$18 a day is all it takes for Virginians to get the highlight reel of what’s going on with their state government. You can help by pitching in a mere $18 to Richmond Sunlight to help buy the DVDs so that they can post it online.
Completely non-partisan, completely open government, and completely cool. Your mother will be proud of you for doing this, and so will future Virginians if this takes off. Did I mention you get listed as a sponsor for the day you purchased? Aww yeah…
…make violent revolution inevitable.” — JFK
I am completely undecided as to whether or not this truly is a democratic revolution, or a revolution on par with what created the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nonetheless — as I was discussing with a friend this afternoon — Egypt is truly the last hope for moderate Islam if the religion is ever to recapture the glory days of Ibn Khaldun, Averroes, and Ibn Rushd.
I truly hope this is a democratic revolution, and that if so, the revolution succeeds rather than is stifled (as it was in Iran). If this is nothing more than a mere coup by the Muslim Brotherhood, then I hope it is crushed mercilessly.
Cuccinelli: “Because I said so.”
I mean, that works for other arguments, right?
More from the WaPo Virginia Politics blog here.
When we watched it, we moved right back to work. No guidance counselors, no hysterics. It was a normal school day.
That evening, President Ronald Reagan spoke to the nation.
…and that was that. Reagan knew how to speak to the soul of America.
Just hours after Senator Chuck Colgan, the most senior member of the State Senate and longtime Democrat condemns the actions of refusing to hear bills shot down in subcommittee, Ben Tribbett over at Not Larry Sabato rushes to Janet Howell’s defense:
First of all, there was no “rule breaking” as RPV alleged. In fact- guess where the rule that was used to not hear these bills came from?
Got your guess ready?
It was the Republicans! GOP Senate Leader Tommy Norment stood up and requested… no he implored Senate Democrats to add this rule to allow the Senate to kill bills in subcommittee to speed up the legislative process.
So have the Senate rules changed? Of course they haven’t. Newsflash: Norment is wrong too.
…and unlike Howell, Norment at least offered an explanation for his reasoning better than “because I said so.”
So instead of apologizing for “because I said so” as a baseball bat for refusing to hear bills in committee, Democrats are going to rush to Howell’s defense with the foil of Tommy Norment? Sorry class… doesn’t wash.
Howell needs to resign as P&E chairman. “Because I said so” is no reason to violate years of accepted tradition, decorum, and civility in the Virginia Senate — not to mention the rules of the committee. Senator Colgan was absolutely correct… and I’m astonished that Democrats would allow bloggers of the other side to trash Colgan’s legacy to protect Howell’s chairmanship — a position she clearly cannot handle and does not merit.
(crossposted to Bearing Drift)
UPDATE: The ever-awesome Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon takes on the abuse of power by Senate Democrats:
So, what is the meme being spouted by the Leftosphere in an attempt to justify these actions?
Republican Senate Leader Tommy Norment tried to get the rules changed to allow for Senate subcommittees to kill legislation.
One problem.
Norment’s attempt to change the rules FAILED.
That’s right. It failed. That means the Senate rules stand and subcommittees do not have final disposition over legislation, but can only make recommendations to the full committees which must then vote on the legislation.
This attempt by the Left to murky the waters smacks of desperation since this defense is so weak to begin with.
Big mistake by the Democrats to rally to Howell’s defense. Jim Riley reiterates the call for Howell to resign as P&E chair… and RPV is doubling down with the latest video:
Hilarious.
It all started with this:
Now State Senator Steve Martin is throwing down the gauntlet, as David Shephard graciously allowed the senator to express his feelings on the matter:
The Privilege & Elections chair chose not to place these 6-7 resolutions on the docket, as is her right. Senator Obenshain made a motion to add these bills to the docket, as is his right. It is always in order for a member to make such a request. The committee can, if it chooses, reject the motion. However, the chair ruled the motion out of order. When asked what rule, parliamentary guidance or other legal basis she used in her judgment, she said “because that’s how I ruled.”
We made a motion to challenge the ruling of the chair with the Democrats upholding her ruling on a 9-6 vote.
The chair had already acknowledged that the subcommittee’s action served only as a recommendation to the full committee. Since the subcommittee’s report did not make mention of these bills, they were not placed on the docket, they are still alive in committee for consideration through the final meeting of the committee.
Some of us took the opportunity on the senate floor to express our great concern for this action. Not only was the ruling incorrect, the vote by the Democrats was a vote intended to kill the resolutions without hearing them.
We are not here to only vote on matters of substantial agreement. If that were true we would serve only as rubber stamps. We are here to take up tough matters of significant disagreement. For the system to work we must hear and vote on matters we do not like. We also must allow votes on substantive matters, and determine their outcome and to do otherwise subverts the process and public confidence in our decisions.
A couple of democrats took the floor to reflect fondly on the days of old and how they used to do it. I recall some of that behavior through the year ’89. I was about to rise to ask if they were proud of those things when the senior Democrat took the floor and told them in no uncertain terms that it was wrong to allow subcommittees to kill bills.
Once Chuck Colgan had made his remarks there was no reason to continue the discussion. He had made the point and several other Democrats have also let us know of their embarrassment for their party’s action. It is not over yet. We will not allow these publicly popular measures to be killed without accountability.
