Virginia Left Wing

Health Care Reform Hits the Airwaves

2009-08-13T19:52:00.002-05:00

The AARP has released a new ad on television news networks supporting health care reform now. Very good ad in support of the plan President Obama is working to get his Congress to push through.

YouTube Video (AARP Ambulance Ad):
http://bit.ly/keRVZ

President Obama Coming To Southwest Virginia

2009-07-24T14:33:00.003-05:00

President Obama will come to Southwest Virginia next Wednesday, July 29th, as part of his push for health care reform.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs noted to reporters this morning in an off-camera briefing, "I don’t know if there’s any TV plans," Gibbs said. "We travel again on Wednesday. We’ll go through this in the (discussion of the) week ahead this afternoon but we have stops in Raleigh, North Carolina, and southwestern Virginia . . . It’s health care."

No further details have been released as of yet.

Stay tuned for more!

UPDATE 7/25 1:50AM : President Obama is scheduled to visit Bristol, VA for a townhall meeting on Wednesday, part of his push for health care reform.

New Email from Deeds Camp Notes McD's Weaknesses

2009-06-23T13:04:00.003-05:00

Justin --

I wanted you to be the first to know: I just learned that Bob McDonnell will begin running ads across Virginia starting in the next 48 hours.

McDonnell and the RNC are worried. Instead of a lead, he finds himself behind in the polls, and struggling in all areas of the state.

His back is against the wall and now he's got to remake his record to try and convince voters he's a moderate. But his record shows otherwise, and we need to set the record straight to Virginia voters.

That's why we've set a goal of raising $100,000 online by the June 30 fundraising deadline. I know it’s an ambitious goal, but we need to make sure we expose Bob McDonnell for who he really is.

Contribute today to help Creigh raise $100,000 by June 30 to set the record straight on Bob McDonnell.

Who is Bob McDonnell? Well, we know he's charismatic. We know he's a capable fundraiser and candidate. But most importantly, we know that Bob McDonnell is wrong on almost every issue that’s important to working-class Virginians.

Bob McDonnell opposes a forward-thinking energy policy. He opposes an additional $125 million of unemployment benefits for laid off Virginia workers. He opposes stem cell research to find cures that will help Virginia families. And he opposes a woman's right to choose – even in cases of rape and incest.

Bob McDonnell has an extreme social and economic agenda. You and I know that. But Creigh needs your help to make sure voters all across the Commonwealth know, too.

I guarantee you that these new ads will not expose any of these facts.

Donate to our campaign today to make sure we have the resources we need to take on Bob McDonnell.

These ads, and McDonnell's whole campaign, will be well-funded by out-of-state interests and the national Republican party. These are the same people who led the fight for the agendas of Gilmore, Bush and McCain.

Our primary was crucial. Creigh emerged out of the primary a stronger candidate, and we built a powerful grassroots campaign to support him.

But we had to spend every penny we had to win, while Bob McDonnell stockpiled more than $4.9 million in his campaign coffers.

That financial advantage is allowing him to go up on the air this week. We must respond.

Help us show Virginians the real Bob McDonnell. Contribute to our $100,000 end of quarter goal today!

Thank you for all your help. Together, we can ensure Virginians make an informed decision in November.

Thanks,

Joe Abbey
Campaign Manager
Deeds for Virginia

Insiders in McAuliffe Camp Hinted At "Major Endorsement" Same Day as WashPost Endorsed Deeds

2009-06-11T02:03:00.005-05:00

After a crazy primary season, we finally ended up with a winner Tuesday night, with Deeds crushing Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran, even in their own hometowns and precincts. The Washington Post endorsement of Deeds on May 22nd catapulted him above McAuliffe and Moran in the polls, far above any margin of error.

Insiders on the McAuliffe campaign say that emails and conference calls throughout May hinted at a "major endorsement" coming soon for the campaign. And they spoke very highly every day about a major endorsement that would put them over the top up until the day of the Washington Post endorsement, May 22nd, with the last round of hinting. After the endorsement was released by the Washington Post as an online story before the print edition went into circulation, all talk was hushed from the top down about any major endorsement.

The McAuliffe campaign was counting on the Washington Post endorsement since, as we all watched, it would probably put someone above the rest in the polls. Internal polling throughout May leading up to the WashPo endorsement in the McAuliffe camp showed his numbers dropping while Deeds and Moran both rose, Deeds with a slightly higher clip. This was also proven in public polls before the endorsement.

Raising A Governor's Debate

2009-03-17T13:29:00.002-05:00

It's hard enough sitting down months in advance planning a debate for the Democratic candidates for governor of Virginia. It's even harder when, one month before said debate is supposed to be happening, you start to find out about numerous other debates around the same time.

We are looking for a few good.....gubernatorial candidates. As we find out about other gubernatorial debates in April, we would like to push for our own.

The Southwest Virginia Young Democrats, swvayd.com, are planning a gubernatorial debate for Saturday, April 25th at 7pm in the John S. Battle High School Auditorium in Bristol, VA. We've asked all the campaigns to attend our debate, and we're still waiting on all the okays. Let's make it a bit more enticing, shall we?

Statewide television media have been invited and some have already agreed that they will be present, and C-SPAN has been invited to cover the event live. Two other stations that cover Southwest VA have also agreed to tape the debate and show it numerous times on local channels in its entirety. The questions have been submitted by citizens, or homefolk, of Southwest VA, so you(the candidates) know you're able to respond directly to the public's questions. On-site attendance for the debate, which will be publicized immensely, is expected to top 700. This number does not include the 300, 000+ people in the Tri-Cities television market, which includes Southwest Virginia.

The SWVA Young Democrats have been working for months to ensure a successful Democratic gubernatorial debate, and we would greatly appreciate if all three candidates running for the Democratic nomination would agree to participate in our debate. This debate will also be used to generate more interest in the Young Democrats, as our charter covers the entire 9th Congressional District.

I'm Back!

2009-02-09T13:43:00.003-05:00

Finally, after months of contracts and NDA's, I'm able to write in my blog again. Let's start it right off:

President Obama is doing something that President Bush never did except on the campaign trail: conducting town hall meetings to hear regular Americans' thoughts on the economy and the problems facing American families. So in this way, the president can do his work in Washington, but also make sure that the work he's doing is favored by the American public. If it's not, he wants to hear from the people to see what he would need to improve upon.

Obama looks as fired up as he did on the campaign trail, and in many ways, it's like he never left it to begin with. Let's hope it works as Congress tries to pass the stimulus bill.

