uvAggravator2.0

On Thursday, SurveyUSA released its most recent poll of the 5th District race showing state Sen. Robert Hurt increasing his lead over Rep. Tom Perriello. Yesterday, SurveyUSA followed up with a new poll of the 9th District race, which also showed the Republican candidate gaining ground on an incumbent Democrat. Since SurveyUSA’s last poll of the 9th was conducted six weeks ago, Del. Morgan Griffith has gained three percentage points, but still trails Rep. Rick Boucher by ten points. Although he does not lead the race, Griffith must be pleased that he is holding a generally popular, 28-year incumbent to just 50 percentage points, perhaps Rep. Boucher’s worst polling position since taking his seat in Congress. Del. Griffith also appears to have momentum, gaining three percentage points—all at Rep. Boucher’s expense.

The most troubling aspect of this poll (for Griffith) is that he is losing 25 percent of self-described Republicans to Boucher. Rep. Boucher is widely perceived as a moderate, especially after his vote against Obamacare, but in spite of his role in drafting Cap-and-Trade legislation that would devastate the coal industry. Rep. Boucher’s television ads remind voters that, since he is from the “Fighting 9th,” he understands the values of the district’s residents and is best positioned to represent those values in Washington. Ironically, then, despite the fact that the Obama-Biden ticket was trounced in the 9th in 2008, Rep. Boucher has voted for the Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda just over 96 percent of the time. As 9th District Republicans are reminded of Rep. Boucher’s penchant for saying one thing in Washington County and doing another in Washington, D.C., Del. Griffith could very easily see his numbers continue to rise.

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In his latest Cyrstal Ball (not to be confused with the 1st District candidate with questionable finances) UVA Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato currently projects that Republicans will gain as many as 47 house seats, 9 senate seats and 9 governorships.

That gives the Republicans control of the House, and a good step up towards the next redistricting cycle, but doesn’t quite take the Senate.

Although Sabato does note that in the 6 times since World Ward II that the House of Representatives has flipped, the Senate has as well.

Sabato notes:

Overall, though, a strong bet is that 2010 will generate a substantial pendulum swing from the Democrats to the Republicans. It is not that Republicans are popular—most polls show the party even less liked than the Democrats. Many observers find it amazing that the less-liked party is on the verge of triumphing over the better-liked party. Nevertheless, in the time-honored American way, voters will be inclined to punish the party in-power by checking and balancing it with more members from the opposition party.

This year has hope and change all over it.

Glenn Nye’s campaign released their new ad today, virtually a complete 180 turn-around from their much (and justly) criticized first ad. Contrasted with Rigell’s ad, where Rigell spoke directly to the camera, Nye’s lame attempt at a first ad was all voiceover, with the requisite ‘I approved this ad’ at the conclusion. Rigell’s ad was far more personal, not to mention Nye’s ludicrous claim that he voted against the bailout, despite not being in office for the vote. Nye’s team apparently quickly realized they would lose the message battle (thankfully for them it came before Labor Day) and went with a new approach. Admittedly, far more effective then his first go around.

Survey USA has updated its well-publicized (and somewhat questioned) poll on the 5th District Congressional race.  Back in July, the polling group had Robert Hurt up a whopping 23 points on incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello.  It was widely assumed that the gap would shrink – and probably wasn’t that large anyway.

Well, if Survey USA is an outlier, they’re doubling down: the new poll has Hurt up 26 points.

FWIW, when it comes to Virginia elections, Survey USA was the first pollster to notice Tim Kaine leading Jerry Kilgore (Kaine won by 6 points) and the first one to see a landslide sweep for the GOP ticket last year (all won by more than a dozen points).  It also has a larger sample than the AAF poll from a couple of weeks ago which had Hurt up only six.

The battle among the pollsters could be almost as interesting as the one among the candidates.

Cross-posted to BD

As if the legislature cancelling insurance coverage of their Viagra wasn’t enough to make DMV workers even more cranky than usual, now they have to work on a holiday weekend. Governor McDonnell announced this afternoon that, due to the recent computer problems, DMV offices will be open this weekend on Saturday, Sunday and yes, on Labor Day.

McDonnell said:

“It is imperative that we take every step necessary to assist Virginians inconvenienced by the recent computer issues that impacted 13% of the Commonwealth’s file servers. In order to assist Virginians who need to return to the DMV for a license I have ordered select customer service centers to open this Sunday, as well as on Labor Day. In addition, our centers will also have extended hours the following weekend. We have also acted administratively to help Virginians who have been unable to renew their licenses over the past week by extending existing licenses for an additional 20 days. State and local law enforcement agencies have been notified of this extension.”

