Share
State Senate Democrats feel that they have political momentum on their side with a series of votes blocking barebones Republican-authored state budgets. “When Senate Democrats came down here several weeks ago we were focused on jobs and public education, repairing our tattered safety net, and solving our transportation crisis, but were instead faced with an…
Share
On March 6th, 5% of Virginia voters made the choice between a wealthy liberal from Massachusetts and a spunky Constitutionalist from Lake Jackson, Texas. While losing the state, Ron Paul won in the counties of Warren, Buckingham, Alleghany, Craig, Montgomery, Pulaski, Floyd, Patrick, Surry, and the cities of Lynchburg, Charles City, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and the…
Share
Mark Warner had just said that Congress won’t be able to come up with a solution to federal-budget and national-debt issues until both Republicans and Democrats put some “skin in the game” to work toward a compromise solution. A member of the audience at the Waynesboro YMCA put those words back at the centrist Democrat,…
Share
Republicans push themselves as patriots, but something about the claim and the way they act bothers Andy Schmookler. “In the last year-plus, three times they have basically threatened to do something that would be bad for the country if they weren’t given their demands met. A patriot doesn’t say, Meet my demands, or I’ll blow…
Share
Some politicians are still calling contraception a social evil. This is an astonishing claim in the 21st Century when all the evidence is that contraception is key to a more successful economy and a better quality of life – not only for individual women and their families, but for us all. Because contraception makes it…
Share
Mark Warner might be in D.C., but he’s definitely not of D.C. “No matter how many challenges you’ve got in the Valley or on City Council or others, they are not as wacky as the people that I work with up in D.C.,” Sen. Warner, D-Va., said during a visit to Waynesboro on March 2….
Share
For Mark Warner, it risked being a Michael Dukakis moment. “This is politician rule #1: You’re never supposed to wear a hat,” Sen. Warner, D-Va., said after being handed a Dr. Seuss hat that otherwise seemed sensible given what he was about to do. And you thought banging the gavel to open and close sessions…
Share
On Thursday, Del. Lacey Putney, I-Bedford, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, requested and was granted unanimous consent from the General Assembly to introduce two new budget bills beyond the normal deadline. The Senate failed to pass previous budget bills advanced in the House, rendering them dead for the session.
Share
The career politician who has represented the Sixth District of Virginia for the past 20 years, and who hopes to do so for the next 20 years, has hit a speedbump. He faces a constitutional conservative challenger who lives and works in our great Shenandoah Valley. In order to determine which Republican will be elected…
Share
The message being sent by State Senate Democrats is clear: Work with us, or else. “This is nothing new. Four years ago, every single Republican voted against the budget. In 2004 the Republicans held up the budget until May. In 2007 the Republicans held up the budget until June. We still have four months to…
