George Allen loved sports metaphors. Now that he's history, I'm taking them back.
Imagine, if you will, that you're Frank Beamer, legendary coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies and Hillsville, VA native. Say that you just had a disappointing season (like, say, last season). You're Frank Beamer. You're not going to let it happen again. To make matters worse, you know you'll have an empty roster due to graduations, transfers, underclassmen declaring for the NFL draft, etc. Through some horrible stroke of misfortune, you now see that you're going to only have 20 players (unbelievable, but stay with me here)! You can't even take the field with a full offense or defense (never mind any players that may want to play both ways, it's not feasible today). You MUST go out and recruit in advance of this potentially disastrous situation.
So what would you call a college football program that doesn't even bother to recruit enough players to not only fill the roster, but even start the game?
You would call them a team not playing to win. In other words, losers.
So what do you call a political party that needs 51 seats (in the Virginia House of Delegates) to pass anything in its agenda that only runs 43 candidates?
As of today, we have 43 Democratic House of Delegates candidates either currently in office and not saying they will retire or challenging current Republicans. I applaud the 12 brave Democrats who have stepped up to challenge sitting Republicans, some of whom are challenging entrenched incumbents with multiple terms of experience in very red districts. At least 5 are running in districts President Obama won in 2012.
Please don't view the new House of Delegates-passed bill for Virginia to study creating its own currency as a sign that this state is governed by ignorant, wacko, redneck, conspiracy-theory driven morons who just crawled out of some godforsaken Hillbilly Hell.
No -- view it as an opportunity. Because what could be more fun than designing your own money?
In the spirit -- as always -- of aiming to assist our Republican overlords, I am initiating this brainstorming session on what our new Commonwealth Cash should look like. Come on and add your own ideas. The only rule is that this currency must be limited to right-wing figures and themes, since Democrats of course lack the wisdom and foresight to protect us from UN conspiracies and stuff. So, here goes:
- The Ken Cuccinelli $397 bill: Because round numbers are a liberal conspiracy. The front of the bill would depict His Cucciness on a throne holding a scepter while scientists around him are being whipped and beaten. The back would depict the goddess Virtus -- whose left breast Cuccinelli ordered covered up as one of his first acts as Attorney General. This time, she'd be wearing a chador.
- The Bob McDonnell's hair $100: Have we ever had a governor with such newscaster-worthy hair? The front of the bill would pay tribute to Gov. Bob's hair. The back would be devoted to depicting all of the governor's accomplishments during his term. It would be blank.
- The Transvaginal Probe $50: The wondrous wand that keeps women pure by penetrating them surely deserves its own bill! Perhaps women could even use this bill when paying for this medically unnecessary procedure. The back would show a proudly barefoot, pregnant Virginia woman cooking food for her husband while holding two wailing infants.
In the latest attempt to push right-wing legislation through the General Assembly, the House of Delegates passed a bill this morning that would establish a panel to research the possibility of Virginia creating its own currency. The bill, which basically passed along party lines, authorizes almost $18,000 to be spent on establishing a 10 person panel that would "study the feasibility of a metallic-based monetary unit."
In other words, it would require the state to spend financial resources on studying whether or not we want to return to the gold standard. On top of that, it would require state employees to spend countless hours on the project -- time that staff members simply don't have due to all the cuts Republicans have made to the public workforce.
Since the ultimate goal of the measure is something that's only supported by the extreme right flank of the GOP, it shouldn't be too surprising that the measure was sponsored by Bob Marshall -- a delegate from Prince William County who has earned the reputation of being extremely conservative and more than a little odd. Marshall has tried to pass similar legislation since 2008 and has tried to use it as a way to discuss his opposition to the Federal Reserve and the policies it promoted during the economic recovery process.