Below are the details of the additional Labor Day weekend DMV hours.

Friday, September 3 All locations open until 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 4 All locations open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Fourteen* locations remaining open from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 5 Fourteen* locations open 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday, September 6 Fourteen* locations open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

For more detailed information about DMV hours, addresses and directions go to www.dmvNOW.com

*The 14 DMV locations that will have extended hours Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
Abingdon, Alexandria, Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Chesterfield, Fair Oaks (10:30 to 6:30), Hampton, Harrisonburg, Leesburg, Lynchburg, Richmond-Broad Street, Roanoke, Virginia Beach- Buckner, and Woodbridge

During the mid-20th century many American cities and towns were suffering under the injustice of discrimination. In many cases government authorities were forcing businesses to segregate their facilities and services. Many public facilities across the country were segregated. It was in the midst of all of this that Dr. Martin Luther King, stood up in the face of tyranny and demanded justice. One of his most memorable quotes was that, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Dr. King was persistent in his fight to secure justice.

In today’s time there is another violation of justice in America. This injustice is found in the form of abortion. Millions of unborn babies have been denied equal protection under the law based on their status in life. This is an injustice that has put a stain on our nation.

However, just as  Martin Luther King stood up for justice and civil rights in his time, a new generation of civil rights leaders have arisen to stand for justice in this time. One of the most vocal voices has been that of Dr. King’s niece Dr. Alveda King. Dr. King recently spoke at the rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and gave a stirring speech calling for a revival of our God given liberties. Day Gardner, President of the National Black Pro-Life Union, has written a powerful column describing Dr. King’s historic speech. The speech was a clarion call for the new justice movement. It emphasized the need for Americans to not look at themselves in terms of racial divisions, but rather she exhorted us to look at ourselves in terms of the “human race.” The speech was truly historic.

A new civil rights movement is emerging in America today. This movement is seeking to extend the blessings of liberty to all people, including the unborn. It is not an attempt to “hijack” the original civil rights movement. Rather, it is taking the principles of liberty and justice from the original movement and is applying them to all of today’s challenges.

This new and exciting movement is not limited by race. It does not see White, Black, Hispanic, or any other race , but rather envisions a “human race.” This new justice movement is a powerful force in the American political scene. At its core it understands the principle that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

(cross posted at the Freedom Federation network)

Survey USA has updated its well-publicized (and somewhat questioned) poll on the 5th District Congressional race. Back in July, the polling group had Robert Hurt up a whopping 23 points on incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello. It was widely assumed that the gap would shrink – and probably wasn’t that large anyway.

Well, if Survey USA is an outlier, they’re doubling down: the new poll has Hurt up 26 points.

FWIW, when it comes to Virginia elections, Survey USA was the first pollster to notice Tim Kaine leading Jerry Kilgore (Kaine won by 6 points) and the first one to see a landslide sweep for the GOP ticket last year (all won by more than a dozen points). It also has a larger sample than the AAF poll from a couple of weeks ago which had Hurt up only six.

The battle among the pollsters could be almost as interesting as the one among the candidates.

Cross-posted to RWL

What a problem to have in your first few months. Media around the Commonwealth have been covering the outage of state computer servers for well over a week.

Among those state agencies affected the worst were DMV, who had trouble issuing license renewals, and the Department of Social Services, where briefly there was concern that benefits would be delayed. Also affected were the Departments of Taxation, Juvenile Justice, and Environmental Quality. The State Board of Elections and VITA (who runs the system!) were also on that list.

Now, according to today’s RTD, Senior lawmakers want an independent investigation of the problem. Governor McDonnell has also called for an “independent third party” to investigate.

Former Chesterfield Delegate Sam Nixon was appointed to be Chief Information Officer of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency just this past March. In part, Nixon was appointed because the VITA/Northrop Grumman partnership has been replete with problems from the beginning.

With the latest problems resting on his doorstep, one has to wonder if Nixon wouldn’t prefer to be back in his safely Republican house district.

Assuming, that is, that the State Board of Elections could find his records.

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Jeff Clark, independent congressional candidate in the 5th District, has a problem: Debt.

Of course, Clark is like most Americans who struggle with this endemic problem.

According to creditcards.com, which tracks these sorts of statistics, Americans who have credit cards carry a balance of nearly $16,000 and the total U.S. consumer debt is $2.4 trillion. (Not to mention the over $40,000 each taxpayer now owes for our federal government’s spending spree)

So what does this have to do with Clark?

