Virginia Conservatives suddenly wake up to the fact that Romney is a liar

Mitt Romney has a well-earned reputation as a flip-flopper, having been on both sides of every major issue in American politics in the last twenty years, but up to now people have been willing to extend Romney the benefit of the doubt as to whether his policy shifts were sincere or just the prevarications of a very smooth liar. To their shock and horror, Virginia conservatives have suddenly awakened to the reality that Mitt Romney is a profoundly dishonest man who will say anything to get elected--and he is all but guaranteed to win the lion's share of Virginia's delegates in today's Super Tuesday primary. Their anguish is palpable:

And worse, while Romney is going around the country and telling people in the debates that RomneyCare was a solution only for Massachusetts and was not intended to be a model for the country, his own words in an OpEd make him a liar.

In a 2009 OpEd appearing in USA Today that is being scrubbed from the internet as fast as possible (Click the link here to see for yourself) Romney not only advocates the Insurance Mandate that most feel is unconstitutional, but was also telling everyone that would listen that Obama should use RomneyCare as a model for ObamaCare.

That quote is from stalwart conservative Tom White, the author of the blog "Virginia Right!" Only now, when it is far too late to do anything about it, are the scales beginning to drop from Republican eyes:

There is no such thing as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or a Massachusetts Conservative.

Mitt Romney will say anything to get elected. He has become quite comfortable telling Americans that he never intended RomneyCare to be a model for the country, but the facts show this is simply not true. He was proud of the Massachusetts takeover of Health Care and advocated for the same thing for America. He failed to say he was wrong on RomneyCare and has embraced it as a state only solution, after clearly calling for RomneyCare to be the model for ObamaCare.

Romney has all but sewn up the Republican nomination and today he will add most of Virginia's delegates to his win column, dragging the Republican Party of Virginia into his web of deception.

There is no such thing as "Obamacare"--the watered down healthcare reform bill was in fact, Romneycare, plain and simple: see for yourselves . . .

"Bob McDonnell's Virginia: Meet the Protesters"

On Saturday, March 3, 2012, I filmed a protest for Women's Rights at Virginia's State Capitol. Much of the subsequent coverage of this event focused on the Virginia State Police's use of overwhelming force to crush the peaceful demonstration. This footage was shot before the march and focuses on the demonstrators themselves, instead of the police misconduct.

One of the young women in this video, "Damille," was among the 31 protesters arrested on the the stairs of Virginia's Capitol.

Bill Bolling takes ownership of Capitol Police Overreach on behalf of Virginia GOP

Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling embraced the actions of the Virginia Capitol Police and Virginia State Police when they crushed a peaceful women's rights protest on Saturday, March 3, 2012 with paramilitary police units. Bolling went so far as to demand an apology from those who criticized the police's actions. Bolling said that Democrats "owe an apology to capitol police and they owe an apology to capitol police for calling them out on the Senate floor." That's it: the Virginia Republican Party owns what happened on Saturday. The actions of the Capitol Police and State Police met the expectations of the VA GOP and they are happy to defend those actions, so let's not have any blather that the use of paramilitaries against their opposition is not the Virginia Republican Party's chosen policy.

Bolling was reacting to the following remarks from Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) and Senator Janet Howell (D-Reston). First Chap Petersen:

Ladies & Gentlemen of the Senate:

I rise to speak today on what is truly a fundamental right in this Commonwealth: the right of citizens to peaceably assemble & petition their government for redress.

This right was included in our Declaration of Rights, passed by this body in 1776. It is in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

I joined this legislature 10 years ago. During that time, I have witnessed demonstrations from every group imaginable. Some armed with signs, others with firearms, some with white medical coats.

In all cases, I was happy to see people come to the State Capitol to share their views, whether or not those views were also mine.

Frankly, considering the low rate of voter participation in legislative races, I’m flattered anytime a voter takes the time to visit us.

That’s why I’ve been so shocked & amazed over the past few weeks to see the reaction of certain state agencies to the presence of protestors in Capitol Square.

On February 27, there was a peaceful gathering by several concerned women in front of the Governor’s mansion. That is publicly-owned property and part of Capitol Square. There was no indication that anyone was in any harm.

Regardless, there were State Police running around in flak jackets and an armored car parked at the mansion.

