A Diary in Which I Ask, "Why Not?"

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Wednesday April 26, 2006 · 6:39 AM PDT

2006/04/26 · 06:39

This is building off my previous diary regarding rural poverty, lack of industry, and the subsequent commutes that create a situation where gas taxes and massive shifts away from single vehicles is in many ways unfeasible. During the discussion, a couple of comments struck me:

1. The idea that lack of industry was inevitable and irreversible. Jobs are being outsourced. The rural regions are outdated. The cities are inevitable.

2. You can't simply develop new industry in farflung regions or cater to the needs of the small numbers of people in them because it is inefficient and as such over-expensive. Business will not accept slowed productivity.

3. Because the end of oil is nigh, we can't afford to be understanding of working class needs, because the working class will be paying for it later if they don't wake up now.

To which my response is to follow the footsteps of Robert Kennedy and ask: "why not?" Read More

Let's Talk About Rural Poverty and Long Commutes

VirginiaBelle

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Monday April 24, 2006 · 9:37 AM PDT

2006/04/24 · 09:37

While I am loathe to add to pie fights, I think there is an underlying issue that is simply being glossed over in the gas tax diaries, and that is rural poverty and society, and what we owe or do not owe people who choose to live outside a public transit filled metropolis. Because I honestly have to bite my lip when I hear people say what a luxury it is to not live in a city, or that we don't owe people who live in rural regions anything because they're stupid and/or vote against their own self-interest.

Let's get one thing straight: we're Democrats. We do not ignore poverty even if the poor do not vote for us. We care about everyone, and have a moral obligation to look out for the interests of the weak and vulnerable even if they do not vote for us or live near us or act like us. That is the definition of our party, and anyone who says otherwise I will kindly tell that if they want to ignore the poorest, neediest, segment of our population because electorally it doesn't make sense or any other reason, then I don't want to be a part of their revolution.

So, that aside, let's discuss the value of living in the sticks. Read More

MSOC: Maybe Not the Angry Left, But I Feel Your Pain

VirginiaBelle

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Saturday April 15, 2006 · 11:46 AM PDT

2006/04/15 · 11:46

I am hardly the personification of the Angry Left as described in MSOC's infamous WaPo article. I don't swear in my writing, I don't lash out, I don't say "Darth Cheney", and I'm more opt to tell you to work on a campaign or donate some money than to tell you how pissed at the world I am.

But I reserve the right to be frankly offended at how a piece by the Washington Post can be turned into a pile-on of Maryscott O'Connor by those who resent her name-brand, her rhetoric, and represent the otherside of the spectrum when it comes to the liberal blogosphere. You're not going to save the blogosphere for the respectable world by shutting up the underlying rage that, let's face, is a part of being a Democrat these days.

The rage is there. It will be personified. It is a part of this community, and it has not hindered our growth or relevance in the slightest, and I refuse to take part in the typical Democratic practice of punishing those who are successful. Read More

You Want a Revolution? I'll Give You a Freaking Revolution

VirginiaBelle

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Wednesday April 12, 2006 · 8:24 AM PDT

2006/04/12 · 08:24

This is to all the people disappointed in last night's Busby returns, angry at the malaise of our party and that despite everything, we can't seem to get our act together. This is to everyone who thinks our leaders are weak and ineffectual, isolated in a Washingtonian bubble with no clue as to the situation on the ground, who care more about being polite than getting the job done.

Grow a backbone.

Your lack of confidence speaks volumes. It is time to grow up. So Francis Busby did not get the 50% that she was never supposed to get, never polled at, and didn't herself plan on getting. So Paul Hackett only came within 2% in the Ohio-2nd. So, Ciro didn't win his primary. So what? So you're unlikely to see immediate dividends when you pick longshot cases, as the netroots is wont to do. We're still kicking ass and taking names.

And I don't have time for the Hamlet act. We're on the winning team, folks.

And here's why: Read More

Leader Pelosi- You Asked for Suggestions. I have Answers.

