News and information from the Virginia Democratic Party

Smithâs no centrist

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 9:51:01 EST

Ralph Smith takes a sudden, politically convenient liking to Virginia Democrats.

A âdopey schemeâ from Rerras and Giffin

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 9:53:00 EST

The Virginian-Pilot takes Nick Rerras and Hank Giffin to task for their “flawed legislation.”

Jeff Frederick debate wrap-up

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 9:55:00 EST

Weve gathered all the highlights from Del. Jeff Fredericks rather unfortunate debate performance into one convenient post.

Dave Hunt returns to formâ¦ kind of

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 9:56:00 EST

Dave Hunts 5 point and/or 4 point transportation plan returns to 5 points. But wait, ones new!

Vogel ducks debate

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 9:50:01 EST

A GOP Symphony of Ambiguity

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 3:56:00 EST

Having trouble keeping up with all the Republican flip-flops on abuser fees? Not to worry! Weve compiled all the double-talk, deflection and backpedaling below.

Howell to America: Stay Out!

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 3:55:00 EST

A sanctimonious Bill Howell doesnt think new Virginia residents will meet his standards.

Voters to Cuccinelli: Youre Done!

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 3:54:01 EST

Ken Cuccinelli betrays a previously fervent base and incurs the wrath of everyone in between in the process.

John Welchâs confusing resumé

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 3:53:00 EST

John Welch goes from being doctor of chiropractic to Ph.D and back again.

A whopper from Dave Hunt

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 3:52:00 EST

Caught in his own spin, Dave Hunt tries revising history to explain away his support of abuser fees.

Which Tom Davis do you believe?

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 3:51:00 EST

The “moderate centrist” or the Bush rubber stamp?

Stalls biggest flip flop-yet

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 3:50:00 EST

Tricia Stall tries to outrun her outlandish past statements. Again.

Play it again, Bill

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 3:49:00 EST

Speaker Bill Howell is still trying to duck the blame on abusive driver fees - let’s go to the videotape!

Passing the buckâ¦ again

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 3:47:00 EST

Frank Wagner knows who’s to blame for abusive driver fees - YOU!

Rerras no friend of the environment

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 3:43:00 EST

You’d think a legislator in a waterfront district would make conservation a priority. Not Nick Rerras.

Conservatives to GOP: âWhat were you thinking?â

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 3:42:01 EST

Anti-tax activists are up in arms over Republican mismanagement.

âI think - well, we can amend that.â

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 3:40:01 EST

Del. Dave Nutter doesn’t seem to know what’s in the transportation bill he voted for. But don’t take our word for it.

Cadinâs attack falls flat

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 3:39:00 EST

Marc Cadin takes his summer flip-flopping to a whole new level.

Stallâs extreme makeover continues

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 3:38:00 EST

Senate candidate Tricia Stall seems pretty eager to hide away her past statements.

Tricia Stall goes back to school

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 3:37:00 EST

Senate candidate Tricia Stall faces off against herself on public education.

Mark Cole has his cake and eats it too

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 3:35:00 EST

Delegate Cole tries an odd new approach on the transportation plan - vote against it AND take credit for it.

Flip-Flop Morgan Griffith throws Dave Albo under the bus

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 3:34:00 EST

Another Republican switcheroo on abusive driver fees.

Jeannemarie spins us a new one

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 2:21:00 EST

No matter what you think about abusive driver fees, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis probably agrees with you.

Bill Howell re-writes history

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 2:20:00 EST

The Speaker of the House of Delegates passes the blame on abusive driver fees for out-of-state drivers.

Electric Joe May in Europe

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 2:19:00 EST

Joe May and Dominion make it official with a jaunt across the pond.

Jeff Frederickâs special session

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:18:00 EST

Why would Jeff Frederick want to fix abuser fees when he already voted for them twice?

I supported it before I didnt support it

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:17:00 EST

House candidate Marc Cadin withdraws support for up to $400 million for Northern Virginias maintenance and construction of roads, transit and much needed transportation projects.

Tricia Stall, in her own words

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:16:00 EST

Public education today is totally government controlled to socially engineer our society into dumbed down citizenry who will accept and tolerate whatever the government tells them to do.

How long did it take Wat Abbitt to learn how to walk?

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:15:00 EST

Del. Watkins Abbitts been putting off a smoking ban for 17 years now.

