FDL Action Health Care Update: Monday (11/30/09)

Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Monday, November 30.

1. To put it mildly, Jon Walker believes that the Urban Institute's new report "endorsing the idea of a super-hard trigger for a robust Medicare-style public option" is off base. Walker argues that the idea of a "magical robust theoretically super-awesome trigger" is "purely a fantasy of health care wonks that does not have a prayer of ever becoming law." And Walker has a great punchline to all this, apparently riffing off of Prince's "When Doves Cry": "This is what it sounds like when veal moos." Wow, what did Jon Walker eat for Thanksgiving anyway? LOL

2. Jane Hamsher argues that the opt-out provision "was a trojan horse, championed by liberals who were negotiating against themselves," and that in the end, it failed to pick up a single Republican vote. Now, we're going to get the same charade with "the sequel, 'The Return of Trigger,' starring the Urban Institute and other featured players." Something tells me this is a sequel we don't want to see, but may be forced to anyway.

3. Jon Walker has some good news, "What The Senate Bill Does Better, Part 3: Starts With Greater Access To The Exchange."

4. I've got a post pointing to excellent framing by The Pennsylvania Progressive, who writes, "Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana says we should stop reforming health care so we can concentrate on killing Afghans...killing is a higher priority than healing." Wow, it sounds so...Republican!

5. Jane Hamsher asks, "Why Continue to Fight For a Public Option?" The answer: "The public option battle has become a proxy war over who controls government, whether Congress has the slightest responsibility to reflect the will of the public, whether Democrats from Obama on down can just casually abandon their campaign promises in the wake of unrelenting influence peddling and whether progressives are going to take a stand for something and refuse to back down." Those sure sound like fighting words to me.

6. Jon Walker riffs off of an article by Ezra Klein which argues, "If you had tuned in six months ago for 10 minutes, you would have had all the information necessary to predict exactly where we’d be today." Walker concludes that the Senate "just spent almost half a year working on health care reform, and didn’t accomplish anything that couldn’t have been done in three weeks if they were a functioning legislative body." In other words, health care reform could have been completed last spring, leaving Congress free to turn to other matters, like...uh, the economy perhaps? Clean energy and climate legislation? Comprehensive immigration reform? A million other things? Nah, much better to have spent the better part of a year negotiating against ourselves and chasing the ever-elusive "bipartisan" support. Great.

7. Jon Walker live blogs the Senate debate over health care reform, which began at 3 pm earlier today.

8. Jon Walker summarizes the new CBO report on the Senate health care bill and its effect on premiums, writing that "reform would do basically nothing to reduce or increase premiums for most Americans." According to Walker, this will largely keep U.S. health care costs "nearly twice as high as any other industrialized nation," an outcome that "should not be a surprise" given the "sweetheart deals with all the concerned health industries." And on that happy note...

"Sideshow Bob" Marshall's Latest Looniness

Check out the latest wackiness by "Sideshow Bob" Marshall. Believe it or not, this time Marshall's proposing a "healthcare freedom" constitutional amendment based on his belief that "it is unconstitutional for the government to mandate, at risk of penalty, that all individuals have insurance or that companies provide insurance for employees, as contemplated in bills being considered by the U.S. House and Senate." Anyway, I'm not a lawyer, but I know plenty of good ones. The following is one excellent attorney's response to Bob Marshall's "healthcare freedom" amendment idea.

---The alleged claim about "duress" is bogus. "Duress" is a private contract law doctrine developed to deal with instances of grossly unequal bargaining power between two private parties--like a big credit company and an impoverished borrower. When any level of government passes a law that requires people to do things that some of them would prefer not to do, that is not "duress" as defined by this private contract law doctrine.

---Any federal healthcare legislation will present issues completely different from the issues involved with the VA transportation authority. The authority was state legislation that the Virginia Supreme Ct found to violate the Virginia Constitution, but under a long line of U.S. Supreme Court cases, no state can abrogate any federal constitutional right by putting something in that state's constitution that says that something that is permitted under the federal constitution is barred by the state constitution.

---I could go on, but this is political grandstanding by Bob Marshall that is not much different from George Wallace standing in the "school house door" for the photo op, and then stepping aside when the feds arrived.

Over at the Constitutional Law Prof Blog, they also believe that Marshall has no leg to stand on, based on two major arguments: 1) "an individual mandate is almost certainly the kind of economic activity that the Court would uphold under Congress's Commerce Clause authority under Raich, Lopez, and United States v. Morrison;" and 2) "Congress can adopt an excise tax to an end that is within its other constitutional powers...[but] even if Congress is acting outside its other articulated powers, the Court has interpreted the Taxing Power quite broadly, all but eliminating any distinction between a "penalty" and revenue-producing 'tax.'"

Finally, check out Media Matters' "Legal experts debunk conservative media's claim that health reform proposals are unconstitutional," including one constitutional expert's analysis that "[u]nder an unbroken line of precedents stretching back 70 years, Congress has the power to regulate activities that, taken cumulatively, have a substantial effect on interstate commerce."

Unfortunately, logic and legal precedent may not prevail in Virginia. Instead, now that Ken Kookinelli's going to be in the AG's office and Pat Robertson's Manchurian Candidate's going to be in the governor's mansion, Bob Marshall will have plenty of fellow right-wing ideologue fellow travelers who will be sympathetic to his views. Nope, this is not going to be a fun four years -- unless, that is, you like watching sideshows, freak shows, and ultimately, train wrecks.

Hey, Paul Krugman, Are You Reading Blue Virginia?

Ha, just kidding, but didn't I write something just like this the other day?

...the deficit scolds have come back into their own, decrying any policy that actually involves spending money.

The result, then, will be high unemployment leading into the 2010 elections, and corresponding Democratic losses. These losses will be worse because Obama, by pursuing a uniformly pro-banker policy without even a gesture to popular anger over the bailouts, has ceded populist energy to the right and demoralized the movement that brought him to power.

[...]

...my sense is that to have any hope of breaking out of this trap, Obama and company have to take risks — they have to propose new initiatives that might not pass, and be prepared to run against the do-nothing Republicans if the initiatives fail. That’s not happening now; as best as I can tell, the administration strategy is to insist that only a few minor course corrections are needed, and to wait for the jobs to start coming in.

Actually, what I wrote was that "Democrats in Congress need to start passing legislation ASAP" (including a "multi-billion-dollar jobs package" and the diversion of remaining TARP money to "struggling workers and homeowners") and that they need to "grab some of that populist energy away from Republicans." Close enough to what Krugman's saying, except he's got a Nobel Prize and all I've got is a Masters Degree from GW. ;) But seriously, I don't think it takes much education at all to figure this stuff out. Which of course means that the geniuses in Congress won't figure it out. Argh.

Republicans Don't Want You To Have Lower Health Insurance Premiums

File this one in the "striking but not at all surprising" category.

A new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that the overwhelming majority of Americans will pay lower premiums if the Senate’s health care legislation were to become law. The analysis — commissioned by key Democratic moderate Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) — analyzes the bill’s effects on premiums in 2016 and undermines almost every argument put forth by Democratic moderates and Republican critics of health care reform.

[...]

According to the budget office, under the Senate legislation, the overwhelming majority would on average pay the same or less for health care coverage. For people purchasing coverage in the none-group market, premiums savings are attached to more generous benefits than policies available today...

