In Easter Message, Pope Francis Condemns Greed, "iniquitous exploitation of natural resources"

From Pope Francis' Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter 2013.

Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century. Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.

Great stuff. Of course, Paul Ryan, Ken Cuccinelli, and their fellow Ayn Rand fans in the Republican Party can't be happy with Pope Francis' condemnation of greed and selfishness, his call to end the "iniquitous exploitation of natural resources" (can we say tar sands? mountaintop removal coal mining? spewing of carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere?), and his plea that we be "responsible guardians of creation." Don't worry, though, I'm sure Paul Ryan, Ken Cuccinelli et al. will just ignore this part of Pope Francis' message. But the rest of us certainly shouldn't!

Audio: Bolling Won't Endorse Cuccinelli; Rips Him as "too extreme...confrontational and combative"

After stating (at 3:45 into the audio) that he will NOT be endorsing Ken Cuccinelli in this year's gubernatorial campaign, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling (R) talks (starting at around 4:45) about his relationship with Virginia Republicans and conservatives since he started considering a run for governor. Pop up some popcorn, because this is good! :)

As far as [RPV] Chairman Pat Mullins is concerned, I haven't heard from him, I haven't heard from the Attorney General, frankly I haven't heard from any of these folks, which doesn't particularly surprise me. But look, the only heat that I took during this entire process, to be perfectly honest, came from the more, I'll just call them passionate elements in our party, who do represent more of the more extreme views within our party. But as far as mainstream Republicans, people that I've known and worked with for years, I think almost every one of them that I talked to was totally understanding of the position we were in...many of them frankly were supportive. I will tell you, I'm not alone in the concerns that I have about the current direction of the Republican Party. There are a lot of other Republican elected officials and party leaders out there who share these exact same concerns, they're just not in a position to voice them...At this particular point in time...I think I've been put in a position...to speak out on the need for a more mainstream approach to governing in Virginia...and the other is to speak out candidly to my fellow Republicans and talk about the need to get our party back to a more mainstream approach.

Great stuff. In other news, Bolling says that Terry McAuliffe has not offered him any position in his administration if he's elected governor. Bolling also says that most moderate and independent Virginia voters see Ken Cuccinelli as "too extreme...too ideologically driven...too confrontational and combative...too focused on the incredibly controversial and divisive issues of the day." The question is, Bollins says, can Cuccinelli redefine himself, and does he even "want to do that, or is [Cuccinelli] gonna double down on the conservative ideology of the farthest right wings of the Republican Party?" Finally, Bolling agrees with the RNC assessment that the GOP is now viewed as "scary, out of touch and simply too extreme," and "I think that is an accurate assessment." For instance, on the issue of abortion, the GOP is "by and large" a "pro-life party," but that doesn't mean the GOP should focus on "controversial and divisive issues like fetal ultrasound." Instead, "why aren't we the party that's championing efforts to reduce teen pregnancy in Virginia...support for crisis pregnancy centers...adoption as an option to abortion?" In Bolling (100% correct) view, "these are positive pro-life alternatives that would be supported not just by pro-life Virginians but by most pro-choice Virginians, and at the end of the day they'd probably do more to reduce the number of abortions being performed in our state than the fetal ultrasound will ever do." As Bolling puts it, that's all part of the Republican Party not being the "stupid party," as Bobby Jindal put it. I couldn't agree more with every word Bill Bolling said here!

Koch-Funded Mercatus Center Embarrasses GMU Yet Again with Laughable Report on "Freedom"

In many ways, George Mason University (GMU) is a fine school, an institution of higher learning that Virginians should be proud of. But in at least one way, it is a cringe-inducing embarrassment. That, of course, is the tremendous amount of money from the Koch brothers that goes to fund climate science denialism, to rail against environmental regulation more broadly, at GMU's far-right-wingnut Mercatus Center, described in The New Yorker as essentially a scam to "take corporate money and give it to a neutral-sounding think tank." Mercatus is very useful to the Koch brothers, of course, because they can count on the corporate/clueless media to cite it as some sort of unbiased, neutral "think tank," when in reality it is wildly biased, and certainly not a "think tank" the way most people would ever "think" of that concept.Given all this, it's not surprising that Koch-funded fellows at Mercatus have now produced a laughable, far-right-wingnut report that purports to measure "Freedom in the 50 States." Of course, it does no such thing, unless by "freedom" you mean "freedom for corporations, polluters, and the super rich to completely run amok, while the state tells you what you can and can't do with your body, who you can or can't marry, whether or not you can organize with other workers to demand better pay and benefits, etc."  In short, this report is a Koch-brothers-meet-John-Galt wet dream of what America should look like. And that, my friends, is not a pleasant thought, in any way, shape or form. Let's look at a few of the metrics they use. Most importantly is having a low "tax burden" (note the loaded words they use?) -- that metric makes up 29% of the entire score in and of itself, and of course the lower the better, even if your state's schools, roads, bridges, health care systems, etc. are falling apart. The super-rich Koch brothers certainly don't care - let the little people suffer, they're doing fine, bwahahahahaha!

