Steven Sisson | Don’t just stand there. Give ‘im a pencil

Chris Graham

In 2003, the Blue Dog first met Congressman Virgil Goode at the Greene County Strawberry Festival. While shaking hands and passing-out Sisson for Senate campaign literature, I heard a high-pitched shrilled voice calling-out … “Steeeveee Sissssson … anti-tax Democrat fer State Senate!” Even though I had never met him, I knew the distinct voice of…

David Cox | The Warner Effect

David Cox

While the chattering class has nattered over the Palin Effect in this month’s elections, less mentioned has been the Warner Effect. That is because, first, it affects Virginia. Venture outside the Commonwealth and even Democratic Convention-watchers might say, “Warner who?” As well, we Virginians have gotten rather used to Mark as well as John. The…

Va. not blue yet, governor says

Chris Graham

“It was really about the best night of my life,” Tim Kaine said of Election Night, which not only saw his long-time friend Mark Warner capture a landslide of landslides win over Jim Gilmore in their U.S. Senate race but also saw another friend, Barack Obama, win Virginia on his way to a historic triumph…

Steven Sisson | Prop 8: A taxing situation

Steven Sisson

Three states – Arizona, Florida and California – passed bans for gay marriages. The California ballot initiative that passed faces court challenges base on the California legislature’s lack of approval for a change in the constitution. Historically, the ballot initiative are based on previously referendum, or ballot initiatives to change the tax code – such…

Divided Ds, motivated Rs, and other ’09 trends

Chris Graham

The formal entree of former Democratic National Committee chair Terry McAuliffe into the 2009 governor’s race on Monday means all the players are present and accounted for now. McAuliffe, who filed papers today to run for governor, but is officially still only exploring a possible run, will compete for the Democratic nomination with Northern Virginia…

‘Wake up, damn it!’

Chris Graham

For the uninitiated, Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene told it like it was in his world on the Washington, D.C., airwaves on WOL during the late 1960s and early 1970s before succumbing to cancer. The ex-con, who described himself in his boss’s word – a miscreant, because it sounded more sophisticated – would no doubt be…