Free Republic

Undaunted by the heat, James Bailey spent his late-summer afternoons walking Virginia's bleakest neighborhoods on the hunt for ex-cons — each a potential voter who might cast the decisive ballot in this hotly contested state. Finding them isn't the hard part. It's getting them to admit that a past mistake has kept them from the ballot box... Nationally, there are roughly 4 million released felons whose convictions have cost them the right to vote at least temporarily, if not permanently. To return to the ballot box, felons must negotiate suffrage laws that vary from state to state, in many cases...

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has granted voting rights to nearly 1,500 felons this year, bumping up the voter rolls ahead of next month's presidential election and putting himself on pace to exceed the record-setting pattern of his predecessor. During his four years as governor, Mark Warner, a Democrat now running for the U.S. Senate, restored voting rights to 3,414 ex-convicts in Virginia. That exceeded the combined total for all Virginia governors during the previous 20 years, according to the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Excerpt..... A new policy banning Virginia State Police chaplains from saying Jesus,’ Christ’ during prayer is stirring up a lot of controversy. Six chaplains have already resigned over the issue. “In the bible it says to pray in Jesus name,” said Charlotte Ryan, Johnson City, Tennessee resident. Claude Duncan from Johnson City is also against the prayer policy change. “I think it’s a terrible thing that they would create such a thing that would deny us the privilege of praying in the name of our savor, Jesus Christ,” Duncan said. We found strong opposition on Monday to a decision.........

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly “in Jesus’ name.” Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict “non-sectarian” prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers. House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith and Delegate Charles W. Carrico, (R-Grayson) both issued public statements defending the chaplains, questioning Governor Kaine’s role in terminating the chaplains, and vowing to...

Controversy stirs over state police ruling on prayer By CHELYEN DAVIS [in the Free-Lance Star newspaper of Fredericksburg, VA] http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/092008/09262008/413698 Date published: 9/26/2008 RICHMOND-- A Fredericksburg court case has set off a flurry of accusations between Republicans and Democrats over public prayer. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a Fredericksburg City Council ban on referring to Jesus Christ in public prayers that open council meetings. So Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steve Flaherty directed state police chaplains to avoid references to Christ in their public prayers--they were told to use nondenominational prayers in public, although they could...

I want to let you know about an important opportunity to bring Virginia-style leadership that will change Washington. Glenn Nye is the Democratic Nominee for Congress in the Second District of Virginia, and bringing him to Washington will make a huge difference in creating the change our nation needs. I've been proud to support and campaign with Glenn, and I'm asking you to join me today. Glenn is a unique candidate who truly fits his district. He is a fifth-generation Second District resident and former Foreign Service officer who volunteered to serve in conflict zones in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq....

Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic Party chairman and head of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, is weighing a run for Virginia governor next year. Mr. McAuliffe, 51, a frequent TV commentator and Democratic spokesman, fanned rumors at the party's nominating convention in Denver when he talked to Virginia delegates, then declined to rule out a run when speaking with reporters. A top McAuliffe aide, Tracy Sefl, said Wednesday that Mr. McAuliffe has been "inundated" by well-wishers in the state urging him to run. "He's really flattered, and his position is the same, that he's not ruling out anything,"...

(This is from an email forwarded to me that allegedly came from a local pastor. I have followed up with the pastor personally, and he confirmed that the email was indeed originally sent by him, and accurately represents his experience. Even though he did not specifically ask me to do this, I have redacted the most easily identifying information - but I will provide it to folks who FReepmail me with a specific request for it.) Gentlemen, I never write mass emails and am repulsed by hyped up causes that are emailed to me. But I am writing to you...

The Talk Shows Sunday, September 7th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Obama chief strategist David Axelrod and McCain campaign manager Rick Davis.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Republican presidential nominee John McCain.THIS WEEK (ABC): Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.LATE EDITION (CNN) : Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas; Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs; McCain economic adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer.

