Devolites-Davis Takes Credit for Transportation Monstrosity

By: Lowell
Published On: 5/23/2007 3:33:18 PM

This - Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis' (JMDD's) latest mailer (in PDF) - is truly hilarious.  Just a few quick thoughts:

It's fine in the sense that it's visually clean, easy to read, etc.  In fact, it doesn't seem particularly political at all; it almost looks like a franked piece of mail that CONGRESSMAN Davis (see above, with George Allen) could have sent out. :)

However...from a message standpoint there are a few BIG problems:

1. There is a huge disconnect between what the transportation monstrosity...er, plan actually does and what JMDD's claiming it will do (both visually and in the language);
2. Even IF this plan were the be-all-and-end-all of transportation solutions, nobody's going to see any results anytime soon (if ever), that's for damn sure. Yet, even though people are still sitting in traffic gridlock and will be for many years (decades? centuries?) to come, JMDD is claiming, erroneously, that we're on our way to solving the NOVA transportation crisis.  Yeah, and I've got some nice swampland in southern Iraq to sell you! :)

3. JMDD's talking about how great it is that Fairfax can pay for its own transportation solutions, but here's the problem - that means, essentially, a big tax bill for residents of Fairfax (and NOVA more broadly)!  I mean let's face it, NOVA is the major engine of the entire state's economy, yet JMDD's plan has only NOVA residents forced to foot the bill for these non-improvement improvements to transportation. Meanwhile, only 25 cents out of every tax dollar that JMDD's constituents send to Richmond gets back to her district. So, JMDD's brilliant solution to this is to tax her own constituents more.  As Borat would say, "is niiiiiice!" :)

4.  By the way, the Washington Post editorial that JMDD brags about says clearly that she put her poltical future on the line "by advocating new taxes and fees."  That's fine, I suppose, except that JMDD claims to be a Republican (so what is she conservative on, social issues?).  Also, as mentioned before, taxes and fees go up for her constituents, yet they see no improvement in their transportation gridlock nightmare.  What kind of deal is THAT?!?

Which is one of many reasons why we here at RK say, "Go Chap Petersen!!!" :)


Comments



Typical (brimur - 5/23/2007 4:07:13 PM)
How can JMDD take credit for a plan that has a House bill number?  Oh well, keep reading the Republican script.  Never mind reality. 

By the way, Chap is having a fundraiser tonight in Alexandria.  Check his website for details.