While many of his fellow Republicans might have joined in his opposition to a large centralized governmental agency like the Federal Reserve, he had a difficult time getting any support for the measure before this year. Governor Bob McDonnell, for instance, has publicly said that he doesn't think Virginia should print its own money. And the idea was once considered such an absurdity that a lobbyist handed out fake coins at a dinner in February of 2011 for the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association that read "In Bob We Trust."
The measure will probably have a hard time surviving both the Senate and McDonnell's veto pen, but it does force you to look at how conservative the House Republican caucus has become recently. I mean, the legislation has gone from being considered an absurdity being promoted by a lone ultra-conservative member to making it's way through the House.
The announcement that the long-serving Virginia Beach Delegate Bob Tata will not be running for reelection in 2013 should not come as a surprise to political junkies. I had been predicting a likely retirement back in January of this year and encouraged Democrats to consider the district as a "must contest" in 2013 when the seat became open for the first time in almost three decades. While the 2012 election should rightly keep our primary attention for now, Tata's announced retirement should serve as a reminder to Virginia Democrats that 2013 is just around the corner.
After the destructive elections of 2011 and 2009, Virginia House Democrats have good reasons to feel cynical about future prospects. The new Republican-drawn lines stack the deck against them and it will arguably take several cycles for population growth and demographic shifts to tilt the playing field back toward even. But a look back to the 2000s shows the Democrats that all was not right with the world before 2009 and the partisan redistricting that followed. The deck may be stacked against Democrats, but we're making the job easier for the Republicans.
Over the last decade, Virginia Democrats made steady gains in the House of Delegates, before wipe outs in 2009 and 2011. A look back reveals that most of these gains were from special elections and winning open seats. Knocking off an entrenched incumbent was a rare occasion.
It truly astounds me that a district formerly represented by sane, reasonable people like Vincent Callahan (Moderate R) and Margi Vanderhye (D) is now (mis)represented by a Karl Rove favorite who's been described as "almost unhinged [in her passion to bring down the Clintons]" and as "a kind of one-woman wrecking crew targeting Democratic leaders." This year, 34th district voters have an excellent chance to boot right-wing hack Barbara Comstock (learn more about her at Comstock Votes) from office and replace her with someone far better - Pam Danner. Let's hope they do so, and that the "one-woman wrecking crew" isn't allowed to do any more damage to Fairfax, to Virginia, and to the nation.
In recent days, a couple of northern Virginia Democrats kicked off their campaigns. First, Mike Kondratick held his kickoff for the 87th district (around Dulles Airport) this past Sunday at Bonefish Grill in Ashburn. Click here for a Flickr photo set from that event, and also see the photo above, with Kondratick and Sen. Mark Herring. Who is Mike Kondratick exactly? Click here to "meet Mike" and click here to learn about his concept of "Inventing Our Future Through a Partnership for Progress."
The crisis of leadership we face is a crisis of creativity. Our representatives in Richmond are content to recycle old solutions rather than inventing new ones. They can't begin to solve our problems because they have refused to look at them from a different perspective. I've built my campaign to provide this new perspective.
Rather than simply looking at what services to cut, what taxes to increase, or how much money we can borrow I want to build a government that looks first at how to innovate its way past these same, tired decisions. I want a government that can help invent our future rather than one that is held captive by a lack of imagination.
Good luck to Mike Kondratick, we hope to hear good things from you in coming months! :)
Second, see the "flip" for the campaign kickoff announcement by Jack Dobbyn, who is running against the abysmal Del. Dave "Abuser Fees" Albo in order to "deliver real leadership for Southern Fairfax County." I sure hope he succeeds, because truly, as a formerly great blog that exists no longer used to say, "Albo Must Go!" :)
Everyone who lives in the 26th (Harrisonburg, parts of Rockingham County) and 27th (Chesterfield County) House of Delegates districts, don't forget to vote today for Democrats Kai Degner and Bill Brown, respectively. Both of these contests are longshots in heavily Republican areas, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. As Bluto (John Belushi) asks in Animal House, "Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!...when the goin' gets tough...get going!"
