Del. Tom Gear resigns from House of Delegates....

There are rumors swirling on the Internet right now that Hampton Del. Tom Gear has resigned his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Gear, a longtime Hampton Republican, won his seat in the Virginia General Assembly in 2001 and has been a staunch advocate of lower taxes and lower government spending. Gear has been privately mulling stepping aside from the job over the past year because of his own physical problems and a series of sicknesses within his immediate family.

Gear was in instrumental player in the failed 2002 transportation referendum when the state asked voters in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia to approve higher sales taxes to fund roadwork. The 1-cent increase on the sales tax would have paid for major construction projects, but Gear and a handful of lawmakers openly fought against the plan arguing that it was a bad idea to send more money to Richmond.

Voters rejected the referendum by more than 2 to 1 margin.

In the General Assembly, Gear serves (served?) as vice-chairman of the General Laws committee and also heads up the sub-committee on ABC and Gaming - where state leaders consistently rejected bans on smoking in bars and restaurants. The legislation eventually passed out of the committee and became law in Dec. 1, 2009.

Some lawmakers have also heard the rumor that Gear has resigned   but they couldn't confirm it.

UPDATE: Tom Gear resigns effective Dec. 31, 2010.

We'll be back later with more.

 

Nye eager to mount re-election bid?

Buried in a post about the prospects of 2012 for the House of Representatives was an interesting tidbit about the political future of outgoing U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye.

Last we check in on Nye he was cleaning out his office and preparing to turnover the keys to Republican Scott Rigell, who outworked and out muscled Nye in Virginia's 2nd District, which includes parts of Hampton and Norfolk and all of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore.

The piece takes a look at the freshman Republicans that serve in districts that Barack Obama won when he was last on the ticket in 2008. Now comes this look at Nye, which comes from a distinctly blue side of the spectrum.

"Ultra-conservative freshman Blue Dog Glenn Nye, for example, lost his Virginia seat to wealthy far right Republican Scott Rigell. Nye very much wants to run again, and he made many friends among lobbyists and industry groups that like having anti-consumer Democrats like Nye in Congress. If he can raise the money he needs to mount a comeback challenge, he's likely to try again in the hope that having Obama at the top of the ticket will turn out enough Democrats in 2012 to help his chances. This year Democrats just saw no reason to bother showing up in his district, since he tended to vote with Republicans on almost every contested issue."

I wonder what Hampton Roads Democrats - the rank and file folks walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors - would think about this take on Nye. But the post seems fairly confident that Nye wants another chance at the district.

Rigell's folks would have to love the idea of seeing Nye on the trail again in two years - especially after the largely mediocre way that Nye's folks tackled the campaign trail. That said Nye would have higher name recognition than just about any other Democrat currently in the district - redistricting caveat here because there's no telling where those lines might end up after this year.

But the question would really be who would be Nye's champions in the district? Would if be the same folks who said he was working hard for the district this year on the trail? Would there even be a way to tap into the pools of Democratic voters who basically ignored his entire campaign two years after putting him in office?

McDonnell prepares to defend Virginia's AAA bond rating....

Gov. Bob McDonnell and state leaders are heading for New York City in early January to meet with fiscal experts at the three bond rating agencies to talk about the state's sterling AAA bond rating.

McDonnell was quick to tell Chelyen Davis over at the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star that there are no indications that the AAA bond rating is in jeopardy, but he said he wants to sit down with the financial heavyweights to make sure they approve of what he's doing specifically with the Virginia Retirement System.

The basic breakdown of the bond rating is that having a pristine AAA rating means that the state's finances are managed well, the state's debt capacity isn't too high and the outlook for the future appears steady. The rating is important because it saves the state millions on loans and financing charges that other - less fiscally restrained states would have to pay to get access to money.

Further, there is an important symolism attached to the rating, because having a AAA rating sends a message to business leaders looking for places to start a company or move to a new state with a good workforce.

Fears over the AAA bond rating were last raised in 2004 when Gov. Mark. R. Warner successfully piloted a plan of increased taxes through the General Assembly.