John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin was a bold move. Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty may have made more sense from a strategic point of view. Palin was such an unexpected and historic choice that it totally big foots the media train around Obama's nomination train. No one is talking about Obama's speech and nomination. It's as if last night didn't happen. Palin has strong social conservative credentials, is the darling of the evangelical and pro-life movement, and, is a woman. That is much more than enough to re-energize the right-wing, bring out the Republican faithful, and, wedge more than...

Gov Kaine, on Fox New Sunday, claimed that Virginia (his state) borders Delaware - on the Eastern Shore. It does not. Maryland gets in the way of that border.

The Talk Shows Sunday, August 24th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Govs. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Bill Ritter, D-Colo.; Robert Gibbs, Obama campaign spokesman.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Caroline Kennedy, co-chair, Obama's vice presidential search committee; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Govs. Kathleen Sebelius, D-Kan., and Ed Rendell, D-Pa.; Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill. THIS WEEK (ABC): David Axelrod, Obama campaign senior adviser; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.LATE EDITION (CNN) : Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; Gov. Janet Napolitano, D-Ariz.; Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Rep. James...

But Does His Flight To Denver Have A Springfield Layover? Governor Tim Kaine is not at the Governor's Mansion, instead, according to the Associated Press, he is in Washington, D.C., visiting George Washington University. Kaine is scheduled to leave tonight for the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine have been told by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign they will not be his vice presidential choice, NBC News reported on Friday quoting sources.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama prepared to name his running mate, perhaps as early as Friday, from a small field o0f candidates that included at least one dark horse.

Andrea Mitchell said at the opening of the show that both Kaine and Bayh were told by the Obama campaign that they were not the V-P. She also intimated that it would be Biden and that Biden had yet to be told no.

Governor Tim Kaine is not like Kansas Governor Katherine Sebellius, an openly dissident Catholic also rumored as being considered by Senator Obama. During her campaign for Governor she counted among her supporters notorious late term abortionist George Tiller! Her public support of unrestricted abortion as a “right” has properly earned her the public ecclesial reprimand of her Bishop. No, Governor Tim Kaine takes the ‘Mario Cuomo’ doublespeak approach (personally opposed but…) to abortion, but without the abrasive New York manner and with a unique use of the popular term “faith based”. He says he has a “faith based opposition” to...

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Hope Ditto report: Obama V.P. prospect and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine mocked Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Thursday for not knowing exactly how many houses he owns. "I understand that Sen. McCain was asked yesterday this question, 'how many houses do you own?,' and he couldn't answer that question. He couldn’t count high enough apparently to even know how many houses he owns," said Kaine. Time Magazine's The Page has the video. Watch it here. Kaine, who made his remarks on CNN's "American Morning," was referring to an interview that the presumptive Republican nominee gave...

Would you vote for your cousin if he or she ran for president? Barack Obama hopes so. Today, he told a small group of supporters in Virginia that he may be related to them. While describing his family’s background, he said, “You trace back my family on my mother’s side: Scots Irish. There are a whole bunch of those folks here in Virginia,” he said. “All right. So ya'll didn't know, but we may be cousins.”

After a day of campaigning in Virginia, Barack Obama is overnighting in Richmond tonight as the guest of Gov. Tim Kaine, Politico has learned from Old Dominion sources.

Sen. Barack Obama has added a Lynchburg appearance with Sen. Jim Webb to his pass through Virginia this Wednesday. Webb and Obama will hold a town hall meeting with voters, which will focus on improving the economy and Obama's plans for a tax cut for middle-class families and $4,000 in college tuition tax credits, according to the campaign. The event is free and open to the public. Earlier Wednesday, Obama and former Gov. Mark R. Warner will visit Martinsville. There, they will meet with workers and families who have been affected by what the Obama campaign calls the "failed trade...

Only Sen. Barack Obama knows who he is going to pick for his vice president. Well, that is probably not exactly true. The two Davids’ (Axelrod and Plouffe) and wife Michelle probably know as well. The Drudge Report is suggesting that Obama's pick might become public as early as Tuesday, Aug. 19. In celebration of that event, Drudge is running a poll for readers to guess who that nominee will be, with Sen. Evan Bayh, Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Sen. John Kerry, Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn and a wild card making the Drudge short...

