Virginia House Republicans Demonstrate Why They Need to be Voted Out of Office ASAP!

Just quick post to highlight two new items today which demonstrate as clearly as can be why Virginia House Republicans are a disgrace to our state. More to the point, they point out the urgent need to vote these cretins out of office at the first possible opportunity (e.g., this coming November).1. Virginia House panel rejects Governor McDonnell's felons' rights bill: This is supported by Democrats, of course, but also by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, and even Ken Kookinelli. In other words, this should be a totally non-partisan issue - once you've "done your time" and "paid your debt to society," your voting rights should be automatically restored, as in almost every state in America. The fact that Virginia House Republicans care so little about basic, fundamental civil liberties - and also civil rights, as the disenfranchisement is a relic of the Jim Crow era that disproportionately impacts African Americans - really says it all about today's Republican Party. As Ben Tribbett wrote on his Facebook page: I guess it is appropriate that on the 50th anniversary of George Wallace standing at the Alabama State Capitol to give his "segregation now segregation tomorrow segregation forever" speech, that Jackson Hunter Miller and Tim Hugo convened a committee in the House of Delegates to kill every bill regarding restoration of civil rights. Still a lot of work to do folks- and it won't all be talking nicely to legislators- some of them need to be defeated. Well said...so true! Also see DPVA chair Charniele Herring's statement, Sen. Mark Warner's statement, Gov. Bob McDonnell's statement, and Sen. Mark Herring's statement.2. Equality Virginia reports that Del. Scott Surovell's bill, HJ665, to repeal the 2006 marriage amendment, was "killed in committee today." That's yet another black eye for Virginia, contradicting our advertising slogan about being "for lovers." Well, sorry, but Virginia House Republicans are most definitely NOT for their non-preferred types of "lovers," nor are they for fundamental human rights and American values like liberty, equal treatment under the law, and the right to pursue happiness. As Del. Rob Krupicka says on his Facebook page, "This is an economic issue. A freedom issue. A human rights issue."Exactly, and we need to remove this stain on our constitution as soon as possible, by first and foremost booting out these homophobic bigots (Republicans, of course) from the Virginia House of Delegates!

