Tuesday, October 21, 2008

2008 Federal Endorsements

The 2008 Federal candidate endorsements by this blog;

President: None

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama (don't start me on Bob Barr) rises to the level of an endorsement.

McCain would make the better Commander-in-Chief, as we would go for the win in Iraq. In addition, Obama's tax proposals could finish off what's left of an economy heading towards a serious recession.

However, McCain's hostility - as Senate Commerce Committee Chairman - to subsidized fixed-rail service makes him a threat to Hampton Roads' Transportation future. Finally, a big prize looms: the Obama Administration Justice Department Civil Rights Division intervening in Virginia Beach to pull our political model into the 21st Century.

If you care more about Federal issues, vote McCain. If you care more about local and regional issues, vote Obama.

U.S. Senate: Gail Parker

If Bob Marshall had won the Republican nomination, this would be a no-brainer. I would have been busting my butt the last 4 months to get him elected.

Alas, Jim Gilmore is the nominee and - predictably - is down huge in the polls, some by as much as 30%. Make no mistake about it: Mark Warner would make one of the worst United States Senators in Virginia history. Warner's legacy as Governor: the largest tax increase in Virginia history. What would he do with our Federal taxes next?

With the blowout on, there is one way to make your vote count: vote Gail Parker. A vote for "Gail For Rail" is a signal to our elected officials that our Transportation model is broken, and we want them to fix it.

House of Representatives (2nd District): Thelma Drake

Thelma Drake has not only done a good job in Congress, but has excellent character.

On Election Day in 2004, it was Thelma's first run for Washington and I was Republican Captain in Aragona Precinct. Thelma spent the last four hours of voting at our Precinct, and remembers me since. Case in point: the Final Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) Signing Ceremony for Norfolk's Light Rail Starter Line. With all the VIPs there, she saw me and came over to have a chat. Folks, few elected officials would abandon the fat cats for one of the worker bees. Thelma did.

Most importantly, Drake is a member of the House Transportation Committee, sitting on the subcommittee that handles mass transit funding. With a large increase in mass transit needed in Hampton Roads, reelecting Thelma is crucial to getting it done.

House of Representatives (4th District): Randy Forbes

Like Drake, good in Congress and remembers the worker bees.

Andrea Miller's clueless campaign was typified by her comment in The Virginian-Pravda attacking former Staffers of her's for not raising more money. If Miller knew anything about politics, she'd realize the heavy hitters want to hear from the candidate herself, not a twentysomething Staffer.

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