Virginia Tomorrow

1. Cuccinelli v. Kissinger

I think that it was Henry Kissinger, former Secretary and Harvard professor, who first noted that academic politics were so vicious because the stakes were so small (though the statement has been repeated so often by so many that it’s origins have become quite hazy). Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli clearly holds a different opinion. The AG’s brief responding to UVA’s effort to quash his request to obtain former Professor Michael Mann’s emails suggests that it is precisely because the stakes involved with Mann’s research are so high that the fraud investigation should be allowed to proceed. Far from being irrelevant, the AG’s brief suggests that the research of Mann and his colleagues has had a very real and significant public policy influence.

 2. Cuccinelli’s Brief

The legal elements of Cuccinelli’s response to UVA seem fairly straightforward, asserting the AG’s right to conduct a fraud investigation and denying the University’s claim that it involves broader questions of academic freedom. But the most interesting part of the brief  is contained in the arguments it offers about the political nature of climate research. Regardless of your own position on these matters, the first sections of the brief are must reading for anyone who wants to understand why conservatives hold the positions they do. In essence, Cuccinelli implies that mainstream climate research (where Mann is a leading figure)  is not a genuine scientific community involved in the disinterested pursuit of truth, but a closed shop where the same small group of like-minded researchers review each other’s papers, allocate grant dollars, and  burnish each other’s academic reputations.

3. Bob Marshall was First to Ask

One interesting tidbit contained in the brief is that the first request for the email trail on this matter came from Delegate Bob Marshall. On December 14th, 2009, Marshall sent UVA an FOIA request asking for “copies of all emails sent by Professor Michael Mann from 1999 through 2005 on his official University of Virginia email.”  The response to Marshall on December 17th was that “the University does not have any mail data for Mr. Mann. When Mr. Mann moved to Penn State, his UVA account was terminated and all data was later deleted. Email data from terminated accounts are routinely deleted after we are assured of a smooth transition to a new institution. Please know that we had engineers in our department of information technology double check the status of Mr Mann’s email account.” The AG’s brief describes the exchange of emails and proffers an opinion that “given modern realities regarding data retention, computers and email servers, the University’s response strains credulity.”

4. This Week’s Other Brief

Was an amicus filing by the AG putting Virginia in the company of 8 other states in defending Arizona’s immigration law against a suit filed by the federal government. Get ready for this matter to be far more prominent in the 2011 General Assembly than previously.

5. Momentum v. Money?

What wins? Accoding to national polls, the Democrats are on the defensive and the GOP has all the momentum. But initial fundraising totals in Virginia show all four targeted Democratic Congressmen- Boucher, Connolly, Nye and Perriello- with substantial fundraising advantages at present over the GOP nominees- Griffith, Fimian, Rigell and Hurt. Is Randy Newman right when he says that “It’s Money that Matters?” Or does momentum trump everything?

6. Would Obama Carry Virginia Today?

The answer to this question (especially as we get closer to 2012) is going to be of critical importance to not only the White House but to some high profile Virginia political figures. For example, to the extent that polls suggest the answer is no, the more likely it is that George’s Allen’s “perhaps” about a Senate run in 2012 against Jim Webb becomes a ”yes.”  At the moment, many obsevers believe that it will be extremely difficult for Obama to re-carry Virginia. But 2012 is a long way off and, unlike 2010, the GOP will have to nominate an actual canddiate that the public will find more desirable.

7. Let’em Vegetables and …Philly Cheese Steak

Ken Stolle’s never been the kind of guy to let a lot of grass grow under his feet. The former State Senator and new Virginia Beach Sheriff has hit the ground running … and farming. According to stories in The Virginian Pilot, Stolle has taken a number of steps to reduce costs at the jail and provide inmates with a healthier lifestyle and a wider range of food choices. The inmates are growing their own vegetables and running the jail canteen. Families are able to go online and order care packages and philly cheese steaks for their incarcerated relatives. And the jail’s food service operation is planning to make a profit. It adds up to a pretty creative way of dealing with a budget shortfall.