That's what Del. Dave Albo (R-42) has to say about "the most comprehensive transportation-reform bill since 1986" in Virginia. It's not just Albo who's gloating these days. It's also his "fellow Republicans, who say [House Speaker William J. Howell's] resolve in passing a transportation bill forced Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to stop pushing for massive statewide tax increases and should silence the pundits who questioned his political will."Meanwhile, according to the Washington Times, "Political observers and some lawmakers say the tentative deal should, at the very least, hamper Democrats from lambasting Republicans as incompetent leaders in the coming election, when all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for grabs."
In contrast, our own Josh Chernila has a wildly different take on this situation:
Kaine's response is first-and-foremost a masterwork of management, consensus-building, and it fulfills the promise of bi-partisan accomplishment which was the primary reason for the Kaine Governorship in the first place.Secondarily, it is also good politics. In November, voters will remember that Democrats act in good faith. It is a responsible plan that includes and empowers localities. It forces the state to retain its oversight and infrastructure responsibilities, and it fully funds the process. It isn't the plan that Democrats would have put forth on their own, and it's not the Republican plan either. It's a fair and manageable plan that delivers for all of Virginia.
So which is it? Dave Albo and the Washington Times? Or Josh Chernila? More to the point, was Tim Kaine's signature - with amendments - of the Bill Howell/House GOP transportation plan a sign that Democrats "Git-r-Done" as the party of positive results, something voters will recognized and reward in November? Or was it an indication that Republicans had won this round and possibly salvaged their political prospects for this November? I'm honestly not sure. What do you think?
It's time to be team players and present the case that the hopelessly inadquate republican so-called plan, which presented a dangerous precedent the entire state would have come to regret, full as it was of landmines and devilish details--- has been swept clean of these disasters, rectified and rehabilitated by a shrewd governor and turned into something workable.
Let's remind everyone this is a FIRST step, and the long travail by which the republicans labored mightily and brought forth a transportation mouse does n ot really meet the needs of the entire Commonwealth... if Kaine had had more fellow-Democrats in the Assembly, with the same vision of good government that Kaine has, we would have a better bill. Therefore, vote Democratic in November.
I think it might be a victory for NOVA Republicans because it removes an issue you guys could have used against us. So basically without this it would have been a negative but instead its a neutral issue.
I think Not Harry already said most of it better down below
Basically you guys were going to use Transportation as an issue and now you cant.
2. Democrats Deliver: Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are indicitive of the Virginia way as embraced and embodied by today's Virginia Democratic party. We transcend politics and get the job done for the betterment of all Virginians."
My opinion remains: "Governor Kaine handled just "fixing the potholes" by accepting most of the Republicans' transportation package and proved, once again, that Democrats when elected will work to govern to the best of their ability and for the common good.
In the 2007 election I hope our Democratic candidates remind voters that for real progress to happen on issues from transportation, education, public safety, our environment, healthcare, personal freedoms, and building a Commonwealth for the future we all can be proud of Governor Kaine needs their help.
2007 voters can send a clear message that they want to elect folks to help Gov. Kaine keep Virginia moving forward and remain the best managed state in the nation."
But I refuse to get sidetracked into that tired old backwater, Club for Growth notwithstanding. Let's not forget the normally republican business community was solidly against the republican stubbornness on taxes for transportation, which is why Tom Davis and Ed Gillespie strode downstate and twisted Howell's arm until he squealed forth a bastard compromise which in and of itself was in no way a solution to the transportation mess... even Republican legislators were begging Kaine to clean it up and "fix" it. So the transportation bill AS AMENDED is definitely not a republican triumph. Rather, it is, and should be recognized as, an ahicevement by Kaine and his talent for good government.
Moreover, this is only a First Baby Step in addressing the basic infrastructure of transportation, which is one of the underlying original reasons for formal government over a good-sized geographic territory.
Too bad the republicans have such paucity of vision they did not seize the opportunity here to deliver a workable, effective, and adequate plan to the Governor in the first place.
Meanwhile, who listens to the Washington Times anyway? Their managing editor is an avowed white supremacist and the whole thing is run by the moonies. The greatest irony of the entire Washington Times gang is that they do such an egregious job of manaing their personal and private affairs that even the head of the Moonie Church (A man who was crowned by Republicans in the basement of a congressional building as the "true parent" of America) considers the whole rotten bunch an embarassment.
When the head of the moonie church is your boss and considers you an embarassment, you've transcended the scope of mere propaganda and entered the laughingstock zone.
Note, she's proud of it. Why would she deny it?
I would have liked it if Kaine had made greater amendments, but I am sure that it is probably one of the best solutions with the current state senate and assembly party numbers.
Another reason why we need a more Democratic state assembly and senate.
Republicans want to spin this as another victory against tax increases, and to showcase their cleverness on how they can provide more services with the same budget.