As LG Candidate, Corey Stewart Descends Into Self Contradiction, Incoherence

To put it mildly, I'm not a big fan of Prince William County board Chair Corey Stewart. Why not? I refer you toExhibit A, also know as the series of "9500 Liberty" videos, in which Stewart does his best imitation of a raging, rabid, xenophobic demagogue. Now, Stewart is taking his bashing of "illegals," as he so charmingly calls hard-working immigrants here to make a better life for their families, statewide. Or is he? You certainly wouldn't guess it from his interview on WAMU's The Politics Hour this past Friday, in which he pretends to be a "moderate," but in the end descends into self contradiction and, ultimately, utter, laughably absurd incoherence. Here are few "highlights" from his debacle of an interview.*Stewart claims his priorities are "transportation, transportation, transportation," that Virginia has "kicked this can down the road far too long," and that it's a "dire situation" we are facing. So, having diagnosed the problem, what's Stewart going to do about it? Got me. For starters, he proceeds to dismiss Bob McDonnell's transportation plan as "not going to go anywhere." Huh? So what better idea(s) does Stewart have? Well, let's see, he opposes raising taxes - gas tax, sales tax, etc. - so forget any new revenues. And without any new revenues, aren't we just continuing to kick that proverbial can down the metaphorical (certainly not physical) road? Sure seems like it to me. In sum, this is a total, nonsensical, incoherent #FAIL by Corey Stewart. *Perhaps recognizing his utter #FAIL on transportation, Stewart then reaches for some potential revenues by possibly eliminating some of the many tax loopholes (aka, billions of dollars per year in corporate welfare we absurdly dole out) in the Virginia tax code. Except, one problem: Stewart refuses to name any, claiming it might "get myself in trouble." Well, now, ain't THAT a profile in courage and leadership? LOL *Stewart ties himself in knots trying to explain why Virginia "will vote Republican this November."  Stewart's main "argument," using the word VERY loosely, is the so-called "rule" that Virginia always votes opposite for governor as the party in the White House. Of course, as I explained the other day, this "rule" has absolutely no basis, statistical or any other way, in fact. It's just as moronic as the pundits who claimed that President Obama couldn't win reelection because "no president since FDR had ever been reelected with higher than 8% unemployment." Whatever. Anyway, it's not a serious argument in any way, shape, or form. Lost more incoherence and illogic on the "flip" *Stewart then tries to argue that Virginians are by nature moderates who like a "balance of power." Again, there's no evidence Virginians have voted this way historically, but even if this WERE true, it totally contradicts Stewart's assertion that Republicans will win all branches of government this November. Given Stewart's assertion that Virginians like a "balance of power," wouldn't they vote Democratic for governor, or LG, or AG, or for House of Delegates, or something, to counteract otherwise total Teapublican control of the state? Uhhhhh. *Yet another self contradiction is Stewart's claim that Virginians are by nature non-ideological, pragmatic moderates, yet in practically the same breath we're going to vote for one of the most extreme, ideological, non-pragmatic candidates for governor...ever? Alrighty! Makes perfect sense! If you have no brain! LOL *On a related note, you've gotta love how Stewart claims his focus is all on pragmatic issues, not on divisive "social issues," yet he made his name focusing on the major, divisive "social issue" of "illegal immigration" (Stewart's role was to be a xenophobic demagogue). Then, the "pragmatic" Stewart proceeds to strongly ("absolutely!") endorse social issues extremist/nutjob Ken Kookinelli ("he's done a great job as AG"), while claiming this election won't be about said social issues, while also bashing the more "moderate" (in tone, if not in substance) Bill Bolling as "shameful...sour grapes"for considering an independent run for governor. Got that?!? *You've also got to love Stewart patting himself for not ignoring the "minority population" of Prince William County. Of course, we need to define "not ignoring" as "xenophobic bashing." So how did Stewart win reelection? Very simple: differential voter turnout rates (odd-year/off-year elections skew heavily whiter, older, more Republican); nothing to do with Latinos suddenly falling in love with their tormentor. Whatever.In sum, Corey Stewart is a lot of things, but coherent is apparently not one of them. Of course, when you've got a horrible record like his, and are now trying to sell that stinking pile of (fill in the blank) statewide, it's not surprising that self contradiction, incoherence and illogic are the inevitable results.

Why It's Time for Boss Saslaw to Go

by Kindler

My patience with Senator Dick Saslaw has officially run out.  It died a fitful death as I was reading this: State Sen. Dick Saslaw does not mince words about his support for uranium mining. A Northern Virginia Democrat who is also the Senate minority leader, Saslaw says burying the radioactive byproduct known as tailings underground should be a solution to environmental concerns. And he says he can't be concerned about what might happen 100 [years] from now."What about 10,000 years from now? I'm not going to be here," Saslaw says. "I can't ban something because of something that might happen 500 or 1,000 years from now." Here I thought the whole point of public service was to actually care about the legacy you leave.  Good thing the founding fathers cared enough to set up a Constitution and system designed to work 100 or 500 years after they were gone.  Good thing some foresighted people in history cared enough to preserve our national parks, our historical buildings, our water, land and air.  We could at least do the same for our descendants.What Dick Saslaw's doing here is actually pretty unusual in politics -- not simply expressing an unpopular opinion or "showing independence" by "moving to the center" (in this case, I strongly suspect that the center is not wild about the idea of uranium mining in a wet, heavily populated state) -- but wantonly and maliciously slapping his own constituency in the face. It's the sign of an official who thinks he can say or do whatever he wants because he thinks he can get away with it. It is therefore the exact opposite of what democracy is supposed to be about.