On August 28, the Daily Progress ran a story detailing Clark’s woes with personal finance showing that he declared bankruptcy in 1993 and has a history of health care-related debt in the 1980’s.

Clark, who is a Tea Party activist, however, says that his experience with debt, and its financial ramifications, gives him a greater appreciation for what 5th District voters are facing during this recession.

That’s all well and good, but it’s a subjective argument – not one which may bring him many votes. However, what should be of concern to Hurt is that the mere appearance of bullying brings Clark – a candidate with little chance of winning – empathy.

Clark, again, is an independent. While he is an active member of the tea party, his status is not the same as a Paul (R-KY), Miller (R-AK) or Angle (R-NV), who all won the backing of independent, conservative Republicans to win the GOP nomination.

By being a true independent, the only role Clark might play right now is that of spoiler in the general election between the Republican, Robert Hurt, and Democratic incumbent, Tom Perriello. And, the most likely person that Clark will damage in the race is the Republican – as evidenced by the recent tea party insurgence.

The tea party is a conservative movement, so it stands to reason that when candidates run with a tea party association, they are either dynamically changing the GOP from within or are a threat to peel votes away in the general. It’s one of the reasons 2nd District GOP nominee Scott Rigell has attempted to reconcile with the movement.

This reality, of the tea party being conservative and loosely associated with the GOP, makes it interesting that Clark was approached by Mark Lloyd of the Lynchburg Tea Party not long ago and asked to drop out of the race because of rumors that Clark’s past debt might come to light during the course of the campaign.

Why would the tea party want Clark out of the race?

According to the Daily Progress:

“If [the person who tipped off the media regarding Clark’s debt] steps forward, explains how they came into possession of these documents and says who paid for them, we will drop our candidacy,” Clark said.

In order to drop out, Clark said, certain conditions must first be met. The person or persons who tipped off the media, he said, must reveal themselves, must say how they came in possession of the documents, disclose if they were compensated, reveal any political or campaign affiliation and say on whose behalf they gathered the information.

Because the 5th District is such a close race between Perriello and Hurt, the Republican will need all the votes he can get. While both the Hurt and Perriello campaigns have declined to comment on this issue, the most likely person wanting Clark out of the race is Hurt.

The likelihood of the tipster coming out is unlikely. However, given Clark’s play, is it possbile now that this will boomerang on the Hurt campaign, regardless of whether they were involved or not? Instead of Clark being damaged by the revelations, will he be now seen as a martyr – the guy who has the same problems as millions of Americans – facing an uphill climb against that which the tea party has labeled the Murkowski’s of the world: the national GOP insiders? Will voters of the 5th District begin to sympathize with Clark?

Whether or not Hurt was involved, I would certainly not want to be on the side of “no comment.” And, rightly or wrongly, Hurt may be blamed for this as the politics of personal destruction.

I must confess, I missed the president’s speech – and not by accident.  I didn’t think the “end of combat operations in Iraq” was worth a speech anyhow, what with 50,000 troops still there.  Moreover, the question of whether Obama would ignore Bush’s “surge” (I put it in quotes because it was more than just that) or try to take credit for it was answered as I expected: he attempted both and accomplished neither.

What mattered to me were his comments on Afghanistan, and once again, he disappointed (speech reprinted in NRO - The Corner):

And, next July, we will begin a transition to Afghan responsibility. The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground, and our support for Afghanistan will endure. But make no mistake: this transition will begin – because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people’s.

It all sounds so reasonable, until we remember that the enemy also has something to say about the length and breadth of a war.

Keep in mind, the current timetable on Iraq comes from an agreeement between the two countries last year.  It sent a message that Iraq was, at best, ready to take the burden on its own and, at worst, confident that it could do so by the end of 2011.

The July 2011 date for the beginning of the end in Afghanistan was imposed on the Afghan people from Washington (much to their dismay).  It sends no message of confidence, but rather one of exhaustion.  It sends the message that the Taliban can run out the clock on the Afghan people (government and anti-Taliban political opposition) – the same Taliban that welcomed, embraced, and all-but-merged with al Qaeda prior to 9/11/01.

The president doesn’t seem to understand this, which is why his speech was yet another disappointment.

Cross-posted to VV

This interview should provide Keith Fimian with material for a commercial or three:

H/T: Not Larry Sabato

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Ad hominem criticisms are touchy matters: they can get personal and irrelevant very quickly, and as such can badly distract from the issue at hand.  One must be very careful with them, and make sure any to be used are, in fact, germane.