So, Congressional Republicans including Eric Cantor, Frank Wolf, Rob Wittman, etc. all oppose saving Americans money and providing them with better coverage and covering millions more of them and reducing the budget deficit and... Just keep that in mind next time you hear one of those guys screaming about "socialism" or whatever. In fact, you might just want to quote one of their own members back to them: "You lie!"

Penn State Earth Systems Science Center Director Correctly Calls "Climategate" a "smear campaign"

On the Diane Rehm Show this morning, there was an extensive discussion about the upcoming Copenhagen climate change conference. Guests were Center for American Progress President John Podesta, Wall Street Journal Reporter Stephen Power, American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Kenneth Green, and Penn State University Earth Systems Science Center Director Michael Mann. I thought the entire discussion was fascinating, but I particularly enjoyed Michael Mann's demolition of the ridiculous, idiotic "climategate" controversy. Here's the real story:

It's important to understand here that the timing of this event is rather suspect. We're one week away from this historic summit in Copenhagen, where leaders from around the world will be meeting to discuss how to combat the threat of human-caused climate change. And going into that meeting, there's a very robust consensus among the world's scientists that the problem is real and there's something that we need to do about it.

Now there is, of course, a group of people and there are special interests who do not want to see any progress made at this summit. And frankly, they don't have the science on their side. The science behind human-caused climate change is quite solid. The National Academy of Science in the U.S. has weighed in on this...there is in fact a consensus behind the reality of climate change. So, the other side doesn't have the science on their side, and instead they've engaged frankly in what I believe is a smear campaign; stolen emails, taken out of context, mined for single words or phrases that can be twisted and taken out of context, in many cases to completely misrepresent the context of what was being discussed.

...let me stress again that there is nothing in any of these emails that in an way calls into question the consensus of the world's scientists that the problem of climate change is real and that we need to do something to confront it. So my hope is that people will see through this fairly thinly disguised smear campaign and recognize that in no way does anything in any of these emails call into question the validity of the science behind human-caused climate change.

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the real story of the phony, slimy "climate email scandal". Now, as Diane Rehm said, let's move on and "talk more substantively about the conference." Or, as Gawker writes, "we're sorry that someone is scolding grown-ups for polluting the planet, but, you know, it really can't be argued that that is anyone else's fault."

P.S. By the way, it's worth emphasizing that Professor Mann is an actual climatologist, author of more than 80 peer-reviewed journal publications. In other words, a real expert on the subject. What a concept! :)

P.P.S. Please be aware that global warming deniers' comments on this blog are subject to immediate deletion, as they are: a) lies; b) completely uninteresting; and c) wasting everyone's time.

Joe Biden Asks: "Who do you trust" on Health Care Reform?

Yeah, I think I'll trust the doctors and nurses rather than the healthcare-for-profit industry or their paid lackeys (aka, Republicans and Joe Lieberman) in Congress. Yeah, I think I'll trust people who actually know something about health care than right-wing blowhards like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh (or people screaming "communism" and "fascism" at "9/12 rallies" or whatever). How about you? Who do you trust?

Virginia's Richest and Poorest Representatives

Over at Roll Call, they've got a table listing "the minimum value of the assets and liabilities of Members of the House of Representatives as reported on their 2009 financial disclosure forms (covering calendar year 2008)." Here are the minimum net worths for Virginia's representatives in Congress.

Eric Cantor: $2.1 million
Jim Moran: $2.0 million
Gerry Connolly: $1.2 million
Randy Forbes: $969,000
Bob Goodlatte: $750,000
Frank Wolf: $401,000
Glenn Nye: $214,000
Rick Boucher: $84,000
Rob Wittman: $41,000
Tom Perriello: -$29,000
Bobby Scott: -$38,000

For comparison purposes, the richest Representatives are Darrell Issa (R-CA), with $165 million; and Jane Harman (D-CA), with $112 million. The poorest Representative is Alcee Hastings (D-FL), with -$2.1 million; John Salazar (D-CO), with -$323,000; and Bart Stupak (D-MI), with -$303,000 net worth. In Virginia, for what it's worth, it appears it's neither the "best of times" or the "worst of times" financially for our House delegation.

So Much for Mike Huckabee

It looks like Mike Huckabee - who won 41% of the vote in Virginia's 2008 Republican presidential primary - will not be the Republican nominee for president in 2012...or probably ever.

... his connection to a suspect in the shooting deaths of 4 Pierce Co., WA, police officers could prove a major hurdle if he chooses to get back into politics. Huckabee granted clemency to the suspect in '00, leading some to call the lifelong criminal Huckabee's version of Willie Horton.

Huckabee's office issued a statement late 11/29 deflecting blame, calling the suspect's release the "result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system." But it appears Huckabee didn't grant clemency without pushback: "This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Pulaski Co. (AR) prosecuting atty Larry Jegley told The Seattle Times yesterday. That makes one wonder if Huckabee was urged not to sign the papers, raising questions about his judgment in the face of prosecutors' objections.

Add the horrible crime committed by a man he released to a statement this weekend, in which Huckabee said he is "less likely rather than more likely" to run for the WH in '12, and Pres. Obama's first potential foe looks to be effectively out of the race.

Now, this all may not be fair, but it's political reality nonetheless. You simply can't run for president with this kind of thing hanging over your head. So, with Huckabee almost certainly out of the running for 2012, what are the implications for the already weak Republican field? Does this clear the way for Mitt "Finger in the Wind" Romney? Does it increase the odds for ultra-right-wing populist Sarah Palin? Does it open the door to a young social conservative like Sen. John Thune? What about Pat Robertson's Manchurian Candidate, aka Bob McDonnell? Other? Who do you think will fill the vacuum left by Mike Huckabee's almost-certain political demise?

Andrew Sullivan: Obama's Diplomacy Has Isolated Iran "more successfully than Bush's sabre-rattling ever did"

Over at The Daily Dish, Andrew Sullivan has an interesting take on Iran's announcement that it will build 10 new uranium enrichment plants. In Andrew Sullivan's view, the decision by Iran (actually, by its hardline Revolutionary Guards, who appear to be increasingly in control of the country), means that the country "now all but completely isolated itself from international support."

With China, Russia and India backing Friday's IAEA admonishment of Iran, the mullahs have thrown a tantrum. I tend to share Juan Cole's skepticism that Putin or Hu will ever agree to real sanctions on Iran, but recent events have certainly made real international sanctions more likely. Indeed, if you support such sanctions, you will surely have to admit that Obama's steady diplomacy, his work with the Chinese and Russians, and his willingness to let France and Germany take the lead at times has isolated Iran more successfully than Bush's sabre-rattling ever did.

Perhaps that latter statement is true, and certainly the Bush Administration's efforts at restraining Iran by calling it "evil" got absolutely nowhere. To the contrary, Iran moved ahead steadily on its nuclear program during Bush's 8 years in office, just as North Korea moved ahead with its own nuclear activities. The question now is whether a different approach, one focused more on diplomacy, might work better than Bush's over-the-top rhetoric, threats, and sporadic/half-hearted stabs at diplomacy. Andrew Sullivan believes this is the case, that Obama's "steady diplomacy" is slowly but surely making progress on this issue. I'm hopeful but skeptical. The bottom line is that, to date, the "international community" (such as it is) has barely been able to condemn Iran's nuclear activities, let alone impose "crippling sanctions" or whatever the buzz phrase of the day happens to be.