kindler :: Why It's Time for Boss Saslaw to Go

The whole point of getting rid of royalty and nobility, and replacing them with elected officials, was to make our leaders accountable -- not untouchable. An elected official acting like a landed earl lecturing the serfs is a democratic malfunction -- and one crying out to be fixed.  This is far from the first time Senator Saslaw has exhibited such behavior.  I wrote last year about a public event where he showed similar contempt for energy efficiency and renewables.  He has also been unfortunately successful in expanding predatory lending in the state and proud of it. Coincidentally, Saslaw's biggest donors are in the energy and finance industries.  I guess he's been a good Democrat on issues on which he hasn't been bought, and that's good enough for some people. But the main reason he seems to cling to power is that he's tough and knows Senate procedure and bullies anyone who dares question him. When I've asked a few state politicians and activists about the Saslaw problem, I generally get that head-cocked-to-one-side look your dog gives you when he thinks you've got a screw loose.  Most of his Democratic colleagues are afraid to cross him and I've heard the idea of running against him described as "suicidal." But some suicide missions are actually worthwhile.  What we have here is a classic "emperor has no clothes" moment. The climate of intimidation that Saslaw uses to protect himself is only effective as long as everybody around him keeps falling for it. As soon as that veil is pierced, it can disintegrate quicker than one might think. (See the great political documentary "Street Fight" on Cory Booker's battle against the dictatorial Sharpe James in Newark about this phenomenon.) Saslaw has been leader of Senate Democrats since 1996. At some point, you have to ask whether the point of a political party is to support its incumbents until they keel over -- or whether the point is to stand for particular principles.  IMHO, that's not a hard question. As my BV colleague Elaine, former Arlington County Democratic chair Peter Rousselot, and others attest in the diary and comments below, it's time for a good Democrat to give Mr. Saslaw a primary challenge for his progressive Northern Virginia district.  Many of us here at Blue Virginia will strongly support a credible challenger. It's the democratic solution in a state whose motto remains "Sic semper tyrannis."  And it would be nice to have a Democratic Senate leader who actually does care about what kind of state, country and planet we leave to future generations.

Virginia Transportation Debate Does Its "Alice in Wonderland" Imitation

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."The above quote is usually attributed to Lewis Carroll, although the actual lines in Alice in Wonderlandmay be even more relevant to the current transportation debate in Virginia. "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where--" said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. "--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation. "Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough." That, in a nutshell, is how I'm feeling about the current debate over Gov. McDonnell's recently-unveiled transportation proposal, including elimination of the gas tax, an increase in the sales tax, increase, a $15 increase in vehicle registration fees, a $100 alternative fuel vehicle fee, and moneys from supposedly forthcoming federal legislation on marketplace equity.Why do I feel this way? Very simple: Because in all this debate to and fro, I defy anyone to identify an actual concept, clue, foggy notion, vague idea, let alone a serious VISION of where we want Virginia to be with regards to transportation and land use in 10, 20, 30, 50 years. For instance, do we want to raise money for transportation in order to: a) continue the same pattern of cheap-fossil-fuel-dependent, sprawl development we've been doing for decades now (the Sprawl Forever! approach); b) in order to accomplish "a," spend most of any new transportation revenues on new and existing road infrastructure for moving motor vehicles; c) completely change direction to a "smart growth," "high-density development" approach (see the Coalition for Smarter Growth), wherein transportation moneys are allocated overwhelmingly towards things like bicycle and pedestrian upgrades, Metro (bus and rail), other light rail systems (e.g, streetcars), high-speed rail, and other urban/inner-suburban-friendly modes; d) go in some sort of hybrid direction of all this; e) other? Right now, can anyone tell me which direction Bob McDonnell wants to go? How about any other top Virginia politician? In 2005, when Tim Kaine was running for governor, he talked about more closely linking  land use and transportation planning, and that was good as far as it went, but how much of it has been incorporated into Virginia's long-term transportation funding and overall thinking? I'm not seeing it, are you? The problem: In lieu of having any clue where we're going, the tendency will be towards inertia, as the laws of physics (and humanity, for that matter) tell us. In the Virginia transportation context, I suppose if you're thrilled where we find ourselves now (crumbling roads and bridges, sprawling development patterns, wildly inefficient  - and environmentally damaging - use of energy resources and land, etc.) then you should be thrilled with inertia. If, on the other hand, you are NOT happy with where we're at right now, then presumably you should want a significant change in direction. No matter what, you'd think that we should be having the debate over where we want to go first, BEFORE we start arguing over how much money we need to raise and how to do so. Again, to paraphrase Lewis Carroll, if we don't know where the heck we're going, then any road (or streetcar, bike trail, Metro line, etc.) will get us there. But why would anyone in their right mind want to make policy this totally bass-ackwards way (come up with some money, then figure out what the heck we want to do with it, but NEVER really decide what our long-term transportation vision is). It almost makes me feel like Alice in Wonderland myself, in the sense of the following classic lines of dialogue. Enjoy. :) "But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn't have come here."

