Chesapeake City Councilwoman Ella Ward has announced her intention to run against Rep. Randy Forbes in (my own)  4th Congressional District.

Her candidacy may be considered a long-shot: 

On the one hand, the district was held by moderate Democrat Norm Sisisky for 10 terms until his death.  Forbes (who was then a state senator and Chairman of the state Republican Party) managed to win a low-turnout special election against state Sen. Louise Lucas 52-48% in 2001.

On the other hand, the Republican-dominated General Assembly has racially gerrymandered the district twice since then, methodically slicing black voters out of the 4th district and into Rep. Bobby Scott’s 3rd district.  Rep. Forbes has either run unopposed or has dominated token candidates ever since.

Back on the first hand again, the district narrowly voted for Obama 50%-49% four years ago, and Obama will be back on the ballot this year in a high-turnout election.  Also, Ward is the most credible candidate Rep. Forbes has ever had to face since taking office.  She has already proven to be electable within the district.  If this shapes up as a Democratic wave election, she may get swept in with the tide.

Rep. Forbes’ lifetime League of Conservation Voters score on protecting the environment is a truly abysmal 4%.   He voted to privatize Medicare and repleace it with a voucher.  His biggest legislative accomplishment was a nonbinding resolution redundantlyaffirming that ”In God We Trust” is still the national motto.  I will be very happy to support Ward.

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The EPA has made available a searchable map of the nation’s major stationary sources of carbon dioxide and other global warming greenhouse gases.

The proposed ODEC power plant in Surry County would be the largest coal-fired plant in Virginia and would release 11.7 million tons of carbon dioxide per year for 50 years.  Let’s keep it off the map.

UPDATE: From NASA, global warming visualized.

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Just once per year, we honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

We tend to forget Ralph Abernathy, Julian Bond, Medgar Evers, James Farmer, James Lawson, John Lewis, Dianne Nash, A. Phillip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, Fred Shuttlesworth, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and all of the countless anonymous men and women, black and white, who risked their lives for civil rights. It didn’t happen because of one great man, it happened because of hundreds of ordinary people.

We celebrate the “I Have a Dream” speech as if that was the only thing King ever did. We tend to forget that he was anti-war, pro-union, opposed to extreme income inequality, in favor of universal health care, and, always, an advocate of nonviolence. His dream has not been realized. If he were alive today, he would still be striving toward social justice.

The most eggregious affront to history is that conservatives have misconstrued a single quote to make the absurd claim that King actually opposed the Civil Rights Act and other anti-discrimination laws.

Don’t reduce King’s legacy to one day about one man who gave one speech. Take advantage of this opportunity to expand your knowledge. That same spirit is needed today.

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Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius wrote a letter to the Washington Post defending health reform, citing another letter recently submitted to the House Budget Committee by 272 of America’s top economists.  According to the economists:

“The Affordable Care Act contains essentially every cost-containment provision policy analysts have considered effective in reducing the rate of medical spending…

…The budgetary impact of repeal also would be severe. The Congressional Budget Office concludes that repealing the Affordable Care Act would increase the cumulative federal deficit by $230 billion over the next decade, and would further increase the deficit in later years.”

UPDATE: Here is an easy-to-understand animation explaining the Affordable Care Act, written and narrated by M.I.T. health care economist Jon Gruber (who advised  both Governor Romney and President Obama on health reform).

UPDATE (01/20/2012):  Under health reform, most insurance will now be required to cover contraceptives as a free preventive service.  Preventing unwanted pregnancies should help control medical costs as well as reduce the incidence of abortion.

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70% of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are not prescribed for sick people, but are routinely fed to healthy animals in overcrowded factory farms.

Many of the same antibiotics fed to animals are deemed critically important in human medicine by the FDA, including penicillin, tetracyclines and sulfonamides.  In recent years, public health experts say there has been an alarming increase in the number of bacteria that have grown resistant to antibiotics, leading to severe, untreatable illnesses in humans. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 3% of salmonella tested was cephalosporin-resistant.

The FDA has tried to limit the use of antibiotics in agriculture since 1977, but its efforts have repeatedly collapsed in the face of opposition from the drug industry and farm lobby.

The European Union banned the feeding of antibiotics and related drugs to livestock for growth promotion in 2006.

In 2008, the FDA issued an outright ban of cephalosporin for livestock. But the agency withdrew the plan after strong opposition from industry groups.

In 2010, the FDA issued voluntarily guidelines urging the judicious use of these drugs. But those have yet to be finalized.  Last year, several environmental and public health groups sued the FDA to force it to stop the industry from adding certain antibiotics to the feed of healthy animals.

Last Wednesday, the FDA finally said it would limit the use of cephalosporin in cattle, swine, chicken and turkey.  This is just a first step. The meat industry must stop giving antibiotics to healthy animals.

As discussed previously, meat production also creates more greenhouse gasses than transportation.

Nobody expects everyone to go “whole hog” and become vegan, but we would all be healthier if we cut back on our consumption of meat.  Here are some helpful tips.