I say this because (as you, dear readers, may have guessed) I am about to engage in one against retired Judge Paul Peatross – the jurist who recently ruled in the matter of Ken Cuccinelli’s Climategate probe of UVa and Michael Mann.  For the most part, Peatross’ ruling was bad news.  Although he did leave open a road for Cuccinelli to press on, he all but stated he thought Cuccinelli couldn’t win.  Lefty blogs have been rejoicing ever since.

Yesterday, though, Chris Horner noted something about His Honor Mr. Peatross that put the entire thing in a new and different light (Big Govt., emphasis in original):

 Before the hearing commenced Peatross, substituting for the vacationing chief judge, cited his wife’s 1982 degree in environmental science from UVA – oddly, he then said “but not in global warming” — as part of a rather spare recitation of why he was hearing of this case (which he attested he had never heard about until reading the briefs that morning. A prominent case in the local, state and national news assigned to his old court! This man takes his retirement seriously…), and articulating his history so that counsel might decide whether he carried any conflict such that he should not hear the University’s motion.

That fact of her 1982 degree from Mann’s former Department, apparently, was relevant. Okay. But…

The fact that the judge’s wife had in fact previously worked in that Department of Environmental Sciences — the very Department that stands to suffer should he have ruled in favor of the Attorney General – was somehow not worth disclosing to counsel.

I only learned of this after the hearing by others who had also worked at the same time Ms. Peatross did, in messages expressing astonishment that her husband would decide such a matter given the obvious appearance of an inability to objectively hear it.

Also not worth disclosing was that Ms. Peatross’s relationships go much deeper, being, e.g., lauded for her role in producing a book edited by the Department’s then-chairman during Mann’s alleged hijinks, as well as, it appears, at least two of his papers.

Now, to be completely accurate, it is an open question whether Ms. Peatross worked for the Department of Environmental Sciences, or simply in the building, physically (which I am told with no doubts that she did), for one of two particular former colleagues of Mann’s (and one supervisor at the relevant times) in their consultancies. The latter response, if it were the case, would beg other questions about mixing research and consulting. Which is to say, there is no good answer to the question. Which may be why the University refused to answer it when I asked. Four times.

So, we have a judge who is married to a woman who worked in the same University Department that employed Mann – either as a direct employee of the Department or as part of a consultancy of a colleague of Mann - and thus whose career and credibility would be directly affected by the case over which he presides . . . and he doesn’t tell anyone.

I’d call that germane.

I’m also far more certain that Cuccinelli will not only take the road Judge Peatross left him, but also appeal the parts of the ruling that did not go his way.  Given the information above, he really has no choice, IMHO.

Cross-posted to VV

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2009 union membership in the United States comprised of 12.3% of the workforce, hitting an all-time low. Membership has been on a steady decline since it peaked in 1973 at almost 21 million Americans, or 24.1% of the workforce. If this trend continues in another 15-20 years unions will barely be an afterthought. So why are unions headed towards extinction? Two main reasons: first, strong-arm tactics have left the American worker disgusted and; second, the gross inefficiency of unions cause irreparable harm to industry, the economy and the consumer.

The union movement has the distinct displeasure of being associated with organized crime and unsavory characters like Jimmy Hoffa and Andy Stern. At my school, George Mason University, the stench of lies, deceit, and thuggery of the Service Employees International Union permeates the campus, giving students a firsthand look at how low the union movement has sunk. Recent examples range from the invasion of property of a Bank of America worker and scaring his home alone child to SEIU thugs beating up a protestor in St. Louis – union members have a long shameful history of violence. As more of these tactics reach the light, the more people are turned off by their failed message.

Another reason for their decline is found in simple economics. Unions clamor for higher wages and better benefits – and who wouldn’t lobby for such things? The problem is when you make such demands through collective bargaining, resulting in acquiescence by a company, the overall economy suffers. In order for any company to give its workers higher wages and increased benefits they must draw from company profits. That means higher costs are passed to the consumer, decreased production limits supply and increases demand, new jobs cannot be created, and competition is stifled. Unionized companies can’t compete in a nonunionized world – that’s why General Motors is failing and Honda is thriving.

In any industry sector when a merit based system is utilized the most talented and hardest working employees are given higher wages and better benefits because their productivity leads to higher profits for the company. Union leaders don’t understand basic economics or, more likely, they don’t care. They fight to prevent dismissal for even the most incompetent. Ineffectual workers lead to decreased profits, unsafe working conditions, and drives wages of productive workers down while passing on the bill to the consumer.