So, get going everybody, down to the polls to vote for Kai Degner and Bill Brown!
Could Harrisonburg Mayor Kai Degner "sneak away" with an upset victory next Tuesday, June 15, in a special election to replace Republican Matt Lohr, who resigned in March 2010 to serve as Commissioner for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the McDonnell Administration? According to the Republicans themselves, yes Degner can! Here's what Degner's Republican opponent, Tony Wilt, has to say.
Subject: I Need Your Help!!! They think they have a chance to sneak away with a House of Delegates seat here in the solidly Republican Shenandoah Valley. They want one more Delegate to support the... agenda of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. ... we have no margin for error... Democrats are determined to take away this seat from our party.
For more on Wilt and his "family ties" to a controversial natural gas project, click here. To "get on the bus" for Kai Degner this coming Saturday (June 12), click here. And help Degner "sneak away" with a victory in 8 days!
The key lines in this story, published by the conservative Daily News-Record:
"...[Wilt] failed to publicly disclose his financial ties to a controversial natural gas exploration proposal near Bergton."
and
"Wilt's ties to the possible exploration and his run for the House of Delegates could put him in a position where he will be called on to vote on regulating the natural gas industry from which his family could profit."
For more, see this story, including Wilt's attempt at explaining his non-disclosure of this important information. According to Wilt, he has "not hidden anything," and this was "a nominal fee paid for those mineral rights" regardless.
Yeah, and if you believe that, I've got some oil-coated marshland along the Louisiana coast to sell you.
Seriously, though, this is all the more reason to support Kai Degner for Delegate. Because the last thing we need in Richmond is another delegate in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry!
Del. Scott Surovell forwarded me the following email. Several Democratic committees - Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Alexandria, and the DPVA - are organizing this, join them if you can and help Kai Degner win this election on June 15!
On Saturday, June 12, you have the opportunity to help start to win back control of the House of Delegates. The Democratic Party of Virginia and House Democratic Caucus have hired a bus to ship campaign volunteers to Harrisonburg to help Get Out The Vote for our candidate, Harrisonburg Mayor Kai Degner who is running in a June 15 special election to replace Matt Lohr, a Republican in the House of Delegates who resigned to take a government appointment. Click here to read more about Kai Degner's campaign.
Kai is a twenty-nine year old ball of fire who door knocked his way onto the Harrisonburg City Council and subsequently was elected Mayor. There are many votes to get out in his base in the City of Harrisonburg. Additionally, a third party "tea party" candidate has filed to run which will divide up Kai's opponent's base of support. This race represents an excellent opportunity to take back a seat if we can focus our statewide resources for one weekend.
The bus will leave on Saturday, June 12 at 9 A.M., from Fairfax County Democratic Committee Headquarters, 2815 Hartland Rd, Falls Church, and will return at 7 p.m. to the same location. Just enough time for 6 hours of good grassroots door knocking.
There are 55 spots available and we need to fill every one of them!
If you are unhappy about the direction that Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli have taken our Commonwealth, this is the perfect opportunity to send a message. Kai is a great candidate and has his opponents are on the defensive. Our chances are good for an upset victory by Kai. We've had a great track record in special elections, both here in Virginia and nationally. Let's keep it up and keep moving towards a Democratic House of Delegates!
Again, this sort of irresponsible rhetoric may cause someone with violent tendencies to think it is acceptable to act out in this way. You can obviously hear the teabaggers laughing and shouting words of encouragement. Unbelievable.
I just can't understand why Virginia Republicans are falling all over themselves to appeal to teabaggers. They are becoming more of a fringe party everyday.
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George Allen loved sports metaphors. Now that he's history, I'm taking them back.
The announcement that the long-serving Virginia Beach Delegate 
In recent days, a couple of northern Virginia Democrats kicked off their campaigns. First, 
Could Harrisonburg Mayor 
