SKY + PRIDE

View north towards Cape Henry

As noted, the husband and I attended the "SKY + PRIDE" event for Hampton Roads Pride last night at the Virginia Beach ocean front.  The image above gives an idea of the amazing view from the top of the 31st Street Hilton.  Besides Virginia Beach mayor Will Sessoms, also in attendance were Lt. Governor Ralph Northam, GOP House of Delegates member Scott Taylor and state Senator Lynwood Lewis.  Lots of money was raised (the husband and I previously made our pledge as HR Pride sponsors).  Here are but two of last nights sponsor who made pledges:

 

Yours truly chatting with the former Norfolk Democrat Party Chair (south view)

2015 Hampton Roads PrideFest Launch a Huge Success

The husband and I attended the PrideFest 2015 Launch Party this afternoon.  The event was a huge success and it is amazing to see how things have changed and evolved since I was on the Pride Board some years ago.  Not only were pledges secured for a good portion of the funds needed for the event in late June, 2015, but the number of participants was impressive.  Equally noticeable were the number of local and state politicians at the event at a lovely private home in Norfolk near Old Dominion University.  Among the elected officials in attendance were Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam (with whom the husband and I are pictured above), Congressman Bobby Scott, Commissioner of the Revenue Evans Poston of Norfolk, State Senator Lynwood Lewis of northern Norfolk and the Eastern Shore, Mayor William Sessoms of Virginia Beach, and Delegate Scott Taylor of Virginia Beach.

Local readers interested in more information on how to be a sponsor or other ways to participate can go to the Hampton Roads Pride site here.   From my years of activism, getting involved does make a difference for the community as well as individuals.  Get involved!!

Reflections of EV Day of Action

Part of the Hampton Roads representation for Day of Action

Today was the first time that I participated in Equality Virginia's "Day of Action" - formerly known as Lobby Day - and it was a wonderful experience overall, although the day was cut short by the approaching snow storm that has begun to hit Hampton Roads that caused us to leave Richmond in mid-afternoon.  Hampton Roads had perhaps the highest participation of any region of the state - our group from the chartered bus is shown in the picture above taken at the Library of Virginia which sits across the street from the Senate and House of Delegates office building.   One of the highlights was meeting Attorney General Mark Herring (pictured below with a friend and one of the original board members of HRBOR) and having a brief opportunity to discuss his filing in Bostic v. Rainey. 

Mark Herring this morning with Cindy Cutler

Hampton Roads Business OutReach, Virginia's only affiliate of the NGLCC - a/k/a/ HRBOR - which helped underwrite the cost of the tour bus had a strong participation by its board of directors pictured below.  Unlike the majority of Virginia Republicans, HRBOR recognizes that an anti-gay climate is not good for business and that the lack of LGBT non-discrimination protections and same sex marriage makes Virginia increasingly non-competitive. 

HRBOR Board members at EV Day of Action

While many of the Delegates and Senators we met were very supportive and gracious - Sen. Mamie Locke, Sen. John Miller, and Jeron Ward deserve special mention - I was stunned by the coldness of some of the Republicans, particular exceptions being Del. Ron Villanueva and Sen. Frank Wagner.  What am I talking about?  At the beginning of the Senate session, various senators introduced groups and individuals in the gallery of the Senate Chamber.  At the end of each introduction, all senators politely clapped and showed welcome to the visitors.  Except when Equality Virginia representatives were introduced.  Then at least a third of the Republican senators failed to clap whatsoever.  It may seem like a petty thing to note, but it is indicative of the animus with which many in the Virginia GOP hold towards the LGBT community.  My New Orleans belle grandmother taught me that a proper gentlemen (or lady) always acts politely even if they cannot stand someone.  It's a lesson the Virginia GOP needs to learn. 

View from the Senate gallery - Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is on the dais at left

Democrats Take Control of the Virginia Senate

Sen. Lynwood Lewis seated - standing in the same row to his left is Newly elected Sena. Jennifer Wexton

Karma can be a real bitch.  Just ask Virginia Republicans who arrogantly changed the Virginia Senate rules some years back to their own advantage.  Today, with newly elected Senator Lynwood Lewis sworn in - Our group was in the Senate gallery for the swearing in - Lt. Ralph Northam cast the tie breaking vote to use the GOP enacted rules to take control of the Virginia Senate.  Not only will Democrats now be able to block some of the most insane and poisonous bills coming out of the GOP controlled House of Delegates, but bills stalled or preliminarily killed in Senate committees may be brought back to life now that Democrats control the committees.  The conservative Richmond Times Dispatch - which is probably less elated by the shift in control than I am - has details.  Here are highlights marked to show the latest status:

Democrats have taken control of the divided Virginia state Senate and its committees.  Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a Democrat, cast the tie-breaking vote in the chamber that is divided with 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans.