To further emphasize this point look no further than the American auto industry. Up until obligatory reorganization with their government bailout, the United Auto Workers Union forced General Motors to pay laid off workers almost full wages and benefits for up to ten years after leaving the job . If you purchased a car from General Motors prior to January 2009, then part of the sticker price went to these controversial “job banks” to pay former employees to do absolutely nothing.

In New York City teachers awaiting disciplinary hearings for offenses as serious as sexual misconduct are still paid their full salary. Some teachers sit in these “reassignment centers” for up to 6 years, costing taxpayers around $65 million a year . Is it fair for Americans to pay up to $70,000 a year per offender in education taxes to the salary of some sexual predator that sits around and plays solitaire all day?

Unions have outlived their usefulness. Stricter laws enacted in the past few decades combined with a vigilant judicial system prevent the most egregious of labor violations. The economy, even in its current state, still is conducive for unskilled and skilled Americans to find work. The media often serves as a check to unfair labor practices, exposing and ultimately decimating violators.

The writing is on the wall. That is why you see union pushing hard for the Employee Free Choice Act, which would replace the secret-ballot union forming process with publicly signed cards, leaving the procedure open to intimidation – one of the last desperate attempts of a dying movement.

As unions fade deeper into obscurity we shouldn’t shed a tear. These corrupt and inefficient organizations have been sticking it to the American consumer and taxpayer for a long time. While they assuredly will not pass away quietly, let’s do everything we can to make unions a nothing more than a bitter memory.

The United States, for better or for worse, has been engaged in combat operations in Iraq since 2003, which our president recently “ended” with the withdrawl of our last combat brigade.

One of the more frequent phrases from the left has been how “costly” the war has been both in lives lost (which is certainly true), but also in resources. From this phrase, they have started to create a meme that the war actually has led us to the great debt we face today. For example:

“It was under Mr Bush that the deficit spiraled out of control as we fought an unnecessary and endless $3,000bn war in Iraq…”
– James Carville, Financial Times.

“The Iraq adventure has seriously weakened the U.S. economy, whose woes now go far beyond loose mortgage lending. You can’t spend $3 trillion — yes, $3 trillion — on a failed war abroad and not feel the pain at home.”
– Linda J. Bilmes and Joseph E. Stiglitz, The Washington Post.

“First, the facts. Nearly the entire deficit for this year and those projected into the near and medium terms are the result of three things: the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush tax cuts and the recession. The solution to our fiscal situation is: end the wars…”
– Christopher Hayes, The Nation.

Totally untrue.

While there was deficit spending during the Bush years, it has not nearly been at the level we have seen the past two years under President Barack Obama and the liberal Democratic Congress.

American Thinker annihilates this theory with facts – not just what the liberals want to believe. In a nutshell, their post says:

The Iraq War cost $709 billion. Why Carville, Bilmes, and Nobel-winning economist Stiglitz thought the answer was $3 trillion is anybody’s guess. But what’s a 323% error among friends?

The CBO breaks that cost down over the eight calendar years of 2003-2010. Below is a picture of federal deficits over those years with and without Iraq War spending.

Sources: CBO and U.S. Statistical Abstract.

Never let facts get in the way of a good fabrication.

First Congressional District GOP Chairman Tom Foley has officially requested an ethics investigation of Democratic Candidate for Congress, Krystal Ball, over her campaign finance reports from 2009 to 2010.

Ball, who originally reported a net worth of about $100,000 in 2009, has become a millionaire in the past year due, at least in part, to the liquidation of stock options in the educational software company she worked for, K-12, Inc.

Foley points out “substantial and serious omissions between what was reported, what is seemingly required by the published instructions, and Candidate Ball’s husband’s statement as reported in the April 21, 2010 Virginia Gazette.”

A statement released to the media goes onto say:

“Foley is puzzled at how a mysterious one to five million dollars appeared out of nowhere in a horrible market. This is not a game or some stunt he said. What we see here simply doesn’t happen overnight and there needs to be a detailed explanation of why it was not initially reported.

“Candidate Ball states that she will improve Congressional Ethics by increasing disclosure, Foley noted. Yet when it became time to disclose what amounts to between one and five million dollars worth of stock options, advice was sought on how to handle and, contrary to the committee’s published opinion to err on the side of disclosure, the options were not disclosed.”

Foley has also asked the First Congressional District Democratic committee to look into the matter as a matter of principle: “the bottom line for any District Committee Chairman is to uphold the integrity of the seat.”

