Roanoke Red Zone

P. S. You're Fired

2008-10-29T19:01:00.002-04:00

I know I said I was leaving the blogging world but I had to put up this one last post.

Tonight I got an email from the Secretary of Roanoke County Republican Committee. I was informed that I would be removed as a member of the committee if I didn't attend a meeting of the committee tomorrow night. Are you kidding me! Less than one week before an election you issue this threat in order to have warm bodies at a meeting. This party that I have been a part of since I was 10 years old has been imploding for two years and this just shows it continues.

This email came from a member of less than one year. I have been a member for over 22, served as Vice Chairman and Chairman along with serving two terms from this county in the Virginia Senate. We don't have the smartest bunch running the show these days. The policy of being removed from the committee was intended to deal with those missing three consecutive quarterly meeting not three meeting within the last three months. Oh well they are in charge and can do whatever they want.

This party I joined has fallen even farther than I thought possible. Virginia is likely to go Dem. for President and our Senate candidate will not likely break 40%. Based on the yard signs I have seen Roanoke County will even go for Mark Warner. Unbelievable.

Great plan guys--6 days from an election--threaten to remove a long time member from a committee.

Once the dust has settled from Nov. 4th our work will begin to put this GOP back together again.

Leaving the Blogging World

2008-10-10T10:52:00.002-04:00

As you probably have noticed we haven't put up a post in some time. Zak and I have been focused on the real world problems facing our financial system and economy. It is hard to put an opinion forward and debate it as if it didn't affect real people. While I have a number of opinions regarding our financial future and political, I have decided for the near term future to keep them to myself.

My experience over the past year of blogging has been mixed. I was disappointed in the early days that comments seemed to be directed toward attacking me personally. It was something that I was used to from being in public office but it got old. That seemed to wane over time thankfully.

When we started this blog there wasn't really anyone commenting on Roanoke Valley GOP politics. Since then a great blog was initiated "Roanoke Valley Republicans". I suggest that everyone visit their site to get a flavor of what is happening around here.

Thanks to all who welcomed me to this endeavor and the best to all of you in the future.

Star City Harbinger: Commissioner Holland Uses Charity Event to Raise Campaign Cash

2008-09-15T15:30:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe an elected official would knowingly do this (OK, maybe it's not), but this sure looks bad.

I've thought for a long time that the Roanoke City Democratic Party would take care of the Holland issue by knocking him off in a primary and running a fresh face. It may be the only way they can hold this office.

This is probably the beginning of the inter party attacks Holland will face over the next year.

http://starcityharbinger.com/

Gas Lines in Roanoke

2008-09-12T16:46:00.002-04:00

Just hearing that there are lines for gas and some stations are running out. Someone just told me that as she was getting gas at $3.49 a gallon the signs were changing to $3.77 as she did. Some stations were posting $4.09 a gallon, a $0.50 increase today. It has to be on supply chain issue due to Ike.

This is just a short term thing. If you don't need gas don't gas up this weekend. The pipeline supplying the east coast should be back up on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

Hunkering Down with Hanna

2008-09-05T18:18:00.007-04:00

I've been on vacation in Myrtle Beach since Tuesday and will be here until next Tuesday. It is our annual post labor day visit. This year we were greated by Hurricane/TS Hanna. We debated yesterday whether to cut our trip short but decided to stay. At 6:00 this Friday evening winds are about 20 mph and steady rain. We are right on the beach and can see waves of 5-7 feet. The strength of the storm should hit about 2:00 AM so we may not get much sleep. The track changes somewhat but seems to be steering more east and north of us. We have been prepared for a direct hit. This storm however is big and unfocused without a hard punch like Gustav or other tougher storms. Anyway we should be ok. I have to say even down here I got up early to watch Gov. Palin's speech replayed on C-Span. Man, she is breath of fresh air for all Republicans. Finally some energy coming in on our side.

Goto go now--not really there's nothing to do besides watch Lady and the Tramp with my daughter. I'll update on this storm if I continue to be bored and the sound is too loud tonight. Currently we have a loud whistle coming from the wind blowing against our outside door.

You know what was weird today for me is the Gov. Kaine and the Gov. of NC both declared Virginia and NC in a state of emergency for Hanna. Weird because Gov. Sanford here in SC didn't even do this when his state is the location of landfall. He aptly stated that overreacting now could cause problems in the future when a true emergency came. Seems Gov. Kaine could learn from him.

UPDATE: 6:48 PM People are actual trying to swim in the surf. Maybe they think that Rip Tide warnings are something that someone has done to box of detergent in order to get it open fast. Not the brightest bulbs on the planet.

Getting dark so I'm not sure I will be able to see much to report on--but will if I can!

UPDATE: 10:00 Surf has picked up and is much louder but winds have died off. Rain is steady. Expect this to preceed heavier winds and storm surge. Weather channel has reported that pressure has dropped--maybe making Hanna a Hurricane. So far not much different that a long lasting thunderstorm. Hope to update later.

UPDATE: 11:00 Winds and surf much higher. Waves are coming in higher than high tide mark and high tide isn't until 12:30 AM. Waves are much higher and very loud. Can see white topping much further out. Landfall is probably close.

UPDATE: 7:30 AM Sat. I awoke about 2 AM to look at the surf and it was high but not as much as I would have thought. This morning, based on standing water, the small surge pushed water up to the high grass up from the beach but did not reach the hotel. We seamed to have lost power for about 20 minutes last night based on the clocks. Reports are that TS Hanna made landfall at 3:20 AM right where we are staying. You never want to encourage someone to ride out a storm but I'm glad we didn't leave as many did. This turned out to cause less damage that a typical thunderstorm in Roanoke. It seems odd to see the national reporters reaching for anything they can point to as damage.

Hurricane/TS Hanna tracking is now closed.

Buchanan: McCain's Gamble is Paying Off Big Time

2008-09-03T09:12:00.001-04:00

I thought Pat Buchanan hit the nail on the head with his analysis of the Palin pick.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=74137

ACC Football?

2008-08-31T10:18:00.003-04:00

I wanted to title this post SEC football but I am still upset that my MSU Bulldogs was the only SEC team not getting it done on opening day. My guys are very talented but they need to get their heads together quick before Auburn and LSU or it will be a long year.

What surprised me the most yesterday was the horrible showing of the ACC. Both projected division leaders Va Tech and Clemson were taken apart. Clemson was even suggested to contend for a national title. They were dramatically overrated. I would say the best of the ACC would finish in the bottom of the SEC. It's also looks like Saban has Alabama ready well ahead of schedule. Not a great sign since we play them every year.

Heard that Va Tech is potentially playing Alabama to open next year's season. They better reconsider or they will have a day like Virginia did with USC yesterday.

As rough as my Dawgs had it yesterday the SEC looks well positioned to have a lot of great games this year. Bring it on!

McCain's VP Pick?

2008-08-29T09:44:00.002-04:00

MSM on CNBC is reporting that the pick is Gov. Palin of Alaska. If this is true it is great move. Not only having a woman on the ticket but the Alaska angle is great also. She above all others can hammer the point of drilling in Alaska. Do it now. Then have the enviro left agrue with her. Whoa! I sure hope this is true.

Barack Obama: You're No JFK

2008-08-28T22:28:00.002-04:00

As I watch Obama's speech, I am waiting for the famous JFK line, only backwards:

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country can do for you.

Whacha watching tonight?

2008-08-28T16:07:00.002-04:00

Choice of viewing tonight. A stadium in Denver, CO or Columbia, SC. I'm going with the stadium in Columbia. Why because college football begins tonight with a SEC match up involving the ever interesting Steve Spurrier!

Granted I might DVR the guy from Denver, don't know yet.

Gustav, SPR and Offshore Drilling

2008-08-28T09:40:00.003-04:00

I have several times posted that we need to release some of the oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to punch a hole in the bubble that emerged in oil prices. Now is the time to do it.

Oil has come down on demand destruction and came close to the support level of $110. In order for our economy to continue to prosper we need to go through that level to maybe $100 or even $85. That would be a great boost to our economy and do more than any tax cut would do. Again the government could sell some of the over 700 million barrels at the current price and buy some back at a lower price. Get that-- a break for all drivers and the government increases revenue, duh!

What needs to happen? President Bush needs to declare the continued production of Gulf Oil of strategic importance to the US and commit to releasing oil from the SPR to compensate for any lost production due to Gustav. Currently the Gulf produces about 25% of US Oil. That would do it. The oil bubble that has been easing would finally collapse when it was known that Gulf storms would not impede production.

Also have you seen the map of the oil platforms in the Gulf. It is insane to have them all clustered off the coast of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. If it is one thing I understand that is diversification. We need to be drilling now off Florida and the east coast to not only increase our domestic production but not have us go nuts every time a storm brews in the Gulf.

Update: Someone in the Dept. of Energy must be reading my blog because they issued a statement of the willingness to open up the SPR and the price of oil dropped $4 from the highs of the day. Good move, keep it up!

Will Bolling have to wait on Governor?

2008-08-23T10:33:00.002-04:00

Ok so Biden is the pick and Kaine is left waiting. But to have made it to a very short list is something for the young Governor. He can count on being very high in consideration in a potential Obama cabinet.

What a minute! If Obama is elected won't he name a cabinet in December to have them prepared to take office in January. What if he wants Kaine to be say Attorney General of the US. Would Kaine take with only one year left and still facing a slowing economy and a difficult budget adjusting session in January of 2009. You betcha!

So Bolling may be elevated to Governor yet. However such an elevation coming next year when McDonnell is ramping up for Governor and Bolling is preparing to run for reelection will be even more disruptive to the GOP. Election year 2009 may not be as clear cut as we think.

Our only way out of this fix is to elect John McCain President and carrying Virginia will be absolutely key to making that happen.

Kaine Succession--What If!

2008-08-20T09:47:00.002-04:00

New rumors are out indicating that potentially Kaine has held a meeting to discuss succession if he were to accept the nomination for Vice President. While this is likely far fetched it does start the political wheels turning. First of all it is likely far fetched because without involving the Lt. Gov. all discussion would be mute and there is no way to involve a Republican in the that discussion.

So let's assume that Kaine is the pick--what happens? He can continue to serve as Governor while runs for VP. If elected he steps down and Bolling becomes Governor. This of course changes the landscape for 2009. With Bolling as an incumbent Governor, McDonnell then likely runs for reelection as AG. Now an open opportunity is created at Lt. Gov. for the Republicans. My prediction is Cuccinnelli moves over to run for Lt. Gov. In his mind he has to make a move in 2009 for fear he can't be reelected to the State Senate in 2011 in a Dem. redistricted seat. Unfortunately Brownlee is left out in the cold. It is unlikely he would translate well to Lt. Gov. and would have to wait until 2013 for AG if he still wants to run.

Even a more interesting scenario would be what if Kaine stepped down as Governor soon after being tapped to run for VP. First why would he do that and give up being Governor. It takes away any criticism in Virginia for not being here to do his job. If Obama looses and he were to continue to serve only one year as Governor there would be little he could truly accomplish. He knows the budget cuts the Governor will have to make will be difficult and he can off load that onto Bolling. Even if Obama looses Kaine as a VP candidate has put himself on a national stage. This would open up his opportunities for the future.

Even, even more interesting is what would Bolling do about the open Lt. Gov. position. I checked the constitution and it says nothing about having a special election for Lt. Gov. Bolling could allow it to stay open until the next election. In that instance the President Pro Tem would preside over the State Senate for the 2009 session. I think it likely that Gov. Bolling would call a special election due to pressure from other Republicans. They would want the opportunity to hold all three statewide positions. Think of it--it gives Republicans the opportunity to have all three statewide officeholders running for reelection for the first time in history. Well then when does he call the special......

He could call it for November to coincide with the national election. This would be fast and likely have the office go the way of the party carrying Virginia in the US Senate and Presidential election. I think it unlikely he would do that. Probably would want a low turnout race to be held in December. Ok who runs....

On the Republican side since the nominee would likely be decided by convention any number could jump in. The most likely would be Frederick and Cuccinelli since they are the farthermost along with have a statewide organization to tap into. The more interesting would the Dem. side. I think this would likely go to Jody Wagner. If Obama carries Virginia and Warner the senate, she would have an immense advantage in fundraising over the GOP. She might just pull it off. (Do you think she has known something about what might happen to Kaine being VP and resigned as Sec. of Finance to run for Lt. Gov. I thought for some time it was odd she would want to run against an incumbent in Bolling. Maybe she knew something no one else did) Heh what happens then? Does she run for reelection or jump into the Governor's race? Heck that is two many what ifs even for me. Let's see what happens with Kaine before we go there.

Councilman Rosen Blogging

2008-08-19T10:51:00.003-04:00

I just came across Roanoke City Councilman Court Rosen's new blog. I am not aware of too many elected officials who are blogging. Sure, lots of campaigns and candidates have blogs, but you know most are not written by the candidates themselves. It seems like Court is writing this one and that's a good thing. It means we will hear first hand his thoughts about the issues and challenges facing Roanoke City. Readers also have the ability to comment. Looking forward to reading more.

http://courtrosen.blogspot.com/

Kaine as VP Pick?

2008-08-19T09:57:00.002-04:00

Drudge is reporting that Obama will make his VP pick as early as tomorrow. Other Dem. focused blogs are speculating that it will be Kaine. Obama coming to Virginia over the next couple of days has fueled that speculation. It is widely reported that Kaine is definitely in the top three. He is as likely as the other two in that top three.

My only thought is a something my 3 year old daughter has been saying lately. As she has been listening to my wife talk on the phone one of her favorite sayings gets repeated over and over. If you have a three year old you understand. As my daughter would say "Are you kidding me?"

While Kaine doesn't really help Obama he doesn't seem to hurt. Much has been said about Kaine's lack of accomplishment but Obama doesn't have any accomplishments of his own. This pick, if it happens, would seem to go with the Clinton/Gore model. Pick someone you like, trust, very much like you but doesn't highlight any weaknesses of the candidate. I never thought he would go with someone with a military or diplomatic credentials. A pick like that would highlight that area as a weakness of the candidate. Obama's trip overseas was designed to give him all he needs in the way of international strengths.

I served with Governor Kaine and while he has no real accomplishments he is a likable person. Actually his greatest strength is speaking during very difficult emotional times. His comments following the Va Tech tragedy were extraordinary. He spoke at the funeral of a downed officer in Christiansburg. He has a tremendous ability to speak compassionately and still be uplifting. He has that uncanny ability to make you feel better at a trying time.

Not to make light of the Governor's attendance at memorial services or funerals, but isn't that one of the primary duties of a Vice President. Well seems like it actually might happen.

I'll wait to see if this does happen before speculating on the potential shift in Virginia politics.

Obama's Imperfect Speech--Funny!

2008-08-12T14:22:00.004-04:00

If you are like me, you may be a bit sick of hearing about what a great orator Barack Obama is. But following George Bush, I think just about anyone would be "great".

This video was shot a couple months back, but I missed it and thought maybe others had as well. It's funny. And shows that Obama is not a "perfect" speaker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxBX8sz3tO8

Olympics Start

2008-08-08T14:19:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure what I am more excited about today! Positive 300 point move on the Dow, SEC football starts in less than a month or the start of the Olympics. I'll go with the Olympics. There is something about individuals competing to be the best in what they do best. They get one opportunity every four years. They also know that they are probably at their peak right now. There won't really be another opportunity in four years. As they say, there is no tomorrow! I love it. Leave it all on the field, track or pool. It reminds me how I should live my life. Do what's right and give it all you've got.

Funny I never watch sports like gymnastics except during the Olympics. Every since the inspiration of women's gymnastics in 1984, I don't miss it. I'll never forget ML Retton posting a 10 on a particular event. It was enough to win her the gold. However, you always get two attempts. She came back and nailed another 10. She was there to be at her best. It is just something that stays with you for a long time. I also like the back stories of the the athletes that are there to compete but don't metal. If they gave all they had--that's what matters.

Sorry to all for the lack of posts recently. Had a pretty bad head cold recently that my daughter shared with me.

Bearing Drift: Cuccinelli's Supporters Need to Back Off

2008-07-30T07:39:00.004-04:00

A good post from my friend over at Bearing Drift on the attacks being leveled at John Brownlee by Cuccinelli's supporters.

http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/29/so-let-me-get-this-straight/

Federal Deficit Soars - Both Parites Share Blame

2008-07-28T19:50:00.006-04:00

Today, the White House announced the budget deficit would reach a half a trillion dollars by 2009. A-HALF-A-TRILLION! The national debt has nearly doubled during Bush's tenure in office. Of course, this isn't all Bush's fault. The Congress holds it's share of blame. But how does something like this happen?

Democrats and Republicans love to spend our money. The question in how to pay for it. Republicans cut taxes, increase spending and amass enormous deficits, putting the long term fiscal health of our country in serious jeopardy. Democrats raise taxes, increase spending and cripple the American economy by transferring wealth from the private sector to the public one. Both strategies are a recipe for disaster. And we are on the brink.