Democrats gained a 20th vote today when Lynwood W. Lewis Jr., D-Accomack, was sworn in to the seat formerly held by Northam. Senators have elected Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William as president pro tempore, succeeding Sen. Walter A. Stosch R-Henrico.

Democrats plan to have discharged the 11 committees now with Republican chairmen and replace them with Democratic chairmen.  

The caucus also plans to install Democratic majorities in all but two committees -- Local Government and Rehabilitation and Social Services -- the only two committees to which Republicans had given Democrats a majority of members when they took over in 2012.

The takeover would effectively gives Democrats the ability to control which legislation advances through the committee process and makes it to the floor of the chamber.

That control could prove a critical legislative counterbalance to the House of Delegates, where the GOP has a 2-1 majority and can easily advance legislation that Democrats were previously powerless to stop.

The partisan takeover is a surprise to no one on Capitol Square, following Northam's election as lieutenant governor, and Democrats' recent victories in special elections for two open seats.

Over the last two years, Senate Republicans have been able to use their control of committees and the floor -- in some cases with modest Democratic support -- to pass legislation to expand gun rights and the use of public money to fund private school scholarships, and to place new restrictions on voting adoption and abortion.

With GOP dominance in the House of Delegates and Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell in the Executive Mansion, [over the last 2 years] a number of the bills became laws.

In some cases, the controversy generated by those laws became the foundation for campaigns that enabled Democrats to sweep all three statewide offices last November, reversing four years of Republican control of the governorship, and the offices of lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Today was a very good day for Virginia and those who want the state to embrace modernity and reject the religious and racial based bigotry that are the prime motivators of the Virginia GOP.

Recount Confirms Lewis Victory - Gives Democrats Control of Virginia Senate

The last seven days have not been very good for the Virginia GOP what with Mark Herring dropping defense of the state's gay marriage ban and Terry McAuliffle refusing to appoint a special counsel.  Then there was the loss of the special election for Mark Herring's former Senate seat now held by Democrat Jennifer Wexton.  Now, today a recount has confirmed that Lynwood Lewis has won the special election for the 6th Senate District and the result is that with Lt. Governor Ralph Northam as the tie breaking vote, Democrats now control the Virginia Senate and can block much of the insane batshitery passed by the increasingly insane GOP controlled House of Delegates.  The Richmond Times Dispatch looks at this shift of power.  Here are excerpts:

Del. Lynwood Lewis, Jr., D-Norfolk, has been declared the winner of the Virginia Senate recount in the 6th District, giving Democrats an advantage in the chamber that may allow them to seize control of committees and control the fate of legislation.

After reviewing the results of a recount requested by Republican candidate Wayne Coleman, a three-judge panel confirmed a razor-thin , 11-vote victory, which stood at 9 votes after the Jan. 7 election.

On Tuesday Lewis will fill the seat of former Sen. Ralph S. Northam, D-Norfolk, now Virginia's lieutenant governor. 

Lewis' election gives Democrats 20 seats in the 40-member Senate. On Friday, Democrat Jennifer T.  Wexton was sworn in as a senator from the 33rd District in Northern Virginia. She won a special election over Republican John Whitbeck and independent Joe May to fill the seat of Democrat Mark Herring, the former senator from Loudoun elected attorney general.

Now, with Northam as a potential tie-breaking vote in the Senate, Democrat Terry McAuliffe elected governor and Herring serving as attorney general, Republican power in Richmond is now confined to the party's 2-1 advantage in the House of Delegates.

It marks a dramatic turnaround given the GOP's hold on all three statewide offices and the legislature the last two years.

Still, control of the House effectively gives Republicans the ability to scuttle much of  the Democratic legislative agenda. Similarly, Democrats, through an advantage in the Senate and control of the governor's veto power, can stymie conservative GOP priorities that held sway in the Capitol over the last two years.

In other words, both parties will have to work together and find common ground to get anything done this session.