lowkell :: Koch-Funded Mercatus Center Embarrasses GMU Yet Again with Laughable Report on "Freedom"

The next highest weighting in this "study" (using the word as loosely as is humanly possible) goes to that pressing issue, one that I know all of us sit up nights worrying about, namely "Freedom from Tort Abuse." What on earth is THAT, you ask? According to Mercatus, "This is what the US Chamber of Commerce calls a state's 'lawsuit climate.' It captures risks and costs that businesses must pass on to consumers as higher prices." Yep, the virulently anti-government, pro-corporate-welfare US Chamber of Commerce came up with with the metric that makes up another 12% of the Mercatus Center's scoring. 'Nuff said. So, combine those two items - low taxes and "freedom from tort abuse" - and you're up to over 40% of the score right there. Throw in a few more on the "libertarian" wish list - "gun control freedom" (6.6%), "health insurance freedom" (5.4%), tobacco and alcohol "freedom" (6.9% combined), "labor market freedom" (3.8%) - and you've got the bulk of it. Note, by the way, that "marriage freedom" is weighted at just 2.1%, lower than "alcohol freedom" (2.8%), "tobacco freedom" (4.1%), and many others. So yes, the whole thing would be completely laughable if it weren't so insidious. Alex Pareene of Salon skewers it here, noting that the Koch-funded Mercatus Institute's "definition of 'freedom' largely adheres to the standard American libertarian conception of 'liberty,' which is to say it is oriented almost entirely around private property ownership and low taxation." Thus, North Dakota comes out in the rankings as the most "free" state, even though it just "passed the most restrictive antiabortion laws in the country...[i]ncluding a law specifically aimed at shutting down the state's lone abortion provider." In other words, you're free in North Dakota to have very low taxes and very low services, but if you're a woman you are NOT free to make important medical decisions, with your doctor, about your body. Is this the combo "Atlas Shrugged"/"The Handmaid's Tale" version of "freedom" or what? By the way, just in case you're at all interested, Virginia is considered by the Koch brothers, aka Mercatus, as "one of the freest states in the country, ranking eighth overall," in part due to " Virginia's status as a right-to-work state." Lovely, huh? Meanwhile, just to our north, our unfortunate brethren in Communist Maryland suffer at #44, despite the fact that you can marry who you want there, while Virginia enshrines discrimination into its state constitution. Got that? I'd also note that, as a general rule, the "blue" states - the ones that are huge net donors to the "red" states - are considered less "free," while the "red" states - huge net recipients of federal largesse, with the lowest education and health rankings in the country - are considered the most "free." To put it another way, if you were dreaming up a dystopian vision of America, and ranking the most dystopian states the highest and the least dystopian the lowest, you'd basically have...the Mercatus Center study. What an embarrassment.

Photos: Mark Warner Gets an Earful on Keystone Pipeline

Great job by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), confronting Sen. Warner on his badly mistaken vote regarding the Keystone dirty Canadian tar sands pipeline (note: click on image to "embiggen")! Here's how they described it: Today in Harrisonburg, over 70 Virginians confronted Senator Mark Warner on his decision to support the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Not only did the Senator receive our message as he walked into a private luncheon, a group of pipeline protesters were also invited to sit down for an hour-long meeting with his Chief of Staff, where we demanded a public response by next week. I'd also note that Sen. Warner's just plain wrong that we need an "all of the above" strategy. To the stark contrary, there have been multiple studies demonstrating that we could feasibly power the country, and the planet, on 100% (or close to it) clean energy, if we just put our minds to it (I strongly recommend that Sen. Warner read this NY Times article, "Life After Oil and Gas"). But if we keep repeating the false mantra that we will "need" coal, oil, etc. for decades to come, that will only make it harder to do what we have to do: get off this planet-destroying stuff ASAP. What about that does Sen. Warner not "get?"

