I first started Democratic Central with some specific and some general goals.
My specific goals were:
1. To provide a place to publicize Connie Brennan's candidacy in the 59th House District in 2007.
2. To help whoever was going to run against Virgil [...]
The crisis has been described as an entanglement of "vengeance and mutual incomprehension". In Iran, the incident was seen by many as a blow against the U.S., its influence in [...]
This picture shows Barack Obama next to 34-year-old Indonesian photographer Ilham Anas. That's quite a resemblance.
What do you bet it gets some of the Rush Limbaugh guys speculating that Obama is really Indonesian after all? I mean, I haven't personally seen his birth certificate; have you? And even if [...]
Today we celebrate a great American who called our nation to its highest ideals. America has always been great, but that greatness is sustained by each generation's understanding that America is an ideal that we must perpetually work to draw near.When President-elect Barack Obama takes [...]
Carswell had served as U.S. Attorney and U.S. District Court judge for the Northern [...]
Indiscriminate kidnappings. Nearly daily beheadings. Gangs that mock and kill government agents.This isn't Iraq or Pakistan. It's Mexico, which the U.S. government and a [...]
1. Does your Congressional District Committee have any formal system to assure that members [...]
* November 15, 1995, in the private study of the Oval office
* November 17, 1995, while Clinton was on [...]
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish humanitarian who worked in Budapest, Hungary during World War II to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. Between July and December of 1944, he issued protective passports and housed Jews, saving tens of thousands of Jewish lives.
His death has long been a source of dispute. [...]
One -- Rich Savage -- just got into the race in the last [...]
Reza Pahlavi was installed as Shah of Iran by a CIA coup in 1953. Over the next 26 years, he brought modernization, Westernization, and decadence to Iran.
In January 1963, the Shah announced the "White Revolution," a six-point program of reform calling for land reform, nationalization of the forests, [...]
First, the premise -- that [...]
When Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828, his opponents tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist views and his slogan, "Let the people [...]
Jody Wagner yesterday announced that she had brought in $399,000 in the last quarter of 2008, when she began her campaign.
Jon Bowerbank today saw her boast, [...]
Congressman Tom Perriello today voted in favor of the bipartisan State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization bill, which will provide health care coverage for 11 million children (preserving coverage for the 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP and extending [...]
1. If it weren't for Marc Rich, Holder would likely be sailing through [...]
It seems even more ridiculous now, with a budget crunch, an economic disaster, and two wars, but 5 years ago today, George W. Bush thought that what the nation most needed was to renew its commitment to exploring outer space. From the press release -- http://www.whitehouse.gov/news... -- [...]
And the blogosphere starts jumping off bridges.
Charniele Herring, the first African-American woman elected from Northern Virginia, beat Joe Murray by 17 votes to win Brian Moran's 46th House District seat. Brian had resigned to focus on his race for Governor. She is not the first African-American to represent Northern [...]
But Ford was an innovator in [...]
Congressman Tom Perriello (D-Virginia) and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) announced that they have introduced the College Learning Access, Simplicity, and Savings (CLASS) Act to make it easier for students and parents to claim tax credits for higher education expenses."A cornerstone of my economic [...]
January 12, 2009-Washington, DC-Congressman Tom Perriello proudly announced that he has been appointed to the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for [...]
The New York Times has a long piece on the dangers of a nuclear Pakistan. It's not the usual "if bin Laden gets the bomb we're all going to die" stuff; they have obviously talked to a lot of people who are on the inside, both in [...]
Leopold [...]
Normal couple weds at Taco BellAnd the story itself...
NORMAL, Ill. -- Wedding bells meant Taco Bell for Paul and Caragh Brooks.Customers inside the fast-food restaurant continued to order tacos and burritos as the couple sat Friday in [...]
The resolution has little in [...]
Spindletop Hill is a salt dome just south of the city of Beaumont, Texas. Residents had long suspected that there might be oil under that hill, and on January 10, 1901, that suspicion was borne out. Spindletop struck oil. At 100,000 barrels of oil a day, the gusher tripled [...] First, Britain had illegally restricted American trade with France, a country with which Britain was at war. Second, the Royal Navy continued to "impress" U.S. citizens into the Navy -- forcing them to enlist. Third, the British were offering military [...]