Cuccinelli: People Should "Go to Jail" Rather than Sell Contraception; More Cuccinsanity!

Ken Kookinelli is busy pandering to the far right wing, of which he is a member of course. The latest example is his appearance on an Iowa-based radio show last night. The audio is here (starting at around 12:45), and it's as crazy as always. A few highlights.1. On gun control, Cuckoo has an unintentionally hilarious line, claiming "I don't want to inflame things by coming up with crazy hypotheticals." In this case, he's talking about the potential for the Evil Gubmint to come and TAKE ALL OUR GUNS AWAY FROM US or some other "outrageous" action against liberty, freedom, motherhood, apple pie, etc. Of course, Kookinelli then proceeds to crazy slippery slope talk, about how if we had a few commonsense, reasonable measures on guns, such as restrictions on assault weapons or closing the gun show loophole, who knows what the Evil Gubmint could go after next - the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment? I mean, there goes the whole Bill of Rights if we ban cop-killer bullets or whatever. Or, Cuckoo muses, "could we be 'safer' from crime if the president just decided things weren't safe enough so he was going to start putting dents in the 4th Amendment?" Ee gads, the guy's certifiable. As if all that's not amusing enough, in a dark sort of way, Cuckoo muses that there's some sort of "PR plan" to make the raving/frothing pro-gun fanatics like this guy or this guy or this guy the public face of the any-gun/anywhere/any-time crowd. Uh Ken, something tells me it doesn't take any "PR plan" to make raving lunatics look like raving lunatics. Just let them talk, and everyone can see what they are. But sure, if you want to believe in your wacky conspiracy theories, if those help you make sense of your world and feel better about yourself and your own warped belief system, I guess go for it. 2. They then talk about Cuckoo's supposed "big victory" over the EPA, which they of course completely mischaracterize as somehow the EPA believing "water was bad." Our own kindler utterly demolished that idiocy the other day, but shockingly, these folks don't appear to read Blue Virginia. Heh. Seriously, though, the guy who actually thinks he should be the next governor of Virginia then proceeds to pander to these right-wing talk show idiots, making a big joke about how the EPA really wanted to regulate water "that falls from the sky when it rains," how the EPA failed to sue the appropriate party (Cuckoo says that would be "God") on this issue, and generally what imbeciles those eggheads at the EPA are. Of course, Cuckoo doesn't mention that this "great win for Virginia" was delivered by a George W. Bush appointee ('nuff said?), and that it will simply mean that a creek in Fairfax County won't get cleaned up for many more years to come, if ever. Congratulations, my hero! (snark) 3. Finally, on the "Hobby Lobby religious conscience case" regarding (legal) contraception, Cuckoo REALLY goes off the deep end, claiming that "here we're going to have an example of what tyranny means when it's played to its logical conclusion, because forcing business owners and businesses to do this is not consistent with our history of preserving religious liberty, one of the most important protections we have in this country." Uh huh. But wait, it gets worse: Cuckoo relates that he spoke to his "local bishop" about this, recounting that the bishop said, "Well, you know I told a group I'm ready to go to jail," and that he (Cuckoo) responded, "Bishop, don't take this personally: You need to go to jail." That's right, Ken Cuccinelli is arguing that people need to go to jail to prevent women from having access to a legal (not to mention absolutely necessary) product, contraception, in 2013 America. Basically, this is Ken Cuccinelli as fanatic, theocrat, American Taliban, whatever you want to say. Amazing. P.S. DPVA Chair Charniele Herring responds to the lunacy of Cuckoo's point #3, saying: "Virginia women deserve better than an Attorney General who wants employers in this Commonwealth to 'go to jail' rather than comply with the law of the land and offer insurance coverage for contraceptives that experts say are essential to keeping women healthy. Ken Cuccinelli's outside-the-mainstream attacks on FDA-approved birth control should have no place in the office of Virginia's top lawyer and certainly not in the Governor's mansion." You can say that again!

