Pray for Vito

Some troubling news from Charlottesville this past weekend. Congressman Perriello has rushed home from D.C. to spend time with his father Vito, who is apparently very ill. Vito is highly respected in Charlottesville for his work as a pediatrician; he's also one of the nicest people I know, and if you've ever met him, you know exactly what I mean.  You won't find a friendlier, more welcoming group of people than the Perriellos, and whether you voted for Tom or not, his family needs our prayers.

If you'd like to send an e-card to the family, click here. The University of Virginia Health Systems will print out the cards for the family, and I know they would appreciate it.

Up Through Downtown

I had a really cool experience this past weekend, and it's one that should encourage Martinsville residents of all political leanings. Last Sunday, the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society and the Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association sponsored a tour of buildings in Uptown that either have been or could be turned into loft apartments. At left, you'll see one I wouldn't mind getting my hands on if I had the money: the old Masonic lodge that also housed the C.W. Holt women's clothing store. Interesting side note, the first floor housed the Obama-Warner-Perriello campaign office. Last summer, area residents knew it as the building with the giant Obama face painted on the window, but now it sits empty--I could easily see our old office accommodating a retailer or even a bar or restaurant. On the top two floors, the interior is spacious, versatile, and vacant. The building needs repairs and modernizing, especially on the top floor. But the arched windows give a great view of Martinsville and the mountains in the distance. This could be an insanely cool apartment or two, not to mention that the first floor would be perfect for just about any retailer, bar or restaurant. 

One of the stops on the tour was a young family's emerging loft apartment, which only a few months ago was an empty office. There was a good story about it in Sunday's Martinsville Bulletin; apparently they renovated the space for less than $5000, saving money by DIYing the labor. I met the folks who live there now, and they told me about further renovations they plan to do down the road. Guess what, Martinsville--they're young, and they're returning to the area instead of sprinting away at full speed.

The takeaway lesson from all this was that small towns across America are beginning to rediscover their downtown areas, which have long been neglected due to the proliferation of malls and chain stores. As gas prices start climbing again, there's a lot of interest in returning to a more logical system--walkable urbanism. That's where urban design is headed, and that's what young professionals are beginning to expect when they look for a place to live. Revitalizing Uptown Martinsville will go a long way toward halting the "brain drain" of young people who feel they must leave town. Recently I wrote about stores leaving our local mall and leaving empty storefronts in its wake. Now is the time for local entrepreneurs to retake what was once a bustling center of the community and build new prosperity. Places like Uptown should take advantage of the megamalls' plight and breathe new life into their communities.

Roanoke Times Gives Tom Some Props

There was an excellent article in yesterday's Roanoke Times about Tom Perriello's time in office so far. I can't justifiably summarize it, so your best bet is to read the whole thing. But it did bring up two points I'd like to talk about briefly. 

First, the article quotes a George Mason University political scientist who says as long as Tom maintains independence and doesn't turn into a "party robot for Pelosi and Reid," it will help him to win re-election, despite his vulnerability as a freshman congressman. I think he's absolutely right about that--we met quite a good deal of Republicans throughout the campaign who switched their allegiance to Tom because of his moderate, Mark Warner-esque approach to public policy. Not only does that play well in the Fifth District, but I think it's a winning playbook for Democrats nationally. I have a sneaking suspicion it hasn't occurred to Nancy and Harry that maybe we're in the majority in spite of their leadership, rather than because of it. Pelosi said the stimulus bill would be posted for 48 hours before the vote, then rescinded that promise at the last minute--that's no way to engender bipartisanship or public confidence, and Tom called her on it by voting with Republicans to request more time.

Now, a money quote:

Boucher's district neighbors Perriello's, and the two split representation of Henry County. Boucher said he speaks to Perriello often about how their partnership can benefit Southwest Virginia as well as passing on his own experiences from more than two dozen years in Congress.

"Tom is terrific," Boucher said. "He's tremendously respected on both sides of the aisle. ... He has made a good impression in his first month."

You may have seen the incredibly nasty attack ads that have been running against Tom throughout the Fifth. It's one thing to disagree with his votes and try to win back a seat perceived to be vulnerable. But these ads attack Tom for his character and portray him as a cookie-cutter politician who can't be trusted. I'm here to tell you that whether you agree with him or not, Tom is one of the most genuinely nice, principled people you'll ever meet. He's the closest you'll ever get to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and he genuinely wants to help our area get back on its feet. If you still want to beat him, fine--but you're gonna have to do better than outright lies and ad hominem attacks. 

