Delegate Lohr gets gubernatorial appointment

Delegate Matt Lohr (R-26) will be giving up his seat in the General Assembly to become Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Governor Bob McDonnell's office announced the appointment yesterday. Lohr is a three-term delegate. The 26th district includes Harrisonburg and northern parts of Rockingham County.

So, there will be an open seat and special election in the district. Surely, a part of the governor's calculations in the appointment is the fact the area leans Republican. However, Democrats have been gaining some ground, notably in Harrisonburg. The outcome could turn less on party and more on the strengths or weaknesses of the individual candidates and on their ability to bring out supporters in low-turnout contest. No word on anyone yet expressing interest, but the Democrats have several appealing possibilities. It will be interesting to see who steps up - in both parties. Game on!

That ain't chicken feed

The Virginia General Assembly will hold a special session today to deal with the aftermath of Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts that will require Virginia to modify laws so that forensic analysts are available to testify about scientific evidence. The Senate Courts of Justice committee finished work on a bill that requires prosecutors give the defense 28 days notice of intent to use scientific evidence. The defendant would then have 14 days to decide if the analyst will be called into court. The change will place a manpower and cost burden on forensic labs, but that is often the situation when living up to the demands of our Constitution including the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause.

Since that issue is likely resolved, the bigger story today will be Governor Tim Kaine's not-so-surprising announcement that the state's budget shortfall will be in the neighborhood of $1.3 billion. That ain't chicken feed. Kaine has told state agencies to make plans for spending cuts of 5%, 10%, and 15% by early September and those cuts, including elimination of some jobs, will likely roll into effect this fall. House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith and Governor Kaine find themselves in agreement - coming on top of previous budget reductions, these cuts "will be painful." The cumulative shortfall for the two-year budget is $3.7 billion!

Meanwhile, local school officials are saying federal stimulus funds helped them save jobs and programs and budget shortfalls won't be felt in classrooms. That's partly true but it is laced with chicken sh*t. I understand one smaller high school cut 11 sections of classes - and not because of declining enrollment. That translates into larger classes and some courses not be offered. Community colleges are looking at larger classes as well. Superintendents can talk, but talk is cheap. Those cuts will be paid for in the classroom.

Valley Republican delegates are going to push the General Assembly to find funding to reopen the interstate rest areas. They say delaying renovations at DMV headquarters will cover the costs of reopening and running the rest areas. Those renovations may be a wiser investment for long term efficiency of DMV, but they aren't as politically sexy for delegates facing challengers. Isn't it a bit hypocritical for the very delegates who blocked reliable funding for transportation to now be scratching through the grist and pecking at Governor Kaine over the rest areas?

Greg Marrow announces challenge

Dr. Greg Marrow, a resident of McGaheysville and a Harrisonburg optometrist, announced he will challenge Steve Landes for the 25th District House of Delegates seat. Marrow's announcement adds another district to the growing list of incumbent Republicans in the central Valley facing challenges. Jeff Price has been in the race to unseat Ben Cline in the 24th District for months. Gene Hart is challenging Matt Lohr in the 26th District. So far, no candidates have emerged to challenge Todd Gilbert in the 15th or Chris Saxman in the 20th, but there are rumors of at least one potential candidate considering a run against Saxman.

The 25th District includes portions of Rockingham and Augusta counties, the City of Waynesboro, and three western Albemarle precincts. Landes hasn't faced a serious challenge since he was first elected  in 1995. With unemployment rising (Waynesboro has reached nearly 8%), more Charlottesville area residents moving to eastern Augusta County and Waynesboro, and frustration with the ultra-partisan GOP leadership in House of Delegates, Marrow will find an opening in even in the most conservative parts of the sprawling district. He says a cornerstone of this campaign will be encouraging economic development and helping manufacturers to use green/alternative energy to grow their businesses and create jobs.

Landes, who one observer at his pre-session town hall meetings described as looking "tired and uninspired," broke ranks and angered conservative Republicans with his support for the smoking ban in restaurants. Then, marching to the party line and trying to cover his own seat, he voted in support of the gerrymander.

