Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, December 9. Also listen as Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), appearing yesterday on bigoted extremist E.W. Jackson's weekly "emergency" call, is questioned by an absolutely vicious/ugly anti-Muslim bigot. Note that Wittman could have denounced the guy's insane questions about what Muslims' "birth rate" is and "how many Muslims are in different levels of government," but instead he treats the bigot with respect, even says "I appreciate your observations and I share your frustration." Beyond pathetic.
- Did The Governator Just Come Up With A Republican-Proof Argument On Climate Change? (Go Ahnuld!)
- Rhetoric unparalleled in modern U.S. politics ("There are no perfect analogies for the kind of inflammatory statements Donald Trump is making. And he has been pushing the limits since Day 1 of his campaign.")
- Donald Trump: The Islamic State’s secret weapon? ("Obama is solemn and sober on terrorism, while Trump’s rhetoric aids the enemy.")
- Donald Trump, America’s modern Mussolini ("The GOP front-runner is a fascist, and conservatives need to reject him.")
- Trump is 'White ISIS': Daily Show Unloads on 'Racist Maniac' Donald Trump (All true, but also keep in mind stuff like this: Trump Getting Stronger in NC; Islamophobia Helps Fuel That Strength)
- Trump's Muslim ban idea pushes GOP toward chaos (This party needs to oust the Teahadists and bigots, go back to being a serious, sane, center-right party like it used to be.)
- America is an exceptional country, when it comes to weapons ("There are more than 300 million privately owned firearms here. What an awesome country this is.")
- Donald Trump’s no leader — he’s just the voice that the ugliest Americans have been dying for
- We’re talking about the wrong extremists: The radicals who must be stopped are Trump and the GOP, not Muslims ("GOP think they know science better than scientists, Islam better than Muslims, Catholicism better than the pope")
- It's time for Republicans to renounce Donald Trump’s candidacy (Several problems: 1) the Republican "base" largely agrees with Trump; 2) the Republicans created Trumpism in many ways; 3) Republicans need to also pledge not to vote for him, invite him to their debates, etc.; 4) other candidates, like Ted Cruz, are not appreciably better than Trump.); 5) there's tons of bigotry - against LGBT people, immigrants, etc. - in that party, and denouncing Trump won't cure it.)
- RTD Editorial: Trump's anti-Muslim proposal is obscene
- Ted Cruz Is a 'Toned Down' Donald Trump, Say the Senator's Backers (A dangerous extremist nonetheless.)
- Jeb’s tax deceit: A new report pulls the rug out from underneath GOP tax policy ("The Tax Policy Center crunched the numbers and found Jeb's tax plan comes nowhere close to living up to its hype" Shocker, eh?)
- Dominion seeks Virginia OK to dump water from coal ash sites (Unacceptable.)
- Many in Va. congressional delegation criticize Trump's comments on Muslims
- Falwell defends concealed carry comments on 'Hannity' (Indefensible.)
- Sen. Tim Kaine downplays vice president speculation ("Tim Kaine always travels with three harmonicas.")
- Va.’s McAuliffe proposes $50 million investment in Dulles International
- Bowser, McAuliffe and Hogan okay idea of joint foreign trade trip
- Solicitor general to Supreme Court: Don’t take Bob McDonnell’s case ("Federal authorities said the former Virginia governor’s conviction 'breaks no new ground.'")
- Schapiro: Virginia's long, imperfect record on religious freedom
- McAuliffe to call for $2 billion in bonds and new university research centers
- Virginia Beach City Council approves arena deal ("The largest arena in the state will be built in Virginia Beach after city council members approved a deal 10-1 Tuesday night to build a privately-owned and operated sports and entertainment venue.")
- Dominion sees better prospects in new bids for offshore wind test (If Europeans can build offshore wind power like mad, and if Dominion can build super-expensive nuclear, then they can certainly build some offshore wind power, preferably a lot of it!)
- Va. congressional Republicans warn of risk to 'historic' black hopeful in 4th District
- Alexandria council to discuss $17,500 pay raise for its members next year ("New mayoral salary could rise $19,500 to $50,000. Vote expected on Saturday." Definitely do it, that salary is absurdly low, but couple it with a binding pledge not to take money from any interests with business before the council!!)
- More than a dozen firms interested in building Virginia Beach light rail
- D.C. area forecast: Cooler clouds today, then steady warming through the weekend