Meanwhile, the ultra-hardliners, having largely succeeded in beating back the reform movement of last summer, appear to be in charge in Tehran, meaning that it's unlikely they'll back down on the nuclear issue unless forced to do so. But how? Honestly, I don't see much hope here. In the end, it seems to me, either of two things are going to happen: 1) the "international community" will fail to restrain Iran and, at some point, that country will develop nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them (this could have major repercussions in the Middle East, for nuclear non-proliferation efforts, etc.); or 2) the "international community" will somehow manage to stop (or at least substantially slow) Iran, probably through a combination of "crippling sanctions" and threats - possibly even the actual use - of force. Neither of these are ideal outcomes, but of the two, I'd take "manage to stop (or at least substantially slow) Iran" through sanctions and/or threats of force. In the end, though, if nothing else works, it's going to come down to an extremely difficult but basic question: is the "least bad" option to let Iran get nuclear weapons or to launch a serious military campaign against Iran's nuclear infrastructure? Let's just hope that Obama's diplomacy - backed up by "crippling sanctions" if need be - bears fruit before we have to answer that question.

Whipple Clip Dozen: Monday Morning

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Monday morning "Clips."

1. VA. TO BORROW $1.26 BILLION FOR DEPLETED UNEMPLOYMENT FUNDS
2. 5TH DISTRICT GOP LEADERS TO VOTE ON NOMINATION PROCESS
3. VA. RESTAURANT OWNERS BRACING FOR SMOKE BAN
5. LAID-OFF STATE POLICE WORKERS STAY ON AS VOLUNTEERS
9. U. OF VIRGINIA WASTES NO TIME IN FIRING FOOTBALL COACH GROH
12. SNARLS ON I-81 DELAY HOLIDAY TRAVELERS
13. METRO RIDERSHIP STILL FALLING BELOW BUDGET PROJECTIONS
19. DULLES RAIL OPPONENT SAYS PROJECT TOO COSTLY
20. METRO TRAINS CRASH IN WEST FALLS CHURCH RAIL YARD
21. GHOST FLEET SHIP STILL STUCK IN THE JAMES RIVER MUCK
22. DEFENSE AGENCY TO BRING $64 MILLION IN SALARIES TO ALBEMARLE AREA
27. FACING NEW LOUDOUN TRAFFIC CIRCLES, SOME FIND IT HARD TO SHIFT GEARS

Hey Switzerland, Now Can You Please Ban Yodeling?

/begin snark

Now that the Swiss teabaggers Islamophobic bigots people, in their infinite (lack of) wisdom, have voted to ban minarets at mosques in their country, I've got a suggestion for them: ban the incredibly annoying form of "singing" known as "yodeling". How bad is yodeling? Watch this and decide for yourself if it should be banned.

/end snark



P.S. All snarkiness aside, this vote by Switzerland is utterly pathetic and a frightening sign of right-wing extremism in Europe.

Overhyped Nonsense by "Powerhouse" Panelists: Yes, It's "This Week" Time Again!

Check out this overhyped nonsense from This Week With George Stephanopoulos:

Plus our powerhouse roundtable: George Will, Cokie Roberts, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, political strategist Matthew Dowd and former Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority spokesman and author Dan Senor take on the difficult Afghanistan decision. And the lagging economy has shoppers slogging through another holiday season. Is another stimulus needed? Can a middle ground be found on healthcare? As hacked e-mails from scientists heat up the global warming debate, how will the controversy complicate next month’s climate change summit in Copenhagen? All that and all the week’s politics on "This Week."

A few points on this idiocy.

1. I know you guys like to flatter yourselves, but in no way, shape or form is George Will the Global Warming Denier and All-Around Liar a "powerhouse." Nor is Dan Senor, the Republican hack who used to work for AIPAC, Spencer Abraham (R-MI), the Carlyle Group military-industrial complex of former Reagan Administration officials, and the Bush Administration's Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq under the infamous L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer. Also, since when is Cokie Roberts a "powerhouse," intellectual or otherwise? Puh-leeze. And why should we listen to any of these peoples' uninformed opinions (with the exception of Paul Krugman) on the economy, healthcare, global warming, Afghanistan, or anything else? Uhhhhhh.

2. What is this "middle ground...on healthcare" of which you speak? Do you mean, the "middle ground" of giving up a single payer system, a robust public option tied to Medicare rates, or even a watered-down public option with "opt out" provisions for states? Sorry, but only on Washington "powerhouse" tee-vee talking bimbo shows can watering stuff down until it's worthless be considered the "middle ground" and also admirable in some vague, David Broder-ian way. Lame. As always.

3. Those "hacked," taken-completely-out-of-context emails aren't "heat[ing] up the global warming debate," except perhaps in the minds of global warming deniers and "skeptics" like your "powerhouse" panelist George Will. The fact is, the scientific evidence for man-made global warming is vast, growing, and subject to no serious scientific controversy, except that it might actually be happening faster than we had previously thought. But don't let the facts get in the way of your "powerhouse" discussion with noted climate scientists George Will, Cokie Roberts, Dan Senor, et al. (/end snark)

Whipple Clip Dozen: Sunday Morning

Thanks to Del. Bob Brink (D-48) for bringing us the "Whipple Clips" today.

1. LAWMAKERS EXPECT FOCUS ON ETHICS REFORM IN WAKE OF PHIL HAMILTON
2. WHITE HOUSE CRASHERS PARTIED WITH WARNER, KAINE
3. TAREQ SALAHI DONATED TO VIRGINIA POLS AND SOLD $25K WORTH OF WINE FOR KAINE INAUGURAL
6. CUCCINELLI DIGS IN TO SET COURSE FOR AG’S OFFICE
7. GOP RIVALS HEAT UP RACE FOR BEACH SENATE SEAT
8. RESIDENCY AT ISSUE IN VA. SENATE RACE
9. CANDID CANTOR WEIGHS IN ON ISSUES
12. JOHN WARREN COOKE, FORMER SPEAKER OF VIRGINIA HOUSE, DIES
13. FAIRFAX HUNGRY FOR MORE REVENUE
19. RESTAURANTS PREPARE FOR NEW SMOKING LAW
25. EDITORIAL: VIRGINIA'S TAXING BUDGET SHORTFALLS
33. VA. FARM BUREAU TAKES AIM AT NEW BAY RULES

2010 Will Be a Bloodbath (Unless We Turn Things Around NOW)

The preceding numbers come from a new poll by Research 2000/Daily Kos. If even close to accurate - an enormous "enthusiasm gap" favoring Republicans - Democrats are poised for a bloodbath in 2010. Unless, that is, we turn these numbers around. How? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Democrats need to stop thinking - as Talking Points Memo puts it - that "they got the job done in November 2008 and have checked out on politics." Sure, it was a great thing at the time, but now a year has passed and we just saw a preview of 2010 in the Virginia elections on November 3. Unless we want that preview to become reality on a national scale 11+ months from now, it's long past time that we all got back in the ballgame and started fighting. Hard.

2. Need more motivation, read this diary. Here's a short excerpt:

...we're not going to get the chance to change the policy we need to change, if the Republican turn up in strong enough numbers and we don't. We need to match their stubbornness, not expect that they'll see the light.

If you're Gay, if you're battling for Healthcare reform, if you're trying to battle to see our intelligence and defense apparatus saved from the legacy of Bush, I guarantee you that failing to show up and failing to push people to vote against the Republicans will be a failing strategy in 2010.