Video: Last Night's Howard Dean/DFA Fundraiser for Jennifer Boysko, John Bell

Last night's Howard Dean/DFA fundraiser on Capitol Hill for Democratic House of Delegates candidates Jennifer Boysko and John Bell was a big success. The room was packed for the DFA "Purple to Blue" kickoff, the energy level was high, and the candidates were fired up. Check out the videos, and please help our great Democratic candidates this year! First, here's John Bell (introduced by DFA Communications Director Neil Sroka) running in the Obama/Kaine 87th district against the utterly egregious David Ramadan. This is one we must win this November. More video on the "flip," starting with Fairfax Supervisor John Foust introducing Jennifer Boysko, who's running against Tom Rust (R) in the 86th district. Also, make sure you check out 5:35 into the video for a special treat! :) Also, check out this photo of former Dean for President super-volunteer Jennifer Boysko with Howard Dean. Next, Howard Dean speaks about DFA's "Purple to Blue" program and rips into "crackpot" "Crazy Ken" Cuccinelli ("he's nuts...anti immigrant, anti women, anti working families...it's just no no no no no...climate change, science...Ken Cuccinelli is not a serious person; he's a smart guy, but he's crazy"). Also, check out 2:28 into the video as Howard Dean riffs hilariously on perhaps his most well-known moment in the spotlight. Great stuff; gotta love a politician who can laugh at himself... Here's a bit more from Howard Dean, this time about how the right wing "hates others," and how this country is not about "hate," and most importantly about how change "comes from the bottom" not from the top. Regarding that last point, Dean said that Boysko and Bell won't win unless we have 400-500 people knocking on doors. Dean concluded with this fiery riff:

The extremism that you hear from the Republican Party, whether it's in Virginia or North Dakota, is not where Americans are, and the only way we can remind them of that is to win elections. They're scared running around because Obama beat the pants off of them, as he should have, and we're not going to let them up off the mat, because this is our country...this is a country that cares about community, not about tearing down community, and we are going to change America, and it's going to start with Jennifer and John.

Finally, Jennifer Boysko, John Bell and Howard Dean answer a few questions from the crowd.

The 2003 Draft Wesley Clark Movement Loses Two of Its Grassroots Superstars

It's kind of ironic that I've been spending so much time talking about Howard Dean this week. Why ironic? First, because I was a big supporter of General Wesley Clark - not Governor Dean - for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2003. Second, because two of the biggest stars of the Draft Wesley Clark movement - both of whom get major shoutouts in my book, Netroots Rising ("How a Citizen Army of Bloggers and Online Activists is Changing American Politics") - passed away recently, and they've been on my mind a lot.Let's start with the most recent: Stan Davis (to Clark's right in the photo, the one with all the Clark buttons), who passed away on Saturday. Stan ran the main Draft Wesley Clark Yahoo group, and said of the Draft movement that it was made up of "ordinary people doing extraordinary things."  As I wrote in Netroots Rising, Stan was a "56-year-old Colorado man who had nearly died of a stroke in 2002, and was retired for medical reasons." Like me, Stan saw Clark's June 15, 2003 Meet the Press interview, and "Clark's persona and message excited" Stan, spurring him to attend the first Denver Draft Clark Meetup on July 7, 2003. Stan soon became the moderator of the largest Clark Yahoo group (Clark 2004), as well as one of General Clark's most passionate - and effective - netroots supporters. He also became someone I considered a good friend, comrade in arms, also a friendly debating partner (as much or more about philosophy and other subjects than politics). Stan was also one of the nicest, classiest, most diplomatic people I've ever met, and he needed to be, moderating a group with thousands of members and tens of thousands of messages. There's a lot to say about Stan, but it's hard to top his own life described in his own words. A few points that jump out at me as I reread this: 1) Stan started out as a big Goldwater fan, before his "flaming liberal fiancée opened my eyes;" 2) in 1999, he was given 6 months to live following a stroke, exacerbated by hemochromatosis (a genetic blood disorder in which "the body doesn't metabolize iron") and diabetes; 3) after languishing for three years or so, Stan was rejuvenated by the Draft Clark movement, to which he committed "my support...and my life;" 4) as Stan puts it, the Clark movement - along with "crossword puzzles" and his divorce - "combined to...well...save my life." Politics saving someone's life? How can that be possible, the cynical might ask? Very simple: believing in something bigger than yourself; connecting with a community and a movement that inspires you; finding a purpose to your existence; those things can make all the difference in having the will to live - or not. And in Stan's case, it worked - until this past Saturday. Finally, before I move on to the other Draft Wesley Clark leader who passed away recently, here's General Wesley Clark himself on Stan Davis, and what Stan meant to him. Very moving.