A Fair Days Pay for a Hard Days Work? Only If Your Name is John Welch.

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:13:00 EST

We might have felt bad for Del. John Welch, until we learned he voted against passing a minimum wage increase this year.

Devolites Davis MIA on Transportation

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:13:00 EST

How much clout does Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis have on transportation? We took a look at her attendance records for the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission to find out.

Cuccinelli and Bush: On the Rocks

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:11:00 EST

Will Ken Cuccinelli put his wallet where his mouth is?

Danny Marshall has it both ways on min wage

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 2:04:00 EST

We thought it was odd that Del. Danny Marshall voted against a minimum wage increase, especially considering that he introduced a different version himself. Turns out, he would have voted against that too!

Meet Flip-Flop Scott

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 9:26:00 EST

Newspapers pick up on Del. Scott Lingamfelter’s impressive 10-day flip-flop.

The Case of the Mystery PACs: Solved!

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 2:07:00 EST

Who’s funding Rep. Thelma Drake under the radar?

Gilmore still in denial

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:08:00 EST

Former Governor Jim Gilmore has a different take on his administration than most Virginians.

Ed Gillespie, we hardly knew yee

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 7:40:00 EST

We wish the VA GOP chairman a fond farewell as he heads to the Bush White House.

Thelma Drake and the case of the Mystery PAC

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 9:53:01 EST

The Center for Responsive Politics is trying to identify some Mystery PACs. Can Rep. Thelma Drake help them crack the case?

Pained at the pump?

Thu, 24 May 2007 9:00:00 EST

Reps. Tom Davis, Thelma Drake, and Eric Cantor kick off the summer driving season by voting against the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act.

President Bush in Virginia

Thu, 17 May 2007 3:15:00 EST

Does your legislator stand with Virginia or George W. Bush?

Tom Davis, conflicted

Fri, 11 May 2007 9:13:02 EST

Rep. Tom Davis (R-11th) may or may not be supporting the Bush administration on Iraq. He’s not sure.

Your representatives on Iraq

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 11:29:00 EST

Since the Republican Party of Virginia’s blog seems to be busy focusing its attention on Sen. Harry Reid and Rosie O’Donnell, we thought you might be interested in how your representatives voted on the Iraq War Supplemental last week.

John Welch, off message

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 9:59:00 EST

Del. John Welch (R-Virginia Beach) seems pretty proud of killing bills in subcommittee.

Tom Davis covers for the White House

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 9:52:01 EST

In case you missed it, Rep. Tom Davis knows who’s to blame for leaking Valerie Plame’s identity. Certainly not the White House, of course.

Thelma Drake on Veteransâ Health Care

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 2:48:00 EST

America’s troops and veterans deserve better than a Congresswoman who is all talk, no action.

A âcompromiseâ?

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 4:31:01 EST

Our own Sen. Phil Puckett posed an interesting question to his colleagues at the height of the transportation debate - how could the plan be called a compromise when Republicans leaders excluded him from the conference committee they named him to?

Profiles in courage (and lack thereof)

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 4:10:00 EST

The debate on the final GOP transportation plan for transportation is still unfolding in the General Assembly, but already some contrasts are becoming clear.

For example, compare Sen. Russ Potts speech (below) with Del. Jeff Fredericks absence on the most important vote to his constituents this year.

A curious argument from Mr. Wardrup

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 5:44:00 EST

On the House floor this afternoon, embattled Del. Leo Wardrup expressed a rather keen interest in making it a criminal act to release any images taken by a traffic light photo-monitoring system (the original bill called for a civil penalty).

House kills minimum wage increase

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 2:59:00 EST

During this mornings floor session, Republican leader Morgan Griffith moved to refer SB 1327 to the Appropriations committee, which will not meet before the end of session.

House GOP sticks with gerrymandering

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 10:51:01 EST

This morning, the House Privileges and Elections committee heard the final attempt before the General Assembly to establish a nonpartisan redistricting commission, Sen. Creigh Deeds SJR 352.

Minimum wage lives!

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 5:05:02 EST

Despite the best efforts of Republicans led by Del. Tim Hugo - who attempted to prevent the bill from even being heard - Sen. Chuck Colgans measure to increase the minimum wage was revived in the Commerce and Labor committee this afternoon.

