Eric Cantor “exonerates” Gov. Christie’s praise of President Obama, now we can all rest easy

Virginians and Americans can all rest easy now that Rep. Eric Cantor (7^th-VA) exonerated New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Sunday for the governor’s heinous political crime, praise of President Barack Obama’s response to Hurricane Sandy.  

On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning, Cantor commented that “Governor Christie was doing what he had to do.”[1] Could Cantor’s restrained response be an indication that Christie will be a serious candidate for the next presidential election cycle? At the very least, Cantor’s muted response demonstrates Christie’s standing in the Republican Party.

Cantor added, “This goes beyond politics right now, and this is really an issue of human compassion,” two words I didn’t think Virginia’s representative from the 7^th District had in his vocabulary, “human compassion.” This is of course the same Eric Cantor who voted against President Obama’s health care reform and offered no alternative to helping vulnerable Americans receive affordable health insurance coverage.[2] Talk about compassion!

After Christie’s praise of President Obama’s response to Hurricane Sandy, some windbag Republicans were upset that the governor publicly showed support for the president.[3] Cantor, on the other hand, appears to be playing the “this guy’s too politically valuable for our party to criticize” card, at least publicly. And it wouldn’t be surprising if Gov. Christie calculated that his popularity would shield him from public bashings by other Republicans who believe non-GOP group-think is a heresy.

This event provides Americans with another case study of who Eric Cantor is as a politician, an opportunist whose ambition to climb the ladder of Republican leadership far outweighs any ideological baggage that the congressman carries with him. Winning is Cantor’s goal, not “ripping” a fellow Republican Party member that may ultimately backfire in Cantor’s face.

Christie deserves praise for his willingness to eschew partisan politics. Unfortunately in our own times, Christie is the exception that proves the rule.

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[1] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/nov/05/tdmain02-cantor-gives-christie-a-pass-on-praise-of-ar-2337014/

[2] http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/158979-cantor-private-healthcare-rationing-better-than-governments

[3] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/nov/05/tdmain02-cantor-gives-christie-a-pass-on-praise-of-ar-2337014/

BOTH presidential campaigns drain Virginia’s taxpayers during their political stops in the state

While the Richmond Times Dispatch chose to focus on one visit by President Obama in July to Walkerton Tavern and Gardens in Henrico County (showing their own political bias), BOTH Mitt Romney and President Obama have cost Virginia’s taxpayers “at least $219,000”[1] for their campaign visits to the commonwealth.

For almost the entire presidential campaign, both candidates have used Virginia as a swing-state hot spot that has bled “precious” financial and personnel resources from law enforcement agencies at the state and local level. Regardless of how “razor-thin”[2] each county’s respective budget might be, it is inexcusable for political campaigns to expect local taxpayers to foot the bill for their campaign stops.

Up to the present, police departments in Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover and the Virginia State Police have come up with a conservative estimate of at least $219,000 worth of costs (although I’m sure each of these departments will more than make up for the financial loss with erroneous fines!). The Richmond police still haven’t made their costs available to the public.

How much money each campaign has raised at any given campaign event is also beside the point. The fact is that the events cost money, money that is being supplied by local taxpayers who are not being given a say as to whether or not they even want to allow such an event to take place. Would you like it if a neighbor threw a party that you had to pay for? Probably not.

The irony is that while both candidates talk about the deficit, the debt, and how much money our country is losing everyday for this reason or that, both candidates aren’t making the situation any better.

With their huge political campaign war chests and the unfathomable amount of money that has been spent on attempting to sway a very small number of truly undecided voters, each campaign should reimburse the respective counties where each held an event. They don’t expect to walk into a restaurant, eat, and then leave without paying, do they?

Particularly in the case of Mitt Romney, failure to pay would be something like accepting a hand out by Virginia’s taxpayers. But isn’t that socialism (at least in the way that right-wing conservatives define it)!?

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[1] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/nov/04/tdmain01-security-on-visits-at-least-219000-ar-2335352/

[2] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/nov/04/tdmain01-security-on-visits-at-least-219000-ar-2335352/

Poll watchers in Fairfax County may not be allowed to speak to voters about their rights

Somehow, the right of poll watchers to speak to voters about their rights is no longer legally protected in Fairfax County after the Fairfax County Circuit Court rejected a request by the Fairfax County Democratic committee to seek an injunction protecting poll watchers.[1]

According to the testimony of election officers at the hearing, poll watchers will not be banned from talking to voters. However, election officials were the cause of the lawsuit by the Democratic committee in the first place.

Fairfax Democratic Party officials said “the change in rules for observers isn’t the result of a new law or policy. They said elections officials are interpreting existing law differently – and incorrectly.”[2]

If the Fairfax Democrats are correct in their arguments, then what Fairfax County has is a situation wherein elections officials incorrectly bar poll watchers from speaking to voters about their rights on Election Day, thereby directly infringing upon the rights of poll watchers in one of Virginia’s most heavily Democratic areas.

