Month: November 2006 Page 3 of 4

Tuesday’s Most Expensive Vote

By MB

On November 10, 2006

Was this one:

How much is one vote worth?

In the case of an absentee ballot and an antique stamp, it could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

That’s the value of a 1918 Inverted Jenny, one of the rarest stamps in the world, which Broward County elections officials said was affixed to an envelope containing an absentee ballot.

The stamp, similar to one sold in mint condition for $525,000 last year, was canceled. So was the ballot, which contained no clue to the identity of the voter.

The remains of my inner stamp dork shudder.

Trying to get away from politics, but . . .

By MB

On November 10, 2006

In Politics

Some combination of having hit the saturation point with combative politics, utter disgust with the passage of the VA amendment, and trying to catch up on work has kept me away from giving too much head space to politics, but Michael Steele’s apparent appointment to head the RNC just made my head spin. So, the qualification for running the RNC now appears that you have to be a self-hating man willing to screw your own people.

A minute of joy

By MB

On November 8, 2006

In Personal, Politics, Virginia

Shaky in bits, but you’ll have to forgive the cameraman. He’d been working for this moment all year.

Last Frontier of Hatred

By MB

On November 8, 2006

In DC, Personal, Politics, Virginia

Once again, Vivian Page finds the editorials that capture it very well. The Staunton News Leader puts it thusly:

But there is one remaining Last Frontier of Hatred: It involves homosexual men and lesbian women.

Virginians affirmed that Last Frontier of Hatred on Tuesday when they voted Ballot Issue No. 1 into law. Virginia proved it is ready for another round of hatred such as that it unleashed on black citizens when it affirmed â€œMassive Resistanceâ€ to keep little black boys and girls out of Virginiaâ€™s lily-white perfect public schools.

So be it. We will deal with this as we have dealt with all the rest of our sins: Breaking away from the Union, race hatred, Massive Resistance.

But we will be a smaller and more narrow-minded place because of it.

If youâ€™re OK with that, weâ€™re not. The majority of you voted for it. Now go to bed and say your prayers. And pray you are right and Christian and not just hateful and wrong.

I’m pretty confident praying won’t fix that.

(There is, of course, much to be happy about. Democratic control of the House and Senate is a fact (VA may take some time to officially declare, but it will happen – and I’m heading offline now to make sure of that), and as I type this, I see that Rumsfeld is gone. That, of course, is a direct result of Dem control of the legislative branch – he simply can’t bear the idea of being accountable to someone. That is a victory for our troops, our nation, and the world.)

Vote.

By MB

On November 7, 2006

In Personal, Politics, Society

Voting NO: It CAN make a difference

By MB

On November 5, 2006

In Personal, Policy, Politics, Society, Virginia

Let’s start with this:

[A] tossup: approval of a constitutional amendment restricting marriage to a man and a woman.

Support is down to 49 percent from 52 percent last month. With 45 percent now opposed, up from 42 percent last month, the measure – already adopted by 20 states – could go either way because the voter split is within the pollâ€™s variable for error. Six percent are undecided.

Read that again. Shocking as it is, there is still a hope that Virginia can defeat the hateful bit of political deception that is Question #1 on the Virginia ballot. Its supporters claim that it amends Virginia’s constitution to reflect current law (gay marriage has been in illegal in Virginia to 30 years – when it comes to bigotry, most states got nothing on Virginia . . .), but it goes far beyond that. Here’s the text of the full amendment:

That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.

This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage.

If this amendment passes, it doesn’t merely throw another (significant) roadblock into eventually (as WILL happen) undoing the statutory ignorance that currently prohibits same-sex marriage, it goes much *much* further. How far? Take a look at what the Virginia Legal Review Committee has to say about it:

the [proposed Virginia] Amendment could be interpreted by Virginia courts to have the following effects:
â€¢ Invalidate rights and protections currently provided to unmarried couples under Virginia’s domestic violence laws;
â€¢ Undermine private employers’ efforts to attract top employees to Virginia by providing employee benefits to domestic partners, as the courts and public medical facilities may not be permitted to recognize those benefits; and
â€¢ Prevent the court’s from enforcing —
— private agreements between unmarried couples,
— child custody and visitation rights, and
— end-of-life arrangements, such as wills, trusts and advance medical directives, executed by unmarried couples.