But, before becoming the Democratic candidate, Dr. Marrow may face a challenge for the nomination. According to the grist mill, James Noel of Mount Sidney is circulating petitions - so far, he's made no official announcement that's been reported by the media.

Blue Risin'

Success breeds success. With Virginia voting Democratic in a presidential election for the first time since 1964, electing a second Democrat as U.S. Senator, and holding a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives, there is optimism about continuing the blue risin' in November '09. A few examples:

Speaker of the House of Delegates, Bill Howell, will face an opponent for the 28th District seat. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman George Schwartz announced that he will run for the Virginia House of Delegates. Schwartz said:

"My term as supervisor is coming to a close. I think I've accomplished what I set out to do. I have every confidence that the board will continue on the track it is presently on next year, and the time is right to take on this next challenge."

As speaker, Bill Howell hasn't been quite the Darth Vader that his predecessor was, but sometimes it is close. At any rate, on the key partisan issues, House Republicans usually march in carefully controlled lockstep to Howell's marching orders. Signs of a crack - some GOP delegates (along with some tobacco Democrats) watered down the restaurant smoking ban agreed to by Governor Kaine and Speaker Howell.

There will be an open seat 52nd District. Jeff Frederick who wears three hats - delegate, Virginia GOP chair, and dunce - announced he won't seek reelection. He's pushing his wife, Amy, to run for the seat. Many observers think this Prince William district, which is trending Democratic and embarrassed by Frederick's strange behaviors, will flip this year.

Here, in the most Republican area of the commonwealth, the central Shenandoah Valley, it looks like Republicans will face challenges in most districts.

In the 24th District, Jeff Price has been on the campaign trail for months and appears to be the likely nominee to take on Ben Cline. Price is a businessman and family man whose wife is a school teacher. From what I can tell, Price wasn't too political in the past, at least not in a partisan way. But, he became frustrated with the extreme Republican dogma, gridlock in the House of Delegates, and with the inept representation provided by Cline. He's run an energetic and creative campaign for the past six months meeting with small groups in Amherst, Rockbridge, and Augusta.

In the 26th District that comprises Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham, Gene Hart is taking on Matt Lohr. Like Cline, Lohr is a party line type guy. Hart calls for "Leadership That Works" which seems to mean ending partisanship and seeking practical solutions. Hart is an attorney with a solo practice in Harrisonburg and his wife is a special education teacher.

In the 25th District, Steve Landes will certainly face an opponent - two Democrats are apparently seeking the nomination which will be decided at the June 9 primary when the statewide candidates will be chosen. James Noel began gathering signatures on petitions a month or so ago and has visited local committees. More recently, Dr. Greg Marrow has expressed interest in running; he's a laser eye surgeon and a cofounder of Seven Generations. The 25th includes Waynesboro and the NE part of Augusta, eastern Rockingam, and a few western Albemarle precincts. Noel is from Augusta; Marrow from Rockingham.

The 20th District includes Staunton, Highland, parts of Augusta and Rockingham, including Bridgewater and Massanetta Springs. At this point, the very partisan incumbent, Chris Saxman, is unopposed as no Democrat has announced intentions to run. Not too surprising since the 20th is a gerrymandered district with solid Republican leanings in the rural areas. But, Democrats point to Staunton becoming increasingly blue and inroads in other areas as well. Some local party activists are hopeful that Bruce Elder might jump into the race. It sounds enticing, but Elder seems to be enjoying his influential role on Staunton City Council. While other names have surfaced and one individual seems to be actively weighting the pros/cons, there haven't been any announcements. Yet!

Similar Democratic activity can be found around the state and there is a good chance many Republican delegates will face real opposition. All of which bodes well for the Democrats picking up the half dozen seats necessary to control the House of Delegates.

Bowing at the Alter

In what has become an annual pilgrimage, a host of legislators bowed at the alter of Dean Welty and the Valley Family Forum at their annual "Unveiling" last Friday. Attending werethe predictable Republicans: Del. Matt Lohr of Broadway, Del. Steve Landes of Weyers Cave, Del. Chris Saxman of Staunton, Del. Ben Cline of Rockbridge, Sen. Mark Obenshain of Harrisonburg, and Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel of Winchester. Noticeably absent was Sen. Emmett Hanger who, while he may agree on some issues, is clearly not in lockstep with this crowd . Todd Gilbert was also a no-show.