lowkell :: The 2003 Draft Wesley Clark Movement Loses Two of Its Grassroots Superstars

I will really miss Stan Davis. He was a Navy veteran and a fine man. But for me he had a special role as one of a handful of people who really provided me the will to run for President. He helped organize the draft, and encouraged me at every step. Not because he had great money, or huge political influence but because he had a strong faith in America, and believed that someone had to stand up for our country and our principles. Again and again, Stan was there for me. I could look into the audience in California, or Denver, or New Hampshire, and Stan was there.I knew Stan would rally the troops, and that he cared about the big issues, like I did. I knew he was ill, and in failing health. Still, it's a shock, and a loss. Stan, we miss you! Yes, we do. Rest in peace, my friend (or as Stan would say, "mon ami").The other Draft Clark superstar who passed away recently is Ellen Dana Nagler, who Stan Davis identified as of his key mentors. On February 2, I got an email - followed by a long phone call - from our mutual friend (and Clarkie) Kelly Flinn, informing me that Ellen had passed away the day before. There's a lot to say about Ellen, but to give you a flavor of her role in the Clark movement, here's an excerpt from Netroots Rising: On October 5, Ellen Nagler, the leader of Santa Barbara for Clark, and one of the brightest political people in the Clark movement -- her campaign experience went back to Bobby Kennedy in 1968 -- wrote to Lowell in an instant message chat that "the Clark Movement is being systematically excluded."  Nagler complained that Digital Clark (a repository for radio and TV interviews with Clark) "is gone" and that "for days, if you clicked on the [popular] Clark Tribune newsletter on the main site you got redirected to the main campaign press page."    Nagler expressed her belief that the campaign professionals viewed the draft people as "mavericks" or even "unruly children" who needed to be "brought under control or sent away from the table if we 'misbehave'." In short, Ellen was a fierce defender of - and believer in - the power of the progressive grassroots/netroots activism to change American politics for the better. And she certainly practiced that in her life. Of course, that shouldn't be surprising for someone who called herself an "unreconstructed liberal," and who never lost her Brooklyn/NY City attitude ("chutzpah"), nor her sense of outrage at injustice and right-wing lunacy. Ellen also was highly involved in her local and state Democratic Parties.As for the Clark campaign, Ellen and I both grew increasingly frustrated - and alienated - during the fall of 2003, after we had both been as excited and energized as can be for General Clark during the summer. In numerous, early-morning (for me - VERY late night for her in California!) chats, Ellen and I discussed our growing frustration over the systematic exclusion of the draft elements from the Clark campaign. Among other things, this contributed to the decision of Clark's first campaign manager, Donnie Fowler Jr., to resign on October 7, 2003. As Fowler told me later, the "professional" political folks brought in to run the Clark campaign had made the mistake of trying to "dam up the river" of netroots talent and enthusiasm, instead of working to harness it intelligently, as the Obama campaign did in 2008 and 2012. In my view, and I'm confident that Ellen would agree, the decision to make the Clark campaign "top down," instead of "bottom up" (or even better, a hybrid of "top down" and "bottom up," as we ended up with in the Webb campaign of 2006), played a major role in General Clark losing the primary. The last I heard from Ellen was actually in September 2009, when she emailed to tell me that Virginia is "such a critical state" politically, and how glad she was that I was still blogging, at Blue Virginia, after the demise of RK/Raising Kaine. My hope is that if there's an afterlife, that Ellen and Stan are sharing a cool drink, debating politics and philosophy, in English and/or in French, which they both loved. And, of course, leading a "draft" progressive political movement wherever they are! :) P.S. I miss you both!