Need some proof? Read the 70 page legal memorandum. Who’s the Virginia Legal Review Committee? Here’s a list of the over 200 Virginia lawyers, legal scholars, and constitutional officers that are members. Yes, that’s me on the list. And a number of excellent lawyers that I personally vouch for. Not enough? Then realize these names are on the list:

Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, First Lady Anne Holton, and former Republican Governor Linwood Holton;

Former Attorneys General Stephen D. Rosenthal and Anthony F. Troy and former Republican candidate for Attorney General Wyatt B. Durette.

Also included are former Virginia Secretary of Education during the Wilder Administration, The Honorable James W. Dyke and former Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade, The Honorable Michael J. Schewel.

They might know something about Virginia law.

It’s hard for me to write well about this. I don’t believe that this is a matter on which reasonable people can disagree, and I’m not interesting in pretending than anything other than naked bigotry and partisan manipulation lays behind this amendment. So it’s extraordinarily hard to stay civil on this. And, in fact, I don’t really think one ought to stay civil. One of the bigger problems facing the America today is its unwillingness to laugh at and ridicule the racism, bigotry, and ignorance that seems to be driving so much of the political efforts. You might say that that someone voting yes on Question #1 is simply following his religious beliefs, and ought to be respected. I say he’s an ignorant bigot, who ought to be ridiculed in the public square.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I’ve really needed to stay quiet on this issue in the past month. Please help me not regret that – please *respect my basic dignity as a human being* – by voting NO on ballot question #1. Thank you. Sincerely.

Virginia’s Biggest Embarassment

By MB

On November 4, 2006

In Politics, Virginia

Del. Bob Marshall is a hateful little man whose continued presence in public life in Virginia ought to embarrass any decent and thinking Virginian. The Washington Post profiles him:

The debate was over, and the stately atrium at the University of Virginia School of Law was nearly empty. But Del. Robert G. Marshall, a Prince William County Republican who wryly refers to himself as Virginia’s “chief homophobe,” was just warming up to his next showdown over same-sex marriage.

“There is a natural order of things, a natural order where gay marriage is an impossibility,” he said, books tucked under his arm and waving a hand for emphasis, like the disheveled college professor he often resembles. “For example, a woman’s arm is constructed at a certain angle so that she can adequately cradle a baby. This is the way we’re created. There are just certain things that nature intended.”

I generally don’t focus on state legislators, especially in Virginia, where it all seems so pointless. But this man? This foul little man? More and more people have had enough, and I suspect he’ll see the end of elected office next time ’round.

Not Really a Voting Guide

By MB

On November 4, 2006

In Cycling, Politics, Virginia

The 2006 version of the WashCycle voting guide, here! Hey, it’s interesting if you’re a cyclist.

I think I’m pretty much done with political posts, through Tuesday. There’s nothing that’s going to change anyone’s mind about the candidates between now and then, and giving the oxygen of attention to the various ridiculous last minute ploys of desperate candidates only encourages future candidates to do the same. So I’m done, with the politics. Between now and Tuesday, I’ll be spending my time offline trying to get people out to vote, instead of persuading them how to vote. If you don’t know which Senate candidate you’re going to vote for now, well . . . I’ve not the slightest idea of what to say to you.

Of course, having knocked people for not having made up their minds, I’ve got to admit that I’m finding myself in the very same position on two other issues. First, our local school board has two excellent candidates in Sally Baird and Cecelia Espenoza, either of which will do a fine job. Baird has the Democratic endorsement, and Espenoza is (as I understand it) a Democrat running as an “Independent” because she works at the Department of Justice, whose rules essentially prohibit partisan runs for office. I’d sort of hoped that the race would evolve in a way that show the policy contrasts between the candidates, but that simply hasn’t happened. There are no easy party or demographic defaults to tip the balance, either. Not an easy choice.

The other issue is the third VA constitutional ballot question, which deals with giving VA localities the ability to offer tax incentives to developers working in “blighted” areas. Vivian Page has a good summary of the issue, and I’m leaning toward a no on the question, too. The short version of why: developers already get pretty everything they want from localities in VA, and in my view, there’s been no shortage of development in all the time I’ve lived here. There’s no need to put additional public goods on the table to encourage private developers to do something they’ve been doing already.

