Mechelle Hankerson
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“And for a conservative, voting for Virgil Goode is a vote for Barack Obama. Virgil’s not going to win.” —Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell yesterday during a radio interview, when asked if Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode would sway the national election.
Goode recently received permission from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to stay on the Virginia ballot. The state’s Republican party sought to remove Goode from the ballot, citing irregular petitions to get on the ballot for the national election. (via The Roanoke Times)
(via 2012swingstates)
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Barack Obama released a new ad today in key swing states Virginia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Iowa and Nevada. The ad, titled “Fair Share,” addressed Mitt Romney’s comments about the 47 percent of Americans he claimed “are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”
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Virginia Republican U.S. Senate candidate George Allen released a new ad attacking Democratic candidate Tim Kaine’s past and proposed tax policies. Last week during a debate in McLean, Va., Kaine said he “would be open to a proposal to have some minimum tax level for everyone.” (via The Richmond Times-Dispatch)
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Update: Where Virginia stands
Women’s vote could make the difference in key battleground state
With the presidential election less than two months away, President Obama leads Mitt Romney by five points in Virginia in the most recent NBC/Marist poll.
In Virginia, Real Clear Politics polls show that Obama has held a small lead over Romney for most of the campaign until the beginning of September, when the gap diminished, leaving between one and two points between each candidate.
Some political analysts say that Obama holds on to the minority vote in Virginia and perhaps more importantly, considering some of the state’s recent proposed legislation, he also holds on to the women vote.
According to the U.S. Census, women make up almost exactly half of Virginia’s population, but after the state’s most recent General Assembly session, women’s rights issues became a hot-button topic for many voters.
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“I didn’t just study the economy in school. I’ve actually lived in the economy for 25 years.” — Mitt Romney Thursday in Fairfax, Va. criticizing President Obama’s vague promises to alleviate economic problems at the Democratic National Convention last week. Romney campaigned at the Van Dyck Park in Fairfax. (via the Richmond Times-Dispatch)(via 2012swingstates)
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The 12 | Tumbling the 2012 campaign: NYT: More young adults have insurance after health care law The New York Times’ Sabrina Tavernise reports:
The share of young adults without health insurance fell by one-sixth in 2011 from the previous year, the largest annual decline for any age group since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting the data in 1997, according…
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Additional reporting by Richmond freelance reporter Zack Burdyk
Women’s rights advocates in Virginia are keeping an eye on Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli by appealing to residents’ pop music sensibilities.
Cooch Watch, a group formed by Richmond students, professionals and advocates, say on their Facebook page “The Cooch has been keeping an eye on your vagina, so now we’re going to keep an eye on him.”
A play on Cuccinelli’s last name, Cooch Watch was founded in July after he refused to certify a grandfather clause in state Board of Health regulations that would allow most of Virginia’s abortion providers to stay open. The group began their efforts by picketing Cuccinelli’s appearance at Freeman High School in Henrico County.
Earlier this month, the group released a music video, “Hands Off, Crazy”, a women’s rights themed parody of Carly Rae Jepsen’s earworm “Call Me Maybe.” The video has over 70,000 views and has been featured on The Rachel Maddow Show. This week, they followed it up with another shoot in Richmond’s Monroe Park to the tune of Cher Lloyd’s “Want U Back”.
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“ This platform affirms the traditional meaning of marriage and the sanctity of human life, defends religious freedom and Second Amendment rights and calls for a balanced budget amendment. This platform is an invitation. It invites every American to consider what kind of country we want to be. An America where every person matters, every worker has an opportunity to work and every family can aspire to a better future. We invite Americans to consider this platform: a call for dramatic change in government, from stagnation to prosperity, from an entitlement society to an opportunity society.
This platform is a pledge.
”— Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell speaking today at the Republican National Convention about the party’s platform. McDonnell is serving as chairman of the Committee on Resolutions at the convention. (via 2012swingstates)(via 2012swingstates)