Democrats have to realize that we can't afford to do all the things they want to do. And Republicans must realize that we have to pay for what we get. Don't pass the debt to future generations. Pay for it today. So as a society we have to decide what we want and how to pay for it. If we want new roads, we have to pay for them. If we don't want that new social program, then we need to oppose the new taxes to pay for it.

Of all the Republicans who vied for the nomination, John McCain is the best one to deal with this issue. He's spent his career fighting the pork barrel spending and has a "pay as you go" attitude. And he's certainly better than Obama. Obama will raise taxes and increase spending. Which is the last thing we need.

Turnout High for Roanoke Valley GOP BBQ - Good News for Goodlatte & McCain

2008-07-27T11:21:00.002-04:00

According to Roanoke City GOP Chair Adam Boitnott, turnout for the valley wide family BBQ this past Saturday passed 200. That is a great turnout for a first time event. Congrats to the organizers.

It is also a good sign for Congressman Bob Goodlatte and John McCain. We've heard a lot about the apathy amongst Republicans this year. Maybe this event signifies a turning point here in the 6th District.

Poll: McCain closes in on Obama in some states

2008-07-24T16:49:00.001-04:00

By The Associated Press Thu Jul 24, 12:37 PM ET

THE RACE: The presidential race in Colorado
___
THE NUMBERS
Republican John McCain, 46 percent
Democrat Barack Obama, 44 percent
___
OF INTEREST:
Obama led McCain by 5 percentage points in the same poll taken last month. McCain holds a solid lead among men — 55 to 37 percent — but women lean toward Obama, 50 to 39 percent. Whites back McCain by 10 points while nearly six in 10 Hispanics prefer Obama. Voters over age 55 favor McCain, while those younger tilt toward Obama. The two split voters ages 34 to 54. When it comes to their preference of first lady, more respondents say Cindy McCain fits the profile than Michelle Obama — 37 to 27 percent. Voters are divided on which White House hopeful has the best energy policy, with 34 percent undecided.
___
THE RACE: The presidential race in Michigan
___
THE NUMBERS
Barack Obama, 46 percent
John McCain, 42 percent
___
OF INTEREST:
Obama leads by 12 percentage points among Michigan's female voters, while men back McCain by a 5-point margin. Blacks overwhelmingly favor Obama. The two candidates run closer among white voters, with 48 percent supporting McCain to Obama's 40 percent. Obama holds a 10-point edge among younger voters. Middle-aged and older people are more closely divided. Voters are split on which candidate's wife best fits their idea of a first lady. Respondents say Obama has the best energy policy, 35 to 28 percent.
___
THE RACE: The presidential race in Minnesota
___
THE NUMBERS
Barack Obama, 46 percent
John McCain, 44 percent
___
OF INTEREST:
McCain has narrowed the gap between the contenders; Obama led by 17 points in the same poll taken last month. Women favor Obama, while men lean toward McCain. Whites are divided between the two. Middle-aged voters are also split, while Obama has a 4-point edge with voters over 55. The Democrat holds a 15-point lead with younger voters. In first lady preference, Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain are running about even. Forty percent of voters are undecided on which candidate has the best energy policy, though Obama has an 8-point edge.
___
THE RACE: The presidential race in Wisconsin
___
THE NUMBERS
Barack Obama, 50 percent
John McCain, 39 percent
___
OF INTEREST:
Women support Obama over McCain by 25 points, while McCain holds a 6-point edge with men. Obama leads among likely voters old and young. Respondents were divided over which contender's spouse fits their idea of a first lady. More women favor Michelle Obama, 33 to 24 percent; men like Cindy McCain, 32 to 24 percent. Wisconsin voters preferred Obama's energy policy, 34 to 29 percent.
___
The Quinnipiac University poll, taken for The Wall Street Journal and washingtonpost.com, was conducted July 14-22. It involved telephone interviews with 1,425 likely Colorado voters, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points; 1,684 likely Michigan voters, with a 2.4 point margin of sampling error; 1,261 likely Minnesota voters, with a 2.8 point margin of sampling error, and 1,094 likely Wisconsin voters, with a 3-point margin of sampling error.
___
COMPLETE RESULTS: http://www.quinnipiac.edu , http://www.washingtonpost.com and http://www.wsj.com

HQ Opening....and Phone Bank?

2008-07-24T14:29:00.003-04:00

I got an email today from a local GOP committee member reminding me about the Roanoke Valley HQ opening on Monday 7/28. Great. But then it also asks if I would be willing to stay an extra hour to make phone calls.

From my experience, the number one goal of a HQ opening is warm bodies and excitement. So, what could we do to ensure that no one will want to show up?

A - Give each person a toilet scrubbing brush for post celebration cleaning and pray no one eats the deviled eggs during the speeches

B - Have people take turns standing by the road in a giant elephant suit on a hot summer evening

C - Ask people to stay after and make phone calls.

Folks, the answer is C. Phone calls are the worst job in politics (and should be done by paid professionals, but that's another story). If you want a lot of people to show, asking them to make phone calls afterwards is not the way to do it.

I am sure the request was full of good intentions, but I don't think this is the strategy for a successful opening. Lets save the calls for another time.

Another Breiner Run?

2008-07-22T11:11:00.002-04:00

Roanoke Valley Republicans has a good post up about former State Senate candidate Dr. Mike Breiner. Dr. Breiner is holding over $100,000 in his campaign account as of the most recent filing. I agree with RVR. There is no reason to maintain a balance that size, especially with a $60,000 personal loan that could easily be paid off with that money, unless you are keeping your options open to run again.

I hear Senator Smith, Dr. Breiner's former rival, has a big outstanding personal loan...maybe he should place a debt retirement call to the good doctor.....

http://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-michael-breiner-going-to-run-again.html

AG OKs Investigation Into Wishneff Ad

2008-07-22T08:42:00.003-04:00

The Roanoke Times is reporting this morning that the Attorney General has authorized an investigation into a campaign ad that attacked Roanoke City Council candidate Court Rosen through a false name provided by incumbent candidate Brian Wishneff. Rosen won a seat on Council while Wishneff lost his.

The ad carried a disclaimer reading "Paid for by Joe Smith, Citizens for Sensible Decisions". But, there is no Joe Smith and Citizens for Sensible Decisions is not registered with the VA State Board of Elections. I guess this time the group didn't live up to it's name.

Citizens for Sensible Decisions, Brian Wishneff included, fashions themselves as a kind of watch dog for the people, standing up to corrupt City leaders and demanding more open government. A noble cause for sure, but their tactics leave much to be desired. Their message is littered with vitriol and personal attacks. The attack ad in question is a great example. But this time, it was even worse. They didn't even have the courage to "stand by their ad", as State law requires.

And now that they have been caught, their reaction is even more telling. To them, it's just no big deal. They admit they might not have done the right thing, pleading ignorance, but is ignorance really an excuse to violate the law? Apparently the high standards with which they judge others do not apply to themselves. I hope Roanoke City voters remember this when the next election roles around and Citizens for Sensible Decisions begins to throw stones while hiding behind it's wall of self righteousness.

Governor's Reponse to Open Letter on Transporation

2008-07-21T13:53:00.002-04:00

I received the following letter from Governor Kaine's office in response to my open letter on transportation. I thought I would share it.

More Oil?

2008-07-18T10:30:00.002-04:00

It's time to put the nail in the coffin of high priced oil!

The leadership in Congress is currently considering legislation that would begin selling oil out of the SPR. This strategic petroleum reserve currently has over 700 million barrels. This is a position I advocated several months ago. My interest is to change the supply/demand characteristics of the world and more importantly the US. We could begin selling the oil at say 250,000 barrels per day increasing over 90 days to 1 million per day. Worldwide demand currently exceeds supply by about that amount. We could stop when either demand matches supply or the price is driven down to strong support levels of about $85 per barrel. Further we would be selling oil at above $100 that was purchased as low as $20. That's a good deal on any ones ledger.

The main objective here would be to punch oil prices down through current support at $130. It is down about $17 mostly on demand destruction. However more demand destruction equals slowing economic activity or recession.

I know the Dem's want to spend the proceeds on research of alternative energy sources. That's ok with me. My main interest is giving the citizens of this country a real break of almost a 50% potential drop on the gas they need. This is the best stimulus we could hope for and the government actually makes money doing it.

Republicans should seize on this issue and pare it with offshore drilling. A compromise bill of selling SPR oil and offshore drilling might actually show the American people that congress can actually do something that is worthwhile and effective.

Right Wing Liberal Passes on McDonnell Endorsement - For Now

2008-07-17T13:55:00.004-04:00

DJ McGuire, frequent poster on this blog and publisher of the Right Wing Liberal, recently posted his endorsements of Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli. Noticeably absent was Bob McDonnell. When prompted, McGuire said he was keeping his options open.

Unless I am missing something here, there is no other Republican candidate for Governor. To me, this indicates an higher level of unrest in the Conservative blogosphere with McDonnell than I might have originally thought and the first indication that McDonnell could see a challenge from the Right. I know, that sounds crazy, but the Convention is nearly a year away. A lot can happen in that time. One thing is for sure, McDonnell has some work to do to repair the damage in the Base as a result of the transportation fiasco.

http://rightwingliberal.wordpress.com/

AG Edge: Brownlee

2008-07-16T10:08:00.003-04:00

Having not seen the actual reports and just looking at the total fundraising numbers, I felt like John Brownlee held his own in the AG race with Ken Cuccinelli. But now that I've looked at the reports this morning, I think it's safe to say Brownlee blew Cuccinelli out of the water. If you take out the $40,000 transfer from Cuccinelli's Senate campaign account, he raised around $90,000 in 12 weeks. Brownlee raised $103,000 in 6 weeks. That's more money in half the time.

And keep in mind that Cuccinelli may be a State Senator from Northern Virginia, but he's spent the past few years building a statewide network of supporters and donors. Brownlee, as a US Attorney, was essentially prohibited from participating in the political process, meaning he is really starting from scratch. Seen in that light, this report has to be thrilling for Brownlee and disappointing for Cuccinelli. So much for Ken being able to knock Brownlee out early.

Check out the numbers:

http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Campaign_Finance_Disclosure/View_Disclosure_Reports/Index.html

More from Roanoke Valley Republicans:

http://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2008/07/brownlee-wins-initial-fundraising.html

Warner Trounces Gilmore in Fundraising

2008-07-15T15:47:00.002-04:00

I knew it would be bad, but not this bad. The Roanoke Times is reporting that Mark Warner raised $3 million in the most recent quarter ending June 30th. Gilmore raised just over $400,000. Even more distressing is the difference in cash on hand. Warner is sitting on over $5 million while Gilmore has just over $100,000.

Who would have ever thought two former Governors would have such different fundraising results. Gilmore has got a great issue with energy policy, but no money to use to communicate it with the voters.

AG Fundraising - Brownlee Impresses

2008-07-15T15:21:00.003-04:00

The Republican candidates for Attorney General have announced their fundraising totals for the first quarter of the campaign. Senator Ken Cuccinelli comes in with $125,000. John Brownlee will report over $100,000. But, Brownlee raised that money in HALF the time since he announced mid way through the reporting period. These fundraising totals indicate to me that we have a real race on our hands and Cuccinelli is not the presumptive nominee.

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Brownlee's Latest Campaign Update

The Brownlee Report
A Grassroots Update from Virginia's Conservative Prosecutor

Dear Republican Friends: I hope this campaign update finds all of you doing well. As we enter the heat of the summer, I thought I would write to you and provide a campaign update. Lee Ann, the girls, and I have had a wonderful seven weeks traveling across the Commonwealth. We are humbled that so many Virginians have joined our campaign and grateful for the warm receptions and kind hospitality.

As many of you know, I served as President Bush's United States Attorney for the last seven years. During that time, I, and the brave men and women of Virginia's law enforcement community, worked hard to make our Commonwealth a better and safer place to live. I worked with Attorney General Bob McDonnell to rid our neighborhoods of gangs, drug dealers, and child predators.

As Attorney General, I am committed enhancing public safety, lowering taxes on Virginia's families and businesses, reforming the civil justice system, and protecting traditional values and our most vulnerable citizens.

My last day as U.S. Attorney was Friday, May 16, 2008. I was taught by my parents that you should treat the last day on the job the same as your first. So, on my last day as U.S. Attorney, I argued an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond. The case concerned a man who had killed his wife, received a sentence, and appealed his conviction and sentence. I argued the case at 9:30 am, drove home to Roanoke, attended my farewell dinner at The Hotel Roanoke, and then drove to Fairfax. My final term as U.S. Attorney expired at midnight, and my campaign for Attorney General began one second later.

Since May 17th, I driven over 5500 miles and participated in over 50 campaign events across the Commonwealth. (My trusty 2000 Chevy Blazer has over 174,000 miles, and counting!) I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people from nearly every part of Virginia, including Wise County, Bristol, Wythe County, Montgomery County, Rockingham County, Botetourt County, Augusta County, Staunton, Danville, Tazewell County, Grundy, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Loudoun County, Fairfax, Alexandria, Springfield, Arlington, Clifton, Chesterfield County, Richmond, New Kent County and Martinsville. I hope to travel to many more places in the next several months. My goal is speak with every possible Republican delegate and tell them about my Justice for All program and how I will make Virginia a better and safer place to live.

We also have worked hard on our fundraising efforts. In our first 40 days, we raised over $100,000. Our Campaign is gathering support and gaining momentum as we begin our third month on the campaign trail. I look forward to meeting all of you over the next several months, and I hope you will join our campaign. We are committed to building a better and safer Commonwealth, and, with your help and God's blessings, we will make the Commonwealth strong and vibrant for the next generation of Virginians.

Sincerely,
John

P.S. - Please join my campaign for Attorney General today by visiting the links above or by visiting JohnBrownlee2009.com

McCain/Romney & Obama/Biden?

2008-07-15T11:45:00.004-04:00

Last night on Hardball, Chris Matthews predicted that John McCain would pick Mitt Romney and Barack Obama would pick Joe Biden as their respective running mates. The two pundits seemed to agree. Are you kidding me?

First Romney. There is no question this guy has a great resume. He was a chief executive as the Governor of MA. He ran the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake. And he was enormously successful in the business world. But does any of this matter to McCain? For me, McCain needs two things. A VP with solid Conservative credentials from a swing state. I don't believe Romney delivers on either. As much as he became the darling of the right in the Primary, I don't think most people identify Romney as a rock solid Conservative. And he sure as heck isn't going to deliver Massachusetts for McCain. Matthews contends that Romney can help deliver Michigan and Pennsylvania. But I have my doubts.

Now Biden. Where did this come from? I know Obama needs to balance the ticket with experience, but how old is this guy? How can the Obama campaign attack McCain on the age issue with Biden on the ticket. Obama does need the experience factor, which Biden delivers, but he needs a swing state too and Biden doesn't do much there. And while it wouldn't hurt Obama to pick a VP his senior, I think the contrast needs to be less striking.

Tim Kaine's name keeps coming up, but I think the folks over at Roanoke Valley Republicans have a point. With Mark Warner on the ballot already, Kaine probably doesn't add much. It's Warner that can turn Virginia blue, not Kaine.

http://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2008/07/message-to-senator-obama-please-pick.html

Goodlatte Votes to Impeach Bush? Not So Fast!

2008-07-14T14:09:00.003-04:00

Apparently several blogs are running with an internet rumor that Congressman Bob Goodlatte is one of 7 Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee to vote to impeach President Bush.

But not so fast. The quote that many are using is from the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton, not President Bush.

It's such a ridiculous attempt to trick people, you may not even believe it's true. But here you go:

http://cherylbirenwright.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/seven-republican-members-of-the-house-judiciary-call-for-impeachment-out-of-duty-to-the-constitution/

An open letter to the Governor and Leadership of the General Assembly

2008-07-09T10:43:00.003-04:00

I have sent the following letter to the Governor and Leadership of the General Assembly regarding the Transportation Special Session.

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I have been tracking the recent debate regarding transportation with great interest. I have heard plans from Republicans, Democrats and a variety of other groups. While there is certainly no shortage of plans, it seems to me that the General Assembly is headed towards adjournment without a solution. I believe this is a grave mistake that is simply unacceptable to our citizens.

While I no longer have a vote as a member of the Senate, I believe my past service gives me a unique perspective on this issue. It is my firm belief that a solution can be found. I am writing to offer my thoughts on how we can achieve it.

As I said, doing nothing is not an option. So is raising taxes. Several years ago, I did vote to add the sales tax to the wholesale price of gas to fund transportation. I distinctly remember gas being $1.70 a gallon when I cast that vote. $4 a gallon is a bit different. Regional Transportation Authorities seemed like a good compromise, but now clearly raise serious Constitutional issues. Plans like HB 3202 and 6055 only serve to “Balkanize” the State, dividing us into regions and pitting us against each other. I firmly oppose bills like HB 6055 currently being considered.

My plan divides our roads into three categories: Local roads, Federal interstates, and secondary roads. Each of these road types has their own unique challenges and demands and they should have their own funding source and structure.

Local Roads

All responsibility for local roads should be shifted to our localities, as is already the case with our cities. Our localities are in the best position to know what their needs are and how best to address them.

