Category: Politics
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The State Trooper at Jonnie Williams’ House
By Peter Galuszka For three years, residents in a secluded, leafy road in Goochland County near a famous golf course were mystified by the sudden appearance of State Police cars running up and down Hunting Ridge Road day and night. Some knew that at the end of the road is the long winding driveway to…
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Drip… Drip… Drip…
Dude, why are you even here? So, it turns out that Governor Bob McDonnell asked Virginia’s health secretary to meet with his pal, Jonnie Williams Sr., CEO of Star Scientific. The Washington Post seems to think that such a request is worth a full-length news article in today’s newspaper. Health Secretary Bill Hazel told the…
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Here Comes Jonnie!
By Peter Galuszka Just who in hell is Jonnie R. Williams Sr., really? How did this pitchman with a two-year business degree and a dodgy career get so many smart, accomplished people to back him loyally? He’s at the heart of Giftgate that could possibly include the resignation or criminal indictment of an otherwise successful…
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Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny!
By Peter Galuszka It never ceases to amaze just how the thinking goes in the capital of Ole Virginny. No matter how much they talk about the “Knowledge Economy” or “RVA” or whatever the buzzword du jour is, Richmond’s elite just can’t get away from the bow tie and seersucker milieu in which they are …
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The Secrets of the Governor’s Mansion
by James A. Bacon Enough is enough. GiftGate has expanded beyond the point where there are reasonable explanations that Governor Bob McDonnell can offer for his behavior. The drip-drip-drip of revelations has steadily eroded my confidence since May, when I offered a lukewarm defense of the governor in “Still Looking for the Scandal.” Now there…
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Bob McDonnell and Resignation Rumors
By Peter Galuszka Intriguing rumors that Gov. Robert F. McDonnell may resign have picked up momentum following a seemingly endless series of disclosures his acceptance of expensive gifts without disclosing them. Conservative blog Bearing Drift reported Saturday that two sources had confirmed McDonnell would resign as part of a plea bargain agreement with prosecutors looking…
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Border Crossing: a 4th of July Memory
By Peter Galuszka Sorry, dear blog readers, but on this Independence Day, I got so depressed reading the mindless blathering on the “Freedom of Americans” on the editorial pages of the Richmond Times-Dispatch this morning that I just had to quote from the excellent book, “The Warmth of Other Suns, The Epic Story of America’s…
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The Continuing Tragedy of Afghanistan Hits Home
By Peter Galuszka Author’s note: This is a piece I wrote this week at Richmond’s Style Weekly. As a journalist, I have been dealing for years around the fringes of fighting in Afghanistan which historians have always warned is a good place to stay away from. It has consumed foreign intruders including the British, the…
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Another Take On Cuccinelli’s Vague Road Plan
By Peter Galuszka So far, Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign for Virginia governor has been long on rhetoric and short on specifics. Such was the case with his piece on Sunday’s Washington Post Local Opinions page headlined: “Taking the politics of roads funding in Virginia.” What caught my eye were two of Cuccinelli’s ideas. The first is…
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Best State for Business? Tell It to Tesla!
Tesla Motors, manufacturer of the premier-priced Tesla electric car, has opened a gallery at Tysons Corner. Too bad would-be buyers can’t actually purchase a car there. It turns out that Virginia law prohibits car manufacturers from operating their own dealerships. Writes the Washington Post: “The California-based company is using the Tysons Corner location as a…
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The Democrats’ Counterforce Troika
By Peter Galuszka Setting up a nice counterpoint to the Republican Party’s strident assault on women’s issues and other social matters, Ralph S. Northam, one of two good options, was selected as lieutenant governor candidate for the Democratic Party in Tuesday’s primary. Winning the attorney general nomination was Mark R. Herring. The two should be…
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Cuccinelli, Penguins and Natural Gas
By Peter Galuszka Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli’s strange episode involving a natural gas lawsuit involving one of his largest political contributors for his gubernatorial campaign raises yet another issue about his ethics. First, whatever was a Cuccinelli staffer doing advising a subsidiary of coal and gas giant CONSOL Energy, which has given Cuccinelli more than…
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McGlothlin’s GiftGate Connection
By Peter Galuszka The McDonnell GiftGate scandal and issues about the disclosure of money and gifts to Virginia politicians has only become more intense. The Washington Post reported today that Maureen McDonnell, wife of the governor, accepted $36,000 as a paid consultant last year while her husband listed her work as that of a trustee…
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My Moment of VPAP Clarity
By Peter Galuszka Last week, the Virginia Public Access Project held its annual luncheon and invited gubernatorial candidates Kenneth Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe to speak. No debate. No questions. Just a few minutes of remarks. The ballroom of the downtown Richmond Marriott was filled with the usual suspects, including lobbyists, lawyers, corporate officials and politicians.…
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How Good Is Chmura’s Economics Data?
By Peter Galuszka In the 40 months since Robert F. McDonnell has been in office, the launch of many of the governor’s policy initiatives seems to be accompanied by a press release touting the supportive findings of a small, Richmond-based research firm named Chmura Economics & Analytics. When McDonnell was pushing his transportation plan to…