Howard Dean, DFA Launch Purple to Blue Project, Target 5 Districts in Virginia for 2013

I just got off a conference call with former DNC Chair Howard Dean; Democracy For America's (DFA's) Purple to Blue Project Director Nick Passanante; 86th House of Delegates district candidate Jennifer Boysko; 87th House of Delegates district candidate John Bell; and Virginia House Democratic Caucus Executive Director Jody Murphy. The purpose of the call was to discuss the launch of DFA's Purple to Blue project ("a new effort to win state legislative house and senate chambers"), and also to introduce DFA's first two Purple to Blue candidates in Virginia - Boysko and Bell. This marks the beginning of "a national, multi-year  effort to win state House and Senate chambers," this year "focused on elections in five key 'purple' districts currently represented by Republicans in  Virginia's House of Delegates." Here are my notes, cleaned up a bit, from the rest of the call. Also, don't forget the event tonight with Howard Dean for Jennifer Boysko and John Bell!Nick Passanante Right now, there's a radical, right-wing agenda going unchecked at state level. Elections for state legislatures are critically important. We need to win back state house and senate districts across the country. In 2013, the focus will be on Virginia's House of Delegates (Lowell's note: currently, Democrats hold just 32 out of 100 seats).  DFA is targeting five key purple districts currently represented by Republicans.  This will be a robust, layered campaign, highly data driven, microtargeted, $750,000 in just these 5 districts on targeted mail, media, etc.  This will send a powerful message to Republicans, that if you continue to wage war on women, voting rights, etc., we will defeat you at the ballot box. This effort is just the beginning; we are looking forward to 2014 races in PA, MI, IA, as well as 2015 State Senate races in Virginia. We will announce the other three targeted Virginia districts over the 2-3 weeks; making those decisions now. People who live outside these districts can help by chipping in a few bucks, volunteering on phones/doors, using the Call Out the Vote program. The plan is to stretch every dollar to go as far as possibly can. We've run our field program multiple times in the past, including in the WI recall effort. We've gotten so good at it that we see a higher than 50% contact rate with door knocking. Those are unheard-of numbers in terms of contacts, in large part due to microtargeting. Mail/media: working with Pivot Mail - Joel Rivlin, Dean Levitan, etc. - which runs highly targeted and data driven mail programs.  We won't just send out blanket mail pieces, but ones that are really tailored to each individual in the district. Also, targeted media - cable, etc. Howard Dean This really is of national importance, not just in Virginia. The radical tone set by extreme right winger Ken Cuccinelli is spreading elsewhere. The recent anti-abortion bill in ND, for instance, started in Virginia with Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli has a record of defunding Planned Parenthood, promoting discrimination against LGBT Virginians; in general, he's way outside the mainstream of Virginia, "antediluvian" views, I actually wondered if he was sane....we call him "Crazy Ken." We've got a real opportunity to change the legislature in Virginia, although we can't just hope to do it in a single campaign - will take time. As I like to say, the longest journey begins with a single step; there's lots of work to do, seats to pick up in the Virginia legislature. If we had a legislature that made some sense, and didn't pass all this extreme legislation, we wouldn't have the threat of a Gov. Cuccinelli and a rubber stamp legislature.  This will be a tough governor's race. What DFA can do, as well as grassroots organizations everywhere should do, is to focus on state legislatures. Part of the problem is gerrymandering by Republicans - cheating in elections, essentially - plus voter ID laws to suppress Democratic votes.  Virginia happens to have some terrific candidates running this year. We need to stop the right-wing extremism. This isn't about left vs. right, but about sane, normal Americans taking on the extreme right wingers with their bizarre ideas. Virginia is not a right-wing state any more, it's a thoughtful, middle of the road state. We'll be doing this all over the country, will expand to the entire country.  In 2005, Tim Kaine started a wave that took back the country for the Democrats in 2006 and 2008, so it really all does start in Virginia.  This is about what's standing up for what's right for America, for the real America... A little money goes a long way in these state legislative races.  Anything that anybody gives would be really helpful. This is how you win national races, make our country stronger and better, by focusing on the grassroots, on taking back state legislatures, Virginia and other states back, then building towards 2016. Jody Murphy:  Thanks to Governor Dean and to DFA for their involvement; their help will be crucial, can't thank them enough. This effort is so important in Virginia, because our caucus is in a super minority, which hampers our ability to stop this crazy legislation - on women's reproductive health, restricting people's right to vote, etc. We have several good candidates running across the Commonwealth. These seats are seats we can win running on progressive values and progressive issues, these are not right-wing seats.  Specifically, we have several seats in NOVA we can make a real play in. Several seats in Hampton Roads. In rural areas, we've done a good job of getting candidates who really represent their areas/districts. Today, we're talking about John Bell, Jennifer Boysko - phenomenal candidates.  These two seats are real opportunities for us to make pickups. Their opponents are just rubber stamps for current governor and right-wing legislature. Tim Kaine won 19 seats that we currently don't have in the House of Delegates. Republicans have been so far out of the mainstream, with outrageous right-wing legislation - especially attacks on women's health - and the grassroots is responding to that. Jennifer Boysko (86th district vs. Tom Rust) I am thrilled to be on this call to have you supporting me in my race. I was Gov. Dean's state director in 2003, created his grassroots strategy throughout the state.  My district is an interesting one, the most Democratic-voting district in the state that still has a Republican incumbent. Tom Rust has only been challenged twice with a significant race.  The first time was someone with very little money who still won 47% of the vote. The second candidate had no deep community roots. I'll bring both money and deep community roots to the race. With proper funding, community grassroots support, we can win this race. I have a strong campaign team.  Knowing DFA and Howard Dean have my back, I know we can do it.  I look forward to being the 20th woman in the GA. My opponent voted for the TRAP bill (to shut down women's health/reproductive clinics in Virginia).   On transportation, I would have voted for transportation bill, given that it was up or down vote. However, I have a disagreement with the alternative fuel vehicle tax - our air quality is poor. Would have preferred gas tax to simply be indexed as opposed to moving a component of it to sales tax, or taking funds from education/human services. Tom Rust turned into a different person this year. In the past, he voted against immigrants rights, education, cut childcare subsidies, voted against emergency contraception. John Bell (87th District vs. David Ramadan) Thanks to DFA, to Governor Dean for this wonderful program and terrific support. I'm a retired Air Force officer, almost 26 years in the service working with people from different backgrounds, including on finance/budget issues.  I've also been a volunteer in the community, coaching boys' tennis. Community involvement is very important to. Having the right priorities - everyday issues that affect families in their everyday lives. Standing up for the rights of others. Standing up for reproductive rights, marriage equality, all citizens being treated fairly. Transportation gridlock is very important as not just a business issue, but also one that hurts families (time they're stuck in traffic).  This campaign is going to talk about moderation, common sense approaches. David Ramadan is extreme, out of touch.  This is an Obama/Kaine district. Tags: 2013 races, (All Tags) :: Add/Edit Tags on this Post