There is certainly more than a shred of evidence that is a cause for concern. In the lawsuit filed by the Democratic committee, there is mention of Fairfax’s new general registrar, Cameron Quinn, a longtime Republican activist.[3] The suit reads Quinn’s “instruction [to poll workers] to prohibit FCDC poll watchers from talking to voters has no basis in law and violates the First Amendment rights of the FCDC.”

Folks, we know that this election cycle will witness voting irregularities on both sides of the political aisle, Democratic and Republican. That’s the nature of this game, win at just about any and all costs.

However, talking to voters about their rights is a super-party issue that transcends partisan politics and should therefore concern all Americans. Or have Virginians become so apathetic or jaded or hyper partisan that slights of constitutional practice that benefits one side or the other in the short term is no longer worthy of outrage?

For my own part, I’d be just as outraged if the Democratic Party were pulling this political stunt. But Virginia’s GOP has once again shown that principles and integrity (and protecting the First Amendment) are only worth demonstrating when their political power is not in danger.

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[1] http://www.nbc12.com/story/19991157/judge-denies-dems-request-on-poll-watchers

[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/fairfax-democrats-sue-over-polling-place-observers/2012/11/01/2fb64b20-2451-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html

[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/fairfax-democrats-sue-over-polling-place-observers/2012/11/01/2fb64b20-2451-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html

Mitt Romney “rallies” at Virginia Beach on Thursday to give his “election of consequence” speech

The Janus-faced politician strikes in Virginia again! Disregarding his previous plans to scrap East Coast campaign rallies altogether in the final days before the general election due to Hurricane Sandy and the destruction it left behind, Mitt Romney “rallied” on Thursday night in Virginia Beach in front of 6,000 supporters to deliver a speech he has given countless times.

Romney  delivered his “I have a dream…”. Kidding, Romney delivered his “This is an election of consequence…” sermon at the Farm Bureau Live in Virginia, the last stop of a tri-city tour in the commonwealth state.[1] But here’s my question, when was the last presidential election in the U.S. not of consequence?! As the most powerful country in the world, every presidential election is kind of a big deal.

Just as unsurprisingly, however, was Romney’s attempts to paint President Obama as somehow anti-business by perverting the president’s words and intentions. Romney derided, “Of course, we already have a Department of Commerce. Commerce and business do mean the same thing, after all.”[2] It was like giving candy to a baby; the audience ate this felonious rhetoric up like it was on flash sale.

But you have to admire Romney’s reasoning skills overall.

Here’s a good line: “We will win. We can’t lose.”[3]  So Romney’s arguing we will win because we can’t lose. This doesn’t sound like a confident statement or the statement of a man unused to throwing fallacious statements out to the public on a whim. Perhaps it’s my own prejudice and dislike of a man who knows about as much of middle-class living as the Saudi Arabian royal family.

Virginia, please wake up. Regardless of whether or not you like President Obama, you cannot seriously think that Mitt Romney is a more worthy presidential candidate, can you? You may have your differences with President Obama, but it’s almost always better to go with the devil you know than with the devil you definitely don’t![4] It’s doubtful even Mitt Romney knows who he is anymore, let alone the American electorate.

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[1] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/11/romney-makes-final-push-va-beach-speech

[2] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/11/romney-makes-final-push-va-beach-speech

[3] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/11/romney-makes-final-push-va-beach-speech

[4] http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21565623-america-could-do-better-barack-obama-sadly-mitt-romney-does-not-fit-bill-which-one

Army Corps of Engineers rejects VDOT route selection for new U.S. 460 route

To environmentalists and those in the know, wetlands are an integral part of every ecosystem[1]. To others, wetland restoration and preservation is just another excuse for the U.S. federal government to encroach on the private rights of U.S. citizens and social progress in the U.S (i.e., build, build, build!). For the latter, the Army Corps of Engineers gave them another reason to moan on Wednesday when the corps announced it would not permit the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to contract out a $1.4 billion plan to construct a new, tolled U.S. 460.

The corps denied VDOT’s project because “The Army Corps of Engineers remains unconvinced” that VDOT has picked the best route to minimize damage on wetlands.[2]

According to Tom Walker, regulatory branch chief for the Corps of Engineer’s Norfolk district, “We haven’t been getting the information that we’ve been asking for.” In other words, VDOT hasn’t been eager to pick alternate routes based on environmental concerns.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has made the proposed toll road a priority, arguing that the 55-mile highway is a pathway to reducing congestion on I-64, a hurricane evacuation route, a safety upgrade for motorists, and of course a money-maker for the state.[3]

Amazingly, the Corps of Engineers has expressed its concerns with VDOT’s route selection for a new U.S. 460 since 2005.[4] Out of the three routes under consideration, the corps concluded that the least environmentally damaging, most practical route was not chosen.

Thus, either some folks in VDOT are unconcerned about preserving wetlands or at least 6 years worth of corps concerns about the route selection for U.S. 460 have gone unheard.