Each city and county would continue receiving their proportionate share of the car tax relief program. However, moving forward, this money could only be used for transportation needs. All money generated by the car tax locally would be required to be used for local transportation. VDOT could be a supplier of resources and labor, but priorities and funding decisions are set by the localities.

Due to this change, localities may feel that they need additional revenue sources to meet their transportation demands. If this is the case, the locality can submit a request to the General Assembly and these requests should be considered.

I believe this approach is the most fair and equitable approach to solving our local transportation problems. If a fast growing area like Loudoun County needs additional money for their local roads, then the citizens of Loudoun should pay for them.

Federal Interstates

I propose creating a transportation fund dedicated solely to our Federal interstates. All federal highway money and future offshore drilling lease revenue would flow into this fund. Should it be determined that available revenue is not sufficient to meet the costs of construction and maintenance, tolls can be used to fill the gap. An application applying for tolls on our interstates should be made to the Federal government with the commitment to keep Federal money, toll revenue and drilling lease revenue in the Federal interstate fund.

I am not calling for a uniform placement of tolls on all interstates. Each interstate, even sections of each interstate, should be examined individually. If a new truck climbing lane is needed on I-81, tolls could be placed in that area to pay for it. There is no need for drivers of the entire interstate to pay for that single geographical improvement. Technology can be used to adjust these tolls where necessary. Out of state drivers are more likely to use our interstates and tolls will ensure that they are paying for use of our roads.

Secondary Roads

The State would continue to build and maintain our secondary roads using money from the transportation trust fund. Without the burden of our interstate highways and local roads, it is my belief that the State has the financial capacity to meet these demands without the need for additional revenue.

I know first hand how complicated this issue is. It is my intent to offer a transportation solution that does not raise statewide taxes but addresses the very real and serious problems we face. I hope you will consider my proposal as the debate continues.

I look forward to talking with you soon.

J. Brandon Bell

It's Gas, Stupid

2008-07-08T09:16:00.004-04:00

I saw a poll on TV last night that said 76% of the public supports increased domestic drilling. I believe it was both on land and off shore. Only 20% were opposed and we can probably assume they are mostly wealthy liberals with no worries about filling the tank each week. 71% of Democrats supported the idea. Again, we know which Democrats are opposed.

I am having a hard time thinking of an issue that has such lop sided support. Rarely is our Country so unanimous in it's support of something. So, given the political power that comes with this level of support, can Barack Obama continue to resist the call for more drilling? Could this be his Achilles heal? I think it could be. In fact, I think it might be the only way John McCain can win. And this is all McCain should be talking about between now and November. He needs to hammer Obama on this issue. Pull the old Bush line of your either with us or against us, only this time it's you either oppose high gas prices (like me) or support them (like Obama).

Of course Obama would never say he supports high gas prices, but that doesn't mean McCain can't make the case that his policies would cause them, regardless of Obama's own feelings on the issue.

UPDATE: A reader made an interesting point regarding Virginia Democrats. Gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds voted against off shore drilling in the recent Transportation Special Session. I have not seen poll numbers specific to Virginia, but my guts tells me they would mirror the national numbers. I think that is a risky move for a statewide candidate like Deeds, who will be counting on the support of a rural base that will feel the sting of high gas prices more than their well to do Northern neighbors. I wonder if the momentum on this issue will force some Dems to change their minds?

It's a Boy!

2008-07-03T11:46:00.003-04:00

My wife and I were at the doctor yesterday for the 18 week checkup on our newest family addition. Everything looks great and we are expecting a healthy boy around December 1st.

Have a wonderful Fourth!

Should You Pay for Ralph Smith's Two Full Time Staff Members?

2008-06-30T11:58:00.004-04:00

I know I am asking for it, but I am going down this road again. I got an email about Ralph Smith's latest burger fest and read something interesting. He was making a plea for money and one of the reason's stated was that he had 2 full time aides to pay for.

Let me give you a little background. Each Senate and House member is given a budget to pay for staff. It's in the mid 30's. This money has to be used for staff. You don't have to spend it all, but it can't carry over year to year. It's entirely up to the member to decide how the money is spent.

So, we can assume that Ralph is using his entire staff budget for one aide (which is what most do) and is using campaign funds to pay for the salary of the second aide.

But before you go and give him your hard earned money, lets think about why on earth he needs two people in the first place.

I did this job. Same district. Same demands. During the Session, it's tough. You could certainly use more than one person and we did have more at the end of Brandon's term. But in the recess (10 months of the year), it's essentially part time work. I know, you Ralph people are going to say I didn't do a good enough job. Even though you are entitled to your opinion (although I think I did a fine job), I know a lot of other aides and their work load was no different.

I can say with absolute confidence that you do not need two full time staff members to run a Virginia Senate office. During a campaign year, maybe you need more people. And like I said, during session you do as well. But not during the recess of a non-campaign year.

I don't know Ralph's aides, never meet them. I am sure they are nice people and competent workers. This isn't about them. It's about Ralph's staffing decisions.

So when you go to write Ralph Smith a check, think about how he is using the money. You may want to put your checkbook back in the drawer.

Pro Tax Putney

2008-06-27T13:45:00.004-04:00

While I plan to put up a transportation post next week, I was surprised with one bill that was introduced in the special session. Delegate Lacy Putney, Chairman of Appropriations and longest serving member, introduced HB 6012 which would increase the sales tax by 1/2 cent to be dedicated to transportation costs statewide. It would call for a referendum to be held in November. The bill hasn't been acted on in the House Rules committee.

I'm somewhat confused. Lacy was one of the behind the scene voices encouraging Ralph Smith to run against me based on my alleged support for transportation taxes. On the one hand it indicates that Lacy understands from the spending perspective that we need more revenue for transportation. Why introduce a bill however that is sure to excite the anti tax crowd in Botetourt and Bedford? An act like this would surely interest a Republican candidate to run against him. But as Max Smart would say, "not so fast"!

The more likely reason is this is the first indication that Lacy won't run for reelection. There were rumors in GOP circles that he would be allowed to serve one term as Chairman of App. if he agreed not to seek reelection. Maybe this is slap at the Speaker for forcing the deal on him. Looks like 2009 will bring a contest in House District 19 which is heavily conservative.

Frederick Confirms He’s Raising Money for Re-Election – Or For Wife’s Campaign??

2008-06-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post has an interview with RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick regarding a recent fundraising email he sent out (posted by Zak below). Apparently Jeff is now reconsidering his promise not to seek re-election to the House. Thus the reason he is still raising money. But even if he doesn’t run, he is going to give the money to his wife Amy to support her campaign.

As most of you know, I did not support Jeff for Chairman. But, after his victory, I resolved myself to support his efforts to build our Party. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t offer constructive criticism. But it’s in my best interest as a Republican for him to succeed.

Unfortunately this recent story confirms what I suspected all along. It really is all about Jeff and what he wants for himself. And that’s not how you build a party. Going back on this pledge, after admitting the downsides of serving as both a Delegate and Chairman, is embarrassing for our Party.

I have a theory as to why he might be backtracking. It’s only a theory, but here goes. As I posted earlier, I thought it was Jeff’s plan all along to serve as both Chairman and Executive Director. That way you get the power AND the money. My hunch is that his “people” are telling him the ED job “ain’t gonna happen”. So this is Plan B. You’ve got to make a living and it would be difficult at best to serve as Chairman and hold down a full time job. The total compensation package for a House member, including office allowance and health insurance--which is huge for a young family, is in the neighborhood of $45,000.

And the whole idea of maybe giving the money to his wife is even more ridiculous. The people and PACs writing the checks are supporting his re-election, not hers. Sure, he can give the money to any candidate he likes, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

I’ve got some friendly, albeit unsolicited advice for Jeff. Pick one. If you want to be Chairman, great. Announce you’re not running for re-election and, if there is interest, have your wife begin her campaign. Then focus on the job of being Chairman. If you want to stay in the House, that’s fine too. You’ve got the best shot at holding the seat. But resign as Chairman. You cannot do both effectively. This is already fodder for the Dems, who no doubt look forward to running someone against you to keep you pinned down and ineffective as Chairman. I can almost hear Chairman Dickie laughing all the way from Vinton.

Griffith Joins Delegate Dave Albo's Law Firm

2008-06-24T16:33:00.002-04:00

Seems our Delegate in Salem has made a recent employment change. Delegate Griffith has joined fellow Delegate Dave Albo's law firm, based in Northern Virginia. Blogger Waldo Jaquith brings up an interesting point....Albo's the boss 10 months out of the year, but Griffith's the boss during the General Assembly Session. Makes one wonder how that will work out.

http://waldo.jaquith.org/blog/2008/06/griffith-albo-law-firm/

Frederick Raising Money For His House Seat? Will He Resign?

2008-06-24T16:01:00.002-04:00

I saw this email posted on Too Conservative. It’s supposedly an email RPV Chair Jeff Frederick sent out asking for contributions to his House of Delegates campaign account. So, why exactly is Jeff raising money if he promised not to run again??? Maybe someone just made it up? If it’s not real, by all means let us know.

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I need your help. Really.

Between preparing for the birth of our second child, running my small business to pay the Bills, running for statewide Party office, and going to Richmond for the special sessions, I haven’t been doing much fundraising for House of Delegates seat.

Midnight June 30 is our fundraising deadline for the last 6 months of activity and I’m just $10,000 shy of our goal for this reporting period.

If you can spare a few bucks, I’d be grateful if you could take a minute, go online, and make a financial contribution to our efforts. We need to show strong numbers on this report, and with your help, we’ll be able to do so. I’m counting on it.

Go to: http://votejeff.com/contribute.asp. Or, you can mail a check dated June 30 (or before) to:
Friends of Jeff Frederick
P.O. Box XXX
Woodbridge, VA 22194

Thanks again for all your continued encouragement, support, and especially your prayers.

Roanoke Valley Republicans on Rasoul

2008-06-24T13:04:00.002-04:00

An interesting post from Roanoke Valley Republicans regarding 6th District Democrat candidate Sam Rasoul. Honestly, I am a bit shocked by these campaign finance numbers.

http://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2008/06/sam-rasoul-contributors-out-of-district.html

Offshore Drilling -- Florida

2008-06-20T10:49:00.002-04:00

The Democrats are flipping out over the increasing pressure to allows states to drill off their shores. I just watched an interview with the Chief Financial Officer of Florida (D) Alex Sink. She was particularly exercised over Gov. Crist's willingness to have Florida open to offshore drilling. Her argument was that Floridians long ago decided to keep it's waters free of drilling in order to preserve their tourist industry. HELLO! Lady, you aren't going to have a tourist industry because no one will be able to fly or drive to your great state. Unbelievable! Great move by Crist--keep it up.

I would have to put Gov. Crist in the drivers seat for the VP nod based on this. McCain would love for this to be how he is defined against Obama. Heck Sen. Webb has signed on to allow drilling for natural gas off the Virginia coast. Even he sees opposing the offshore drilling is a loosing issue for the Democrats.

Everquest Scandal Continues

2008-06-19T10:17:00.004-04:00

It is being reported this morning that the former CEO of Everquest Financial has turned himself in to the FBI pending an indictment on securities fraud charges. He is likely to be charged for misleading investors involving sub prime mortgage investments.

When this story involving Everquest first broke earlier in the year, I posted that it caused me great concern for our potential US Senate nominee. It was apparent from my research that there may be a "purp walk" for those involved in the Everquest scheme. Everquest was, if you don't remember, a company set up to offload non performing sub prime mortgage investments from Bear Stearn's hedge funds. The company tried to go public in the summer of 2007 but failed when it became apparent what the purpose of the company was. The problem for Gov. Gilmore was, and is, he was the Chairman of the Board of Everquest Financial. It was his responsibility for hiring Ralph Cioffi as CEO. I noted when the Gilmore campaign issued a press release when the story first broke that it was filled with holes. It seemed to be written by someone with no true knowledge of the situation or someone with something to hide.

As I noted some time ago this continues to be a big problem for our candidate. Ignoring it won't make it go away. Now that Cioffi has surrendered to federal authorities, what will he say? It is doubtful he will go down by himself. The Gilmore campaign needs to act quickly and decisively and come clean as to Gov. Gilmore's knowledge of any wrong doing. If accurate, condemn Cioffi for his misdeeds and plead for the Feds to get to the bottom of any illegalities. If there is a problem for Gilmore here it needs to be aired in June not October. Get it out now. The campaign has a tough enough job as it is--don't make it any more difficult.

I know as a good Republican I'm not supposed to say anything bad about our nominee. But I don't think this is speaking ill of the Governor. I had a bad feeling about this and where it was headed. I certainly hope it will go away. Usually that doesn't happen in politics.

Update 12:13 PM:
Just read the indictment of Cioffi and there doesn't seem to be anything there to directly implicate a problem for Gov. Gilmore. There is a bunch of smoke however and my point continues. Put out something from the campaign to come completely clean on his dealings with Everquest Financial. Don't defend it--let everyone know it was a bad deal lead by a CEO trying to cover a collapsing financial situation.

Offshore Drilling--McCain/Gilmore

2008-06-18T07:08:00.003-04:00

McCain has changed his energy policy to now include the potential for states to drill offshore should they wish to opt out of current federal prohibitions. This is great news and a real winning issue for the fall.

He and Gilmore need to take it one step further. They should combine to support drilling offshore and allow states an 80% share of lease revenue to be paid by the big oil companies. Also Gilmore could favor having the share of lease revenue be dedicated to transportation infrastructure. This would put him in the forefront of the upcoming transportation debate and on top of the one issue that would make his senate campaign competitive.

Rasoul Seeks New Campaign Manager - Again

2008-06-16T11:29:00.002-04:00

I got wind that 6th District Democrat Congressional candidate Sam Rasoul is looking for a new campaign manager. This would be his third. He posted an ad on a Democrat job site last week.

I know that campaign staff come and go, but 3 managers in one race is a bit more than normal. His first manager, Rick Howell, quite after a short time on the job and went on to support Rasoul's primary opponent.

It certainly begs the question--why is Rasoul going through so many managers and will the trend continue? An ever changing staff will be more detrimental as the campaign heats up this fall.

Becoming a Father, Part II

2008-06-15T07:54:00.002-04:00

Today is Father's Day. We've traveled to Mississippi to visit my Dad who is 87. He still lives in the small town I grew up in. It's a town of 2000 people and is the largest in the county that it is located in. I am looking forward to seeing him and my two sisters and brother along with other nieces, nephews and even a great niece or two. Coming back to Mississippi always relaxes me--I guess it's the pace. Nothing, or really nobody, seems to get in much of a hurry. My wife fortunately loves it also--I think it's the fried pickles.

Anyway my other reason for posting a blog today is to announce some other great news for the Bell family. My wife and I are expecting our second child in December. We are truly blessed. I will thank god today for having a great dad and guidance in becoming, hopefully, 1/2 as great is he is.

Here's a happy father's dad from a "late blooming" dad to all out there reading. Have a great day!

Redevelop the Mill

2008-06-11T15:03:00.003-04:00

As most Roanokers know, the City and Carilion are in the process of transforming the "river side" area near Roanoke Memorial Hospital into an economic engine, including a bio-tech park, a medical school, a new hotel and various other developments. It's the best thing going in Roanoke right now.

The Roanoke Times reported today about the potential fate of the former Roanoke City Mills complex, a big collection of empty buildings and silos sitting in the middle of the development area.

I love the idea floated by Councilman Bev Fitzpatrick--instead of tearing down this historic structure, lets redevelop it. What a cool place to have condos, retail, restaurant and office space. There is no doubt in my mind that this type of development would work well (assuming it's economically feasible), being so close to the sprawling Carilion campus and new medical school. And it's got to be better than another parking garage!

Curt New RPV Finance Chair?

2008-06-09T10:54:00.002-04:00

SWAC Girl is reporting that Walter Curt will be the next finance chair for RPV. I am not sure whether he will be an asset in this new post but I thought I would relay my personal knowledge of Mr. Curt's dealings within the party.

First of all Mr. Curt is extremely wealthy and is not shy about pumping a lot of money into political campaigns and conservative causes. It would not be impossible for him to assemble a small number of others like him and basically underwrite all of RPV's budget.

I got a phone call from Mr. Curt in March of 2003 soon after I announced I would be seeking the republican nomination for state senate in the 22nd district. I did not know who he was before he called. I later found out he was the major financier of Mark Obenshain's opponent in his nomination battle that year. Mr. Curt went on to offer to contribute $10,000 to my campaign. At the time this was a significant amount of money. It was very difficult to raise money although by budget was only $50,000. I eventually had to loan my campaign $20,000. If I had lost this would have been impossible to pay off so a contribution of this size was very tempting.

The problem was that Mr. Curt made it very clear that he wanted me to promise to vote a certain way on a potential measure that I might face once elected. I told him that I don't offer my votes for sale. After the call I did some checking and it was typical for Mr. Curt to make a large contribution but then demand it back later if a particular vote wasn't to his liking.

