Breaking News: Obama Wins Heisman; GOP Apoplectic

This just in from the AP: President Barack Obama has been named the winner of the 2009 Heisman Trophy. The decision comes only a few days after Obama announced his intention to play in the Sugar Bowl.

The Heisman Trust noted that he still has four years of eligibility left over from college, and since he's pretty good at basketball, he's probably awesome at football too. Naturally, the Republican reaction has been harsh.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele made his feelings known on Sunday's Meet the Press.

"We are so super pissed that Obama gets to win the Heisman," Steele said. "He doesn't even have that good of a passing game!"

Conservative talk radio is in near meltdown, with Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity questioning why the Heisman Trust hates freedom.

Rush Limbaugh was quoted as saying, "This is Obama's America, isn't it? We're on our way to Canadian-style football, I don't even wanna buy a team anymore!" Limbaugh went on to conjecture that a grand, Chicago-based conspiracy is to blame.

But Fox News commentator Glenn Beck was philosophical about the developments.

"Don't step on the white ones," Beck said, pointing at the studio floor tiles. "Hot lava."

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin also weighed in during a pretend press conference in her basement.

"It's gotta be all about rushing yards, and such as, also folks are just real concerned about the quarterback sneak, sneakin' in to raise yer taxes," Palin said. "Are we gonna make a triple play and keep the socialists from scoring a touchdown? You betcha!" Palin added that she can see Brett Favre's ego from her house.

Even some of the president's allies were less-than-enthusiastic about the award.

"I mean, I guess it's pretty cool," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "The congratulatory resolution will probably pass with or without the Blue Dogs...I think." Pelosi added that bipartisanship is still the goal on the resolution, noting that the word congratulations is not absolutely crucial and could be replaced with way to not screw it up.

Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said she wished the President would pick one battle and win it before training for the Sugar Bowl.

At least one close Obama associate has maintained strong support for the decision. When asked about the reaction to his boss receiving the Heisman Trophy, Vice President Biden became visibly upset.

"I just think that's really unfair," said Biden, wiping away a tear as his voice broke. "That's my teammate...that's my quarterback. If you guys do that, man, that's unfair!"

WaPo Endorses Deeds

The Washington Post has an editorial today endorsing State Senator Creigh Deeds for Governor.

Money quote:

Mr. Deeds has run an enormous and possibly fatal political risk by saying bluntly that he would support legislation to raise new taxes dedicated to transportation. It is a risk that neither Mr. Kaine nor Mr. Warner felt they could take. But given that the state has raised no significant new cash for roads, rails and bridges in 23 years, Mr. Deeds's position is nothing more than common sense. It is fantasy to think that the transportation funding problem, a generation in the making, will be addressed without a tax increase. A recent manifesto from 17 major business groups in Northern Virginia, calling for new taxes dedicated to transportation, attests to that reality. (Emphasis mine)

You know, I don't like taxes either. Nobody does. They're a pain. But I do like having schools, bridges, roads, public safety services and a first-rate military to protect our country's borders. The money has to come from somewhere; since we all benefit from those things, we should all pay. And we should be highly suspicious of anyone who tells us we can have those things without paying for them.

The endorsement also touches on one of McDonnell's most ridiculous attacks: linking Deeds to legislation pending on Capitol Hill. The only thing more absurd than using Congress to scare people about a gubernatorial candidate is the fact that Deeds has let the other side get away with it for so long. Deeds camp, if you're reading this, it's time to call BS.

The conventional wisdom during the primary was that the WaPo endorsement helped pull Creigh across the finish line. Let's hope history repeats itself and this is the start of a momentum shift.

The NRA Ad: What do Republicans Have Against New York?

Over the last few weeks, I've been noticing a perplexing ad from the NRA. You've all seen or at least heard about it by now. For some reason, the group feels it necessary to portray a stereotypical New York mobster endorsing Bob McDonnell's campaign.

Aside from the fact that it's an insult to New Yorkers as well as Italians, I just don't see the point of this ad. I understand the argument that Mayor Bloomberg shouldn't have investigated Virginia gun stores in connection with his city's crime issues, but the ad doesn't even try to make that point or connect Creigh Deeds to the investigation. It's just slash-and-burn regionalism. "Send New York a message by voting Bob McDonnell for Governor"? Seriously?

It reminds me of a similar ad that ran last year during the Perriello campaign, when the Goode camp did its best to make Tom into an evil, litigious Yankee transplant--in spite of the fact that he was neither a practicing attorney nor a citizen of New York. The negativity ultimately backfired--I've heard many anecdotal accounts of votes flipping Tom's way because of Virgil's nastiness.

The GOP may reap some short-term gains by pitting states and regions against each other, but what are the consequences? In fairness, I know this was not a Republican ad per se, but there's no denying the NRA is a large part of their coalition. It seems reasonable to assume that plenty of voters won't make that distinction and the ad, no surprise, isn't playing well up north. If I were a Republican strategist looking to rebuild the party after 2008, I certainly wouldn't want to be alienating anyone, not even by proxy.