The Ball campaign denies any wrong-doing and claims this is a politically-motivated “witch hunt.”

Tom Foley, the Chairman of the First District Republican Committee, has filed a complain against Krystal Ball with the House Ethics Committee.  Foley’s particular concern is the lack of disclosure from Ball on her stock options – before they were used to make the candidate a millionaire (see here, emphasis added).

Candidate Ball states that she will improve Congressional ethics by increasing disclosure, Foley noted. Yet when it became time to disclose what amounts between one and five million dollars worth of stock options . . . contrary to the committee’s published opinion to err on the side of disclosure, the options were not disclosed.

This is not the first time Ball’s finances have been at issue.

Cross-posted to VV and The Real Krystal Ball

Last week, Scott Rigell, Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, signed an oath proposed by the Hampton Roads Tea Party on a variety of issues dealing with limited government, fiscal discipline, repealing health care, ensuring free speech on the internet, and preserving national sovereignty.

This brings to fruition the promise Rigell gave Bearing Drift on primary night to endeavor to actively seek out the Tea Party’s “confidence”, stating that he shared many of the same core values of the Tea Party.

Specifically, Rigell pledges:

In addition to my sacred oath as a representative to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, if elected to Congress I pledge:

• To promote fiscal discipline and accountability by supporting a full audit of the Federal Reserve System that would be made available to the Congress and the American People. I will support this through any House rule or procedure, any Committee vote, and any House floor roll call vote.
• To fix Washington’s spending problem and set America on the right fiscal track by supporting a Balanced Budget Amendment or similar Constitutional amendment (e.g. Taxpayers Bill of Rights which is indexed to population growth) that serves as an objective standard to control government spending.
• To promote the economic wellbeing of American families and businesses by voting against any tax or fee increase. I will not support any increase in Congressional salaries, perks, retirement, or health benefits until the budget is balanced.
• To safeguard America’s fundamental principles and liberties through vigilance in protecting the rights of free speech. I will vote against any legislation that abridges free speech under the guise of “internet neutrality” or “campaign finance reform”, supports “kill switch”, creates internet taxes, or imposes a “fairness” doctrine.
• To uphold the Constitution and protect America’s economic freedom by supporting legislation (such as the Discharge Petition now in Congress) that defunds, repeals, and replaces the Affordable Health and Patient Recovery Act and actively promotes free market solutions to address the nation’s healthcare concerns. I will do this in any House procedure, Committee vote, or House floor roll call vote. I commit to overriding any Presidential veto of the same.
• To bring accountability and reform to Washington by supporting any type of legislation that would increase transparency and accountability in any act of Congress, such as the Enumerated Powers Act.
• To fight any measure that subverts U.S. sovereignty, whether through trade, currency, environmental causes, the United Nations, immigration amnesty, or under the guise of human rights.

Tea Party leader Karen Hurd said in an interview with the Virginian-Pilot that the goal of this pledge is to boost the Rigell candidacy, marginalize Ken Golden’s, and defeat incumbent Glenn Nye; however, despite the pledge, the Tea Party has not endorsed Rigell.

Back in May, when Hurd and the Tea Party board endorsed Ben Loyola in the GOP primary, many thought that the organization’s leadership overstepped their position and was acting independently of its membership.

Perhaps that’s why Hurd has stopped just short of endorsing Rigell?

We’re nearing one of the two crucial stretches in campaigning. Labor Day weekend is one of the times when people traditionally settle on preferences for the November ballot. You’ll see it in poll after poll after poll. (The second is the final two weeks when “undecideds” decide, and even those are usually people who pretty much decided much earlier, and only solidified their leanings, or decide to not show up at all).

Entering the Labor Day threshold, the Democrats are being trounced by a margin unseen before in the history of Gallup polling!

Gallup shows a 10 point lead in voter preference for Republicans over Democrats, double the lead the GOP had in the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994!

“higher than any previous midterm Republican advantage in Gallup’s history of tracking the generic ballot, which dates to 1942. Prior to this year, the highest such gap was five points, measured in June 2002 and July 1994.”

Republican numbers have pretty much hovered where they are for the last several months, but have rarely gotten near 50% in the past 60 years. They are over that now. Democrat numbers have collapsed to 41%. Even in 1994, Democrats scored 46% in this same poll.

Democrats have dropped to the hardcore Party base. They are showing zero, zilch, nada support among Independents with numbers like this.