The irony of all this is one of the biggest attacks I received in my 2007 primary race was based on campaign contributions. My opponent alleged that because I got money from 2 or 3 certain sources that I was obligated to vote a certain way. One of those he attacked me on--the Senate Leadership Trust, which included Senator Chichester--eventually gave twice as much to him for the general election. He also attacked me for taking $6,000 in 2003 from the much maligned Sen. Chichester. Although this was used to defeat my Democrat opponent, Sen. Chichester never asked for any quid pro quo with the contribution. I voted against a number of Sen. Chichester's tax bills particularly the largest one in 2004.

Conclusion---I'm not sure. It does appear that the reason some attack others alleging a quid pro quo with contributions do so because that is how they see them. Just something to consider the next time someone says "well he got $xx from so and so thus it must be bad". Dig a little deeper and decide for yourself.

Funny Article on the Veepstakes - It Ain't Gonna Be Clinton

2008-06-06T11:13:00.001-04:00

Obama-Hillary Ticket? Ain't Gonna Happen
Toby Harnden

Imagine it is January 21st 2009. You are President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is your vice-president.

She's already demanded her old office back in the West Wing. You've learned from CNN that Bill Clinton is on a jet with Ron Burkle heading for Kazakhstan. Drudge has a flashing siren up beside a report from a British tabloid about a mystery blonde who emerged from the former president's apartment in at his library in Little Rock just before dawn last week. The blonde is promising a full interview tomorrow.

Mark Penn, White House counselor, is busy polling whether a divorce or a brief separation from Bill might best help the former First Lady become in 2012 the first member of a president's own administration to defeat him for his party's nomination.

The new vice-president's case is bolstered because your margin of victory was barely wider than George W. Bush's in 2000. According to exit polls released after John McCain's popular vote win, 78 per cent of late deciders cited the leaked tape of Hillary calling you a "wimp" as a key factor. Some 64 per cent agreed with her.

For months, the pundits have been ridiculing the Obama-Hillary (she insisted on her first name) slogan of "Ready for Change and Experience We Can Believe In on Day One". Bill Clinton's Labor Day quip that it would be a "three-for-one" deal didn't help either.

OK, stop imagining. An exaggeration? Certainly. But you get the picture. If Obama even begins to consider whether a Vice President Clinton would loyally help him better govern the country, she's toast in the veepstakes.

Which is why the notion that Hillary will get the nod can be summed up in three words. Ain't. Gonna. Happen. She may be on anyone's short list, as Obama has stated cannily. But she's already inked in at the bottom of his.

Let's face it, the chances were never high. Underpinning Obama's campaign has been his potent argument that it's time for fundamental change in Washington - an end to triangulation, the politics of personal destruction and, by implication, an end to the dynastic rule of the Bushes and the Clintons. Oh, and an end to the Iraq war - which Hillary authorised.

Obama's top advisers believe she sought to diminish him and at best failed to rein in supporters and allies who played the race card or encouraged the ignorant and gullible to view him as some kind of Muslim fifth columnist. She even said that McCain was ready to be commander-in-chief and Obama wasn't.

Electorally, moreover, the benefits of her being on the ticket are dubious. The vast majority of her 18 million voters are likely to plump for him anyway if he runs even a half-decent general election campaign. Those Appalachian types who backed Hillary in the primaries after baulking at a black man won't vote for Obama no matter who's at the bottom of the ticket.

It's easy to forget that Hillary remains one of the most polarising figures in American politics. Naming her as running mate would mobilise the Republican base for McCain more quickly than if the angels Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley descended from heaven to anoint the Arizona senator live on C-SPAN.

In his baroque rant about Todd Purdum this week, Bill Clinton's accusations about Obama got relatively little attention. "They had all these people standing up in this church cheering, calling Hillary a white racist, and he didn't do anything about it," he vented to the Huffington Post. "The first day he [Obama] said 'Ah, ah, ah well.' Because that's what they do - he gets other people to slime her."

If those words had been uttered publicly by Frances Strickland or Susan Bayh do you think their hubbies would still be in the veepstakes reckoning? And that's even before you consider Bill's foreign financial deals and the undisclosed donors to his library.

All this is leaving aside what happened this week. Hillary didn't only display a breathtaking - though characteristically Clintonian - self-pity, delusion, sense of entitlement and blatant desire to put her own good above that of her party. She also showed an astonishing political ineptitude.

The test of a true leader is how he or she performs under the pressure of dramatic events. Her self-regarding defiance was the worst political misjudgment by a leading Democrat since Al Gore blew the 2000 election by conceding when Florida was still in the balance.

To authorize the likes of Bob Johnson (whose charming contributions to the election cycle thus far have been to call Obama a "Sidney Poitier", allude to his youthful drug use and state he would not have been beating Hillary had he been white) to lobby for the vice-presidential slot is plain stupid. And then denying it all in a press statement fooled no one.

For Obama to opt for Hillary over candidates such as Sam Nunn, Jim Webb, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Joe Biden and Wesley Clark would be an acknowledgement of weakness. It would also indicate a decidely uncharacteristic lack of confidence.

The Illinois senator's primary campaign was remarkably well disciplined, consistent, on message and lacking in drama. Despite Hillary's undoubted mastery of policy minutiae and her impressive fighting spirit, her campaign exhibited none of these qualities.

Obama will need to pay due deference to his vanquished rival's bruised feelings while deftly courting her angry, disappointed supporters. But he's not about to gamble everything by bowing to her presumptuous and preposterous demand.

Go Ahead Make My Day!

2008-06-05T14:45:00.002-04:00

Hey Hillary, don't wait for the phone call from Barrack. Go ahead and begin your campaign for Vice President now. There is nothing in the rules of either party that the presidential nominee absolutely gets to pick a VP candidate. Balloting for VP is done completely separate from the President.

Here's what you do, see! Contact all your committed delegates and tell them of your plan. Of course they will be with you. Then research Obama's delegates for those coming from regions you carried or did well in. Spend the next couple of months telling them how much you love Barrack and can help him on the ticket. When Barrack announces his pick a week before the convention many won't have a clue who the person is. That is if he doesn't pick your husband (which of course he could do) All you need is a couple hundred votes to swing your way. Piece of cake for you.

Hey, hey, go ahead do it make my day! At least we would have a convention worth tuning into.

Frederick to Serve as RPV Chair AND Executive Director....

2008-06-04T12:09:00.004-04:00

Well, maybe. Again, we are just speculating here. But after calling Jeff Frederick's impending resignation from the House, we feel like we've got a decent handle on this guy.

And serving as both Chairman and ED makes sense for Frederick, and would not doubt be extremely appealing.

I've been reading with some amusement about the "transition team". My first thought--they want to make this sound a whole lot more important than it really is. But I got to thinking about campaign exploratory committees. Everyone knows that these committees are set up by the candidate. The committee then decides that the candidate should run. And imagine this, they run! The committee is just there to make it look like the candidate is running for some reason other than his own ambitions. Now back to this transition team. I think it's cover to float the idea of Jeff serving as both Chairman and ED. Jeff doesn't want to be the one to come out and say he wants to do both jobs. But if the transition team makes that recommendation, he would humbly accept.

So, why both jobs? That's an easy one. The Chairmanship is an unpaid, volunteer position that requires a lot of work. And with the bar that Jeff has set, it will be even more work than in the past. The Executive Director however, is a nicely paid position. Jeff (I mean the transition team) will argue that in order to do the work required, he needs some type of compensation since he can't really do any other jobs. He's giving up his House salary and benefits and from what I've been told, his real world job deals in political consulting--a clear conflict of interest if you're Party Chairman.

So, don't be surprised if the "transition team" recommends that Jeff serve in both roles. Former ED Charlie Judd attempted to do the same thing last year when Ed Gillespie resigned. John Hager beat him by only a handful of votes. So clearly many on State Central have no problem with the idea.

Scrap the Convention Nomination System

2008-06-03T14:48:00.002-04:00

Before I outline my ideas and concern, I must say I do enjoy political conventions. It is great time to see people and renew friendships with those most dedicated to the party. Most all involved live and breath politics and spending time with them is really a lot of fun I must admit. However, as much as I and other party activists might enjoy the convention process, it is a system thats time has passed.

The biggest problem with the convention is that it imposes an undue burden on those who must travel long distances to attend. The cost for travel on those coming from SWVA has proven to be a real deterrent to participation. It cost me over $100 just in gas to get to Richmond and I didn't stay overnight. It was a 6 hour round trip for me. There is no practical way for anyone living west of me to drive up just for the day. For them lodging drives up the cost even more. This discrimination was apparent in the attendance from SWVA. I heard only two delegates made the trip from Carroll County, a very Republican County.

In theory the way a convention should work is you go to a local mass meeting and elect delegates to attend the convention to vote your interests if you cannot attend. This doesn't work with today's structure. With no delegate slating you basically have to attend yourself as a delegate to have your vote counted. With Roanoke County there were 189 delegate votes with the potential for up to 5 times that number able to attend. This would have allowed 945 people to attend and vote. Only 42 did!

I know many have a problem with open primaries that could allow non-republican voters to enter into our process. Since we don't have registration by party (I supported while in the Virginia Senate) we could look to another option.

We should design a statewide caucus or canvass process. This process would be run in each local unit. They could be run with a set system for voting on a certain day in early June. This would allow all Republicans to vote locally. The results from each unit would then tabulated and posted to a website using a secure password much like the state board of elections does. The actual ballots could also be transmitted to the state HQ for verification. I feel a process like this should be used for all statewide campaigns for elected office. If the party still wants to hold conventions for party offices that would be OK. Furthermore it would force the local committees to function. It would strengthen our numbers by having our neighbors in the habit of voting in the local caucuses. I would suggest procedures that mimic the state run primary process. We could use the same filing deadlines, filing fees and requirement for petitions.

Some might say that this is to difficult. Poppycock! If Iowa and Nevada can run a statewide caucus then the great Commonwealth of Virginia can pull this off. Let's get started with the 2009 races.

A Smooth Transition?!

2008-06-03T10:18:00.003-04:00

SWAC Girl reported yesterday that nearly all high ranking officials at RPV had resigned and left on Monday.

http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2008/06/shakeup-at-rpv.html

But today, Bearing Drift reports that a "senior member of the Frederick transition team" (please, what is this, the White House?) says the transition has been "smooth and cooperative".

http://bearingdrift.com/2008/06/03/transition-at-rpv-going-smoothly/

I suppose it's all about one's perspective. If you wanted to replace the entire RPV staff, then having everyone leave could certainly be viewed as "smooth and cooperative". Smooth because they left without a fight and cooperative because they did exactly what you wanted.

GOP Convention Thoughts

2008-06-01T13:42:00.003-04:00

Gov. Gilmore won in a nail bitter with just 66 delegate votes out of over 10,000 cast. It really was closer than that in actually people attending. Due to turnout from SWVA every person attending carried more than one delegate vote. It was noted that each person attending from Carroll county carried 50 delegate votes. I made a comment earlier in a post that I thought Marshall missed an opportunity in not spending more time in our area. For Roanoke County had 189 votes but had 42 attending (at least for the Senate Nomination). Marshall would have only needed to change the mind of 10-15 people to have won.

The momentum of the day was clearly with the Marshall campaign. Never would I have believed that a flier would be put in my chair claiming that Gilmore was a RINO due to his abortion position. I was shocked. Several of us that attended the 1993 convention when Gilmore attacked his chief rival Steve Agee claiming him to be pro choice. Ironic that 15 years later the attack was put back to Gilmore.

Congratulations to Jeff Frederick in his election as chairman. He choose a great time in the electorial climate of change to move on replacing Hager. It paid off for him. Let's see if he can deliver on the promises made.

Now Fredericks house seat comes open in the '09 cycle. We start out with this Dem leaning seat now up for grabs. Jeff has begun his chairmanship with a very high bar. He has to make sure we hold his old house seat and as he claims reverse the tide of losses in the GA. Yes a very high bar indeed.

It became apparent to me on Saturday that Jeff's wife Amy is being positioned to replace him. With her writing the Howell email and speaking to the convention. Definitely a move to have her viewed in a "political" light. Aren't she and Jeff expecting another child? Seems this will be a campaign that will be tough on both of them. I'm sure he would like to keep the income and benefits but I can't imagine a tougher family strain. We'll see if the policy of not having RPV involved in nomination contests holds for this one.

It has been noted over at Novatownhall that there were a number of irregularities. I don't know if that was true but the convention did seem a bit loose in it's operation. I also felt none of the campaigns had any idea who was going to win until the final vote was read. I've seen several well run floor operations at conventions and there seemed to be very little on Saturday. Yesterday brought me to the conclusion that conventions are not the best way to nominate a candidate for public office. I'll have more to say on that in the near future.

Lastly, there was quite a surreal moment for me in the afternoon. While we were waiting for the vote to be announced for chairman, Senator George Allen spoke. I harkened back to 1993 in the Richmond coliseum with over 13,000 voting delegates hanging on ever word. That day after hotly contested races we charged out of the hall to elect George and Jim as our Governor and Attorney General. Yesterday Senator Allen spoke to maybe 1000 people with about 1/2 paying attention. Governor Gilmore was shaking hands of supporters as people filed out for the day. After 15 years how far have we fallen?

U. S. Senate Candidate Decision Time

2008-05-30T10:44:00.002-04:00

Deciding on who I will vote for to be our nominee for US Senate has been one of the more difficult I have encountered in some time. While the readers of this blog know I have real problems with Gov. Gilmore's candidacy, you would think I would automatically support Marshall. Not so fast.

The very first post of this blog was "Anyone but Jim". I was hopefully such a call would lead to having a heavy weight get in the race and give us a fighting chance against Mark Warner. Bob Marshall is a principled and fine man but he is hardly the heavy weight I was hoping for.

Still I have many issues with Gilmore such as: high unfavorable ratings, favors abortions in the first 8 weeks, a car tax plan that shifted state tax revenue disporportionately to NOVA, and others I won't mention. I have a real problem with his abortion stand particularly when I was able to see my daughter's heartbeat at 6 weeks. It is hard to stomach that it is OK to end life at that point. That being said he has come through with a real winner of an issue: Energy.

Gilmore has the best energy policy of anyone running. His position is even better than our presidential candidate. I predict due to the pandering to the environmental left over the last several years the voters understand what it means not to have enough oil. They understand that we need to drill for more while we explore alternative sources. This is one issue that Joe sixpack will understand and I believe the fall's election could turn on.

I have been surprised that Marshall feels the Sierra Club and others are that important in order to win in the fall. He should understand that they will drop him like a hot rock for Mark Warner. My hope should he be our nominee that he would figure that out and adopt a policy much like Gilmore's.

When comparing resources both our guys are in bad shape. Gilmore has more money but has been spending almost all of it (80%) and will have little for the fall. A significant number of GOP givers are siding with Warner and that will make it more difficult. He will need more money than Marshall because he needs to create a more positive image of himself due to his high unfavorables. Marshall will need a lot of money just to let people know who he is. So far he hasn't shown such an ability but has waged a very efficient nomination battle and has a real chance of becoming the nominee.

The last consideration is how will our nominee effect our other candidates running. At least for the 6th District neither will slow down Goodlatte. Bob's opponent hasn't shown much and is not likely to put up the effort to be able to take him down. But the effect on our presidential nominee could be more important. Senator McCain will need help motivating social conservatives to turn out. Probably a slight edge in this area goes to Marshall. Marshall may have difficulty winning himself would turn out a more dedicated group that would help McCain. With Virginia in play nationally this can't be overlooked.

So---with all this back and forth---the envelope please. And the winner is-----------! Sorry I have decided to keep this one to myself. I wish whoever wins all the best but for once I plan to vote my conscience and come back home. I'm sure I'll have comments on Monday about how the weekend went.

Hager New Endorsements

2008-05-30T09:53:00.003-04:00

Just got wind that George Allen and Ollie North plan to endorse Hager for Chairman today. Seems that momentum is back on Hager's side. We'll see tommorrow!

District Chairman Slams Frederick for Negative Campaign

2008-05-29T20:27:00.003-04:00

I've been waiting for this to happen. After reading Delegate Frederick's increasingly vitriolic emails against Chairman Hager, I figured it was only a matter of time before someone hit him back. I received the email below (as part of a blast) from Mike Wade, 3rd District Chairman. I don't know Mr. Wade, but thought this was worth sharing. I suppose we will all form our own opinions about this race. I will only say I have been truly surprised by the tone Frederick has taken, especially with the Mark Warner criticism and the letter to Speaker Howell.

Leadership? A Few Questions for Delegate Frederick

Dear Delegate Frederick,

Luckily, the demand of Party business has consumed my time and I have been spared up to now from your unyielding barrage of vicious statements. After almost five months of running, a lot of us thought that you would find at least one positive message for your bid for Chairman. As I peruse your recent e-mails, I am truly saddened by the fact that you have run a campaign attacking fellow Republicans with much more energy than you have ever attacked the Democrats. In your mind the Republican Party of Virginia is a defunct institution, our District Chairman are bumbling idiots and our volunteers just didn't meet with your expectations lastyear. You seem to want us to believe that Chairman Hager is a closet supporter of Mark Warner and that we should disregard his 30 years of devoted service to our Party and conservative causes. Your own Leadership in the House of Delegates has even felt the visciousness of your attacks. Delegate Frederick, it seems that without you, we will all but cease to exist.

