Campaign commercials nasty and nice

Every election, there is always one race that experts say is "the nastiest campaign I've ever seen." In describing elections, commentators and journalists throw out words like ugly, brutal, personal, vicious - it happens every year.

A few years back it was Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City, versus Williamsburg businessman and anti-tax activist Paul Jost. Both guys spent a ton of money and there was no shortage of personal attacks. And it seems like Del. Tom Gear always finds himself an opponent to mix it up with.

The problem is perspective - and for real perspective, check out this archive of presidential campaign commericals dating back to 1952. It's the Livingroom Candidate collection from the Museum of the Moving Image. It has some of the nicest campaign clips ever, like the one that follows for Dwight Eisenhower, as well as some of the nastiest -- like the LBJ commercial that connected Barry Goldwater and nuclear destruction.

You also have to check out Eisenhower reading the cue cards. And there are other great ads for Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Jimmy Carter.

Click here for the full library but make sure you have some time to spend because there are some serious gems in there. 

More antics from those whacky Texas lawmakers

Anybody who has spent time in Richmond has seen how lawmakers - especially in the House of Delegates - move around during floor sessions.

At any one point in time, lawmakers are all over the place debating, cajoling, counting votes, heading for the bathroom, etc. There are times when the House seems to be a total free-for-all. But when it comes time to vote - most legislators scurry back to their seats to make sure they are counted.

With extended debates it's no shock that sometimes lawmakers realize they might miss a vote. So they tell their seatmate how they want to vote, just in case they're not back in time to press the button. But check out this video from Texas. These guys are voting three and four times - spinning around in their seats and hitting buttons like pianists.

I guess some people are real good at multi-tasking - but this sure looks like a ugly way to make sausage. 

Allen: Global warming "alarmism" could boost nuclear power

"Alarmism" over global warming could be a boon for nuclear power, George Allen told Cybercast News Service, in a story released this morning.

In a wide-ranging interview on energy policy, the former governor and senator also said that instead of signing onto the Kyoto treaty, the United States should rely on its own resources and innovation. Nanotechnology, he said, could lead to better batteries and eventually more more efficient hybrid cars. And there is no reason that we should refrain from drilling for oil off the coast of Virginia and in the Alaskan national wildlife refuge.

"Kyoto is just nonsense," Allen is quoted as saying.

There is also one quote in the story that harkens back to the tough-talking Allen of old: "If the federal government would just take its boot off our neck, Virginia and other states...could share in this (oil) revenue."

Sound familiar?

Gilmore coming in for a Stall fund-raiser

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore is in town tonight to help Republican Senate candidate Tricia Stall raise some money -- and she needs the help according to her financial reports.

The "ax the tax" governor is also giving Stall some kudos on his new blog.

Stall has also picked up an endorsement from the Virginia Police Benevolent Association. The law enforcment group interviewed Stall and Democrat John Miller a couple of weeks ago and decided to opt for Stall, because, as they put it:

"In the halls of government -- when we call for back-up -- we know Tricia Stall will be there for us." 
   

Pogge and Farlow face off Friday; the bout airs Sunday

Republican Brenda Pogge and Democrat Troy Farlow square off Friday morning on the set of "On the Record" with Joel Rubin.

It's one of the quick-hit debates that you see frequently on Rubin's show, which airs Sunday morning at 10:30 on WVEC-TV Channel 13. Rubin should have no shortage of topics to discuss with the two candidates running for the 96th District seat vacated by Del. Melanie Rapp.

Pogge just became the clear-cut Republican nominee after Republican Sheila Noll's lawsuit contesting the primary election was thrown out of court. Farlow has been dealing with his own court problems this week because of his father's 1995 hit-and-run accident.

Independent candidate Pam Pouchot apparently didn't make the guest list.

If you miss the first airing, you can see the show at WVEC's Web site.

Guess how much the state spends on paper?

This might not be the stuff of high drama, but a few lawmakers and state officials are putting in some hours on behalf of the Cost Cutting Caucus. And they've got their own blog.

The latest report came my way from Del. Chris Saxman, the Staunton Republican who chairs the bipartisan group. It contains two reports -- one on printer and paper operations and one on accounts receivables. (Like I said, not high drama, but this is the legislative equivalent of ditch-digging, so it merits attention, yes?)

The blog has the entire report, and skimming through it provided some interesting tidbits.