3. Democrats in Congress need to start passing legislation ASAP. Get health care reform - with a strong, robust public option - done within the next few weeks, then turn to other priorities (the economy, jobs, clean energy, immigration reform, etc.) and get them done too. By the end of next summer, we need to see Democrats having accomplished everything that they promised in 2006 and 2008 - or as close to it as humanly possible.

4. Get populist. It's time for Democrats to grab some of that populist energy away from Republicans, who right now are monopolizing it with a torrent of right-wing "rage." For months now, I've been asking, "where's the equivalent on the left to the 'tea party' movement?" Until now, I haven't received an answer other than [[[blank stare/crickets chirping]]]. Well, that needs to change. There's plenty of frustration, anxiety and anger out there on "the left," all of which can be tapped into. For starters, we need to refocus the economic "stimulus" as much as possible on "Main Street" rather than "Wall Street." A few possibilities on this front include: setting up a Clean Energy Conversion Corps ("modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression only with a more specific focus: converting our power grid to clean energy to break the backs of oil and power companies that blackmail our economy"); ecosystem restoration, passing a multi-billion-dollar jobs package that "would devote billions of dollars to projects meant to put people back on payrolls in 2010 and keep them working;" provide direct aid to the states (which are hurting big time right now); divert remaining TARP money to "struggling workers and homeowners" (including Mark Warner's proposal "to use TARP funds to start a new $50 billion fund to give loans to small businesses"); etc., etc. The bottom line is that Democrats need to be seen as the party for the "little guy" as opposed to the "fat cats" on Wall Street. Sure, it's oversimplified to an extent; nonetheless, people are really hurting out there, and Democrats are supposed to be the party that cares about them. Let's see some of that caring ASAP!

5. Run candidates from the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." Now is not the time to be running "Republican lite" types. Now is the time for the DCCC, DSCC, DNC, etc. to be recruiting Democrats who truly believe in Democratic ideals and are willing to fight for them. Also, it's time to go outside the "usual suspects" and find some "regular" people to run for office. Again, where's the Democratic version of the "tea party" movement? Come November 2010, if the right has a populist uprising and the left doesn't, who do you think is going to win the elections (provided, of course, that the "tea baggers" don't run viable third-party candidates and actually end up helping save Democrats' butts)?

Anyway, those are just a few suggestions. I'd love to hear more. Thoughts? Thanks.

Whipple Clips Dozen: Saturday Morning

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Saturday "Clips."

1. REPLACING PHIL HAMILTON: 10 QUESTIONS WITH DEL.-ELECT ROBIN ABBOTT
2. ORROCK IN LINE TO BE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
3. CRIME AND LEGAL ISSUES NOTEBOOK: VIRGINIA GOVERNOR ENCOURAGES FELONS TO APPLY TO GET VOTING RIGHTS RESTORED
4. NEWS WEB SITE LAUNCHES IN VIRGINIA
5. HAMILTON IS THIRD TO RESIGN ON ETHICS CHARGES
6. CONSTRUCTION ON COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT PASSES HALFWAY POINT
7. VDOT UPGRADES FOG LIGHTS ON I-64 AND AFTON MOUNTAIN
8. WHITE HOUSE DINNER CRASHER IS TOURISM AGENCY BOARD MEMBER
9. CROWD CONTROL A FOCUS FOR RETAILERS
10. DAN RIVER REGION SHOPPERS STICK TO DEALS IN HARD TIMES
12. VIRGINIA WRIGHT?
15. NO DAMAGE FROM SMALL QUAKE THAT RATTLED CENTRAL VA.

Party Crashers or Criminals?

You decide. Personally, I'd love to see the Salahis crashing the party known as "prison" for a while.

I'm Glad Scott Surovell Is Going to Richmond, But This Is Depressing

I'm very happy that my friend Scott Surovell is going to Richmond in January 2010 to represent the 44th House of Delegates district. In fact, Scott's election on November 3 was one of the only bright spots on an otherwise disastrous day for Democrats. Anyone who knows Scott will confirm that he's one of the smartest, hardest working people around, and also that he's a no-nonsense guy who doesn't put up with any bull manure. Which is why his blog post at The Dixie Pig on Virginia's budget mess, "Train Wreck or Day of Reckoning?", is so depressing. Here's an excerpt:

Last year, Virginia was able to avoid serious budget cuts due to $652m of federal stimulus dollars that came our way. This year, those dollars are gone and things are still heading south.

[...]

Do we have anything close to the revenue bandwidth to sell off the liquor stores or divert sales taxes to the Transportation Trust Fund as proposed by Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell? Does any of this take into account federal health care plans that contemplate a big expansion of state Medicaid plans? No.

[...]

...continuing structural problems in Virginia's tax structure where leaders have failed to adapt the government of this formerly rural state to an increasingly urban/suburban state with a service-based economy. The idea that the job and revenue engine of this Commonwealth receives 19% of its education budget from the Commonwealth while some rural jurisdictions get 80% is anachronistic.

In the meantime, get ready for a contentious 60 days session.

Personally, I'd love to see a "contentious" session, one in which these problems were bluntly and honestly aired, and in which the Democratic-controlled Senate did not put up with any smoke-and-mirrors mumbo-jumbo from know-nothing Republicans in the House of Delegates or the Governor's mansion. I mean, c'mon, if those guys really think we can solve Virginia's long-term, structural infrastructure and budget problems by selling off ABC stores and supposedly earning revenues from non-existent (and probably never-existent) offshore oil production (as Bob McDonnell bizarrely proposed during his Big Lie Campaign), they're living in la-la land.

Look, nobody who knows anything about Virginia's budget situation would take McDonnell's budget proposals seriously, yet unfortunately the guy's going to be our next governor whether we like it or not (I certainly don't). That was the decision made by voters - or, more accurately, the hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters who stayed home, completely uninspired by Creigh Deeds "not an Obama Democrat" campaign from hell - on November 3. Now, we're all going to have to live with the (dire) consequences. Good luck to Scott Surovell et al; I don't envy you!

Tuesday in Arlington: Celebrating a Smoke-Free Virginia

Posted by The Green Miles

With Virginia's bar & restaurant smoking ban taking effect on December 1st, I thought I'd organize a happy hour to welcome Virginia's newly clean indoor air. Blue Virginia readers are invited to join us Tuesday from 6-8pm:

To celebrate, we're hosting a happy hour at one of Arlington's smoke-free pioneers -- Liberty Tavern in Clarendon. While many restaurants in Arlington have long been smoke-free, Liberty was among the pioneering bars who took a chance on clean air. Judging by how packed they are on weeknights and by how absolutely mobbed they are on weekends, it paid off.

Even if you can't make this event, be sure to stop by a local bar that went smoke-free long before it was the law (Eleventh in Clarendon, Union Jack's in Ballston, Cap City in Shirlington, etc.) and say thanks for their leadership. Hope to see you at Liberty on December 1st!

Read more details on Virginia's smoking ban from the Department of Health.

Photo via Flickr's Maryland Route 5

China Commits to Absolutely Nothing on CO2, Media Fails to Report Accurately

Based on the breathless headlines in the media, you'd think that China had committed itself to something huge regarding its greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, the Washington Post headline reads, "China proposes emissions cuts: Planned reduction of up to 45% falls short of target many world leaders hoped Beijing would make." The New York Times' headline reads, "China Joins U.S. in Pledge of Hard Targets on Emissions," the LA Times' says "China vows to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2020," and the Chicago Tribune's claims that "China pledges to cut greenhouse gases."