According to Welty, the mission of the Valley Family Forum is

"Our purpose is no different tonight than [in years past]. Our purpose is to defend and rebuild the moral foundation of the nation. Unless we rebuild the foundation that protects our culture, we cannot survive."

No real specifics there, but one can assume they want to ban all abortions, give vouchers or tax breaks for private schools and home schoolers, support abstinence-only sex education, promote prayer in public school, make their God a player in public policy.

So, what did the legislators offer up? Off-shore oil drilling. Anti-union legislation. Kicking Planned Parenthood out of sex education classes. Requiring parental permission for students to join clubs.

I guess off-shore drilling might connect to families by providing some jobs, but it is difficult to see the relationship to VFF goals. How about green jobs like might be provided by wind power? Unions are anti-family? Huh? So, because you disagree with organization's stand on choice/abortion, the state shouldn't work with Planned Parenthood in preventing teen pregnancy? That's hardly productive solution!

Some of the ideas made some sense, but probably aren't high on the VFF wish list. Lohr suggested easing some mandates of SOLs and NCLB because of the coming budget cuts to public schools. And, Landes' idea about donating unused medications to free clinics has merit and should be explored.

Read more at the DNR and check out the long list of comments in their online forum. Make your own comment. Those comments and common sense tell us the "family values" pushed by Valley Family Forum are out of the mainstream of many families in the Shenandoah Valley and most people in the Commonwealth. We can hope that, as they make decisions affecting us all, legislators will listen to the other voices that make up their constituencies. 

Breaking Eggs

Jeff Price, Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates, District 24, held a roundtable on education issues with teachers in the Rockbridge/Lexington area. I haven't heard much about the discussion, but Jeff is to be applauded for getting an early start learning about one of the most complex and expensive parts of state government. SOLs, LCI, NCLB... it goes on and on. Kudos to Jeff and the folks who took time to meet with him.

A. Gene Hart is seeking the nomination to challenge Matt Lohr for the House of Delegates, District 26. Hart is a Harrisonburg attorney who graduated from UVA Law School and is a veteran. Hart has just started raising campaign contributions and putting together an organization.

Rumors persist that Democrats will field candidates to challenge Chris Saxman and Steve Landes. Guess potential candidates sense the blue tide rising!

The Sixth District Democratic Committee meets tonight and there is rumor of a potential candidate to challenge Bob Goodlatte in 2010 will speak. The echo chamber has the name of Drew Richardson bouncing off the walls. You'll recall that Drew joined the 2008 nomination battle against Sam Rasoul rather late in the game. He got little traction among party activists, in fact, some of the tactics he and his rookie campaign manager used angered many. Rasoul left the door open to another run... for something. So, if Richardson or someone else announces tonight, it will be a shot across his bow, a warning that he's already had his run at the office.

In a related story, Rick Howell, a former member of the Sixth District Committee, used his pen to smack Sam Rasoul after the fact. Howell, who claims to be a Democrat, worked tirelessly to undermine Rasoul since before he was nominated. I suspect the publication of this half baked commentary on the same day that the committee expects to hear from a candidate is more than just happenstance. It would be very interesting if Rick appeared at the meeting - some on the committee are hinting at a resolution booting him from the party. Bigger gonads than Democrats in the U.S. Senate?

Where in the world is Chris?

Where's Chris? Chris Saxman, that is.

Delegate Saxman has been AWOL since his man, McCain, took a drubbing in Virginia last Tuesday. Not only did Virginia go Democratic for the first time since 1964 under his leadership, Saxman's hometown, Staunton turned blue.

Saxman was co-chair of McCain's campaign and had spent weeks discounting the polls and justifying the negative robo-calls that, in the end, may have done more harm than good. He'd dropped the hint that a job in a McCain administration sounded good and he was more than willing to give up his seat in the House of Delegates.