Town Hall Meeting with Governor Tim Kaine

2008-09-19T13:22:00.002-05:00

A Town Hall Meeting with Governor Tim Kaine will be held at Virginia Highlands Community College tomorrow, Saturday the 20th, in the Theatre, which is in the LRC Building, Room 605. Doors will open at 9:30am; the event will start at 10am. No tickets are required. From there we will go to Representative Rick Boucher's campaign office, where Governor Kaine will launch our canvassing event, where we'll go door-to-door to see how people are voting. This is a first-come, first-served event, so be sure to get in early to get a seat.

To RSVP:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5zjr

Economic Town Hall Meeting At The SWVA Higher Education Center

2008-08-01T14:27:00.001-05:00

Top economic advisors with Obama For America, the Campaign For Change, will hold a town hall meeting at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, VA on Monday, August 4th, showcasing how Senator Obama’s economic plan will bring jobs into Southwest Virginia.

Details of the event:

Town Hall Meeting
August 4, 2008
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
2nd Floor West
Suite 240
12pm - 1pm

For more information:

Jon Ginter, Field Organizer, Obama For America
(276) 494-4144

Barack Obama Bristol Campaign Office Open House

2008-07-18T08:08:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 19th, the Barack Obama campaign will open the Bristol, VA office to the general public with an open house. The office is also doubling as an regional headquarters for the Mark Warner campaign. The open house will run from 10am to 4pm, so feel free to drop by at any point. There will also be a breakfast at Shoney's on Exit 5 with the Bristol, VA Democratic Committee at 9am if you would like to attend that as well.

Info:

Barack Obama Campaign Office Open House
1009 W. State St.
Bristol, VA 24201
10am-4pm

Breakfast @ Shoney's
2066 Lee Hwy.
Bristol, VA 24201
9am-1-am

For those of you not in Bristol, there will also be an office opening up in Castlewood, VA on Saturday. From 10am-2pm at the UMWA Building, right near Pizza Hut.

VOTER REGISTRATION:

If you would like to help with voter registration on Saturday, please come by the Kroger's or the K-Mart in Abingdon at any point during the day. We will have tables set up at each location, registering voters and recruiting volunteers. We definitely need help with this part of the campaign. Voter Registration is key to winning over votes.

Obama For America Organizational Meeting And Training In Bristol

2008-06-20T12:32:00.006-05:00

Being newly appointed Southwest Virginia Grassroots Field Organizer for Obama For America :), the news sometimes has to come through me if not by any other channels.

Tomorrow will be the Obama For America Organizational Meeting for Bristol, VA and surrounding towns and locations. Basically, we're going to discuss and train for volunteer opportunities in the Obama campaign in and around Bristol - setting up voter registration drives, GOTV events, organizing rallies and house parties, and much more.

Anyone that wants to volunteer for the Obama campaign should be at the Bristol Public Library at 11:00AM. Other slots are open for you to come at 3:00PM, and also Sunday at 2PM, but we'd like to populate the first as much as possible.

Breakdown:

Obama For America Organizational Meeting & Training
Bristol Public Library
701 Goode St.
Bristol, VA 24201

Saturday, June 21st
11:00AM & 3:00PM

Sunday, June 22nd
2:00 PM

We're expecting a turnout of over 300 volunteers, so it looks to be a fruitful meeting.

Hope to see you there!

Blogging The Town Hall Meeting With Barack Obama: Pictures

2008-06-06T21:33:00.002-05:00

An exciting event for a first-time press member, the Town Hall Meeting with Barack Obama was a spectacle even without the candidate. All the pictures are clickable, link to Photobucket, where you can view a larger version of each picture, email them, and more.

Let's start:

The press check-in line:

Me, my press pass, and my voice recorder ready to conquer the day(I was sweating profusely, that's why my hair's all messed up):

Interviewing Rick Boucher beforehand:

The crowd:

Rep. Rick Boucher talking at the podium:

Mark Warner speaking while Obama and Boucher look on:

The traveling Bus Press, all 18 that were sitting up here, were on their laptops:

Barack Obama speaking at the podium:

Barack Obama shaking hands afterwards:

Barack Obama Coming To Bristol, VA!

2008-06-04T03:48:00.001-05:00

I would've posted this HOURS ago, but sadly, I was called into work on my day off, and was not able to post about this.

Barack Obama will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting at Virginia High School on Thursday, June 5th at 11:45am. Now, while I have applied for my press credentials, if I am turned down, I already have my ticket for the event, which is required, and I signed up to volunteer at the event. But I'm definitely hoping I can get my press credentials so I can get pictures and video for Virginia Left Wing and Raising Kaine.

So once again, the event will be Thursday, June 5th at 11:45am at Virginia High School in Bristol, VA.

Hope to see you there!

Barack Obama Slams John McCain For Voting Against GI Bill

2008-05-23T03:09:00.004-05:00

Just like they say in this video clip, John McCain totally blows off Barack Obama's inquiry into why he voted alongside President Bush's view on the GI Bill, introduced by Virginia senator Jim Webb in January 2007 and cosponsored by 57 senators, including Virginia Republican senator John Warner.

The bill provides for educational assistance for veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, and any other person serving in the Armed Forces after 9/11/01.

Thank God for John Edwards!

2008-05-14T21:29:00.005-05:00

John Edwards, my original choice for president, has officially endorsed Barack Obama's candidacy. So finally, we have Edwards, Richardson, and Dodd as the former presidential candidates that have endorsed Obama. Edwards and Obama were both noted as the "Change" candidates during the primaries, which made them both stand out. As soon as it was announced that the endorsement would be made, the news networks started the hype again about a possible VP spot for Edwards. I, for one, would love John Edwards as the VP, but I'd be more interested to see Jim Webb in that spot, but that's a story for another post.

What's interesting to note is that John Edwards garnered 7% of the vote in the West Virginia primary yesterday, which means that there's still quite a few citizens that Barack Obama needs to appeal to in order to secure a majority in November.

The SD's Flock To Obama

2008-05-10T22:19:00.005-05:00

As Hillary Clinton continues her campaign with her strategy of "It's all about the general election", Barack Obama worries none about the apparent coming victories in Kentucky and West Virginia, saying that she will "most likely" carry those states. And he has no reason to worry, picking up more and more superdelegates, including one previous Clinton backer.

It remains to be seen if the Obama camp will slowly roll these SD's out, or they'll start speeding up the pickups.

Hillary Fords The River

2008-05-07T23:25:00.000-05:00

I'm wondering when Hillary Clinton will drop out. After a long night Tuesday waiting in frustration for Lake County's results to come in, the state suddenly became closer than what anyone had thought. It didn't help that Mayor Rudy Clay from Gary, Indiana apparently didn't understand anything about the election process. More so, it didn't help when I woke up this morning and listened to commentary saying Clinton is still pressing on. We've had enough. I'm sure West Virginia and the rest of the states still want to vote for their candidate, but this primary cycle is becoming too tiring.

