« POLITICAL WIRE’S HEADLINES - 5/16
POLITICAL WIRE’S HEADLINES - 5/17 »

DEMO MEMO 5/9 - 5/16

Democratic Party of Virginia

 

May 9, 2008 - May 16, 2008
www.vademocrats.org

Register for the 2008 Democratic State Convention

Renew your membership online

——————– 

INTRODUCTION

State Convention update: We’re excited to announce that our Unity Celebration on June 14th will feature Governor Tim Kaine as a special guest.  Tickets are just $50!  Click here to get yours now or get a Unity Pass to participate in all of the fun.  For more information on this and other events planned for our 2008 State Convention, please visit our state convention website:www.vademocrats.org/2008stateconvention.

Over the next few months, the DPVA will be proud to welcome many new staffers to the Victory 2008 coordinated campaign in every part of the state. One thing we would like to help them with is a place to stay. If you have an empty room, a vacant bed, or even a spare couch, it could make all the difference in the world to organizers. To sign up, just visit our site or contact Abby Ronk at abby.ronk@vavictory08.orgor (703) 636-7262.

Finally, I’m happy to announce that Congressman Bobby Scott’s annual birthday party and campaign kick-off will be happening at the end of the month. You can RSVP on our web site. We hope to see you there!

Best,

Levar Stoney
Executive Director

——————– 

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“This plan will improve safety, it will provide relief to the two most congested parts of Virginia and it will provide a change in choices for commuters.”
- Gov. Tim Kaine, on his transportation plan [Washington Post, 5/13/08]

“We’ve got a cure for the cold, and he’s decided that’s not good enough. He wants to have a cure for cancer.”
- Del. Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax), on transportation and microbiology [Examiner, 5/14/08]

“Today’s House vote places veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars one step closer to realizing the first-class future that they are due. This bill lays down a definitive marker that those who have served us honorably since September 11th deserve the same comprehensive educational opportunities as our veterans of World War II.”
- Sen. Jim Webb, on his 21st Century GI Bill [Raising Kaine, 5/15/08]

“The political atmosphere facing House Republicans this November is the worst since Watergate and is far more toxic than the fall of 2006 when we lost thirty seats (and our majority) and came within a couple of percentage points of losing another fifteen seats.”
- Rep. Tom Davis (R-11th), in a memo to his Republican colleagues [Politico, 5/14/08]

“Can you imagine your reaction if Jeff sent a letter to your wife Cessie telling her — in light of the House Republican Caucus losing 11 seats to the Democrats since you’ve become Speaker — that you should not be Speaker any more? That the House GOP has gone from a very healthy governing majority to now a slim 3 seat majority under your leadership and therefore you’re not best qualified to be Speaker?”
- Amy Frederick, wife of Del. Jeff Frederick (R-Prince William), in a letter to House Speaker Bill Howell. We’re sure Jeff will enjoy his new committee assignments. [WashingtonPost.com, 5/12/08]  

——————– 

HEADLINES

Gov. Tim Kaine

Sen. Jim Webb

General Assembly             

Election 2008

——————– 

EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

“In April 2006, [Gov. Tim Kaine] announced he wanted the state to conserve 400,000 acres before he left office in 2010. The past few weeks offered good news on the conservation front, and progress toward Kaine’s lofty goal.” [Andy Thompson, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/11/08]

 ”Mr. Warner left office on a high note with voters. He proved innovative in his approach to priming the pump of economic development.”[Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 5/12/08]

“Expediency, timing and principle can be powerful forces, but they may wilt against the institutional advantages of House Speaker Bill Howell and his anti-tax cabal.” [Jeff Schapiro, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 5/11/08]

“The governor has proposed a substantive, sensible and sustainable package of taxes and fees that would inject around $1 billion of new funding annually into the state’s transportation budget — a minimal infusion, given the massive needs. His program, which he plans to present next month to a special session of the General Assembly, is already under attack from a state GOP whose unrelenting hostility to investing in basic infrastructure is matched only by its contempt for Northern Virginia’s most critical needs… Virginia Republicans, who have been losing electoral ground at an accelerating rate, will suffer further losses if they continue to obstruct serious plans to deal with transportation.” [Washington Post, 5/13/08]

“House Republican leaders are intent on blocking anything other than a feeble patch to the regional plans declared unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court. Their insistence that taxes be imposed by city and county governments is a rhetorical edifice that will ensure Hampton Roads won’t raise the money it needs.” [Virginian-Pilot, 5/14/08]

“Whether it’s a school, an aircraft carrier or a road, the money to build and maintain them will not spring up out of the ground. The question is whether additional taxes are justified. Kaine says yes. [Del. Kirk] Cox, along with his colleagues who have resisted direct action on transportation, say no. The no-tax, no-way position has lately prevailed. Lawmakers concocted ‘abuser fees’ and multiple variations on borrowing. They reallocated, reassigned and rearranged money. They even pitched state taxing authority over to local government, until the state Supreme Court slapped their hands. Meanwhile, the state has continued to grow, adding cars, homes, businesses. The roads show neglect. They’re increasingly congested and dangerous. Stretches of interstate are held together with asphalt bandages. A couple of accidents can stop traffic across the region.” [Daily Press, 5/14/08]

“If House Republicans refuse to go along, so be it… But if their stubbornness torpedoes any hope of a transportation solution — again — then Virginia voters should make sure they pay the political price in November 2009. And hope there is a state transportation system worth salvaging by then.” [Roanoke Times, 5/14/08]

“Flawed though it is, at least Kaine has brought forth a plan. The Republicans in the General Assembly have an obligation to shed their obstinacy and offer a comprehensive alternative.” [Northern Virginia Daily, 5/14/08]

“Virginia Republicans wasted no time declaring Gov. Tim Kaine’s latest road-funding plan dead on arrival. But they have offered no cogent plan of their own. Perhaps they propose to use pixie dust to pay to build and maintain the state’s bridges and roads.” [Bristol Herald Courier, 5/14/08]

“Partisanship has gotten in the way of any road plan that looked like it had the green light. The Republicans stopped the process cold every chance they could.” [Virginia News Leader, 5/15/08]

——————– 

DPVA PRESS RELEASES

Virginia Republicans: Party of “NO”: No Vision, No Plan and No Commitment to Solving Virginia’s Transportation Problems (5/13/0 8)

——————– 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Congressional District Conventions

10th Congressional District Democratic Debate
Waddell Theater, NVCC (Loudoun Campus)
Sterling, VA
May 22, 2008 

Rep. Bobby Scott’s Campaign Kick-Off and Birthday Party
Sandy Bottom Nature Park
Hampton, VA
May 30, 2008 

Primary Elections
June 10, 2008 

Democratic State Convention
Hampton Roads Convention Center
Hampton, VA
June 14, 2008 

General Election
November 4, 2008

Explore posts in the same categories: Politics, Virginia

This entry was posted on May 16, 2008 at 10:50 pm and is filed under Politics, Virginia. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.

Comment: