Not Larry Sabato

100,000 Comments

During the craziness of the conventions, we passed 100,000 comments on NLS!

Congrats to brimur who left the 100,000th comment!

As of today we are up to 102,018 comments since this blog moved to typepad in August of 2005.

"The Appalachian Problem"

"The New Yorker" has an article on Barack Obama's Appalachian problem- as well as an awesome cartoon of Obama and Jim Webb.

Tim Kaine- Stop This

I just saw a TV ad for a new game that the Virginia Lottery has put out.   It's worth noting before you read this that I am not opposed to the lottery and I support a look at expanded gaming as a way to help fund more of Virginia's budget.

But with its new game the Virginia Lottery has gone too far.

Called "Match 3" the game offers a second chance drawing if you don't win a prize on the scratch-off. The 2nd chance drawing is a $50,000 college scholarship.  There are 20 scholarships available to celebrate the lottery's 20th anniversary.

This is a very crass move by the lottery.  Who is likely to play a game offering a college scholarship as a prize?  In my opinion, it would be mostly families who couldn't afford to pay for college for their kids.  Which basically makes this a lottery game specifically targeted at the poor and the uneducated.  Appalling.

Also disturbing is how this appears to be a pattern coming from Governor Kaine.  Abuser Fees.  Repealing the estate tax while trying to increase the sales tax.  Lottery games targeting the working poor.  The list goes on and on.  If Tim Kaine doesn't want his legacy to be the greatest assault on the working poor of any recent Virginia Governor he should step in and stop this game immediately.

Changed My Registration Today!

Thanks to the Arlington County Democratic Committee for putting volunteers outside Safeway to register voters!  I was not looking forward to having to go to the county office this week to register to vote here.

Now that I am registered in Arlington, my elected officials have changed.  Here are my new districts:

U.S. Congress
Old District:  11th (Tom Devolites-Davis/Gerry Devolites-Connolly)
New District:  8th (Jim Moran)

Say what you want about Jim- but that is a big upgrade!

State Senate
Old District:  37th (Ken Cuccinelli)
New District:  31st (Mary Margaret Whipple)

Obviously a huge upgrade.

House of Delegates
Old District:  41st (Dave Marsden)
New District:  48th (Bob Brink)

Another huge upgrade.

I'm liking this whole Arlington thing.  I've upgraded my elected officials, they make voter registration easy, and they make volunteering easy.  I got the newspapers to deliver in my building brought to me, I didn't even need to pick them up.

Well done to Arlington Democrats- and Chairman Peter Rousselot.

Republicans Will Have Convention Next Year

A big victory for Ayatollah Ken Cuccinelli.

Bob McDonnell supporters who were calling around trying to make it a primary got a win also.  The filing deadline will be December 1st with petitions for the convention being collected from Nov 5- Dec 1.  So no one can challenge Bob for Governor at the last minute.

For all the "strength" McDonnell is trying to show with a "unified" party behind him, he seems awfully concerned about his chances if he gets a challenge.

Bowerbank responds to my Wagner report

Column by Not Gretchen Bulova:

It appears that my report of Jody Wagner's appearance at W&M Law School has gotten under Jon Bowerbank's skin.  He just recently released a statement saying in part, "Virginia deserves better and I intend to respond swiftly and aggressively to baseless accusations."  Despite the aggressive posture Bowerbank takes in this press release, he does not refute Wagner's assertion that he inherited a bunch of money.  Which of course leads one to believe that Wagner is right.  The only thing Bowerbank is proving with this reponse is his McCain like temper and Wagner's ability to get under his skin easily.  Score one for Wagner. 

OPEN THREAD ON DEBATE

Any Virginia specific thoughts?

FASCISM COMES TO VIRGINIA

Tomorrow Barack Obama and Joe Biden are coming to the University of Mary Washington.  Great for the school and for Virginians that we are a swing state and candidates are coming to campaign here.

Attorney General Bob McDonnell supports the other candidate.  That's fine.

What's not fine is what happened next.  The campus book store was selling t-shirts that said "Obama was there, Biden was there, I was there".  That's a true statement, and a great souvenir for students of being part of one of the most historic campaigns in modern American history.

Bob McDonnell's office called the bookstore and threatened to shut it down if they did not stop selling the shirts.

The guy who "can't recall" if he has ever had sex with anyone except his wife apparently doesn't want students to be able to recall if they attended this event.

I trashed Fairfax Democrats when they blocked John McCain and Sarah Palin from having an event in a school gym earlier this month because I think they have earned a certain amount of respect from being a national nominee for President and Vice President.  Well so have Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

This t-shirt does not endorse them in any way.  In simply marks a historic event on a Virginia campus.  The fact Bob McDonnell wants to ban this shirt shows a seriously disturbing fascist tendency.  He owes the public an immediate explanation on why tax dollars are being spent to harass and intimidate college students for simply marking a historic event on their campus.

I'm not only outraged, but I am repulsed by Bob McDonnell right now.

"Small government" my ass.

Eric Cantor Kills Bail Out

How proud the people of Richmond must be that Eric Cantor is the one who destroyed the bailout talks and has destabilized the entire world economy.

Why Do Democrats Need to Be Careful in Nominations?

I've been stressing on this blog for three years how Democrats need to be more careful about who they nominate- even when no one else is interested.  An un-vetted nominee can hurt the entire ticket and the party's credibility.

Today's example:  Sam Rasoul.  Sam was in Shenandoah County campaigning this week and came out in favor of a "flat tax".  A flat tax is a horrible, regressive taxing scheme that goes against everything the Democratic Party believes in with progressive taxation. 

We must be more careful with picking candidates.