RPV Chairman Weekly Update

Republican Party of Virginia Jeffrey M. Frederick, Chairman In this week's update:

Chairman's UpdatePrimetime PinocchioLong before there was Barack Obama, the media gave us Democrat Mark Warner. Sure, they may not seem all that similar at first glance – but look again, and you’ll see a kinship between them that made Warner a natural to be chosen by Obama to give the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week.You may recall that it was Obama’s role as the keynote speaker for the 2004 Democrats that launched “Obamania” into the national spotlight.But more than each giving the “honorary” Tuesday night convention speech, their true kinship comes in the form of press treatment that largely ignores the substance of each man in favor of puff coverage focusing on their gregarious personalities and “moderate” political tendencies. And this is exactly what Obama has in mind.Obama is no dummy when it comes to political theatre. He knows that when Mark Warner appears on TVs all across America (those TVs that are not tuned to something more interesting, like the National Spelling Bee contest) the media will laud the former Governor as a moderate bridge builder, or a Democrat who won the hearts and minds of “Red State” Virginia. Warner, they’ll say, is a model for the type of bi-partisan, non-ideological politician that Obama aspires to be, thus marginalizing criticisms of Obama’s liberal positions on the issues.But who are we kidding? We know that you don’t get rated by National Journal as the MOST liberal U.S. Senator for no reason. And in case you forgot: this means that Obama is more liberal than an avowed socialist, Independent (Socialist) Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.Yet this is the man who Mark Warner chooses to honor in the form of giving his keynote address. For years the Democrats in Virginia said they were different from their national counterparts who were on the far left; people like John Kerry, Jesse Jackson, and Barbara Boxer. But the convention in Denver will once and for all dispel any myth to the contrary.The fact is that Mark Warner is the perfect choice to keynote the Democrat convention. As the guest of honor of a far-left gathering, Warner can give a clinic to Obama and the national Democrats on how to campaign as a bi-partisan, non-ideological candidate, but then push through a hard core liberal agenda once elected; he can show the Democrats how to make campaign promise after campaign promise, and then break every one of those major promises and have the media never hold you accountable.Barack Obama and most of the liberals in the room that evening will want to push through record tax increases on America, but Warner has already done it. Obama and the Democrats want to kill offshore drilling for energy independence, but Mark Warner has already vetoed offshore drilling. The Democrats want to push a liberal social agenda without catching heat in return, and as Mark Warner put up his own money to (unsuccessfully) defeat the marriage amendment, he can help here too.Let’s not forget how skilled Mark Warner is at manipulating people. This is the politician that promised he would not raise taxes, and then hid favorable state financial forecasts to push through the largest tax hike in Virginia’s history. Now, imagine – for example – you hid facts from your insurance company to get more money from them as Mark Warner hid facts to get more tax money out of Virginia taxpayers. You wouldn’t get elected to the Senate, you’d go to jail!So, Barack Obama could not have picked a better person to unveil the blueprint of how to fool voters, the press, and even the legislative branch. Mark Warner is the perfect choice.And this is why it is so important we make sure we get all of our family, friends, and co-workers to vote for both John McCain and Jim Gilmore this fall. Our message must be that it makes absolutely no sense to vote for McCain, only to cancel your vote by supporting a Barack Obama clone for the U.S. Senate like Mark Warner. One thing you certainly won’t hear from the media is that Mark Warner may be worth millions, but his word is worth about as much as a $3 bill.Ready to Lead? A Look at the NumbersNumber of years of military service:John McCain: 22Barack Obama: 0Time in Congress:John McCain: 9,490 daysBarack Obama: 147 daysYeah, Obama's ready to be the leader of the free world, right? The other day I was tossing a ball with my 23 month old daughter Gracie. Maybe she’s ready to quarterback the Redskins?Democrat Budget Strategy; Abandon Ship!Just last week Governor Kaine stated that his “most likely focus” between now and Election Day was helping Barack Obama win the election. That may not seem so bad on its face, except for the fact that because of faulty budget forecasts by the Kaine administration, Virginia now faces over $1 billion in budget shortfalls.It is a shame that Governor Kaine did not exert the effort into his duties as Governor that he has traveling the nation on behalf of Obama. Otherwise, we may not be facing such a troubling financial situation.As pointed out in the