Part of this is likely to candidates across the country launching television campaign spots much earlier than usual, casting the dye in August rather than waiting for the fall. But mostly, this looks like a monster wave that will make the 50-plus seat win in 1994 look like a pre-season game.

A much broader study in Pennsylvania examined 36 years of data from 48 states with varying degrees of alcohol control. It found that private states have lower per-capita alcohol consumption and lower drunken-driving fatalities than states where government controls segments of the industry. It found no significant difference in underage drinking between the two models.

Like the recent Virginia report, it was funded by a foundation that advocates smaller government. But its author has submitted the findings to an academic journal for review, and he defended the results as unbiased.

"The fact is, we can play that game, who gets funded by whom," said Antony Davies, the Duquesne University economist who wrote the report.

"What happens is, we all have to go home, and nobody asks any questions at all. Everybody gets funded by someone," he said. "The better thing to do is to give researchers the benefit of the doubt that they're trying to find truth, and then look at the data and the studies."

A 2009 study he wrote for the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives (a Pennsylvania think tank) with fellow Duquesne economist John Pulito, resulted in these findings, based on statistics from 1970 through 2006:

“….advocates claim that the social goals of reducing alcohol consumption, underage drinking, and alcohol-related traffic deaths justify controlling wholesale and retail alcohol markets.

“Evidence from 48 states over time shows no link between market controls and these social goals.”

Dr. Davies said in the interview that “we’re not seeing any evidence that greater control leads to better social outcomes.”

There is an exception, however, that Davies pointed out over the telephone: “DUI fatalities are significantly higher in states with more control than states with less control.”

Other factors, however, are different, he said. “If you look at per capita alcohol consumption, there’s no difference as you move from full to moderate to light control.”

Underage Drinking
As to claims that state-owned liquor stores are a better protection against selling alcohol to minors and underage drinking, Davies explained that people think “at a gut level” that private businesses “have an incentive to sell to minors. We see that’s not the case.”

Why not? “If alcohol is sold in the private market, the owner of the store has a profit incentive not to sell to minors, because if he gets caught, he loses his license. He wants to protect his business.”

Davies, who is also a visiting scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Northern Virginia, concludes: “If you look at the data, there’s no clear pattern [that emerges showing] that imposing more control reduces underage drinking.”

Last week, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued an opinion on whether or not the Commonwealth can regulate the operations of abortion clinics.  This opinion came at the request of Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas) and Sen. Ralph Smith (R-Botetourt).  Cuccinelli ruled after thoroughly reviewing the existing law and other court decisions that the Commonwealth could regulate abortion clinics.

The state has long regulated outpatient surgical facilities and personnel to ensure a certain level of protection for patients. There is no reason to hold facilities providing abortion services to any lesser standard for their patients. Even pharmacies, funeral homes, and veterinary clinics are regulated by the state.

The attorney general’s official opinions do not create new law. Instead, the opinions represent the attorney general’s analysis of the current state of the law based on his thorough review of existing law and relevant prior court decisions.

Here are the opinions sent to Del. Marshall and Sen. Smith.

Meanwhile, the opponents of the Attorney General’s decision continue to argue that it will cause abortion clinics to shut down and impair a woman’s right to obtain an abortion. They fail to recognize that the Attorney General was merely releasing an opinion based on legislative requests. Abortion clinics are just like any other outpatient surgical clinic, and they should be held to the same standards as facilities, who specialize in outpatient surgical procedures.

Someday, I’ll pay for that pun.

In the meantime, though, Rasmussen has a poll on the West Virginia Senate race, and it’s a shocker:

In the first Rasmussen Reports post-primary survey of West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic Governor Joe Manchin attracts 48% of the vote while Republican businessman John Raese earns 42%.

Keep in mind, Raese was the last sacrificial lamb for the late Robert Byrd.  That he could hold one of the most popular Democrats in the state below 50% is a complete stunner.

Keep in mind, outside of recent presidential elections and any vote involving the Moore family, the GOP does not exist in West Virginia.  If this race is even close in November, the Democrats could very well lose both houses of Congress.

Cross-posted to BD

Someday, I’ll pay for that pun.

In the meantime, though, Rasmussen has a poll on the West Virginia Senate race, and it’s a shocker:

In the first Rasmussen Reports post-primary survey of West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic Governor Joe Manchin attracts 48% of the vote while Republican businessman John Raese earns 42%.

Keep in mind, Raese was the last sacrificial lamb for the late Robert Byrd. That he could hold one of the most popular Democrats in the state below 50% is a complete stunner.