Listening to her speech today in Indianapolis, she still thinks it's all about the general election against John McCain. I think she needs to focus on her primary election, considering Barack Obama just picked up 4 more all-imporatant superdelegates, including Virginia House of Delegates member Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who switched her support from Clinton.

This Is What I Believe

2008-05-05T23:03:00.002-05:00

My name is Justin, and this is what I believe. I believe we need to vote our values and beliefs, rather than vote for the issue/candidate that looks like it could win. I believe in Howard Zinn's quote, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." I believe that friends come and go, but the best ones seem to always stay near to your heart, no matter the distance. I believe that worrying is about as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

I also believe that I was gone from blogging for WAY too long. Last post being in January...of last year. So after I was introduced to Lowell Feld, of RaisingKaine fame, by Brian Patton at a Mark Warner For Senate Campaign Kickoff on Sunday, he proceeded to tell me and Neal Osborne, of Neal2028 fame, that there was no reason why we shouldn't be blogging anymore. This guy basically told us what we needed to hear; that we've been gone for too long and we need to get in the game.

So I'm back. Look for a few changes to come around on the blog finally. No WordPress for me...at least at this point in time. I want my viewership back, but most importantly, I want my ideas heard and discussed.

New Blog Address!

2007-01-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

Still the same blog, but cleaner interface. (Thank God!)

So click and go!

Click HERE->>Virginia Left Wing

Blogger Problems

2007-01-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, I haven't posted in a LONG time, mostly due to Blogger Beta, and support has really gone by the wayside.

So if you're wondering, this is Virginia Left Wing, rarely updated, but getting a makeover no one is expecting. So STAY TUNED!

Young Democrats Meeting

2006-07-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

The 1st meeting of the Southwest Virginia Young Democrats will be held on Sunday, July 2, 2006 at Los Arcos in Abingdon at 5:00 P.M.

For more information,

http://swvadems.com/young
--
jf

James Webb Rocks! & Bush's Poll Numbers

2006-06-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

Well, James Webb pulled off a great victory against Harris Miller, winning by 7 percentage points statewide, and winning by 21 votes in the city of Bristol. Here's to you, Jim! Now, on to the bigger fish to fry... George Allen is going to put up a hard fight, but Webb can pull off a victory if he sets his mind to it.

In other news...

Bush has "spiked" in the polls!! Okay, for those of you who do not know how spiked is defined by Fox News and Pat Robertson, his poll numbers increased by 4 percentage points. Give me a break guys. Actually report on something that is worthwhile, like MSNBC does...

Warner looks beyond left and right...to '08

The minimum wage...

Why can't they raise the stupid thing to at least $6.15? I mean, they can provide tax breaks to small businesses to offset the costs. I hope Ted Kennedy succeeds the next time he goes for a wage winner.

Memorial Day and more...

2006-05-31T11:17:00.000-05:00

As Memorial Day came and passed, there were some good things and some not so good things that happened.

Well, beginning the weekend off, I graduated from John S. Battle High School on Saturday, officially becoming free from school-well, high school. I start at Virginia Highlands Community College sometime in August, so wish me luck. Yesterday, the actual observance of Memorial Day, there was a funeral for Robbie Light of Tennessee, killed from an Improvised Explosive Device, or IED. Security was tight for fear of funeral protests. James Webb did not come to Bristol like there was a rumor about. I went to Dollywood to celebrate Memorial Day and graduation. Those lines were sooo long! I never want to stand in lines like that again! Anyway, I got my tax refund check back today. The money for that goes to pay for a car.

Has anyone seen the Bob Corker for Senate commercials? Especially the one about immigration? "Secure our borders, no amnesty,..." Okay, Dubya, whatever you say...

--
jf

James Webb Appearance?

2006-05-14T20:57:00.000-05:00

James Webb is rumored to appear in Bristol on May 29th, 2006, Memorial Day for those of you who are in the dark about national holidays. How fitting that Webb should supposedly decide to show up in majority Republican Bristol on a day that honors American soldiers. Webb, being a Marine rifle platoon and company commander back in the Vietnam War, will fit right in with the other vets. Here's to Webb and the upcoming primaries!

29 days until Primaries!

--
jf

Gas Prices

2006-04-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

The price of a gallon of gas is getting quite ridiculous, and by my figuring, I don't see it stopping any time soon.

Unless we do something about it.

I've heard repeated calls to boycott gas on a certain day of the week, or just boycott a certain oil company.

I've been thinking about this issue for a while now, mentioning it to Neal and the rest of my government class, but I want it to become a national project, one that will make the gas companies and the rest of the nation take notice that there IS something we can do to fight this growing problem.

What I suggest is that we NOT buy gas from ExxonMobil.... at all. The CEO, when he retired, received a $700 million payout from the company. Now what good would it do to keep buying gas from them to keep giving payout after payout.

Petition Gathering

2006-04-08T16:12:00.000-05:00

Well, for a few days, me and Neal were handing out petitions to the city of Bristol and Washington County in hopes of putting James Webb on the ballot for the upcoming primary. Once Neal showed me what he had been doing, I quickly got in the game, and ramsacked Bristol. We got Repubs. to sign. The best thing, however, was how we got them to sign. For anyone doing petitions running into a Repub. that won't sign for a Democratic candidate, here's an idea. Tell the person that if they sign, they are just getting George Allen a competitor for the upcoming election. They will sign in a jiffy. That amused me enough to where we got a few Republicans to sign.

Check out Neal2028 for more...
--
jf

Aside from politics, Google is romancing us...

2006-04-01T12:28:00.000-05:00

Today, Google, Inc., google.com, announced its newest innovation. Google Romance was presented on today's Google site where they introduce new ideas from the company. According to the site, you can build your profile, match up with other users of the service, and then go on a date. Google will pay for the entire date! They send you out with all expenses paid. The way they do this is they have strategically-placed AdSense ads that are subliminally wherever your date is. At your dinner table, the park, etc. If something goes wrong on the date, then Google will talk with you through Google Talk and tell you what went wrong.

Check it out at google.com/romance today!

--
jf

Immigration

2006-03-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I've been sick, had my computer upgraded, and tennis season has started. Blah, blah, blah... Yeah.... anyway...

Immigration.... hmm....

Here goes President Bush trying to dictate the great masses of Hispanic influence there is in this country. I support the Kennedy/McCain proposition, and I'm sticking to that. For those of you who do not know, their idea is to give illegals 7-year temporary work visas, then give them a chance after that to earn permanent citizenship. The United States was put here for freedom. I believe that these immigrants crossing the border are just looking for freedom and a better life than they have in Mexico. "Land of the free, home of the brave." I still hope that rings true.

