Cantor challenges president to support the GOP’s “bold” ideas
Congressman Eric Cantor isn’t expecting much from tonight’s State of the Union. In an interview Tuesday prior to the speech, Cantor made it clear that the Obama agenda has been unsuccessful and it is time for him to change course.
“It’s the president and Harry Reid who don’t necessarily share our view that have to change things,” he said. ”They want to keep going like we’ve always done.”
Cantor employed the use of one word numerous times in our interview and in various other interviews prior to the speech: “bold”. The Henrico Congressman believes that best describes the difference between the House Republican agenda and the White House.
“We believe that we have some bold ideas for growth and for removing the onerous sort of red tape that strangles small business people,” he said. “We believe we have bold ideas to get the fiscal situation straight here in Washington, so we can see economic growth.”
Cantor is open to compromise on things like the tax code and reducing regulatory burdens on small business owners. But he made it clear, its time for the president to come to them.
“We should try to and deliever on some results for the American people and not just be about the election.”
Here is an extended clip from our interview:
Speaking of the presidential election, despite some reports, Cantor told me that he has not considered endorsing yet in the republican primary. But he did outline some of the characteristics he is looking for in a candidate.
“There are and there is a need for bold ideas right now,” he said. “People want to believe in America again.”
While Cantor did not even open the door to putting his support behind one specific candidate, he was not afraid to say (not surprisngly) that it is time for President Obama to go.
“It’s time I think, for America to try something new,” he said. “And that is what this election is about.”
An clip from his answer on the presidential election is below:
Warner continues to warn about debt crisis
Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) is in a unique position in Washington. He is among a small group of elected officials who does not need to campaign this fall. President Barack Obama, 1/3 of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives will face voters once again in November.
Perhaps that is one of the many reasons that Warner isn’t easily led into squabbles over campaigns and slogans. No matter what you ask him, he brings the conversation back to the one thing that concerns him the most, the debt crisis and country’s increasing deficit.
“Until, and unless we can make that grand bargain around the major issues (debt, deficit, entitlement reform)” said Warner. “I’m not sure that we are going to get to a lot of the other issues because until you get your balance sheet in order, how do you take on anything else?”
Warner who, normally speaks in reserved tones and is not prone to exaggeration, gets a bit of fire under him when talking about the debt crisis. The centrist democrat has said in the past that the problem forces him to lose sleep. On Tuesday he told me that if the Federal Government can’t fix the problem, every single elected leader should lose their jobs.
“If we don’t make progress, and I say this for me and everyone else up here, if we don’t make progress, on being able to get our deficit under control, to be able to take on the big issues surrounding entitlement reform and tax reform and get our nation’s balance sheet right, then we should all be fired,” he said.
The former Virginia governor who prided himself on finding areas of compromise between both parties said the fact that this in an election year is no excuse. He said a continued lack of progress will speak to a bigger problem.
“I unfortunately think this deficit issue ends up being almost a proxy to whether or not congress can operate in the 21st century.”
An extended clip from my conversation with Senator Warner can be found below.
Also tonight at the State of the Union, Senator Warner invited Reverend Curtis Harris, 87, a legendary civil rights figure in Virginia and the first African-American mayor of Hopewell, was Sen. Warner’s invited guest for President Obama’s State of the Union address to Congress.
Senator Warner visited with Reverend Harris prior to the president’s speech.
(Photo by Beth Adelson/Senator Warner’s Office)
Keystone politics comes to Virginia
The Keystone XL pipeline project is a hot topic in Washington. A debate filled with claims of enormous promise, scary consequences and just about everything in between. Candidates have lined up on either side of the debate and even though the proposed project would take place hundreds of miles away from Virginia, it is becoming a big issue here.
Senate candidate George Allen is using Keystone and President Barack Obama‘s decision to turn down the project, as a way to corner his likely opponent Tim Kaine. Allen accuses Kaine of supporting Obama’s decision and claims it is an example of Kaine putting his tight relationship with President Obama ahead of the job concerns of his would-be constituents.
Allen’s campaign emphasised that point by releasing this devastating web video:
Allen fully supports the Keystone XL project and has worked hard to highlight Kaine’s uncertainty on the issue. Their goal is to make it appear that Kaine won’t make a move without making sure it is okay first with the president.
But Kaine forcefully defended his Keystone position and accused Allen of taking an hypocritical approach to the project. The Kaine team pointed out that while Allen has pushed for approval of the Keystone project, he has taken a rather tepid approach to the issue of expanding uranium mining in Virginia. Allen has said that Virginia needs to be certain of enviornmental and health concerns before moving forward on uranium.