This is a big deal for McDonnell, because his transportation plan includes floating about $3 billion worth of bonds for road projects and state leaders are considering taking another look at the self imposed cap of 5 percent of revenues going toward debt capacity.

If he's looking to polish his conservative resume, making too many decisions that involve debt spending is a treacherous thing, especially with tea party folks railing against Democrats in Washington for making the same moves.

 Here's a snippet from the Freelance Star:

Houck is concerned about how the agencies will view McDonnell's recent proposal to use bonds--some of which were authorized several years ago--to pay for transportation projects.

"Coming at a time when the governor has recommended extensive bonding for transportation programs, I have to assume there's some connection to that" and the meetings, Houck said. "It's weighing heavily on my mind. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to hear directly from the rating agencies about our standing, our debt capacity, his new proposal, how it may or may not impact their analysis of Virginia's overall financial business."

Houck said he isn't fully conversant with the specifics of McDonnell's transportation plan but is concerned that the bonds involved could trouble the rating agencies. Last month, the Senate Finance Committee heard a presentation on how Virginia has increasingly been relying on debt to pay for things that it used to pay for in cash.

The state's outstanding tax-supported debt grew 54 percent, $3 billion, from 2005 to 2009. The state limits itself to debt service of no more than 5 percent of revenues each year, although the debt capacity advisory committee recently recommending changing that to an average over 10 years.

The important thing to remember here is that this is a long term story, don't expect panic or anything after the meeting on Jan. 4 with the ratings folks. But you can expect it to be a consistent undercurrent for spending decisions in the near future and any kind of bonds are going to get close looks because of an ingrained fear about the AAA rating. So watch for critiques and grumbling at this point.

 

Tea party candidate declares against Sen. Webb - a challenge for George Allen...

Richmond tea party founder Jamie Radtke has finally officially put her hat in the ring to run against Sen. George Allen for the GOP nomination to run against Sen. Jim Webb in 2012.

Webb, famously, hasn't announced that he's running for re-election yet and Allen hasn't formally announced that he's going to enter the race, but the re-match of the 2006 campaign has been brewing for at least a couple of years.

Now Radtke is entering the fray early filing paperwork likely in hopes of raising her name recognition over the next 14 months to gear up for the GOP primary. Radtke has made waves organizing the tea party convention in Richmond and helping join together a collection of the groups that have popped up.

For Allen the challenge forces him to pay attention to the conservative side of the spectrum and not just lob firebombs at Webb and the Democrats. It'll also force Allen to do a lot of explaining about his record instead of just taking potshots from the sidelines.

It also has the potential to sharpen Allen's teeth, because 2012 could be a tough race to run. Barack Obama is back on the ballot and Gov. Bob McDonnell will be in the final year of is term. That means eyes are going to turn to Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. It's going to be very interesting to see how those three men treat this race - and how active or inactive they are in supporting Allen.  

Anita Kumar at the Washington Post has an nice look at what conservatives are unhappy with when they look back through Allen's stint as governor and as Senator. And also how Allen views those critiques.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Allen said his conservatism has not changed since Ronald Reagan first inspired him to get into politics in 1976. Three decades ago, the man who would eventually hold Thomas Jefferson's seat in the Virginia General Assembly was known as a "rebel" and an "insurgent."

"Some of the things they are saying - it is laughable when you look at my record," said Allen, 58, a former congressman and governor.

Here's a snippet of detail on the potential for a Radke vs. Allen race for the GOP nomination from the folks over at Fox News.

But Radtke could face a tough race for the Republican nomination.

Former governor and senator, George Allen, has expressed interest in running for the seat he lost to Webb in 2006, and an Allen-Radtke race could be polarizing within Virginia's Republican Party. Allen has many longtime supporters in the Old Dominion but some in the Tea Party point to his stint in the Senate, saying he is partly responsible for uncontrolled spending and the ballooning national debt.

Both issues are at the top of Radtke's agenda, and she says debating them is good for Virginia Republicans.

