THE U.S. SENATE race in Virginia pits a novice politician, Democrat James Webb , against a much more experienced one, incumbent Republican George Allen
Good start. And they provide a list of accomplishments for George Allen, couched in negative language. I'll provide translation:
He has spent his time in the Senate in lock step with the Bush administration, embracing tax cuts that have imperiled the nation's fiscal health;
Tax cuts which have benefited 3 million virginians, gave us an economy that provided 215,000 new jobs and a 10% rise in income in the last 2 years, and have lead to RECORD REVENUE to the Federal and State treasury, a 4.6% unemployment rate, and record home ownership.
subsidies for oil and gas companies that hardly needed the help;
Support for an energy bill which seeks to encourage domestic exploration which will help us break our dependence on foreign oil.
prisoner detention policies that have undercut America's image abroad;
Voting for a prisoner detention/interrogation bill which will provide adequate safeguards while allowing us to keep terrorists detained and providing us valuable information.
and restrictions on embryonic stem cell research despite its medical potential.
Voting to block FEDERAL FUNDING (not restrictions on the research) for unrestrained testing on living human embryos that many citizens consider immoral, and which has shown no clear applications -- and thus freeing up more federal funds for other research, including adult stem cell research which is already yielding actual medical applications.
The Post provides even MORE accomplishments of Allen, and these they even believe ARE accomplishments:
Many of the initiatives that Mr. Allen has undertaken in the Senate are the easy stuff -- relatively noncontroversial measures that lavish money and favors on his constituents. Nothing wrong with that, if it's part of a broader record of accomplishment. But while Mr. Allen has proposed some worthwhile bills -- for instance, to expand investment in nanotechnology and to help historically black colleges and universities upgrade their telecommunications infrastructure
The missed dozens of bills he has introduced. For example, the list of accomplishments cited by the VFW-PAC in their endorsement of Allen today, as I listed in a previous entry. I didn't mention there but Allen also introduced the bill which increased the death benefit for our fallen troops to six figures. I guess the Post ran out of space to list everything Allen has done, since they needed so much space to explain that Webb has no accomplishments and no grasp of the issues.
Then there is what they said about Webb.
Mr. Webb, a fine writer, remains in many ways a political work in progress. His impressionistic grasp of domestic policy generally and his passing acquaintance with Virginia issues in particular reflect his meager experience in electoral politics. His diagnosis of America's widening disparities in wealth and income is on the mark, but his fuzzy-headed attacks on free trade are the wrong prescription. As a candidate, Mr. Webb has had a steep learning curve; to his credit, he has acknowledged it.
A man unqualified to be Senator now, but at least he knows it. A man who in the 7 months he has actively pursued the job of Virginia Senator, has according to the Washington Post learned little about anything, even though Webb himself knows he has a "steep learning curve".
So Allen has a proven record of accomplishment, a keen grasp of the issues effecting Virginia, and a history of experience both as Virginia Governor, and as Virginia Senator. And a bevy of respected leaders on both sides of the political spectrum, including many minorities, vouching for his character and supporting him for re-election.
Webb is a neophite, has no experience in any elected office, and has shown no interest in learning anything about our state or in fact any domestic policy. In the rare case where Webb has taken a stand, like trade, his ideas are "fuzzy-headed" and as Kaine said are a "losing strategy" for Virginia and our country.
So of course, the Washington Post endorsed the unqualified candidate Webb, because after all, Allen said "macaca".
Oh, and ignore that Webb said "Towel-head", after all that was just in the Post today, and the editorial board can't be bothered to keep up with the latest news.
3 comments:
Who would you expect a left wing rag like the post to endorse. The only good thing is that most of the print media's days are numbered. Soon they will be limited to the comic strips, or maybe that's what they are, a comic strip.
Did the post happen to mention that Webb is taking money from the most anti-American Socialist/Communist web blog in existance? Daily KOS
First, I don't normally delete comments, but I took out one that was from a democrat who apparently brought his gay-bashing over from NLS.
Second, in the WP article they praised Davis and Wolf for doing stuff for Northern Virginia transportation, and faulted Allen for NOT doing anything.
Today the Washington Times gave a list of everything Allen had done for Northern Virginia:
"Not so well known is Mr. Allen's record on local matters: Mr. Allen has pushed to widen I-66 inside the Beltway and helped spur the Springfield Interchange and Wilson Bridge projects. He pushed the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project and widening of I-95 between Route 123 and the Fairfax County Parkway. He has secured $3.63 billion in federal nanotechnology funding, the largest such investment in history. He has fought to prevent discriminatory and innovation-stifling taxation on Internet businesses. He has secured greater rates of return for Virginia's gas-tax dollars, which means more federal money for roads, highways and other state infrastructure."
Looks like the WP missed a lot.
Post a Comment