wolf wants you to think he's taking a bold stand against fraud, loudly squawking for an independent auditor on the 2nd phase of the Metro to Dulles project, estimated to cost as much as $4 billion:
Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), whose district encompasses much of the route for the new Metrorail extension into Loudoun County, is requesting that the agency overseeing construction of the line bring in an outside auditor to monitor design and construction of the second phase of the project.
The project, of course, hasn't even begun taking bids yet. But reality has never stopped Rep. Wolf from trying to get attention! Why wait until the project has actually begun to issue ominous warnings about waste, fraud & abuse to divert attention from the fact that you're holding up tax cuts for everyone to get even bigger tax cuts for your wealthiest donors? Caw!
By the end of the December, the Virginia Department of Transportation will have advertised $1.1 billion in construction and maintenance projects since the fiscal year began on July 1, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) told the Dulles Area Transportation Association at a luncheon Monday. About $500 million of that figure will be advertised just this month.
Why no dire warnings from Rep. Wolf about waste, fraud & abuse on this project? Oh, right. Because this project is supported by Virginia's Republican governor. And Frank the fraud peacock is partisan above all else, only getting his feathers up about Democrats - never members of his own party.
As the following statement by Jeff Barnett exemplifies, Frank Wolf continues to demonstrate his contempt for his district and for democracy. What do people in the 10th CD see in this guy anyway (other than his 90%+ lockstep voting record with BONEr and Can'tor, of course)?
Frank Wolf Dodges Another Joint Appearance Refuses to Attend Fairfax Chamber of Commerce Debate
Fairfax, VA - Jeff Barnett, Democratic nominee for Congress in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, appeared this morning in a candidate forum hosted by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce at George Mason University. Rep. Frank Wolf, Barnett's opponent, did not attend the forum, continuing his longstanding refusal to engage in public debate.
If anyone can make sense of Frank Wolf's blithering pabulum in this video, please leave your explanation in the comments section. Other than that, the only thing I can chalk this one up to is that Wolf's been in Congress way, way, wayyyyyyy too long. Like, about 16 years since he signed the Contract with America, which included a term limit pledge of 12 years. Uhhhhh.
Typical Republican charade: Cry that the free market will magically regulate commerce. Sanction a private monopoly then act surprised that it acts to its own advantage. Obfuscate and make unsupportable charges that appeal to emotion. Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) should instead be asking why a Spanish firm should own highway 460.
"In my opinion, the current law protects the interests of the owner of the toll road rather than the consumers of the road." - Frank Wolf
It must be an election year. Congressman Wolf is urging Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton to support state legislation to roll back the tolls along the Dulles Greenway. So, this "conservative" Republican calls for greater regulation? Government is the answer? Frank, either read the code or jettison the agenda.
"It's highway robbery. It's a disgrace. Everyone knows that these tolls are ripping people off and there's not much we can do about it." - Frank Wolf
Frank Wolf figuratively took the air out of Bobby McDonnell's ambitions of increased privatization in Virginia, in this case privatization of our infrastructure. Here's the article from WTOP.
It seems that Congressman Wolf, who just this once, makes sense, sent a letter to State Transportation Secretary, Sean Connaughton, which can be read here, urging reforms. The Congressman, expressed his strong opposition to the ever-increasing tolls on the Dulles Greenway. Calling the tolls essentially "highway robbery, Wolf called for action. Just what many of us have been saying. Wolf also said:
"The Greenway is perhaps the most expensive toll road per mile in the country. This is a quality of life issue for those people living along the Greenway or who use it on a daily basis."
Then we read something which is no surprise to NOVA drivers, but may floor those from the rest of the state:
Base tolls go as high as $4.50 per trip. Combined with the Dulles Toll Road, some drivers are paying $10.50 a day on tolls. Wolf says people who pay these maximum tolls are spending as much money to use the road as they would spend on a monthly car payment.
Although Rep. Jim Moran is a Democrat and Rep. Frank Wolf is a Republican, I don't think I've ever heard Moran say a negative word about Wolf, or vice versa. Well, last night, at former Del. Margi Vanderhye's house (at a fundraiser for 10th CD Democratic nominee, Jeff Barnett), that changed. Watch as a fired-up Jim Moran strongly lays out the case against Frank Wolf and why he need to be replaced. Good stuff.
It is with great disappointment that I must announce that I will no longer be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the United States Congress in the 10th district of Virginia.
Over the past 3-4 weeks I have been experiencing a reoccurrence of a back injury I suffered years ago. While I attempted to push through the pain and continue on, I found myself in an orthopedic surgeon's office on Monday. He gave me the news I hoped I would never hear, I need to have surgery on my back.
After discussing all of my options, I was told that postponing the surgery until after the election could result in permanent nerve damage. The best case scenario puts my recovery at 4 to 6 weeks. During that time I would not be able to actively campaign. With only 8 weeks until the election, such a time frame simply does not allow me to run an effective primary campaign. So, in conjunction with my doctor and my family, I have come to the sad conclusion that I must end my campaign for congress in Virginia's 10th district.
The decision is disappointing, and was difficult to make. I truly feel that with my background in economic and workforce development and my strong message of getting our economy on the right track would have made me a strong alternative to Frank Wolf in the fall. But I believe this is the best decision for my family and me.
I want to thank all of my supporters, my staff and my family for all of their help. I can't put into words how much it has meant to me personally. I will contact as many of you as I can in the days ahead.
