Priebus comes to Richmond as RNC kicks off anti-ObamaCare ad campaign

 Just a few days after they launched a robo-call campaign targeting Virginia seniors, the Republican National Committee is back, this time launching a series of TV ads in Richmond attacking President Barack Obama on health care reform.

Chairman Reince Priebus came to Richmond Wednesday to talk about the impact Republicans believe the Affordable Care Act will have on Virginia. Priebus was joined by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, VA Victory Chairman and potential candidate Pete Snyder, RPV Chair Pat Mullins and Dave Napier a Shockoe Bottom business owner.

The overwhelming impression that the GOP is hoping to leave is that the potential for a federal mandate may start with health care, it could lead to many other things.

“You’ve got Barack Obama who believes that government can be a European sized huge entity that can tell you what insurance to buy, what foods to eat, what you should wear,” Priebus said. “And we believe there has to come to end with this government overreach.”

But democrats aren’t shying away from their association with the program that republicans love to refer to as “ObamaCare”.  Richmond Del. Jennifer McClellan (D) said that her side is ready and willing to be on the side of health care reform.

“It has helped millions of americans and Virginians who have health insurance who otherwise wouldn’t,” said McClellan  “A lot of us are one illness away from being poor.”

It could be the issue that decides the election. We are a long way away from November but both sides seem prepared to draw a clear line between “for” and “against” and let the voters decide.

The RNC ad that is already running in the Richmond market can be found below.

Despite judges ruling, Senate democrats plead for power sharing

By: Ryan Nobles – bio | email

It has been a rough couple of weeks for democrats hoping to hold on to power in the Virginia Senate. First, on election night they lost two seats and were within a razor-thin margin in a third. That third seat, once held by Sen. Edd Houck, meant the difference between a 21-19 majority and a 20-20 tie.  Instead of Houck asking for a recount and hoping for a different outcome, the veteran lawmaker conceded guaranteeing a 20-20 tie in the Senate.

That meant that Lt. Governor Bill Bolling held the tie breaking vote and that democrats were now in the minority. But democrats were not ready to give up. Led by Sen. Don McEachin (D-Henrico), they filed a lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court, requesting that they be given the opportunity to share power with the GOP. Today, Judge Beverly W. Snukals denied that request.

Now with the elections over and an unsuccessful legal challenge behind them, the democrats are left with only one option. Beg the now official majority party to share power.

“I call on the Republicans to respect the will of the voters and past history,” said McEachin. “The senate is evenly divided, 20-20 so committees and responsibilities and power should be divided to reflect that even split, just as the Republicans said in 1996.” 

Not surprisingly, the republicans don’t appear to be interested in offering democrats committee chairmanships and evenly distributing members of both parties in those committees.

“It is my hope that Senator McEachin and the Senate Democratic Caucus will realize the futility of pursuing this matter further and begin to prepare appropriately for the important work of the upcoming session,” said the incoming Senate Majority leader Sen. Tommy Norment (R-James City)

McEachin has not ruled out further moves, “both legal and procedural”, but did not go into specifics. He even pointed to a recent Public Policy Polling survey that he claims shows that Virginians want power sharing in the Virginia Senate.

“Over half of respondents, 55%, believe that power should be shared in the Virginia State Senate,” said McEachin. “These voters, constituents of both Democrats and Republicans, recognize that the Election day results created an evenly divided Senate and, therefore, the Senate should organize in a way reflective of those results.

Republicans, though don’t seem moved by McEachin’s argument. Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins welcomed the Circuit Court’s ruling and told the democrats to back off what he called their “sore loser suit”.

“Hopefully, Democrats will accept the judgement of Virginia’s voters – and now the courts – with a measure of grace,” said Mullins.

Despite McEachin’s persistence, the leader of the Virginia Senate democrats appeared to agree with republicans in the days after the election results came in. Sen. Dick Saslaw admitted in a conference call that all the decisions regarding who runs in the Senate were in the republican’s hands.

“They got a tie breaking vote,” said Saslaw. “If you got 20 plus 1 on a vote you pretty much don’t have to share anything!”

Loudoun GOP depicts Obama with bullet hole in his head

Virginia statewide Republican leaders are universally condemning a mass e-mail sent to members of the Loudoun County Republican Committee that depicts President Barack Obama as a zombie with a bullet hole in his head.

The e-mail was meant to encourage supporters to gather for a Halloween parade. The graphic was in the Halloween theme and also pictures House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi as a zombie. (the full email can be found after the jump.)

The email was first shared on the right leaning “Too Conservative” blog, which accused the LCRC of going “too far”. Since the picture was first posted, Virginia Republican leaders have been forcefully condemning its use.

