I just had lunch with John Bell, a decorated veteran and self-proclaimed "moderate Democrat" running against the extreme, bigoted, back-in-the-stone age "Sideshow Bob" Marshall in the 13th House of Delegates district. For more on Marshall's insanity -- including his comment about "making these co-eds chemical Love Canals for these frat house playboys in Virginia," his comparison of the economic recovery act to slavery (!!), his assertions that "sometimes incest is voluntary" and that "the woman becomes a sin-bearer of the crime, because the right of a child predominates over the embarrassment of the woman" - click here. As Virginia Log Cabin Republicans President David Lampo says, "[Marshall is] just...an awful person and just an embarrassment to the Republican Party." No argument here.In contrast to "Sideshow Bob," John Bell is a highly impressive person and a highly impressive candidate for House of Delegates. Bell served as a Finance Officer in the United States Air Force for 26 years, retiring as a Major. Hmmm...you think we could use a bit of Bell's finance expertise right now in Virginia or what?!? :) On the issues, Bell is all about growing the economy so we can invest in transportation, education, and up-and-coming new industries like clean tech. On transportation, Bell says that we're in a "transportation funding death spiral," and he's right. To get us out of this mess, Bell has proposed - among other things - adopting the "Practical Design Concept" pioneered by the State of Missouri. In general, Bell believes that we have to make sure we don't starve the "goose that laid the golden egg" of Virginia's prosperity - overall quality of life, including education and of course the ability to move around the region. Bell reminds me a lot of Terry McAuliffe when he talks about "growing the economy" and "not raising taxes in a down economy." Ultimately, of course, Bell recognizes that it requires money to invest in infrastructure, which makes this former Republican (and self-described "fiscal conservative") a pragmatist. The exact opposite of Bob Marshall and his ultra-right-wing ideological approach to pretty much everything.
Finally, a note on "social issues." To put it bluntly, Bob Marshall is a bigot and extremist: anti-women, anti-gay, anti-contraception, you name it. In sharp contrast, Bell is against bigotry of ANY KIND and will stand up to bullies who demonize the oppressed. Having said that, Bell - a pragmatist and moderate Republican for many years - isn't focused on these issues, he's focused on growing the economy, improving transportation, and other issues that most people deal with in their day-to-day lives. For instance, Bell points out that being stuck in traffic means that parents have less time to spend with their families, often missing soccer games and other events simply because they can't get there in time. That's a "family values" issue we should all care about, yet Bob Marshall has done absolutely nothing to deal with this problem. If elected in November, the 13th district will get completely different - and far superior - representation in Richmond from John Bell compared to "Sideshow Bob." I urge everyone to support John Bell and help him ring Bob Marshall's bell! :)
P.S. This district was narrowly carried by Barack Obama in November 2008 and has been trending "blue" for years now. It's time to continue that trend by defeating "Sideshow Bob!"