James Webb, a true populist.  I knew there was a reason I loved this guy.  We need Webb to win, not only to be the ouster of Allen, but to shove the Democratic party back to its Rooseveltian roots.  Remember, we Democrats built the middle class in this country, through the New Deal policies, and those of Truman and even Eisenhower.  The utopian era Conservatives look back so longingly at(wife at home, blue collar job, nuclear family) was only possible because of economic policies akin to what Mr. Webb has just articulated.  Freedom ain't free, so let's get the rich to pay their fair share!

Push for a constitutional amendment that says, every four years during the presidential elections, the citizens of this country will vote on whether to give raises to our congress...

Hey..we hire them, we should be the one providing raises if we think they're doing a good job or not...

an amendment would even be needed, unless everyone wants it to remain permanant. It seems the Constitution only says that distribution of federal funds must be codified by law and congressional pay raises cannot take effect until the next election cycle.

Congress cannot constitutionally vote to raise its pay during a term.  But what they did is put in an automatic escalator whyich kicks in unless they vote for it not to.  Thus, splitting rabbits (or is it tortoises?, technically SOME of that raising was without an explicit vote to raise it, and some in Congress have been the beneficiaries of something on which they have never voted at all, not even for the aumtoaci escalator.

But the principle of what he is saying is correct.  Ansd I'd really like Allen and his people try to explain it away.

Gee, I think this qualifies as "hardball" or full-contact karate or any other sport metaphor you'd like to apply.

I like it.

that the pay raises are automatic but Congress would have to nea or yea for them to actually take effect for the following election cycle. I'm interested what the alternative would be: do the people vote? Is it a set period of time? Is it based on a formula of some kind? Is it paid on commission? ;)

but in Consequence of Appropriations made by law." 

Article One
Section Nine
Clause Seven
U.S. Constitution

This is one of those "details" that must be known/considered before proclamations that anyone can take away Congress' inherent power and requirement to fund the operations of the United States, including the operations and payroll of the Congress.

Warner, Webb assail GOP New Orleans aid

By BOB LEWIS
AP Political Writer

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Former Gov. Mark R. Warner and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Webb lashed President Bush and the Republican-led Congress on Thursday for what both said is a languid federal response to rebuilding New Orleans.

Warner, a 2008 presidential prospect, and Webb criticized Bush and Sen. George Allen, R-Va., in a news conference where Warner pledged his campaign and financial support for Webb.

"The remarkable amount of devastation that still exists in that community 10 months after the fact is stunning. It's an embarrassment that our federal government hasn't stepped up as a better partner," Warner said.

Warner had just returned from a two-day trip to New Orleans to organize charitable education and health care relief efforts to the city still reeling from Hurricane Katrina.

Webb said New Orleans is his wife's hometown and he's amazed at the remaining devastation.

"You have to worry about our national leadership when this strategically vital city, as well as a culturally important city, has been allowed to languish," Webb said.

Webb's campaign has consistently tried to link Allen with the unpopular president on issues as diverse as the war in Iraq, domestic tax policy and the much-criticized federal response to Katrina. At every public appearance, Webb notes that 97 percent of Allen's Senate votes last year backed the Bush White House.

In response, Allen campaign manager Dick Wadhams said of Webb, "We want to congratulate Hollywood movie producer James H. Webb Jr. for finally taking a stand on an issue. We now know that he is opposed to the devastation in New Orleans."

Wadhams was referring to Webb's role as executive producer for the 2000 film "Rules of Engagement," one of Webb's six combat-themed novels, and his work with top Hollywood movie producers.

The Democrats' attack represents the second clash this week between the Webb and Allen campaigns on emotional national issues. On Tuesday, Allen criticized Webb's opposition to a constitutional ban on burning the American flag and Webb's campaign responded with a scathing denunciation that portrayed Allen as a coward who avoided the Vietnam War while Webb led a Marine rifle company.

In his first public comment on the flag-amendment controversy, Webb singled out Wadhams, a longtime Republican strategist who managed John Thune's successful campaign in 2004 to unseat Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.

"I've not been surprised but I've been disappointed by the way this campaign has been just begun by Mr. Wadhams," Webb said.

"When it comes to something like the flag-burning amendment to suggest that I was changing my views politically simply because I affiliated with the Democratic Party, the way that was said I think was totally improper," Webb said. "I have very strong feelings about desecration of the flag and I have very strong feelings about what belongs in the Constitution."

Wadhams responded by accusing Webb of trying to "play the victim" to mask what he says is a troubling stand on the flag-burning issue.

"What James H. Webb Jr. showed again this week is he's out of touch with Virginia values and opposed the flag-burning amendment and came down on the side of Hollywood values," Wadhams said.

Wadhams' denigrating use of Webb's formal full name stands as an early measure of the campaign's hostile personal tone 4 1/2 months before the Nov. 7 election.

In Tuesday's rhetorical crossfire over the flag-burning amendment, Webb aide repeatedly referred to the first-term incumbent as George Felix Allen Jr., using the middle name Allen detests and the filial suffix that is not part of Allen's name. His father, a legendary pro football coach, was George H. Allen.

Virginia's right stuff, your typical bumper sticker Republican.  They can list the 10 commandments, but have no idea what the constitution says.  Probably never seen C-Span, but masterbates to Rush and O'Reilly.

