Wednesday, January 10, 2007
It's the Time of the Session
So the election burned me out a little... But I'm back, now that something interesting is happening again.
Pretty much everybody I've talked to is trying to remember why they agreed to hold the first day in Jamestown. A logistical nightmare, they say. A lot of people are wondering exactly what Dick Cheney has to say to the General Assembly, and why he's interjecting himself into Virginia politics.
Going to Jamestown is a nice gesture, but there's a lot to be done. I just hope Del. Ben Cline's and Del. Chris Peace's mothers packed their lunches and remembered to sign their permission slips.
I have no grand expectations that anything substantive will get done in this session. Everybody's transportation proposals are rehashes of what nobody could agree upon last year. Of course this IS an election year for our representatives, so the grandstanding will be grander, and the speeches will be louder. That's about it.
The Governor will blame the House Republicans. The House Republicans will blame the Governor, taxes, and the Senate Republicans. The Democrats will simply sit back and watch the carnage. Del. Bob Marshall will blame every vice known to man. AG Bob McDonnell and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling will continue to try to pretend they live in the Governor's mansion. Del. Algie Howell will remain embarrassed by the Droopy Drawers bill (at least he should be).
And the people of Virginia will get hosed yet again by a group of men and women who can't seem to give up a sliver of their ideals to make the state a better place to live.
So yeah, something interesting is happening. It's just all stuff we've seen last year. And the year before. And the year before that. Oh, and even the year before that.
I almost forgot. I hope the legislators whom I had dinner nearby last night slept off all the wine they drank. Go to any fancy restaurant in downtown Richmond, swing a dead cat, and count the number of Delegates and Senators you hit. I'll bet it's more than 10.
If you don't, you'll miss some fun times. A few bottles of cabernet will make some Delegates start quoting (quite loudly in a quiet restaurant) movie lines like: "Squeal like a pig!" and "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
Ah, deliverance from politics as usual indeed.
Pretty much everybody I've talked to is trying to remember why they agreed to hold the first day in Jamestown. A logistical nightmare, they say. A lot of people are wondering exactly what Dick Cheney has to say to the General Assembly, and why he's interjecting himself into Virginia politics.
Going to Jamestown is a nice gesture, but there's a lot to be done. I just hope Del. Ben Cline's and Del. Chris Peace's mothers packed their lunches and remembered to sign their permission slips.
I have no grand expectations that anything substantive will get done in this session. Everybody's transportation proposals are rehashes of what nobody could agree upon last year. Of course this IS an election year for our representatives, so the grandstanding will be grander, and the speeches will be louder. That's about it.
The Governor will blame the House Republicans. The House Republicans will blame the Governor, taxes, and the Senate Republicans. The Democrats will simply sit back and watch the carnage. Del. Bob Marshall will blame every vice known to man. AG Bob McDonnell and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling will continue to try to pretend they live in the Governor's mansion. Del. Algie Howell will remain embarrassed by the Droopy Drawers bill (at least he should be).
And the people of Virginia will get hosed yet again by a group of men and women who can't seem to give up a sliver of their ideals to make the state a better place to live.
So yeah, something interesting is happening. It's just all stuff we've seen last year. And the year before. And the year before that. Oh, and even the year before that.
I almost forgot. I hope the legislators whom I had dinner nearby last night slept off all the wine they drank. Go to any fancy restaurant in downtown Richmond, swing a dead cat, and count the number of Delegates and Senators you hit. I'll bet it's more than 10.
If you don't, you'll miss some fun times. A few bottles of cabernet will make some Delegates start quoting (quite loudly in a quiet restaurant) movie lines like: "Squeal like a pig!" and "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
Ah, deliverance from politics as usual indeed.