Democrat Jennifer Wexton Wins Virginia 33rd District Senate Race

With the election of Ralph Northam and Mark Herring to statewide office, Republicans h, Jr. 37.50%ad hoped to manage to take control of the Virginia Senate.  Based on tonight's results in the 33rd Senate District, Democrats will now control the Senate so long as Lynwood Lewis prevails in the recount for the 6th Senate District.   With 100% of precincts reporting, the uncertified results are as follows:

Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton 52.71%
Republican John C. L. Whitbeck 37.50%
Independent Joe T. May  9.78%

That's right, even with the Independent and Republican votes combined, Jennifer Wexton (pictured at right above) would have won.  The Democrat Party made the following announcement:

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) Executive Director Michael Sargeant has released the following statement on today's win by Democrat Jennifer Wexton in the special election for Virginia's 33rd Senate District: 

"I want to congratulate Senator-Elect Jennifer Wexton on her victory in tonight's special election for the Virginia Senate," said Sargeant.  "Wexton's victory marks not only the continuation of Democrats' 2012 effort that won majorities in eight state legislative chambers, but also the beginning of a 2014 election cycle about which the DLCC feels strongly optimistic."

"I also wish to recognize the team effort - including the Wexton Campaign, Governor McAuliffe, the Virginia Senate Democrats, and the DLCC - that made this victory possible," Sargeant continued.

"Tonight's victory shows Virginians' eagerness for pragmatic, Democratic leadership after watching the Tea Party run amok in their state.  Senator-Elect Wexton is a dedicated public servant, and we wish her well in the state Senate." 

Back to the 6th District, I wish Lewis had run a stronger, more forceful campaign.  I continue to hope that he prevails, but it does suggest that running a strong campaign is critical and that one should never assume a cake walk.  

And win or lose, I still intend to meet with Republican Wayne Coleman and try to get the message across that anti-gay bigotry is a long term loser for the Virginia GOP regardless of whatever lies and bullshit Victoria Cobb and hate merchants at The  Family Foundation may claim.

Virginia 6th District: Lewis Ahead By 22 Votes over Coleman

Lewis

I hate to say it, but with only a margin of 22 votes in favor of Del. Lynwood Lewis, a lot of Democrats and progressives sat on their asses today and failed to vote.  Of course, these same folks will be the ones who whine and bitch the most if Coleman somehow wins and they suddenly see abortion completely outlawed, contraception restricted, and gay and minority rights utterly trashed under a GOP controlled Virginia Senate.  Unlike lazy Democrats, the extremists in the GOP base get out and vote regardless of cold temperature or inclement weather.  One can only hope that Lewis prevails. Once again I find myself thinking that maybe it is time to leave Virginia.  The Virginian Pilot reports as follows:

Democrat Lynwood Lewis, a longtime Eastern Shore state delegate, has a 22-vote lead over Republican Wayne Coleman, a Norfolk businessman, according to the preliminary results posted on the Virginia Board of Elections website.

The two candidates are vying to replace Virginia Sen. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, who was elected lieutenant governor.

The 6th District includes 25 precincts in Norfolk, one in Virginia Beach - the Chesapeake Beach precinct - and all of Accomack, Northampton and Mathews counties.

The race will help determine which party controls the Senate. The chamber is now split 20-20 between Republicans and Democrats.

Both parties have pulled out all the stops, pouring money into the campaigns.

 

Vote Today For Lynwood Lewis - 6th District Special Election Today

Given the rank ignorance that is now main stream thought in the Republican Party of Virginia as evidenced by the last post, it is all the more important that Del. Lynwood Lewis (pictured at left) be elected in today's special election to fill the seat vacated by Lt. Governor elect Ralph Northam.  Lewis' opponent, Wayne Coleman, is an adherent to all the usual bigotry and extremism that now defines the Republican Party of Virginia.  Coleman even blamed desegregation for the decline of public education in Virginia.  If you live in the 6th Senate District, PLEASE get out and vote for Lynwood Lewis today!  We do not need another Republican crackpot/extremist in the Virginia Senate.

Wayne Coleman - A Ken Cuccinelli Clone?

Another Cuccinelli?

The special election to fill the Virginia Senate seat vacated by Lt. Governor elect Ralph Northam is on Tuesday, January 7, 2014.  The race pits Democrat Lynwood Lewis against GOP newcomer Wayne Coleman.  Coleman is trying to depict himself as a new kind of Republican and a "different kind of candidate", but from his ads and the positions on his website, he is sadly just a warmed over version of the same old anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-minority Virginia Republican that voters rejected in November.  The world and Virginia are changing, yet Coleman wants to continue the same failed GOP policies that have placed a "Not Welcome" sign on Virginia for anyone who isn't a white, evangelical Christian, heterosexual.  Don't believe me?