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

In fact, according to the US Energy Information Administration's base case forecast, China is already expected to see a decline of 45% in its carbon/GDP ration (aka, its carbon intensity) between 2005 and 2020. Unfortunately, China's absolute level of CO2 emissions are expected to increase by 73% between 2005 and 2020. This forecast results in a 45% decline in China's carbon intensity simply because the country's GDP is forecast to grow by 213% during the same time period, much faster than CO2 emissions are expected to rise.

In fairness to the media, several of them seem to have gotten the story (mostly) right in the actual text of the articles (as opposed to the egregiously incorrect headlines), with the Washington Post and New York Times both emphasizing the fact that China's "pledge" (it's voluntary not mandatory, by the way) would cut the country's carbon intensity not its absolute level of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. The LA Times, in contrast, gets the medal of dishonor for writing that "China vowed Thursday to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half over the next decade" and that "the country would reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 40% to 45% compared with levels in 2005." In fact, that's not even remotely close to being accurate, but nice try LA Times!

Whipple Clips: Black Friday

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the "Black Friday" news clips!

1. GOV. KAINE BELIEVES VA.'S INDIAN TRIBES WILL GET FEDERAL STATUS BY JAN.
2. GOP TO HOLD FIREHOUSE PRIMARIES FOR BOTH OPEN SENATE SEATS
3. IN TOBACCO-LOVING VA., BARS TO QUIT COLD-TURKEY
5. THREE KILLED ON STATE ROADWAYS
6. VA PLANS NEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
7. HOLIDAY JOBS: WITH UNEMPLOYMENT UP, MORE PEOPLE LOOK FOR WORK THIS YEAR
8. TRANSPORTATION CUTS MAY MEAN SCALED-BACK PROJECTS FOR HAMPTON ROADS
15. NO STACKED COMMITTEES
16. EPA ADJUSTS CHESAPEAKE BAY POLLUTION FIGURES
19. ALEXANDRIA RETHINKS GIFTED EDUCATION
20. COUNTY SCHOOLS FACE TOUGH CUTS; ‘EVERYTHING’S ON THE TABLE,’ EVEN LAYOFFS
23. MOTHER OF ILL INMATE SUES BEACH SHERIFF, HOSPITAL OVER HIS DEATH

10 Things to Be Thankful For: Virginia Politics Edition

This has been a rough year in Virginia politics, but there are still things to be thankful for as a Virginia Democrat and progressive. This Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful that...

1. ...the 2009 election cycle is over. What a nightmare.
2. ...I'll never have to hear Creigh Deeds' Uncle Frank story ("Now boys, you're going to get out of this camp exactly what you put into it") ever again.
3. ...Bob McDonnell and Virginia Republicans will soon have the pleasure of fully owning Bush's Great Recession and its nasty impact on Virginia's economy and budget. Enjoy, guys! :)
4. ...we have Jim Webb and Mark Warner in the U.S. Senate, not George Allen and Jim Gilmore.
5. ...we've got Tom Perriello, demonstrating political courage with his votes for climate/clean energy action and health care reform, in the U.S. House of Representatives. Thanks Tom, keep up the great work!
6. ...although overall this was a horrible election for Virginia Democrats, we now have several strong additions to the House of Delegates -- people like Scott Surovell, Mark Keam and Kaye Kory. I'm really looking forward to seeing these folks fight for Democratic and progressive values in Richmond!
7. ...Gerry Connolly has actually turned out to be a far better Congressman than I thought he would (voted for clean energy/climate action and health care reform with a public option, among other things).
8. ..."teabaggers" like Bradley Rees might split the conservative vote and help reelect Tom Perriello in 2010.
9. ...Terry McAuliffe is working hard to bring "clean tech" businesses and thousands of "green jobs" - including a possible hybrid car factory in Southside - to Virginia. Go Terry!
10. ...on December 1, Virginia's restaurant smoking ban takes effect. That's one significant accomplishment for Tim Kaine in a overall highly frustrating 4 years as governor of Virginia.

Happy Thanksgiving From President Obama

As always, we give thanks for the kindness of loved ones, for the joys of the previous year, and for the pride we feel in our communities and country. We keep in our thoughts and prayers the many families marking this Thanksgiving with an empty seat – saved for a son or daughter, or husband or wife, stationed in harm’s way. And we say a special thanks for the sacrifices those men and women in uniform are making for our safety and freedom, and for all those Americans who enrich the lives of our communities through acts of kindness, generosity and service.

But as much as we all have to be thankful for, we also know that this year millions of Americans are facing very difficult economic times. Many have lost jobs in this recession – the worst in generations. Many more are struggling to afford health care premiums and house payments, let alone to save for an education or retirement. Too many are wondering if the dream of a middle class life – that American Dream – is slipping away. It’s the worry I hear from folks across the country; good, hard-working people doing the best they can for their families – but fearing that their best just isn’t good enough. These are not strangers. They are our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Their struggles must be our concern.

The full transcript is here.

Whipple Clip Dozen: Thanksgiving Edition

Thanks to Tom Whipple for bringing us the news every day, including holidays!

1. GOV.-ELECT MCDONNELL: STILL WORKING AS LAWYER
2. MATHIESON FILES FOR 21ST HOUSE DISTRICT RECOUNT
3. VA'S KAINE WILL SERVE MEALS ON THANKSGIVING
4. MCAULIFFE MAY BUILD 'GREEN' AUTO FACTORY
5. PARKWAY GUARDRAILS SET TO BE REPLACED
7. KAINE GREETS TRIBES AT MANSION, CELEBRATES THANKSGIVING
8. LIBERTY COUNSEL FILES COMPLAINT OVER TELEVISION PERFORMANCE
9. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
13. STAFFORD SOLVES MONEY MYSTERY
14. VA. OFFICIALS PUSH FOR DULLES RAIL SOUND WALLS
15. VA SCHOOL SYSTEM TARGETS USE OF CONFEDERATE FLAG
17. CITY EXPECTS RESERVE FUND TO DROP BY $3 MILLION

5 of 10 Longest Bills Were Written By...Republicans!

You know how Republicans like to criticize the Democrats' health care reform bill on the oh-so-substantive grounds that it's "so long?" Well, all I have to say to that is...Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.



That's right, it only took 68 more words for Democrats to reform the nation's enormous, complex health care system as it took a Republican (Don Young of Alaska) to write the bill containing the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere!" Amazing.

Dana Perino: Ft. Hood Was Terrorism, But 9/11 Wasn't?

"I don't say this to be political, I think it matters what we call it...we had a terrorist attack on our country [at Ft. Hood]."

"But, you know, we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term." - Dana Perino, White House Press Secretary for the Worst President Ever (aka, George W. Bush)

Got that? Despite the fact that the evidence is sketchy and there's been no firm conclusion by law enforcement officials, Dana Perino says it was definitively a "terrorist attack" at Ft. Hood (maybe she did her own investigation or had Dick Cheney do one of his own?). On the other hand, apparently forgetting what happened to this country on 9/11/01, nine months after George W. Bush took office, Perino says there was no terrorist attack on America during the Bush Administration. Well, alrighty then...

Video: Eric Cantor's Stimulus-Funded Jobs Fair Proves He's a Hypocrite, Liar, etc.