This got me to wondering.
Where did Brian get this [...]
There were about 75 people there -- many just curious, like me, but some already committed. [...]
1789 The first U.S. presidential election was held. Americans voted for electors who, a [...]
As you read this history, think about the parallels to the present mess.
In Great Britain in 1711, the Lord Treasurer, Robert Harley, saw a few economic realities and came [...]
Leon Panetta surprise choice for CIA -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01...
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes...
http://opinionator.blogs.nytim...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Obama's DOJ Picks -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Obama wants quick stimulus package, is dealing with Republicans -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Franken wins -- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Dionne says it is [...]
The Office of the Legal Counsel is an office that almost no one who is not a law junkie knows about. But it is given the power to issue rulings and opinions [...]
PRESS STATEMENT
January 5, 2009
It has been a tremendous opportunity to explore the chance to run for Attorney General of Virginia. I have been encouraged by the significant support for my belief that Virginia needs an Attorney General who will fight for the people. Many have urged [...]
He began the State of the Union by talking about [...]
His first kick-off tour event is at Mechanicsville at 11:30 AM, and he ends up in Alexandria that evening at [...]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will become chairman of the Democratic National Committee later this month, serving as the top political messenger for Barack Obama's administration even while he finishes his final year in the governor's mansion, several sources said.Kaine, who emerged as [...]
On January 2, 1974, Richard Nixon signed the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which contained a provision that prohibited speed limits higher than 55 mph. This law was modified in 1987 to allow 65 mph limits on certain roads.
The law was widely disregarded by motorists. Most states subversively [...]
Senator Don McEachin, an opponent of payday lenders had this to say:
I no longer believe they are people of [...]
Until the last few weeks of election 2008, we never even thought of looking at Rep. Virgil Goode (R) as a potential pick-off opportunity [...]
Although they have Internet access in Florida, the wireless signal doesn't get to the beach reliably, so we're putting Democratic Central on hiatus [...]
Pan Am Flight 103 , a Boeing 747, left Heathrow Airport in London on December 21, 1988. The 243 passengers and 16 crew members were aboard.
By 6:56 p.m., the plane had reached 31,000 feet. At 7:03 p.m., the plane exploded. Control had just been issuing Flight 103's clearance [...]
NYT says yes to gay marriages, no to civil unions -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
It was Bush, not the Democrats, pushing home ownership so hard -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
As economic outlook dims, Obama's having to make bigger plans -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
[...]
On December 5, 2002, Senator Strom Thurmond turned 100, and some of his Senate colleagues had a birthday party for him. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott appeared at the party, and his praise of Thurmond on his birthday was filmed. Thurmond, of course, had run for President of the United [...]
In December 1606, Christopher Newport and his Virginia Company expedition set sail from London for Virginia. In December 1606, he set sail from England with his flagship, the Susan Constant, and two smaller ships, the Godspeed and the Discovery, with 144 men and boys, 40 of whom died while [...] Mark Felt, a/k/a "Deep Throat", dies -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
Minnesota Senate race down to single digits now -- http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes...
Stimulus package could grow to $850 billion -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Bobby Scott wants some of it targeted [...]
Boucher backs Deeds for Governor -- http://www.roanoke.com/politic...
Tim Kaine suggests a remarkably different budget -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.roanoke.com/politic...
UVA to lose $23 million in state funding in next 2 years -- [...]
Some argue that it is a brilliant move to co-opt, or seduce, Rick Warren and his fundie faithful. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com... Others regard it as a sell-out. [...]
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese sentiment was running high. Americans seemed convinced that there were Japanese spies everywhere, waiting [...]
Genson is perhaps best known for defending former Hollinger International [...]
A group of Native Americans called the Lakota Freedom Delegation traveled to Washington, DC on December 17, 2007 and delivered a statement asserting the independence of the Lakota from the United States. The group argues that the recent declaration of independence is not a secession from the USA, but [...] 
