RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.(RNN) --New Democratic Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, and House Majority Leader Ward Armstrong joined Governor Kaine today in announcing an immediate review of the "Abuser Fee" legislation passed by the recently defeated Republican General Assembly. Mr. Armstrong said that the house would "immediately take up" the Governors July 19th call for a "review of the implementation of the Fees".
Senator Saslaw said that the "will of the people had been heard yesterday" and that the new Democratic majority would "find equitable and sensible methods" to fund Virginia's transportation needs without "the abusive abuser fees". Governor Kaine thanked the legislative leadership team for working together and said he was "open to any funding suggestions that met Virginia's critical transportation needs, and respected our trust with the citizens of Virginia".
Former Senate Majority Leader Walter Stosch was not available for comment. He is reported to be a candidate for Special Assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney, but is currently in an undisclosed location due to threats upon his safety. A huge conservative Republican backlash has begun, particularly on the internet where several blogs affiliated with the Old Dominion Bloggers Commune (ODBC) have called for Stosch's beheading.
Meanwhile former House Speaker William Howell was arrested early this morning after being involved in a drunken brawl with Grover Norquist, President of Americans For Tax Reform, an anti-tax lobby group based in Washington, D.C.. Norquist is reported by doctors at Fairfax Innova Hospital to be resting comfortably, but will require reconstructive surgery for a broken jaw, and displaced testicles. A spokesman for Howell said that the former Speaker was "under stress", but "unrepentant" regarding his ill-considered support of the hugely unpopular traffic fees that had cost the Virginia Republicans both the Senate and the House.
In related news, Senator Jim Webb has announced that he will join new Virginia Senator Donald McEachin at his swearing in. The two have declared a Virginia Political Action Committee called, For The People, a social justice and economic fairness advocacy group. Senator McEachin has been promised a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, and announced that he will immediately move to improve funding for Pre-K education in Virginia.
The outcome of yesterday's election is being compared to the election of Senator James Webb in 2006. When asked about the results of the remarkable turnover in the Virginia General Assembly, Senator Webb remarked, "when I left the Republican party I told them to lead, follow, or be shown the way. We're showing them the way".