“Governor (Bob McDonnell) believes this email is shameful and offensive,” said spokesman Tucker Martin.  “He calls on those involved to apologize for their actions, and to immediately ensure that such imagery is never used again.”

McDonnell wasn’t alone in his criticism.  Noah Wall, the political spokesman for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said the picture was something the A.G. does not support.

“We clearly regret the choice of images used by the Loudoun GOP,” Wall said.

But perhaps the most forceful rejection can from State GOP Chairman Pat Mullins.  Mullins called for an immediate apology and claimed that he was in the process of informing Loudoun GOP leaders of his disappointment.

“The disgusting image used today on a mass email has no place in our politics. Ever,” said Mullins. “The Republican Party of Virginia condemns the image and its use in the strongest possible terms.”

Of course, Democrats were the first to pounce on the email’s revelation.  They demanded apologies from GOP leaders and called for the Loudoun County officials responsible for the picture to be removed from their posts.

“This is a disgusting and violent portrayal of the President of the United States,” said party spokesman Brian Coy.

So far the only person not responding for comment on the issue is the Loudon County GOP Chairman Mark Sell has not returned inquires for comment.

UPDATE:

The LCRC Chairman Mark Sell released the following statement:

“The Loudoun County Republican Committee yesterday sent an email to its members that represented a light-hearted attempt to inject satire humor into the Halloween holiday.  Apparently, some individuals have interpreted an image of Barack Obama that appeared within the email as intending to portray the President as a victim of a violent crime.  Nothing could be further from the truth, and we deeply and sincerely apologize to the President and anyone who viewed the image if that was the impression that was left. The LCRC deplores any effort to display, suggest or promote violence against the President or any other political figure.”

The full email from the LCRC and statements from leaders from both sides can be found after the jump.

Response to the McDonnell executive directive

Many different groups are weighing in tonight on Governor Bob McDonnell’s surprise decision to issue an executive directive regarding discrimination in state hiring practices. The response is all over the map and perhaps, more than anything, demonstrates how unprepared the political chattering class was for this move.

Republicans appear to be walking a fine line of support for McDonnell, without providing overwhelming ethusasium at the move. Democrats, are happy the pendulum seems to be swinging their way, but are quick to point out that it is not nearly enough. Meanwhile, independent analysts are wondering how this could impact the Governor’s future.

Here is what some are saying:

From Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli:
“I applaud Governor McDonnell for the tone he is setting for the Commonwealth of Virginia. I will remain in contact with the Governor and continue to work with him on issues important to Virginians. I expect Virginia’s state employees to follow all state and federal anti-discrimination laws and will enforce Virginia’s laws to the fullest extent.”

From Lowell Feld, liberal blogger at Blue Virginia:
“I certainly didn’t expect this, but at first glance it looks strong. I’m particularly impressed (and amazed) that McDonnell’s order specifies “one’s sexual orientation” as a “class of persons” that can not be discriminated against in state.” — full post

From David Mills– Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia:
“While we applaud the administrative gesture made by Governor McDonnell today, his non-binding statement of policy does little to protect Virginians from discrimination. The Governor is instituting half-measures necessitated by political crisis, and the time for these games is over. We call on Governor McDonnell to definitively and permanently eliminate the threat that discrimination poses to the lives, jobs, and welfare of all Virginians.”

From Lt. Governor Bill Bolling:
“I agree wholeheartedly with that statement…. As the Governor has said many times, we do not support and we will not tolerate employment related discrimination in any form.”

From Pat Mullins, Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia:
“I applaud Governor McDonnell for putting down on paper what anyone who has done business with the Commonwealth of Virginia has found — that Virginia doesn’t tolerate discrimination,”

From Marc Armbinder, Political Editor of the Atlantic:
“(The directive) may illustrate the degree to which Republicans, who want McDonnell to be a presidential contender at some point, are anxious about his image as a culture warrior…. There are lots of proxy battles here, but McDonnell didn’t have to issue the directive — and he did. It remains to be seen whether independent voters, who don’t want to admit voting for a governor who seems anti-gay, will give him credit for it.” —full post

From Victoria Cobb, President of the Family Foundation:
“The Family Foundation continues to maintain that adding additional classes of persons to the Commonwealth’s non-discrimination policy is unnecessary. Again, no evidence of discrimination has been presented. We do agree with the Governor that state employment should be based on ‘qualifications, merit and performance.'”