Florida School Board Exhibits Homework Sanity

I found this article today from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Apparently when Broward County isn't hand-counting their dangling chads, they have time to actually do a pretty cool thing. Their school board passed a requirement that teachers assign less homework after parents complained that students were overwhelmed. One school board member noted having spent four hours helping her 12-year-old grandson finish a project earlier this week. You might expect something like that at college, but I remember plenty of nights just like that one in middle and elementary school.

I'm all for offering the best education possible, but too much homework runs counter to everything education is trying to accomplish. There's no quicker way to make a kid hate learning than to saddle him or her with hours of repetitive, mindless busy work that accomplishes nothing and doesn't stimulate the mind. Some homework is necessary to make the lessons stick, and it's important for students to engage with what they're learning, but there's a much better way to do it than passing out worksheets and making kids jump through ridiculous hoops. It's also worth noting that homework overload disproportionately affects low-income and single-parent kids who may not have a support network to help with homework and offer encouragement. 

Jeff Frederick Betrays Democracy

This morning the nonpartisan redistricting bill was killed in a House subcommittee. It was 4-2, a strictly party line vote. Think about that: four guys destroyed a bill that passed the State Senate unanimously--God forbid something like that get to the floor to be discussed. And guess who was on that subcommittee? None other than our good friend Jeff Frederick, nutso extraordinaire and chair of the Virginia GOP. 

Ok. Deep Breath. I'm about to go on a rant. Normally when I disagree with something a party does, I try to at least understand where they're coming from. There are a lot of issues that thoughtful people can legitimately disagree about--abortion, gun control, and the death penalty are a few that come to mind. Even the stimulus, which I have avidly supported, falls into that category.

But this is such a flagrant, shameful, unabashed, self-interested, shortsighted, anti-democratic power grab that it deserves no sympathy whatsoever. When the people elect their representatives, we have a republic. When representatives choose their constituents, it's tyranny. It's oligarchy. It's everything we claim to be against as a nation. Period. Both parties gerrymander districts to their advantage and it's a national disgrace. And it happens because of partisan hacks like the ones who occupy the House subcommittee on Privileges and Elections (emphasis on "privilege"). Not only did they shoot down the redistricting bill, they also killed a proposal to allow no-excuses early voting. I'm frustrated by that as well, but to be honest, I still haven't gotten over being infuriated by the flagrant partisanship on display here. 

I applaud Creigh Deeds for his tenacity in introducing this bill every year; if he's governor this time next year, hopefully he'll finally be able to get it done. And if one of his opponents is governor, even McDonnell, there remains an obligation to get this done. Giving the people of Virginia fair, legitimate, competitive elections is without any question the right thing to do, and it's something that one might expect to gain actual bipartisan support--to some extent it did, since all Senate Republicans, to their great credit, voted for this bill. I'm actually somewhat encouraged that Jeffy Fred's influence wasn't so great as to prevent the Senate GOP from stating their support. Maybe this is a small sign that his crazy train is finally leaving the station--if I were a Republican, I'd certainly be running like hell from the guy who presided over the disastrous losses of 2008.

The patriotic idealist in me wants everybody to get along and do what's best for the country and the state; the vindictive partisan in me says that if Dems control the GA and the governorship, we should lock in our recent gains and make the other side bleed for idiocy like this. And that's exactly why people like me do not need to be the gatekeepers to power. 

VPFF to Endorse McAuliffe

Tim Craig of the Washington Post is reporting that Terry McAuliffe will receive the endorsement of the Virginia Professional Firefighters Association on Wednesday at a ceremony in Richmond. 

If it takes place, the firefighters endorsement could be a huge boost for McAuliffe's campaign.

In past races, the firefighters' union have provided valuable grassroots support to political candidates, including President Barack Obama last year. In 2006, the firefighters appeared to be an major assett to Sen. James Webb (D-Va) in his race against former senator George Allen (R).

The firefighters could help McAuliffe neutralize concerns about whether he has enough experience to oversee a major crisis. They could also serve as an important validator in rural Virginia.

I'm not sure I agree that it will erase concerns about whether or not McAuliffe can handle a crisis, and I definitely don't buy that it will validate him in places like the 5th and the 9th--I'm not aware of a large VPFF presence in the Southside (correct me if I'm wrong, Jim), and I think rural voters will be wary of him for a good long while. Plus, the fact that Deeds already has IUPA and other public-safety endorsements just brings the two candidates to parity in my mind, at least in terms of labor endorsements. 

But what it does do is take some wind out of his opponents' sails. It also mobilizes a statewide canvassing army marching under McAuliffe's banner. Ground game is everything, especially in low-turnout primaries--these guys alone could give McAuliffe the turnout edge to win the nomination and will be a big power in November. This could make McAuliffe look stronger to in the eyes of the base. But there's the rub: whoever gets the nomination will presumably have VPFF support anyway, and Moran has already responded by saying the Fairfax branch broke from the state union to endorse him instead. At first that struck me as a weak response, ringing of "me too" desperation. But from a turnout perspective I think it's significant: in vote-rich, blue-leaning Fairfax, the defectors could drive up Moran's numbers and cause a real trench fight on Primary Day. 

