Virginia
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5:22 p.m.
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Go Scott! July 3, 2009 For immediate release Today, Scott A. Surovell became the Democratic nominee for state delegate in the 44th District in the Mount Vernon and U. S. 1 area of Fairfax County. Surovell, age 37, is seeking the seat held by Delegate Kristen Amundson, who recently announced that she is retiring. No other candidate filed today to replace Amundson, allowing Surovell to ...
Blue Virginia - 4:09 p.m.
Annual July 4 Picnic & Celebration Jody Wagner will be there. Will you? Fireworks, BBQ and Democrats: three essential ingredients for a fantastic party. Jody Wagner, Virginia's Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor, will be attending. You won't want to miss our annual 4th of July celebration, hosted by Bob Zwick at his Dondoric Farm. ......
VirginiaDem - 3:07 p.m.
Needless to say, this is not good (nor something we see very frequently in Arlington): An unidentified man fired at least one shot at the Apple Store Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia shortly after the store opened Friday morning, wounding at least one... For more, see DCist and the Washington Post . An Arlington police dispatcher said the victim suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Hel...
Blue Virginia - 11:43 a.m. - 2 clicks 
Thus screamed the 2 1/2 inch high front page headline in Friday’s Virginian-Pilot. The accompanying article laid out how a simple malfunction created chaos for Hampton Roads drivers. A severe electrical and rain storm rolled across the bridge-tunnel Wednesday night, causing power outages and power surges. Apparently the power issues damaged a water main pump and [...] ...
Vivian J. Paige - 9:48 a.m.
From the Environmental Defense Fund: And as Blue Virginia reports , a Roanoke television station has refused to air a false National Republican Campaign Committee attack ad on Perriello. ...
The Green Miles - 7:26 a.m.
Friday's "Whipple Clips," brought to you this morning by Del. Bob Brink. 1. GOP RAMPS UP 2. DEEDS BACKS RIGHT-TO-WORK; NO STAND ON CARD-CHECK 3. CAPS OWNER LEONSIS SHOOTS FOR DEEDS 4. VIRGINIA TAKES CENTER STAGE IN HEALTH-CARE DEBATE 5. OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE ARMY MARCHES 6. MOTORISTS STEW, OFFICIALS ANGERED BY GRIDLOCK DEBACLE 7. BOTH LANES OF WESTBOUND BRIDGE-TUNNEL REOPEN 8. PROTES...
Blue Virginia - 5:38 a.m.
Another day, another pointless e-mail from the RPV about Creigh Deeds, once again alleging that Creigh is refusing to take a position on several national issues. The e-mail also makes some juvenile allegations about Creigh and Gov. Kaine that are laughably idiotic and internally inconsistent, for example, both accusing Deeds of “keeping mum” about Kaine’s travels for the DNC and “throwing his m...
The Virginia Democrat - Thu 8:52 p.m.
Another day, another pointless e-mail from the RPV about Creigh Deeds, once again alleging that Creigh is refusing to take a position on several national issues. The e-mail also makes some juvenile allegations about Creigh and Gov. Kaine that are laughably idiotic and internally inconsistent, for example, both accusing Deeds of “keeping mum” about Kaine’s travels for the DNC and “throwing his m...
Blue Virginia - Thu 7:09 p.m.
Just when you think the NRCC can't stoop any lower, they out do themselves. This one has already begun to backfire. WDBJ-TV in Roanoke has already refused to air the blatantly false ad. The NRCC ad credits a Washington Times editorial for its claim that the Waxman-Markey bill would make electricity prices “ skyrocket ,” costing families $1,870 a year. But the NRCC is wrong. The W...
What IS Right for Virginia - Thu 5:47 p.m. - 3 clicks
Also, see FactCheck , which basically debunks all the Republican false attacks on Tom Perriello regarding his vote for the Waxman-Markey clean energy, green jobs, and climate protection bill. According to FactCheck, it's very simple: "the NRCC is wrong." UPDATE from the DCCC: Roanoke TV Station Refuses to Air False NRCC Attack on Perriello WDBJ-TV, a Roanoke television stati...