So please, if you will, answer my questions in your daily e-mail propaganda. Answer them honestly, check your facts out and tell us the real deal. Please help us understand how your recently found interest in the Party can be credible when your record fails to support your claims of Leadership. Remember Delegate Frederick, answer based on your record not campaign hype. Most Republicans believe that it's not what you say that counts, it's your track record.

First question, would you agree that an essential ingredient to winning is to have a united Party, working for our nominee once the nomination is settled? If you answer "yes", please explain why you have made mocking comments to rank-and-file activists at District conventions when they made it clear they would not support you for chairman. Even worse, you have gone to the extreme of telling an unpaid intern who chairs a local College Republican club that she would not be asked back to intern when you are elected, all because she would not wear your sticker. At the Goochland County Committee breakfast just a few weeks ago, you stated publicly that all of the District Chairs would be challenged because they supported Chairman Hager, and that the challengers who were supporting you would win these seats. You later criticized the entire State Central Committee. Can you truly expect to rally and lead those activists and party leaders you have vilified after your callous behavior?

Second question, how can you claim to be a leader for our Party against Mark Warner when nowhere can I find you, Delegate Jeff Frederick, making any statement against the Democrat previous to your campaign for RPV chairman. As a matter of fact, on your own web-site you repeatedly thank the Democrats first for your wins in your District. You also crow about your "bipartisan ideology" with great pride on your web-site. Rather than what your campaign attacks would try to have us think it is your statements that disturbingly sound a lot like the rhetoric of Mark Warner. Thanks to that bipartisan thought process, we got the largest tax increase in Virginia's history.

Third question, how can you blame John Hager for losing the majority in the State Senate and seats in the House of Delegates, even though John Hager became chairman just 3 months prior to election day? Answer with irrefutable facts to support your claim. Surely it couldn't have been the support by some legislators for Mark Warner's massive tax increase, could it? It couldn't have been the perception of Republicans in the General Assembly as more interested in fighting with each other than in fighting for working men and women, could it? It certainly couldn't have been that many of our candidates supported the creation of new, unelected regional government with taxing authority, could it? What reasonable person would think the voters would hold that against our candidates? No, it must have been John Hager who single-handedly brought about the demise of Republicans in the General Assembly. You must think conservative activists and party leaders are clueless if you think they will buy your propaganda. While we're on this topic though, I have a Fourth Question: Since you are now so interested in our majority in the House of Delegates, what did you do, Delegate Frederick, to help our candidates who were in trouble? Remember, actions speak louder than words.

Last but not least, the Fifth Question. Would you agree that a Leader sets an example for those he leads? If yes, please explain how you have allowed yourself and staff to run such a divisive campaign. From where I sit, your entire campaign has set out to besmirch the Party as a whole, threaten or ridicule those who do not support you and apparently just makes things up when the truth doesn't suit. Is this the example you would set for our party to follow? In 2007, with Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and the Democrats pouring millions of dollars into campaigns to defeat our legislators, Republican Delegates from across the Commonwealth opened their own campaign war chests and gave generously to the campaigns under siege. What was your example of leadership in this time of need? You came in 46 th among your fellow Delegates in assisting fellow campaigns. You invested less than $3,000 from your own campaign last year, even though you ended up with money in the bank, money which was transferred to your campaign for chairman.

Is this the leadership you would propose to provide for us statewide?

You see, Delegate Frederick,getting elected chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia doesn't suddenly make one a leader. State Chairmen who are real leaders were leaders before they were elected. In this race for chairman, there is only one candidate whose track record is that of a leader who works with party activists and leaders rather than attack them. That candidate is John Hager. There is only one candidate whose record is that of a leader who was giving to candidates personally and raising money for them not just weeks before asking that we elected him party chairman, but did so for decades. That candidate is John Hager. There is only one candidate whose record is that of a leader who has the grassroots experience and long-term commitment to build our organization so that Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and our GOP nominee for Attorney General will re-take the reins of state government next year. That candidate is John Hager. And, there is only one candidate who is working now to unite out party for the crucial United States Senate race and only one candidate who has been publicly taking on Mark Warner. That candidate is John Hager.

Sincerely, Mike Wade, Chairman, Third District Committee

News Flash: STD and RRZ in Agreement

2008-05-28T13:46:00.004-04:00

Solution to high gas prices and need for more transportation dollars in Virginia: Lease oil and gas fields offshore in Virginia. Have the lease revenue dedicated to the transportation trust fund. It is unclear at this time how much revenue this would generate but such a move could start funds flowing soon from big oil eager to develop new fields.

This is an idea I have had for some time but thanks to Spank the Donkey for his post that highlights a North Carolina congresswoman that has introduced legislation allowing states to participate in lease revenue. The primary focus of the bill would be to allow states to opt out of the Interior Department restriction against drilling offshore. I didn't realize until I read his post that $8 billion is generated from offshore leases. I was aware that citizens in Alaska actually receive rebate checks (pay no state tax) from the state for oil production fees and lease revenue generated there. While we certainly don't have those type of reserves we can increase the state's revenue for our transportation needs dramatically.

As we approach the special session on transportation in June, someone in the GA needs to seize upon this alternative, flesh out the numbers and drive this issue home. My selection would be Senator Frank Wagner since he has already done a great deal of work on the energy issue. This would be a great alternative to raising taxes.

http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/spankthatdonkey2/2008/5/27/raising-kaine-gets-it-warner-marshall-very-vulnerable-on-ene.html

Delegate Frederick Should End Campaign

2008-05-27T10:12:00.003-04:00

Since I was able to out Delegate Frederick in his intentions regarding his race for State Chairman, the decision has become obvious. We must retain John Hager as our State Chairman.

I would suggest to Jeff that he announce today he is ending his Chairman campaign and call for unity in the party. He would then be free to focus on his House district and his reelection in 2009. With our majority in the House of Delegates extremely narrow it is imperative that we hold this swing seat. As Jim Riley, a constituent of Jeffs, at Virginia Virtucon comments in a previous post, Jeff is capable of holding this house seat for as long as he wants it. He may be the only person that can keep it in GOP hands.

Come on Jeff do what's right for the party.

A little bit of additional advice, albeit unsolicited. It wouldn't hurt to have Amy Frederick give the Speaker a call and offer to let her letter to him go down as written in the heat of the moment. An apology might keep young Jeff from being reassigned to 2 or 3 committees that never meet.

Memorial Day Rememberance

2008-05-23T10:30:00.003-04:00

For some this weekend merely marks the beginning of summer and warm weather. It should be noted as a holiday to remember those who have sacrificed in order to perserve our freedoms.

I wanted to share with you a letter that was written by our 16th President during one of the most difficult times this country has ever faced. When I first heard it read, it struck me as a clear example of true meaning of Memorial Day. While the letter is not without controversy, I believe in it's authenticity.

Executive Mansion
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864

To Mrs. Bixby
Boston, Mass.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguille you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Say a prayer for all who have served and for those who have lost loved ones "upon the altar of freedom".

Goodlatte on Gas Prices and the "Pelosi Premium"

2008-05-22T16:37:00.001-04:00

http://www.bobgoodlatte.com/blog/2008/05/the-pelosi-premium/

Do We Need Parties In Local Elections?

2008-05-22T15:47:00.003-04:00

This is a question that is being debated in Roanoke City. It's an issue that has come up for years and came up again at a Council meeting on Monday--Do we switch to non-partisan local elections?

I can honestly see both sides of this argument. On the one hand, local elections are the back bone of the local party. The City of Salem has non-partisan elections and I believe that has served to weaken the local Republican Committee over the years. Compare that to Roanoke County, where elections are partisan. That has lead to an active party structure on both sides of the aisle.

On the other hand, many people ask, and with good reason, what national issues like abortion and the War have to do with City Council. It's a legitimate question. With local elections, local issues and personalities tend to dominate. We see cross over between parties and to independents. Both David Bowers, running as an independent, and Court Rosen, running as an Democrat, won with (I believe) significant Republican support in the Council elections. Granted, there was no Republicans in the race, but many Republicans were voting on personality and local issues. Party just didn't matter. Of course, Republicans had the option to sit out the election, though I doubt many did.

I have found this to be especially true with young people. They may be fiercely partisan on national politics, but very non-partisan on the local level.

Again, I don't know what the answer is with this one. But it's something we should be talking about.

UPDATE: Roanoke Valley Republicans has pointed out an error in my original post. It seems it's more of a tradition to run as an Independent in Salem. They can run with party affiliation if they choose to. Thanks for setting me straight!

Here is a Salem prospective on the issue: http://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2008/05/party-affiliation-in-local-elections.html

You Heard It Hear First - Frederick Confirms That He Will Not Seek Re-Election If Elected Chair

2008-05-20T23:32:00.002-04:00

Congrats Brandon for sniffing this one out last week. Jeff's announcement is below.

Dear Fellow Virginia Republican:
From the very beginning of my campaign for Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV), I have recognized the day may come when I would need to demonstrate my commitment to the well being of the Party as a whole, even at the expense of my own political career.
Friends, that day has come.
I want to thank Misters Cobb, Malek, and Neel for their recent letter. After careful consideration of their opinion, those of others, and much prayer, I have decided that I will not seek re-election to the House of Delegates if I am elected RPV Chairman. This is something I have considered for some time and have not been opposed to, but the Cobb/Malek/Neel letter articulated the issue well, and I agree.
With the loss of 9 seats in the General Assembly in just the last 6 months alone, and RPV finishing 5th in fundraising to four Democratic committees last year, the risk is too great for me to not make the tough decision to eliminate any objections to my candidacy for Party chair. The future of our Party, and indeed our Commonwealth, is at stake.
RPV doesn’t need a babysitter, but rather someone with vision to set the direction and to hire the right team to establish a solid and reliable infrastructure and implement a sound plan to turn things around and start winning again.
Nevertheless, I see a great deal of benefit to the Party in not having their Chairman limited by the legislative calendar, even if then-Senator Randy Forbes handled both his RPV Chairmanship and legislative responsibilities well.
With a dedicated focus on the Chairmanship, however, I’ll not only be free to build upon my successes in winning tough Democrat leaning districts like the one I currently represent in Northern Virginia, but also to advance our conservative agenda statewide to help us win back seats where the Democrats have trumped us.
I realize that some see the Cobb/Malek/Neel letter as a cynical attack by the Hager campaign to pat me on the back as such a great leader and the only person able to hold my seat – while on the other hand claiming I’m not qualified to lead our Party as Chairman.
Neither is true.
My point in saying I’ve won a district most Republicans haven’t is not that I have some inflated ego and the voters have some special affection for me. The key to my winning elections while RPV is losing seats is that I understand how to logistically raise the money, involve the youth, reach out to new communities, and use technology to communicate to voters why our Republican philosophy is best.
Using the same approach, I am comfortable that my House seat can continue to be represented by a Republican. Yet, I am not comfortable that the current RPV leadership is capable of retaining our House majority – and that is the larger problem we face, rather than just concern over my one seat.
My success in raising $1.3 million in my last 2 campaigns (representing just 1% of the state) speaks for itself, and as Chairman, I will continue to expand these resources for the benefit of our candidates to win back seats we have lost.
If I am ultimately unsuccessful in this Chairman’s race, I will certainly be a team player and seek re-election to the House – but I am not looking forward to the prospect of being in the minority after two more years of RPV “staying the course” and John Hager claiming RPV has “met all their goals”.
Every decision in politics involves some risk. Still, the only risk facing the delegates to the May 31 state convention is the one we take by keeping the status quo in charge at RPV, as we continue to lose election after election across Virginia, and consistently being outmaneuvered by the Democrats in technology, fundraising – and yes, even grassroots activism.
Mr. Hager’s own supporters are quick to praise me for my energy, talent and skill to win where others do not win. I worked hard to develop the right formula to prevail in one of the toughest areas of the Commonwealth. Instead of welcoming this know-how, they want to use it as an excuse to promote leadership that has us going backwards, and losing everything we’ve worked so hard to accomplish.
You don’t have to be a mathematician to know that the health and well-being of 100 House seats warrants much greater consideration than one. If you believe that I am the best choice to hold our most competitive seats and win back others to build our majority, then you should have every confidence that I’ll also provide the necessary skill and leadership to hold the very seat I may be vacating.
If, on the other hand, you believe that RPV under John Hager – which hasn’t picked up a single Democratic seat – not one – but has lost 9 Republican seats during his tenure – is the right man for the job, then your mind is made up regardless of the evidence.
I hope we can count on your support, and if you haven’t already – I hope you’ll join our team.
Sincerely, Jeff Frederick

Brownlee Announces for AG

2008-05-20T14:55:00.003-04:00

As expected, John Brownlee, former US District Attorney from Roanoke, has announced as a Republican candidate for Attorney General.

Read the Roanoke Times story here: http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/162623

Visit Browlee's website here: http://johnbrownlee2009.com/

A Bright Light for Roanoke City Schools

2008-05-20T13:17:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to hear Roanoke City School Superintendent Dr. Rita Bishop talk about the future of the City school system. For the first time, I actually felt a glimmer of hope. If you have concern about our schools, you need to hear Dr. Bishop. And give her your support.

As most of you know, I live with my wife in the City. We love our neighborhood and don't want to leave. But we know we will have a tough choice to make when we have children. Do we leave our neighborhood and City to find better schools? It's a decision that many young people are making and will have to make in the future. Sadly, most leave. This illustrates why the schools are the most important issue facing Roanoke. Art Museums, Greenways, mountain top restaurants--they are all great. But they are worth a hill of beans if our graduation rate remains around 50%. That's right, almost half of Roanoke City's young people do not graduate from High School.

That alarming number was actually how Dr. Bishop began her presentation. She said it was unacceptable. And she's got a plan to fix it.

As most of you know, Dr. Bishop has pushed for, and the School Board has passed, a plan to close Forest Park Elementary and turn it into an academy for overage students. I won't go into all of the details about the plan, but Dr. Bishop believes this academy can dramatically increase our graduation rate and she makes a convincing argument for it--backed up with some great research.

But like most things in Roanoke, her plan is controversial. Mayor-elect Bowers campaigned to "save the school" and stop the plan. It makes for great politics (obviously, since Bowers won), but we need to think about what's best for our City as a whole. Yes, the closing will be hard on the families affected, but it's not the end of the world. And it just makes sense.

If you care about the future of our schools, voice your support to Dr. Bishop and the School Board. To often in Roanoke, the vocal minority--in this case those protesting the school closure--are able to stand in the way of progress. These folks will have powerful backers, including the new Mayor, but if our School Board and other elected officials know they have the majority of our Citizen's support, they will stand by their decisions and feel confident in bringing about these much needed changes.

State Convention Phoning

2008-05-20T10:10:00.003-04:00

Another call came to my home phone yesterday regarding the US Senate race. The call came during the day so my wife answered the call. It was a survey call for the Marshall campaign. The caller started off asking if Mr. or Mrs. Bell was in. She said she was Mrs. Bell. Then she was asked if she was attending the state convention to which she answered--no. The caller thanked her and disconnected the call.

Now here's the rub. My wife isn't registered as a delegate but I am. Seems there was an oversight in the scripting of the callers. There should have been a follow up question as to whether I was attending the convention or actually using the delegate sign up list to call from. I know this exists because mailings for the convention are only addressed to me. It seems a missed opportunity when you actually get a connect by phone but fail to get any valuable information.

Why am I focusing so much on these phone calls?

With a known universe of delegates calling is the best way to reach them. It is concievable that both candidates could actually personally call undecided or soft support delegates before the convention. Probably only 2500 to 3000 total delegates will attend. Maybe it's Marshall's intent to personally call a large number of delegates. It would be a smart move if it is because I doubt the Governor would do it.

So Much for Moving On in Augusta County

2008-05-19T07:52:00.001-04:00

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001UW_9WpFhA5hGSp2frdy7P4GG7wK7Yu5N00lKZKmhZZSdzNiVxcOInpReLPW6SFUpKNuhxK28gu3vhAdk-i4sU5cTEPJB0ox16OmVvnKi0De_jn8N0TCSuvdlSLKi-e4n

After watching these videos a few times, all I can think of is how a prospective new member of our party would react to this---most certainly NOT a recruiting tool!

So, what's the point? Kurt Michael was confirmed as the Chairman in Augusta County. Emmett won his election. Why feed the fire? Who benefits by posting videos like this and keep the pot stirred up?

Filling SPR Stopped

2008-05-14T15:29:00.002-04:00

As I have called on before the US Senate voted today to stop filing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the price of oil drops to $75 per barrel. The vote in the senate was 97-1 and the vote yesterday in the house was 385-25 in favor. Although the administration opposes this measure the votes constitute a veto proof majority. It does concern me a bit that the adminstration projects an image of being out of touch with the average American struggling with high oil prices.