Guess what? Our taxes have increased. Their anti-tax screeds are nothing but a sham. We have less money for education and safety. We will eventually have to pay the difference if we don't want less services. Many of the roads proposed may end up being toll roads controlled by private firms to reduce government spending. So what we saved with taxes, we may end up paying in tolls. Or if we can't afford the tolls, we can pay it with our time, sitting in traffic.
So we can potentially have lower quality of life, greater debt, and still end up paying a lot of money.
There is no such thing as a free lunch, regardless of what tax hating Republican say.
People wonder what the Democratic Party stands for. It's moments like these where we have a real opportunity to define the debate, frame a clear choice, and explain to the voters what we and this issue are all about. This was a **perfect** opportunity to create a clear distinction between Democratic and Republican Party's views on government financing, good government, and our governing philosophies. We fell flat on our face on this one.
Going forward, trying to have a public debate about this issue is going to be difficult. Devolites, Albo, Hugo, O'Brien, and Cooch are probably going to be running around claiming accomplishments and Democratic challengers are going to have to attack their own Governor to claim otherwise.
Additionally, this article also shows how the Republicans are continuing to masterfully manipulate the press on this issue and will continue to do so.
Democrats are the ones who get the job done, and we need more Democrats in Richmond to do the job better.
If Republicans were so masterful at managing the media, we wouldn't have had such universal discord when the bill emerged from conference from the localities and richmond, including the a broad range of disgruntled Republicans.
This is a huge win for Kaine and the Democrats. Don't believe their spin or their spinmeisters.
Democrats get results, Republicans believe in party first, results as and afterthought.
The best outcome for Republicans would have been for Kaine to veto this bill and then they could ride in to November claiming that democrats don't care about your transportation woes.
Mark my words: Kaine will emerge from this with a Transporation success in April and a new Democratic majority in the State Senate in November.
As a casual observer, it looks like Republicans played Democrats like a fiddle. They knew they could defecate on the Governor's desk and he would have to take it. The only way they could have lost in this is if Speaker Howell could not keep together his rowdy group of Republicans. I think by all rights, Speak Howell may now say: "Don't hate the player, hate the game."
Senator Herring did the right thing voting against the bill in the Senate. Now he's stuck having to decide what to do with the pig that now has lipstick that he rejected last time.
Senator Colgan is in a Republican seat in a Republican County with elected Republicans who have been trashing this from Day #1. What's he supposed to do? Say this is great deal and all of these Prince William Republicans who you all have elected in my district are all wrong?
Many in the HOD have also been out there on these General Fund raids - especially Brian Moran. This strands them by taking some money out of the GF and locking up surpluses which might go to the General Fund. What's Brian supposed to say? It's ok to take SOME General Fund money, but not more than that?
Chap Petersen's been pretty much on record that this bill is a bad idea. I'm pretty sure he's been promoting gas taxes since he was in the HOD. How does throwing Devolites a bone help the #1 targeted race in the Senate?
I'm not sure whether Oleszek or Barker/Galligan are on record on this issue, but this bill can't be helpful to them.
Where's the silver lining????
Piling up obligations on the poor via "abuser fees" and rental property taxes is a win (I'd like to see how the purported exemption clears Virginia's constitutional uniform taxation requirements)?
Sacrificing our ideological principles to achieve a fleeting, limited, and potentially unconstitutional phyrric victory is a win?
- These "surpluses" will be gone within 2 years.
- Future General Assemblies will substantially rewrite this
- These regionals taxing authorities will possibly be held unconstitutional.
Requiring our challengers (Chap, Oleszek, Barker/Galligan, Wilder, Meyer/Simmons, O'Donohugh, et al.) to attack their governor to make their points is a victory?
Tapping the General Fund for roads - a Republican government-limiting objective - is a victory?
This bill gives substantial short-term benefit to the GOP when they need it the most in this critical election, gives our Party virtually no benefit, and screws Virginian's long-term in the process by selling them short.
The comments to the initial story on the Washington Post message board are UNIFORMLY NEGATIVE.
I liked this comment:
Kaine, holding three aces and 1 king folded to an assembly holding nothing but a pair of 2s. Pathetic and not the type of leadership I voted for. I would have preferred the veto to this do nothing bill and let the General Assembly get voted out of office for being incompetent in proposing such garbage in the first place...
By stevenjmassey | Mar 27, 2007 3:37:09 PM
People aren't dumb. People are fed up that the Northern Virginia has to pay Northern Virginia's bills.
Stop the spin. This was a bad move.
As a Northern Virginia resident, I DON'T CARE that Transportation didn't get all resolved this year because that would have been impossible. This bill passed is an excellent first step and it brings in money to our region. The choice of $400 million now or a veto with nothing done for another year is an easy choice
The Democratic candidates clearly have a loser on their hands as they had nothing to do with this bill passing and can only complain it didn't do enough, which you could say about a majority of legislation passed.