Blue Virginia - Thu 1:44 p.m. - 2 clicks
Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to interview Delegate Paul Nichols (D-51st; Lake Ridge, Occoquan, Woodbridge) . Del. Nichols was first elected in 2007, defeating Republican Faisal Gill 52%-48% in a "purple" district politically. This year, Nichols is being challenged by Republican Richard L. Anderson . As of on May 27, Nichols had a cash-on-hand balance of $56,289, while Anderson ha...
Blue Virginia - Thu 1:44 p.m. - 10 clicks
Congressman Glenn Nye (D-Va 2nd) is at this moment hosting his First Annual Hampton Roads Veterans Job Fair in Norfolk bringing together local employers, job counselors, and veterans who are looking for work. The response has greatly exceeded expectations in a region that is faring better than most during this economic downturn. One of Nye's focuses in Washington has been bills to help create ...
Blue Virginia - Thu 11:59 a.m.
I just got back from the Kettler Capitals Iceplex above the Ballston Common Mall, where Sen. Creigh Deeds and U.S. Senator Mark Warner joined Washington Capitals and Mystics majority owner Ted Leonsis to announce the formation of "Business Leaders for deeds," described by the Deeds campaign as a "broad-based group of bipartisan, staewide business leaders who have agreed to advise and pr...
Blue Virginia - Thu 11:20 a.m.
Thanks as always to Tom Whipple for these... 1. MCDONNELL CHALLENGES DEEDS TO 10 DEBATES-UPDATED 2. OBAMA IN ANNANDALE, DEEDS IN HAMPTON ROADS 3. ANOTHER GOVERNOR'S TRAVELS ADD TO PRESSURE ON KAINE 4. DEEDS, MCDONNELL PLEDGE TO RELEASE SCHEDULE 5. VA. HOUSE OF DELEGATES: HAMILTON HOSTS TELE-TOWNHALL.... 6. 85TH HOUSE RACE PITS VETERAN AGAINST NEWCOMER 7. APCO HIKES OPPOSED BY LEGISLA...
Blue Virginia - Thu 11:20 a.m.
Senator Mark Warner joined Creigh Deeds today to announce the formation of “Business Leaders for Deeds,” a bipartisan group which will be lead by Ted Leonsis of McLean. Leonsis is the owner of the Washington Capitals. The press release (below the fold) includes the names of members – so far – of this steering committee. The [...] ...
Vivian J. Paige - Thu 10:03 a.m. - 7 clicks
To pay the bills between blog posts, The Green Miles works at the National Wildlife Federation. NWF's Reston office sits next to Lake Fairfax Park, so we get everything from deer to groundhogs to snakes in our backyard. During these hot summer months, every once in a while an all-staff email will go out saying, "There are turtles keeping cool in the shade under cars in the parking lot, check unde...
The Green Miles - Thu 6:37 a.m. - 2 clicks
SurveyUSA is out with its latest approval ratings for governors and Senators. Here are the results for Virginia. Tim Kaine : 53%-40% (+13 points net approval), up 2 points from 50%-39% (+11) in the last SurveyUSA poll. Regionally, Kaine is wildly popular in NOVA (62%-26%), but not so much in Shenandoah (48%-46%) or Central Virginia (49%-48%). Overall, I'd say that these numbers qualify as "no...
Blue Virginia - Thu 3:11 a.m. - 15 clicks
Yesterday, Bob Holsworth at Virginia Tomorrow detailed the GOP playbook against Creigh Deeds for 2009, namely, tie him to Tim Kaine: Republicans assume that Kaine has little flexibility on issues- his role essentially requires him to defend whatever policies emerge from the White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the next four months. Health care reform. Overdue. Cap and trad...
The Virginia Democrat - Wed 8:38 p.m.
Courtesy of Ox Road South , Chap Petersen has some thoughts on the Washington Post story about Fairfax County possibly becoming a city. Here's an excerpt from Chap's article, but definitely read the entire thing, including the interesting Virginia history lesson. If Fairfax is serious about becoming a City, it must recognize at least two things immediately: (1) it needs a new name and (2) all...
Blue Virginia - Wed 3:04 p.m. - 10 clicks
Can we say "delicate balancing act" ? With all this talk about Gov. Tim Kaine's refusal to release his political schedule, we wondered what the men wanting to replace him think about the ongoing debate. Both Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell told us that they would disclose complete schedules, including political activities, if elected. Deeds was careful not to criticize the...