"In the Senate George Allen voted for over 40,000 earmarks costing over $90 billion," she said. "But those are issues that need to be debated. And I don't think that is harmful. Debates over issues are a sign of strength - not weakness - in our party."

 

Pat Robertson: "Criminalizing marijuana is costing us a fortune and ruining our young people"

Merry Christmas, Virginia politicos - check out Regent University's Pat Robertson taking a look at the War on Drugs and saying that "criminalizing marijuana is costing us a fortune...and ruining out young people."

You have to wonder if Regent alums like Gov. Bob McDonnell and Rep.-elect Scott Rigell are listening. Lord knows that they distance themselves from Robertson when he says some strange things about homosexuals or other political hot buttons. But this is a new twist - let's see if Robertson can make the case to fellow conservative Republicans.

Give it a look yourself.

Warner challenges Congress: Time to "put up or shut up" on debt...

Virginia Sen. Mark R. Warner is getting some attention for stepping onto the Senate floor and challenging federal lawmakers to get serious about tackling ballooning national debt - and he's not mincing words.

"It is time for us in this Senate -- and excuse the language -- to put up or shut up," Warner said. "A lot of folks talk about deficit reduction in both parties time and again."

Warner wasn't alone and the folks at the Washington Post have dubbed his collection of Republicans and Democrats the "Warner - Chambliss caucus" and is rooting for them to be serious about the $14 trillion debt. 

"It's significant that Mr. Warner was not playing lone deficit ranger. Together with Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Mr. Warner assembled an impressive posse of 18 senators - eight Republicans and 10 Democrats - to go to the floor to underscore what President Obama might call the fierce urgency of deficit reduction and tax reform."

And a little more:

"Yes, tax reform would be a heavy lift, especially in a Republican-controlled House whose members have shown no willingness to consider raising tax revenue even in the context of spending cuts. Democrats who are equally rigid on entitlement reform add to the challenge. But if the president is tempted to push tax reform beyond the 2012 election or to seek only baby steps, such as an overhaul of the corporate tax code, we hope he thinks again. Delay will only make the eventual solution more painful and more costly. "We've got to address this and we've got to address it next year," Mr. Chambliss said."

It is no easy goal, that's for sure. But after the howling of the tea party movement, you'd think that Democrats and Republicans would see the benefits, political and financial, of making a serious attempt to reduce the federal debt. Warner's already laid out how the government can save money in duplictive programs. Heck maybe he'll push to do away with making the penny. It'll be very interesting and telling to see how far Warner's effort goes when Republicans take over the House.

Here's the text of Warner and Chambliss' speeches - from Warner's office.

Mr. Chambliss: Mr. President, I rise today to talk on a matter with my colleague, Senator Warner. We have a number of folks that are going to speak quickly today on an issue of major importance to America. Our fiscal house is in disarray. Our budget process is broken and future generations will end up paying the price if we continue to ignore the difficult decisions required to fix things that this grave threat to this country's fiscal stability. Recently the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has worked in a bipartisan manner to produce recommendations on how to best address our current levels of debt. While these recommendations may not reflect the beliefs of all members of this body, I commend the commission's members for having the courage and the open minds to tackle the problems. At the very least their recommendations can serve as a starting point for serious debate on how we can ensure a better life for our children and our grandchildren. Today spending has reached almost 24% of America’s gross domestic product while our revenues were at their lowest levels last year in 60 years. Not too long ago the debt ceiling was increased by the largest amount in history: $1.9 trillion. Nearly twice as large as the previous record of $984 billion. Our current statutory limit on the public debt is now set at $14.24 trillion and is expected to require an increase again sometime this spring. Now, Mr. President, with that backdrop, Senator Warner and I began talking this summer about this grave issue that's facing America and about the fact that if 2003 don't address it now then it's going to be too late and it was incumbent upon us to try to educate ourselves as well as educate other members of this body about the seriousness of this issue and what is the way forward. So we began talking among ourselves. We expanded group, expanded and expanded and we now have a significant number of Senators who are prepared to come forth and say we've got to address this and we've got to address it next year. Some of the members of that group are going to be here today to give their thoughts on it. We're going to be joined by several Republicans and Democrats to pledge our commitment to addressing this issue and addressing it in the right way. I want to thank my friend, Senator Warner, for his leadership, for his commitment to do this. It's been a pleasure to work him. As we move forward next year, this group is going to provide the momentum to carry the ball to make sure that we address the issue of reductions in spending as well as major tax reform to get the fiscal house of the United States back in order. With that, Mr. President, I would yield to Senator Warner.

