As part of our continuing series, here are a few interesting articles from this date in Virginia political history, courtesy of the Raising Kaine archives.8/17/05: Bush at 42% Approval in Virginia ("According to SurveyUSA, President Bush is now at a 42% approve/52% disapprove rating in Virginia, down from 49% approve/46% disapprove in June. In other words, Bush has gone from PLUS 3 to MINUS 10 in just the past two months. Ouch!")
8/18/05: Northern Virginia Business Execs Say, "Let Potts Debate!" ("The Washington Post reports today that a 'group of top business executives, which includes Democrats and Republicans,' have written a letter to the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce 'urging the business organization to include independent candidate H. Russell Potts Jr. in its gubernatorial debate next month.'")
8/18/06: New SurveyUSA Poll [UPDATE: New Rasmussen Poll - Allen 47%, Webb 42%] (by a 46%-7% margin, respondents say that "macaca" will hurt George Allen's chances for reelection)
8/18/06: Sidarth's Grandparents Write Angry Letter to Washington Post ("It is quite shocking for a person of Mr. Allen's caliber, who is running for a second Senate term and is a likely candidate for president in 2008, to point a finger at a young lad of 20, bullying our grandson, S.R. Sidarth, and calling him a derogatory and uncalled-for name.")
8/18/06: Tim Kaine on Allen's "Macaca" Comments, Jim Webb ("We've got to make clear that Virginia is open to everyone. Singling out a native-born Fairfax County person, saying 'welcome to America,' [and acting like he is some stranger], it's an insult.")
8/17/07: It's 10 AM, Do You Know Where Michael Vick Is? ("Well, the 9 am deadline for Michael Vick to accept or reject a plea bargain agreement in his dog fighting case has passed. Does anyone know where Michael Vick might be?")
8/18/08: Obama Campaign "changing the map" of Virginia ("Virginia has added a quarter million new voters since 2004, the vast majority of whom appear to be young, African American, from "increasingly Democratic Northern Virginia," etc.")
8/18/08: Gov. Kaine's Statement on Virginia's Budget Problems ("the national economy is continuing to slow, which will necessitate a reforecast this fall and the likely need for more budget cuts. To prepare for the impact of the continued downturn, I have already asked our state agencies to curtail hiring and discretionary spending. But the indicators I will discuss with you today mean that we will likely have to go further in the coming months to address slowing revenues.")