Blue Virginia - Wed 1:50 p.m. - 4 clicks
Barack Obama is holding a town hall meeting on health care right now at the Northern Virginia Community College. For whatever reason, I can't seem to embed the live feed and get it to work properly, but you can click here to watch it . Right now, Obama's in the Q&A portion of the program. UPDATE : Click here to listen to the town hall. UPDATE #2 : Tim Kaine's statement is in the...
Blue Virginia - Wed 11:51 a.m. - 11 clicks
Wow, where do Republicans find people like Michael Steele (and Jeff Frederick here in Virginia) to run their party? This is their messaging, that they're happy to have lost a Senate seat so that the country's problems - largely inherited from Republicans, by the way - are all the Democrats' responsibility now? That's so mature and responsible of them, wouldn't you say? No, didn't ...
Blue Virginia - Wed 10:44 a.m. - 2 clicks
The above map from the Bureau of Labor Statistics isn't particularly news. Unemployment has shot up across the state, but roughly in proportion to the amount of unemployment already existing before the recession began. That is to say, well-off areas (Fairfax) are continuing to be relatively fine. The city of Martinsville isn't so lucky, leading the state with an astonishing 21.9% unemploym...
New Dominion Project - Tue 9:26 p.m. - 4 clicks
City Dems Celebrate Independence Day "Hand in Hand, United We Stand" is the slogan for this year's Independence Day parade in the City of Fairfax. We are doing our part to stand United by featuring outstanding Democrats from the past and the future. Joining us for this year's parade with be Creigh Deeds - Governor Candidate, Jody Wagner - Lt. Governor C...
FairfaxBlue - Tue 8:26 p.m. - 15 clicks
Peter Schmidt wants to move Virginia forward in a reasonable way, and I think that's something everyone can agree with. Peter Schmidt may well be the kind of bipartisan progressive who can win in the business minded, typically conservative, 82nd district. Related posts: Peter Schmidt announces candidacy for 82nd House district Peter Schmidt launches campaign in Virginia Beach Del. Purkey...
Virginia Beach Progressives - Tue 8:26 p.m.
The city of Martinsville continues to claim Virginia’s top jobless rate — 21.9 percent. Twenty-four jurisdictions reported double-digit unemployment in May. Thus sayeth the Danville Register & Bee. I'd throw a BBQ like you wouldn't believe if our unemployment rate was 8 percent! ...
What IS Right for Virginia - Tue 6:04 p.m. - 3 clicks
Could your campaign use some help identifying and prioritizing community engagement goals? Does your candidate need coaching to find her most expressive, effective leadership voice? Then this workshop is for you! THE FARM TEAM and Virginia Democratic Women’s Caucus announce LYNCHBURG, VA BOOT CAMP: A HALF-DAY TRAINING FOR WOMEN INTERESTED IN POLITICAL ACTIVISM Dawn McCoy Flourish Leadership Group ...
The Farm Team - Tue 12:10 p.m. - 5 clicks
Virginia Democrats have made amazing progress in recent years. Last year's election showed once again that Virginians want strong leaders who focus on results - not ideology - and who are willing to make tough choices based on what's best for the Commonwealth. With your support we've kept Virginia moving ......
VirginiaDem - Tue 8:05 a.m. - 2 clicks
As expected, Scott Surovell announces his candidacy for the seat being vacated by Kris Amundson An excerpt: To truly solve the state's problems, we still need to bring change to the Virginia House of Delegates. Todays House turns down and obstructs virtually every reasonable measure to move Virginia forward. Each year, it sends scores bills focused on divisive social issues or scoring politi...
The Virginia Democrat - Tue 6:19 a.m.
The answer, in short, is maybe. The other night in Lynchburg, Deeds and Bob McDonnell took the stage separately, but at this point in time, as the candidates size each other up, it was as close to a debate as we will get -- at least for the next four weeks. Here was the lede in the RTD coverage of the event : Gubernatorial hopefuls R. Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell, in their first back-to-back...