--
jf

2006-03-07T10:35:00.000-05:00

In government class about an hour and a half ago, we had an interesting question of the day.

"In your opinion, is there any comparison between President Bush and Adolf Hitler?"

Well, one thing I see is when he waves he does the arm thing, like "Heil Hitler" and then waves his hand." I've always found that funny. One thing that Neal (Neal2028) said is when he's giving a speech and it's a really heated speech, President Bush will sometimes look up at the people and move his jaw left and right, supposedly what Hitler used to do when he spoke to the masses.

Direct link between Hitler and Bush? I doubt it, but there's always a chance.

Questions or comments?

For President??

2006-02-27T10:56:00.000-05:00

I had an interesting question of the day today in Government class. It
asked who we think the frontrunners for the Democrat and Republican
parties will be to run in the 2008 presidential election. Well, me and
Neal (Neal 2028) got into a discussion about it.

I think these are possibilities:

R- Bill Frist, Mitch McConnell, Newt Gingrich

Don't even ask about former NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani. I don't think he
will be a frontrunner in the primaries.

D- Mark Warner, Hillary Clinton

I will be old enough to vote in 2008, and if I'm going on current
politics, I would definitely choose Mark Warner over Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton can "Monica Lewinksy" herself. If you don't know what
that means, ask Neal2028.

Mark Warner for Prez!
jf

--
Justin Fleenor
jf

Virginia Budget

2006-02-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

As the deadline of March 11 comes upon the General Assembly, legislators are hard at work crafting amendments to the state budget.

Delegate Bud Phillips is working to introduce an amendment that will add $100,000 to the budget for the Ralph Stanley Museum in Clintwood, VA. Also proposed by both him and Terry Kilgore is an amendment that will ask for $1 million over a period of 2 years for developing a software engineering program at the University of Virginia @ Wise.

I personally hope that both of the these amendments pass through the General Assembly. Ralph Stanley has been for many years an influence on the soul of country music.

As for the software engineering program at UVA @ Wise, I think it is a very good investment. I am very computer-savvy, and I believe Southwest Virginia would be better suited for larger investments such as computer and programming initiatives.

--
jf

Smoking? Not here you're not!

2006-02-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

As the Virginia Senate voted today 20-18 passing the ban on indoor smoking, I can't help but praise the senators that did support this ban. Even though that may sound a little conservative, I do not think that so many psople should have the extreme right of smoking where some are allergic or asthmatic to the fact. I myself am allergic to cigarette smoke, that is why I praise this bill. Like Matt Smyth over at Not Larry Sabato mentions here, there are 3 senators that changed their minds.

Awesome!

James Webb for Senate

2006-02-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, once again, it's been quite a while since I last wrote. I was quite sick last week with a fever of 103, a bad case of pharyngitis, and a bad case of bronchitis. But I am well over that now as I am back at school, and going to write once more.

Unfortunately, I was not able to write when James Webb announced that he was running for the Senate seat against incumbent George Allen. But taking into effect the stances that he wants to take, so far I believe he is a very good candidate for the postition. Here are a few stances listed on his website James Webb for Senate.

Refocusing America's foreign and defense policies in a way that truly protects our national interests and seeks harmony where they are not threatened.
Repairing the country's basic infrastructure, which has eroded badly over the past decade, and developing more creative ways to assist disaster-stricken areas such as those in New Orleans and along the Gulf coast.
Reinstituting notions of true fairness in American society, including issues of race, class, and economic advantage; and
Restoring the Constitutional role of the Congress as an equal partner, reining in the unbridled power of the Presidency.

Blogger Problems

2006-02-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

I am having problems updating my blog through email. If anyone else is having this problem, please let Blogger web support know about it.

This has been probably one of the main reasons why you readers haven't seen a new post in a while.

jf

State of the Union

2006-01-31T23:33:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been infinitely long since I made a post here one Virginia Left Wing, mainly because of the ever-pressing government homework that arises every day(Neal, don't say a word). But anyway, you asked for it. Here's a new post... finally.

President Bush delivered his annual State of the Union address tonight as the country contemplates its actual place in the world, seeing as how our economy isn't where it should be, more than half of the country thinks Bush is failing, and we are hated by more and more countries every day.

He outlined points on terrorism and stem-cell research, among points on the war.

I think one of the things that I found funny was how the Repubs. would stand up at almost everything, and the Dems stood up, like, once. I found that to be quite funny.

And the point made about human-animal hybrids? What an idiot! That is NOT stem-cell research! That is some made-up stuff that does not even relate to the science.

I myself believe in stem cell research, believing it will find possibly find a cure for cancer, AIDS, and everything else we need to combat when it comes to diseases.

The House "has been run like a plantation..."

2006-01-19T19:38:00.000-05:00

The House "has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about." And with those words, Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton has set off a firestorm among Republican leaders across America. Why? Because they believe that the remarks were racially tinged and lacked responsibility and authority on Senator Clinton's part.

Well, what have the Republicans been doing for the past 5 years of Bush's term? Lacking responsibility and authority! The remarks made by Sen. Clinton ring true in every Democrat's heart. The Republicans have blocked legislation that is not deemed worthy of the talk, and have outlandishly made comments that have tested the Democrat's ability to "stay in the game." Well guess what, Repubs? The Dems have stayed in the game.

I totally back the words of Hilary Clinton from a standpoint of being a true Dem and knowing when there is an overpowering force to be reckoned with. We'll just have to see about that.

Virginia Left Wing CSS Help

2006-01-16T15:21:00.000-05:00

If anyone knows about style sheets, I would really appreciate some help with mine. I'm trying to make a clean 3-column template, but the main center content is pushed to the bottom. If anyone has any experience with CSS, please leave a comment. Thanks!

DNA Test proves Coleman was guilty

2006-01-16T14:38:00.000-05:00

Brian Patton has a post about Roger Coleman, the man executed and just recently proven guilty by DNA testing put forth by Former Governor Mark Warner, here.

Video of the Inauguration

2006-01-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

Brian Patton has a link on a post to WDBJ-7's video clips from the inauguration here.

Kaine sworn in as governor

2006-01-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

Timothy Michael Kaine was sworn into office on Saturday as the 70th governor of Virginia. He held his inauguration in Williamsburg, becoming only the 3rd governor to do so, following Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.

What I found to be quite interesting is that he gave part of his inauguration speech in Spanish. I believe that Governor Kaine is going to push well for better race relations in Virginia. I really wish he would, seeing as how there are quite a few people here in Southwest VA that are racist, not just toward African-Americans, but also toward Hispanics and other minority groups.

Pakistan protest U.S. missile strike....I'm glad they are!