Australia, U.S. Burning Up Due to Global Warming; VA Has Climate Science Denier Running for Gov?!?

So, a couple of items: 1) NOAA reports that "2012 was warmest and second most extreme year on record for the contiguous U.S." (other than record warmth, we had the bizarre derecho, drought, Superstorm Sandy, etc.; 2) Australia is burning as a "searing heat wave has smashed records, exceeding 115 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas," prompting "Australian officials decided to add new colors to their weather maps in case the mercury crept still higher."Here in the United States, of course we're responding to this planetary emergency - one that is already accelerating mass species extinctions and other ecological mayhem, oceanic acidification, and numerous other environmental catastrophes (including to our own species, by the way) - with the urgency it deserves, just as if we'd been attacked at Pearl Harbor or on 9/11 or...oh, what am I talking about?!?  In reality, we're not doing jack@#$@ about the situation, except making it worse of course, by continuing to increase our output of fossil fuels, by failing to put a price on carbon dioxide emissions, by not passing a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill when we had a chance, etc, etc. In sum, as a species, we are now being confronted with our greatest challenge ever, and so far we are failing miserably, and almost absolutely, to deal with it. Case in point: here in Virginia, where we not only have an all-around lunatic (homophobe, xenophobe, birther, conspiracy theorist, etc.) running for governor (as a Republican, of course!), but someone who incredibly denies climate science and even persecutes climate scientists! Is this just a really lame joke or are we living in an insane asylum?  Are we collectively suicidal? Seriously, there are actually real people out there who support Ken Kookinelli to be governor of Virginia?!? Look, I'm all for people having whatever opinions they'd like to have on whatever topic. However, as the saying goes, you're entitled to your opinion, but NOT to your own facts. And the facts are clear: anthropogenic (originating from human activity) greenhouse gas emissions have tipped the balance of the earth's atmosphere into extremely dangerous territory. Not 100 years from now. Not 20 years from now. Right now. As in, today. Which means we need to take urgent action not 100 years or 20 years from now, but today. Actually, we needed to start years ago, but that just means there's even more urgency now. So, why on earth are we still "debating" climate science, as if science is a topic for "debate," as opposed to debating how we're going to DEAL with it, which is what we should be debating? On the latter point, note that it was conservative think tanks that came up with the idea of "cap and trade," and also keep in mind that the concept of putting a price on externalities (e.g., case of market failure) is also totally consistent with conservative thought. Finally, the concept of "creation care" is not exactly a radical notion. So why are the Ken Kookinellis of the world so isane on this issue?  It's pretty obvious: on top of being extremists in general (probably yearning for the Rapture and all that), they're also beholden to a large extent on entrenched fossil fuel interests that feel threatened by a clean energy transition, and of course by a shift away from carbon-based fuels. Clearly, though, there's no reason that any Virginian should actually vote for tools and wackos like this. Right?!? P.S. If I haven't been clear enough, let me put it this way: anyone who denies science should be automatically disqualified for holding public office in this country, or from being listened to on ANY issue. End of story.