In sum: 1) Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress pass an economic recovery/stimulus package with essentially zero Republican support; 2) this allows Eric Cantor to hold a successful jobs fair in his district, at which half of the employers are hiring directly because of the stimulus (while others undoubtedly are hiring indirectly because of it); 3) Cantor bashes the economic recovery/stimulus package - calling it an "utter failure" - while simultaneously taking political credit for the jobs said stimulus has created in his district; and 4) nobody votes for Cantor ever again but instead mock him mercilessly as the hypocritical, lying buffoon that he truly is. The end.

P.S. I'm not sure #4 actually takes place, but it certainly should if there's any justice in the world.

President Obama Will Attend Global Climate Talks in Copenhagen

To put it mildly, I'm very frustrated about where we're at right now in terms of dealing with climate change. This is one of the greatest challenges - and also one of the greatest opportunities (to jump start a clean energy revolution) - in human history, and right now we're far from living up to the challenge. To get an example of the utter idiocy out there, watch this. It's mindboggling and infuriating, a massive and well-funded propaganda campaign to distort and deny the voluminous science behind anthropogenic global warming. And, unfortunately, it's having some affect on public opinion, although as Adam Siegel points out, "the vast majority of Americans adhere themselves to the basic facts that the globe is warming and that we have a responsibility to do something about it" (as usual, Republicans are the "know nothings").

Meanwhile, international negotiations that were supposed to culminate in a binding global warming treaty at next month’s summit in Copenhagen appear to have fallen far short, with apparent agreement on a "two-step approach to negotiating a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol" -- essentially, an agreement to reach an agreement. Ugh. Back here in the United States, the Senate remains bogged down trying to pass (also crucial) health care reform legislation and still hasn't acted to slash U.S. carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gas emissions. This isn't just a failure to confront global warming, of course, but a huge mistake in terms of our economy and national security, both of which would be greatly strengthened by putting a price on carbon and watching the green jobs/clean tech revolution explode. Instead, while we dither, our competitors - China, India, Germany, etc. - are racing ahead of us, threatening to grab hold of the big emerging market of the 21st century, and also leaving us at a competitive disadvantage as we attempt to power our economy using 19th and early 20th century energy technologies. Brilliant!

Anyway, it's in that context that I say I'm glad President Obama will attend climate talks in Copenhagen (and also will set a U.S. emission target). However, I also strongly agree with the World Wildlife Fund, which says, "It's important that his words during this important moment convey that the United States intends to make climate change a legislative priority, not simply a rhetorical one." Even more importantly, "To make good on any promises made in Copenhagen, the President should put the full weight of the White House behind Senate passage of a climate bill in the first part of 2010."

Now, I realize President Obama has a lot on his plate, in large part the mess bequeathed to him by 8 years of Republican misrule. And I realize that our Congress, with a few exceptions like Tom Perriello, is filled with know-nothings, industry shills, and cowards. Still, the fact remains: despite a massive, industry-funded global warming denial/"skepticism" propaganda out there, and despite the huge flaws in our political system which make it almost impossible to get "big things" done in this country anymore, we either must tackle global warming or suffer the (very grave) consequences (economic, national security and environmental) of failing to do so. I urge President Obama to use his speech in Copenhagen to make all this crystal clear, and most importantly to pledge that he will "put the full weight of the White House behind Senate passage of a climate bill in the first part of 2010." Oh, and that had better be a serious climate bill, not a watered-down pile of muck that lets polluters off the hook, while failing to solve the problem or grab the huge opportunity by the horns. Yeah, I know, keep dreaming...

Life and Death of a Mensch

In the Yiddish language, one of the greatest compliments you can pay a man (I'm not sure if there's a female equivalent) is to call him a "mensch." The word - as is the case with many Yiddish words - is not easy to translate well ("man" doesn't quite do it), but I think Wikipedia is on the right track, defining "mensch" with phrases like "a person of integrity and honor," "someone to admire and emulate," "someone of noble character," "a stand-up guy," and "a person with the qualities one would hope for in a dear friend or trusted colleague."

By those definitions, based on everything I know about him, Abe Pollin - who died yesterday at age 85 - qualified as a "mensch" of the first order. Start with the Washington Post headline: "Man who transformed Washington dies at 85." How would you like to know that your life would be so consequential, that when you died the largest newspaper in town would headline its lead story of the day about you, and specifically how you "transformed" the place you lived for the better? And how would you like multiple columns written about you, including one headlined "Long-standing loyalty" and another entitled "A man who reached out to others"? How would you like the lead story on your passing talk about how you were "the pillar of countless charitable and civic efforts," "well known for [your] philanthropy," someone who "championed improving the lives of children," who "spearheaded UNICEF relief drives for Africans, and then for Kurds in Northern Iraq, and for women and children to survive winter in Afghanistan?"

How would you like that, in addition to all your accomplishments - in Abe Pollin's case, "bringing professional basketball and hockey franchises here and spending $220 million to build a massive sports and entertainment arena that has dramatically changed the face of downtown Washington" - you would be remembered for your "loyalty, warmth, as well as fire?" That you would be described as "extraordinarily kind, when [you] didn't need to be" or "the most loyal man I've ever known in my life" or that the way you worked "made other people swell their chest and take pride in where they were and who they were?"

Something tells me almost any of us would like that a great deal, even in a culture that today too often celebrates celebrity for celebrity's sake, glitz and "controversy" over actual accomplishments, superficiality over depth, even ignorance and "know-nothingism" over knowledge and wisdom (yes, I'm thinking of the Sarah Palins of this world). Anyway, I certainly want to believe - maybe it's naive, I don't know or particularly care - that even in an era of crassness and coarseness, being considered a "mensch" is still one of the greatest compliments you can pay a man (or a woman, if there's a female equivalent of that word). And no question about it, Abe Pollin certainly was a "mensch." Alav hashalom; may you rest in peace, sir.

President Obama Toasts Prime Minister Singh of India

The relationship between the United States and India - the most populous Democracy on the planet, a rising economic power, a nuclear power, etc. - is going to be crucial in the 21st century. Let's hope it's a strong one, based on shared values of democracy, freedom, security, human rights, tolerance, environmental stewardship, and peaceful coexistence among nations.

Whipple Clip Dozen: Wednesday Morning

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the day-before-Thanksgiving "Clips."

1. KAINE URGES NONVIOLENT OFFENDERS TO SEEK RIGHTS RESTORATION
2. JANIS POSSIBLY, MAYBE BEING CONSIDERED FOR AG'S OFFICE
3. BETTER ETHICS PROCEDURES URGED IN WAKE OF HAMILTON SCANDAL
4. HOUSE ETHICS PANEL ENDS INVESTIGATION INTO PHIL HAMILTON, ODU
7. HOUSE RELEASES HAMILTON REPORT. SORT OF.
10. KAINE: CHURCH MAY SET BAD EXAMPLE
11. ANOTHER RUN POSSIBLE FOR MCAULIFFE?
12. VA. AGENCY DECLINES TO THROW OUT APPLICATION FOR 3-STATE POWER LINE
13. ACCESS TO RELIGIOUS SERVICES INVESTIGATED AT FLUVANNA WOMEN’S PRISON
14. PORT RE-OPENS; BARGE STILL STRANDED IN VA. BEACH
15. HAMPTON ROADS LAWMAKERS ASK OBAMA FOR NOR'EASTER AID
16. INTERIM INCREASE FOR APCO

FDL Action Health Care Update: Tuesday (11/24/09)

Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Tuesday, November 24.