The presiding officer: the Senator from Virginia.

Mr. Warner: Mr. President, let me echo my comments of my good friend, the Senator from Georgia, Senator Chambliss. It is time for us in this Senate -- and excuse the language -- to put up or shut up. A lot of folks talk about deficit reduction in both parties time and again. But over the next year there is a growing group of us, and I think folks will see this group in the next 45 minutes hopefully briefly, each one of us, start to raise the issue that next year peeve to take on deficit reduction -- we have to take on deficit reduction and tax reform. The country is approaching $14 trillion in national debt. It's been estimated that every day that we delay we add close to $5 billion to that national debt. So whether your issue is the solvency of social security, whether your issue is tax rates, whether your issue is making sure that we pass on a balance sheet to our kids and our grandkids that allow America to continue to be the economic superpower that it has been, unless we take on this issue, we won't be able to accomplish those goals. And while I believe as imperfect as this compromise between the president and others in terms of short-term stimulus, that we will vote on later tonight, we also have to demonstrate that this body can actually walk and chew gum. We can do short-term stimulus now but next year engage in meaningful tax reform and deficit reduction. If we tonight we will be adding $900 billion over the next two years to our national deficit. Today you're going to hear very briefly from a number of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I think in a new respectful way -- we may not agree on the ultimate solutions, but we are going to agree to listen to each other respectfully and recognize at the end of the day meaningful tax reform and the need for deficit reduction has to be a goal of this Senate, of this Congress in the next year. I yield the floor to my good friend, the Senator from Mississippi…

 

McDonnell's spokesman throws cold water on Marshall's ban on gays in Va. National Guard

Gov. Bob McDonnell's office is chucking some cold water on Del. Bob Marshall's attempt to ban gays from the Virginia National Guard in response to Congress repealing "don't ask, don't tell."

McDonnell's spokesman Tucker Martin offered this statement on Marshall's proposal.

“As a matter of policy, the Governor, based on operational concerns raised by many military leaders, personally disagrees with this action taken by Congress. However, that decision has now been made. The Governor is a retired United States Army officer, and he knows it is critically important that there be one set of rules for all our men and women in the military, since uniformity of major policy across all branches is essential to effective operations. We are not aware of a single instance in recent history where the Virginia National Guard has not complied with the policies and procedures of the Department of Defense. Furthermore, approximately 90% of the Virginia Guard’s funding is federal and any departure from federal policies may put this funding at risk. The federal legislation contemplates a further certification process by the Department of Defense, and other details and steps that are not known at this time. In his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Virginia National Guard, Governor McDonnell expects the Guard to adhere to the final guidelines implemented by the Department of Defense. The Governor is very disappointed that this lame-duck Congress continues to fail to pass a budget, reduce unemployment, or work on other important national priorities, but instead is focused on legislation to change military policy in the middle of a war and provide benefits to illegal aliens.”

Sen. McEachin slams proposed ban on gays in Va. National Guard, asks Marshall not to submit bill

Richmond Sen. Don McEachin is asking Del. Bob Marshall not to introduce legislation attempting to ban gays from serving in the Virginia National Guard.

“I understand that Delegate Marshall is planning to introduce legislation prohibiting LGBT Virginians from serving in our National Guard. First of all, let me remind the Delegate that, when President Obama signs the federal legislation, that is the law of the land. The National Guard is a subset of our United States military and, as such, we cannot discriminate or prohibit membership based on sexual orientation.