Crazy, Extreme, and/or Stupid Virginia Teapublican Legislation for 2013 (so far)

The following list of crazy, extreme, and/or stupid proposed 2013 Virginia legislation, pretty much all of which is by Teapublicans, is not intended to be complete. Also, in coming days, I'm sure we'll see many more pieces of bad legislation submitted. If you see anything interesting, please post it in the comments section here, or start your own diary. Thanks.P.S. I haven't added any commentary, because I think the craziness and stupidity of these bills stand for themselves. Del. "Sideshow" Bob Marshall (R-13) School boards; employee firearms training. ("Requires every school board in the Commonwealth to designate at least one qualified person for every school in the district who, upon application with the school board, may carry a concealed handgun on school property.") Health insurance; contraception coverage. ("Provides that no individual or group accident and sickness insurance policy, individual or group accident or sickness subscription contract, or health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for contraception methods, sterilization procedures, abortifacient drugs or devices unless the subscriber or enrollee in the policy, contract, or plan requests such coverage.") Income tax. ("Deconforms Virginia income tax laws from two provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that otherwise would increase the state income tax.") Study; joint subcommittee to study alternative medium of commerce or currency; report. ("Establishes a joint subcommittee to study whether the Commonwealth should adopt an alternate medium of commerce or currency to serve as an alternative to the currency distributed by the Federal Reserve System in the event of a major breakdown of the Federal Reserve System.")

lowkell :: Crazy, Extreme, and/or Stupid Virginia Teapublican Legislation for 2013 (so far)

Del. Richard Bell (R-20) and Sen. Richard Black (R-13) Constitutional amendment (first resolution); right to work. ("Provides that any agreement or combination between any employer and any labor union or labor organization whereby persons not members of such union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer...")Del. Mark Cole (R-88) and Sen. Richard Black (R-13) Elections; polling place procedures; voter identification requirements. ("Removes several items from the list of acceptable identification documents that a voter must present when voting at the polls on election day: a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck that shows the name and address of the voter.") Del. James LeMunyon (R-67) United States Constitution; amendment. ("Makes application to the United States Congress to call an amendment convention for the purpose of proposing a constitutional amendment that requires a balanced federal budget.") Del. Rick Morris (R-64) Application of foreign law in Virginia courts; domestic relations. ("Provides that if a court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or other adjudicative or enforcement authority bases its decision in a domestic relations matter on foreign law, and such decision violates a person's rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and Constitution of Virginia, then such decision will be void as violative of the public policy of the Commonwealth.") Sen. Charles Carrico (R-40) Substance abuse screening and assessment of public assistance applicants and recipients. ("Requires local departments of social services to screen each Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW) program participant to determine whether probable cause exists to believe the participant is engaged in the use of illegal substances.") Electoral College. ("Provides that the Commonwealth's electoral votes shall be allocated by congressional district.") Constitutional amendment (first resolution); freedom of speech. ("Expands the freedom of speech provisions of the Constitution of Virginia to permit prayer and the recognition of religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including public school property.") {Also, add Sen. William Stanley (R-20)on this one} Sen. Thomas Garrett (R-22) Nonpublic school students; participation in interscholastic programs. ("Prohibits public schools from joining an organization governing interscholastic programs that does not deem eligible for participation a student who (i) is receiving home instruction...") Funding for certain abortions. ("Repeals the section authorizing the Board of Health to fund abortions for women who meet the financial eligibility criteria of the State Plan for Medical Assistance in cases in which a physician certifies that he believes that the fetus would be born with a gross and totally incapacitating physical deformity or mental deficiency.") Sen. Stephen Martin (R-11) Elimination of the corporate income tax. ("Eliminates the corporate income tax for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, by setting the rate of the tax at zero percent.") Sen. Jeffrey McWaters (R-8) Assignment of general fund balance; Transportation Trust Fund. ("Increases from 67 percent to 75 percent the portion of the general fund surplus remaining at the end of each fiscal year that is deposited into the Transportation Trust Fund.") Sen. Bryce Reeves (R-17) Rights of parents. ("Provides that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children and such right shall not be infringed by the government unless the governmental interest as applied to the parents is of the highest order and not otherwise served.")