Obama Appears Ready to Announce His Running Mate By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama has all but finalized his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate roll-out plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, followed by a trip to swing states by the new Democratic ticket, aides said. Mr. Obama’s deliberations remain remarkably closely held. Aides said perhaps a half-dozen advisers were involved in the final discussions in an effort to enforce a command that Mr. Obama issued to staff: that his decision...

The Talk Shows Sunday, August 17th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; former Gov. Tom Ridge, R-Pa.; Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; White House press secretary Dana Perino.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Govs. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and Tim Kaine, D-Va.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn. THIS WEEK (ABC): Defense Secretary Robert Gates; former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.; former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.LATE EDITION (CNN) : Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Reps. Eric...

Last night on MSNBC's Countdown the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza joined Keith Olbermann to analyze Barack Obama's choice of running mate. Cillizza, who wrote a companion post today titled, "The Case for Joe Biden," argues that the process of elimination has left Joe Biden as the hottest candidate (and possibly the only candidate) left in the pool. Senator Evan Bayh, Olbermann reasoned, might be eliminated because if he did become Vice President, his state's Governor is a Republican who would select a Republican to succeed Bayh. As for Kaine--as Tommy Christopher posted earlier--the announcement that former Virginia Governor and current...

Virginia's cash crunch is going from bad to worse, possibly shorting the state budget another $1 billion and forcing more cuts in services and layoffs. Ahead of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's much-anticipated revenue report to the General Assembly on Monday, lawmakers from both parties are predicting the shortfall for the current two-year, $77 billion budget could reach or surpass $1 billion.

  Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine who is under consideration as a possible running mate for Barack Obama gave the Senator credit for the Russian ceasefire in Georgia.From ABC News' Jake Tapper."The Senator's goal was to be tough and smart," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, "and so when the action (in Georgia) happened on Thursday, he immediately called for a ceasefire, condemned the unwarranted use of force by Russia.  It was a bad crisis for the world.  It required tough words, but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in --...

The choice of former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner to give the Tuesday night keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention is likely to spark a fresh round of speculation about Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential choice. Warner's selection is unlikely to be good news for current Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who has been a finalist for the running mate job. The prospect of two Virginia governors giving speeches on successive nights at the convention is thought to be unlikely. Obama's running mate, whoever it is, is scheduled to give the keynote on Wednesday. A source close to Kaine said...

Like Jim Geraghty, I think Tim Kaine would make an excellent running mate for Barack Obama. Why, he already has imbibed fully of The One’s Kool-Aid with his analysis of the purpoted Russian cease-fire this morning. Kaine told Fox News that he was glad that Russia listened to Obama’s demand for a cessation of its attack on Georgia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0njdTjo0b4A&eur It was a bad crisis for the world. It required tough words but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in. And I’m very, very happy that the Senator’s request for a ceasefire has been complied...

At least 29 states plus the District of Columbia, including several of the nation’s largest states, faced an estimated $48 billion in combined shortfalls in their budgets for fiscal year 2009 (which began July 1, 2008 in most states.) At least three other states expect budget problems in fiscal year 2010. In general, states closed these budget gaps through some combination of spending cuts, use of reserves or revenue increases when they adopted a fiscal year 2009 budget. At this point in the year, most states have already adopted those budgets; only two states — California and Michigan — continue...

ABC News' Jan Crawford Greenburg reports: It was just last week that the McCain VP hysteria was at a fever pitch, after a couple news outlets breathlessly speculated that his running mate selection was imminent. This week, it was an uncharacteristic media blitz around Tim Kaine, after a page one story in the Washington Post that he'd told associates he was on Obama's "short-list" for VP. The Virginia Governor then made the rounds with TV and radio interviews. But before everyone gets ready to anoint Tim Kaine as Obama's VP, consider this startling fact, which has some of the liberal...