2006-01-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

"Pakistan protests U.S. missile strike - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com: 'ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan said Saturday it had filed a formal protest with the U.S. Embassy over a deadly airstrike on a border village that reportedly targeted al-Qaida's No. 2 and killed at least 17 people.
'According to preliminary investigations there was foreign presence in the area and that, in all probability, was targeted from across the border in Afghanistan,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 'The investigations are still continuing.'
'Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has lodged a protest with the U.S. Ambassador in Islamabad,' the minister said.'

Ok, in my opinion, we have the worst intelligence ever. We can't even bomb the right people. '...there was foreign presence in the area...' ? Does anyone else see a problem with this? Feel free to comment on another lack of responsibility on the United States' part.

jf"

"Slanted Press or Slanted Blogs?" The (Supposed) Media Bias

2006-01-11T03:08:00.000-05:00

I thought that this struck me as quite interesting...

There are more and more bloggers mentioning the idea that there is a strong media bias. Many are conservatives disgusted by what they feel is a left-wing tilt by the media. And the others are the liberals, who are thinking or almost convinced that the press is leaning with the Bush administration and waiting for its every move.

The ball is not in the the conservatives' court, nor the liberals'. It happens to be in both, calculating to a global paranoia that threatens the blogging world as we know it. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but there is a brewing battle.

As for me, I do think somewhat that the press is still leaning toward the right, but only slightly. It has been since 9/11 the understanding by the majority of Americans that the media will pull us out of a crisis, from Bush the first few days after 9/11, to the Iraq war. But Americans can get it together now, because there is no worse idea to think than to think that the President of the United States is controlling the media and we all somehow HAVE to support him. Wrong.

Sources: Howard Kurtz,
Washington Post

And on that note.... good night and God Bless.......

Tom Delay resigns..... and Neal 2028 is having a birthday!

2006-01-07T13:53:00.000-05:00

So, embattled House Majority Leader Tom Delay has dropped his bid to remain in that position, which now clears the way for Republican elections in the House to take place.

Reps. coming forward and putting their name in the hat include:

Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt, the current majority whip
Rep. John Boehner of Ohio

Those two seem to be the frontrunners for the position at this time.

We'll have to wait and see what happens.

----------

In news of the blogging world...

The author of Neal 2028, Neal Osborne, celebrates his 18th birthday today, so make sure to leave a comment wishing him a happy 18th!

All for now.

--
jf

BREAKING NEWS>>> 11th congressional district Congressman Tom Davis accepted $500 contribution from Jack Abramoff

2006-01-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

I received this today..... and the binding story continues

For Immediate Release

January 5, 2005

Contact: James Walkinshaw

703-314-****

*Davis' actions too little too late, says Democrat Andrew Hurst*

Springfield, VA -- Democrat Andrew Hurst, candidate for the 11th
congressional district of Virginia, criticized Congressman Tom Davis
(R-11) for accepting a $500 contribution from embattled lobbyist Jack
Abramoff and waiting five years to return the money. Hurst also demanded
to know why Davis' campaign failed to disclose Abramoff's occupation to
the Federal Election Commission, as required by federal law.

"The people of the 11th district deserve to know the truth about the
relationship between Representative Davis and Jack Abramoff," said
Hurst. "The damage has been done here. Votes and legislative action by
the Republican majority were influenced by all of the funds paid or
solicited by Jack Abramoff, and the money was spent to elect people to
office. Giving contributions to charity years after the fact is
insufficient to alleviate the Republican culture of corruption. After
more than a decade in Washington, Tom Davis is an integral part of that
culture."

Jack Abramoff, a well-known Republican lobbyist and deal-maker, recently
pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and tax charges that could earn him
ten years in prison. High-profile Republicans have begun returning or
donating to charity hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign
contributions given to them by Abramoff. Yesterday, President Bush gave
up $6000 in contributions received from Abramoff, his wife and one of
his clients.

In a quarterly report dated April 15, 2000 Davis claimed to have made
"Best efforts" to determine Mr. Abramoff's employer and occupation(
http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?20035472449 ). However,
Abramoff was a well-known lobbyist by that time with strong ties to the
Bush Administration and to Republicans in Congress.

"It's very difficult to believe that Congressman Davis did not know or
could not determine Abramoff's occupation. He was a lobbyist and
influence peddler with deep ties to the Republican establishment. It
appears that Davis has skirted campaign finance law and misled his
constituents. He should come clean about his relationship with Jack
Abramoff," said James Walkinshaw, Andrew Hurst's campaign manager.

The Hurst for Congress campaign is running a well-financed, grassroots
campaign to defeat Tom Davis in November 2006. The campaign has raised
nearly $50,000 to date, has a growing base of volunteers and is prepared
to knock on 20,000 doors before June 14.

Democratic candidate Andrew Hurst is a partner with the Virginia law
firm Reed Smith LLP who is committed to defeating Tom Davis and
reforming the culture of corruption in Washington. His priorities in
Congress will be to implement real campaign finance reform, improve
ethics in government and make our government more accountable to its
citizens.

www.hurstforcongress.com <http://www.hurstforcongress.com/>

*James R. Walkinshaw*
/Campaign Manager/ *Andrew Hurst for Congress*
*@*.com <mailto:James.Walkinshaw@gmail.com>
mobile: 703 314 ****

Statement for the President

2006-01-05T18:34:00.000-05:00

I have an idea, President Bush. Why don't you run and hide like you did
from the war? Oh, wait! You can't because the NSA will find you! Good
luck with THAT one!

I would LOVE for the White House to be wiretapped! I'm sure quite a bit
of people would not approve of the actions going on in there.

--
Justin Fleenor
jf

My thoughts on Jack Abramoff: Every blogger in the world can quote me on this!

2006-01-05T18:31:00.000-05:00

How many of you readers feel that the Abramoff deal is very important?
Well, I do. That's one.

Why did President Bush take bribes from Abramoff? To make him look better.
Whoop-de-doo! Okay Bushy, let's see how many more illegal things can we
do to mess up your badly bruised reputation! Bush donated his $100,000 he
took from the former lobbyist. Yeah, that's always a great idea! Just
screw up some more. Knowing him, and every blogger in the world can quote
me on this, he would probably donate it to the Saudis or one of the OPEC
nations just to get oil. So much for the starving people in Africa!

---

Calls for impeachment growing louder

As President Bush goes and does whatever he pleases, be it legal or not,
Democrats and Republicans alike are making their voices just a little bit
louder. Here's some sites if you don't believe me:

http://www.impeachpac.org
http://www.impeachbush.org
http://i-clock.blogspot.com/
http://impeachbushcoalition.blogspot.com
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/12/to-my-friends-in-media-here-is-only.html

Yeah, thanks a lot Bushy for the worst presidency I've ever seen go down
the drain. There's 5 years (so far) of my life I'll never get back.

