Good for Del. David Englin (D-45) for
making the following point:
...while attempts to thwart the federal government are a perennial effort in Richmond, the General Assembly will be weighted with more anti-Washington Republicans next session than in previous years.
Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell ran on a broad anti-Obama administration platform, condemning national Democrats' proposals on unions, health care, federal spending and the environment. Several Republican challengers for the House of Delegates ran successfully on the same message.
"I'm concerned about it because we have a number of newly elected Republicans who came in on the shoulders of the tea party crowd," said Del. Dave Englin, D-Alexandria, referring to the conservative anti-tax movement. "I'm concerned that they're going to want to demonstrate their right-wing chops with these folks, and they're going to try some of those kinds of things."
What prompted Englin's comment was, in part, Del. "Sideshow Bob" Marshall's "Virginia Health Care Freedom Act," which aims "to block federal requirements that would fine residents for going without health insurance." The comments I've received from prominent Virginia attorneys on this have been scathing. One wrote me that "The alleged claim about 'duress' is bogus," and that "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." Another said, "[Marshall] is totally insane," that "Marshall's interpretation of the contract clause would invalidate nearly all economic regulation," and that "Mandating health insurance doesn't interfere with any existing contracts." Other than that, Marshall is right on! (snark) The only question is, now that right-wing Republicans control the governor's mansion and House of Delegates, how many more "bogus," "insane" pieces of legislation like Marshall's will be introduced, and how many will actually be signed into law? Let's just make damn sure we keep control of the State Senate, because right now that's about the only thing saving us from "Sideshow Bob" and the "tea party crowd" in general.