Open government only matters when it works in State Senator Howell’s favor. She should resign her position as P&E chair immediately to allow a more fair-minded Democrat to uphold “the Virginia way” as it was intended to be held.
UPDATE: Krystle Weeks adds her thoughts to the mix:
Things are looking shady in the Virginia State Senate, as the Democrats decided to break the rules. Leading the charge, State Senator Janet Howell (D-Reston), who refused to vote on things like Right to Work and Congressional overreach. Ironic, don’t you think? I think the Virginia Senate Democrats are taking a page from the U.S. Senate Democrats by doing nothing.
She adds her voice to those calling for Howell’s resignation as chair.
UPDATE x2: Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon points out the hypocrisy:
Hit pause during the roll call vote to take in the reactions of Sens. Ralph Northam, George Barker, Chap! Peterson (looking very smug – see below), Don McEachin, John Edwards, Creigh Deeds, Mary Margaret Whipple, Phil Puckett and Chairman Janet Howell.
The picture of Chap?
Ouch.
UPDATE x3: The ever eloquent DCH over at Bearing Drift adds:
Senator Janet Howell doesn’t want her fellow Democrats to face a politically risky vote on Speaker Bill Howell’s Repeal Amendment or a Right to Work Constitutional Amendment. So, she just ignored Senator Obenshain’s motion to put the legislation on the committee’s agenda, citing her prerogative as the chair.
Indeed.
UPDATE x4: Chris Beer over at Mason Conservative gives us Chuck Colgan’s thoughts on the matter:
I understand that I am but a small minority in Reston, but one would think Janet Howell would do me the favor as a constituent and at least PRETEND to uphold the rules of the Senate. Oh well, I guess thats what I get for living in Reston. What’s really incredible was the ensuing verbal smackdown Chuck Colgan put on Sens. Howell, Barker, Petersen, et al
“When we take a subcommittee and let a subcommittee decide whether something will pass or fail, that’s wrong,” Colgan told his colleagues. “When you do that, you are disenfranchising the people who sent that legislator here.”
Ouch, Mr. Speaker.
Ouch, Mr. Speaker is right. For those who don’t get the joke, click here.
UPDATE x5: State Senator Chuck Colgan, the senior ranking member of the Virginia Senate and a Democrat, announced his feelings on the matter in the Virginia Senate today. This from the Washington Post Virginia Politics blog:
Colgan, the most senior member of the senate, rose to his feet to talk about abuses of power employed by majority when he first joined the senate 36 years ago–bills that were assigned to fake subcommittees that never met; budgets crafted by a few members meeting at a hunting lodge; other items considered in executive sessions where the public and even many senators were not allowed to attend.
Noting that such practices have ended, Colgan said he believes his colleagues are generally fair and collegial. But he said he agrees with the Republicans that every bill deserves a full committee hearing.
Now if that isn’t a public shaming, I don’t know what is. Thank you, Senator Colgan, for reminding your colleagues of what Virginia should expect of her public officials.
No public word from Senator Howell as of yet.
UPDATE x 6: Mike Fletcher over at Write Side lays ’em out:
All 40 State Senate seats are up for reeelection this November. It’s time to rule Janet Howell “out of office.”
Amen to that. The longer she clings to that chairman seat, the longer we’ll remember the abuse of power (see Chris Beer’s thoughts above).
UPDATE x7: Eric Martin over at Rappahannock Republic joins the fray.
UPDATE x8: More from Virgina Right. Meanwhile, Virginia Gentleman redoubles the call for Howell to resign as P&E chair.
The story doesn’t look like it’s going away this morning. There’s plenty of e-mails being thrown around at this point. Howell could have a tough decision to make in the next few hours.
Want the budget problem in a nutshell? Americans want less spending, so where would you cut?
Bruce Drake over at Politics Daily makes the point in an oh-so-delicate fashion about which politicians would dread to speak openly:
A majority opposed cuts even in an area that might seem vulnerable in hard times, like funding for the arts and sciences.
Six out of 10 Americans, or more, opposed cuts in Medicare, Social Security and education. Entitlements like Medicare and Social Security are among the major drivers in government spending.
Gotta cut somewhere folks. It’s either going to be entitlements, education, or defense spending — pick two to save, but we’re falling down on one of them and forking the responsibilities back to the people, not because of a political decision, but merely because America can’t afford the massive cost.
…state and local governments too.
Damn skippy.
It’s either reform or bankruptcy. I have never fully understood why so many conservatives in the 7th District (people I count as friends) have so much animosity towards Cantor. Perhaps one day someone will explain it all to me… because this is precisely the sort of tough talk that no other member of GOP leadership is willing to talk about.
We either fix it now, or the Baby Boomers will destroy what little remains of America’s fiscal solvency.
President Obama gets high marks for holding the line on domestic discretionary spending (note that Congress on both sides withheld their applause) and mentioning South Korea over… and over.. and over again.
He failed on virtually EVERY STINKIN’ OTHER POINT.
Notice that Obama mentioned nothing about Iran, Tunisia, Hezbollah, Israel, etc. Nor did he really dwell on Iraq. Nor did he really explain… well, much of anything.
I feel like I just watched the mental equivalent of a Bud Light.