press recently, both conservative and liberal groups warned Kaine to modify his budget numbers or just such a shortfall would occur. So what do we do now? Well, the answer certainly isn’t to raise taxes, and I was very happy that the Republicans in both chambers of the General Assembly stood together this year to vote against every new Democrat proposal to tax hardworking Virginians more. Further, tax increases have been shown time and time again (a lesson the Democrats either can’t learn, or don’t want to learn) to be counterproductive to solving budget shortfalls and improving the economy. Mark Warner passed record tax increases just a few years ago, yet not only do we still have budget shortfalls, we have failed to adequately address the pressing issue of fixing transportation.I think Delegate Lacey Putney, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, summed up the urge to tax our way out of budget shortfalls best, saying: “In 2004, then-Governor Warner stated that the tax increase approved by the General Assembly would align our longer term revenue and spending requirements. Clearly, this did not work. The fact that state spending continues to grow faster than revenue growth is not indicative of the need for more revenue, rather the need for spending reform.”So, hard choices have to be made to reign in spending that has grown wildly beyond new revenues. It would be nice if it were a bi-partisan effort to make these choices, but it seems the Democrats did not want to be anywhere near Governor Kaine when he delivered the bad news about his budget numbers. Finance Secretary Jody Wagner conveniently stepped down last Friday, before Monday’s address by the Governor.Other top Democrat legislators were also scarce as the Governor delivered his bleak news. House Democratic Leader, Delegate Ward Armstrong – a member of the House Finance Committee – did not attend Monday's meeting of the money committees; and Delegate Brian Moran, House Democrat Caucus Chairman (also a Finance Committee member), was absent as well. Senate Democratic Leader Dick Saslaw, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, was a no-show too. It would be nice if the Democrats attended the budget meetings to show their willingness to fix our fiscal situation. Yet, I guess we can consider the bright side of their absence: if they’re not in Richmond, they can’t raise our taxes. And now, Tim Kaine is getting ready to travel the nation as he runs for national office. While Virginians are looking for leadership from their Governor to work out or economic challenges, Kaine jumps ship. But then again, he left Richmond City government in shambles, and so I guess he’s getting ready to do the same in state government.Monday was very disappointing. Virginians expected their Governor to give them straight talk about our troubling fiscal situation, but instead we got an elusive tap dance from a politician angling for a promotion that he hasn't earned, and clearly isn’t qualified for.Read these statements from our legislative leaders:Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, President of the Senate of Virginia“I am also concerned that Governor Kaine has offered no specific plan for closing these budget shortfalls. While he has announced approximately $49M in spending reductions to date, these reductions pale in comparison to the massive shortfalls we face.”Speaker Bill Howell“Frustratingly, many lawmakers – myself included – foresaw this problem last December …we urged the Administration to offer a more realistic, conservative fiscal forecast. The Governor refused, instead choosing to continue proposing new state spending when there were clear signs that the country could be headed into a broader economic slowdown.”Chairman Lacey Putney, Chairman, House Appropriations Committee“Last winter, I – and other members of the General Assembly – expressed concern that the revenue estimates proposed by Governor Kaine for the new biennial budget appeared to be overly optimistic... it is now evident that the weakness of the economy is greater than administration officials thought.” LG/AG/RPV ChallengeRepublican unit committees all around the Commonwealth are making great progress in the Challenge. Congrats to the following units for doing their phone calls; hosting their membership event; and doubling their membership (in some cases even doing better than that):

Bland (Chair Jack Morgan)
Bristol (Chair Joyce Kistner)
Buckingham (Chair Eric Winslow)
Colonial Heights (Chair John Wood)
Danville (Chair Nick Fowler)
Dinwiddie (Chair Susan McCammon)
Floyd (Chair C. Gene Bishop)
Halifax (Chair Pat Barksdale)
Highland (Chair David Kiser)
Isle of Wight (Chair David Willis)
Louisa (Chair Pat Mullins)
Montgomery (Chair Patty Manthe)
New Kent (Chair Jane Ladd)
Patrick (Chair Elizabeth Stanley)
Petersburg (Chair Linas Kojelis)
Pittsylvania (Chair Tom Arthur)
Prince Edward (Chair John Marsden)
Prince George (Chair Daniel Robinson)
Pulaski (Chair Beckie Cox)
Rockbridge (Chair Bob James)
Salem (Chair Greg Habeeb)
Smyth (Chair Adam Tolbert)
Tazewell (Chair Aaron Roberts)Keep up the great work!

