Author: Vivian J. Paige

A former candidate, I've learned a lot about politics, both good and bad. I'd prefer more of the former and a lot less of the latter and I'm trying to do my part!

No April Fools’ jokes here

A friend of mine and I had a rather elaborate April Fools' joke planned for today. Yesterday, we decided to call it off, not because it wasn't going to be fun or funny to do, but because of the poisonous attitude that pervades the political world these days. What it says about the state of … Continue reading No April Fools’ jokes here →

American Idol results 03/31/10: Down to 9

With soul/R&B as the genre for Tuesday night's performances, the contestants mostly struggled. Only a couple of them stood out - Crystal, of course, and Lee - while others were downright awful - Tim, of course, and, surprisingly, DiDi. Crystal is simply heads and shoulders above the rest. Last night, she reminded me of Carole … Continue reading American Idol results 03/31/10: Down to 9 →

Interesting quote from Beach mayor

"It's just the right cotton-pickin' thing to do," he said. What a strange choice of words by Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms in an article in this morning's Pilot.  The topic of the article is the African American Roundtable that the mayor has established. I don't know the last time I heard anyone use that … Continue reading Interesting quote from Beach mayor →

Reminder: Civic engagement summit 4/10

Just a reminder that the 2nd Annual Civic Engagement Summit is coming up on April 10. The details are on the flier (click to enlarge) but the event will be held from 9am to 12:30pm at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. The two presenters are Bob O'Neill, an advocate for excellence in government and formerly … Continue reading Reminder: Civic engagement summit 4/10 →

A step too far

Violence. We live in a civilized society, one that used to be the example for the world. Ours was a society that disagreed without being disagreeable. Ours was a society where freedom of speech was tampered by simple common decency. It seems no more. It seems that, rather than lead the way, we have decided … Continue reading A step too far →

Opinion, please: scrap party primaries

In an op-ed for The New York Times, former Oregon secretary of state Phil Keisling says we should scrap the party primary system and replace it with a "fully open/top two" primary. The goal: reducing partisanship. All candidates would run in a first round, “qualifying” election, with the top two finalists earning the chance to … Continue reading Opinion, please: scrap party primaries →

Perriello rocks

At the annual Jefferson Jackson dinner last Saturday night, I heard Congressman Tom Perriello speak for the first time. Agree or disagree, Perriello demonstrated the courage to vote his conscience.  That his family - in particular his brother - is paying a price for that vote seems unreal. The idea of disagreeing with someone without … Continue reading Perriello rocks →

Illegal polling in Norfolk

From the Code of Virginia: § 24.2-959. Requirements for campaign telephone calls sponsored by a candidate or candidate campaign committee. It shall be unlawful for any candidate or candidate campaign committee to make campaign telephone calls without disclosing, before the conclusion of each telephone call, information to identify the candidate or candidate campaign committee who … Continue reading Illegal polling in Norfolk →

KHS takes on pants on the ground

OK, I'll admit it: when I saw the performance of "Pants on the Ground" on American Idol, the first person that came to mind was Norfolk Del. Algie Howell. (If you've not seen the video, check it out here.) Howell put forth a bill - known as the "Droopy Drawers" bill - back in 2005  … Continue reading KHS takes on pants on the ground →

American Idol results 03/24/10: The top 10

Tuesday night's show featured the music of the Billboard #1 hits. Some song choices were - well - strange. I mean, there are literally tons of #1 hits and this is the best they could do? And the "mentor" for this week was 17-year old Miley Cyrus. Um, aren't mentors supposed to have talent? After … Continue reading American Idol results 03/24/10: The top 10 →