We need to take this one step further. We need to begin selling some of the 709 million barrels currently in the SPR in order to increase supply. This at least could be done during the summer driving season. The proceeds from the oil sale would offset the lost revenue from the gas tax holiday. We should sell 1 million barrels per day until the price drops below $100. Some of the oil was purchased when the price was below $15 per barrel. If and when the price drops below $75 we could return to filing the reserve. This is just good business sense but adds supply at a critical time. Maybe then we can get the attention of OPEC--proving that we mean business when it comes to increasing supply. Thus protecting our national economic interests.

Hillary's Win, Looking to the Fall

2008-05-14T13:16:00.002-04:00

I had heard Hillary would win in West Virginia. I had no idea it would be as big as it was. Sounds like she will win Kentucky next week as well. I still don't see how she can beat Obama for the nomination, but this is sure to draw the process out. And that's good for McCain and Republicans. The big question is how nasty will this get. Will she throw in the towel after the last primary on June 3rd. Or will she start the Florida-Michigan mantra again. If Hillary thinks she's got a shot, she will take this thing to the Convention, even if there is a chance she loses and becomes a political leaper with no chance of running again. Why take the risk? If Obama wins, and there is a good chance he will, Hillary is looking at 2016. That's an awful lot of time for other stars to rise in the Democratic Party--think Obama.

Hillary's win in a State like WV highlights an opportunity for McCain. If he can position Obama as an elitist liberal, he may have a shot at Clinton's working class voters. A tall task for sure, but I think the opportunity is there.

And speaking of the fall, I heard a commentator on TV say that Obama, the most liberal member of the US Senate, will not run as a liberal, but will instead run from the middle--just as most Presidential campaigns are run. But McCain literally is the center. Sure he has some Conservative positions, but he really is the poster child for moderation and centrists politics. Something that usually appeals to the voting public. He doesn't have to spin his voting record to fit his campaign rhetoric. Not sure how much difference it will make....just some food for thought.

Third GOP House Seat Lost - UPDATED

2008-05-14T09:32:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the Republican party lost it's third special house seat election in the Mississippi 1st district. This wasn't the region in Mississippi that I grew up in but I know the area well. This is really bad for our party. This is a district that Bush carried by over 60%.

It's clear that this fall will be brutal for Republicans. Anyone with a 55/45 congressional district is in play with a lot of 55-59%GOP seats. I sure hope this trend bottoms out before 2009 or we are in for some real difficulty in the statewide and house of delegate races.

UPDATE: We received an email from a reader expressing concern that my post could be used by Democrats against our candidates. First, this post is for Republicans who just don't get it. We are in trouble and so far most have been unwilling to admit it or do anything about it. For the past few years, we've had Republicans running against Republicans and Democrats running against Republicans. That means Republicans are going to lose, which is what we've been doing a lot of lately.

Yes, this is a public blog and my comments can be used by others, even if out of context. But that concern shouldn't override the need to speak openly and honestly about the situation our party is in. If we don't talk about it, nothing will change and we will continue to lose. Instead of worrying about our dirty laundry, lets put it through the wash and start winning elections again.

Frederick Runs for RPV Chair – Will Not Seek Re-election to House

2008-05-13T11:34:00.001-04:00

Now that I’ve got your attention….so that’s not a news headline, but it’s my suspicion.

For weeks now, I’ve wondered why Jeff Frederick was running for RPV Chairman. It’s an unpaid position that has not exactly been kind to previous holders. He’s already a member of the House of Delegates. Why not just use that platform to increase your prominence within the party?

But now I get it.

I did not receive the email from Amy Frederick that Zak referenced in his recent post, but I did receive the letter from Speaker Howell. The same letter Amy received.

This letter was obviously sent to those signed up as Delegates to the Convention. My envelope was addressed to Brandon Bell, just as I signed up at my local Mass Meeting—not the Honorable J. Brandon Bell as RPV correspondence is normally addressed. Again, this is just a Delegate list. Whoever coordinated the mailing likely didn’t know who Amy Frederick was. They must have removed Jeff’s name but not Amy’s.

The letter itself is not personalized. It’s addressed to “Dear Fellow Republican”. And not only does the letter mention Jeff just once, Howell speaks of him in a positive light. Quoting Speaker Howell, “While Jeff Frederick is a fine Delegate, I believe that John Hager’s leadership is best for our Party at this important time.” Not exactly the attack on Jeff that Amy claims.

Now back to my original headline--Jeff Frederick is not planning to run for re-election to the House. Why am I so sure? No Delegate who wants a future in the House would ever speak out against the Speaker in such a reckless way. Yes, I know it’s his wife, but we all know she didn’t write it. It’s just like Jeff said it. Jeff is in a tough district that will only get tougher, plus there’s that whole redistricting thing. He might be able to hang on for another election or two, but I think Jeff sees the writing on the wall. And RPV Chairman gives him the perfect out.

Jeff Frederick's Wife Vs. Speaker Howell--Yes, Really

2008-05-12T18:38:00.002-04:00

I am getting a real kick out of the latest salvo in the RPV Chairman's race. Jeff Frederick's wife Amy has responded to a letter she received from Speaker Bill Howell, declaring the Speakers support for her husband's opponent, John Hager. Now, Amy would have you believe that she received a personal letter from the Speaker. I suspect she got a generic letter. Embarrassing for the Speaker and his office, but a bit of political grandstanding on Amy' part no doubt.

The email is below. Anyone have a copy of the Speaker's letter? Feel free to post.

FROM THE DESK OF
Amy N. Frederick
An Open Letter To William Howell, Speaker Of The Virginia House Of Delegates
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I received your letter this morning. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement.
It takes some nerve for you to write me to outline all the reasons my husband should not be Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV). Worse, your letter to me was apparently timed to arrive the same day RPV (the organization our opponent currently oversees) leaked misleading documents intended to attack Jeff's integrity.
Can you imagine your reaction if Jeff sent a letter to your wife Cessie telling her -- in light of the House Republican Caucus losing 11 seats to the Democrats since you've become Speaker -- that you should not be Speaker any more? That the House GOP has gone from a very healthy governing majority to now a slim 3 seat majority under your leadership and therefore you're not best qualified to be Speaker?
Then, on the same day after such a letter, you were attacked for standing on the podium at the 1993 Virginia Republican Convention to ask Republicans to defeat a pro-life nominee for Lt. Governor with a pro-choice alternative?
I believe you'd demand an apology from Jeff immediately -- and while I can't demand anything, I do believe you owe me an apology.
I realize Jeff is a young go-getter, and that rubs the old guard the wrong way. Yet, just because you've known Jeff's opponent for over 20 years, as you stated in your letter, doesn't excuse this sort of conduct.
I do find one of your statements rather curious:
"As the Speaker of the House of Delegates, I've stood firm for our conservative values and John Hager has stood with me. I've known John Hager for two decades, and I've always been able to count on him."
Was it the time you were advocating the Party go with a pro-choice statewide candidate over a pro-life leader, or more recently when John Hager was working to advance the agenda of Democratic Governor Mark Warner, that you were counting on him?
True, Jeff was too young to vote two decades ago when you started working with John, but is the old guard really getting things done?
Republicans came to power on the backs of conservative, grassroots activists, and Jeff is a young leader who has shown he can motivate young voters to join those who have spent years doing the volunteer work necessary to elect conservatives.
Jeff is not going to march more in line with the establishment to earn their support; no thanks. It is amazing to me that the old guard has betrayed grassroots conservatives on so many issues, yet still feels it can dictate to the grassroots who they need to select as their Party leaders.
As you recall, John Hager lost his 1992 bid for RPV Chairman running as a moderate. Then the Party was able to get back to its conservative principles on life, taxes and the 2nd Amendment and the result was us winning control of both houses of the General Assembly and sweeping all statewide offices.
On May 31, I believe the Republicans who attend the convention will vote to get back to winning elections and governing as conservatives -- and will defy you and the rest of the old guard to elect Jeff Frederick as RPV Chairman.
Sincerely, Amy Frederick
P.S. Please take "Mrs. Amy Frederick" out of your contacts, and please don't send me anything further in the future about my husband.
Authorized & Paid for by Virginia's Future PAC

Brian Wishneff - The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2008-05-12T11:10:00.006-04:00

OK. Lets see if we can simplify the recent Brian Wishneff election scandal.

Brian Wishneff runs a campaign for Roanoke City Council based around the slogan "Integrity Matters".

Brian Wishneff runs smear ad against fellow candidate, but refuses to put his own name on the ad, thus violating State law.

Brian Wishneff blames the Roanoke Times for not explaining State law to him when he placed the ad.

Brian Wishneff may now sue the Times for it's coverage of HIS scandal.

To quote the article: "Brian Wishneff accused the newspaper of "trying to influence the election and trying to maim my character.""

No Brian, you took care of maiming your own character. And in doing so, lost your seat.

While it's probably wishful thinking to hope this guy is going to fade away into the background, thank God he is no longer on Council.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/161296

Rockledge & The Amphitheater - Thoughts on Two Controversial Projects

2008-05-08T10:40:00.004-04:00

With Roanoke City Council elections behind us, it's time to think about the future. I wanted to offer my thoughts on two controversial projects--isn't everything controversial in Roanoke?

First Rockledge. I support the restaurant and community center. Do I think this project will change the future of Roanoke. No. There are many things far more important. But the project could be an asset for Roanoke. Let me begin by saying I use the Mountain for recreational purposes. I've hiked it and I've recently started biking it. It's beautiful and frankly amazing that we have such a great place sitting right in the middle of our City, only minutes from Downtown. Recreational use of the Mountain and support of Rockledge are not mutually exclusive. I don't think Rockledge will ruin the Mountain. If done right, I believe it will enhance the Mountain. The Mountain already has a giant star, park, visitors center and Zoo on top of it. These things don't detract from Mill Mountain. They enhance it, just as Rockledge would do.

Some have characterized those that support Rockledge as anti-environment, as people who would tear down everything to build anything. My experience tells me that could not be further from the truth. Yes, there are probably some out there that would build condos on the Mountain. That's not the vision of the Young Professionals that have spearheaded this effort. The folks I encounter are environmentally conscious. They care about things like our parks, the river and greenways. And they care deeply about Mill Mountain. They don't want to destroy it. They just see an opportunity to enhance it.

Now for the amphitheater. For heavens sake, lets not turn this into another Victory Stadium. Accept the decision that has been made and move on. But as far as I can tell, a final decision has not been made, so here are my two cents. I see advantages to both the Elmwood Park and Riverside location. So let's use both.

Elmwood Park is a great place. It has a natural setting for an amphitheater and it's close to Downtown. But it's not the place to build some monstrosity. Let's work with what we've got. Invest some money to enhance the existing venue. Build a nicer, more permanent stage. Regrade the lawn--some parts are terribly uncomfortable to sit on and too steep for lawn chairs. Maybe add other amenities like bathrooms and a concession stand. If done right, Elmwood Park could be a world class, intimate venue for our festivals and small concerts.

As for the Riverside location, lets not invest $10-15 million in a flood plane. I've heard many say we can engineer it to be flood proof, but I have my doubts. Nothing is flood proof. Build a stage and raise the lawn for a concert setting--but no seating or major infrastructure. Bathrooms and concessions wouldn't hurt. And work to contain the river, but lets keep the total investment to a minimum just in case we get another one of those 100 year floods. We could use this location for larger concerts. Are we going to book the Dave Matthews Band or the Rolling Stones? Probably not. But it could be used for the occasional large gathering.

The Riverside location should be a part of a larger plan for the park. I like Mayor-Elect Bowers plans for a Veterans Memorial in the area. And it really could be the center of Roanoke's outdoor recreational opportunities. Whether it be hiking, skating, fishing, running, tubing, biking, kayaking, whatever, River's Edge is the perfect place to start from. Lets use the park to take advantage of Roanoke's greatest asset--our natural environment.

Councilman Nash to Stay, Company to Forego Federal $$

2008-05-07T11:42:00.004-04:00

Newly appointed Roanoke City Councilman Alvin Nash today announced that he will remain on Council and the company he runs, Blue Ridge Housing Development Corp, will forego Federal funding, which has averaged around $500,000 a year. This is required to avoid a conflict of interest since Roanoke City administers these funds.

OK. Does that sound right to you? Giving up $500,000 a year for a job that pays something like $15,000. Maybe someone can enlighten me as to how this makes any sense.

UPDATE: The Times has updated this story to state that Blue Ridge Housing Development Corp will forego two types of Federal grants, but not Federal money altogether.

From the Roanoke Times.....

Nash to remain on Roanoke council
By Mason Adams

Roanoke Councilman Alvin Nash said this morning that his company, Blue Ridge Housing Development Corp., will forego federal funding so as to allow him to remain on the city council for the remainder of his term, which expires in 2010.

The city had applied to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for an exemption from the federal conflict of interest law, but the federal agency denied the request. The federal Community Development Block Grants or HOME Investment Partnerships Program subgrants make up about 40 percent of Blue Ridge’s annual funding, Nash said.

Nash said this morning that rather than resign from the council or from Blue Ridge, the nonprofit group would instead forego the federal funding for the remainder of his term.
“We have enough on the table in current contracts that would last for the next couple years,” Nash said. “We may revisit this later and I may make another decision, but right now I don’t want to make a career decision just from this.”

Nash said the Blue Ridge would also pursue “alternate funding” sources and look for projects in localities other than Roanoke.

Jenny, now Jenny

2008-05-07T10:08:00.003-04:00

I got a strange call last night at home. The caller started off saying that she was conducting a survey for those attending the Republican State Convention. She asked who I was supporting for US Senate and State Chairman. I stated that I was undeclared. She seems taken aback. She asked what I considered to be my top issue and was further confused when I said a variety of issues are important to me. My goal was only to find out who was conducting the survey.

The first oddity came when she asked if I needed a ride and a place to stay. I said no but I was really intriqued with who would be willing to pay for my gas and put me up at their house. Huh, I was dying to find out who was doing this so as she was wrapping up the call I asked. No answer. I asked again. Again no answer. She had disconnected or hung up. I have no way of knowing if she heard me ask her to state who was paying for the call. The call clearly was in violation of state election law.

I was guessing that the Gilmore campaign was sponsoring the calls since he has more money that others up for election at the convention. However I don't know for sure of course. If you talk to someone in the campaign you could mention they need to fix their "survey".

Oh yeah, the biggest oddity. My caller id came up 703-867-5309. That's right--the song by Tommy 2Tone--867-5309 Jenny. It was too funny. No way I could make this up. Now I'll have that song in my head all day. "I got your number from the wall, I got it, I got it, for a good time, for a good time call"!

And in case you want the song in your head all day........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqUPApCUt90

UPDATE 5/8 - We received an email from the Gilmore campaign stating that they are not behind these calls. According to the campaign, they are only using volunteer calls and this is not the script.

Roanoke City GOP Chair Weighs In on Election Results

2008-05-07T09:12:00.002-04:00

http://roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2008/05/roanoke-city-elections.html

Roanoke City Elects Bowers - Takes a Step Back

2008-05-06T21:50:00.005-04:00

David Bowers completed a dramatic political comeback tonight. After losing 5 or so elections in a row, Bowers was able to knock off incumbent Mayor Nelson Harris by a wide margin.

As a young professional in Roanoke City, I cannot tell you how disappointed I am. Harris may not have been a great Mayor, but Bowers represents the politics of the past--the last thing Roanoke needs right now. At a crucial time when Roanoke needs to look forward, I feel that Bowers will resist progress and change--something Roanoke has done quite well for a long time. I think Bowers represents a step back. And that's a shame. Bowers will have four years to prove me wrong. I hope he does.

On the bright side, incumbent Councilman and chief obstructionist Brian Wishneff lost his seat. That is most certainly a small step forward. Wishneff has the occasional good point, but his attitude and tactics have made him completely ineffective, something we don't need more of on Council. City Hall will certainly be a more civil place without him.

While Roanoke has a history of electing one issue candidates (think Victory Stadium), they rejected the candidacy of Valerie Garner, whose sole purpose for running was to save the Country Side Golf Course. We need more depth than that. Roanoke made right choice.

Anita Price ran on her record as an educator and won a seat. Roanoke's failing school system is the single biggest problem facing the City. I hope Price can lead on this issue and bring about much needed change.

Sherman Lea was the sole incumbent to survive. I won't pretend to understand those politics. Lea doesn't exactly inspire me, but I guess he also avoids the controversy that plagues many of the candidates. Interestingly, earlier this year, Lea disassociated himself from Wishneff and realigned with Harris, both of whom lost tonight. Go figure.

Finally, I am glad to see a fellow Young Professional like Court Rosen win a seat. Rosen can now give voice to our growing demographic. There is a lot of expectation there, but I think Rosen is up for the job.

As for the the new makeup of Council, Rosen will most certainly align himself with Trinkle and Mason. Bowers will be on the other side. Lea and Price may be the tiebreakers. I just read tonight that Alvin Nash may have to resign his seat--that could play out in a way to give Trinkle, Mason and Rosen a working majority.

Goodlatte Launches New Website, Blog

2008-05-06T16:36:00.004-04:00

Congressman Bob Goodlatte has launched a new website and blog. It's a nicely done site. Hopefully they will keep the blog updated and take advantage of what has become an incredibly powerful political tool.

