Janet did very well, good job!  Cooch was fine, except it's ridiculous for him to say that he's been working hard on transportation for 5 years, yet we're still in gridlock.  What has he been doing besides the unpopular abuser fees and regional transportation authorities?

For more on the "scuzzball reporter act" insanity, see here:

What's wrong is that Cuccinelli's bill - which, fortunately, has now been rejected by everyone on the State Senate's Courts of Justice committee aside from Cuckoo Cooch himself - is not only "unconstitutional" but also [according to Washington Post reporter Marc Fisher] "gratuitous," "wildly wrong," and heartless.  Fisher concludes, "What the senator seems not to understand is that if you have to resort to writing a law in an effort to command human decency, you've already lost the battle."

Why did Cooch flip flop?

According to Cooch, "I am the expert on mental health in the Senate, period."  Ahhhh...that clears it up!

One of the things I read about your position on transportation issue, you said "well, I think I'm going to have to waffle on this particular issue." "Did you really say that?"

Blogs are "not necessarily true."  The quote was from Mason Conservative -- a strong right-wing site -- according to Lane.  What a lame question!

Oleszek: "I answered that question...Had I been in Richmond, I would have been able to work across the aisle to get a more complete bill crafted...since I wasn't in Richmond, how can I have answered that hypothetical...I was very clear about it, there was no misunderstanding."

"I would have voted against that bill that came out this year.  If I had been there, it would not have been that bill."

Excellent answer!

Cooch has sponsored legislation to make abortion a crime:

Oleszek: "There couldn't be a clearer distinction between Ken and me on reproductive rights...women deserve to have reproductive rights, the decision to have an abortion is entirely I believe in the province of the woman, her doctor and her god.  And I don't think the state house has anything to say about it...[or] the state has any right to prevent a hospital from providing emergency contraception to victims of rape. I think that's abhorrent."

Great answer!

Oleszek: "More guns don't help anyone."  "Guns have no place in public places where there are children, no place in restaurants that serve alcohol...certainly no place in airports, especially after 9/11."

Absolutely does NOT oppose use of guns for hunting.

would send women to jail for having an abortion.

including abuser fees, regional authorities which allow non-elected people to impose taxes (despite saying that he opposes taxes).

Cooch blames the governor for NVTA, says he opposed that.

Abuser fees:  again, blames Gov. Kaine for pushing them and says he's opposed them.  "I am willing to compromise when it's appropriate."

Deceptive mailing: doesn't address the fact that it's deceptive, just attacks Janet for supposedly supporting a local income tax.

Oleszek:  The school board has absolutely no authority to raise taxes.  The voters were outraged at Cooch's mailers which accused me of raising their taxes.  The Fairfax County schools are totally funded by public dollars. 

Again, Lane quotes the right-wing Mason Conservative blog. 

Oleszek:  "Blogs are not always true." 

Burke:  Republicans putting out spin on a Republican blog.

Oleszek: Arguing against a hypothetical...

as she knocks on thousands of doors.  He is not mainstream on abortion and many other areas.  My community is appalled at Cuccinelli's attack on womens' reproductive rights.

not by the governor.  Abuser fees are a tax. 

Oleszek:  "My opponent has voted against every transportation plan that has come across his desk until this session, when he voted for the transportation package with the abuser fees...as soon as he voted for it, he then voted against it, and then he called for a special session" to repeal abuser fees which he already voted for.

Oleszek:  Strong proponent of stem cell research.  Even Mrs. Reagan has supported stem cell research.

Cooch: Says he opposes stem cell research -- which, by the way, is the technique scientists believe offers by FAR the most promise.  Utter ignorance by Cooch on this one.

Oleszek:  It's the responsibility of EMPLOYERS to be penalized for knowingly misrepresenting resident standards.  Sheriffs should have ICE powers. 

Cooch: Says he's been leading on this issue.  Talks about overcrowding, says this addresses "symptoms" of illegal immigration.  Says he has addressed the employer responsibility issue.  Sure you have, Ken.

Cooch is proud to have the WORST ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD in the Senate!  "Why should anyone who cares about the quality of our environment vote for you?"

Cuccinelli: Says he has supported budgets that put money into cleaning up Chesapeake Bay.  Says he's been in the top half, especially among Republicans, in recent years.  Developers have stopped giving him money because he's started to crack down on sprawl.

Oleszek: I am proud to have received the endorsement of Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters.  What I leave my children and grandchildren as a legacy is vitally important.  This is what my neighbors want.

Oleszek:  "That's a red herring."  "It is important that the schools get public dollars."  Of course I'd like to lower taxes, but I can't do that...school board doesn't have power in this area.

Cooch: It's all attack Ken, not answer questions.