GOP Chair Steele Kisses Talk Radio's Ring

So much for a new direction for the party. Funny clip from Glenn Beck's Fox show, wherein the new Republican chair Michael Steele pretty much apologizes for the party not being conservative enough during the stimulus debate--I can only guess it's in reference to the three moderate GOP senators who broke ranks and voted for the stimulus, as everyone else on that side of the aisle marched in lockstep with Eric Cantor. An exact quote: "You have absolutely no reason, none, to trust our word or our actions at this point." Wait for that one to be deployed liberally throughout the 2010 election.

If you're not familiar with Glenn Beck, he's slightly to the right of Attila the Hun. He's prone to vein-popping outbursts and makes Rush Limbaugh look like John Warner. Republican readers, to the extent that you value my opinion, I really think this is a big part of what's wrong with the GOP. Michael Steele leads the party of Lincoln and he's kissing the ring of some far-right egomaniac with a microphone who pitches tantrums when he doesn't get his way. If I were in Steele's shoes, I would be much more concerned with winning back the moderates who flocked to Obama than appealing to a fraction of the electorate. I understand holding onto the base, but there comes a point when he should be able to tell Glenn Beck what he can do with his ratings.

Deeds Gives the Cav Daily a Shout-Out

This past week, all four candidates for governor gathered at the Virginia Capital Correspondents Association dinner to try their hand at comedy. The results are a bit sad, but hey, they're politicians. Based on what's in this video, the two funniest are Terry McAuliffe and, as much as it pains me to say it, Bob McDonnell. But the coolest part of the night comes in the last 15 seconds of the video, where Creigh Deeds quotes my old newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, where I wrote for two years at U.Va. Our motto was a Jefferson quote that hung on the wall outside our office: "For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error as long as reason is left free to combat it." 

Thanks Creigh!

And There Was Much Rejoicing

The stimulus bill finally passed both houses of Congress this weekend and President Obama will sign it into law early this coming week. On many levels, I'm relieved. From a political standpoint this is Obama's first big legislative victory, but more importantly I think it can have a real impact on the economy. In the short term, it can put people to work through public works projects that have been long overdue. Long term, the health care, education and infrastructure projects will pay dividends many years into the future--better roads and improved transportation coupled with broadband connectivity can link rural communities to larger urban areas, and green projects will help build a new energy economy and reduce our dependency on foreign oil.

This is also a win for Congressman Perriello, who will have his first bill, the CLASS Act, pass into law as part of the stimulus. This will improve access to tax credits for higher education funding and allow greater opportunity for students throughout the country to go to college. Go Tom!

But all of this comes with a caveat: this thing better work. Every Democratic congressman and senator needs to direct as much of this stimulus to their districts as possible--and I mean legitimate, crucial, tangible improvements to the lives of their constituents. Things that can't be called "pork." In 2010, a Democrat driving through his or her district has to point to Stimulus High School and say, "Yeah, we spent a lot of money, but your kids have a modern school building and good teachers. And this road I'm driving on, which brought in new companies? You're welcome." 

Throughout this debate, I've been just as puzzled as I was frustrated that House Republicans were so obstructionist, even after the president extended a bipartisan hand. If the bill had failed and the economy worsened (as many think it will), the country would blame them. They're betting that the stimulus won't help and they'll have a compelling argument in 2010--even though their plan would have run up just as much debt without producing direct results. We got a stimulus by the skin of our teeth, thanks to the three remaining moderates in the Senate's GOP caucus. This is a monumental opportunity. Let's not squander it.

Follow-up: FDF Hacks Attack Perriello

Earlier this week I blogged on an incredibly distorted and misleading headline from the Franklin News-Post. 

At about that same time, an ad went up blasting Tom Perriello for voting in favor of the stimulus package. It's sponsored by Freedom's Defense Fund and plays like a sequel to the infamous New York Lawyer spot from before the election. It says he voted for "sexual diseases" and all sorts of other nefarious things--I guess trying to prevent STDs from spreading is somehow a vote for sexual diseases. Never mind that the stimulus bill would bring $8.5 million into struggling local schools that have faced layoffs in recent months; never mind that Tom co-sponsored a part of the stimulus that will provide tax credits for low-income students trying to go to college.

Dem Bones has a good perspective on it, and aznew has a good link at Blue Commonwealth. One thing's for sure--the 2010 campaign has already started, and they'll be coming after Tom with the same lies and distortions from before.