The Kaine team pointed to a critical Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial that compares the approach of Virginia republicans to uranium to the president’s approach to Keystone. Just as Allen has tied Kaine to Obama, Kaine is working to tie his potential opponent to the massive oil companies that could benefit from a project like Keystone.
“George Allen had the chance to prove that he’d be an independent voice for the Commonwealth and the nation,” said Kaine communications director Brandi Hoffine. ”Instead he’s proven that, if reelected to the U.S. Senate, he’ll continue to be a rubber stamp for oil companies who do not need his help to turn a profit.”
While the Keystone project has now become nothing more than a political talking point, Senator Mark Warner, a democrat and an ally of Kaine believes the White House should consider revisiting the concept.
“I think it should come up again,” Warner said in an interview on First at 4.
Warner believes that the cautious approach to Keystone was the right one and if handled correctly, it could solve a major U.S. problem.
“I think we very much need an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy,” he said. ”Use our natural resources, promote renewables, use nuclear, but we have to make sure we get off of that mideast oil, and this would’ve taken us in that direction.”
But much like Kaine who chided republicans in Washington from turning the deliberative process of Keystone into a political issue, Warner believed the president was put in a difficult position. “I do think it was a bit of a ‘gotcha’ by forcing the president to decide very quickly,” Warner said.
Kaine has also encouraged the Obama adminstration to revisit the project.
Meanwhile the project is dead in the water, but the political fight is just beginning.
McDonnell ready to take GOP heavy G.A. out for a spin
Governor Bob McDonnell always uses his State of the Commonwealth to push an ambitious agenda. This year was no different. But while the theme and the reach of his ideas were on par, what could happen after is much different. There are far more members of the Governor’s party in the General Assembly this year and McDonnell seems poised to take advantage of that fact.
More from my story on NBC12.com
RICHMOND (WWBT) – Governor Bob McDonnell laid out his agenda for 2012 tonight in his annual State of the Commonwealth. This will be the first session where the Republican Party has control of both houses of the General Assembly.
Control of the Senate is still doubt, but Governor McDonnell should have a lot more support in the G.A. this year. Wednesday night he said he will go after some controversial policy goals. They are goals that might be out of the question if democrats still held a senate majority.
The governor only mentioned the ongoing drama in the State Senate once.
“To the members in the majority I say: Don’t be arrogant. Don’t overreach. To the members in the minority: Don’t be angry. Don’t obstruct,” he said.
After that he launched into a long list of priorities, ones that would be difficult with a divided General Assembly and may still be tough given the 20-20 senate split. A challenge he asked they approach as professionals.
“Let’s be civil and productive,” he requested.
You can read and see the full story on NBC12.com
The Governor’s entire State of the Commonwealth can be seen here.
The entire transcript from his speech is below:
Michelle Obama pushes her husband’s agenda in Central Virginia
First Lady Michelle Obama was only in Central Virginia for a couple of hours, but she made most of her time. Headlining two fundraisers, and unveiling an ambitious new plan to help treat soliders returning home from war.
Mrs. Obama is one of her husband’s most effective spokespeople and her visit to an imporant swing state was carefully calculated with an eye toward the 2012 election.
Here is my story for NBC12:
RICHMOND (WWBT) - It seems like when it comes to politics, the candidates for the republican nomination for president are the ones getting all the attention. But in Central Virginia today it was all about Team Obama.
First Lady Michelle Obama was in town to unveil a new plan to help veterans return home and help her husband’s re-election.
Polls show the First Lady is very popular, in some respects more popular than her husband. During his administration she has latched on to an issue that is easy to get behind regardless of party- military families. Today in the swing state of Virginia, she never came right out and said it. but it was clear that re-electing her husband will allow her work to continue.
At an event at VCU, a quiet and respectful crowd heard Mrs. Obama lay out the case for better care for soldiers returning home from war.
“But it will mean real work,” Mrs. Obama said of the initiative. “It will mean every single one of us doing our part.”
The venue and the backdrop showed the First Lady at her best. Even though she never once mentioned the president’s re-election, and only specifically mentioned his policies briefly, the setting in a swing state in a re-election year spoke volumes. She passionately made the case that she would do everything she could to help America’s military families.
read and see the full story on NBC12.com.
You can read the First Lady’s entire remarks from today’s Richmond fundraiser below.
