Please support our Hobbit Hole Pocket knives for the troops project.Where's my ping?!? :-P
Monday pingage.
In a bit of Virginia political history. Tomorrow marks the 27th anniversary of Dick Obenshain's death in a campaign plane crash. Thus leading the way for John Warner to become U.S. Senator from Virginia.
Obenshain's daughter, Kate Obenshain Griffin is chair of the Virginia Republican Party. His son, Mark, is one of the good guys in the Virginia State Senate.
On a personal note, I don't remember the Obenshain plane crash very well. My dad died the day before (27 years ago today).
I know this the Va. Politics thread (I now live in Williamsburg, Va.), but I have to ask:
What is with all the vanity license plates in this state?
.........the only people who pay attention to the polls in July: politics junkies.
At least one Virginia gubernatorial debate will be televised, its organizers announced.
The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce said yesterday that the Sept. 13 debate between former Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, a Republican, and Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, will be televised live on NewsChannel 8.
As of yesterday, independent candidate H. Russell Potts Jr., had not been invited to participate in the debate.
Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," will moderate the debate, which will be held at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner. The debate is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
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By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2005; Page B09
RICHMOND, July 27 -- The political action committee representing Virginia's 35,000 Realtors endorsed Republican Jerry W. Kilgore for governor Wednesday, reversing its position from four years ago when it supported Mark R. Warner for the state's top job.
The group's chairman said its members believe that Kilgore will promote a better environment for their industry and the state's homeowners than Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine or Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. (R-Winchester), who is running as an independent.
"It was just more of a feeling that the group had that Kilgore was probably closer to how they perceived candidates should be toward our profession," said Schaefer Oglesby, a Realtor in Lynchburg. "It wasn't a clear-cut, he's against this or for that."
The association, which endorsed the Democratic candidate for governor in 1993 and split its endorsement between the major parties in 1997, interviewed all the candidates July 8 and met to make its decision two weeks later.
Oglesby said that several of the committee's members expressed deep concern about homeowner tax relief proposals from Kaine and Kilgore. Kaine would allow a 20 percent exemption for homes; Kilgore would cap assessment increases at 5 percent annually.
By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 22, 2005; Page B01
RICHMOND, July 21 -- Virginia ended its fiscal year with a $544 million surplus, powered by rising tax collections from a healthy real estate market and robust economy in the Washington suburbs, Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) announced Thursday.
But the rosy results for fiscal 2005, which ended June 30, intensified a debate among the candidates for governor over whether state politicians should have raised several taxes in 2004.
Republican candidate Jerry W. Kilgore said the outcome proves that Warner and lawmakers backing his plan should have waited for the economy to rebound before raising taxes. Democratic nominee Timothy M. Kaine, the lieutenant governor, supported the increases. He said Thursday that the tax increases, which amounted to $1.5 billion, were necessary to maintain the state's fiscal integrity.
< SNIP >
State officials said that most of the surplus for the budget, which totals $63 billion over two years, was generated by increased tax collections from residents who made money from stock market gains and other non-wage income. The state also benefited from growth in corporate income taxes and from revenue drawn from taxes and fees on real estate sales, largely in Northern Virginia, administration officials said.
Although the large surplus had been expected, this is the second consecutive year that Virginia has had a surplus in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
< SNIP >
Kilgore's press secretary, Tim Murtaugh, said that the surplus is proof that all state politicians had to do last year was wait for the economy to rebound. "This completely bears out everything Jerry Kilgore has been saying about the tax increase since it was first considered: that the economy would be turning around and that the tax increase was rushed and unnecessary," Murtaugh said.
< SNIP >
"We didn't need a tax increase that was that large," said House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem), who suggested that in light of the budget numbers, the General Assembly should consider lowering recordation fees that were raised last year.
Allen kicks off fundraising for '06 Senate race
By Christina Bellantoni
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
August 2, 2005
Sen. George Allen finds it hard to separate politics from football.
Ask Virginia's junior senator about his first campaign, and he quickly turns the conversation to what his father, Washington Redskins coach George Allen, told him when he won his first election in 1981.
"My father said, '... This is better than beating Dallas.' And when he said that, I knew that meant something to him, knowing how much he detested the Dallas Cowboys in those days," says Mr. Allen, 53.
He is quick to point out that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones "is a good friend" and former quarterback Roger Staubach "is a supporter, these days."
The Republican senator has been traveling the country raising funds for his re-election bid next year -- and quelling speculation about running for president in 2008. But football, either as a metaphor or the actual game, never strays far from his thoughts.
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20050801-115625-6222r.htm
(Bad picture of Senator Allen where the barber got carried away)
Kilgore cashing in on Bush fundraiser
By Christina Bellantoni
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
August 3, 2005
Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Jerry W. Kilgore, who raised $2.1 million at a recent fundraiser headlining President Bush, is using video footage from the event on his Web site to raise even more cash for the November election.
"I strongly endorse the candidacy of Jerry Kilgore because he is a down-to-earth fellow, who holds dear the values of Virginia," Mr. Bush said at the July 21 fundraiser, as shown on the video. "He's not going to change his values when he gets to be your governor. He will hold them close to his heart."
Mr. Bush appeared at the private dinner hosted by real estate developer Dwight Schar of McLean. About 100 attended, each donating between $15,000 and $100,000.
The Web site, www.jerrykilgore.com, features the video of the remarks Mr. Bush made before dinner and footage of Mr. Bush walking with Mr. Kilgore.
Continue: http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20050802-100519-8591r.htm