Fairfax Supervisors Back Cuccinelli's War on EPA

by Kindler

A central act in AG Ken Cuccinelli's schtick is blaming the EPA for everything bad in the world: high electricity prices, climate change conspiracies, the heartbreak of psoriasis -- you name it.  It's who he is.  But why would the Democratic-controlled Fairfax County Board of Supervisors aid and abet him in this act -- at a time when he is running to become the #1 Tea Party Governor in America? You better ask them.  The Board and Cuccinelli just won a lawsuit against EPA on the issue of protecting aquatic life in a local creek. Not surprisingly, Cuccinelli characterized the case by employing his favorite rhetorical technique -- LYING: "EPA was literally treating water itself - the very substance the Clean Water Act was created to protect - as a pollutant." Really?  Well, here's my challenge to Kookinelli and his supporters: please read through the hundreds of pages of EPA's regulatory decision on this matter -- and show me where they declare water to be a pollutant.

kindler :: Fairfax Supervisors Back Cuccinelli's War on EPA

They don't -- this case is about the regulation of stormwater runoff, a matter which EPA has regulated for years through the Clean Water Act, which Virginia itself regulates through the Virginia Stormwater Management Act, which indeed has been controlled going back as far as ancient Crete.  The problem is that in urban environments, full of concrete and asphalt, stormwater no longer naturally percolates through the greenery and soil, but is channeled at high levels and velocity into streams -- picking up all manner of pollutants as it goes (oil, pesticides, fertilizer, plastic, etc.).  It also effectively gouges out stream banks through erosion (as shown in the photo above), causing sediment to build up and threatening aquatic life in the process.In this case, Accotink Creek had been found environmentally deficient since 1996.  EPA's proposed solution was for Fairfax County to reduce its stormwater runoff, thereby limiting further sediment flow into the stream.  As EPA and the judge stated clearly, stormwater here was to be regulated as a "surrogate" for the sediment, not as the "pollutant" itself.  Judge O'Grady's decision, found on Cuccinelli's own website, states clearly: "Both parties agree that sediment is a pollutant and stormwater is not." EPA has regulated stormwater runoff through another part of the Clean Water Act for years; the only question here is whether they could regulate stormwater in this instance, using a different part of the statute. The only argument of the plaintiffs for which I might have any sympathy is the question of "unfunded mandates" -- it is true that Congress creates, and Federal agencies enforce, requirements without any money provided to help local governments achieve them.  That said, Fairfax County is the third-wealthiest county in America, not likely to go bankrupt any time soon. And if you want more Federal support for local environmental progress, don't empower Tea Party government-hating types like Ken Cuccinelli. In addition, EPA in its regulatory decision encouraged solutions that involved not just greater stormwater permitting, but creative solutions -- "best management practices" or BMPs in bureaucratese -- that would give us a literally greener county: This comprehensive implementation approach could include BMPs that directly restore/improve aquatic habitat (such as streambank restoration and reconnection of the floodplain to the stream), as well as BMPs that directly address the existing hydrologic alteration (such as green roofs, pervious pavements, rain gardens, and other low impact development/green infrastructure techniques). A Fairfax County full of more parks, green roofs, restored streambanks and living streams -- sounds like a nightmare! It is very unfortunate that Fairfax County Supervisor Sharon Bulova and her minions have chosen to give Ken Cuccinelli yet another chance to grandstand and prevaricate -- and actually win a case for a change (admittedly one presided over by a George W. Bush appointee).  I would strongly encourage these Board members to separate themselves from Cuccinelli's thoroughly dishonest and misleading rhetoric about the case. Kudos in the meantime to Supervisor John Foust, who chose not to be Cuccinelli's handmaiden in this case.  And thanks to two of Northern Virginia's finest legislators for taking a more foresighted position: "Attacking the regulatory action as illegal or inappropriate, to me, is kind of overkill," says Virginia State Del. Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon).[...] Regardless of whether or not the EPA has the authority to set that kind of rule, some are uncomfortable with the politics. Del. Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church) is among them. She believes Fairfax County's lawsuit against the EPA sends the wrong message and undercuts the local government's reputation as an environmental leader. "Simply the headline that the county is suing the EPA and they are partnering with Cuccinelli is very damaging to that reputation," says Kory. I can't argue with that.