Last chance for minimum wage increase

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 9:33:00 EST

This morning, Del. Kathy Byrons Utility/Employment subcommittee failed to report Sen. Chuck Colgans SB 1327, the last remaining bill before the General Assembly to increase the minimum wage.

Omnibus debacle

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 2:53:00 EST

Del. Ward Armstrong spoke on the House floor this afternoon, to both praise the Senate for their progress on the transportation plan and to point out todays rather scathing Daily Press lead editorial.

Even Republicans tire of their own radical agenda

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 2:19:00 EST

Del. Bob Marshall, after a busy week tailing the president of William & Mary, returned to his usual extremism on the House floor today and tried to slip an irrelevant, invasive floor amendment on to Sen. Edd Houcks SB 1112.

âIâm into consistency.â

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 5:54:00 EST

This afternoon, Del. Tim Hugo rose from his seat on the House floor to embark on a lengthy speech against Del. Chuck Caputos budget amendment to provide $225,560 for Best Buddies International. He proceeded to mock any legislators who dared to vote against diverting the general fund into anything but transportation projects, saying that he, on the other hand, is into consistency.

âNo is not an answerâ

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 3:02:00 EST

The Senate transportation plan was effectively killed today when Sen. Russ Potts rose on the Senate floor this morning to refer his bill back to committee. Potts urged his colleagues in the House to help find a responsible solution, saying we stand for solutions in this body, not no.

House GOP kills anti-discrimination measure

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 10:26:00 EST

Early this morning, House Republicans on the Counties, Cities and Towns committee killed HB 2252, a bill from Del. Katherine Waddell that would have allowed the City of Richmond to pass an ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The Floor Flipper Phenomenon

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 7:18:00 EST

This years increased scrutiny of committee meetings has created an interesting new creature in the House of Delegates - the Floor Flipper.

Absurdity defined

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 2:45:00 EST

Republican legislators have made no secret of their disdain for our experiment in transparency here at Assembly Access, which makes their decision to kill three separate measures that would have allowed public broadcasting of House floor sessions even more baffling.

Stem cell research defeated

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 9:10:00 EST

The Health subcommittee also sent two bills authorizing stem cell research at Virginia universities - Del. Shulers HB 1768 and Del. Morans HB 2857 - to indefinite limbo in the Stem Cell Research Commission, which AP writer Bob Lewis points out is unlikely to take it up in time to pass this year.

Defining birth control

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:13:02 EST

Del. Kris Amundsons common-sense HB 2221, which would define birth control in the code of Virginia as any contraceptive method approved by the FDA, was defeated in a late afternoon subcommittee meeting of the House Health, Welfare, and Institutions committee. Dels. OBannon, Purkey, Nutter, and Janis voted against the motion to report.

GOP vs. absentee voting (again)

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:15:01 EST

The Privileges and Elections committee ponders the fate of Del. Spruill’s HB 2911.

House Republicans kill minimum wage increase

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 5:29:01 EST

Expanding kindergarten

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:56:01 EST

The House Education committee tabled Del. Jennifer McClellans HB 1636 this morning, a bill to expand kindergarten elibility.

Jeff Frederick, hard at work

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 2:22:01 EST

Del. Jeff Frederick seems more concerned about a camera than the proceedings of the House Education committee.

Republicans reject accountability

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 3:16:01 EST

Del. Ken Plum’s HR 48, a measure that would require all subcommittee to be recorded, was defeated on the House floor today in a 57-41 vote along party lines.

GOP vs. absentee voting (part 2)

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:19:01 EST

The subcommittee also tabled Del. Brinks HB 2072, which would allow pregnant women to vote absentee.

GOP vs. absentee voting

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:13:01 EST

In a predawn subcommittee meeting this morning, House Republicans killed several measures relating to absentee voting.

HB 1916 passes the House

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 2:20:01 EST

Del. Jeion Ward’s important HB 1916, which would require instruction on dating violence to be incorporated into family life education curriculum, passed the House of Delegates and moved on to the Senate this afternoon.

GOP upholds gerrymandering

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 7:44:01 EST

Last Friday morning, House Republicans in the Privileges and Elections committee moved to kill HJ 620, a constitutional amendment offered by Del. Kris Amundson to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission. Motion to PBI (pass by indefinitely) made by Del. Dave Albo.