Thanks very much to Brian Moran for participating in our "Three for Thursday" series. We appreciate it very much, and invite others to participate. Anyway, without further ado, here's what's on Brian Moran's mind:
"Three for Thursday" with Raising Kaine
Brian J. Moran, Chairman
House Democratic CaucusIt+óGé¼Gäós great to be on the RK blog +óGé¼GÇ£ you all made a real contribution in helping elect Governor Kaine this fall. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have truly built a vibrant Democratic party in Virginia and it+óGé¼Gäós our responsibility to keep it moving forward. We have to continue building from the ground up +óGé¼GÇ£ with local committees and community blogs +óGé¼GÇ£ to have a statewide message that will retake the House and Senate by the end of the decade. We can see the resurgence right now in Virginia Beach with Governor Kaine+óGé¼Gäós victory and Phil Kellam+óGé¼Gäós strong run or in Loudoun, Chesapeake and Albemarle with strong wins last fall and new, active, energized Democratic communities ready to take on the challenges of governing in the 21st century.
1) Where do you see the transportation impasse headed? Will continued stalemate hurt the Republicans, or will both parties be seen by voters as failing to get the job done?
Great question as the deadlock continues into its second month. Governor Kaine rightly put transportation as the most urgent issue facing Virginia and he deserves a great deal of credit for pressing this difficult issue. He is committed to a sustainable, long-term solution to our congestion and transportation crisis that does not come at the expense of our other core services of government. House Democrats stand with Governor Kaine in this important fight. He is also joined by 17 Democrats and 17 Republicans (34 out of 40) in the state Senate who have stood +óGé¼GÇ£ in a bipartisan way +óGé¼GÇ£ in support of transportation solutions.That+óGé¼Gäós four out of the five parties involved working together- with only the House Republican Caucus blocking the way. They are the lone roadblock to getting a sensible budget with realistic transportation solutions. They are the lone group advocating a roll back of the unprecedented investments made in healthcare, public safety, and education through the 2004 budget reform. It is incumbent upon us to ensure the public knows where the roadblock lies and which group stands alone in opposition to progress on transportation.Virginians know better. We know that you can+óGé¼Gäót build a transportation network with one-year+óGé¼Gäós worth of new funding +óGé¼GÇ£ it+óGé¼Gäós a long-term project that requires a long-term, responsible solution. I am confident that we will prevail +óGé¼GÇ£ either we will see a transportation proposal pass this year or we will find several Republican delegates in precarious positions in fall of 2007.
Transportation is certainly critical to our economic infrastructure throughout the Commonwealth. But this is more than an economic issue +óGé¼GÇ£ it+óGé¼Gäós a quality of life issue as well. A Northern Virginia resident looses 9 work days a year to traffic +óGé¼GÇ£ that+óGé¼Gäós time that could have been spent at the family dinner table. It+óGé¼Gäós not a family value to be stuck in traffic and have no time to spend with your kids. We must find a solution to the transportation crisis. If we fail to act now, we fail Virginians.
For more information, I+óGé¼Gäód encourage you to take a look at a letter I sent to business and community leaders this past week that outlines the importance of transportation for our infrastructure, job creation, and for the 21st century economy we will seek to develop. You can find the letter at http://www.itstimevirginia.org/pdf/4_19_06_letter.pdf.
2) What is your read on the "marriage amendment" at this point? Will it pass, and also will it result in a surge in Republican turnout this November?
I don+óGé¼Gäót know what+óGé¼Gäós going to happen with the +óGé¼-£marriage amendment+óGé¼Gäó this fall. But let+óGé¼Gäós be clear that the amendment goes far beyond restricting the definition of +óGé¼-£marriage+óGé¼Gäó. This amendment restricts civil unions, contracts between unwed people and other legal rights. The ultimate irony is that this amendment +óGé¼GÇ£ that restricts rights +óGé¼GÇ£ will be placed in Virginia+óGé¼Gäós revered Bill of Rights. I hope Virginians will join me in voting against the marriage amendment because, regardless of your position on gay marriage, the amendment threatens numerous other basic legal rights. It would be dangerous to business, commerce and our society if contracts were voided simply because they were entered into by two unmarried persons.3) Can George Allen be defeated for Senate? If so, how?
Yes. George Allen can be defeated the same as his prot+â-¬g+â-¬ Jerry Kilgore was. We must clearly and simply show Virginia voters that George Allen+óGé¼Gäós vision of Virginia takes us backward. It+óGé¼Gäós antithetical to the progress made in the Warner and Kaine administrations. George Allen is part of a national Republican party that has corruption rampant within its ranks and believes in reckless fiscal policies that place taxes on our children. Virginia voters will respond to that.George Allen is part of a national Republican party that advanced massive expansions of the federal government in education and healthcare coverage, but failed to fund their initiatives or properly implement their plans. He is part of a national Republican party that chooses political cronies for life-or-death positions rather then take the responsibilities of governance seriously. George Allen no longer reflects the hopes, dreams and aspirations of Virginia voters for themselves, their family and their children. That+óGé¼Gäós how George Allen is defeated. And we did all that before we even started talking about Iraq.
Comments
Great interview. (Rob - 4/27/2006 3:30:33 PM)I'm really enjoying this series. As RK's readership becomes more interactive, I'd love to see some "live blogging interviews" where users posts questions - like Webb has done over at Kos.George Allen's Vision has Failed (Josh - 4/27/2006 3:37:44 PM)George Allen no longer reflects the hopes, dreams and aspirations of Virginia voters for themselves, their family and their children. This is so true. The reactionary right, George Bush and his 97% supporter, George Allen, have taken America down the longest ugliest road any of us have seen in our lifetimes and it'll take generations to recover. There's no end to the failure, corruption, and incompetence of these guys, and Allen is their standard bearer in Virginia. He's failed, his movement has failed, his party has failed to uphold the greater dream and potential of America for all Americans.