Bill Bolling Is Point Man on McDonnell Jobs Package

When Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was elected governor last November, and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling was re-elected, McDonnell stated that Bolling would be in charge of McDonnell’s plan to bring more jobs to the Commonwealth.  In order to finance the plan, McDonnell’s administration has put forward a $50 million plan to finance more economic development in Virginia.  Bolling will now also be in charge of shepherding McDonnell’s plan through the legislature.

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Bob McDonnell – Expressing America’s TRUE Values

On Wednesday Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell delivered the GOP response to Barack Obama’s 2010 State of the Union address.  You can view the speech here:

McDonnell’s message will prove important because he expressed the ideas upon which this great nation were founded and those ideas which have made our nation the greatest on earth.  While Obama wishes to continue throwing hard earned tax dollars (and even more money borrowed from the likes of Communist China) at problems, McDonnell’s message was one of self-reliance, self-sacrifice, liberty, and innovation:

Good government policy should spur economic growth, and strengthen the private sector’s ability to create new jobs.  We must enact policies that promote entrepreneurship and innovation, so America can better compete with the world.  What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class.  It was Thomas Jefferson who called for “A wise and frugal Government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry ….and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned…” He was right.

Today, the federal government is simply trying to do too much.

While most Democrats and far too many Republicans seek enhanced personal and corporate power through the overreaching hand of government, McDonnell’s message was one reminiscent of Ronald Reagan:

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McDonnell Proposes End to Term Limit

Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell has proposed amending the Virginia constitution to allow a governor to succeed him (or her) self).  Currently, Virginia is the only state that prohibits a governor from serving two (or more) consecutive terms.

While I whole heartedly support McDonnell and his proposals to change the Commonwealth’s budget calendar and his request to the US Department of Interior to allow oil and gas exploration off of Virginia’s coast, this proposal needs to move to the FAR back burner.

Virginia’s practice goes back to the time of Mr. Jefferson.  There is no evidence that enacting such a change would better serve the citizens of the commonwealth.  We then must ask the questions, “Why?”.

Will the citizens be better served by our new governor expending political capital on a proposal that is doubtful to yield meaningful results?

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McDonnell – Drill Here, Drill Now

Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell does not want the federal government to further delay the granting of leases off the Virginia coast.

"It is time to develop our offshore energy resources to create new jobs and provide necessary new revenue for schools, roads, public safety and alternative energy research and development in Virginia," McDonnell wrote to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

Gov. Tim Kaine has been less than supportive of exploration off of Virginia’s coast.  In February, he asked the Dept. of the Interior to postpone the process of awarding exploration leases.

Here is a link to the text of McDonnell’s letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

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McDonnell Proposes Change in Budget Process

Virginia’s Governor-elect Bob McDonnell has proposed a change in Virginia’s budget cycle.  McDonnell proposes to move the biennial budget to begin in odd numbered years.

Under the current system, Virginia’s biennial budget is adopted in even number years.  Because of this, a Virginia governor (who may not succeed him or herself) has the opportunity to craft only one budget during his term in office.  The second budget is introduced after the current governor’s successor is elected.

Currently, a governor proposes a budget days before leaving office, and the succeeding governor has little time to make what could be sweeping changes before presenting it to lawmakers.  McDonnell said the current arrangement means one out of every two budgets submitted requires no accountability or management from the governor who proposed it.

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Let’s Talk About the Issues … Not

Democrats, and their cohorts in the media, love to accuse Republicans of “going negative” and “not talking about the issues”;  that is, until issues aren’t on their side.  Two cases in point – the New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races.

New Jersey -

Gov. John Corzine (D-NJ) has a record that any self-respecting politician would be ashamed of.  Unemployment is the highest it’s been in a generation.  Property taxes are spiraling out of control.  Is Corzine talking about how he’ll help make New Jersey better IF voters are stupid enough to re-elect him?  Absolutely not!

 

 

Virginia -

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League of Conservation Voters Shows True Stripes

Was there ever any question that the Virginia League of Conservation Voters was merely an auxiliary of the DPV?  If there was, it went by the wayside in this year’s gubernatorial election.