1. Jon Walker explains "the difference between really trying and pretending to try" by Majority Leader Harry Reid on the public option. Walker quotes Gerald Seib of the Wall Street Journal, who writes, "Maybe Mr. Reid plans to push as far as he can with a bill including a public option, to show his party he has done all humanly possible, before yanking the public option just before the whole effort goes off a cliff." The problem for Reid, though, is that such a maneuver is not likely to fool anyone. Or, as Walker puts it, "his party's base will not buy it." So much for that idea.

2. Jon Walker has the second part of his series on what the Senate health care bill does better: "the Cantwell basic health program," which Walker argues "is much closer to how sensible countries have designed their regulated health insurance marketplace or exchange." Wait, we're gonna start being "sensible" now? Ha.

3. David Dayen predicts that immigration could become a new sticking point for health care reform legislation, with "Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), a key ally of Barack Obama’s from Illinois, [saying] today that he would find it 'extremely difficult if not impossible' to vote for a health care bill that included the restrictive and discriminatory measure on undocumented immigrants that appears in the Senate’s version and has the White House’s support." If it's not one thing, it's another...

4. Scarecrow explains why there needs to be a viable public option, arguing that "[w]ithout it, health insurance reform will be just a very bad, very foolish, and very expensive experiment — and clearly not the platform Democrats should want in 2010."

5. Jon Walker asks, "Is PhRMA Afraid Of The Progressive Block?" The question is prompted by the fact that PhRMA is running ads in Connecticut urging Joe Lieberman to support the current Senate bill. Verrrry interesting.

6. Michael Whitney points to a powerful new video contrasting Blanche Lincoln vowing on the Senate floor to oppose a public option with thousands of uninsured Arkansans in Little Rock for a free health care clinic. It's powerful stuff, and if you'd like to help us run the ads, please click here. Thanks.

7. Finally, Jon Walker compares the Senate filibuster to a game of "Shoots and Ladders" with "made up rules." Walker concludes that "Senate Democrats have to decide if keeping their fun, made up rules is more important to them than helping millions of Americans in need." Why does something tell me they're going to go with the "fun, made up rules?" Sigh.

Get Well Wishes to Jim Moran

I've had my disagreements with the Morans over the past year; nonetheless, I hope that Jim Moran recovers quickly from his knee surgery. That does not sound like fun!

Moran Double Knee Surgery a Success

Extensive Recovery Period Expected to Last 6-8 Weeks

November 24, 2009 - Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, had successful total knee replacement surgery on both knees today at the Anderson Orthopedic Clinic located at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. The surgery was conducted by specialist Dr. C. Anderson Engh.

According to the Attending Physician's Office in the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Moran will become only the second member to have both knees replaced during the same surgery. The first was Rep. Sonny Montgomery, a long time Democratic member from Mississippi who served from 1967 to 1997.

Congressman Moran's recovery period is expected to last 6-8 weeks. He will be recovering at home on bed rest during this time. Given the difficult recovery associated with a double knee replacement, he is not expected to be able make votes on the floor of the House of Representatives during the month of December.

Click for more information on total knee replacement surgery.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the Congressman has requested well-wishers make donations to their local food pantry or homeless shelter.

Krystal Ball on MSNBC

If anyone doubts that having a memorable name is a huge net positive in politics, I present Exhibit A: 1st CD Democratic candidate Krystal Ball on MSNBC this morning. :) In all seriousness, though, in politics or show biz, having something memorable about you is important, at least to catch people's attention for a second and get them to give you a chance. Then, obviously, it's up to you to win them over. In this case, I think Krystal Ball did an excellent job in her national TV debut. Frankly, for an unknown candidate (out of hundreds of House candidates) and a major underdog (beating Rob Wittman will be tough, although not impossible - just ask Virgil Goode about that), simply getting on national TV is a major accomplishment. After that, if you don't make a fool of yourself you're way ahead, and if you actually have something to say and/or can say it well - as Krystal Ball did on both counts in this interview - you're doing fantastic.

Video: Sarah Palin's Supporters Demonstrate Their Knowledge of...Oh Forget It!

Watching this video, I'm not sure whether to laugh, cry, be horrified, terrified, or what. Ignorance. Paranoia. Craziness. Cluelessness. Faux News and Glenn Beck Talking Points. But I repeat myself...watch and decide for yourself.

Enviro Groups to Webb, Warner: Focus on Energy Efficiency and Renewables, Not Nuclear

I just received a press release from Environment Virginia regarding a "new report on how nuclear power will hurt America’s ability to fight global warming." The main points in the press release are:

*"Far from a solution to global warming, nuclear power will actually set America back in the race to reduce pollution."
*Senators Webb and Warner should "focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy instead of nuclear power as the solution to global warming."
*"To avoid the most catastrophic impacts of global warming, America must cut power plant emissions roughly in half over the next 10 years," and nuclear power is simply "too slow to contribute to this effort."
*For instance, "[e]ven if the nuclear industry somehow managed to build 100 new nuclear reactors by 2030, nuclear power could reduce total U.S. emissions of global warming pollution over the next 20 years by only 12 percent -- far too little, too late."
*"In contrast, energy efficiency and renewable energy can immediately reduce global warming pollution. Energy efficiency programs are already cutting electricity consumption by 1-2 percent annually in leading states, and the U.S. wind industry is already building the equivalent of three nuclear reactors per year in wind farms. By tapping into Virginia’s potential for efficiency, offshore wind and solar power we can do more."
*"Building 100 new reactors would require an up-front investment on the order of $600 billion dollars – money which could cut at least twice as much carbon pollution by 2030 if invested in clean energy. Taking into account the ongoing costs of running the nuclear plants, clean energy could deliver 5 times more pollution-cutting progress per dollar."
*“New nuclear power investments would actually worsen climate change because the money spent on nuclear reactors would not be available for solutions that fight it faster and at lower cost."

Now, let me just say that while I strongly agree with all of the points raised by Environment Virginia, I'm not philosophically against nuclear power. To the contrary, I'd love to see nuclear get to the point where it was economical and where the waste disposal issues were dealt with. However, the fact is that right now (and for the foreseeable future) energy efficiency by far and away gives us more "bang for the buck" than nuclear power -- not even close. So, aside from putting nuclear power out there as a possible way to attract support from Republicans and maybe a few Democrats, why spend huge amounts of money on something that: a) is far more costly than the alternatives mentioned above (especially energy efficiency) and b) has no hope whatsoever of solving global warming in the necessary time frame and at the scale required? Got me.

P.S. If you want to read the entire report, "Generating Failure: How Building Nuclear Power Plants Would Set America Back In the Race Against Global Warming," please click here.

Reagan Fails GOP "Purity Test"

Hahahahahaha, I wonder if any Republican president passes the new RNC purity test? Maybe if you go back to Calvin Coolidge or Herbert Hoover?

10th CD: Patrick Lewis Will NOT Be a Candidate After All

I've been told by a close adviser to Patrick Lewis - who had filed and set up an exploratory committee - that he will not be a candidate after all for the Democratic nomination in the 10th Congressional District. Also note that Lewis' website has been taken down. Honestly, I never could get a grip on Lewis' candidacy. When I spoke with him, his response to pretty much every question I had was that he was on a "listening tour." Now, I have nothing against "listening tours" to find out what's on peoples' minds, to help decide what you should focus on in your campaign, to hone your message. But a "listening tour" to figure out where you stand on core issues, ranging from abortion to the public option to climate change to...? I don't get it.

