1. The Frugal Inaugural
Reports this week noted that Bob McDonnell plans to raise about 40% less money for his inaugural than his two predecessors. It seems that McDonnell in setting the right tone here: having enough events across the state to allow his supporters to celebrate, while emphasizing community service and cutting back on ostentation. After the parties next Saturday evening, McDonnell will be announcing the additional cuts that he’ll be making within a couple of days. Living Large is the last thing he needs to be perceived as doing.
2. The Democrats Pick Ethics
As their first line of attack against Bob McDonnell. The Governor-Elect’s decision to allow his Secretary of Commerce Bob Sledd (and all his Cabinet Secretaries) to continue to serve on corporate boards ran into a hail of Democratic criticism this week. I have no doubt that the Democrats will continue to raise the issue, both in their specific comments about Sledd and in an ethics reform package that they’ll introduce and highlight. I don’t think that the issue is at the top of public concerns at the moment, but it’s being widely discussed among political insiders. Bill Howell was unequivocal in backing McDonnell’s position this week, but I’ve also spoken with Republicans who are not so comfortable with the precedent. Almost everyone likes Bob Sledd and thinks he’ll do a fine job. Yet no one these days is very enthusiastic about the prospects of voting against “ethics reform.”
3. The National Media’s Favorite Virginia Congressional Race This Year
Will be the contest in the Fifth congressional district. Reporters love to find individual races that reflect large national themes and they are increasingly viewing both the GOP nomination battle and the general election as illustrative of key trends in American politics. Will Tom Perriello be able to carry a district in an off-year election that the Democrats won because of an enormous turnout of Obama surge voters? Will Perriello’s strong constituent service enable him not to pay a price for votes supporting the party’s national agenda that could be unpopular in the district. And can the GOP manage its own emergent tensions between tea party supporters and party regulars without damaging Republican chances in November?
4. Terry Kilgore Says No to Run Against Rick Boucher
GOP hopes to mount a serious campaign against Rick Boucher were dealt a serious blow this week when Terry Kilgore told The Washington Post this week that he wouldn’t be running for the seat. Republicans have a set of polls that appear to show that Boucher could be vulnerable this November, but he’ll be tough to beat under any condition and almost impossible to defeat without a strong candiate such as Kilgore.
5. Speaking of Polls
A lot of people are asking me about what happened to “poll-driven politicians.” Remember those elected officials who supposedly waited for a poll to tell them what their constituents thought before they cast a vote. They used to be despised. No longer. Poll-driven politicians who “listen” to their constituents are being thought of much more fondly today, at least by Republicans and Independents who can’t believe that the congressional Democrats are moving forward with health care reform despite surveys showing growing opposition to the plans.
6. Cuccinelli Weighs In on Health Care Issues
The Attorney General-Elect said this week that he’s outraged by the Cornhusker Kickback (the $100 million subsidy that Senator Ben Nelson wangled for Nebraska as the price of his Yes vote on health care). But what I found most interesting about Cuccinelli’s statement was his claim that he finds the potential federal mandate that people buy health insurance and states form insurance exchanges, central precepts of the Democratic reform effort, unconstitutional. I happened to catch him for a few minutes on a radio interview toward the end of the week and Cuccinelli was clear that pushing back against unconstitutional federal overreach will be an important element of his role. Get ready for the most visible Attorney General that we’ve seen in recent times.
7. Byrd Stings Warner
” Hundreds of thousands of Virginians… must be puzzled by his votes…I feel obligated to say frankly that I was shocked by his votes.” That’s former Senator Harry Byrd talking to Jeff Schapiro about Mark Warner’s first year in the Senate. Virginia’s junior Senator went to Washington with the intention of leading a “radical centrist” coalition and he has received some very favorable press for his efforts on financial regulation and promoting health care efficiencies. But Byrd’s comments are indicative of how difficult it is becoming for Warner (or anyone else) to avoid being perceived by votes on key “litmus test” issues in the partisan war taking place in Washington.
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