This past Saturday, March 3, there was another gathering of approximately 1,000 people, again mostly women.

They were met by squads of State Police wearing riot gear, more appropriate for a bar brawl than a civil protest.

Men of Virginia –

Would we permit our wives, our sisters, our mothers and daughters to be treated this way in our homes? In our communities?

I speak not as a State Senator, but as a man who is the son of a Virginian, married to a Virginian and the father of Virginians.

It’s not right to see our Virginia women treated this way.

We are a free society. This is a public square. People have a right to protest, without harassment or intimidation.

Thank you for listening to me.

Next, Janet Howell:

Since the very first day of this session, things have been going seriously awry.

On January 10th, Virginia had a well-deserved reputation as a moderate, pro-business, civil, and peaceful state.

In the past 8 ½ weeks that reputation has changed. Because of the vaginal probe legislation, Virginia became a national laughing stock. We became a joke because of anti-women legislation passing through the General Assembly.

It got so bad that business leaders complained about the damage being done to our state’s reputation and competitiveness.

But now we are at a new, even more, disturbing stage.

Our state capitol is becoming an armed garrison. Peaceful demonstrators are being intimidated and arrested.

Eight days ago, peaceful demonstrators who wanted to “take back the night” were confronted with SWAT teams, armed law enforcement on roofs, and officers in riot gear. The demonstrators—mostly women—were carrying lit flashlights.

Here on the Capitol Grounds—confronted by heavily armed police—the protestors were told they could not light their flashlights.

What? What is so subversive about a lit flashlight?

This past Saturday, 850 demonstrators came on the Capitol Grounds. They were chanting, “Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!”

And it was! They were peaceful demonstrators going to the seat of government to express their views. In this case, they were marching and chanting for women’s rights.

And what did they face? SWAT teams, state police in full riot gear, police armed with semi-automatic guns, and dogs. Dogs!

Not since the massive resistance days in the 60s have I seen such a disgraceful display of excessive police presence in my state.

When I described what is going on here in Richmond to my son and showed him videos, he said we need a symbol to express outrage.

I thought back eight days to when women armed only with flashlights were confronted with SWAT teams and armed police. They only had their flashlights which they were told to extinguish. Well, now a flashlight is my symbol of peaceful protestors standing up to oppressive force.

And my flashlight will stay on my desk next to my beloved Virginia flag until reason and balance return to this General Assembly and capitol.

Of course it is clear to anyone with an ounce of common sense that the actions of the police on March 3, 2012 were way over the top and excessive and were meant specifically to intimidate political dissenters. Thirty-one brave Virginians defied the police's brutal tactics and called their bluff. The entire world can see what happened--and Virginia's Republicans, and most especially Bob McDonnell, own this dark chapter in our history.

"Bob McDonnell's Virginia: Aftermath"

Redistricting leads to shakeups in Central Virginia Congressional Races

The recent dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the GOP-led redistricting of Virginia's congressional seats has Democrats in Central Virginia scrambling to adjust their campaigns to the new boundaries.

In the 7th District, candidates who had been courting Democratic Committees in Page, Rappahannock, and Madison Counties are shifting their attention eastwards to parts of Spotsylvania and New Kent Counties as the first three counties named were dropped from the 7th CD and all or a portion of the other two were added. In terms of party affiliation and performance there seems to be little difference between the old and new 7th, but there are a few voters in the new 7th that don't know Eric Cantor except through his recent high profile obstructionism, and that could work to the benefit of the Democratic challenger.

The situation in the neighboring 5th Congressional District may soon become complicated because of some opportunistic forum shopping by Northern Virginia Democrat John Douglass. A retired brigadier general turned lobbyist, Douglass had been conducting a vigorous campaign in the 10th Congressional District to challenge Republican incumbent Frank Wolf. Then one of Douglass' homes was redistricted into the 5th Congressional District and Douglass now seems to be mulling a switch to the 5th. Douglass might be afraid of taking on a veteran incumbent like Frank Wolf, seeing the 5th's current incumbent, freshman Robert Hurt, as an easier target.