First, most of Coleman's campaign ads sound as if they were pulled directly from Ken Cuccinelli's failed campaign, especially those attacking Lynwood Lewis on "Obamacare." These ads are little more than a dog whistle for the racists in the GOP base who cannot countenance a black man in the White House.  Why do I say this?  Because Coleman's ads ignore the fact that the Affordable Health Care Act is a FEDERAL LAW.  A Virginia state senator can do NOTHING to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act, yet Coleman dishonestly plays this dog whistle meme. The only thing a Virginia state senator can vote on is whether or not Virginia expands Medicaid and accepts federal funds that will otherwise go to other states.  Oh, and did I mention that Medicaid expansion would bring health care coverage to 400,000 Virginians and create thousands of health care industry jobs?

Second, Coleman's ads claim that Lewis is pursuing a "radical agenda."  This supposedly radical agenda is resisting GOP voter suppression efforts, ending the state sponsored GOP jihad against gays, and getting Republicans out of women's vaginas.  It is Coleman, not Lewis who is pushing the radical agenda.

For the record, Coleman's daughter has contacted me and she seems like a lovely person.  She claims that her father isn't a racist and the ad in which she is featured depicts Coleman as a good father.  Unfortunately, being a good father and person in his personal life doesn't carry over into the public policies that Coleman is espousing: God, guns, gay bashing - and voter disenfranchisement. I've offered to meet with Coleman and be proven wrong on my analysis, but he has not taken up the offer.

I encourage voters in the 6th District to get out and vote for Lynwood Lewis on Tuesday, January 7, 2014.  We need to block the GOP effort to take control of the Virginia Senate in order that the GOP's failed, backward in time facing agenda can be forced on all Virginians.

Daily Press and Virginian Pilot Endorse Lynwood Lewis

Listening to the political ads for the special election to fill the Virginia Senate seat of Lt. Governor elect Ralph Northam on January 7, 2014, is enlightening.  Despite what some have said about GOP candidate Wayne Coleman not being a typical Republican, his campaign ads are the same old angry attack ads that one has come to associate with the Virginia GOP.  In addition, Coleman has said little about what policies he supports other than the usual GOP sound bites, including the usual denunciations of gays and abortion.  Apparently, the Virginian Pilot and Daily Press have taken note.  Both have endorsed Democrat Lynwood Lewis for the 6th Senate District seat.  Here are highlights from the Daily Press endorsement:

The forces acting on the special election in Virginia Senate District 6 make the race a compelling one for voters and observers. All were weighed in our endorsement process, and made for a strong conclusion in favor of Del. Lynwood Lewis ascending to the General Assembly's upper chamber.

The Democrat, who faces Republican Wayne Coleman in the Jan. 7 election, has firm footing on the issues, a solid grounding in the district and a record of compromise. Those qualities make him a strong candidate for higher office and the better option in this race.

Democrat Lynwood Lewis, 52, is a five-term delegate who in November won another two years in the General Assembly serving residents of District 100. He is a native of Nassawadox who earned degrees at Hampden-Sydney College and the University of Richmond School of Law.

In terms of geographic size, District 6 may be the largest in the state, stretching from the Maryland state line down the eastern shore to central Norfolk and as far west as Mathews County. A majority of its population comes from Norfolk, but residents of Accomack and Northhampton counties are included with some from Matthews and Virginia Beach.

Del. Lewis has leveraged his public office to create jobs at Wallops Island on the eastern shore, advocated on behalf of expanding the port and been a determined defender of the environment. That he has accomplished these things as a Democrat in a Republican-controlled legislature speaks to his willingness and ability to compromise.

[A]s he touts his business acumen, Mr. Coleman also calls into question his preparedness for life in the public square. He recently appeared on a radio show and claimed that busing during integration led to the decline of public schools, an amazingly short-sighted and wrong-headed remark.

While Virginia's is a citizen legislature, its members should have at least some polish. Recent years have demonstrated the folly of empowering those prone to speaking before thinking. The commonwealth will struggle to project itself as a moderate, pro-business state without a government that reflects some level of maturity when discussing complex issues.

[T]he race here comes down to who best represents the district. In this case, Del. Lewis' record of moderate leadership while serving his constituents should win the day.  District 6 has a difficult decision to make early next year and there is no perfect candidate. Del. Lewis represents the better choice and voters should support him at the polls.