McDonnell headlines “presidential town hall” in South Carolina
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is not running for president, in fact he hasn’t even endorsed a candidate for president, but this weekend the republican will be in a hotbed of political activity as he headlines a town hall in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
McDonnell will be the guest of Rep. Tim Scott. Scott has invited every single major republican candidates for president to his district to discuss the presidential race and in particular South Carolina’s role in the process. His last guest, was the race’s current front runner, Mitt Romney.
(Photo courtesy of VoteTimScott1)
This is a high profile slot for McDonnell, who is still waiting to endorse and is considered a prime candidate for Vice President. In a release, Scott eludes to those possibilites.
“While Governor McDonnell is not currently a candidate for President, he will play a key role in the 2012 election and beyond.” Scott said. “He has a proven record of job creation and keeping taxes low in Virginia – a state the GOP must win in 2012. Our voters are eager to hear his views on the Presidential field, and on how we will defeat President Obama.”
McDonnell meanwhile heaped praise on Scott, a rising GOP star.
“Tim is a leading voice in the new wave of bold and innovative conservative leaders who are committed to getting our nation’s economy back on track and our fiscal house in order,” he said.
If you happen to be making a winter jaunt to the beach this weekend and would like to check out McDonnell on the stump, the details are below:
Rep. Tim Scott Presidential Town Hall:
5:30 pm at Celebrity Square at Broadway on the Beach
1325 Celebrity Circle in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Seating will begin at 4:30 pm, on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more info: www.timstownhalls.com
Cantor, Warner make trips overseas
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Henrico) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) are making the most of Congress being out of session. The two are both in the midst of lengthy trips overseas. Cantor is touring the Middle East, while Warner is spending his time in India.
Today the press offices from both lawmakers gave us an idea of what their bosses were up to.
In Qatar, Cantor made a trip to VCU’s branch campus in the Arab country. The VCU facility was the first of a series of American collegiate branch campuses to make a home in Qatar’s “Education City.” Cantor toured the facility and met with Dean Allyson Vanstone.
Cantor also visited with the men and women serving in Qatar at the Al Udeid Air Force Base. You can read more about Rep. Cantor’s trip on his legislative blog. You can see more pictures of his visit here.
Meanhile on the other side of Asia, Sen. Mark Warner was involved in a unique event. He and a group of Senators toured an NBA camp in New Deli, India designed to encourge Indian young people to get active and fit. Warner who is well over 6 feet tall, even participated in a jump ball with a former NBA star. Of course that star was the shortest player in the history of the NBA. 5′ 3″ Muggsy Bogues.
You can see more photos from Senator Warner’s trip here.
Michelle Obama to headline event at VCU highlighting veteran medical care
First Lady Michelle Obama will appear at two events in Richmond next Wednesday. Mrs. Obama will headline a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in the afternoon and then speak at an event at VCU Medical Center.
According to the White House, The First Lady will announce a major committment by the country’s top medical colleges and universities to help create a specialized medical care for U.S. Military Members returning from service.
Among the specialty areas of focus, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
VCU is recognized as a national leader in TBI research and is considered to be a strong partner with the local VA hospital. Mrs. Obama will also conduct a private tour of the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center’s Polytrauma Unit to visit wounded warriors and veterans receiving in-patient treatment.
Following the event at VCU, the First Lady will travel to Charlottesville for another fundraiser for the DNC.
This visit from the First Lady once again indicates the White House’s focus on Virginia ahead of the 2012 election. President Obama has made several trips to Virginia including three separate visits to the Richmond metro area, since he became president.
NBC12 will have complete coverage of First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit next Wednesday. We will update you on any potential road closures and other information when we receive updated information from the White House.
McEachin hoping GOP will come to the table, but no talks yet
Here is my full interview with Virginia State Sen. Donald McEachin on NBC12 First at 4:
Key point of information, no behind-the-scenes deal between Republicans and Democrats appears to be in the works:
(Hits at 3:03)
Nobles: Are you talking though? We see the press releases going back and forth from both sides that are out in the public, but are there actually any negotiations actually taking place that could get us to that position?
McEachin: Not yet. Now in fairness, everybody is out of town and sort of coming back to Richmond right now. But we said back in December at the Senate Finance Retreat that we would meet with the Republicans, any time, any place. To discuss this very important issue of power sharing.
Context: Liberal blogger Ben Tribbett offers a reason why both sides should be interested in settling this dispute together on Not Larry Sabato.