“But, more importantly, the very idea that we would introduce discrimination into our Virginia Code is absolutely abhorrent to me. Virginians who want to serve, who are willing to make the sacrifice to serve in our National Guard, who work on a daily basis to help Virginians in need and who can be called up in the event of national need, should be applauded, honored and appreciated.

“When a family needs to be rescued from a flooded home, when a hurricane leaves destroyed streets and neighborhoods, when a nor’easter makes roads impassable, when our state is threatened by any outside enemy, the National Guard is there. These brave men and women ensure our safety and security without regard to the color of our skin, our religion, our age or our sexual orientation. We owe them, at a minimum, the same respect. We honor them for their service and for jobs always well done. We need not and must not worry about their race, religion or sexual orientation. It has nothing to do with the incredible tasks they perform and the sacrifices they make.

“I would hope that Delegate Marshall would reconsider this bill which can only remind all of us of the sordid history of discrimination that Virginians have worked together so hard to overcome. I am confident that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will see the abhorrence and mean-spiritedness of this legislation and that it will be soundly defeated.

“I ask the governor to join with fair-minded people of any and all political parties to ensure the defeat of this bill and to further ensure that Virginia becomes a place where all people receive equal opportunity, fairness and justice. “

 

Equality Virginia responds to Marshall's move to ban gays from Va. National Guard....

The Virginia gay rights advocates at Equality Virginia don't think much of Del. Bob Marshall's efforts to ban homosexuals from the Virginia National Guard.

Here's the statement from Claire Gastanaga, the legislative counsel for the organization that was just recently celebrating the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" on men and women in the military.

"The National Guard is a federal military unit which is subject to the same rules as other federal military units. Any state statute seeking to set different standards for the Virginia National Guard would be a nullity with no effect.

It is a shame that Delegate Marshall would dishonor the brave men and women serving in our National Guard by seeking to make political points at their expense and waste the time of his colleagues in the Virginia General Assembly who have pressing matters to attend to like balancing the budget and finding solutions to the traffic problems that are the real and present concern of his constituents.

As Delegate Marshall points out, military discipline is a question of behavior not status, and rules and sanctions for conduct on the battlefield that jeopardizes the safety of other service men or women or involves lying or other acts that impugn duty, honor or country are well established and enfoceable equitably without regard to sexual orientation."

Del. Marshall pushes to ban gays from Virginia National Guard....

Del. Bob Marshall wasn't happy to see Congressional leaders do away with the military "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays.

So he wants to protect Virginia National Guard units from having to deal with "active homosexuals" with legislation he intends to introduce during the General Assembly session in January. Marshall remains the conservative firebrand known for passionate speeches and staunch opposition to gay and abortion rights.

Here's Marshall's case, where he even dives back to the Founding Fathers pointing to a story (it's unclear what history book this tidbit was in ) about how George Washington expelled someone from the Continental Army for homosexuality.

Here's Marshall's case - click below the jump for the entire release:

Del. Bob Marshall (R., 13th) is drafting legislation for a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy barring active homosexuals from the Virginia National Guard.

The bill would apply 232 years of American military policy and history to the state’s National Guard by barring open homosexuality in its units, Marshall said.

Marshall’s action comes as the U.S Senate, in an unusual Saturday “lame duck” session, voted to repeal the federal “don’t ask, don’t tell” law that for the last 17 years has barred homosexuals from serving openly in the nation’s armed forces. The House of Representatives approved the legislation last week. Now it goes to President Obama for his signature.

“With the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ President Obama seeks to pay back his homosexual political supporters,” Marshall said.

“This policy will weaken military recruitment and retention, and will increase pressure for a military draft.

“After 232 years of prohibiting active, open homosexuals from enlisting in our military, President Obama and a majority in Congress are conducting a social experiment with our troops and our national security while Americans in uniform are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and, indeed, might be called into battle in Korea.

“In countries where religions and cultures find homosexual acts immoral, the Obama Administration’s repeal policy will work to the detriment of all American troops in securing local cooperation with our nation’s foreign policy goals.”