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!!

Virginia Beach GOP Mayor Endorses Mark Warner for Senate

As the race for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat nears a close we are again seeing moderate Republicans jump ship and endorse the Democrat candidate Mark Warner.  Why?  Because the GOP challenger is an extremist and carries huge amounts of negative baggage - including lobbying for Enron and foreign governments - and sane Republicans want no part of him.  Some of those endorsing Warner are Republicans I knew years ago in my GOP activist days who seem to realize that today's Republican Party of Virginia has become something toxic.  Blue Virginia looks at Mayor Sessoms endorsement of Mark Warner:

ALEXANDRIA - Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms, a Republican, today announced his endorsement of Senator Mark Warner for re-election. Mayor Sessoms joins former U.S. Senator John Warner, former Suffolk Sen. Fred Quayle, former Virginia Beach Del. Bob Tata, and many other Virginia Republican elected officials and business leaders in endorsing Mark Warner's re-election. John Warner, Fred Quayle and Bob Tata have never endorsed a Democrat before.

In his endorsement, Mayor Sessoms cited Mark Warner's bipartisan approach to finding commonsense solutions for Virginians and focus on implementing policies that help Virginia Beach. 

"Mark Warner knows the Virginia Way. And when he takes that to Washington, D.C. he will put it to good use and get people to work together for the betterment of this great country," said Mayor Sessoms. "In addition, he knows the needs of the military. He sees their sacrifice daily and he will stand up for them and fight for them and make sure they get what they need to be successful. That's why I'm supporting Mark Warner for re-election to the United States Senate."

"Will Sessoms is one of Virginia's great leaders and I am proud to have earned his support for my re-election," said Senator Warner. "I will continue to work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, to repeal sequestration, to support our military men and women and veterans, and to find creative solutions to strengthen the economy of Hampton Roads and Virginia."

Expect rants over at Bearing Drift and other far rights outlets!!

More Good News: Cuccinelli's Growing Money Woes

The main groups that have heretofore catapulted Ken Cuccinelli into politics have been far right religious extremists best exemplified by The Family Foundation, a sinister organization with ties to hate groups and anti-contraception extremists, and the ignorant and racist Tea Party elements in Virginia.  But Cuccinelli's slavish obedience to the frightening agenda of these factions has alienated business interest that recognize that giving Virginia of a state that wants to institute a modern day Inquisition is not good for business (Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms seemingly recognizes that tourists avoid destinations deemed too extreme).  The result has been business leaders either jumping aboard the Terry McAuliffe campaign or at minimum, not giving money to Cuccinelli who has had to rely on out of state money.  But that hasn't been enough.  A piece in Politico looks at Cuccinelli's worsening money woes.  Here are excerpts:

Ken Cuccinelli is getting crushed on the Virginia airwaves, and it’s probably only going to get worse – a major factor thwarting the Republican’s hopes of a comeback in a governor’s race that’s been slipping away.

The left has spent $7.5 million more on television than the right up to this point, according to sources tracking the air war. The totals are $20.2 million from Democrats and affiliated outside groups to $12.7 million from the Republicans and their allies.

The attorney general is himself a relatively weak fundraiser who never adequately cultivated the major donors he needed in the business community. He’s also running against former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, one of the most prolific fundraisers in modern political history.

A string of polls showing Cuccinelli trailing — including a POLITICO poll conducted over the weekend that had him down by 9 points — has only made it harder to raise cash, while deterring some outside groups from spending as much as they might have in the year’s marquee contest.

The result is that Cuccinelli’s campaign has been making smaller and smaller ad buys over the past three weeks.

McAuliffe has already reserved about $2 million in airtime over the final four weeks, while Cuccinelli has not reserved any time past this week. The Democrats, for instance, claimed $700,000 of choice broadcast airtime for the final week of the race in the state’s four largest markets, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Cuccinelli operatives note that they have placed their buys on a week-to-week basis since April.

The disparity doesn’t mean the race is over for Cuccinelli, but it’s an enormous obstacle in a race that’s already tilted heavily against him. The simple reality is that TV ads matter a lot in a big state, where a limited number of voters get to see the candidates in person and with broadcast media that many Republicans see as predisposed to favor Democrats.

This helps explain why 56 percent of likely voters hold an unfavorable view of Cuccinelli in the POLITICO poll, compared to 34 percent who view him favorably.

I personally hope that (i) Cuccinelli goes down to a crushing defeat that ends his political career and (ii) that post election he comes out of the closet - no one is so hysterically anti-gay unless they are a serious self-loathing closet case.