Kaine declines RPV FOIA request on DNC travel

In a press release that arrived in most reporter’s inboxes, after 5pm on a Friday afternoon, Governor Tim Kaine responded to Republican Party of Virginia Chair Pat Mullins request to disclose information about his travel as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

In a two page response, Kaine aide Lynda Tran explained that the request was denied because of the administration’s judgment of the rules pertaining to the Freedom of Information Act.  Tran cited a number of different sections of the law that supported her claim that Mullins did not have a right to the information.

Tran wrote that FOIA attempts to “balance transparency and disclosure against the the impact the revelation of specific information could have on the Governor’s ability to properly and effectively carry out the business of the public.”

After building the case that the law supported their claim that Kaine did not have to provide any information regarding his personal travel, Tran went on to write that the Governor is going above and beyond by providing the details of his travel when asked about a specific event.

“..it is in the spirit of transparency and in the interest of Virginians that Governor Kaine is choosing to respond to questions pertaining his schedule during any of the numerous events that a regularly disclosed as part of his public schedule.”

Finally, on Mullins request for the costs associated with Kaine’s security detail, Tran pointed the RPV chair to the Executive Officers Protection Unit.

Meanwhile the RPV is still deciding how to react to the Kaine’s response. Spokesman Tim Murtaugh‘s full statement can be found after the jump.

RPV attacks on Kaine travel start to stick

Ryan Nobles – bio | email

At least two prominent Virginia newspaper editorial boards have picked up on the Republican Party of Virginia’s questioning of Governor Tim Kaine‘s travel as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Roanoke Times have printed editorials that pick up where RPV Chairman Pat Mullins left off. A fact, Republican Party leaders were all too happy to trumpet to reporters this morning.

Meanwhile the Washington-Post printed a very probing news story about Kaine’s travel and how it impacts his job as Governor.

Each one of the editorial boards are very specific in their request of Kaine. They all believe that the public has a right to know exactly where he is going and how much it is costing taxpayers.

The Roanoke Times said:
“..the governor has a duty to Virginians beyond just the letter of FOIA. The only way the public can verify that his moonlighting has not interfered with his gubernatorial responsibilities is if it knows where and when he traveled and on whose dime. If big Democratic donors who have business before state agencies have provided free flights, people ought to know.”

Meanwhile the Times-Dispatch takes it a step further, by connecting Kaine’s DNC work to Jim Gilmore’s ill-fated run as RNC chair and even going as far as to thank the Republicans for bringing the issue forward:
“Although the governor can keep his golf game to himself, a partisan gala in Muscatine belongs on the public record. Kaine’s staff also said the DNC had agreed to reimburse the state for the cost of his security detail. Payment should have been made at the start. Taxpayers should thank the GOP for raising the issue.”

You may recall that Kaine was very reluctant to take the DNC Chairmanship in the first place. It was probably because he wanted to avoid reading editorial pages like this. The Governor has worked hard over the past three years to present himself as a transparent executive, willing to answer the tough questions. It will be interesting to see if this round of criticism changes his approach to his job as Governor or Party Chairman.

RPV attacks Kaine’s travel schedule as DNC chair

Republican Party of Virginia Chair Pat Mullins teamed up with Del. Chris Saxman on Friday to announce their plan to submit a Freedom of Information Act request of Governor Tim Kaine‘s travel since he began as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The announcement was accompanied by a web video produced by the RPV that ridicules Kaine’s non-government related travel and encourages Virginians to call his office and complain.

The attack follows a persistent strategy by the Republicans to muddy up the relatively popular sitting Governor to neutralize his impact in the fall elections. Mullins has already rapped Kaine’s DNC work, calling him a “part-time” governor and Republican candidate for Governor,  Bob McDonnell told me that Kaine is not a “Virginia Democrat” anymore and he is “tied to the extremely liberal and big government policies of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.”

There is no doubt that Kaine’s role as DNC chairman, a hyper-partisan role, leaves him vulnerable to these type of attacks. And it is not just the Governor’s political enemies who are questioning his work. The Washington-Post wrote about the Governor’s recent trip to Kansas City and how the local paper described Kaine as the “former Governor of Virginia”.

I just spoke to a representative from Governor Kaine’s office on this matter. Lynda Tran said that the Governor’s travel schedule and his security protection is “no different than any other previous governor of Virginia.” She also said that his security detail, which Mullins specifically mentions in the FOIA request, is “with the Governor 24 hours a day, whether he is sleeping in the mansion or hiking in the mountains with his children.”  Tran went on to say that the  protection is something the “people of Virginia have deemed necessary for their governor.”

The Governor’s office has not received the FIOA request, but they when they do, they plan to hande it appropriately. Meanwhile, they are trying to downplay the position the RPV attempts to put the governor in, with their satirical web video.

“They [RPV] are taking small clips of Friday and Saturday night events,” said Tran. “Even governors are allowed to have a little fun.”

