Winners and Losers: Frederick, Gilmore, Rasoul, Bush, McCain

Chris Graham

Compiled by Chris Graham [email protected] LOSER: Jeff Frederick and the right to vote The guy whose aim seems to be to sink the Republican Party of Virginia to the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay was at it again this week. “This might not be illegal, but it sure stinks to high heaven. Is this really…

Poll Watch: Another poll shows Obama up significantly in Virginia

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] A Public Policy Polling survey released yesterday gives Barack Obama a solid 51 percent-to-43 percent lead over John McCain in Virginia, the third poll of the week that gives the Democrat a solid working lead. The same poll gave Democrat Mark Warner a commanding 58 percent-to-31 percent margin in his…

Virginia: Kaine announces budget cuts

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] Gov. Tim Kaine wants to balance the fiscal-year 2009 state budget with $348 million in state-agency cuts, the utilization of $400 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund and the bonding of $250 million in capital projects that the state had been planning to pay for with cash. The measures…

Local Politics: Are we all losing our minds?

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] Dinah Gottschalk is a volunteer in the Waynesboro Democratic Committee. She’s a committed Democrat, a lifelong Democrat, and she’s been working hard this campaign season at the local Waynesboro Dems election headquarters in Willow Oak Plaza with me and dozens of other Waynesboro and Augusta County Democrats. She was, to…

Poll Watch: Obama opens up double-digit lead in Va.

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] Two new polls have Democrat Barack Obama opening a double-digit lead in Virginia as the campaign enters the final month. A SurveyUSA poll released this morning has Obama leading Republican John McCain by a 53 percent-to-43 percent margin. A new Suffolk poll released today has Obama ahead of McCain by…

Business and Politics: Bailout rescue passes House

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] And just like that, we had ourselves a bailout rescue. The House voted 263-171 today to pass a compromise $850 billion plan to buy up securities from Wall Street lenders to take pressure off the financial and credit markets, just four days after a vote on a similar legislative proposal…

David Cox: Personality clash

David Cox

Column by David Cox “Which candidate do you trust?” When former governor Jim Gilmore asked that question in Buena Vista on Labor Day, roars arose from both sides: Republicans supporting him for Senate, and Democrats supporting his opponent, former governor Mark Warner. In that instant, Gilmore personalized this year’s Senate race. Gone were issues that…

Virginia Politics: Undecided in Sixth?

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] In the absence of hard numbers in the form of updated polling data to break down, it’s hard to get a handle on the Sixth District congressional race beyond the rendering now six weeks old that has Republican incumbent Bob Goodlatte comfortably ahead. Which makes our completely unscientific and unverifiable…

Waynesboro: An open invitation to Barack Obama

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] So now the world knows how badly Waynesboro wants its Obama-Biden signs. I wasn’t aiming at getting coverage on the front page of the Washington Post’s Virginia section, but sometimes these little crusades that you start at 2 in the morning trying to post an item on what you assumed…

Ad Watch: Democratic Party says Gilmore ad violated campaign-finance laws

Chris Graham

Item by Chris Graham [email protected] A complaint filed last week by the Democratic Party of Virginia charges that a recent Jim Gilmore TV ad violated campaign-finance laws by failing to show voters in writing that he personally authorized the ad, a requirement under federal “Stand by Your Ad” rules. “Jim Gilmore should have to play…