The Davids Are Reading The Tea Leaves And It Doesn’t Look Good For “The One”…"Moreover, McCain is now on a sustained roll in his campaign. Since the time he shook up his organization a few weeks ago, he has been much more focused and has started to get through to voters. Democrats — and the press — didn’t like the quality of those ads, but they seem to have worked politically. His stand on drilling and on Russia have also strengthened his aura of command. And now Saddleback. … In short, the tide is moving for the first time in the Republican direction. And the realization is setting in that McCain might just win."– David Gergen"Republican John McCain's enjoying a pretty good run these days. He easily bested Democrat Barack Obama at Pastor Rick Warren's evangelical forum of presidential candidates Saturday night in California. And in Iowa, a new poll taken earlier this month shows that Obama's lead in the state dropped by half in only a month. … For Americans sizing up the two candidates, McCain looked more presidential. He knew who he was and what he stood for. Obama did nothing to ease fears of voters that he is not up to the job."– David Yepsen
Recent NewsWill the national spotlight burn Gov. Kaine at home? Daily Press Some say it would be difficult to run for VP while trying to fix Virginia's economy...At the moment, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine might be enjoying his national profile more than the duties that come with his day job... Aug. 19, 2008 8:17 PMGOP Raises Concerns about Kaine, VP Speculation The Washington Post Given the state's budget shortfall and an expected painful round of spending cuts this fall, Virginia Republican leaders said today Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) should consider whether he will step down as governor if he is selected by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) this month to be his running mate in the presidential race... Aug. 19, 2008 9:39 AMObama on Clarence Thomas The Wall Street Journal Editorial Barack Obama likes to portray himself as a centrist politician who wants to unite the country, but occasionally his postpartisan mask slips. That was the case at Saturday night's Saddleback Church forum, when Mr. Obama chose to demean Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas... Aug. 18, 2008 8:33 PMShowdown at SaddlebackKristol Column in The New York TimesWhile normal people were out having fun Saturday night, I was home in front of the TV. But I wasn’t enjoying the Olympics. Your diligent columnist was dutifully watching Barack Obama and John McCain answer the Rev. Rick Warren’s questions at Saddleback Church. Virtue is sometimes rewarded. The event was worth watching — and for me yielded three conclusions...Aug. 18, 2008 1:39 PMThe Democrats' Missing History The Wall Street Journal As Democrats prepare to nominate Sen. Barack Obama to be the first black president, the Democratic National Committee and its chairman, Howard Dean, have whitewashed the party's horrific and lengthy record of racism. The omission is in the section of the DNC Web site that describes the party's history... Aug. 13, 2008 8:30 PM
Coming Events
Super Saturday8/23/2008
Rockbridge Area Republican Committee 25th Annual Labor Day Breakfast9/1/2008 8:00 AM
Congresswoman Thelma Drake's 13th Annual Beach Party9/13/2008 6:00 PM
Super SaturdayThis Saturday, our 2008 Victory effort will canvass Virginia for John McCain, Jim Gilmore, and our Congressional candidates. Virginia has been number-one in our grassroots efforts this year -- help us to keep that distinction and elect our candidates.Click here for information on activities in your area.
Working Families TourFormer Gov. Jim Gilmore will continue his Working Families Tour launched in early June by visiting eleven of Virginia’s towns and cities on Wednesday, August 20 and Thursday, August 21 bringing his message of lower gas prices, lower taxes and trust to Virginia’s working people. Gov. Gilmore will visit with working families in Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Caroline County, Fredericksburg, King George, Montross, Tappahannock, Kilmarnock and Gloucester. Click here for more info.
RPV's 25th Annual Don Huffman AdvanceFriday, December 5th - Sunday, December 7th, 2008 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VirginiaJoin Republicans across the Commonwealth as we recap the 2008 elections and plan to win in 2009!
Who is the Real Barack Obama?"For the rising generation; by the rising generation"Read the book written by young conservatives (fellow grassroots Virginia Republicans) in the movement to inform young voters, about his true stance on issues such as the family, illegal immigration, the economy, etc. It is a quick read and looks to inform people of Obama's true intentions if he becomes President.Click here.
VideoMcCain Ad: "Taxman"McCain Ad: "Painful"McCain Ad: "Broken"Sen. Barack Obama's answer to meeting energy demandsThe pump up your tires speechMark Warner: Promises made; promises broken