--
Justin Fleenor
jf

Been a While

2005-12-31T21:36:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back on the posting side after some holiday cheer got the best of me and threw me down for the count. My last post was on December 22, about the time I jumped on the bandwagon of shopping and skipping time on the computer.

I was gonna get on the comp on Wednesday night before church, but I happened to get a phone call that a friend of mine and my sister's had died in his sleep. I was really shocked about the whole thing, but it didn't really hit me until today at the funeral.

But enough about my bad fortune...

The House of Representatives did convene at 4 P.M. on Dec. 22, and did pass an extension of the Patriot Act, but instead of the requested 6 months, it was only extended for 5 weeks, which is hopefully enough time for the Dems to come up with an answer, which I believe they will.

--------------------------

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into leaks to the media about the National Security Agency's classified domestic surveillance program. It will investigate how the New York Times was able to retrieve the story for print on December 16th, causing officials with the Justice Dept. to confirm its existence to news sources valued by many Americans.

So, anything else? Not for now. I'm going to try to enjoy my New Year's celebrations, so adios for now.

Happy New Year!!

House to convene at 4 P.M.

2005-12-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

The House will convene at 4 P.M. on Thursday to approve the extension to the Patriot Act.

More as it becomes available.

Patriot Act Extended

2005-12-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

Story from CNN Politics:

Senators voted on Wednesday night to extend some expiring and contentious parts of the Patriot Act for six months after leaders announced minutes earlier that they had reached a bipartisan agreement.

Last week, the House voted 251-174 to renew the 16 provisions after striking a compromise that altered some of them. The provisions were set to expire at year's end if not renewed.

Controversial measures include those allowing the FBI -- with a court order -- to obtain secret warrants for business, library, medical and other records, and to get a wiretap on every phone a suspect uses.

The House approved a bill that would have extended most of them permanently, but a filibuster after the bill reached the Senate stopped the measure from moving forward.

Republican leaders tried to break the filibuster Friday, but could muster only 52 of the necessary 60 votes. Four Republicans crossed party lines to oppose the extension.

That vote came on the same day that The New York Times reported that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on U.S. residents, without warrants.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, cited the newspaper report as the reason he opposed permanently renewing the Patriot Act provisions, and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, called the newspaper's revelation "devastating" to the renewal effort.

More as it becomes available.

New Shorter URL

2005-12-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of ShortURL.com, I now have a shorter web address to shorten the
typing:

http://leftwing.2freedom.com

Feel free to leave a comment concerning this URL, whether you like it or not, etc.

The blogger of Neal 2028

2005-12-22T13:07:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, the author of Neal 2028, Neal Osborne, is
quite excited about the idea that the CensureBush.org coalition is holding
over 60 town hall forums on January 7th. And for those of you who don't
know, January 7, 2006 happens to be his 18th birthday. So, wish him a
happy birthday when you get a chance and keep blogging!

--
Justin Fleenor
jf

John Conyers' legislation to censure Bush and Cheney

2005-12-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

I received this in an email today and I thought I should share it with everyone who doesn't have access to the Democrats.com email list.

CensureBush.org Campaign Launched in Response to New House Legislation

The AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, an alliance of over 100 grassroots organizations, has launched a new campaign called CensureBush.org in order to support new legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers that would censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney and create a select committee to investigate the Administration's possible crimes and make recommendations regarding grounds for impeachment.

H.Res.635 would create a select committee - modeled after Sam Ervin's Watergate committee - to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, and retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment.

H.Res.636 and H.Res.637 would censure, respectively, Bush and Cheney for failing to respond to requests for information concerning allegations that they and others in the Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq, misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for the war, countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of persons in Iraq, and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of the Administration, for failing to adequately account for certain misstatements they made regarding the war, and – in the case of President Bush – for failing to comply with Executive Order 12958.

These two efforts are complementary - H.Res.635 seeks accountability for the Bush administration's monumental crimes, while H.Res.636 and H.Res.637 seek accountability for their coverups.

Ask your Congress Member to support these efforts!http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176

More information:http://www.censurebush.org/

-------------
The House Judiciary Committee Democratic staff has just released an extensive report titled "The Constitution in Crisis: The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Cover-ups in the Iraq War." It is available at http://www.censurebush.org/

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The After Downing Street / Censure Bush Coalition has organized over 60 town hall forums around the country on January 7th and plans to make these new developments in Congress a focus of many of those events:http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event

New Features to Virginia Left Wing

2005-12-15T16:20:00.000-05:00

I now have better accessibility for my blog and all new features

Site Navigation (Instead of scrolling for a while, you can click "Skip Navigation" in the header and choose the section you wish to view)
Technorati search
Google Web Search and "Virginia Left Wing" blog search
Site Feeds brought to you by Feedburner
Comments now open inline instead of in a popup box for those with popup blockers who wish to view comments

And coming later today...

Brand-new ads that you'll want to see
Features that you'll have to wait and see

Jackie Stump Leaving

2005-12-12T23:01:00.000-05:00

Delegate Jackie Stump, a 15-year veteran of the House of Delegates,
representing Buchanan County, and parts of Russell and Tazewell
Counties, is resigning his seat for health reasons.

Who does Bill Frist think he is?...and some Christmas controversy

2005-12-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

On Fox News Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said that if Democrats try to filibuster the nomination of Samuel Alito, or Scalito, to the Supreme Court, he will work to quickly pass a parliamentary rule that says filibusters are not permitted against judicial nominees. Now, in my opinion and the opinion of New York Senator Chuck Schumer, "The American people know that checks and balances are an integral part of our government."

The filibuster is one of the greatest tactics to use to fight an occuring piece of legislation. Excuse me Mr. Frist, if you don't like filibusters, then you need to get the hell out of the Senate. Senator Frist needs to come to the realization that there will always be filibustering tactics on both sides of the political spectrum. The Senate chambers are no place for someone who doesn't like the workings of the Senate. Apparently, Mr. Frist didn't know what he was getting himself into when he ran for the Senate.

In other news...

There is a Capitol Christmas tree this year, despite the past years of being called the "Capitol Holiday Tree." Even though this country is called the melting pot, an overwhelming majority want to hear "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays." It doesn't matter the religion you are, and whoever reads this can disagree with me and comment on it, but Christmas is Christmas. Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, or anything else; Christmas is a time to share special memories with your family. A time for giving and caring. Isn't giving, care, and love stressed in most religions of this country? You can be anything other than Christian, but you still have a right to celebrate Christmas- the holiday of family, cheer, and warmth.