After a day of counting and recounting (I spent the day in Franklin County with the recount down there), and speaking with people who were at many of the other recounts, plus campaign lawyers and staff, here is the bottom line.
There are not enough challenged ballots for the [...]
Virginia House Republicans agree to record subcommittee votes -- http://www.timesdispatch.com/r...
VDOT talks details of highway plans -- http://www.timesdispatch.com/r...
Obama team faces big challenges on energy -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
Gates staying on offers some insights about Obama's thoughts on the wars [...]
As much as I do not care for the last eight years under this [...]
Leigh Purdum was arrested on December 1 and charged with a violation of the provision of the Virginia Code -- section [...]
I am not a Catholic; I am an Episcopalian, and we don't go in for long, detailed, legalistic arguments on matters of how theology should inform political decisions. [...]
Albemarle about to finish up Places29 planning effort -- http://www.dailyprogress.com/c...
Obama's approach on education not yet clear -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
Obama's friends working on strategies to stay close -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
Chuck Schumer, champion of Wall Street, reaps the benefits -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
Rahm Emanuel [...]
Elizabeth Warren is the chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, the group that is supposed to investigate and report on what is happening with the $700 billion bailout. In this YouTube video, she describes what she and her Panel are supposed to be doing. She lists the questions that she [...]
From McCain Campaign Sells Info-Loaded Blackberry to FOX Reporter
When we charged them [...]
Researchers in Nevada are reporting that waste coffee grounds can provide a cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering cars and trucks. Their study has been published online in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. Here is [...] White House ready to help auto industry -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
UAW blames GOP -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Gail Collins says let's focus on common good, not whether I get as much as my neighbor -- [...]
Throughout the late 1950s and into the 1960s, the United States had been developing a series of missile systems with the ability to shoot down incoming ICBM warheads. During this period the US maintained a lead in the number and sophistication of their delivery systems, and considered the defense [...] Today I've made a major decision about my campaign for Governor and wanted you to be the first to know. Serving as a [...]
Drawing either on the story on Washington's ABC affiliate WJLA -- http://www.wjla.com/news/stori... -- or on my earlier post on the topic -- http://www.democraticcentral.c... -- TIME Magazine has named Virgil Goode's earmark of $98,000 in federal money for a waling tour of Boydton, Virginia to their list of [...] Should Virginia evaluations of judges, given to Courts of Justice committees, be publicly available? -- http://www.timesdispatch.com/r...
Senate abandons automaker bailout bill -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
Markets sink -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
[...]
The Panay incident was a Japanese attack on the United States Navy gunboat USS Panay while she was anchored in the Yangtze River outside of Nanjing on December 12, 1937.
If you want to know why the Chinese have been so concerned about Western imperialism, you need look no further [...]
The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with [...]
The Libertarian Party was formed in Colorado Springs in the home of David Nolan on December 11, 1971, after several months of debate among members of the Committee to Form a Libertarian Party. The impetus for the move was the decision of President Richard Nixon on August 15, 1971, [...] Groups sue Virginia over policy on buttons at the polls -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
General Assembly members prefile bills to deal with election issues -- http://www.timesdispatch.com/r...
Blago's gotta go -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12...
Scandal is an early test [...]
... with your help.
Talking Points Memo last year began its "Golden Dukes" Awards, for various forms of political sleaze (named for Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Bureau of Prisons number 94405-198). Tomorrow, they are opening the floor for nominations for 2008. See http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c...
Tomorrow, when the full deal is announced, I intend [...]
Richmond, VA- Three Virginia-based free speech organizations today filed suit in federal court in Richmond against the Virginia State Board of Elections and the general registrars of Richmond and Fairfax County, challenging the controversial new State Board of Elections policy prohibiting the wearing of buttons, t-shirts and [...]
Wonder who the blurred out face is?
[...]
In the last few days I have gone to a fundraiser for Creigh Deeds and to a meet-and-greet for [...]