My Trip to the Doctor

Earlier this week, I started to develop a cold. I tried to ignore it for the first day or so, thinking it was just allergies due to the changing weather and what not. But by Wednesday morning I wasn't feeling any better and decided to make an appointment. When I called, I found out that I couldn't get an appointment until Thursday afternoon. Not a huge deal; it's just a cold. So I went earlier today.

After waiting a while in the lobby, I went back and saw the nurse. She asked me a few questions and told me the doctor would be there soon. When he came in, he was perfectly nice and helpful and I left with a prescription.

When I paid my bill I found out my insurance (which I just received about two months ago) didn't cover this type of visit; instead it fell under my deductible. I thought I had three doctor visits per year on my insurance plan, but apparently I was wrong. I ended up paying the entire cost out of pocket. The same thing happened at the pharmacy when I went to get my prescription filled. I paid much more than I thought I was going to for both the visit and the medicine--despite having paid my premiums on time.

The point of this is not to badmouth either my doctor or my insurance company; my doctor can't help it that our current health care system is deeply flawed. The point is that we already have all the things the anti-reform crowd wants you to be afraid of: wait lists, denial or abrogation of coverage, skyrocketing costs and an additional layer of bureaucracy between doctors and patients, to name a few. For me, the wait wasn't especially long and I won't have to lose my house for this trip to the doctor. But too often, that's not the case--whether a patient can't find a specialist in their small rural community or they just can't pay.

Progressives don't want handouts; we want fairness. We don't expect equal outcomes; we expect equal opportunity. And it's real damn hard to have either one of those things when you can go bankrupt because you got sick.

It's time to pass real reform.

FAIL: When Twitter Attacks

From the National Republican Congressional Committee's Twitter account, via Politico:

"Funny Video: Moonbattery: Hitler Reacts to ObamaCare Maneuvers"

Hitler, played by Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, is trapped in his bunker with his generals, and rants [in the phony subtitles] about President Obama's revisions to his socialized medicine plan -- and how only he and Nancy Pelosi are still fighting the good fight.

"What the hell are the Democrats doing?" Hitler screams. "At least I have Pelosi on my side. What's wrong with them?... I socialized medicine overnight and everything's going great... Like Pelosi, I don't give a s**t about the American people."

Look, I'm not going to go on a rant about how this is an outrage and the GOP should immediately apologize. What's more entertaining here is what a breathtakingly idiotic move this was. It never ceases to amaze me how many people--in both parties, as well as outside of politics altogether--still don't seem to understand that things like Twitter and Facebook are public. Stupid things you say there are accessible by anyone with an internet connection. Oh, and thanks to screenshots and digital archiving, your inarticulate blathering will be preserved for posterity.

The best part is the follow-up, wherein the NRCC apologized:

UPDATE: NRCC spokesman John Randall says they have pulled down the Tweet and offered a mea culpa:

"We saw the video this morning and thought, like other parodies, that it was funny," Randall just told me. "In 20-20 hindsight, we realized it was in poor taste and pulled it down... I don't want anyone to think we're comparing Democrats to Nazis and to Hitler." (emphasis added)

Nooo...really? Poor taste? How did you come to that stunning conclusion? I suppose as a blogger I should be more sympathetic, but wow.

Congressman Perriello opens the Martinsville office

There's a great post over at What IS Right for Virginia regarding a cool event that happened yesterday afternoon: Congressman Tom Perriello has officially opened his Martinsville district office. Appropriately enough, his congressional office is in the same building where so many volunteers spent so many hours working to get him elected--while being told at every turn that he couldn't win.

The cool thing about this office is its location; it's in the heart of Martinsville's re-emerging Uptown district in a street-level space that had been sitting empty for years. Let's hope some more of the old storefronts start filling up again soon, and this time for good!

Is McDonnell even aware of Southside's transportation problem?

So just before re-launching the blog, I watched the People's Debate sponsored by AARP and the League of Women Voters. Lowell has a great play-by-play over at Blue Virginia.

But one thing jumped out at me about McDonnell's response to a transportation question. He said something to the effect that transportation issues make it difficult to attract jobs to Northern Virginia. Huh? He does realize this debate is televised statewide, correct? As someone who lives in Martinsville, where unemployment still hovers around 22%, I'm more than a little put-off by that. Don't get me wrong; I've driven around Northern Virginia in the last few weeks and I'm sure issues of congestion and damaged roads do give potential employers some pause. It's not an easy place to get around, particularly if you're not familiar with the area. But that statement did nothing to convince me that McDonnell has a plan for (or is even aware of) the transportation issues facing the Southside.