Once my treatment is complete I intend to do everything I can to support Jeff Barnett's campaign and focus on our ultimate objective, defeating Frank Wolf in the Fall.
All my best,
Rich
Richard Anthony
I'll have more to say about this race in coming days. For now, let me just encourage everyone to support Jeff Barnett, a strong progressive (see my Blue Virginia interview with Jeff here) like Rich Anthony.
With the announcement yesterday by James Trautz that he is withdrawing as a Republican challenger in the 10th District against Rep. Frank R. Wolf, I'm going to make a prediction.
Wolf took a sharp right turn in his legislating over the past few months in an attempt to woo the tea party element to his campaign. But with the far-right challenger out of the picture, expect Wolf to move away from the fringe of the party and move towards the center, courting the moderate independents that make up a majority of the 10th District in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.
Also expect to see more "franked" mail arriving in your mailboxes; Wolf recently sent out 3 pieces of "constituent literature", paid for at taxpayer expense, that looked very much like campaign mailers. Of course, it's illegal to send campaign flyers at taxpayer expense, which is why those mailers are marked as "newsletters".
For more on Frank Wolf's lurch to the right in recent months, see "Frank Wolf: For it, before he was against it" by Rich Anthony. As Rich points out, "Wolf has taken to repeated attacks on President Obama and his administration over the last year, causing many to speculate that [Wolf] may be concerned about his primary against self-described 'tea party candidate' Jim Trautz." Now that Trautz is out of the picture, will we see Wolf breaking with Eric Cantor, John Boehner, and the "Party of No" in general? I'm not holding my breath, especially given that Wolf really is a right-wing Republican at his core, but it's something to keep an eye on.
Of course, Wolf never was the "moderate" he sometimes masqueraded as before Barack Obama became president. But since then, Wolf has voted in hard-right-wing Republican lockstep against clean energy, health care reform, "Jobs for Main Street", economic recovery, and many other top priorities for America and for his district.
Of course, you'd never know any of that from the corporate media, which wouldn't write something critical about their pal Frank Wolf if it was the last story on earth. Actually, come to think of it, when was the last time you saw anything at all in the Washington Post about the 10th CD race? Well, don't be surprised if you never do. That is, until the obligatory Post endorsement of "moderate" (yes, the Post is largely responsible for pushing this false meme) Wolf this fall, that is. With the media completely failing to do its job, no wonder why Wolf is able to sculpt his image to his liking through his "franked" mailings. At your expense, of course.
P.S. Unlike Wolf's votes for powerful, moneyed interests over middle class Americans, Rich Anthony supports "Main Street" over "Wall Street". What a concept, huh?
Representative Wolf Opposes Quality, Affordable Health Care Votes Against Small Business and Middle Class Families
(Fair Oaks, VA) - Yesterday, Representative Frank Wolf once again put big profits for corporate interests ahead of Virginia's hard-working middle class families and our vital small business owners. Wolf voted against the comprehensive health care reform bill that passed the house.
This legislation will end the practice of insurance companies discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions. It will end the days of hardworking families and small businesses being priced out of the care they need in the name of insurance company profits. This legislation will help seniors by closing the donut hole in Medicare, and it will reduce the deficit by more than a trillion dollars over the next two decades.
"Yesterday's vote was an opportunity for Congressman Wolf to put the people of his district ahead of the special interests and greedy insurance companies. Sadly, he chose to side with the greedy insurance companies instead of with his constituents," said Anthony for Congress campaign manager John Murphy. "People in this district have a lot of respect for Rep. Wolf"s three decades of service, but votes like this make it clear he just isn't ready to stop toeing the line for the Republican Party. The voters of this district, and all across the country, are crying out for real representation in Washington. If our elected officials cannot free themselves from the firm grasp of corporate interests, then it's time for them to go," concluded Murphy.
...Like many of you, I attended one of the nearly 400 Coffee Parties yesterday and I think an answer is easily available with these groups.
When you look back to elections where Democrats and Progressives have been successful, they have mostly had strong grassroot movements behind them, with people who have been willing to talk to their neighbors and complete strangers about a positive progressive vision for our country. The people, who showed up at the Coffee Party I attended, are the same people who have organized for successful progressive candidates in the past. These people went door to door for Jim Webb in 2006 and for Barack Obama in 2008, talking about progressive values. However, election cycle after cycle there is a conventional wisdom that creeps up, if Democrats act meek or act like Republicans and don't strongly proclaim any values that people will vote for them... when has this ever worked?
We need campaigns with energized volunteers to organize in their communities to get a strong progressive message out to the voters. We need campaigns where the people who came out to the Coffee Parties will want to volunteer and spread a message, campaigns where people involved in local progressive organizations or local Democratic parties will do more than simply vote or work their poll on Election Day. I am committed to bringing a strong message of progressive values. This is the type of campaign I am going to run and come November, I look forward to proving conventional wisdom wrong.
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Just got this email from a local conservationist:
As the following statement by Jeff Barnett exemplifies, Frank Wolf continues to demonstrate his contempt for his district and for democracy. What do people in the 10th CD see in this guy anyway (other than his 90%+ lockstep voting record with BONEr and Can'tor, of course)?
Typical Republican charade: Cry that the free market will magically regulate commerce. Sanction a private monopoly then act surprised that it acts to its own advantage. Obfuscate and make unsupportable charges that appeal to emotion. Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) should instead be asking why a Spanish firm should own highway 460.
Well, this is a bummer:
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