McCain’s tough new “celebrity” ad campaign, designed to portray Obama as an empty suit who — like Paris Hilton — is devoid of substance, is the first part of a broader strategy that ultimately could have ramifications for McCain’s VP selection.The campaign will continue to hit hard that Obama is not an agent of change — but a man who merely plays to his audience and is unwilling to risk losing his adoring crowds by making the tough decisions. This is only the first volley, sources close to McCain tell ABC News.There’s a bigger point — and this initial...

<p>As the short lists of potential running mates for John McCain and Barack Obama grow shorter, an intriguing but somewhat unexpected question has emerged: Who would be the worse selection? Mitt Romney or Tim Kaine?</p> <p>Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia seem to have emerged as among the most likely vice presidential choices for their party’s nominees. But both men exacerbate the greatest weaknesses of Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama, respectively, rather than addressing them.</p>

So the news is that Barack Obama will pick Tim Kaine, possibly to the Democrat party ticket as VP. As we all know, Barack Osama has a mere 3 years in the senate. Tim Kaine has more experience than Obama, 4 years as governor of Virginia. I know this would be a pretty novice ticket, but how novice? To find a ticket this inexperienced, I had to go back far, even past Peanut Farmer, as at least his VP, Walter Mondale had 12 years as Senator and 4 years Minnesota AG. The most recent ticket with as little experience as...

<p>RICHMOND (AP) | The chairman of Virginia's Republican Party on Monday sought a statewide probe of what he said was voter registration fraud across a battleground state in this year's presidential race.</p> <p>The chairman, Delegate Jeffrey M. Frederick, Prince William Republican, decried a "widespread problem across the commonwealth" after the arrests of three people last week in Hampton on election fraud charges. He urged Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, a Republican, to begin a statewide investigation.</p>

Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia dodged questions about joining the Obama ticket. Critics speculate on the experience question. Will Kaine bring a new perspective to the race and more importantly is Virgina wrapped up?News Articles on Kaine:Kaine sidesteps VP questions MSNBCVa. Gov. Kaine A Focus In Obama VP Search CBS NewsRepublicans Should Be So Lucky To Face Obama-Kaine National Review OnlineReport- Virginia Gov. Kaine Emerging on Top of Obama’s Short List Fox NewsFirst thoughts- Raising Kaine MSNBCVeepstakes- Kaine's stock up, Hillary's down MSNBCThe Note- Obama, McCain Winnow Veep’s Lists ABC NewsObama meets on No. 2 pick- Kaine? Biden? Bayh? ReutersSources-...

Has Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine's chances of landing the coveted spot as Obama's Veep risen? According to stories at both The Politico and the Washington Post Kaine has risen to the level of serious contender, along with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden. The WaPo story has close Kaine associates acknowledging that Kaine has told them that he has had "very serious" conversations with Obama about joining the ticket.

Virginia governor Tim Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine. . . . Aides to Kaine declined to comment about the possibility that Obama might pick him, referring all questions to the senator's campaign. "The governor has been pretty clear from the beginning, when Senator Obama asked him to be a national co-chair, that any conversation he has with the campaign, on any topic, are conversations...

As Senator Barack Obama turns to the choice of his running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has emerged as one of the campaign’s potential finalists, sources familiar with conversations in Richmond and in Chicago said. Kaine, an early Obama supporter whose biography nicely dovetails with the Illinois senator’s, "ranks very, very high on the short list," said a source who has spoken recently to senior Obama aides about Kaine. Kaine "is getting a critical examination," the source said.

With one word -- no -- Tim Kaine could end the overwrought musings about his presumed vice-presidential ambitions. Because he hasn't, assume that he -- unlike Mark Warner and Jim Webb -- is hot to trot with Barack Obama.

Terry McAuliffe is known for being loyal. As Hillary Clinton’s longtime friend and campaign manager, he battled on her behalf until the bitter end of her long quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. So the former Democratic Party chair made waves this week after he told a crowd of Virginia Democrats the politician he thinks Barack Obama should choose as his vice presidential running mate. It wasn’t Clinton –- a possible clue that the Senator from New York has been bumped from Obama’s list of potential VPs. If you needed a clue. Instead, according to the Falls Church News-Press, McAuliffe...