Conservative Blog Slams Wayne Coleman for Desegregation Remarks

While most of the GOP base in Virginia has become comprised of a mix of white supremacists, raging homophobes, religious fanatics and angry whites resentful over the loss of the white privilege that they long enjoyed, there are still pockets of sanity within the Virginia GOP.  Admittedly, these pockets of sanity are growing increasingly scare.  Some of these still sane Republicans can be found at the blog Bearing Drift.  They may not win any points with the Tea Party, but they do still have a grip on reality -something sadly missed from the GOP overall.  Here are highlights from Bearing Drift that trash GOP candidate Wayne Coleman (at right) who sought to blame all of Virginia's education challenges on scholl desegregation:

On a recent local morning radio program in Hampton Roads, Republican state Senate candidate Wayne Coleman decided that it would be a good time to comment about how busing in the 1970s was the downfall of education – despite not being asked that question specifically.

We live in an era where the black community votes as a bloc nearly 9:1 for the Democrats. And, in the urban environment of Norfolk, where the black population is 43%, and predominantly makes up the 6th Senate District, saying something that can only come across as offensive is not only wrong, but a losing proposition.

This was nothing but an unforced error.

The reality is that Coleman is, in the vernacular, an OWG (Old White Guy). Having an OWG say something on the radio that seems to come across as “things were better before desegregation” is not only likely to offend black voters, but to inspire them to vote Democrat. 

Coleman was already facing an uphill battle in the 6th District, which has only been held by a Republican for a handful of years over the past several decades. He needed to run a gaffe-free, perfect campaign in order to win.

He hasn’t. And all the explanations, retractions, and clarifications won’t help him now.

Additionally, it is well past time for blacks and whites to have a reasonable discussion on race. That won’t happen until everyone starts looking forward, with a vision of equality and community. Looking to the past and laying blame is not acknowledging the present and looking for solutions.

I hate to break the news to the author at Bearing Drift, but most of the GOP base is made up of OWG's.  And that's who Coleman was speaking to in the hope that their racism, homophobia and bigotry would make Coleman their darling.

GOP Candidate for Northam Senate Seat Blames Desegregation for Public Education Decline

While he is now seriously back peddling and - as seems to be the GOP norm, claiming that he meant something different - Wayne Coleman (pictured at left), the GOP candidate for the Virginia Senate seat formerly held by Lt. Governor elect Ralph Northam, blamed desegregation and school bus for the decline of public education.  Sadly, Coleman's attitude permeates much of the GOP base here in Virginia where increasingly city and county committee meetings ought to begin by all members donning KKK robes. And never mind that the Christofascist elements that support candidates like Coleman seek to have creationism taught as science and school curricula purged of anything that challenges their reactionary and ignorance embracing religious beliefs.  Here are excerpts from the Virginian Pilot on Coleman's batshitery:

The Republican nominee for an upcoming state Senate special election is retreating from remarks he made this week in a radio interview claiming compulsory busing to desegregate area schools "really was the beginning of the decline in some of the school districts."

Commercial freight executive Wayne Coleman offered that opinion during a Monday appearance on "The John Fredericks Morning Show" in response to a question from the host about fixing failing schools in Norfolk.

Coleman's reply:  "I'm old enough to have lived during the desegregation of the schools here locally. And busing children, in my opinion, around the different districts, getting them out of their local neighborhoods, really was the beginning of the decline in some of the school districts."

Coleman sought to clarify his comments Wednesday, saying a lack of precision in his phrasing has presented "an opportunity to misconstrue and mischaracterize their meaning."

School segregation remains a bitter chapter in Virginia's history, where resistance to integration remained intense in Norfolk after the Supreme Court in 1954 declared separate-but-equal schools unconstitutional.

Local efforts to stop desegregation, including closing schools, drew national attention. Even after a federal judge ordered Norfolk schools to desegregate in 1958, officials continued to fight to keep black children separate; 17 black students in Norfolk began at white schools the next February.

By the late 1960s, most Norfolk schools remained nearly all white or all black. Mandatory busing, a new approach to desegregation, began in Norfolk in 1970.

Eastern Shore Del. Lynwood Lewis, the Democratic nominee in the 6th Senate District, said Coleman's other "comments are unfortunate and they speak for themselves," in a brief telephone interview Wednesday.

Rodney Jordan, a Norfolk School Board member whose family was involved in the local civil rights movement, said that no matter what Coleman meant, his comments seemed to romanticize a time in history marked by discrimination and hatred.

Today's Virginia GOP is very ugly and it has only become uglier since the Christofascists became the puppet masters for the Republican Party of Virginia.   Not surprisingly, Coleman is no friend to gay Virginians and has promised to take strong stands for gun rights and against abortion and gay marriage. One can only hope that Coleman goes down to defeat.

Proper GOP uniforms