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On Thursday, December 8th, all Democrats in Virginia Beach were invited to participate in a caucus electing members to the 2012-2014 Virginia Beach Democratic Committee. After membership was elected, the nominating committee reported their nominees for officers and directors on the Steering Committee. Nominations from the floor were asked for, but no additional nominations were made. Below is the list of nominees that will be elected on January 9th.

Chair: Tyra Fitch
Vice-Chair: Adrianne Bennett
Secretary: Yvonne Leonard
Treasurer: Alicia Fernandez-Bobulinski
Finance Director: Greg Turpin
Precincts & Elections Director: Joel McDonald
Outreach Director: James Cabiness
Candidate Recruitment Director: Eric Schmudde

Congratulations to the 2012-2014 membership of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee and nominees for officers and directors.

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“They call themselves conservatives but that’s not it, either. They don’t want to conserve what we now have.  They’d rather take the country backwards – before the 1960s and 1970s, and the Environmental Protection Act, Medicare, and Medicaid; before the New Deal, and its provision for Social Security, unemployment insurance, the forty-hour workweek, and official recognition of trade unions; even before the Progressive Era, and the first national income tax, antitrust laws, and Federal Reserve.  They’re not conservatives.  They’re regressives. And the America they seek is the one we had in the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century.” – Robert Reich

Let’s start calling them what they really are: regressives.

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Today, the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee announced details on their biannual reorganization. Every two years, both the membership and officers of the committee are elected. Reorganization provides the VBDC with an opportunity to set new priorities, chose new leadership, and move in new directions.

This reorganization should prove to be somewhat different than in the past. There will be additional focus on organizing at the precinct level with the understanding that all committee members should have a role and responsibility in building the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach so that the local Party brings value to the table when recruiting and supporting Democratic candidates at all levels.

A related change that may be noticed is the clarification that not all Democrats in Virginia Beach need to be members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee. The committee is the leadership organization of the Party, and not the Party itself. Following the example of the Democratic Party of Virginia, the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach is made up of all residents of Virginia Beach who believe in the principles of the Democratic Party. One of the major tasks that the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee should undertake is the identification of these residents in order to keep them informed and ask for their support.

To summarize so far; those interested in working directly to build the Democratic Party and win campaigns should become members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee, and those  interested in staying informed and providing support should identify themselves as a member of the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach. There has never been a process for identifying yourself as a Democrat to the VBDC, but I would expect that to be in place after reorganization is complete in January. For now, the best option is to subscribe to the mailing list of the Democratic Party of Virginia Beach.

A Nominating Committee has been established to give a report of nominees for each office of the VBDC Steering Committee. Nominations will also be taken from the floor. All 2012-2014 members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee will be eligible for nomination and to vote for officers. The officers to be elected are as follows:

Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Outreach Director
Finance Director
Precinct & Elections Director
Candidate Recruitment Director

Any persons interested in being considered by the Nominating Committee for any office should email Sandra Brant, Chairwoman of the Nominating Committee. Current officers are listed on the VBDC website.

Key Dates:

December 8th at 7:00 PM, Meyera Oberndorf Central Library
Unassembled Caucus to Elect 2012-2014 Members of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee

January 9th at 7:00 PM, Meyera Oberndorf Central Library
Election of Officers of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee

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Not only did hopefully outgoing Delegate Ron Villanueva ditch the Lynnhaven River NOW forum without notice, he then tried to tell voters through a mailing that Adrianne Bennett wants to “double” the gas tax to pay for unfunded transportation projects.

If Villanueva had bothered to show up, he would have known that he wasn’t telling the truth in his mailing.

Voters in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake deserve to know the truth, not only about Villanueva’s record of supporting legislation cutting education, and criminalizing the medical choices of women; but also where Adrianne Bennett stands on these issues, and more, including transportation.

To find out where Adrianne Bennett really stands on the issues, visit her website by clicking here.

You can also watch the video the forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads, and hear about the issues directly from the candidates.

Remember to VOTE on November 8th!

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What are the biggest problems facing America? Unemployment? Climate change? The deficit? Immigration reform?

Our own Virginia Republican Rep. Randy Forbes has now successfully achieved his top legislative priority: re-affirming that “In God We Trust” is the national motto.

That may seem redundant, an unnecessary waste of time, even silly — Congress rectified the apparent omission of our Founding Fathers by making it the official national motto in 1956, and they even re-affirmed it previously in 2002.  However, Rep. Forbes felt it was essential to make absolutely sure that it is still the motto today.

But what about next year? Rep. Forbes may need to bring his bill up for a vote frequently to make sure it remains the motto in the future.

But wait!  Rep. Forbes sponsored a “non-binding resolution.”  If this truly is a Christian nation, as Rep. Forbes asserts, shouldn’t that resolution be binding?

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Redistricting has just placed me into the 21st House of Delegates district, so I attended the debate between 21st House of Delegates candidates Adrienne Bennett and Del. Ron Villanueva sponsored by the League of Women Voters at Landstown High School last night.  Although this is one of the few contested races in the region, the Virginian-Pilot did not report on it.