"They've done real well the past few years," Wilkins said of House Republicans. "I was disappointed when they let Mark Warner talk them into a tax increase" -- a reference to the $1.4 billion rise for cops, schools and welfare that led to the Warner presidential boomlet. That increase in 2004 might not have occurred had Howell not looked the other way. He allowed several Republican anti-taxers to duck a do-or-die vote in the Finance Committee on the Warner package, clearing the way for passage. During Wilkins' brief reign, one usually got the impression the trains were running on time....

Get Kathy Phillips talking about oil exploration off the Mid-Atlantic, and she conjures a scene right out of the Gulf of Mexico, with drilling platforms, pipelines and pumping stations overwhelming the shoreline. "People here on the East Coast don't have a clue what it means to have offshore drilling," said Phillips, an environmental activist with the Assateague Coastal Trust. "It's dirty business. The water is dirty, and your beaches end up being dirty, and you're dealing with globules of oil and globs of tar. "I'm not even talking about oil spills. I'm talking about day-to-day operations." With energy costs continuing...

There continues to be a lot of talk about who the presumptive nominees will pick as their No. 2's.  Today, the GOPNation.com makes our top three predictions for each candidate.  John McCain In no particular order, the top and final three are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, and former Rep. Ron Portman (OH).   Romney brings to the table lots of money and the ability to raise a lot more for the Republican Party.  His drawback: would McCain really want a former adversary for VP?  At this point in the race, McCain might have no other choice. ...

Good news today from Virginia on offshore drilling. HB6006, a bill that would allow vital oil and natural gas exploration off the Virginia coastline, passed the House of Delegates by 56 to 39. The bill would also use the revenue from the offshore drilling to help pay for Virginia's transportation needs. With Congress refusing to take action to drill here and drill now, it's nice to see the states take some initiative. Delegate Chris Saxman, the bill's author, said this in a press release: “Though federal officials will ultimately decide whether to lift the ban on offshore drilling, it is...

Information Alert: Tax Hikes Averted this Time The General Assembly’s special tax session adjourned around 1:35 this morning with no new tax or fee increases passing. After a day of political gamesmanship, harsh partisan rhetoric and exercises in parliamentary gymnastics, all of the major tax proposals eventually met their demise. The fireworks started early when the House Rules committee met suddenly and voted to send Governor Kaine’s tax hike proposal to the floor. This came a week and a half after the same committee killed the same bill, and after the Governor and House Democrats complained that the process wasn’t...

The Virginia General Assembly yesterday began its latest special session to deal with the state's transportation problems. Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine wants to raise $1 billion per year for transportation through an increase in the motor vehicle sales tax, higher registration fees and a 1-cent sales tax increase for purchases in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads on everything except food and medicine. Mr. Kaine's plan also includes creation of what looks like a huge boondoggle to benefit the politically well-connected. It is called a "Transportation Change Fund," and it would pay for mass transit and rail projects, telecommuting and ride-sharing,...

Civic and social organizations

ROANOKE | The Virginia Lottery has taken in millions of dollars illegally by misrepresenting the prize money available for its "Scratcher" games, according to a Washington & Lee University business professor. Scott Hoover contends that the lottery has not ordered retailers to pull shipments of tickets from Scratcher games after the top prizes have been awarded, meaning players are buying tickets with no chance of winning the largest prize promised on the ticket. John Fishwick, an attorney representing Mr. Hoover, has filed a notice of a claim with the lottery seeking refunds of $84.7 million to those who purchased an...

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) - If not for "Meet The Press" and its host, Tim Russert, Jim Webb figures he may not be a United States senator. And a debate moderated by the NBC newsman who died Friday was a turning point in Democrat Timothy M. Kaine's campaign for governor. Both candidates fondly recalled Russert on Saturday at the Virginia Democratic Convention and acknowledged his role in pivotal moments in their 2005 and 2006 campaigns. Webb said his September 2006 appearance alongside Republican Sen. George Allen on "Meet The Press" was the turning point in his narrow, come-from-behind victory over Allen...