Oh, but you had a "question."  Well, let's see...

He hasn't voted on any bills bc he hasn't been in office.  So, what should he have done, in your most brilliant opinion, "right stuff"?

What has Allen done?  He has had the opportunity to change things, considering he has been a Senator, albeit a completely poor and disastrous one at that.

You.  are.  grasping.  at.  straws.

What's wrong?  You a wittel bit scared?  Wittle scared about being shipped back to the minority party where republicans belong?

Ha phucking ha.

Well techinically nothing smartass. If the only way you can be judged as working towards a goal is voting for it or releasing a public statement, then technically Felix would be in favor of allowing children to be attacked by poltergeists. How do I know this? Well, Allen has never voted against it or released a statement, so by your logic, he has done nothing to protect our children from poltergeists.

WHY DOESN'T GEORGE ALLEN PROTECT OUR CHILDREN FROM SATANIC DEMONS???

You're great.  Good meeting you last night.  :)

Allen should be saving our children.
The demons are horrible and eat our souls.

of why it is difficult to run with a long legislative history.  Webb folks will say Allen voted against a certain piece of minimum wage increase legislation (which he did).  Allen will say he voted for a different piece of minimum wage increase legislation (which he did).  The average (less sophisticated) voter doesn't know the technicalities of the process and you end up with a "I voted for it before I voted against it scenario."  This is one of the few areas where incumbency can be a negative and being a newcomer with a clean slate can be a positive.

I'm all for current efforts, and Webb's intentions, to increase minimum wage. 

For most businesses a small increase in worker pay will have a negligible impact compared to other business expenses.  Maybe the large companies that employ many minimum wage workers will be hit harder, but large companies tend to be in a solid position to absorb such changes. 

But the benefits far outweigh these minor expenses to some businesses.  Aside from the obvious advantage of helping the disadvantaged, I've also read that the increases help the economy as a whole through more buying power and higher tax revenues attributed to the increase.  The minimum wage increase is something that should happen.

On the flipside, I think that talking about congressional pay is a political gimmick. 

Simply say "senator so-and-so makes a juicy six figure salary - doesn't that just piss you off?  That guy's a jackass and doesn't deserve that kind of money."

This gimmick works really well when people are unhappy with government, as they are now.  What are they doing to earn that money the people will ask?  Why, screwing up the country.  And the bonus points roll in.

Now let me be clear: I don't feel at all sorry for these politicians nor do I think they're poor or needy.  Aside from a very good salary they will get plenty of perks during and after their terms. 

But, for better or worse, they are the leaders of our country and compared to other (corporate) leaders, they really aren't making that much money nor have they enjoyed the massive increases corporate executives have recently. 

Personally I have no problem with our elected leaders making a very good salary or giving themselves raises (within reason, of course).  I do have a problem when they suck as leaders as many do now.  But that has nothing to do with their pay.  If you don't like what the elected officials are doing to run the government then don't re-elect them. 

"if you don't like what they're doing." What a great diea! I guess you mean, "then un-elect them" when they screw up after being elected. That's what we're trying to do here with Jim Webb. 

Only problem is: how the republicans continuously rig elections: suppress votes, tinker with Diebold and other electronic voting machines, move polling places around, mail official-looking but misleading dates for voting into Democratic areas, jam Democratic hqs phone lines on election day to hamper Get Out The Vote phone calls, wipe voter roles clean of anyone with a name remotely like that of a felon, wipe voter rolls clean of black soldiers who have been deployed to Iraq ("they had no current address") and so on. That makes it hard to win an election even when you try. Vigiliance is the eternal price of liberty, he?

You vote for people we dislike, and whom the overwhelming majority of the country dislikes.  You have made it no secret that you are a Republican. 

And you are "concerned" about how good a Dem Webb is?

Again, I question why you care.  I question your motives.

Go ahead and troll rate me, VRS/I. Publius.  It doesn't hurt me.  Watching Republicans have to come to a Democratic blog to post bc their party hates science and technology and doesn't understand the blogosphere is what makes me smile.

Think you can sneak in a comment in the dead of night eh there senor poltergeist? Well unlike Congress, we don't let things pass here while others sleep.

I don't think Webb has spend his free time advancing every cause of the Democratic Party. He probably hasn't marched, rallied, done bake sales, sent letters, and done hunger strikes for every Democratic cause. All we can do is take him at his word that he supports these measures.

Frankly I think it would be a waste of time for a private citizen to rally behind every issue they care about. There are dozens of issues that I care passionatley about; but instead of a futile effort to advance their causes individually, I rally behind candidates that I think will best support them. This is a complex theory called time management, in which I best allocate my time in an area that will produce the maximum benefit. In this instance, I am supporing Jim Webb becaues I beleive he will make America respected abroad, take ideology out of our foreign policy, stand up for working people and not corporate interests, and makes sure the government stops at my front door and respects privacy.

If this was all too confusing to you, turn off your computer, take a nap, get up and look at yourself in the mirror, and slap yourself repeatedly. Also do this if you feel the need to make stupid troll comments questioning Webb's motives. I don't need you to do a background check on every statement Webb makes to make sure its consistent with the values he held in 1965.

Webb needs to say this over and over.