BREAKING: Cuccinelli Says Transportation Bill, Medicaid Expansion Unconstitutional

According to our fine Attorney General (and his office), the two main accomplishments of the 2013 Virginia General Assembly are not constitutional.1. Transportation It is my opinion that, although the imposition of different taxes on transactions in different localities does not violate Article X, § 1, HB 2313's imposition of taxes in the specific localities constitutes a local law related to taxation prohibited by Article IV, § 14(5) of the Virginia Constitution. It further is my opinion that, because the taxes were imposed directly by the General Assembly, the taxes cannot be saved by the provisions of Article VII, § 2, even if they had obtained the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house. Interesting, I actually thought Article X was a stronger argument against this bill. Go figure.2. Medicaid expansion It is my opinion that the provisions of the 2013 budget act that purport to authorize Medicaid expansion only "[i]f the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission determines that" certain conditions set by the General Assembly have been met constitutes a delegation of the General Assembly's legislative authority. It is further my opinion that the General Assembly may not delegate final legislative authority regarding budgetary or other matters to a committee composed of a subset of the members of the General Assembly. Of course, these are just opinions - correct or incorrect, you decide - by Virginia's AG, not a ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court. Still, it will be fascinating to see how this plays out now, especially given Bob McDonnell's obvious hesitation to make a decision on whether or not to sign the transportation bill. Also, it seems to me that the AG's ruling could have an impact on future Supreme Court deliberations. Hmmmm.P.S. Big winner here? "Sideshow Bob" Marshall, who requested these opinions, of all people. Wonderful. P.P.S. Did the politics of 2013 just get scrambled? All I can say is, it's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out...

