Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds delivered a stump speech at George Mason University on August 21. The speech highlighted the state’s economic situation and the importance of higher education.
Author: Cay Smith
9:09 p.m.
Sunday’s Washington Post article detailing a Bob McDonnell thesis written in 1989 has caused a stir across the state. The paper, which was written for McDonnell’s master’s in public policy and law degree, was titled “The Republican Party’s Vision for the Family: The Compelling Issue of the Decade.”
According to a politico.com article, in an afternoon phone press conference, McDonnell insisted that he has changed his views on many social issues. Politico.com quotes him as saying “I think it’s unfortunate, but not surprising…that [Deeds] would turn to the divisive social issues to try to drive some enthusiasm for his campaign,” McDonnell said. “Senator Deeds, and I think this is the reason he is insisting on social issues on his campaign, has one of the worst records in recent Virginia history with supporting jobs and free enterprise.”
The Democrat Party of Virginia has also weighed in on the issue by releasing an ad bashing McDonnell for his thesis. The ad is set to scary music and as The Washington Post’s Rosalind Helderman writes “clips of puppies playing in a meadow would be frightening if set to the music used in this video.”
Initial McDonnell press release: Virginia Women Respond to Latest Deeds Attack
See what Mark Rozell, George Mason University political science professor, says about this.
Mason Votes will continue to update this story with the latest news.
Listen to Christian Smith review the top political news from the week of Aug. 24 in 60 seconds.
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Q: When is the next election?
A: The next election will be Tuesday, Nov. 2.
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By Mason Votes Director Christian Smith
According to the Associated Press, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) died of brain cancer late Tuesday night at the age of 77. He will be reposed at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, followed by a funeral mass in the same city. He will be buried this Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery.
Photo by flickr user diggersf
By Mason Votes Correspondent Denise Baken
In the hours before the Health Care Reform debate, long lines snaked around the front and back of South Lakes High School. Support and opposition forces huddled to strategize tactics in preparation of the Jim Moran- Howard Dean Town Hall on Health Care Reform.
The positions ran the gambit. Rhonda of Alexandria was in favor of reform. “Saving billions in prevention care rather than when paying when people get sick makes sense to me. And its more than just the care, when someone is sick, there are other costs to consider, like child care or missed work. This costs us too. I would rather pay for someone’s mammogram now than wait until they need cancer treatment later. I’m just asking logic”. Mac Cannon disagreed, “ We don’t need bigger government. This is too expensive. What we need is tort review. Our society is too litigious. Whether good idea or not, the economic situation precludes it for now.”
Moses McCall favored reform but wanted information. “I don’t understand all the options but a public option sounds good. The main reason we have problem is that Wall Street is influencing the rising cost of health care. We have the wrong incentives. A public options creates competition for better health care rather than more money for Wall Street.
Small business owners also disagreed on the issue. George and Cynthia Alexa felt that small business needed to know who would pay for the program if it passes. “Who will pay?” Cynthia asked. “Its my taxes. I have read some of the bill. But there are so many versions its hard to know what is really being offered. I don’t see how you can spend your way out of a recession.”
But Molly and Roy Ballard, new small business owners said, “ We just started our business and we can’t afford to offer health care as a benefit right now. We have a lawn care business and full-time employees who work very hard but have no health care. They have families. We are willing to pay a little extra for their right to care.”
Moran said he scheduled the Town Hall to provide his constituents with answers questions to their questions on the Health Care bill. Dean, former governor of Vermont, is also a practicing physician. A former presidential candidate, Dean ran on a platform that emphasized Health Care reform.
Initially only open to District 8 residents, news of the Town Hall apparently moved quickly. Some participants lined up as early as three in the afternoon. By the 7 PM start time, more than 2500 attendees filled Wendell G. Byrd Gymnasium. Chants of “Health care now” were met with responses of “Just say no.” The audience was diverse representing people of a variety of races, backgrounds, dress and age.
Moran and Dean entered to a cacophony of boos and cheers. Cheers of “What do we want? Health care!” “When do we want it? Now!” were countered by “Leave us alone”, “We can’t afford it“ and “Keep your hands off my health care.”
The two hour session opened with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance and closed with both Dean and Moran expressing appreciation for the lively debate
Moran addressed 11 “myths” associated with the bill offering text from the bill to counter.
When Dean was introduced, Randall Terry, a known opponent of health care reform, shouted down the former governor of Vermont. Terry was escorted out of the gymnasium but held an impromptu press conference outside to ensure his opinion on the public option and health care reform in general was heard. Howard Dean spoke briefly and then took questions from the audience. A lively exchange resulted. By the evening’s end, questions from constituents who opposed, those who supported and the undecided were asked.
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Steve Shannon is Virginia’s democratic candidate for Attorney General. In 1993, Shannon received his undergraduate degree in 1993 from Fairfield University, a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University in 1996 and a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1999.
A former, Fairfax County prosecutor, Shannon is special counsel to Odin, Feldman and Pittleman law firm and the representative of Virginia’s 35th District in the House of Delegates, a position he has held since his election in 2003.
Shannon and his wife Abigail have two children.
Photo by flickr user shannonforag.
Ken Cuccinelli is Virginia’s republican candidate for Attorney General and has a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia and a law degree from George Mason University. He represented the 37th district in the Virginia Senate since 2002.
He and his wife Teiro have seven children.
Jody Wagner is the democratic candidate for Virginia Lieutenant Governor. In 2002, she was appointed Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Virginia by then Governor Mark Warner and in 2006 she became the first woman to be appointed Secretary of Finance by Governor Tim Kaine.
Wagner has a undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University and a law degree from Vanderbilt University. In 2005, she and her husband, Alan, opened a gourmet popcorn business in Virginia Beach called “Jody.”
Wagner and her husband have four children.
Bill Bolling is the republican candidate for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor. He was the first person in his family to receive a college degree when he graduated in 1979 from the University of Charleston. Bolling was elected in 1991 to the Hanover County Board of Supervisors. Four years later, he was elected to the Virginia Senate and was then elected Lieutenant Governor in 2005. Bolling is also the Vice President of Riggs, Counselman, Michaels and Downes, an independent insurance agency.
Bolling and his wife Jean Ann have two children.