Winners and Losers: Lucente, Goodlatte, Virginia GOP, Sixth District Dems

Column by Chris Graham
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WINNER: Frank Lucente gets his majority
Give the old codger credit. A lot had to work just right for him to do it, but he did it.

Now comes the hard part. He proved himself adept at being in the minority. But how will he do running the show when he has to account for the provision of public services that meet the demands of a growing community while at the same time balancing an increasingly tight local budget?

It’s not going to be at all the same as sitting on the sidelines and sniping about how the majority isn’t getting the job done. He’ll find that out soon enough.

LOSER: Bob Goodlatte votes against Post-9/11 G.I. Bill
OK, so it was authored by Democrat Jim Webb, and sponsored in the House by Democrat Bobby Scott. It’s still a good idea – providing 9/11 veterans with education benefits akin to those given to World War II vets.

The legislation, which passed the House yesterday with the support of 32 Republicans, not including Goodlatte, will cover the cost of a four-year public college or university and provide a monthly housing stipend and money for books and supplies to 9/11 vets.And what’s wrong with this again? I must be missing something here.

LOSERS: Virginia Republicans unite en masse to criticize Kaine transportation plan, yet offer nothing in the way of a substantive alternative
I’m not saying the Kaine roads plan is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I am saying that he’s at least offering something constructive, which is more than anybody can say about Republicans whose idea of something constructive is saying that everything anything Democrat says is tax-and-spending liberal bunk.

Come on, guys. Give us something to work with here. And Not What He Said isn’t anything to work with here.

WINNERS: The progress side in the Sixth
Most likely Barack Obama at the top. Definitely Mark Warner in the middle and Sam Rasoul at the local level.

Dems in the Sixth District have a lot to get fired up about.

Republicans in the Sixth with the neophyte conservative John McCain, the no-car-tax Jim Gilmore and Bob Goodlatte – not so much.