Keep in mind, outside of recent presidential elections and any vote involving the Moore family, the GOP does not exist in West Virginia. If this race is even close in November, the Democrats could very well lose both houses of Congress.

Cross-posted to RWL

Creigh “What’s in Your Wallet?” Deeds is at it again.

In a full-spread Op-Ed in the Virginia Pilot, Deeds calls for Governor McDonnell to increase taxes on Virginians to pay for transportation.

Never mind that McDonnell has been in office less than a year (while one of Deeds’ heroes, Mark Warner, couldn’t get his signature achievement imposed until deep into year three).

Never mind that McDonnell promised the voters he would not raise their taxes.

Never mind that Deeds himself, while campaigning on a tax increase, suffered one of the worst defeats a candidate for Governor ever suffered in Virginia.

No, none of that matters, nothing but the hunger for “new revenue.”

Deeds even tries to tempt McDonnell with the ol’ bipartisan talk: “you will find allies in unexpected places.”

I’m sure.  That’s what happens when election winners adopt the platform of the losers.  The losers suddenly become “allies in unexpected places.”  However, Deeds forgot to mention the angry reaction from expected places.  McDonnell is already smarting over the manufacturer’s tax and the accelerated sales tax (to name a few) from within his own party – to say nothing of the 1.1 million Virginians who voted for McDonell last year (more than any other candidate for Governor in Virginia).

McDonnell would be wise not to take advice from the fellow he trounced last year.

Cross-posted to VV

Governor Bob McDonnell beat Creigh Deeds so badly, most Virginians would understand if Deeds quit the Senate altogether to sell popcorn at your local movie theater.

Instead, Deeds writes Op-Eds telling McDonnell he needs to adopt Creigh Deeds’ tax increase idea, even though Virginia overwhelmingly rejected both Deeds and his liberal ideas.

“The campaign is over. Now is the time to be bold.”

That’s Deeds-talk for “Don’t keep campaign promises. Lie to them during the campaign, and then break your promises once you’re elected.”

Creigh, that’s why you ain’t Guv, guy!

Even as a landslide-level-losing candidate, Deeds can’t bring himself to say “tax increase.” You won’t find the word “tax” in his whole smarmy article.

What you’ll find is this:

“We need to come up with a long-term, sustainable source of new revenue”

Let’s see, Creigh. How do you suppose we do that? Where is this revenue going to come from? The sky?

Deeds advises McDonnell to call a special session, saying he will find “allies in unexpected places.” Like Vivian Paige?

Yeah, like the Democrats who want Republicans knocking each other off just in time for the 2011 elections? Sorry, kids. Not biting.

If Democrats really wanted to solve transportation, they would’ve cared enough to include it in the largest tax increase in Virginia history that Mark Warner gave us. Heck, they could correct their mistake and take that Warner tax increase and dedicate it to transportation right now.

That is, if they cared about transportation.

Fact is, they don’t. They just care about taxes.

In his column today, John Stossel makes this point about the indictment of Roger Clemens for lying to Congress:

Clemens may have lied to Congress in 2008 about whether he used PEDs, but who cares? Congress shouldn’t even be asking such questions.

While I agree with Stossel that Congress shouldn’t really be investigating steroid use in baseball, this is all Clemens’ own fault.

When the Mitchell Report came out in December 2007 and the House Committee investigation was reviewing it, Clemens and his attorney demanded a public hearing where he could answer what he contended were lies being spread by his former trainer. When Andy Pettitte, a teammate and personal friend, came forward and admitted both that he had used steroids on one occasion and that Clemens had admitted to him that he had used them as well, Clemens essentially called his friend a lair. The evidence that Clemens was lying that day in February 2008 was readily apparent and his testimony under cross-examination by Committee members was, quite frankly, an embarressment. But, he knew the consequences of lying under oath and he choose to do it anyway.

Like I said, I don’t think this should even have been a Congressional issue. It’s an internal baseball matter. But, that’s not what’s at stake here. Clemens put himself out front when the allegations came out by denying them publicly and then doing it again under oath. Now, it looks like he lied.

That’s called perjury. And that’s a problem. It’s also against the law.

Clemens is entitled to a presumption of innocence under the law, but the evidence doesn’t look good, and if he’s convicted I’m not going to shed a tear.

• Roger Clemens Perjury Investigation Moves Into High Gear
• Roger Clemens Case Headed To Grand Jury
• Roger Clemens Case Headed To Grand Jury
• FBI Opens Clemens Investigation
• FBI Opens Clemens Investigation