Moran/Kaine speeches at Scott Labor Day

Here's the video of yesterday's speeches by DPVA chair Brian Moran and Senate candidate Tim Kaine. At the very beginning of the video, you'll hear Congressman Scott make reference to his press release regarding him not running for Senate.

Scott Labor Day picnic

Just a few pictures from Congressman Bobby Scott's Labor Day picnic yesterday. I hope to have some time to get the video of the speeches up later today. Oh yeah - and Congressman Scott announced that he will not be running for Senate, removing the biggest obstacle to former governor Tim Kaine's path to the … Continue reading Scott Labor Day picnic

Opinion, please: should she resign?

Virginia Beach school board member Sandra Smith-Jones is taking a position in Saudi Arabia. As the result, she announced a few weeks ago that she would be stepping down from the school board. The elected board would have 45 days from her resignation to name a replacement. She has apparently changed her mind. In an … Continue reading Opinion, please: should she resign?

Cut spending, but not defense or entitlements

I'm not really surprised that a poll by ODU and The Virginia Pilot found that a lot of people want spending cuts but not in areas that affect them, are you? There's really a simple answer to the deficit, one that Congressman Bobby Scott has been saying for a while now: let the Bush-era tax … Continue reading Cut spending, but not defense or entitlements

Goodbye, Irene

The comparisons to Isabel were made by many during the days preceding the arrival of Hurricane Isabel. In that storm, I lost eight trees on my roughly one acre lot. The ground was so saturated from the rain that they literally came up by the roots. This year, I only lost one, down at the … Continue reading Goodbye, Irene

Fire, earth, wind: Hampton Roads prepares

No, it's not the name of a new soul group, just what Hampton Roads has been experiencing and is about to experience. First, we've been dealing with the effects of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge fire, which is currently just 35% contained.. Then there was the earthquake. Now we're facing Hurricane Irene, currently … Continue reading Fire, earth, wind: Hampton Roads prepares

Surplus? What surplus?

My latest op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. For those who just read it online, you missed how the article was presented: side-by-side with this Cal Thomas piece touting it with a picture of our governor, Bob McDonnell, in the middle. Some thought I was taking on Thomas, but in truth, I hadn't seen his … Continue reading Surplus? What surplus?

50 out of 140

That's the number of contested seats in the legislature this fall: 26 in the 100-member House of Delegates and 24 in the 40-member Senate. This is what happens when districts are drawn in such a way as to not be competitive. And of the 50 contested races, how many will be competitive? Maybe 10? Hate … Continue reading 50 out of 140

Post-primary wrap up

In the two Hampton Roads primaries yesterday, both incumbents facing challengers won their races - and not by small margins. In the Democratic primary for the 90th House of Delegates, Del. Algie Howell beat Rick James 59.75% to 40.24%. In the Republican primary for the 3rd Senate, Sen. Tommy Norment defeated Mark Frechette 72.52% to … Continue reading Post-primary wrap up

While we wait for election results…

I was on the ODU campus all day today and was in a colleague's office when the building rumbled. A few seconds later, a small after shock, kinda like I was dizzy or something. Check out these photos from around Hampton Roads. Where were you when the earth moved? Did you feel anything? And yeah, … Continue reading While we wait for election results…