Blogshares

2005-12-10T18:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, here's a little side note to my Blogshares account.

Someone, I'm not sure who the guy is, has decided to do a HTO, or
Hostile Takeover, on Virginia Left Wing blog stock shares. Now,
contrary to what some people think, I am not opposed to this. I see it
as a growing opportunity to build my blog's stock shares in the major
market.

Thanks to those who are trading my blog shares and good luck in the future.

PFAW's Call to filibuster the Patriot Act.

2005-12-09T20:36:00.000-05:00

Emergency Petition to Filibuster PATRIOT Act!

Dear Justin,

House and Senate negotiators have struck a deal on reauthorizing the USA
PATRIOT Act, leaving many of the bill's worst provisions intact. Before
leaving for recess, several senators were threatening to filibuster this
legislation if it contained these provisions. Let's call on them to go
all the way to fight for our civil liberties!

Tell your senators to filibuster the USA PATRIOT Act by signing this
emergency petition!

http://pfaw.kintera.org/PatriotActFilibuster

If passed:

* … the Justice Department will retain the authority to investigate
American citizens without judicial oversight, a power that is invoked
more than 30,000 times each year.
* … the government will still be able to search individuals' private
property without notifying them.
* … authorities will still be able to search citizens' library records,
medical records, school records, and financial records virtually
unchecked by the judiciary.

The Senate has an opportunity to take a stand for one of Americans' most
cherished traditions --the right to be free from government intrusion.

Tell your senators to filibuster the USA PATRIOT Act by signing this
emergency petition!

http://pfaw.kintera.org/PatriotActFilibuster

-- Your Allies at People For the American Way

The Patriot Act doesn't protect us from terrorism, and it also infringes on our
right to privacy. I have a right to privacy that not even the federal
government should take away! Me getting in trouble and tracked by the
FBI doesn't help either, but that's another story.

Take a stand! Fight for YOUR right to privacy!

Another day, another test for the Democrats

2005-12-02T06:06:00.000-05:00

So, I wonder if you readers have heard about the conflict between the
Democratic Party and Lamar Advertising Co. Apparently, the party wants
to put up billboards that say, "Shame on you, Jean Schmidt..." to make a
public statement about the attack she made on Democrat John Murtha last
week. Point your browser to http://www.democrats.org/lamar for more
infomation.

Warner 2008

2005-11-28T00:31:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to write any new posts in a while, on account of me being sick and on account of it being Thanksgiving week. There's been a lot going on, so I haven't been able to get to writing a new post.

I don't really have much to talk about tonight. Except for the fact that bloggers are raving about Mark Warner 2008. For an example of what I'm talking about, go to Young Voters for Warner. It's got upcoming voters in 2008 talking about the enormous possibility that Mark Warner will run for President in 2008. Well, I do believe that if he does run, he will pick up at least the nomination for the Democratic Party.

An interesting post I found on my best friend's blog, Neal 2028, is that he believes if Warner runs in 2008 and wins the nomination, Jay Rockefeller would be a very good choice to run for Vice President. Go check out the post.

Also, for those of you who wish to sport the Mark Warnerism and his possible run for the presidency on your website or blog, here is a graphic I pulled from Brian Patton. He made it himself based on Warner 2001.

If you have a graphic, feel free to drop me a line in the comments to this post, and I'll be happy to use your graphic.

H RES 571- Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately

2005-11-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

REJECTED!

House Resolution #571, titled "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately," was rejected late Friday night by a landslide margin of 3-403, Ayes to Noes.

The Ayes were all Democrats, being

McKinney

Serrano

Wexler

The noes were extensive:
Republicans in roman, Democrats in italics, Independents underlined

Abercrombie
Ackerman
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Allen
Andrews
Baca
Bachus
Baird
Baker
Baldwin
Barrett (SC)
Barrow
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bass
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berry
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Boren
Boucher
Boustany
Bradley (NH)
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brown (OH)
Brown (SC)
Brown, Corrine
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Butterfield
Buyer
Calvert
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Cardin
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carson
Carter
Case
Castle
Chabot
Chandler
Chocola
Cleaver
Clyburn
Coble
Cole (OK)
Conaway
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Cramer
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cubin
Cuellar
Culberson
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (KY)
Davis (TN)
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
DeLay
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Doolittle
Doyle
Drake
Dreier
Duncan
Edwards
Ehlers
Emanuel
Emerson
Engel
English (PA)
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Everett
Farr
Fattah
Feeney
Ferguson
Filner
Fitzpatrick (PA)
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fortenberry
Foxx
Frank (MA)
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gingrey
Gohmert

Gonzalez
Goode
Goodlatte
Gordon
Granger
Graves
Green (WI)
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Gutknecht
Harman
Harris
Hart
Hastert
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Hensarling
Herger
Herseth
Higgins
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoekstra
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hooley
Hostettler
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Inglis (SC)
Inslee
Israel
Issa
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Keller
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
Kennedy (RI)
Kildee
Kilpatrick (MI)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kucinich
Kuhl (NY)
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Lee
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lucas
Lungren, Daniel E.
Lynch
Mack
Maloney
Manzullo
Marchant
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy
McCaul (TX)
McCollum (MN)
McCotter
McCrery
McGovern
McHenry
McHugh
McIntyre
McKeon
McMorris
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Menendez
Mica
Michaud
Millender-McDonald
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (VA)
Murphy
Murtha
Musgrave
Myrick
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Neugebauer
Ney
Norwood
Nunes

Nussle
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Osborne
Otter
Oxley
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pearce
Pelosi
Pence
Peterson (MN)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Poe
Pombo
Pomeroy
Porter
Price (GA)
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Rangel
Regula
Rehberg
Reichert
Renzi
Reyes
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Sabo
Salazar
Sánchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sanders
Saxton
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schmidt
Schwartz (PA)
Schwarz (MI)
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Simmons
Simpson
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Sodrel
Solis
Souder
Spratt
Stark
Stearns
Strickland
Stupak
Sullivan
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tanner
Tauscher
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Tierney
Turner
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Upton
Van Hollen
Velázquez
Visclosky
Walden (OR)
Walsh
Wamp
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
Young (FL)

I think it was almost ridiculous to see this even come to vote in the house. An immediate withdrawal would be a less-than-welcome, even ludicrous, answer to the War in Iraq. My personal belief, which has been asked upon many times in Government class, is that there should be a timetable set to leave the country. I really don't think that the Iraqi government is up to dealing with the insurgency themselves and running their own country right now without a little bit of democratic leadership. Any comments to this? Feel free to have your own discussion in my comment box. I'll even write you back in the box if time allots.