Democratic LG Candidates Weigh in on UVA Rector Helen Dragas

(UPDATE: I'm hearing that the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS), which recently put UVA on "warning," is itself under investigation by the US Department of Education... - promoted by lowkell) In this morning's news roundup, I linked to the Virginia Pilot article on University of Virginia Rector Helen Dragas, and specifically her "tough road to confirmation in the General Assembly after spearheading a controversial effort last June to oust U.Va. President Teresa Sullivan." I saw thatSen. Ralph Northam, who is running for the Democratic nomination for Virginia LG, was quoted in the story, sounding somewhat "sympathetic" (the article's adjective) to Dragas. I wanted to check with Northam's people, as well as with the other Democratic LG candidate, Aneesh Chopra, to find out more.I first spoke with Aneesh Chopra's campaign. Their position is basically that, knowing what he knows now, he would not support Dragas' reappointment to the UVA Board of Visitors. Of course, they emphasized to me, that if Chopra was in a position to vote on this, he'd want to sit down with Dragas and hear her side of the story. He'd also want the entire process to be conducted with openness and transparency, both of which his campaign emphasized are very important to him. As for Sen. Northam, his campaign told me that more than anything, he wants a fair, transparent process. They noted that a LACK of transparency was a big part of the reason the situation turned into the problem that it did. Thus, Sen. Northam believes there should be a full, fair public hearing on this issue before the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. Northam also wants to speak with Dragas again (he's spoken with her previously but has additional questions/concerns),  as well as to talk to UVA President Sullivan and to other members of the UVA Board of Visitors, so he can get the full story. Having said that, Sen. Northam clearly believes that Dragas made some "grave mistakes," and he has "a lot of reservations" about her reappointment. He's heard a tremendous amount from constituents on this issue, and people clearly feel VERY strongly about this subject. In the end, Sen. Northam will listen to his constituents, as well as to the facts, and then make a decision. My position? I agree that Dragas should receive a fair, open hearing. I agree that all facts that should be heard. But having said all that, I find it difficult to imagine what facts could possibly emerge that would outweigh the damage - both actual and perceived - that's already been inflicted due in large measure to Dragas' ham-handed, arrogant, foolish, irresponsible behavior. Thus, barring some astounding revelations, I would strongly support Dragas' reappointment to the UVA Board of Visitors being REJECTED by the General Assembly.

Virginia GOP Got 51% of U.S. House Vote, 73% of Seats

by The Green Miles

David Wasserman's national House popular vote data now shows Democrats got significantly more votes than Republicans - a lead of 49.15% to 48.03% for a margin of 1.362 million votes. It was gerrymandering - not the will of the people - that gave Republicans a 33-seat majority. How did it look here in Virginia? Popular votes cast in Virginia U.S. House races for ... Democrats: 1,806,050 (49%) Republicans: 1,876,699 (51%)U.S. House seats won by ... Democrats: 3 (27%) Republicans: 8 (73%) At ThinkProgress.org, Iam Millhiser estimates Democrats would have to win the national popular vote in the House by 7.25% to win a majority of House seats. With 2006 district lines, roughly that same national margin gave Democrats a 31-seat majority - but with 2014's gerrymandering, it would barely give Democrats control of the chamber. And with more safe Republican districts come more extreme Tea Party members - Republicans know they face just as big a threat in the primary as they do in the general election.This is a problem that can only be solved on the national level. It does us no good if only some states go to nonpartisan redistricting - then power accumulates with the parties that control the gerrymandered states and you're just rewarding the bad actors.