1. $5.6 Billion
That’s the amount of money that is supposed to be directed to Virginia from all sources of the Obama stimulus package. It didn’t receive a single Republican vote in the House of Representatives as the party complained about the pork that the Democrats used to lard up the bill. But I doubt that Virginia Republicans or the GOP in any state will be saying “thanks, but no thanks,” to any of the pork coming in their direction.
2. How Will K-12 Education Fare in the Stimulus Package
Almost every education story for the past month has spoken about declining school budgets, the prospects for increased class sizes and reduced offerings, and plans for layoff of employees that could reach 10% of the workforce in some school systems.
Yet recent analyses of the stimulus package note that school construction and other monies for education will make up a substantial portion of the dollars coming into the state.
What impact the package will have on all the planned local reductions is the $64,000 question about the $5.6 billion package.
3. “Later, Rahm, I Got Rush on the Other Line”
Two weeks ago, when everyone was basking in a bipartisan glow prior to the new administration taking office, Eric Cantor and Rahm Emanuel had become blackberry buddies, texting each other about their commitment to working together. This week we didn’t hear about the blackberries, but did listen to Cantor make what Rush described as his first appearance on the Excellence in Broadcasting Network. Limbaugh is attempting, as he puts it, “to hijack the Obama honeymoon.” During the interview, Cantor explained he GOP objections to the stimulus package lucidly and intelligently. He also explicitly praised Rush for the work that he is doing.
Later, Rahm, I got Rush on the other line.
4. Albo Takes a Shot at the Five Year Plan
Delegate Dave Albo proposed that students who do not finish their degree on time and take more than 120 college hours pay a tuition surcharge for going on the five year plan.
I doubt that the legislation will eventually be enacted, given all the complications of students who either switch majors, work their way through school or transfer from one college to another. In addition, many of the students who stay more than 4 years are there because they haven’t taken 120 credits successfully.
Still, there are a lot of Virginia parents who would appreciate any incentive to prompt their sons and daughters to finish in four.
5. Payback to the Payday Lenders
Key members of the Senate, including Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, were instrumental in crafting a compromise on payday lending last year that many obervers described as industry-friendly. Apparently, not friendly enough. A number of companies attempted to utilize “open-end” loans as an instrument not subject to the interest rate restrictions in the legislation.
Saslaw and others saw the gambit as an insult from an industry that should have been grateful for their defense. This week the Senate endorsed new restrictions on payday lending as payback to the industry-and as an object lesson tothe politically tone deaf.
6. Moran Gets Greener
Brian Moran is not going to out-green Terry McAuliffe in the money race for the Virginia gubernatorial nomination. But we have rarely seen a candidate for a major statewide office spend as much time as Moran has the last two weeks in appealing to environmentally-oriented voters as the essential element in defining himself as the most progressive of the three candidates. Deeds and McAuliffe are clearly not following in line on issues such as the coal-fired plant in Surry, instead they are emphasizing jobs, regional economic development and a reliable power system.
Has Moran tapped an emerging trend in the Virginia political zeitgeist? Or is he writing off huge chunks of the state and traditional Democratic constituency groups? Stay tuned!
7. Born in the N.O.V.A.
If Bob McDonnell was singing at the SuperBowl today instead of Bruce Springsteen, this is the song we might be hearing. Attempting to reverse the GOP decline in northen Virginia, McDonnell can’t tell people often enough that he was raised in Fairfax.
I’m not sure how meaningful this will be, given the number of people who live in NOVA who weren’t born there. But I speculated this week that Tom Davis might be joining the McDonnell brain trust. Davis, along with McDonnell’s Deputy and former State Senator Bill Mims, could be very helpful in crafting a GOP message that is relevant in the region.
RE: Moran and Surry coal-fired power plant.
I live in Williamsburg, so I can’t speak for people living in other parts of the state, but down here the proposed coal fired plant in Surry Co. is a huge issue. Without spending a dime Moran already has a surprising number of supporters, myself included. This could become the pivotal issue in our area. Unlike other parts of the nation lost jobs and foreclosures are not affecting us in a significant way. I know it may sound strange, but aside from my dreadful 401k losses in 2008, the bad economic news seems to be happening on another planet. Unless the other two Dem candidates sound off against this idiotic notion of a coal fired power plant (or as the college kid say, that’s, like, such a Chinese fix, man!), they may not be competitive in our area at all. I’m not kidding. Public feeling is overwhelmingly against it.