New Report Card on Virginia Infrastructure: D+

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is out with its 2013 report card on America's infrastructure, and it's not a pretty picture (note: click on image to "embiggen") - either for the country as a whole, or for Virginia specifically. Virginia gets a D+ grade, with problems like:*1,250 structurally deficient bridges *47% of roads either in poor or mediocre shape *184 high-hazard dams *Billions of dollars needed for wastewater and drinking water upgrades. *Over 46% of schools over 40 years old. *Pressing needs for improvements in Virginia's power grid and alternative energy sources, or else "electrical power rates must increase between 50 and 70 percent over the next 10 years" Since Gov. McDonnell is currently considering what to do with the recently-passed transportation bill, it's worth highlighting that the ASCE full report on Virginia gives our roads a D- grade, for the following reasons: Increasing traffic congestion on Virginia roads is choking major urban areas and is having a negative impact on businesses, commuters, and tourists. VTrans 2025 identifies a funding shortfall for road investment of $74 billion. In the last three fiscal year budgets (2008-2010) transportation funding has decreased 38% or by $3.2 billion. If current trends continue by 2014, state highway funds will be insufficient to match federal funds, resulting in Virginia losing its share of federal funding. As for rail and transit, the report finds that a "sustainable source of funding for new or expanded rail and transit services is critical to Virginia's future economic success." Last but not least, "more than 50 percent of the state's bridges are approaching the end of their anticipated service design lives, making Virginia's bridges among the oldest in the nation." Clearly, based on this report, Virginia needs to invest heavily in upgrading its transportation, and other, infrastructure. With regard to the transportation bill sitting on Gov. McDonnell's desk, the amount of new revenues generated would be $880 million when the package is fully phased in, around 2018. Clearly, that's better than nothing, but based on the ASCE report, it's not even close to sufficient to make up the $74 billion funding shortfall for road investment mentioned in this report. And that's not even counting rail and transit, ports and navigable waterways, and bridges. All of which means that one way or the other, we'll be revisiting this transportation issue very soon. And no, Del. Dave Albo is NOT correct when he says he has "solved he problem" of transportation in Virginia. To the contrary, that's just another laughable assertion from one of Virginia's least serious, most ridiculous public officials.

Exclusive Interview: DPVA Chair Charniele Herring

I had the opportunity yesterday to sit down with Democratic Party of Virginia Chair, Del. Charniele Herring, for an hour-plus discussion/interview in Alexandria on turning Virginia blue, on winning in 2013, on building the state party and Virginia Democrats' "farm system," etc. Thanks to Del. Herring for her time; I greatly appreciate it. Here are some highlights from our discussion.1. According to Del. Herring, the 2009 elections in Virginia were a case of conservatives mobilizing, in the aftermath of their defeat in 2008, "to their benefit," while Democrats basically went to sleep. For instance, Herring won her January 2009 special election, in the solid blue 46th district (Alexandria), by just 16 votes, as Democrats "were tired" and didn't go vote. Later that same year, as we all know, Democrats were wiped out for governor, LG, AG, and the House of Delegates. The lesson: "every vote matters," and also we can't ever go to sleep or take anything for granted. Certainly, we'd better not do either of those things in 2013, unless we like the thought of saying "Governor Cuccinelli" for 4 years. Nope, didn't think so. 2. Del. Herring said we've been recruiting candidates for 2013, are doing pretty well, but frankly "candidate recruitment is a long-term thing; we've got to build a bench." Of course, Herring pointed out, it's the House Democratic caucus that is primarily responsible for candidate recruitment for the House of Delegates, while "the party does supplement and provides support" (e.g, voter file, media training, messaging, research, helping to identify donors). According to Del. Herring, "through time we're going to figure out a better way for candidate recruitment," but it's certainly "not easy," as a lot of people don't want to go through what it takes to run for office. The bottom line, in Del. Herring's view, is that it's going to take time to get back to where we need to be in the House of Delegates: "I think what we need to do is be in a place that in 2020, that we have some control of redistricting...it's slow building,I can't sit here and say that we're going to pick up 10 seats in 2013...we have to just realize the reality of our situation...it's going to have to be slow, methodical, and deliberate."