A Broken System

By MB

On November 3, 2006

In Personal, Politics, Society

Whatever the outcome next Tuesday, our basic political system is broken. Putting aside the fact that most jurisdictions are embracing voting systems that no one should trust, the twin powers of incumbency and redistricting have been manipulated and exploited to such an extent that even now, when there are approximately three people in the entire country who approve of the job that Congress is doing, 90 something percent of them will keep their seats.

TPM Reader DK notes:

Not to rain on the parade but all the talk of dramatic Democratic gains in the House has a tendency to downplay a serious underlying structural problem. Even under the rosiest scenarios, the Democrats only pick up somewhere around 50 seats. Realistically, it looks like 25-35 pickups. The House was designed to be the national political institution most politically responsive to the people. I would venture to say that given the massive train wreck that the GOP has created in public affairs, the founders would be stunned to see so few seats change hands. If these are the kinds of political conditions it takes to move 50 House seats, then we’re in trouble.

So what will be done about it? Well, nothing. No one seems to really care. Perhaps it’s because people are too risk averse – they want to desperately (through their parties) hold on to whatever political power they have, and aren’t willing to risk the loss of some seats in the next cycle, no matter what the future benefits might be. Or perhaps it’s the structural gridlock that’s in place – Democratic California has no incentive to fairly redistrict unless Republican Texas does the same, and there are no national leaders willing to push the matter forward. Representative democracy is nice, and all, but only when it results in more votes for your party, is apparently the thinking.

Or maybe it’s just because we, as a society, don’t give a damn about democracy anymore. We have become a country where the foot of one half is on the neck of the other, which itself is just about ready to break that foot. There is no national conversation, there are no reasonable differences over policy. It’s just another war, where one side has all but declared the other at one with those who would like to see America destroyed. It’s not democracy – it’s a raw power struggle, designed solely to reward those who win that power – fuck the rest.

DK reminds us where the fault ultimately lays:

I hope that when the political history of the last half century is written it will show, as it should, that the Republicans engaged in a brand of divisive electoral politics that pitted Americans against each other: white against black, men against women, rich against poor, native born against immigrant, straight against gay. Republicans deserve to be tarred by history for exploiting our weaknesses, our prejudices, and our lesser selves for their own political gain. But those are still our weaknesses and our prejudices. We own them. And it is our lesser selves that have succumbed to the Republican political pitch and been willing to be exploited. Removing the Republicans from power will only be a temporary fix unless we fundamentally fix ourselves so that no one, no party, no movement can exploit those same weaknesses again.

Amen.

Gen. Clark, Michael J. Fox, and Jim Webb

By MB

On November 3, 2006

In Personal, Politics, Virginia

There are better accounts of it out there,, but I wanted to share a short account of my own experience with Thursday night’s Wesley Clark/Michael J. Fox/Jim Webb rally in Arlington. To start – this is a long way from March 7th, when I first met Jim Webb at the announcement of his candidacy for the United States Senate. Considered a longshot, there was much hope in the room, but that was about it. Confidence wasn’t exactly permeating the air. Closer to the primary, at an event with Gen. Clark, Jim was gaining steam, but still a little awkward. It would be a hard fought battle, uncertain of victory.

Fast forward through a well-earned primary victory, endless criss-crossing of the commonwealth, and attacks on his fundamental character to this night. Now, on stage, I saw a Senator. Not the Hollywood caricature of a Man in Full (of himself), but of someone who absolutely wants to work for his state and country, and is committed to delivering on his promises. Here was a man I could vote for, and not just as an act against someone else.

Michael J. Fox’s endorsement was ringing – Jim Webb is someone who recognizes the importance of sound science. Someone who realizes that, in order to help our country achieve its hopes and dreams, we need to ensure that science can retake its rightful place among the endeavors we engage in to make that happen. It was an entirely positive and non-partisan endorsement. Before an enormous room of people and stage of television cameras, Fox again brought our attention to how important a role in our future, as individuals and as a society, that science plays. The cheers that followed came from a room full of people who were honestly moving forward, and not just fighting back.

I was proud, really. Proud of Jim Webb, proud of the folks at the rally, and proud of the netroots, for providing the support when no one else would. I look forward to joining everyone next Tuesday night in celebrating the fruits of his, their, and our commitment, support, and labor.