Cooch: Says he's a strong supporter of Fairfax County public schools, says he has proposed a change to funding formula.

Proud of progress we have made.

Oleszek:  I wouldn't take modality off the table because it is  a pledge to a conservative group that doesn't want any taxes.  Wouldn't take anything off the table. Taxes aren't the only modality for paying for public services.

Would like to expand Vienna metro westward, also Tysons to airport, VRE, telecommuting, job sharing, we are not going to pave our way out of this.

Cooch:  Says Oleszek isn't answering the questions.

Oleszek:  You've criticized my role as school board member despite all the progress on my watch.  How can you be attacking our public schools?

Cooch: Need to change the funding formula for Fairfax. Claims he has a record of voting for teacher pay raises.  The charge that I don't support public education is flatly false.

Oleszek:  What have you actually done to help public schools?

Cooch: Labor Day start.  Fighting for funding formula.  It's a myth that I attack public schools.

Oleszek: That's a fair question.  $13,000 is a composite...includes children with significant disabilities, gifted education, limited English proficiency, etc.  In a $2.2 billion budget, there is not one number that fits any one student.  What are the students' education needs?

Cooch: Again claims that Oleszek didn't answer the question.

Oleszek:  Criminalizing abortion even in cases of rape.  Why do you want to throw women in jail?  Why not leave it up to the woman, her doctor and her god?

Cooch:  I don't believe I've ever supported a bill...[Oleszek says HB 2797]...says he doesn't recall that bill!

Oleszek:  We do disagree dramatically.  You've introduced bills to outlaw abortion in the case of rape or incest.

Cooch's views are not mainstream in the 37th district.  Education is fundamental to our future, but there are other issues. Transportation has been broken for a long time.  My own state senator has voted against every transportation solution until this last one...we are not well represented.  I would love to have your vote in November.  There are other issues - health care, quality of life has diminished because of representation we have had.  We need moderate, mainstream views that more closely look like you.

This is a great summary of the debate last night.  I watched it and was very impressed with Janet.  Not suprisingly, Ken came across as the right wing, out of touch extremist that he is.  Someone who would outlaw abortion in all circumstances, send Docters and women to prison for making sound, medical & personal decisions, and would restrict the use of birth control among consenting adults, is not someone we need in Richmond. 

Janet, on the other hand, came across as what she is:  A competant, middle of the road, long time Fairfax county resident who cares about her future consituents.  She is someone who understands what it means to keep government off the backs of the people.  Unlike Cuccinelli, who wants to expand government intrusion in virtually every aspect of his consituents' lives, Janet rejects such an intrusive role for government.  Janet understands that government's role is to provide services to the people, not to restrict rights.

How could anyone consider sending back to Richmond the guy who voted against every transportation solution that came up in his five years in the State Senate?  The only one he saw that he liked was abuser fees and having an unelected body raise taxes.  He liked it so much that he proudly takes credit for being the deciding Senate vote on abuser fees.  He blames the fees on Kaine, yet the changes Kaine made to CUCCINELLI's Abuser fee plan were to ELIMINATE THE MOST HIDEOUS portions.  After all, had Ken had his way if you got a ticket three years ago for not wearing your seat belt, you would have been hit with a $900 fee this past summer!! 

Ken is also in the pocket of the NRA.  I have nothing against gun rights and I have nothing againt Hunters - nor does Janet.  However, refusing to restrict the sale of guns to even mentally ill people (especially when you claim to be the 'expert' on mental illness) is appalling.  That over 30 students had to die before Ken could admit he was wrong is a disgrace. 

Ken's extreme views are out of touch with the people of Northern Virginia.  In fact, he is probably the most extreme Senator in the entire State Senate.  Over and over again he finds himself alone in his votes.  This demonstrates just how out of touch he is.

Clearly, a Senator who is out of touch with the values of the State of Virginia, is way out of touch with the values of the people of Northern Virginia.  Ken has had his five years and has nothing to show for it.  It is time to give Janet a shot.

It should also be noted that this bill, because it would have codified the view that life begins at fertilization (a point on which there is no consensus, in the medical community or otherwise), threatened not only safe, legal abortion, but certain types of contraception as well, including the pill. 

Combine this with Senator Cuccinelli's NAY vote on the Birth Control Protection Act (SB1104, 2003) which simply states that birth control does not constitute abortion and is not subject to laws governing abortion (like 24 hour waiting periods). 

To me, this is the clearest evidence that Cuccinelli is outside the mainstream on these issues--not only does he oppose safe, legal abortion, but he does not support legislation intended to increase and protect access to contraception, which prevents unintended pregnancies and reduces the need for abortion! 

AND birth control.  I wonder how popular those positions are in his district...