Questions Solicited for Next Debate

I just learned that the UVA Center for Politics is allowing the public to submit questions for the upcoming debate on October 9th. I'm sure if it has something to do with the I-66 Jerry will be happy to answer it! The deadline for submitting a question is October 7th.

Jerry Kilgore's Lockbox Moment...

Yesterday's debate between Lieutenant Governor Kaine and Mr. Kilgore was riveting...entertaining...disturbing. It seemed like everytime he couldn't think of a response, Kilgore mentioned widening I-66 (which, by the way, many residents in the affected area do not support). Let's think about that. The length of I-66 within the Beltway looks to be about 10 miles to me. That's less than 10% of the whole road. Woo woo. It reminded me of that famous Gore "lockbox" sketch on SNL. Kilgore's incessant bromides about transportation and his infantile accusations about Kaine's "code words" only served to magnify his deficiencies, not only as a candidate, but as a potential leader. How can he talk incessantly about spending Virginia's budgetary surplus while denigrating the measures that were taken to create it? Raising Kaine has some links to video of the debat-acle.

She's Unstoppable!

Once again, Arlington's Sonya Thomas has taken another title in competitive eating. This time, it's crabcakes, Hon! Of course, as a native Baltimorean, I am desperate to know if she had crackers and mustard too...

Resources, Resources

I love the Internet. Over the past dozen years or so it has never ceased to entertain and inform. One of the greatest things about it is the breadth of information we can now access with such ease. Here are a couple of neat resources you might find interesting. First, here's the splash page for the Library of Virginia, which can point you in all sorts of directions. For example, did you know that current Virginia lodging figures are up 4% over last year? (from the VTC Tourism Dashboard Newsletter) You can check out photos from the Virginia Room at the 1939 World's Fair. Or read summaries of legislative petitions that were recorded in your county between 1776 and 1865. Okay, maybe you aren't a history buff. That doesn't mean you don't want to find your own buried treasure on the Internet. Here's the site for Virginia's Unclaimed Property. I hope you get a windfall! Just remember to share...

Decode This, Jerry...

I read a really disturbing piece in the Politics section of Leesburg Today on Friday about how the Kilgore campaign was handing out plastic "Tim Kaine decoder rings" which are supposed to draw attention to some kind of issue they have with "code words" they perceive in Kaine's language. Decoder rings. Right. I thought it was a mistake, but then I read about them again in several other papers, including the Washington Times and The Free Lance-Star.

How is anybody supposed to take Jerry Kilgore seriously when he comports himself like this? Resorting to cheap metaphors. Nitpicking an opponent's word choices rather than addressing constructive ideas. Projecting and cultivating negativity. It's like he's running for Senior Class President, not Governor of a diverse and complicated Commonwealth. If you've given money to his campaign, I hope you are delighted that he spent it on cheap plastic.

The debates are coming. One televised, one not. I hope that Mr. Kilgore is ready to have every aspect of his discourse scrutinized. One has only to view the videos posted by the VFW to get scary a taste of that Gomer Pyle meets slightly-crazed hypnotist delivery of his. Of course, having a lousy speaking voice isn't such a big deal, it's his level of discourse that never reaches beyond 5th grade level that truly concerns me. We are adults here, looking to improve our quality of life. Sometimes that means making the hard choice and taking the difficult path to get the reward later. I'm not confident he gets that.

In addition to state management (an activity which Mr. Kaine can say he has been a part of, quite successfully) our Governor represents Virginia on the national stage and rubs elbows with high level corporate business interests to stimulate the economy. It's important that Virginians look beyond party affiliations to choose the person they think will be more effective at doing those things. Since it appears that Jerry Kilgore would rather play with toys than focus on the serious issues that face Virginians, since he consistently chooses to take the low road, I don't think it's him.

Why Virginia is Special # 3

Sonya Thomas from Alexandria must have an amazing metabolism, if she's able to eat 11 lbs. of lobster, when she's only 98 lbs. herself! Read more about her triumphs here on her website and find out why they call her the Black Widow.

Educating Virginia

I have been interested in the education plans that have recently rolled out from the Kilgore and Kaine campaigns. I'm providing some links before so you can read them and judge them for yourself. Personally, I think that Kaine's plan is more comprehensive. It's a little disturbing how everything that comes out of Kilgore's office has a Cliffs Notes kind of approach. A page or two of bullet points. Lots of white space. I guess it's easier to just skim the surface and not stick your neck out.

Kilgore's Plan

Kaine's Plan

From Manassas to Mars...

A Manassas-based company is expanding to develop an aircraft that can fly in the atmosphere of Mars. Pretty cool! Read about it in the Washington Business Journal.

How About Something Constructive, Mr. Kilgore?

Today's Washington Post covers Jerry Kilgore's decision to come out against subsidizing sites for day laborers. He also said he supports legislation that would allow authorities to detain illegal immigrants who are arrested and turn them over to immigration. Illegal immigration is obviously a very sensitive and complex issue. to which there are no easy answers. Unfortunately, Mr. Kilgore's comments do not offer any kind of constructive solution. It's worth noting the irony that Loudoun County Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling) appears to agree with Mr. Kilgore's position, since one would assume that day laborers are needed to complete all of those housing developments he and his Republican cronies have approved across the county.