Tag: Bob McDonnell

Virginia wind turbine approved for construction by Bob McDonnell

Virginia is in the process of approval to build a 479 foot tall wind turbine off the coast of Cape Charles in the Chesapeake bay. If the turbine passes review from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard, the project could be complete as early as 2013, making Virginia home of the first wind turbine generator in the states.

“This is an important next step in developing all of Virginia’s domestic energy resources to help power our nation’s economy and puts Virginia at the forefront of clean energy technology development,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said in a statement announcing the marine commission’s unanimous vote.

The purpose of the project is to test the prototype developed by Gamesa Energy USA LLC’s new offshore WTG technology, the G11X. If proven successful, the prototype could be transitioned to worldwide markets by 2015. The life expectancy of the prototype is projected to be 20 years.

McDonnell touts the project as a step forward in his all of the above energy approach, in which he plans to increase wind, oil, coal, nuclear and renewable energy sources to make Virginia the energy capital of the east coast.

The turbine will provide up to five megawatts of clean renewable windpower to the Virginia transmission grid for public use. The governor hopes that this will decrease use of fossil fuel and improve Virginia air quality.

According to the The Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the structure will not have a negative impact on the environment. Instead, fish will be attracted to the shade and shelter, increasing recreational fishing opportunities.

“This is an exciting project,” said VMRC Acting Commissioner Jack Travelstead in an article posted on the Virginia governor’s website. “This will bring jobs, energy, important new scientific information and enhanced fishing opportunities for recreational anglers.”

Oct. 27 Political Minute

Mason Economist: Republicans Have Advantage in Upcoming Election

By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan

Citing what he called “the worst economic downturn since at least 1982,” George Mason University economics Professor Bryan Caplan said that Republican candidates would likely have a slight advantage over Democratic and Independent candidates going into the 2009 state elections. This is good news for Bob McDonnell (R) and could help explain why Creigh Deeds (D) is trailing in the polls.

“Polls are showing McDonnell leading Deeds in the polls,” Caplan said. “And nationally, Independents are leaning towards Republicans. At first, there was an attitude that [George W.] Bush was president when the crisis began and so it was his fault, but more recently there’s been the feeling that these two presidents share equal blame, that while Bush’s policies may have caused the meltdown, Obama’s have prolonged it.”

Caplan was critical of President Barak Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package, which he says has “done nothing.”

“The stimulus doesn’t actually increase spending,” he said.

Caplan argued that because much of the nearly $800 billion for the stimulus came from government bonds, the majority of which are held by the American people, the federal government was marshalling resources that individuals would otherwise have spent on their own.

“They’re trying to duplicate the effects of the private market,” Caplan said, “and if they do that successfully, then it’s not harmful—it’s useless, but it’s not harmful. Government doesn’t work that way, though; they spend money on stupid things, on things that don’t make sense, things that most people couldn’t explain. They don’t do as good a job as the market would do on its own. In fact, some economists believe that the stimulus has actually made the situation worse.”

Caplan noted that the 2008-2009 downturn was unique among modern recessions because of the presence of deflation. Typically, he said, the U.S. economy experiences two to three percent annual inflation, but has recently undergone 1.4 percent deflation.

The cause, Caplan hypothesized, was most likely individuals hoarding their money. When people do not spent as much, demand for products goes down, prices are lowered, and, in effect, a dollar becomes worth more.

For these reasons, Caplan said, the solution to unemployment was to cut wages.

“Excessive wages are the cause of unemployment,” said Caplan. “If there’s two percent deflation, you’ve just effectively gotten a two-percent pay raise. That also means that if your employer cuts wages by two percent, you haven’t really lost money, but workers don’t see it that way. What’s easier to deal with, though: losing two percent in wages or losing your job? What’s going to be harder on a family?”

Caplan said that the federal government could take several basic steps to put the nation on the road to economic recovery, such as cutting payroll taxes for employers and halting the Federal Reserve’s payment of interest on bank reserves, which he said encouraged banks to hold their money rather than loan it.

Mason Women: McDonnell Thesis Hurtful

By Mason Votes Staff Writer Ethan Vaughan

George Mason University women have reacted negatively to Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell penning a 1989 thesis in which he criticized feminists and homosexuals and said that women who worked outside the home were “detrimental to society.”

McDonnell has dismissed the thesis as an “academic paper” and said that his views have changed, but not everyone is buying it.

“As a scholar of comparative social policy, his prescriptions regarding women and the workplace are just dreadful,” said Mariely Lopez-Santana, a professor with the George Mason University Public and International Affairs Department. “He argues that he has changed positions, but letting your wife work and having women in your staff is, in my opinion, not a change—he is just reacting to the needs of our times and to his political ambitions.”

