McCauliffe - An agenda for the far Left

"Outraged Virginia Republicans quickly began searching for a way to preserve the state’s gay marriage ban Thursday after Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced that he would join a lawsuit seeking to have it declared unconstitutional. Some GOP legislators were exploring ways to defend the ban without Herring’s help. Herring’s most ardent opponents sought to take legal action against the attorney general for what they described as his misuse of the office. The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex unions, called for Herring’s impeachment on grounds of alleged “malfeasance” and “neglect of duty,” though legislators did not go that far."  Washpost

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A Democrat won Herring's state senate seat in Loudoun County.  The new senate will be evenly balanced and the lieutenant governor, a Democrat, might cast a vote in an impeachment trial. In any event conviction would require a two thirds majority.

Same sex marriage, expansion of medicaid by any means, abolition of the death penalty, Obama style gun laws; these are McCauliffe's  early agenda items.

The Republicans are 67 in the new House of Delegates.  The Democrats are 33.  This is going to be a rough ride for someone.  pl  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-to-fight-same-sex-marriage-ban/2014/01/23/9e5aa210-8431-11e3-bbe5-6a2a3141e3a9_story.html?wprss=rss_local&_monetaClick=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--

Comments

[Tyler]

Also of note is the fact that Herring not only voted for the marriage amendment in the past, but presented himself as a supporter during the run for AG.

'Rule of law' indeed. If they don't have respect for the law, why should any of us?

[Tyler]

Seriously though what happens when some future AG decides that the Civil Right Act violates the free assembly clause of the First Amendment and refuses to enforce the CRA? Or that the NFA unduly burdens the individual's 2nd Amendment rights and is therefore unconstitutional?

These idiots are opening a can of worms. You can't put the genie back in the bottle.

[walter]

This is a great article on Egypt by a Cato Institute author..isnt Cato right-wing politically? I agree with this guy wholeheartedly. It is refreshing to learn that there are still objective perspectives out there.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-bandow/support-for-egypts-new-ph_b_4658639.html

[turcopolier]

walter

Cato is a Libertarian think tank. pl

[tv]

People get the government they deserve.

[Jack Harris]

The idea that McCauliffe is 'far left' is ridiculous. He's a prototype Clinton, DLC type Democrat. Some people have moved so far to the right in this country that Genghis Khan would seem to be 'far left' to them.

Republicans in Virginia lost those races when they decided they were going to use the power of the state to rape women (yes, sticking a wand up a women's vagina against her will is equivalent to rape) in an effort to stop the same women from carrying out their constitutional rights. Just like they are going to continue to lose all over the country with their Huckabee's, Santorum's and so on. Women know what's going on and the pushback is only going to get worse against the Republicans. To call the politicians who are beneficiaries of that pushback 'far left' is ridiculous.

[Jack Harris]

You can't use the ballot to take away a constitutional right. If the most far right court in my lifetime and one of the most far right in the history of the country has already ruled these types of initiatives to be unconstitutional then what do you expect any AG to do?

[Jack Harris]

AG's don't decide these things. Courts do. What can of worms is being opened if we all have to live according to the decisions of the courts? Isn't that the way its always been and the way it's supposed to be?

[turcopolier]

JH

Like everyone else in the world you think that you are located at the center of the political spectrum. From that point of view McCauliffe is probably seen as being to the right of you. No matter, you represent the far left of the democratic Party. McCauliffe and all he other hopeful Dems will be forced to run in such a way as to please you and that will hurt their chances with all the "rapists" and other people that you do not like. The Virginia election was far more complex than you are willing to know. pl

[Alba Etie]

Col Lang
How much did the McDonnels pending indictments impact the election in Virginia

[turcopolier]

AE

It was one of a number of factors that led to rather narrow Dem victories. The republicans here keep shooting themselves in the foot. pl

[Fred]

Jack,

That 'most far right court' had not yet ruled on the constitutionality of the Virginia law. As Tyler pointed out, the new AG not only supported that law during the campaign, apparently for the sole intention to garner votes, but voted for the law as a state senator. Now he indicates he will not only not enforce that law but will actively seek - not to have it changed by the elected assembly - but to have it declared unconstitutional by the federal court. Of course he was so busy in the preceding year of the campaign that he had zero time to actually review the law and form an opinion. He certainly did not have any time to read and review the law as a member of the Virginia Senate - before he voted to enact that law. I see great things ahead for a man of such vision and integrity.