This is Bob's first Democrat challenge in 10 years so we can expect a much more aggressive campaign from the Congressman than we've seen the past few go rounds. Looking forward to it!

I've also posted a link on the right.

http://www.bobgoodlatte.com/

Speaking of new blogs, the Roanoke City and Salem Republican Committees have launched Roanoke Valley Republicans. I've also added a link on the Blog Roll.

www.roanokevalleyrepublicans.blogspot.com

Gilmore Gets One Right

2008-05-06T15:15:00.001-04:00

Yes, you read that right. The former Governor and US Senate candidate got something right--Energy.

Gilmore recently presented a good energy policy plan. And with gas prices as high as they are, it could help him in the fall should he win the nomination. In fact, gas may be even more expensive then which will make the issue all that more important.

Boone Pickens predicts oil will go to $150 a barrel. He called the move to $75 and $100, so I take what he says seriously. And $150 a barrel is a serious problem that must be dealt with.

Gilmore proposes drilling an Anwar, expanding offshore drilling (when was the last time there was a problem with an offshore rig—oh right, there haven’t been any problems), new refinery capacity and clean nuclear power.

I know the environmental lefties will groan, but this is a matter of our continued economic survival. We’ve got to get off the foreign oil and Gilmore has a good plan to do it.

I would suggest we take some additional steps. We need to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve—this will decrease demand and potentially decrease prices. Not only should we stop buying, I think the Federal government should start selling some of the reserves. They will make some nice gains (maybe they can use this to offset the gas tax holiday!) and increasing supply will do even more to lower prices.

Oh, and don’t say I never said anything nice about our former Governor.

Roanoke Council Candidate Smeared on Eve of Election

2008-05-05T18:29:00.004-04:00

The Roanoke Times ran a breaking news story today that attack ads run in two local newspapers (including the Times) against City Council candidate Court Rosen were in violation of State Campaign Finance Law. The ads were placed by Citizens for Sensible Decisions. The disclaimer actually read "paid for by Joe Smith, Citizens for Sensible Decisions". But, there is no Joe Smith and the group isn't registered as a Political Action Committee with the State. The fines will be probably be minimal but I think this story illustrates a couple of important points.

One, this "political" group is either completely ignorant of campaign finance law or they don't want to disclose who they are. Bad news in either case. Two, there is a vocal minority that seeks to obstruct progress in our City. They did it with Victory Stadium. They are doing it with Rockledge and the amphitheater. They may not be the same people on each issue (although I suspect many are), but they use similar tactics and the goals are the same--to take Roanoke back to the ice age. OK, maybe not that far back, but they hate change and work against progress. And they use personal attacks and shrill rhetoric to get their way.

I just hope enough citizens, young and old, come out tomorrow and send the obstructionists a message. This is our City too and we are not going to allow a vocal few to stop it from becoming the great place it can be.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/160788

6th District GOP Convention Observations

2008-05-05T12:47:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Fred Anderson for holding on to Chairman with a slim margin of 10 votes. He unselfishly gives of his time and energy and was not deserving of the smear tactics used against him.

Jim Crosby of Botetourt County lost the Chairmanship race. While more actual people were there supporting Jim, each of them didn't carry enough delegate votes and he was turned back. I doubt this will be the end of Jim and his tactics. His mission is to run against those Republicans that don't 100% agree with him. I wouldn't count anyone safe from his attack including our Congressman.

Jeff Frederick was at the Convention and didn't seem harmed by his comment that he was glad to be in the 5th Congressional District. He had a loud positive response. If this is any indication, he has a real shot at Chairman.

Bob Marshall was a no show. Now I don't really understand this. This is a very Republican District and most everyone there will be attending the Convention. I would say most lean to Gilmore but with Frederick's response, Marshall could have taken the house with a hand shake and decent speech. Maybe he was at the 7th District Convention that had more people but so was Hager and he was able to make it to Lexington. This nomination is still not in the bag for Gilmore but so far I don't see Marshall doing what it takes to be competitive.

Kurt Michael was confirmed as Augusta County Chairman. Congratulations! I was able to sit in on the credentials subcommittee on Saturday and he is an impressive and detailed man. This should be the end to this disruption in our party. Let's move on.

Well not quite so fast. What disappointed me was the argument pressed by Dr. Micheal from Augusta that those attending the 6th District Convention that were not certified in his half of the April 10th Augusta County mass meeting should not be seated as delegates. My understanding it was a total of 5 people--come on. Whether or not these 5 were handled properly in the Augusta mass meeting, it was clearly their intent to be a delegate. They were allowed to vote by provisional ballot. That means their vote doesn't matter unless the count was close enough for a challenge. Regardless of these 5 individuals reasons for being there on Saturday, what does it say about us a party? This was a great opportuntity for Dr. Micheal to take the high road and argue they be allowed to participate if they gave up their Saturday to be in attendance. It bothers me that citizens outside our difficult to understand process are given the message that we don't want them to join us. Too bad.

Lastly Don Huffman, former state party chair from Roanoke, spoke on behalf of Jim Gilmore. One of his comments struck me like a ton of bricks. He said that he has never spoken ill of another Republican. What? Radio ads and recorded telephone messages went out from Mr. Huffman last June attacking me in the nastitest of ways. He called me a liberal and not worthy of serving in office. This without providing any factual basis for making the claim. For him to make this statement one of three things have to be true. One, someone was using his name and voice to attack me. If so, as a lawyer he should sue. Second, he has no problem lying through his teeth. In that case whatever he said for Gilmore is suspect. Third, he's getting up there in age and memory of past actions is no longer his strong suit. No matter which ever is true, it's time to hang it up Don.

Augusta County "Chairman" Seeks Injunction Against 6th District Chairman Anderson--Demands Recognition as True Augusta Chair

2008-04-30T16:28:00.003-04:00

I have heard that one of the two Augusta "Chairmen", Kurt Michael, is seeking an injunction from the Court against Fred Anderson, demanding that Anderson recognize him as the true Chairman of the Augusta County Republican Party.

As 6th District Chairman, Anderson has appointed a special Committee to investigate the Augusta County Mass Meeting, where two men have both claimed they were elected Chairman. This Committee has two members, Vito Gentile, Shenandoah Region Vice Chairman, and Rick Claybrook, a long time party activist and attorney with extensive knowledge of party rules. The Committee will present it's findings and recommendations to the 6th District Committee on May 2nd. The Committee can then vote the report up or down, which will decide who the Augusta County Chairman is. The losing Chairman can then appeal to State Central.

Sounds like a fair process to me. So why would Kurt Michael seek to circumvent that process and go to the Court now? If he felt he had a strong case, why not let the process play out to the end? I think it's because Michael is worried that he doesn't have a strong case. So if you can't play by the party rules, just get the Court involved. Absolutely disgusting tactics by Michael. Shame on him.

The Last Word on the Recent Tax Debates

2008-04-30T14:57:00.002-04:00

I have read with great interest the recent posts by former Senator Marty Williams and DJ McGuire at the Right Wing Liberal and I’ve come to this conclusion. Both sides made serious mistakes that cost our Party the majority in the State Senate.

I plan for this to be the last time I comment on this subject as I think we very much need to move on and look to the future as opposed to obsessing over the past.

The Senate leadership was wrong to create an environment where it was OK to raise taxes. They gave the impression that they never really saw a tax they didn’t like and that was a huge mistake. In 2004, Governor Warner proposed a tax increase. Not only did the Senate support it, but they went bigger. At one point, the Senate proposal was 3 times what Warner wanted. For the record, I opposed both Warner’s and the Senate’s tax increases. We were in an economic recovery and would soon have surplus dollars—the absolute wrong time to start talking about tax increases. There was a need for more transportation dollars, but not a general fund increase, which is what ultimately passed. It was a mistake to leave transportation on the table in 2004.

In 2006, we considered tax increases to pay for a new transportation plan. With surpluses in the backdrop, this was again the wrong approach. I actually proposed returning all surplus dollars to the taxpayers so that issue would be off the table when we were talking about transportation. Nobody listened.

In 2007, we made another attempt to address the transportation issue. HB 3202 was Frankenstein’s monster—debt, regional taxing authorities, and abuser fees—not real reform.

We didn’t need a general fund infusion like the one we got in 2004. I felt strongly that the economic recovery would take care of the GF problem. I was right.

We did need to shift revenue to transportation and consider incremental fee increases—this was when gas was $1.70 a gallon. Granted, a much harder sell now. We needed to reform the system and move decision making out of Richmond and back down to the local level.

OK. Now that I’ve beat up the Senate, let me agree with Marty Williams on a few points. The primary challenges seriously weakened our position in 2007. Those 5 races cost millions of dollars. That’s money that could have been used to defend incumbents and challenge Democrats. I believe that Nick Rerras could have been saved had he had more money. My own seat and Marty’s would likely not have been targeted by the Democrats had they not become open. Those open seats costs hundreds of thousands of extra dollars.

The Democrat candidate in the 22nd District made several comments to me personally that he had no hope of knocking me off. But he knew he had a much better chance against Ralph Smith in the open seat. And he was right. He was able to raise around $750,000 and came within 700 votes of winning in a 60/40 Republican district.

As a party, we were completely focused on defeating our own incumbents and defending seats. The Democrats were on the offensive. We all know the end result.

So, was the Senate leadership wrong for creating a pattern of tax increases? Yes. Did this encourage the primary challenges? Absolutely. Did the primary challenges cost us the majority? I have no doubt that they did. And if you knock off an incumbent you better be damned sure you can hold the seat against the opposition—Stall wasn’t able to do that. If you stage a coup, you better bring enough guns!

So what do we take from all this? I think both sides have to admit they made some mistakes and that the opposing side has some legitimate arguments. Once that’s done, we can look to the future. We can put this mess behind us, find the areas on which we agree, and go beat some Democrats!

http://rightwingliberal.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/marty-williams-still-doesnt-get-it/

Saxman Predicts Close Race for GOP Senate Nomination - Quasi-Endorsement of Marshall

2008-04-27T08:15:00.002-04:00

Below is part of an interview of Delegate Chris Saxman by Chris Graham at the Augusta Free Press. Saxman predicts a close Convention between Gilmore and Marshall and believes Marshall would be a good candidate against Warner, but stops short of an official endorsement.

Graham: … the big thing for you, working with the McCain campaign, is you just need to focus on November – the McCain campaign, also Jim Gilmore, and Bob Goodlatte. I mean, there are some big things coming up this year –

Saxman: “Well, Jim Gilmore isn’t the nominee yet.”

Graham: “He isn’t the nominee yet."

Saxman: “I think it’s going to be a very close election at the convention [the May 30-31 Republican State Convention at the Greater Richmond Convention Center].”

Graham: “Really?”

Saxman: “Oh, absolutely. Everything I’m hearing on the ground, and delegates being signed up, the life issue is very important.”

Graham: “Good, well, I’ve talked with all three of the candidates, also Bob Berry, and I know Bob Marshall as well, a few weeks – well, a few days ago. I guess it was last week we ran that podcast, and all three - especially Bob Marshall, as the top challenger there, seemed very – he had a very good message and, from what I’ve been reading, he is drawing some support, so that’s a very good point.”

Saxman: “Bob Marshall is not to be underestimated. He is strongly principled. He is affable. He is very funny; very witty. … a true gentleman, in every sense of the word. I mean, he’ll be upset with you on one moment, the next he’s making a joke with you. So, he doesn’t take shots personally. That’s a quality people want to find in a candidate.”

Graham: “I had not talked with him until last - when I did that podcast last weekend – and I found the same thing. His reputation might have been different, at least according to the media characterizations of him, but he is exactly as you say.”

Saxman: “Well, that’s what the media does. I mean, the media paints a portrait that ‘he’s controversial.’ Bob is very committed to his beliefs but he doesn’t get personal with them. …and he’s respected in the legislature, for his intelligence, for his, his in-depth knowledge of the rules of the House, and his comedy. I mean, people genuinely like Bob. They’ll disagree with him, but on many issues they do agree with him, especially on the environment, and growth issues in Northern Virginia, where he’s been one of the leaders. So you honestly do have a pro-life, pro-environmental, limited-government candidate to run against Mark Warner should he be the nominee.”

Graham: “Well, thanks for this insight. I’ll pay closer attention even than I have been in the last couple of –”

Saxman: “I think you should. What I’m hearing out of the delegate counts of some of the larger jurisdictions is, it’s going to be close.”

McCain Campaign on Hillary's Win

2008-04-24T09:42:00.002-04:00

I got this email from McCain's campaign, analyzing Hillary's PA win. I don't know how widespread the distribution is so I wanted to post it here. It's an interesting read.

To: Interested Parties
From: Rick Davis
Date: April 23, 2008
Re: Pennsylvania Democratic Primary Results

The race for the Democratic Nomination will continue.
Hillary Clinton's victory in Pennsylvania last night has extended the primary to the next round of contests (Indiana and North Carolina on May 6) and has maintained the competitive nature of the race.

With her 10-point victory, we should expect her poll numbers and resources to increase in the coming days. Primary wins, especially in the 2008 election cycle, have had a direct impact on the national polling numbers for the candidates and when national polling numbers increase, so do campaign donations.

Since last night, the Clinton campaign reportedly raised $10 million dollars online - enough to make a significant dent in upcoming media buys in North Carolina and Indiana. Barack Obama continues to surpass fundraising expectations and will most likely continue to do so. We need help during this period of democratic turmoil so we can build are resources and be ready to fight when the race begins.

Pennsylvania exit polls tell an interesting story that has implications for November.
Even though Hillary Clinton won this primary, Barack Obama is seen as the front runner among Pennsylvania Democrats and is perceived to be the candidate most likely to win the Democratic Party's nomination. Fifty-five percent of Pennsylvania voters say they believe Barack Obama will be the nominee in November. And, one-fifth of Clinton's Pennsylvania supporters believe he will be the nominee in November. So, the victory for Clinton is seen as a bump in the road for Obama, even by some of her true believers.

Exit polls reveal why this poses significant problems for Obama if he becomes the nominee. The most important problem: Clinton voters don't automatically become Obama voters after he becomes the nominee. In fact, Obama leaves large portions of Clinton's coalition on the table in November.

Obama only wins 72% of the Democratic vote in a general election match up among those surveyed last night. Clinton shows her broad coalitional strength and wins 81% in a general election match up against John McCain. A full quarter of the Democrats in Pennsylvania are not willing to cast their ballot for Obama against McCain (15% say they vote McCain and 10% say they stay home), however, Clinton loses only 17% of Democrats (10% for McCain and 7% would not vote). This gap of 8-points would be significant in a general election match up. President Bush lost Pennsylvania by 2-points in 2004, when 41% of the electorate were Democrats. That 8-point gap among Democrats is enough to swing the state the other way (8% of 41% is 2.8-points, turning Pennsylvania red). This dynamic is clearly visible in publicly released surveys; an average of April polls show McCain trailing Obama by an average of 3-points (3 surveys in April) and trailing Clinton by 8-points.

The cracks in Obama's Democratic coalition in Pennsylvania mirror what we saw in Ohio, and those cracks could have implications in November.
Hillary Clinton cleaned up with Union households - like she did in Ohio. In Pennsylvania, Clinton won 59% of Union members (Obama 41%). Obama won these voters by significant margins in Wisconsin (+9), but has lost his hold on their vote in both Ohio (Clinton 55% - 43%) and now Pennsylvania.

Clinton did better than Obama with lower income voters. Our targeting and analysis of the 2008 political landscape puts voters who are on the lower economic brackets at the heart of either party's winning coalition. Hillary won at every income level below $150,000, and Obama only won with the wealthiest Pennsylvania voters. Obama's media foibles contributed to his inability to connect to voters who are suffering the real impact of this challenging economic environment.

This is also apparent in the number of voters who feel Clinton is more in touch with their views. Fifty-six percent of Pennsylvania Democrats say Clinton cares about people like them - again a significant switch from earlier contests. Wisconsin exit polls shows Obama had a 12-point advantage on that measure. By the time Ohio held their primary, Clinton had switched the dynamic and led by 12-points.

Clinton won Catholic voters.In Wisconsin, Clinton split the Catholic vote 50%-50% with Obama. Again, she changed the dynamic in Ohio and won Catholics by 27-points (63% - 36%). In Pennsylvania, she increased her margins and won by 38-points (69% - 31%). The strength of this coalition bolsters her argument that Obama would have had problems competing in Michigan and will not be able to carry key Midwestern states in November.

Clinton won Jewish voters.In Pennsylvania, the first state where both candidates competed for a significant block of Jewish voters, Clinton won by 15-points (57% - 43%). Again, the data suggests Jewish voters, a key Democratic coalition, pose a potential problem for Obama.
Clinton increased her margins in suburban and rural areas - without losing ground in urban areas.

Clinton won Pennsylvania suburbs by a 12-point margin and won rural areas by 22-points. And Clinton lost in urban areas by 14-points. This is similar to her Ohio performance. But, it shows an increase in her performance in urban areas from earlier contests (in Wisconsin she lost urban areas by 21-points). Clinton has figured out how to increase her margins among suburban and rural voters and cut into Obama's base of urban voters.