AG Race down to 345 votes

2005-11-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

Well, it keeps getting closer and closer. According to the State Board of Elections, Bob McDonnell's lead is narrowing as Creigh Deeds is only 345 votes away as of 2:57 P.M today. The Attorney General's race has been tight since last week when elections were held. More as it becomes available

AG Race down to 352 votes!

2005-11-16T17:53:00.000-05:00

Good evening readers. Tonight is shaping up to be a very chilly night. But the fire is still present in the ever-continuing counting of the ballots. As of 5:27 P.M. today, Republican candidate for Attorney General Bob McDonnell holds a 352 vote margin over Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds. Once again, state mandates require there to be a county-by-county, ballot-by-ballot recount. I think it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the vote count before the actual recount.

Check out the post on the Raising Kaine Blog about where the votes are coming from.

AG Race down to 446 votes!

2005-11-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, this election just keeps getting better and better. Officially, the Virginia State Board of Elections has Republican Bob McDonnell ahead by 446 votes over Democrat Creigh Deeds. If the vote margin is 1,000 votes or less, the state is mandated to hold a recount.

This information is current as of 7:00 A.M., November 15, 2005.

More updates as they become available.

Pictures from Saturday's Democratic Rally

2005-11-09T18:51:00.000-05:00

Tim Kaine and me

Mark Warner and me

Me, Creigh Deeds, and Neal

TIM KAINE WINS!!!

2005-11-08T21:25:00.000-05:00

AP Reports that the Virginia Gubernatorial race goes to Tim Kaine!!!

Now, let's just hope for Leslie and Creigh!

Personally, I think Bolling has it all wrapped up on Byrne, but Deeds still has a chance against McDonnell!

LET'S GO DEMS!!!

LIVE GOVERNOR'S RACE RESULTS! 8:57 P.M.

2005-11-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

ELECTION RACE RESULTS AS OF 8:58 P.M. EST

Office: Governor

Precincts Reporting: 1755 of 2426 (72.34%) Registered Voters: 4,451,909 Total Voting: 1,375,071 Voter Turnout: 30.89 %

T M Kaine
Democratic
698,494
50.80%

J W Kilgore
Republican
645,610
46.95%

H R Potts Jr
Independent
29,848
2.17%

Write Ins
1,119
0.08%

Vote Totals:
1,375,071

LIVE GOVERNOR'S RACE RESULTS! 8:47 P.M.

2005-11-08T20:52:00.000-05:00

ELECTION RESULTS AS OF 8:47 P.M. EST

Office: Governor

Precincts Reporting: 1634 of 2426 (67.35%) Registered Voters: 4,451,968 Total Voting: 1,281,318 Voter Turnout: 28.78 %

T M Kaine
Democratic
649,957
50.73%

J W Kilgore
Republican
602,443
47.02%

H R Potts Jr
Independent
27,840
2.17%

Write Ins
1,078
0.08%

Vote Totals:
1,281,318

LIVE GOVERNOR"S RACE RESULTS! 8:37 P.M.

2005-11-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

ELECTION RESULTS AS OF 8:37 P.M. EST

Office: Governor

Precincts Reporting: 1540 of 2426 (63.48%) Registered Voters: 4,451,969
Total Voting: 1,221,738
Voter Turnout: 27.44 %

T M Kaine
Democratic
624,912
51.15%

J W Kilgore
Republican
569,051
46.58%

H R Potts Jr
Independent
26,703
2.19%

Write Ins
1,072
0.09%

Vote Totals:
1,221,738

Excerpt from the AP

2005-11-06T10:31:00.000-05:00

Here is an exerpt from an Associated Press story printed this morning about both the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races.

"In Virginia, Republican Jerry Kilgore, the former attorney general, is in a too-close-to-call race against Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine for an open seat.

Virginia's harshest ad criticized Kaine, a Roman Catholic, for his opposition to capital punishment. On radio and television, the father of a murder victim tells viewers: "Tim Kaine says Adolf Hitler doesn't qualify for the death penalty. This was one of the worst mass murderers in modern times."

Kaine, a former criminal defense attorney who had suggested to a panel of newspaper reporters that he wouldn't favor executing Hitler, Josef Stalin or Idi Amin, fired back with an ad pledging to carry out death sentences "because it's the law."

The death penalty, property taxes and immigration dominated debate in Virginia, which has voted more and more Republican in recent years — even while current Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, barred by law from seeking a second term, holds soaring approval ratings."

Potluck Dinner with Virginia's candidates for office

2005-11-05T22:11:00.000-05:00

This evening, I had the opportunity to listen to the Democratic candidates for state office. Afterwards, I got to meet and greet with the candidates before they left for another rally.

I met with:

Tim Kaine
Leslie Byrne
Creigh Deeds

and other notables:

Governor Mark Warner
Former Governor Linwood Holton
Representative Rick Boucher
Delegate Joe Johnson
State Senator Phillip Puckett

I had a wonderful 10 minute conversation with Governor Warner about the Kaine campaign, and his tenure as governor himself. He declined to talk about hopes for running for president in 2008, but said, "We'll just have to wait and see."

Tim Kaine was very busy meeting with the other approximately 200 people at the dinner. I did have time to tell him that he knew my best friend, Neal Osborne (Neal 2028), from a Democratic rally in Wytheville. He remembered and was pleased to know that people my age were getting involved in the political process so early.

I had the time for individual pictures with Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, and Creigh Deeds. Overall, I believe the night went very well. Once I get the pictures developed and onto a CD, I'll upload them to my blog. But for now, I leave you with the memories of another Democratic-ruled night. Good night and God Bless!

Welcome to Virginia Left Wing!

2005-11-05T10:53:00.000-05:00

Here is the first of many posts on the NEWEST Virginia Democratic blog.

Please remember to vote on November 8th!

Virginia Governor's Race Remains Virtual Deadlock

The latest Mason-Dixon poll has Democrat Tim Kaine with a one-point lead over Republican Jerry Kilgore. But with the poll's margin of error- ±4 percentage points- the race remains deadlocked going into the last few days.

Last month, the Mason-Dixon poll had Kaine 2 percentage points behind. Here are the numbers broken down:
Tim Kaine (D) - 45%
Jerry Kilgore (R) - 44%
Russell Potts (I) - 4%
Undecided - 6%

Margin of error - ±4%

Poll conducted November 1, 2005 to November 2, 2005, polling 625 likely voters.

It seems to me that the Kilgore campaign is faultering. Today, there is a Democratic Rally and Potluck Supper at Abingdon High School, beginning at 5:00. Featured guests will be Tim Kaine, Leslie Byrne, Creigh Deeds, Governor Mark Warner, 9th District Representative Rick Boucher, and others. I urge to public to come out to support the Democratic candidates as they turn into the home stretch.

2005-11-04T04:41:00.000-05:00