lowkell :: Exclusive Interview: DPVA Chair Charniele Herring

3. According to Del. Herring, in the 2013 campaign, "We're not going to be duplicating things, which has happened in the past, where the coordinated campaign runs outside the party; everything's going to be run through the party, so that's going to help our House of Delegates candidates, the top of the ticket and on down...a unified front." In other words, this time around, things have to be done differently if we expect different results from the past (if not, it's the classic "definition of insanity" - doing the same thing and expecting different results), and Del. Herring seems determined to make sure that happens.4. What are the major issues for 2013? Del. Herring believes that part of it will definitely be pointing out how extreme ("outside the norm of what we've known conservatives to be") the Republican ticket will be on issue after issue. As much as Cuccinelli tries to "normalize himself," Democrats will need to keep reminding people of how extreme Cuccinelli's record is and "what he truly is and what he will do if he were to be elected." We're also going to hear about transportation, jobs and the economy, women's reproductive health care, climate change, the assault on science, LGBT equality, the Republican assault on voting rights, etc. 5. In Del. Herring's view, we can't just be against Cuccinelli, "we have to promote ourselves, we are...a party of ideas that are fact based, evidence based, reality based...we're a big tent party...that brings Virginians to a better quality  of life overall no matter their party affiliation," and we have to talk about all that. In addition, of course we need to remind people of all the extreme things Cuccinelli has said and done. At the same time, the case for Terry McAuliffe will center on job creation, pursuing opportunities like clean energy, keeping Virginia an attractive place for businesses and individuals to live in, being a welcoming place for all people. In Del. Herring's view, businesses are highly - and legitimately - concerned "about the extremism" of Ken Cuccinelli; "if you're going to have laws that discriminate," you're going to drive talented people away. 6. I asked Del. Herring about the large financial advantage held by the Republican House caucus over the Democratic House caucus and what we can do about that. Part of it, in Del. Herring's view, is "pooling resources together." Part of it is tapping into national donors, new donors, potential opportunities with members of the business community who are not comfortable with Ken Cuccinelli. Part of it is that Democrats in deep blue areas need to "step up our games" in terms of raising money for Democrats in competitive/"purple" districts around the state. 7. On the transportation bill, Del. Herring is doubtful that Gov. McDonnell will veto it, but she does think he'll make changes, possibly with the hybrid fee. We should know the answer to that question within about a week. Del. Herring said her vote for the transportation bill was one of the most difficult she'd ever taken, but she's concerned about "simple public safety" (e.g, bridges falling apart), and this is the "first time in a generation that we actually were able to get something done," albeit "not perfect." Also, if we don't take care of transportation, Del. Herring believes (and I agree) that Virginia's business ranking will continue to fall. If Ken Cuccinelli's elected, this will only get worse; we could fall 9-10 slots in the business rankings, join "some of the more regressive states...that's what I'm concerned about...it's ridiculous." 8. On the role of the state party, Del. Herring believes we need to be constantly working on the ground to develop talent, keeping in touch with voters, working to "maintain our relevance," "building the bench," developing "long-term sustainability," and definitely not just parachuting in at the last minute (e.g., right before an election). This will take a "long-term vision," looking at our successes and also what we can improve on. Del. Herring sees this as a long-term commitment and definitely plans to be there "for another four years" after her run for reelection this June. The plan is geared towards 2020, towards keeping a continual effort going between elections, "not just sitting in Richmond." Del. Herring specifically mentioned keeping people in place and being in the community, a la Howard Dean's 50-state strategy. She also noted Dean's recommendation to "go out and door knock when you're not asking for a vote," the importance of asking people what their concerns are. Bottom line: "We do have a strong case [to make], we're in a good position, people are energized...and it's our job to keep [people] energized and focused." 9. I asked Del. Herring how she viewed bloggers - as enemies, frenemies, friends, or what. She immediately and enthusiastically responded, "friends!" She also said that bloggers' role is "crucial" in that newspapers read the blogs, that social media "makes a difference and mobilizes people." "I don't want it to be adversarial...media makes a difference...politicians have to be amenable to it...you're connecting with more voters [if you use social media effectively]." Del. Herring definitely sees herself as "grassroots" ("I am such not the insider...I'm an outsider...I am not part of any machine."). Her background comes out of being homeless as a teenager, living in a shelter when she was 16, and getting into college with the help of the STEP program ("that's why I believe in government programs...Republicans want to slash it...they're slashing my future and the future of America"). Without those programs, "my options would have been so limited." This is about providing citizens with opportunities to move up, giving people chances for social mobility ("I do not want a governor whose willing to be successful and leave other Virginians behind, and that's what Cuccinelli is about"). 10. Finally, Del. Herring talked about the process for selecting a new Executive Director for DPVA. She said she did a national search, was looking for someone with a diverse experience - fundraising ("that fundraising component that she brings with her and her contacts with national donors is important to me...she has that fundraising experience that will be helpful for us to grow as a party"), political organizing, field, etc., and she feels like she found it in Lauren Harmon. Again, it was great catching up with Charniele Herring as she settles into her new job as DPVA chair. I hope to do more of these in the future.