[Edward Amame]

A poll conducted in March and April by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that 62% of the people in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina support the expansion.

A Jan 2014 Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research poll indicated only 26% of Virginians opposed expansion outright. 30% favor expansion now, another 33% favor expansion after "more efficient."

Regarding guns, the same poll found that 85% of Virginians favor background checks at gun shows and 75% supported them for all firearm sales. Virginians are pretty evenly split on banning so-called assault rifles, semi-automatics, and magazines holding 10+ bullets.

A July Quinnipiac poll found that 50% of registered Virginia voters support same-sex marriage, while 43% oppose it.

Up here in the northeast, these issues are centrist. The polls I cited suggest a lot of people in Virginia and elsewhere throughout the south consider them centrist, too.

[Alba Etie]

Col Lang
My party of record the GOP is pretty relentless in its ability to alienate swing voters - such as my wife . The most recent kerfuffle created by Gov Huckabee's opinions regarding Uncle Sugar and women's libidos really did piss off my one true love .We are seeing the same dynamic here in Texas - regarding Wendy Davis's run for governor . This is probably the first election cycle since George W Bush beat Ann Richards that the Democrats have a credible candidate that could win. Credible being measured by how much money Ms Davis has raised so far , and the fact that some of the "best & brightest " Obama campaign operatives are now guiding Davis's campaign . The Republicans relentless and inexplicable ability to shoot themselves in the foot is not just resident to Virginia. OTOH SCOTUS Sotomayer did side with the Nuns -and kick that case back to the lower court .

[turcopolier]

AE

The GOP really is the stupid party just as the Dems are the mommy party. It would have been easy to win the recent election in Virginia if only the GOP had not screwed up any one of a number of factors that caused it to lose. A good example is the outcome of the election for Herring's vacated seat in the state senate. this is in Loudoun County where the Republican effectively ran two candidates against the victorious Democrat woman. Suicide. pl

[turcopolier]

EA

How do you explain the 67 Republicans as opposed to 33 Dems in the lower house of the General Assembly? pl

[Edward Amame]

Col Lang

Politicians? ugh. I was more interested to know how voters throughout Virginia felt about these issues.

I can't answer your question because I know nothing about VA politics. It's hard enough to follow the shenanigans in my own state. But. Judging by the polls I cited, there are a lot of moderate GOP voters in VA. It's is my general impression that GOP electeds nation-wide fear Tea Partiers more than their moderate constituents so the TPs get the kowtow. That may also be the case in your state for all I know.

[nick b]

I am not sure the contention that Mr. Herring ran for AG as a supporter of a ban on marriage equality is correct.

This was his campaign's 'equality agenda' released in April of 2013.
http://files.www.herringforag.com/MHAG_Equality_Agenda_Final.pdf

"Mark Herring believes that civil marriage is a fundamental right, and he
supports marriage equality for same-gender couples. In addition, as he works
to change the current law prohibiting such marriages,".

[turcopolier]

EA

"there are a lot of moderate GOP voters in VA." This is generally the case with Virginia voters, not just Republicans.

BTW, with regard to the supposed "gun show loophole," there is no such thing. all registered vendors at gun shows in Virginia conduct on line background checks. As for private sales, reactions depend on how you frame the question. when it is made clear that this might mean a requirement to run a federal firearms check on a transfer to family member or neighbor the numbers change a lot. pl

[Fred]

That sure explains his vote in 2006.

[Peter Hug]

To be clear - the AG is not refusing to enforce the ban. He is refusing to defend it in court. Not the same thing at all.

[Alba Etie]

Col Lang
And look at how the GOP will have three different responses to President Obama's State of the Union Address. It really makes me miss President George H. Bush Republican leadership . If it were not for third party candidate H.Ross Perot we might not have had eight years of Bubba. But I must say too President Clinton is looking pretty good these days in comparison to that mess say in Trenton .

[Tyler]

Show me the constitutional right to marrying whatever you want.

Oh wait you can't. Must be written in that invisible ink that created a right to abortion.

[Tyler]

The courts are not created to overrule the will of the people.

[Tyler]

To be clear - he's actually signing on to a case opposing the law.