Virginia: Warner backs Obama, campaign manager says

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] “We’ve been doing everything we possibly can to make sure that we’re coordinated with the Obama campaign,” Mark Warner’s campaign manager, Mike Henry, told me today, responding to a column in the AFP last week in which I noted how Warner seemed to me to be playing it kind of…

The Valley Blue Dog: The Manchurian Candidate and Eskimo Barbie

Steven Sisson

Column by Steven Sisson Is the McCain-Palin campaign fueling racism, hatred and divisiveness? Of course, the answers to the question are yes, yes, yes, but wait one cotton-picking minute, Blue Dog! Calling the Republican presidential nominee John McCain The Manchurian Candidate conjures images of a 1960s Vietnam prisoner of war being brainwashed and collaborating with…

Virginia: Not the day the McCain-Paliners were hoping for

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] Twenty thousand people, give or take, showed up to hear Sarah Palin at the Richmond International Raceway today. Good news. She yelled at some of them who were trying to tell her to speak “Louder! Louder!” because they couldn’t hear her and called them protestors while making a snarky remark…

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…

Virginia: Kaine cuts $2.3M from office budget

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] They’re cutting newspaper subscriptions, staff cell-phone costs, even the grocery bill for official events at the state residence. Yep, it’s getting serious in Richmond. “If Virginia families and businesses have to make difficult spending decisions in tough times, we need to show them we’re doing the same,” Gov. Tim Kaine…

Harrisonburg: Republicans for Warner

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] The press release billed the event as being the launch of something to be called Virginians for Warner, and let us know that former Republican state senator John Chichester was going to be tagging along with his friend from across the aisle. It didn’t say anything about the gaggle of…

Virginia Politics: Dems, Kaine fight back against GOP flame-throwing on prayer policy

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham [email protected] House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith and Grayson Republican Del. Bill Carrico are promising a pitched legislative fight in next year’s Virginia General Assembly to overturn a Virginia State Police policy crafted in response to a ruling from the conservative Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals from the summer banning…

David Reynolds: Strong Mayors=Strong Cities

David Reynolds

Column by David Reynolds Last night, if you were able break away from the distant static of the presidential campaign, there was an opportunity to participate in another campaign, this one up close and civil. There was a forum held in Lexington to have the candidates for mayor and city council (all elected at large)…

College Football: Lalich dismissed from UVa. football team

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] Peter Lalich is no longer the future of UVa. football. “We have supported Peter, but believe today a point has been reached where it’s best for all concerned that he no longer participate on the team. This is my decision, and it has support of head football coach Al Groh….