VirginiaBelle

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Thursday April 06, 2006 · 9:13 PM PDT

2006/04/06 · 21:13

First off, I want to explain that I understand the position you're in, and hope that you understand that part of the paradox of being a minority leader is going to be the frustrating rants that will inevitably follow you wherever you post. There is perhaps no position more pathetic than minority leader in the House of Representatives. I say that not as an insult, but as someone who understands how little you can accomplish and how much you are expected to accomplish. That being said, you have asked for suggestions. And I cannot resist the opportunity to give you mine.

First, you are not going to be the face of the Democratic takeover. Maybe that hurts, but its true. You are in Washington. You are from California. Not just California, but San Fransisco. I know where the swing districts are, and you don't play well in quite a few of them. This election should not be about Washington.

This should be an insurgency.
Read More

I am Declaring Class Warfare. Who's with Me?

VirginiaBelle

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Thursday April 06, 2006 · 7:49 AM PDT

2006/04/06 · 07:49

The GOP likes to take any argument I or my peers have as to why we as a nation have an ethical responsibility to the have-nots as our society, and call it class warfare. How dare I engage in class warfare, and pit the have-not's against the haves. Well, I have an answer for you: yes, I am engaging in class warfare. Because government was not built for the affluent. It was built so that the affluent don't trample the poor on their way to further affluence. So now that class warfare has officially been declared, whose side are you taking? The wealthy few, or the angry masses?

What kind of world do we live in when George Allen, in a naked bid to earn brownie points with the "bigot" section of his party, can declare his support of deporting 12 million people just because their American Dream is just beginning. This, despite the fact that in the state he is supposed to represent, the region where immigrant populations have settled has a 2% unemployment rate, and an exploding population that really loves new houses with kept lawns. So I think you've just declared war on a class of people. And I am here to fight back. Read More

It's Not That They're Traitors, It's That Their Entire System of Government Doesn't Work

VirginiaBelle

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Friday March 31, 2006 · 11:55 AM PST

2006/03/31 · 11:55

Imagine if we got universal health care, and affordable college education for all, and a tax structure that protected the lower class, and solvency for social security, and the Kyoto treaty approved, and joined the ICC (International Criminal Court), and it was all an unmitigated disaster? Imagine if we got everything we desired, and in our shining moment, instead of being our vision of the world, we had a poorly run system that couldn't deal with even the very basic needs of governance, a loss of repute of our nation, and instead of everything we touched turning to gold, it turned to dung? And everywhere you go, people are screaming at you about how could you have ruined everything? Because that is where Republicans stand right now.

I'm not saying they don't deserve it. I'm saying you have to understand that every single Bush pioneer, K-Street lobbyist, elected official, social conservative, business Republican, et al. is having that same collective realization. They have been given what they want and it is a failure, because all they have wanted has been the wrong things. The Grand Theory of Conservatism is truly unworkable. Read More

On Jim Webb, and Putting Your Money Where your Mouth Is

VirginiaBelle

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Tuesday March 28, 2006 · 1:57 PM PST

2006/03/28 · 13:57

I haven't endorsed in the Webb/Miller race, but I really am rooting for Webb to get his $300,000 in three weeks, mostly because if the supposed thesis of the netroots is worth anything at all, the guy deserves his $300,000.

How many times have I heard the netroots complain about being treated like an ATM? Well, here is a candidate who has been rather remarkable in his engagement of the internet. He has hosted live online chats on DailyKos, Talking Point Cafe, etc. He has held blogger conference calls, and is willing to do a blogosphere debate with Harris Miller, his primary opponent. That's right. An actual debate moderated by/with questions from, local bloggers. He has been endorsed by netroots darling Wesley Clark. And the guy talks with a frankness reminiscent of Paul Hackett.

