Message to VB City Council

Don't empower another incumbent. My latest op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. In it, I attempt to make the case that the voters of Virginia Beach - not the ten members of City Council - should decide who represents them. All of Virginia Beach council members are elected at-large, meaning that the entire city gets … Continue reading Message to VB City Council

Taking out the trash

No, it's not Friday afternoon. But it is Take Out the Trash Day, at least according to  LloydTheIdiot at Too Conservative. He has an interesting post about ten things we should throw out. His list is good - and already contains some of the items I would have listed, although in a slightly different order. … Continue reading Taking out the trash

ICYMI: Nuckols nails the GA

Christina Nuckols is leaving The Virginian-Pilot to become editorial page editor at The Roanoke Times. In her latest column, printed in Sunday's paper, she muses about her 14 years covering Virginia politics in Richmond. And slips in this gem: Too many of my 14 legislative sessions have ended without anyone stopping to ask, "What did … Continue reading ICYMI: Nuckols nails the GA

What happened to the Democratic Party?

Have we become a one-party country? One of the advantages - or disadvantages - of being a student of history is that I get a sense of the way things were and how things could be different today. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the modern day Democratic Party and how, despite efforts to … Continue reading What happened to the Democratic Party?

Pitts on Freedom Rides 50 years later

Leonard Pitts nails it in his column about the 50 years after the Freedom Rides. >" /> One never encounters this wholesale dismissal of the past when one commemorates, say, the Kennedy inauguration or the Holocaust. That’s because those things makes us feel sorrow, nostalgia, resolve. As Ryan Price would testify, African-American history makes us … Continue reading Pitts on Freedom Rides 50 years later

Huckabee not running

"My heart says no," said former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on his show last night. The Republican field is getting more narrow all the time.

Friday fun: what musical instrument should you play?

What musical instrument should you play? Take the quiz and share your results. I got ... You Should Play the Guitar You're very independent - both in spirit and in the way you learn.You can teach yourself almost anything, even if it makes your fingers bleed.You're not really the type to sit patiently through a … Continue reading Friday fun: what musical instrument should you play?

Thanks to VPAP, we can follow the money

And a lot of other things. My op-ed column this week for The Virginian-Pilot focused on the Virginia Public Access Project, a source of information about candidates and campaigns with which most political junkies are quite familiar. But it's not all about the money, even if everything is about the money. VPAP has done a … Continue reading Thanks to VPAP, we can follow the money

American Idol results: James voted off

Rocker James was eliminated on American Idol Thursday night. The top three are Haley, Lauren and Scotty. Plans for Scotty's homecoming are already underway.

Political map of Virginia

It is easy to see, from this map, why the political power in Virginia has shifted. The map, courtesy of Sabato's Crystal Ball, shows the population of the Commonwealth. Compare that, if you will, to that produced after the last census. It is easy to see the growing influence of Northern Virginia. One last map: … Continue reading Political map of Virginia