The VLCV has endorsed Democrat Creigh Deeds.  No surprise there.  However, to claim that “Mr. Me Too” is a true enviro champion in comparison to GOP standard bearer Bob McDonnell is a shameless farce.  McDonnell supports offshore drilling.  Deeds says “me too”.  Bob is for coal-fired and nuclear power.  Creigh says “me too”.

What are the core environmental differences between McDonnell and Deeds?  McDonnell has bothered to make concrete proposals.  Deeds simply says, “ME TOO”.

Yet, the VLCV has this to say about Deeds:

"There are pretty stark differences" between Deeds and McDonnell, said Lisa M. Guthrie, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters.

Yes there are Ms. Guthrie.  Creigh Deeds is a Democrat.  The next time the VLCV portrays itself as “non-partisan”, have a hearty laugh and take their words for what they are – LEFT WING, DEMOCRAT PROPAGANDA.

Now, if were were talking about taxes there would be some “pretty stark differences”.

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Creigh “Me Too” Deeds Agrees to Pay Cut

Does leadership require original thought?  If so, it would appear that Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds is wholly unqualified to become Virginia’s next governor.

Again, Deeds has followed GOP nominee Bob McDonnell’s lead in the policy arena.  This time Deeds has agreed to take a pay cut if elected governor.  Fortunately for Virginians, McDonnell has already proposed the cut.  If not, we’d still be waiting.

H/T – Jim Hoeft @ Bearing Drift

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Should Phil Hamilton Resign?

That’s up to Del. Phil Hamilton (R – Newport News).  Until the House Ethics Committee completes its investigation and makes its recommendations, the ball is entirely in Phil’s court.  However, GOP candidates Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling (along with RPV chair Pat Mullins) should exercise better judgment and keep their collective mouths shut on this issue.

Jim Hoeft and the other guys at Bearing Drift are correct.  McDonnell, Bolling and Mullins are choosing politics over principle; and for the life of me, I can’t understand why.  Speaker William Howell (R – Stafford) has already announced that there will be a full inquiry.  The campaigns of their respective opponents are imploding.  What’s the upside Bob?  Bill?  Pat?  I certainly don’t recall any of you screaming for Mark Earley’s resignation when he was AG.

For purposes of disclosure, this matter hits me hard.  Phil Hamilton is a friend.  I’ve known him almost as long as I’ve known my wife.  In fact, it was Michelle who introduced me to Phil and encouraged me to play a role in Phil securing his first nomination in 1988.  Phil has served the citizens of the 93rd District since he was elected in a special election that year.  He was never conservative enough for some.  He was never partisan enough for some.  Serving ALL of his constituents has been his priority since the day he was elected.

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Virginia’s Lefty Blogosphere Simply Can’t Learn From Its Mistakes

Certain members of Virginia’s “Blue” blogosphere remind me of my youngest son.  It’s bad enough not to learn from mistakes made a few years ago, but a week?

First, some (not all) blue bloggers went after GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell claiming that his campaign had displayed a Confederate battle flag in its booth during the Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show.  Not only was it untrue, the more responsible members of Virginia’s Democrat blogosphere denounced them for it.

It didn’t matter.  The damage was done as the campaign of Democrat candidate Creigh Deeds lost what little focus it had dealing with this foolishness.

With their candidate trailing in the polls by double digits, the lefty blogosphere either can’t learn from its mistakes or is simply going for broke.  There latest ridiculous attack – Bob McDonnell is championing eugenics!

According to Blue Virginia and Fred2Blue, McDonnell sponsored a bill in the 2002 legislative session requesting the Virginia Board of Education to include the American Citizen’s Handbook in the state’s curricula for primary school children.  Based on a blurb from a review of the book, these two bastions of Virginia’s left-wing community claim that McDonnell is promoting eugenics.  They even provide a “definition”, assumedly because their readership doesn’t know what the word means and evidently don’t own dictionaries.

Here is the FULL REVIEW so that you can see what the reviewer really thought of the book (it’s short):

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