Others agreed.

“I feel that this thesis is very detrimental to all women,” said senior Katherine Papadopoulos. “Particularly the statement that complained about women working outside the home. Women who need to work in order to provide for their households should be commended for their work ethic and commitment to their families.”

Freshman Marlene Meza expressed confusion at McDonnell’s ideas.

“I don’t understand how that makes sense,” she said. “It’s the 21st century and we have equal gender rights. Calling women who have multiple roles ‘detrimental to society’ goes against American values.”

Both Meza and Papadopoulos said that, though they disagreed with the thesis, it was dated and would not affect their decision with regard to the election.

Lopez-Santana thought that the scandal would have an impact on the election.

“For those who did not have any information about him or who weren’t going to vote, this controversy will lead them to the polls—whether to vote for him or against him,” she said. “This is certainly relevant if we take into account the fact that voter turnout tends to be lower at the state level than in federal elections.”

Political Minute Sept. 21-25

Submit Your Questions to VA Gubernatorial Candidates

Deeds and McDonnell Duel in Fairfax

By Mason Votes Director Christian Smith

Virginia gubernatorial candidates Bob McDonnell (R) and Creigh Deeds (D) debated transportation, taxes, gay adoption rights and social issues this morning in McLean, Va. Throughout the debate, McDonnell tried to define himself as a friend of business, women and the economy while Deeds went negative, spending a great deal of time on defining his opponent as a foe of women and a flip-flopper.

Although McDonnell has tried to move past his recent thesis debacle, Deeds pressed the issue several times, inserting it into topics that seemingly had no association to the social themes discussed in the thesis.

On the issue of health care, McDonnell admitted that he and his family had spent years without health insurance while he was attending law school. “I think we have the greatest health care system in the world… and turning that over to the federal government… is absolutely the wrong thing to do,” said McDonnell who believes the answer lies in employee based health insurance and focusing incentives on prevention based care. Deeds, on the other hand said that he supports the president’s plan and individual mandates with exemptions for small business owners.

While both candidates promised they would not raise taxes if elected, they each insisted the other would need to do so in order to fund their agendas.

An unexpected moment occurred when Deeds said, “There’s a hint of racism in some of the opposition to President Obama that is crystal clear.”

McDonnell appeared relaxed and calm, Deeds’ stance was rigid and his responses abrasive. Overall, it appeared that McDonnell won the debate but his campaign will have to wait to see if they can relay that win to the larger Virginia audience. With Deeds trailing McDonnell in the polls that task might not be too difficult.

View the below videos to hear the candidates’ post-debate spin.

Political Minute Sept. 7-11

McDonnell Drops F-Bomb

By Mason Votes Director Christian Smith

In a WTOP interview last Friday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell dropped the F-bomb. “I’m going to find other ways to be able to fund transportation. I’ve outlined 12 f–king funding mechanisms that are creative, that are entrepreneurial,” said McDonnell.

Taylor Thornley, press assistant for the McDonnell campaign, made the following statement to Mason Votes today, “Long and short, the audio clip comes from a friendly conversation on-air between Bob McDonnell and Mark about transportation. At one point Bob was speaking quickly and in trying to say “funding mechanism”, he stumbled and accidentally said another word. It was an unfortunate stumble over the words, and Bob McDonnell apologizes for the mistake. Anyone who spends any time around Bob knows he does not use such language. It was an accident and it is that simple. However, I do want to note [Christian] that it does say a lot about the Deeds campaign that they would spend so much time and energy aggressively pushing this absolutely trivial matter to every blog and media outlet they can think of. It’s disappointing that they have so little regard for Virginia’s voters, and the issues that they care about.”

McDonnell audio from the blog “NotLarrySabato”

Biography of Bob McDonnell

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Bob McDonnell, 55, is the republican candidate for Governor of Virginia. According to his campaign website, McDonnell was raised in Fairfax County, graduated from Notre Dame in 1976 with a degree in management on a ROTC scholarship. He entered the Army and while stationed in Germany, he earned a masters in business administration from Boston University. After retiring from active duty in 1981, McDonnell moved to Atlanta to work for American Hospital Supply Corporation.

At Regent University, in Virginia Beach, McDonnell simultaneously earned a masters in public policy and communication and a law degree while working for the Virginia Pilot. In 1991, he was elected to the House of Delegates representing the 84th District. Then, in 2005, he ran against democrat Creigh Deeds for Attorney General and won by 323 votes.

McDonnell and his wife Maureen have five children.