If this guy can't raise money online, then you will never convince me that netroots support isn't capricious at heart and dependent on the gimmicky stories of the moment rather than actual, substantive netroots involvement. Read More

Public Citizen Files Law Suit to Void Budget Reconciliation Act of 2005

VirginiaBelle

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Tuesday March 21, 2006 · 10:56 AM PST

2006/03/21 · 10:56

From Roll Call:

Government watchdog Public Citizen filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday seeking to nullify the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, arguing that the legislation failed to meet constitutional requirements.
The lawsuit argues that the measure, signed into law by President Bush in February, fails to meet the Constitution's bicameral clause because the House and Senate did not pass identical versions of the bill. This is the second such suit filed against the legislation.
"Laws are only valid if they are passed in a constitutional way," Public Citizen attorney Adina Rosenbaum said in announcing the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She later added: "It's simple elementary school social studies."

This bill is a travesty content-wise (cutting anti-poverty programs due to Hurricane Katrina to me reaches the level of comical super-villainy), but also because it's another example of ignoring the basic fundamentals of how the system is supposed to work. And this is why we need watch dog's like Public Citizen, even if you disagree with them over 1606 and internet regulation. Read More

Why I Support Mark Warner (And it ain't because he's electable)

VirginiaBelle

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Wednesday March 15, 2006 · 12:03 PM PST

2006/03/15 · 12:03

Cross-posted to VirginiaBelle.Net

Mark Warner is a Southern Governor whose the most popular governor in the history of Virginia polls.

This is true, and a valid point as to why he's electable. But that's not really why I support Mark Warner at all. To me, that is an after-thought. Rather, I support Mark Warner because I look at the state of the country. I look at the state of the Democratic Party. And I look at the state of Virginia. And I look at the state of the Virginia Democratic Party. And I can't help but notice the difference. And as I've lived in Virginia all my life, I trace back to a bygone era (6 years ago) where both Virginia and the Virginia Democratic party seemed to be in a position eerily similar to the national state of affairs today. And I ask: what is the difference? Mark Warner.

Somewhere between the ultimate low of Gilmore's victory in '99 and Allen's victory in 2000 (which still stings), it changed from "He's a Democrat." as the end-all to a conversation to "So, he's a Democrat, well, there's nothing wrong with that" as the beginning of a conversation. And it has made all the difference. Read More

VA-Sen: And the In-Fighting Begins

VirginiaBelle

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Thursday March 09, 2006 · 8:32 AM PST

2006/03/09 · 08:32

Cross-Posted to VirginiaBelle.Net

I was going to entitle this entry, "Why Harris Miller is glad that Mo Eleithee is his Communications Director", because he has hit first, and he is precisely on target. Gives me fond memories of the Kaine campaign and their top tier communications set-up. Anyway, Lowell has a post up on Raising Kaine responding for the Webb folk, and while he does a decent job, and I appreciate his tone, I do feel it is a bit of apologia. I appreciate that Webb has appointed women to leadership positions within the Navy. I do. I don't think he's an ovary-hater. However, "Why Women Can't Fight" still smacks of all the innuendo and consequences it did before, and the taste it leaves in my mouth is not going to leave anytime soon. You are asking me to look beyond it, and I'm not saying I can't, or that I don't appreciate how much of a hero he is held in military and conservative circles for writing it (and the subsequent electoral advantage of that), but don't tell me it doesn't smell. Because it reeks. Read More

I Have Given Up on Iraq

VirginiaBelle

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Thursday March 02, 2006 · 9:22 PM PST

2006/03/02 · 21:22

It's official. I've given up on it. There's no reason to be there. It's time to go.

For the past year I have patiently explained to anyone who asked why I really, honestly, was not yet ready to leave Iraq despite the clear mess it had become. You see, I felt that regardless of never supporting the invasion in the first place, we had an obligation to stay. And I knew that there would never be an elimination of the insurgency while we were there. I wasn't expecting to turn a corner, or that the insurgency was in its last throes. I wasn't blind. But, you see, the way I saw it, the only hope for any semblance of success or mid-east stability, which is of such supreme importance to our nation as to be worth fighting for, was that we could build up the political and social infrastructure enough, despite recurrent insurgent attacks, that when we left, the support for the insurgency would plummet, as the American presence was no longer there to feed it. And then, the government would be stable enough to fill the void, and we would advert a civil war.

But I'm through with Iraq. Read More

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