There's just one small problem: the 5th already has a presumptive Democratic candidate--Peyton Williams. Williams has several advantages in the contest for the Democratic nod in the 5th: a more central location in the district, more 5th district "cred," a head start working on the ground, and Douglass' appearance as a carpetbagger--albeit an unintentional one--and a beltway insider. A Washington, DC defense lobbyist might be a tough sell for folks in towns like Danville and South Boston at the southern edge of the new 5th. Williams is from Charlottesville, a key city in the 5th. Williams has had years to build relationships with Democrats across the 5th while Douglass is scrambling to reach out to people he has never met.

Douglass would be walking away from volunteers in the 10th who have invested their time in the hopes Douglass would topple Frank Wolf. Then there's the money: Douglass has been fundraising heavily in the understanding that he would be running against Frank Wolf. If he abruptly changes to the 5th, wouldn't Douglass be under some kind of a moral obligation to return donor money that was meant to defeat Frank Wolf? Douglass' departure from the 10th with that money could leave hard feelings and the eventual Democratic challenger in the 10th underfunded.

Douglass would be an outsider in the 5th and would have a hard time unseating Hurt, while his departure from the 10th decreases Democratic hopes in that district as well. It would also be better for Kaine and Obama if Douglass were to stay in the 10th to give Wolf a strong challenge. If there isn't a credible candidate in the 10th, it could decrease voter turnout.

It isn't entirely clear to me why Douglass would give up the nomination for the 10th, which he is all but assured of, in order to enter the contest in the 5th, where he would be forced to run a primary or caucus against the local favorite Peyton Williams. But the writing seems to be on the wall. Douglass' website is down, and looks like it is undergoing a rebuild to transform it from a 10th CD site to a 5th CD site. An announcement from Douglass could be imminent.

Cantor opponent Wayne Powell to serve as pro bono counsel for some of "Capitol Square 31"

Earlier this evening I spoke with Wayne Powell, one of three 7th Congressional District Democrats seeking the Democratic Party's nomination to face off against Eric Cantor this November. Powell told me that when he heard what had happened at Virginia's Capitol Square, he hurried downtown to offer his legal services to the protesters that had been arrested.

Powell arrived in downtown Richmond early last night, and found that the protesters were being detained, handcuffed, on buses by the Virginia State Police and were being denied any opportunity to speak with counsel. Powell negotiated with the Virginia State Police to make certain the protesters had access to counsel and basic human needs such as water and bathroom breaks. Powell has offered his services as a defense attorney to the protesters on a pro bono basis. He does not know at this point how many of the protesters will accept his offer.

You can read Powell's initial reaction to the police overreaction at Capitol Square here. I will follow up with Colonel Powell and get more details as soon as I can.

Photo Credit: David Parrish

"Bob McDonnell's Virginia"

This is the "mobile" version of my mini-documentary "Bob McDonnell's Virginia." The HD version will be ready in another hour or so. It records the events at Virginia Capitol on March 3, 2012.

UPDATE: The HD version is now ready, and here it is:

Wayne Powell reacts to Police Overreaction at Demonstration

From campaign of Wayne Powell for Congress:

Wayne Powell, Candidate for Democratic Nomination against Cantor, Denounces Police Overreaction at Demonstration

Richmond – E. Wayne Powell, candidate for the Democratic nomination against Eric cantor in the Seventh Congressional District, today released this statement about the incidents at the Capitol. Mr. Powell said, “While I certainly believe that any and all demonstrations should be peaceful, lawful, and not put participants or passersby in any danger, I believe that having state police show up in riot gear and with canisters of tear gas to face women and men who are demonstrating ‘loudly with silence,’ is an overreaction and a provocation to violence.”

“These individuals who showed up to protest were exercising their constitutional right to assembly and free speech. They were not threatening anyone, they were not destroying property, they were not hindering anyone else’s activities. While I certainly would have preferred that they had not chosen to ‘occupy’ the Capitol steps, at the same time, I question why the police thought Virginians on the steps of their own Capitol was so dangerous.

“To have then forcibly removed these people and risked injury to them seems to me a serious overreaction and an incitement to further violence. I would ask the governor to treat protesters with the same respect and courtesy he gives those numerous individuals who enter the General Assembly Building every day armed with guns and ammunition. In these times after Congressman Gabby Giffords’ shooting, I think we should be significantly more concerned about armed individuals in an office building than peaceably assembled demonstrators outside on public property.”

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