Unfortunately for VDOT, they do not have the final say over whether or not their route selection is the least environmentally damaging. And unfortunately for King McDonnell, he can’t destroy more of Virginia’s environment just yet.

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[1] http://www.reefed.edu.au/home/students/web_quest/exploring_wetlands/why_are_wetlands_important

[2] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/us-460-plan-hits-speed-bump-over-wetlands

[3] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/us-460-plan-hits-speed-bump-over-wetlands

[4] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/us-460-plan-hits-speed-bump-over-wetlands

Latest political poll on Wednesday has Tim Kaine ahead of George Allen by 4 percentage points

As of Wednesday, former Virginia governor Tim Kaine was leading another former Virginia governor, George Allen, by 4 percent in their bids to win the open U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, according to a Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News poll.[1]

The poll was carried out between October 23-28 among 1,074 LIKELY Virginia voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points, leaving Mr. Kaine with a razor-thin margin of ‘victory’.

Surprisingly, so-called independent voters support George Allen 56 percent to 38 percent, a huge margin in political terms. One suspects, however, that these individuals are far from independent if their voting records could be viewed.

Nevertheless, while some commentators have focused on the shrinking lead of Tim Kaine in the polls, the fact remains that Kaine has led George Allen for at least a month now in separate Quinnipiac polls.

While this fact does not spell certain victory for Tim Kaine, it does demonstrate that a majority of Virginians have consistently favored Kaine over George Allen, and for good reason.

Tim Kaine is more than just an articulate speaker who can relate to various sectors of society and therefore act as a true representative, he is also a politician who acts on what he says. For instance, as Governor of Virginia, Kaine cut $5 billion in spending.[2] That’s not too bad for a ‘leftist’ politician bordering on socialism, according to his detractors.

Instead of campaigning against the actual policy decisions and consequences of Tim Kaine’s political career, the Allen campaign and its Super PAC allies have chosen to take the route of misleading sound-bites, character distortions, and untrue assertions about Kaine’s vassal-like allegiance to President Obama.[3] One could of course make similar accusations about George Allen and his allegiance to dirty sources of energy, but Kaine has taken the high road.

George Allen had his moment in the U.S. Senate and was voted out. Why should Virginia make the same mistake again? Or at the very least, why not allow an accomplished politician like Tim Kaine try his hand in the congress?

A better America is built with character and integrity. Tim Kaine has both and right now, that’s exactly what our country needs.

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[1] http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2012/oct/31/4/kaine-holds-four-point-edge-in-quinnipiac-poll-ar-2326214/

[2] http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2012/oct/24/tim-kaine/tim-kaine-says-he-cut-5-billion-spending-governor/

[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/allen-kaine-clash-in-final-debate/2012/10/18/5b376f88-1969-11e2-aa6f-3b636fecb829_story.html

Hurricane Sandy batters Virginia while old global warming questions re-emerge

On Monday, most of Virginia saw the worst of the “Frankenstorm,” Hurricane Sandy. In Virginia Beach, 9.21 inches of rain fell, in Newport News 7 inches, and at Norfolk International Airport 5.8 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Wakefield.

During an afternoon briefing on Monday, Gov. Bob McDonnell commented, “You’ve got flooding in Southeast Virginia. You’ve got a blizzard in western and Southwest Virginia. And you got high winds and heavy rains in Northern Virginia. That’s going to be what it looks like now for the next 24 to 36 hours.”[1]

By Tuesday, however, Hurricane Sandy was all but gone and Virginians began to assess the damage that had been wrought across the state. Compared to the damage done to Virginia’s neighbors to the north, the commonwealth came out relatively unscathed.

While global warming and climate change did not necessarily cause Hurricane Sandy, the latter’s destructive potential was unequivocally fed by warmer atmospheric and ocean temperatures.[2]

Climatologist, Kevin Trenberth, noted that “With every degree C [Celsius], the water holding of the atmosphere goes up 7%, and the moisture provides fuel for the tropical storm, increases its intensity, and magnifies the rainfall by double that amount compared to normal conditions.”

In other words, global warming exasperates natural disasters that occur.

While estimates are already beginning to be churned out regarding the destructive costs of Sandy[3], the true costs of this most recent hurricane cannot be quantified in terms of personal loss.

While quantifying tragedy has its purpose, it detracts from the emotional connections that Americans need for true personal empathy. Thus, it sweeps away an important human impetus to push for environmental policies that combat global warming and climate change.

No country, no matter how powerful, can continue receiving hurricanes like Sandy and Irene year after year. As a country, we’ve attempted our first experiment: put greenhouse gases into the air with reckless abandon. 

Now it’s time to move forward with our next experiment: dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions emitted into the atmosphere.

Virginia, this includes you as well!

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[1] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/region-saw-winds-floods-not-worst-sandy

[2] http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/45154

[3] http://business.time.com/2012/10/30/hurricane-sandy-to-cause-at-least-20-billion-in-damage-and-possibly-much-more/