Adrienne Bennett was well-prepared and gave sharp responses to each question. She stressed the need for sustainable dedicated transportation funding as absolutely necessary for economic growth.  She also confronted Del. Villanueva with many of his unpopular votes (including his opposition to nonpartisan redistricting, his opposition to government transparency, his support for burdensome regulation of Planned Parenthood, and his support for cutting public education funding).

Del. Villanueva called being held accountable for his legislative actions “negative campaigning.”  His answers were often vague or evasive and he mostly declined to defend his votes in the General Assembly.  He kept repeating that he was raised here, has four kids, and has served in public office for 10 years.

The fairly small crowd seemed to be evenly mixed in their support of the two candidates.  All of the questions came from the audience, and the moderator kept asking for more.  I submitted my question early, but it was never asked (maybe the moderator thought it was too long).  I will ask it here instead.  Perhaps Del. Villanueva or one of his spokesmen can answer it in this forum:

Del. Villanueva sits on the House Finance Committee and claims to have helped balance the budget. It was “balanced” three ways:
1. By relying on $1.9 billion in temporary federal stimulus funding (that he opposed),
2. By borrowing $850 million from the state pension fund, and
3. By borrowing another $3 billion for transportation.
That’s all deficit spending.  How is that a “balanced budget?”

Few environmental issues were raised, other than one about uranium mining (see comment).  There may have been more environmental questions at the Lynnhaven River NOW debate that Villanueva skipped (see post below).  Villanueva has a cumulative record since 2000 of supporting the environment just 39% of the time.  Bennett has been endorsed by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters.

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Local Congressmen graded on clean water:
Rep. Rob Wittman: D
Rep. Scott Rigell: F
Rep. Bobby Scott: A+
Rep. Randy Forbes: F

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From Blue Virginia.

Ron Villanueva failed to show up for a forum hosted by Lynnhaven River NOW on October 5th. He had committed to attend, but unexpectedly didn’t show.

Lynnhaven River NOW is a grassroots environmental group focused on the health of the Lynnhaven River. As environmental issues that will impact the Lynnhaven River are hot political issues right now, missing this forum calls into question whether or not Ron Villanueva, the Republican who introduced the bill to allow offshore drilling in Virginia, considers the issues important to Lynnhaven River NOW, and others concerned about clean water, are important to him.

Villanueva’s campaign signs say “He cares. He listens. He gets results.”

Obviously he didn’t “care” enough to “listen” to the concerns of Lynnhaven River NOW, or even “care” enough to let them know he wasn’t going to make it to the forum. With his record, it would be wise for voters to question who he’s getting these “results” for. Does he get results for the people of his district, or big corporations profiting from actions like offshore drilling or dangerous uranium mining?

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President Obama has urged Congress to pass the American Jobs Act.

It is expected to result in 1.9 million new jobs, a 1 percentage point drop in the unemployment rate and a 2 percentage point increase in the gross domestic product, according to Mark Zandi (Moody’s Chief Economist and former economic advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain).

A survey of 34 economists agree that it would help avoid a return to recession by maintaining growth and pushing down the unemployment rate next year.  If it doesn’t pass, a reduction in government spending, the end of the payroll- tax holiday and an expiration of extended unemployment benefits would reduce GDP by 1.7% in 2012, according to Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist for JPMorgan Chase & Co.

It is already a bipartisan compromise, including many specific proposals that have been supported by Republicans in the past (including the payroll tax cut) :

“From the trade agreements, tax relief for small businesses, regulatory relief, and unemployment benefits programs, there are a lot of areas of commonality between the House Republicans’ jobs plan and the proposals the president discussed last night.” – Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor 09/09/2011

There is broad public support (including a majority of Republican and Republican-leaning voters) for many of the specific proposals (small business tax cuts, business tax breaks for hiring new workers, more infrastructure spending, and more funds to hire teachers, cops, and firefighters and paying for it by eliminating corporate tax loopholes).

Will Congressional Republicans vote for it? Of course not. Their top priority isn’t job creation:

“The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president” – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell National Journal 10/29/2010

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I know this is a blog focused on Virginia Beach, and politics in Virginia by extension, but the passage of the addition of a 2012 ballot measure to decided on an anti-gay marriage/civil unions amendment in North Carolina fascinates me. The North Carolina Senate passed the legislation adding the ballot measure yesterday.

My first thought was that this was 2004 all over again, where 11 states included anti-gay marriage questions on the ballot during the presidential election. The inclusion of these ballot questions is generally seen to have helped George Bush win reelection (this in addition to not raising taxes to pay for the wars, Kerry’s inability to really connect with people, etc.).

Then, reading further into the details, I realized that North Carolina Republicans, who control both the North Carolina House of Representatives and Senate, placed the ballot question on the May 2012 ballot, and not the November ballot. This was surprising, as I was sure they’d want to use the issue of gay marriage to fire up the evangelical right, which would likely boost turnout and support for the Republican presidential nominee. Read the rest of this entry »

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