The Virginia Democrat - Mon 6:49 p.m. - 3 clicks
How quickly he forgot. This video is from an AFL-CIO event in NOVA on July 4, 2008. So far in 2009, he has leant his ear only to business. I wouldn't give a plug-nickle's chance of him receiving labor's support in the future. ...
What IS Right for Virginia - Mon 2:55 p.m. - 2 clicks
When President Clinton admitted his affair with Monica Lewinsky, a backbencher Congressman remarked to CNN in 1999, ““If you undermine trust in our system, you undermine everything.” That Congressman represented Charleston, S.C. at the time. He went on to become the Governor of the Palmetto State. His name: Mark Sanford. Upon hearing of his admitted affair with [...] ...
Fake Virginia - Mon 3:09 a.m. - 3 clicks
It’s not a very well kept secret in journalism circles that the editorial board of the Richmond Times Dispatch is not entirely independent in their thinking. The RTD is free to endorse whomever they want in local and statewide campaigns but the owners at Media General demand that the RTD toe the GOP line when [...] ...
Fake Virginia - Mon 3:09 a.m. - 3 clicks
Courtesy of Off K Street, Shannon Valentine kicks off her re-election campaign . An excerpt: Whenever you say Lynchburg and Democrat, most people think you're joking. The Democratic House of Delegate member from District 23 is no joke. In a part of the state where Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church are the 800 Lb gorilla in the room and the surrounding areas are all represented...
The Virginia Democrat - Mon 3:08 a.m. - 4 clicks
Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli. The (chuckle) Virginia GOP powerhouse team for 2010. McDonnell is touting that he will be a "jobs Governor", while Bollings says he has "new ideas for a better Virginia". Cooch, well Cooch is Cooch, and he will go along with what ever he is told to go along with. Only a business person or a moron would believe McDonnell will ever be a "jobs" govern...
What IS Right for Virginia - Mon 3:08 a.m. - 4 clicks
Bob McDonnell has dumped one "friend" for a new one; that new friend is Gov. Haley Barbour, the Mississippi governor that turned down government stimulist funding in lieu of proposing tax hikes for working families! South Carolina governor and Argentinian tourist Mark Sanford is now on McDonnell's "used to know" list. Can Virginia survive another Jim Gilmore/George Allen style Republican gov...
What IS Right for Virginia - Mon 3:08 a.m. - 4 clicks
The field has been set. As the result, I have finally gotten around to publishing a page that shows the 2009 statewide and House of Delegates Democratic candidates. Where available, I have included a link to their websites. With the June 30 filing deadline quickly approaching, I hope you will consider contributing to the candidate(s) of [...] ...
Vivian J. Paige - Mon 3:08 a.m. - 6 clicks
One of the blogs I thoroughly enjoyed when I first started reading the Virginia blogosphere was that of The Jaded JD. It is now back, albeit in a slightly different form. A really good piece was posted on the recent AG debate. Take a few minutes to read and digest. It hits some pretty significant points. [...] ...
Vivian J. Paige - Mon 3:08 a.m. - 4 clicks
Sunday’s Virginian Pilot brought two opposing views on the FTC’s proposed regulation of blogs, which I mentioned briefly in this post. The views were provided by J.R. Hoeft of Bearing Drift and yours truly. Hoeft posted his (unedited) op-ed on his blog last week, while mine (as printed in the paper) is below the fold. Reading [...] ...
Vivian J. Paige - Mon 3:08 a.m. - 5 clicks
Hopefully, you've heard about Rush Limbaugh's defense of Mark Sanford . Well, I just wanted to reprint Hunter's final words on the subject. Now that "I've just been so depressed since my state was forced to take federal funding in order to help unemployed people and our school system" is a good excuse for getting kicked out of the house by your wife, swiping a state vehicle, abandoning your job a...
Leesburg Tomorrow - Jun 26 - 2 clicks
Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott (D-3rd) along with Mike Castle (R-Del.) introduced legislation in February that aims to curtail crime by focusing on prevention. According to The Hill’s Lauren Victoria Burke, the legislation is picking up steam: The bill … has 204 co-sponsors, including 16 Republicans. Ninety lawmakers have backed the bill since June 1. The bill seeks [...] ...
Vivian J. Paige - Jun 26 - 2 clicks
