Category: Politics
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Del. Tim Anderson Wants Virginia Republicans To Divorce Trump
by Kerry Dougherty Let’s be honest. The Trump years were exhausting. Those who voted for Donald Trump, supported his policies and didn’t regret their votes — the alternatives were Hillary and Biden — were weary by the end of it. Trump could be charming and funny. He could also be vicious and petty. He treated…
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Green’s Law
by Joe Fitzgerald Green’s Law was in effect this week. Green’s Law was named, by me, for longtime mayor and councilman Walter F. Green III, and originated at a council meeting when he did an even worse job than usual of hiding his disdain for opponents of the golf course. I don’t remember what was…
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Youngkin’s Get Well Soon Card
“Listen, I want to stop for a minute and — listen — Speaker Pelosi’s husband had a break-in last night in their house and he was assaulted. There’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send her back to be with him in California. That’s what we’re going to go do,” Youngkin said.
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Out-of-State Money Floods to Incumbent Democrats in Virginia’s Competitive Congressional Races
by James C. Sherlock I have the utmost respect for political candidates as a class. They are people who put themselves in the arena while most are spectators. The American people I think agree. But by huge margins we decry the amount of money in political campaigns. We deplore the fact that the money required…
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On the Road Again…
Governor Glenn Youngkin is flying across the country to yet another political event next week, this time to Oregon in support of gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan. But he may be shifting his focus to election races closer to home. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, he has launched a new super PAC, Empowering Virginia Parents, and…
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Virginia May Have Elected a Republican Governor, But It Still Skews Blue
by James A. Bacon Virginia may have elected three Republicans to statewide office last year, but it’s still a blue state. It’s not a deep blue state, but a solid plurality of voters identify as Democrats. In the latest Wason Center poll, 35% of respondents said they generally consider themselves to be Democrats, compared to…
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One Candidate Was Snippy. It Wasn’t Jen Kiggans.
by Kerry Dougherty Elaine Luria is snotty. That’s my takeaway from Wednesday’s 2nd District debate sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce at the Oceanfront Marriott. Yes, the Democrat had the built-in advantage of incumbency and a command of lots of numbers, which she spouted with abandon during the debate with Republican challenger State…
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More on Virginia Sheriffs
by Dick Hall-Sizemore This article is a follow-up to Jim McCarthy’s article on sheriffs. My main purpose is to provide some details and more context to the discussion of the position of sheriff in Virginia. The sheriff is a “constitutional officer.” Article VII, Section 4 of the state constitution directs that in each county and…
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Please, Governor, Focus on Virginia First
by James A. Bacon Virginians are still trying to decipher the intentions of Glenn Youngkin in traveling to so many Republican campaign events around the country. The Governor been in office about eight months. He’s barely gotten started in undoing the damage of his predecessor’s four-year term. He couldn’t really be thinking about running for…
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Just as We Need Them More Than Ever, Virginia Libertarians Have Dissolved Themselves
by James A. Bacon In a profound disagreement over philosophy, The Libertarian Party of Virginia has voted to dissolve itself. In a 7 to 5 vote, the state central committee contended that the national image of the party was now “functionally indistinct from other alt-right parties and movements.” But the national Libertarian Party declared that…
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Budget Earmarks for Nonstate Entities
by Dick Hall-Sizemore For many years, the most interesting and fun portion of the state Appropriation Act was a section near the end entitled, “State Grants to Nonstate Entities-Nonstate Agencies.” The 2000 Appropriation Act, appropriating almost $36 million for these nonstate entities, is a good example. It included funding for historic courthouses, local museums and…
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Stop Comparing January 6th To September 11th
by Kerry Dougherty Stop. Just stop. Stop with the hyperbole. Stop exaggerating. Stop minimizing horror in a craven pursuit of politics. It happens all the time. For example, I’ve always cringed whenever I hear comparisons between Hitler and any contemporary political figure. There was only one Adolph Hitler. He was vile and he killed six…
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Imaginary Protection Against Imaginary Threats
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Attorney General Jason Miyares has taken another step to politicize his office and the enforcement of election laws. As reported by the Virginia Mercury, Miyares has announced the formation of a 20-member “Election Integrity Unit.” The purpose of the unit is to ensure the “legality and purity” of elections. There has been…
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More Assistance for Veterans
by Dick Hall-Sizemore A new community center for veterans in Virginia Beach just opened. If you are thinking the new Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center, built and operated by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, will provide nursing home care to veterans, you would be mistaken. Or, perhaps you were thinking of the Virginia…
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John Reid Says What Everyone Is Thinking
The WRVA talk show host calls out the men without chests. Good on him for doing so. by Shaun Kenney Most people can read, yet very few of us are literate souls. Like most people, we can perform the functions of a thing. Yet there is no organization in what we do or why we do it. We…