Out at the grist mill there is talk about Delegate Saxman not really being interested in representing this district, but sees it as a stepping stone. He floated his name as a potential candidate for U.S. Senate - that was mostly about getting play in the media and buzz among GOP activists. He's boxed in by Bolling running for Lt. Governor again - yep, Chris really wanted to run for that. With nowhere to go that met his ego, Chris hoped McCain would whisk him away to the nation's capitol.

There is also talk about Saxman being one of the least liked legislators by his colleagues in Richmond. Perhaps it is his self-righteous attitude. There's a hint of arrogance and an unwillingness to compromise. Perhaps that is why he isn't considered a very effective as a legislator.

Residents who journey to Richmond to be citizen-lobbyists report that when pressed on issues with which he disagrees, he is known to change the topic to something totally irrelevant or cut the meeting short - disrespecting his own constituents. He is right and his mind is set in stone, so why waste his valuable time in discussion?

So, as the parties eye the 2009 elections, the speculation that he'll have an opponent isn't too surprising. One name that surfaces is Bruce Elder who previously challenged Saxman and has built a resume on Staunton City Council. There is also talk, without a name as yet, of an individual from Bridgewater who is interested.

It appears Republicans will be challenged throughout their stronghold in the Shenandoah Valley. Jeff Price of Amherst Co. has already announced he'll challenge Ben Cline. And, most Democrats, seeing Valley cities turning blue, expect to nominate candidates to challenge Matt Lohr and Steve Landes as well.

Early prediction: although Democrats won't bump off all of these entrenched incumbents, their new-found strength in Virginia increases their odds of capturing control of the House of Delegates. Stay tuned.

Jeff Frederick is a jerk

Jeff Frederick is chair of the Virginia GOP. Elected about five months ago, Frederick was known as a firebrand. He won with the strong support of the most conservative elements of the state party including many from the Valley - Scott Sayre, Anne Taetzsch, Chris Darden, Jim Crosby, Audrey Berkshire, and others.

Last week, while trying to motivate volunteers, Jeff Frederick threw out lies that are the red meat of hate and racism. A reporter from Time recorded the events:

With so much at stake, and time running short, Frederick did not feel he had the luxury of subtlety. He climbed atop a folding chair to give 30 campaign volunteers who were about to go canvassing door to door their talking points — for instance, the connection between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden: "Both have friends that bombed the Pentagon," he said. "That is scary."

The hopped up volunteers responded by repeating more lies

"And he won't salute the flag," one woman added, repeating another myth about Obama. She was quickly topped by a man who called out, "We don't even know where Senator Obama was really born." Actually, we do; it's Hawaii.

As Frederick's comments have spread across the national media, the Virginia GOP has become the laughing stock of the nation. Or, more like the leper of the nation.

Newspapers from east to west across the Commonwealth have been critical. From The Roanoke Times:

One might expect that type of dangerous rant to be blasted on talk radio, but it falls far beneath the level of respectability that people expect of their state political leaders. The McCain campaign criticized Frederick's remarks. As for Frederick, he remains unapologetic. His tenure as chairman truly must be scary for Virginia Republicans.

More from The Virginian Pilot:

In the five months since he took over the GOP apparatus, Frederick has shown himself to be desperate for attention. He took a cheap shot at House Speaker Bill Howell, the Assembly's leading Republican, for trying to work with Democrats in drafting a transportation package. A few weeks ago, he made a baseless statement about voting registration irregularities around the commonwealth. All Frederick has accomplished is to show why he should not be taken seriously.

Now is the time for the Virginia Republican Party to fire their chairman. Jeff Frederick is a drain on the party and is diminishing McCain's chances in the state every day he remains as chair. Jeff Frederick is tarnishing all Virginians with his racist and hateful bile. Jeff Frederick is an embarrassment to all who love our democracy.

So, will people like Anne Taetzsch, Chris Saxman, Matt Lohr, Chris Darden, and other prominent Valley Republicans move to oust Frederick? Or, by their continued silence, will they condone his brand of ugly and hate filled politics?