Anyway, it's all irrelevant now, because Lewis is out of the race. With that, we're now down to two Democratic candidates - Rich Anthony and Dennis Findley - vying to take on phony "moderate" Frank Wolf. I have interview questions out to both candidates and hope to receive responses soon. After that, just as in the 1st CD, I will consider making an endorsement.

Speaking of the 1st CD, I just received an email informing me that Krystal Ball "will be on Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan, broadcast nationally, live on MSNBC today, November 24, 2009 at 10:00 AM EST." Congratulations to Krystal Ball on getting national TV exposure; not too shabby for a first-time congressional candidate a year out from the general election!

Maybe Glenn Nye Will - and Other Democrats - Will Get Reelected After All?

Given his votes against clean energy/climate action and health care reform, I'm not exactly thrilled with Rep. Glenn Nye (D-2nd) right now. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'd be happy to see him primaried by a strong progressive candidate. However, this doesn't look likely right now, so the choice for voters in the 2nd District come November 2010 will most likely come down to Nye and a sure-to-be-even-worse Republican (plus, if we're lucky, a third-party conservative candidate like Doug Hoffman in NY-23). Which is why I found this article in Bearing Drift to be so interesting. In short, it looks like Republicans are tearing each other apart, opening the door to Glenn Nye's reelection in this "swing district."

As the 8th Senate District race between Jeff McWaters and Virginia Beach Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson runs further off the rails of legitimate campaigns and into a mudslinging contest from both sides, the stage is being set for a very similar nomination fight that will come on the heels of this special election, for the 2nd District. Given the rapidly deteriorating environment in the 8th, there is every reason to believe that the 2nd District nomination process will be just as disturbing, if not more so.

[...]

Now that we’ve proceeded into an official primary battle, the candidates and supporters from both sides are dredging up negative information, church info, abortions, tax increases, Obama-Care and other trivial nonsense that has nothing to do with representing the 8th District in the State Senate. None of it matters, campaigns should be run on issues, particularly this campaign that we are assured of winning. Instead, both sides have spent time and energy tearing the other side down and I fear it will only continue to worsen over the next two weeks. That does not bode well for the 2nd District nomination fight.

[...]

At a pivotal time in the Commonwealth, with the wind at our backs, instead of uniting and growing our party by debating the issues that matter and the issues that govern us, we’re spending our time tearing the party apart from within with derision and divisional tactics...

Yes, and I strongly encourage you guys - Republicans, "conservatives," teabaggers, etc. - to continue spending your time doing just that in congressional districts all over the country. With economists now forecasting the economy to turn around in 2010, that might be just the boost we Democrats need to minimize our mid-term losses in November 2010 and maybe even stage a few unexpected victories. From all of us on the "blue team," we thank you! :)

Whipple Clip Dozen: Tuesday Morning

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the pre-Thanksgiving Tuesday "Whipple Clips."

1. KAINE DOESN’T SAY NO TO POSSIBILITY OF A TAX INCREASE
2. KAINE: ‘NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET’ ON ECONOMY
7. VA. ECONOMIC GROUP CITES STATE’S JOB LOSS SINCE 2007
8. LEADING LAWMAKERS ALREADY TALKING ABOUT OVERTIME IN RICHMOND IN 2010....
9. REPUBLICAN PAC ASKS MARSDEN TO RESIGN HOUSE SEAT
10. DEEDS SITS OUT SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
11. UPDATED: STATE BOARD CERTIFIES VILLANUEVA WINNER
16. WEBB, WARNER OFFICES GET AN EARFUL ON HEALTH CARE
30. RESIDENTS RALLY AGAINST COAL-FIRED ENERGY PLANT AT MEETING
32. DISPUTE RISING OVER DULLES TOLL ROAD RAMPS
34. LOUDOUN'S ECONOMIC ADVISER WILL STEP DOWN
35. ARLINGTON OFFERS EARLY RETIREMENT TO HELP CLOSE BUDGET GAP

FDL Action Health Care Update: Monday (11/23/09)

Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Monday, November 23.

1. Yesterday, Jon Walker took on Nate Silver, who "believes progressives should trade the public option away, but what he wants in return is far more useless and an even tougher political battle."

2. Jane Hamsher says it all "comes down to a simple question: will Harry Reid allow for majority rule? Or will he let corrupt members of his own caucus block a majority of the public and Congress who want a public option?" Hamsher urges everyone to sign the petition to Harry Reid to pass the public option.

3. Jon Walker writes that Sen. Blanche Lincoln "is willing to force tens of millions of Americans to pay higher premiums for the small possibility it could gain her some political advantage," and that this constitutes "the trifecta of awfulness." For those keeping score at home, that's a lot of awfulness! :)

4. Jon Walker points out "what a difference a serious primary challenge can make." Specifically, "[Sen. Michael] Bennet is currently facing a serious primary challenge from Andrew Romanoff, while [Sen. Blanche] Lincoln is not currently facing a primary challenge." Walker concludes, "It is amazing how quickly a serious primary challenger turns a senator into a reliable vote on the important issues." Sounds like we need a lot more primary challenges from real progressives.

5. Speaking of progressives, Jon Walker argues that "you can't be a progressive and support the filibuster," which he calls "a tool to thwart the will of the people" and "the great maintainer of the status quo." It's not like the filibuster is in the Constitution or anything, it's just an internal Senate rule, and those rules can be changed. Is there any good reason not to change it?

6. Jon Walker warns that Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) may be "jumping on the trigger bandwagon." Even if he's well intentioned, the problem is that any trigger in this case will likely "be designed to make sure it is never pulled, so there will never be a public option." Obviously, that's not an outcome we - or hopefully Sen. Menendez - find acceptable.

7. Jon Walker analyzes "what the Senate bill does better," focusing in this post on the "waiver For state innovation." Given many progressives' frustration at this point, it's good to know that the Senate bill "is not all bad," as Walker puts it.

8. Finally, Jason Rosenbaum reiterates that "triggers are nothing but a plan to kill the public option." Other than that, they're a greeeeeeaaat idea. (snark)

Howard Dean: Dem's Should Use Reconciliation on Health Care Legislation

I completely agree with Howard Dean on this:

The former Vermont governor warned that if the party allowed the four moderates to further water down the [health care reform] bill (or defeat it altogether) it could lead to primary challenges or a drop in fundraising from the party's base.

"If you have members refusing to vote for Reid on procedural issues you will have a revolt in the party," Dean said. "What is the point of having a 60-vote margin? This is going to be death for the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] and the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]. Why would anyone donate to them if they're supporting candidates who defeat the Democratic agenda?"

There was, he insisted, an out clause. Reconciliation -- the budgetary maneuver that would allow portions of reform to be considered by an up or down vote -- "looks better every time," Dean said. "Someone has to say, at some point, we need to pass a bill." Reid has hinted that reconciliation is an increasingly unlikely proposition.

So why the heck aren't we using reconciliation? Since when did 60 votes become the standard to pass anything in the U.S. Senate? As far as I'm concerned, this is a misuse of the filibuster and a perversion of "majority rules," not to mention a failure to act on the clear mandate Democrats were given in 2006 and 2008 - a mandate that many of us worked our butts off to give them, by the way. If Democrats expect activists to be excited for them in 2010, they'd better not keep showing more deference to Joe Lieberman et al. than to the lifeblood of their party.

UPDATE: If you agree that the filibuster is being abused, you might want to sign Alan Grayson's petition calling for "Majority Leader Reid to modify the rules of the Senate to require only 55 votes to invoke cloture instead of 60."