State government has 34,221 printers. In fiscal year 2006, it spent nearly $7.5 million on paper, stationery and forms.

One recommendation, besides promoting paper recycling, is to begin phasing out stand-alone fax machines, leaving the job to personal computers and other multi-functional machines.

Accounts receiveables sound pretty boring, until you realize that it represents tax money owed to the state, and that a stepped-up effort in 2003 resulted in an extra 98.3 million smackers for the treasury.

One recommendation from this group sounds like common sense: don't issue personal or business licenses to delinquent debtors. Hmmm. Not a bad idea.

Bobby Scott has kind words for the president? Well...

U.S. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, not usually a fan of the administration, released this rather glowing statement this morning about the president signing the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which cuts the interest rates on student loans and increases funding for PELL grants:

"Today the President signed historic legislation that provides relief to millions of students and families paying for college. By cutting student loan interest rates in half and increasing funding for the PELL grant award and the Upward Bound program, the bill will help improve college access for millions of low-income and first generation college-going students.

"In addition, the bill includes critical funding for the needs of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority serving institutions.

"I am proud of the efforts made by members of the House Education and Labor Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the full Congress in getting this bill before the president for signature. This is the single largest investment in college financial aid since the 1944 GI Bill."

Oh, wait a minute -- he didn't actually say anything nice about the president, did he.

I must have been thrown by the headline on the press release:

REP. SCOTT APPLAUDS PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING OF LANDMARK FINANCIAL AID BILL

But now that I look at it, I think what he's actually applauding is just --well, maybe the president's penmanship.

So, umm...never mind.

Gilmore Patriots Committee lands a couple of large donors

Sept. 18 was a pretty good day for Jim Gilmore and his Gilmore Patriots Committee. Businessman and political activist Paul Jost inked a check for $25,000 for the former governor and potential future senator, and Walter M. Kurt tossed in $50,000.

Those are among the highlights from VPAP's latest update of political contributions over $10,000. For the full list, click here.

Webb Urges Caution on Use of the ``terrorist'' label

It was only a non-binding measure aimed at increasing the pressure on Iran to stop meddling in Iraq.

But Virginia Sen. JIm Webb, a Democrat, wanted no part of it.

Webb said he could not support a provision that would declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps to be a foreign terrorist organization, even though that force is said to be supplying explosives and ammunition to Shia extremist groups in Iraq.

A declaration that Iran's Guard is a terrorist group would mark the first time that the United States has added the armed forces of any sovereign government to its list of terrorist organizations.

``The Revolutionary Guards are part of the Iranian government," Webb said. ``If they are attacking us, they're not a terrorist organization. They're an attacking army."

Since coming to the Senate this year,  Webb has expressed concern that the Bush administration may be seeking to launch a military strike against Iran with little oversight from Congress. The White House has been considering a terrorist designation for the Guard Corps, the New York Times reported last month.

``This has the danger of becoming a de facto declaration of war against Iran," Webb complained.

But sponsors of the legislation-- Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, a Republican, and Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent-- said they were simply trying to increase pressure on Iran through economic and diplomatic means to stop interfering in Iraq.

The measure passed the Senate easily Wednesday,  by a margin of 76 to 22. Virginia Sen. John Warner, a Republican, voted for it.

Democrats plan campaign tour of state

Top Democrats in the General Assembly will take an election-season tour around Virginia to announce a series of policy proposals and hit back at Republicans who control the legislature.

"Their fifteen minutes of leadership are up," said House Democratic Leader Ward Armstrong, D-Henry.

Full tour details are yet to come --- it does not involve riding around in a gas-guzzling bus, lawmakers joked -- although the first few stops include Virginia Beach, Danville, Rocky Mount and Leesburg.

The Democrats did not discuss what policy proposals they planned to roll out, but they left no doubt as to their tone. They will attempt to brand Republicans - perhaps House Republicans in particular - as obstructionist naysayers who cannot govern from the center.

Scott Leake, a spokesman for Senate Republicans, called the Democrats' press conference a no-news event.

"For five weeks running, Republican senators and delegates have rolled out a positive agenda with thought, detail and precision," he said. "This catch-up effort by (General) Assembly Democrats would be laughable if it didn't involve serious business. 'Us good you bad' is hardly a novel message from Virginia Democrats."

For more details, click here.