What does that mean for John McCain?

Ultimately most pundits contend that Hillary Clinton still has more than an uphill battle to become the nominee. So, what does this victory mean for John McCain? While the Democratic nomination continues to unfold, our campaign is actively engaged in listening to voters' concerns and sharing John McCain's message with them. Senator McCain has an active schedule in the coming weeks.

Last week, he gave a major economic address where he addressed short term concerns like enacting a summer gas tax holiday, he proposed a new "HOME Plan" to help those who are hurt by the housing crisis and he is proposing a student loan continuity plan to make sure America's college students aren't hurt from the credit crunch. In addition, Senator McCain has spent this week travelling to places many in our nation have forgotten and where our citizens have felt left behind but where hope, innovation and local solutions are helping to lift these communities up. And, next week, Senator McCain will visit various health care facilities and unveil his plans and solutions to help Americans improve access and affordability to good health care. In addition, the campaign is building our organization and resources for the campaign in the fall.

Postpone the Bond Package

2008-04-22T15:13:00.002-04:00

The General Assembly reconvenes this week to consider budget and legislative admendments suggested by the Governor. They also will take up action on a bond package of approximately $1.6 billion. This package includes very worthwhile capital projects. Now however is not the time to advance this bill.

For the four years I recently served in the State Senate we were able to use surplus dollars to meet the state's capital needs. Now that the surpluses are no where to be found the response is well, just borrow the money and let our kids pay it back. Interesting isn't it that when state revenues drop the answer is to float bonds. It is what I hated about HB3202. That transportation bill "solved" transportation by putting out $3.0 billion in bonds for ongoing transportation infrastructure needs.

It has been interesting to me that none of the "conservative/libertarian" bloggers have commented on this bond package. Don't they know once you issue the bonds you have to pay the debt service. The current package considered will be about $150 million per year. That's if the issuance is successful. I guess as long as there is no tax increase to pay for the bonds some are happy. Well let me tell you, once you put the bonds out it takes funds out of your budget for many years regardless of the income picture.

Also this is a terrible time to go into the market with a bond issuance. The termoil in the credit markets have made some high quality bond packages priced far over the norm, hence driving up the cost of debt service.

If you guys, (legislators), have to put this forward at least have it go before the voters in the fall. Then you can make your case that this is a good idea for now. It would also allow me to vote no.

Money Matters

2008-04-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

We all wish it didn’t, but money matters in politics. And Jim Gilmore doesn’t have enough of it.

In the recently ended quarter, Gilmore raised just shy of $400,000 while the presumptive Democratic nominee Mark Warner raised nearly $2.5 million. The difference is astounding considering both men are former Governors. Even more disturbing is Gilmore’s cash on hand, just over $200,000. Warner has $4.4 million. That’s a 20-1 difference. Unbelievable! If I were working on the Gilmore campaign, I’d be worried about my next paycheck.

Gilmore’s challenge to the GOP nomination, Delegate Bob Marshall raised around $50,000. But, he is clearly the underdog in this fight and spent 2/3 of the quarter in Session in Richmond.

I know, I haven’t been the nicest to Gilmore on this blog. But this has nothing to do with him personally. As a Republican, I am deeply concerned as to what this says about the race. And it tells me we are in trouble.

So why does money matter? Gilmore has to do two things to win. First, his high negatives (approaching 50%) mean he needs to drive a positive message about himself. He needs to convince the voters that he’s not such a bad guy. Second, he needs to attack Mark Warner’s record while not driving his own negatives even higher. And both take money. A lot of money.

A candidate for the Board of Supervisors can shake every hand. He doesn’t need much money to win. It’s all retail politics. A State Senate campaign is about 50/50. But a US Senate campaign is nearly 100% wholesale politics—mainly mail and TV ads. All but a very few will decide who to vote for having never meet either candidate.

I am undecided in the contest between Gilmore and Marshall. I’d like a third choice but with every passing day, that becomes less likely. When we go to nominate our candidate, we as Republicans need to give serious thought to Gilmore’s lackluster fundraising. As a former Governor and former RNC Chairman, he should be doing much, much better than this. If the situation doesn’t get remarkably better, Gilmore’s chances of beating Warner will get even worse.

McDonnell, Bowling, Cuccinelli, errrrr, Brownlee?

2008-04-16T14:46:00.002-04:00

We've got our 2009 Republican ticket, right? Let's see, it's Bob McDonnell for Governor, Bill Bolling for Lt Governor and Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General. Well, not so fast. I am hearing that Western District US Attorney John Brownlee is seriously considering a run for Attorney General. And I couldn't be happier to hear it.

Competition within the party for our statewide offices is a good thing. Not the nasty name calling and personal attacks like we've seen of late. I mean a good, healthy race. I hate the idea of locking into a ticket over a year away from the Convention. Lets have a race and a discussion of issues. It would seem the most likely place for that to happen is with the AG spot. And John Brownlee may be close to announcing his run.

In Memory

2008-04-16T11:24:00.001-04:00

We are Virginia Tech!

Roanoke City YP Forum Recap

2008-04-16T11:04:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned on this Blog earlier, 3 area Young Professional groups hosted a Forum for Roanoke City Council candidates last night. As the President of a participating group (The Roanoke Jaycees) and an organizer, I was very pleased with the event and want to congratulate all that were involved. Now for the recap.

To me, there are really 5 serious contenders for Council (3 Spots open) and 2 for Mayor. Brian Wishneff was absent so I will focus on the 6 candidates in attendance.

To my surprise, I actually found Mayoral candidate David Bowers to be a likable guy. You may remember a post I wrote several weeks ago denouncing some in the Republican party who wanted to endorse Mr. Bowers. I still don't think that is a good idea, but I was surprised that I actually liked some of what Bowers had to say. He seemed to have a handle on the issues. That being said, I still have serious disagreements with him on many issues and cannot think of him as the change candidate in this race--simply because has already served as Mayor for 8 years.

Mayor Nelson Harris also demonstrated an understanding of the challenges facing our City and seemed in touch with the young folks in the crowd.

Looking at the Council candidates, I thought Court Rosen stood out from the rest. He spoke intelligently about the issues and, I think, was on the same page with most of the Young Professionals in the audience. This was his crowd and he did well. I was also impressed with Anita Price. She doesn't come across as a politician, which may be a good thing, but again, she presented her ideas well and has the background to deal with what I see as the biggest challenge facing Roanoke--the schools.

Sherman Lea didn't make an impression really. As a sitting Council member, he knows the issues, but I didn't feel the same connection to the audience that the others had.

I consider Valerie Garner a contender since she has aligned herself with Bowers, who has a chance to win. Garner was pleasant enough, but did not come across as someone who will fight for issues of concern to the younger demographic. She seemed more "old guard". She actually answered my question about downtown living (should we have more affordable options like apartments and what can the City do to encourage it). She supports the concept but would have opposed incentives for the Hancock building--the developers were going to turn this historic building into lower margin apartments if they received City incentives. Without them, it's another high end condo development. I believe this is an important project that deserves incentives.

All 9 candidates were given a chance to talk about the Virginia Museum of Transportation--a close partner of the Jaycees. To my delight, all voiced support for helping the Museum.

Phone Booth Republicans – ROUND 2

2008-04-15T15:19:00.002-04:00

I had a feeling yesterday’s post would stir something up. And boy was I right. STD and SWAC Girl both lashed out at me. Check it out: http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/ and http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/.

I knew the blogosphere was a rough and tumble place. The nastiest remarks ever made about me as an elected official were made in the blog world, by fellow Republicans in last year’s primary. And yet, I am still surprised that many of the comments and criticisms on this blog are directed at me personally and not at my ideas. Chris Green, I mean STD, is one of the worst offenders. He tends to focus more on who I am and less on what I say. At least I have the courage to post as myself and not some made up screen name. Then again, that personal touch has given many the opportunity to attack me.

So it seems SWAC and STD completely missed the point of my post. Some how they have determined that I was slamming party volunteers. Get real. Of course I wasn’t. It’s the grassroots party members who are suffering through this mess. I was slamming some in the Augusta County GOP leadership for their lack there of.

NEWS FLASH: Emmett Hanger won the Primary

NEWS FLASH: Emmett Hanger brought more people out and won the Chairmanship at the Mass Meeting

Oh, I know, those people aren’t “real” Republicans. Hogwash. In fact, they are the Republican majority—that’s why they won. But the vocal minority (STD, SWAC, etc) cannot accept defeat. They continue to feed the flames of discontent. Instead of accepting the outcome and committing themselves to healing the wounds within the party, they keep on picking at the scab.

Some have said Senator Hanger declared war on the grassroots. I don’t know if that’s true. After my primary loss last year, I personally decided to work with the party faithful, not against them.

What happened in Augusta is a black eye for us all. Hopefully RPV will intervene and oversee a new mass meeting. Maybe then the results can be accepted and this can be put behind us.

Phone Booth Republicans

2008-04-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

How many Republicans can you fit in a phone booth? OK, I know, we don’t really have phone booths anymore, what with cell phones and all. But give it a thought. Just a handful, right? Well, a handful of Republicans is what some in Augusta County seem to want. A handful in power that is. If you haven’t heard what happened at the Augusta County Mass Meeting last week, read this article: http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008804110324

Kurt Michael (who lead the revolt against Senator Emmett Hanger) was running for re-election as Chairman. He was originally opposed by 5 others, but 4 dropped out leaving Larry Roller as the only opposition. Roller beat Micheal 141-103. That’s right. After the failed coup of Hanger, Michael and his allies lost the Chairmanship. You’d think they would get the message. But if it were only that simple.

It seems that the Temporary Chair of the meeting made several mistakes, one of which was failing to adjourn the meeting. After Roller and his supporters left, Michael declared the first meeting invalid, conducted a second meeting and “won” the Chairmanship on a 57-2 vote.

Anyone who has been involved in politics for a while knows that these mass meetings are never perfect. They are run by volunteers. Not professionals. As a party leader, Kurt Michael (and others) knew that mistakes were being made. Instead of acting the statesmen and offering to help, they waited until they could take advantage of the parliamentary technicality and defy the will of the majority. Some leader, huh?

So you ask, is this the way to build a party? Is this the way to heal old wounds? We all know the answer. But I’ve come to realize something. Michael and crowd don’t care. They never have. And they don’t really care about ideology. What they care about is power. And they will do anything, including the destruction of their own party, to get it and keep it. Sadly, the same power grab is happening in the Sixth District Committee, with Jim Crosby challenging current Chairman Fred Anderson for the top spot.

I attended Roanoke County’s Mass Meeting (my home County) on Saturday and things could not have been more different. Two people were vying for Chairman. Both were cordial and respectful of the other. Was the meeting perfect from a parliamentary standpoint? Of course not. But we worked through it and elected a Chairman.

Young Professional Groups to Host City Council Forum

2008-04-10T22:42:00.003-04:00

Three area Young Professional groups will host a Forum for Roanoke City Council elections on Tuesday, April 15th at 202 Market Downtown. The reception starts at 5:30, the forum at 6:30. The Roanoke Jaycees, Valley Forward and NewVaConnects have worked together to organize and host this event. It's non-partisan, free and open to everyone. If you care about the future of our City, please make time to attend!

Why Run for Roanoke City Council?

2008-04-09T14:06:00.001-04:00

I’ve always wondered why people want to run for Roanoke City Council. It seems to be more of a political sink hole than a stepping stone. And yet, every two years a multitude of candidates run.

On Monday, the Roanoke Times ran a profile piece on those seeking seats on Council and the four running for Mayor. I was struck by one thing. Several of the candidates (not all) either have some type of government job or work for a company dependent on government dollars. Sherman Lea works for the VA Department of Corrections. Anita Price works in public education. Brian Wishneff owns an economic development consulting company. Who hires economic development consultants? Roanoke City has certainly employed its share. Wishneff is also a part time professor at Virginia Tech. Again, tax dollars.

Recently appointed Council Member Alvin Nash (whom I know and like) is the President of the Blue Ridge Housing Development Corp, also dependent on government funding.

Those dependent on government funding for their living are clearly the most interested in serving on Roanoke City Council. This dual interest is what leads to the questions about conflicts of interests. It’s only natural and almost impossible to avoid, even if someone hasn’t done anything unethical or wrong. Just today, the Times ran an editorial questioning why Council chose Nash, citing the potential conflict of interest as the reason.

It is my hope that the future brings more candidates from the private sector to serve in local government. But again, they don’t have as much self interest in doing so.

Frederick and Hager Battle over GA Endorsements

2008-04-02T19:27:00.004-04:00

I just got an email from RPV Chairman John Hager addressing an email that Jeff Frederick sent out listing General Assembly endorsements. Apparently, Frederick listed members of the GA that are actually supporting Hager. Hager specifically lists Senators Vogel, Stuart and Wager as mentioned by Frederick, but supporting him.

How does a mistake like this happen? It's hard to imagine a candidate for any office doing this on purpose, knowing you will be caught. Maybe it speaks more to the disorganization of the Frederick campaign?

Below is the Hager email. I don't have Frederick's. Maybe a reader could post it?

A number of you have called and expressed some shock and dismay at an email that Jeff Frederick sent out yesterday. In his email he listed endorsements of some members of the General Assembly.
There was only one problem - Jeff didn't bother to check with them first. Many of the people on the list are supporters of mine. In fact, at least two of them had already told him that they would not support him.
For the last few weeks, I have listened to accusations from Jeff Frederick about my leadership, the staff at RPV, the district leaders that support my reelection, and my allegiance to this party. Each of his accusations is laughable, and we dismissed them as his typical rant. But when he is willing to blatantly mislead Republicans in Virginia by claiming false endorsements, enough is enough.
Senators Vogel, Stuart, and Wagner are just a few of the individuals that my opponent misused their names. They have all confirmed that they are with me. They know how hard we have worked to elect Republicans. They know that the last thing we need at this critical time is on the job training.
The Republican Party had some problems that I addressed as soon as I became Chairman. We are now stronger than ever and ready to face the Democrats. We are financially secure. We have a successful communications strategy that emphasizes the unity of the Republican Party. I have negotiated that the Coordinated McCain RNC/RPV Victory Campaign for Virginia be run out of our offices, unlike previous years. We are identifying new Republican voters across the state and passing the information to District and Unit Chairs to increase the Republicans in our party.
For anyone to say that we have failed, is an insult to every hard working Republican in Virginia.
I look forward to continuing to work for you in the future.
Sincerely,
John Hager

Earth Hour, Cats and Living in the Dark

2008-04-02T10:42:00.002-04:00

No electricity at night. This may be the next step to save the planet. Can someone send this to Al Gore......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKSeeltdF0k

Rasoul UPDATE

2008-04-01T11:52:00.003-04:00

According to the State Board of Elections, Sam Rasoul, Democratic hopeful in the 6th Congressional District, voted in the 2005 Republican Primary. In doing so, he skipped voting in the Democratic Primary the same day between Chap Peterson and Leslie Byrne. He also did NOT vote in the 2006 Democratic Primary between Miller and Webb.

This certainly doesn't prove that Rasoul has been and maybe still is a Republican, but it does bring into question his dedication to the Democratic Party. When will Rasoul address this issue?

Real Economic Stimulus

2008-03-31T15:13:00.002-04:00

As the debate continues concerning how to spur the economy as we likely enter a recession, I have a suggestion. Stop filling the SPR.

What is the SPR you might ask and why should I care. The SPR stands for Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It was created in 1976 in response to the oil crisis of the early 70's. It primarily was put in place to address the threat to our imported oil in the event of war with the Soviet Union. I have learned that we now have nearly 700 million barrels of oil in salt domes in Texas and Louisiana. There is enough there to replace 80% of OPEC imports for over 5 months. The largest draw down on the reserve was 17 million barrels in 1991 during Desert Storm.

Currently DoE is still buying oil with 9 million barrels purchased in the last 6 months on the open market and added to the SPR. They bought 682,000 barrels in a recent week with prices over $100 per barrel.

One very useful and dramatic assistance to our economy would be to stop buying oil off the open market and allow that to be added to domestic supply thus taking pressure off prices. While the argument can certainly be made to actually be a net seller of SPR oil at least we can agree that enough is enough. Stop filing it!!

Hager for Chairman

2008-03-26T14:02:00.003-04:00

Today I got a slick mailing from Jeff Frederick--the Northern Virginia Delegate who is running for State GOP Chairman. Boy, this looks just like a campaign piece. And they are expensive! He must be raising some decent money.

I haven't really weighed in on this race or given it much thought, but here goes. We've had 3 Chairman in the last 2.5 years. I bet most Republicans haven't a clue who they were. I myself had to think a minute. No one can argue this is good for the party. I think it shows how weak the party has become. I've always liked John Hager and he seems to be doing a good job. He inherited a tough situation and deserves a full two year term to turn things around.

John has participated at all levels of this party. He came up from the local level. He was our Lt Governor. He's run several Statewide campaigns. He's good at raising money and he's been around long enough to know everyone. We need some stability in this party. Now is not the time to change horses again. And I don't think Frederick is the right horse regardless. Vote for Hager.