You can see the request and the video after the jump..

Mullins raps Kaine as “part-time’ Governor

Ryan Nobles – bio | email

Republican Party of Virginia chairman Pat Mullins is renewing his party’s call that Tim Kaine devote all of his energy to the job of Governor of Virginia. His statement comes in reaction to what the Governor (who also serves as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee) said to the DNC executive committee at their meeting in Richmond last Friday.  

In case you missed it, here (in part) is what Kaine said:
“I am trying to juggle two pretty challenging jobs. As I shared with you in January, It is not an easy time to be a Governor. As I talk to Governor’s all across the country we all agree it is a tough, tough time to be a governor.”

Mullins said today that if he can’t handle both job of DNC chair and Governor he ought to pick one or the other:
“He simply cannot be a part-time governor when people are looking for full-time solutions. If Tim Kaine thinks his burdens are too great, he should pick one job to do and resign from the other.”

This is not a new attack by Republicans and for the most part it has not seemed to stick. This could be as much about attacking Governor Kaine as it is about stirring up grass roots support for Mullins, who faces a vote from the party faithful at the end of the month to hold on to his job as Chairman.

I re-posted the video from Governor’s Kaine statement from Friday to give you the chance to see for yourself what the Governor said.

Cantor on Gitmo and RPV Chair

Local Congressman Eric Cantor (who is fast becoming one of the chief voices of opposition to President Barack Obama) is working hard to prevent attempts to move enemy combatants, currently housed at Guantanamo Bay, to military prisons in Virginia.

Closing down Guantanamo was a campaign pledge for the President and he promised to make it a reality in the very early stages of his administration. Shutting the facility down isn’t the problem, it is what to do after that is making life difficult for Mr. Obama and his staff.

By closing Gitmo’s doors, the Federal Government is faced with the daunting proposition of what to do with the detainees held at the facility. It seems that every scenario creates a bigger problem. By releasing them to their home countries, you run the risk of letting them return to the activity that got them into the military prison to begin with. By housing them in U.S., you run the risk of creating new, in-country terrorist targets and will be forced to spend taxpayer dollars to fortify the the proposed installations.

This laundry list of problems has created an opportunity for Eric Cantor. Cantor has become very vocal in his opposition to any of the proposed solutions, citing the reasons above. Cantor has proposed legislation that would force the feds to receive approval from the governor and state legislatures of any state that could become home to these enemy combatants. That would effectively prevent any terror suspects from being brought to the U.S. because no politician would run the risk of approving a move that is bound to be unpopular.

However, Cantor and (no other politician for that matter) seems to have the solution. It has created a problem that will just continue to grow.

After the jump you watch the video from out story on this topic that aired on NBC12 Friday night. In addition, I have an extended clip from Rep. Cantor where he reveals that he is supporting Pat Mullins for Republican Party of Virginia Chair. You may recall that we broke the news a few weeks ago that Mr. Cantor was no longer supportive of Jeff Frederick as chairman.

Mullins tapped as RPV Chair- Frederick reappears on Twitter

Ryan Nobles – bio | email

The State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia has selected current Louisa County Republican Chairman Pat Mullins as chairman of the state party. Mullins will keep watch over the party until the entire state committee gets the chance to pick a new chair at the end of the month. Mullins is a longtime party insider and at one time served as the Chairman of the Fairfax County GOP before moving Louisa County.

While Mullins could be a candidate to take over the job full time, his election today does not spell the end of Jeff Frederick‘s tenure at the RPV. Frederick who has, for the most part, been quiet since being removed from the post, began posting again on his twitter page. Yes- that same twitter page that was among the many problems that contributed to his demise at the top of the party.

No one seems to sure as to what Frederick’s next move will be. Despite his problems he still enjoys the support of a rabid group of generally conservative Republican members who are no doubt encouraging him to not give up. That support could lead to Frederick submitting his name for election once again as RPV Chair. He could also run again for his seat in the House of Delegates. (His wife Amy announced earlier this week that she will not run for the position).

While few expect Frederick to go away quietly perhaps this post on his twitter feed from today, may lend some insight as to what his next move may be.

@JeffFrederick–VAGOP SCC selected new chair; bad move since appt only valid 4 27 days. An attempt to instruct the Convention delegates, once again showing disdain 4 grassroots.

Frederick’s tweet then led to a lively discussion on Facebook, that was compiled by Bearing Drift.

And who says Republicans don’t “do” social media? This fight is far from over.

Meanwhile, Bob McDonnell, the party’s candidate for Governor (who may be suffering the most from this controversy) released a statement on the Mullins appointment. You can read it, in its entirety after the jump..