Bob, what are you going to do to make U.S. 220 a safer place to drive? Will you push for completion of Route 58, even if it means taking big bad federal stimulus dollars? What about the long-promised Interstate 73 linking South Carolina and Michigan by way of Henry County and the Roanoke Valley?

220 South: Back on the Road

My friends,

Several months ago I shut down this blog due to work-related requirements to be unbiased. I felt I needed to keep myself from taking public stances regarding political affairs and the like. Also, I mysteriously vanished in order to find myself. I could make an Appalachian Trail joke, but I believe I'll refrain....for now.

But now I feel I can no longer keep silent. Watching recent events, I became aware of a very serious threat not just to my community of Martinsville, but to the state as a whole. We are on the verge of a potentially catastrophic turn of events, and all good citizens must heed the call of duty. For the threat we face is one as old as man, and now is the time to act. We must meet this threat to our prosperity head-on.



The threat to which I'm referring is, of course...

BEARS!!!!

But seriously, I've decided to re-start the blog and I hope to pick up pretty much where I left off. There's still a chance I'll have to shut down again at some point down the road, but for the time being I'm looking forward to getting back on the scene and hopefully helping Creigh win the Governor's Mansion.

On a side note, this picture was taken along Route 57 near Bassett High School in Henry County last week. Also, you may have noticed a creative alteration of the photo that attributes larcenous motives to the bears in question. For funzies. It is a tad disquieting though, given that Yogi and the boys are apparently just chillin' out in that area--particularly since outdoor recreation areas are pretty close by.

Anyway, thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy 220 South, version 2.0.

All Good Things

Some of you have noticed the lack of updates recently, and I finally have a chance to explain. Sadly, it appears this blog will have to, at the very least, go on an extended hiatus.

I have taken a job in radio that requires me to be as nonpartisan as possible. For the sake of my own credibility in an on-air role and the reputation of our station locally, it just wouldn't be fair for me to take public stances about candidates or parties. Then there's also the practical matter of time--it's taken me nearly a month to get around to writing this short farewell post as my job has taken up more and more time. The blog will stay up for archiving purposes and, perhaps, an eventual comeback in some form or another.

I hate to do it, but for now, I'll have to sign off. It truly has been fun, and I hope to stay in touch with yall however possible. Thanks for reading, and I hope some of you will tune in to the show.

Thanks again,

-Max

Breaking News: Vice-Mayor Kimble Reynolds Endorses McAuliffe

Martinsville Vice-Mayor Kimble Reynolds has apparently endorsed Terry McAuliffe for governor of Virginia. Full press release from the McAuliffe campaign:

Martinsville Vice Mayor Kimble Reynolds Jr. today endorsed Terry McAuliffe for Governor, citing his decades of experience creating jobs and turning businesses around. As Vice Mayor, Reynolds has helped to lead a city with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, today a daunting 20.2 percent, and has served in the city government since 2004.

“As Vice Mayor, I’ve seen first-hand what happens when jobs disappear and the unemployment rate climbs,” said Reynolds. “I’ve called Martinsville home for a long time, and Virginians here are looking for a leader who will bring economic opportunities back to our city and open up new avenues of growth throughout the Commonwealth. I firmly believe that Terry McAuliffe will be that leader.”

McAuliffe’s Business Plan for Virginia includes sections devoted to creating jobs in hard-hit areas. His ideas include specialized tax incentives aimed at creating good jobs with benefits in high-need areas by rewarding businesses for locating high-growth industry jobs in Virginia. McAuliffe has also pledged to target his efforts through state partnerships with regional leaders, and the creation of a Governor’s Regional Economic Advisory Committee to advise him on the unique economic issues faced by each region of the Commonwealth.

Said McAuliffe, “I am honored to have Vice Mayor Reynolds’ endorsement. It is heartbreaking to see hardworking Virginian men and women whose jobs have just disappeared. Right now, we are facing some of the worst economic conditions since the Depression, but I truly believe that with the right leadership, we can create high-quality new jobs and ensure that every Virginian who wants to work has a place to work. As a businessman and entrepreneur, I know what it takes to make that happen, and I look forward to partnering with local leaders like Vice Mayor Reynolds to build our economy.”

This is a big deal. For out-of-area readers, Kimble is well-liked and highly respected in the community as a whole, but especially so among the local Democratic grassroots. I have talked to some of the local activists who helped elect Perriello, Obama and Mark Warner; some are already in McAuliffe's camp, but this endorsement may resonate with those who remain uncommitted. As anyone who has worked in campaign organizing knows, the grassroots are the ones who win elections; TV and radio ads play a big role, candidate appearances play a big role, but ultimately it's the person-to-person contact that drives home the message and flips votes. In that regard, I think Reynolds is a very strong ally for the McAuliffe campaign as it tries to win over the grassroots in Martinsville.

UPDATE: The Richmond Times-Dispatch has picked up the story with a post in their blogs section. (H/t Drew)