Faced With Losing Campaign, Cuccinelli Lashes Out at Virginia Beach Mayor

Apparently starting to grasp the reality that Terry McAuliffe may well beat him on Election Day, Ken Cuccinelli appears to be looking for others to blame rather than accept the fact that it is his own extremism and nastiness towards, gays, blacks, moderates and many others who do not fit the white Christofascist profile that is doing him in.  The coverage all over Virginia and America of yesterday's Supreme Court decision to drop kick Cuccinelli's appeal which sought to reinstate Virginia's sodomy law has only served to remind everyone just how out of step Cuccinelli is with modernity and mainstream thought.  But instead of looking in the mirror to find the source of his troubles, Cuccinelli has lashed out at Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and accused him of striking a deal with Terry McAuliffe on light rail in exchange for Sessoms' endorsement.  Never mind that there is no evidence of any such deal.  And never mind that the Virginia General Assembly, not the governor, appropriates funding for transportation projects.  The Virginian Pilot looks at Cuccinelli's veritable temper tantrum.  Here are highlights:

Republican candidate for governor Ken Cuccinelli has alleged that Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms endorsed Democrat Terry McAuliffe as a trade-off for his support to extend light rail to the Oceanfront, calling the purported bargain “a little quid pro quo, maybe.”

Cuccinelli made that bold, and unsubstantiated, claim Wednesday in Newport News when he affixed a four-year, $14 billion price tag to many of McAuliffe’s spending priorities, saying the Democrat can’t possibly pay for them all without making deep budget cuts or raising taxes.

Since endorsing McAuliffe last month, Sessoms, a Republican estranged from the local GOP unit, has appeared in two television ads for the Democrat, whose campaign has made a big show of his defection. Sessoms said he wrestled with the choice before concluding McAuliffe would be more responsive as governor.

uccinelli’s chronology is correct on one count – one week separated Sessoms’ Sept. 17 endorsement and McAuliffe’s release of an urban investment plan calling for light rail extension to Norfolk Naval Station and the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

But it overlooks past McAuliffe statements to that effect, including one from a May speech in Norfolk when he said The Tide should go “all the way from the naval base to Virginia Beach.”

Sessoms called Cuccinelli’s claim “reckless” and untrue.  “For him to insinuate something like that is infuriating,” the mayor said, adding that while he’s thrilled McAuliffe favors light rail extension, “I’ve never asked him for a darn thing” to pledge funding for it.

Cuccinelli has made a career out of prostituting himself to religious extremists, closeted white supremacists, and those who want to turn back time by a century.  Now, he is reaping what he has sown through his own lunacy and extremism. 

  

Virginia Beach Republican Mayor in TV Ad for Democrat McAuliffe

Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms has gone even further in his support for Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.  He's now appearing in a TV ad for McAuliffe with two local Democrat Mayors (see above).  His motivations are likely multiple.  First, Sessoms - whom I have known for over 20 years - is not and has never been an extremist on social issues.  In fact, he has spoken at several HRBOR networking event (HRBOR is the local gay and gay friendly chamber of commerce).  Second, with much of the Virginia Beach economy relying on tourism, I suspect that Sessoms understands that the extremist image a Cuccinelli governorship would give Virginia would not be good for business.  Another likely issue is Virginia Beach's need to see the transportation system in Hampton Roads drastically upgraded to ensure that Virginia Beach tourism isn't killed by local gridlock.  Cussinelli opposed the transportation bill passed during the last session of the General Assembly and has basically offered slashing taxes as his cure all for Virginia's economic ills.   Here's a sampling from the Virginian Pilot:

Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms has gone all in for Terry McAuliffe.

The resort city’s Republican mayor endorsed the Democratic gubernatorial candidate last month. Now he’s appearing in a TV ad on McAuliffe’s behalf along with two Democratic mayors, Paul Fraim of Norfolk and McKinley Price of Newport News.

Peppered with scenes from Hampton Roads, the ad was released by the McAuliffe campaign today. It’s part of a Democratic narrative meant to portray McAuliffe as a more mainstream candidate than his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

Virginia Beach Mayor to Endorse McAuliffe

The bad news seems to keep piling up for Ken Cuccinelli and deservedly so.  Simply put, Cuccinelli is such a far right religious extremist out of the mainstream that even usual Republican backing elected officials find it impossible to endorse McAuliffe.  Now joining the list of conservatives who have endorsed Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffle is Virginia Beach mayor Will Sessoms (pictured at left) who I have known for well over 20 years.  For readers outside of Virginia, Virginia Beach is Virginia's largest city based on population.  Sessoms, who is very connected in the "good old boy network, has also been very supportive of HRBOR, the gay and gay friendly chamber of commerce that I helped found, and I suspect he understands that Cuccinelli's anti-gay and anti-woman extremism is bad for Virginia's economy and Virginia's tourism industry.  Blue Virginia has details on this development.    Here are highlights:

From the McAuliffe for Governor campaign...very interesting (note: Larry Sabato tweets that this is "stunning," noting "VA Beach is a critical swing locality & Sessoms is a real power there. That's a BIG defection from Cuccinelli."

MEDIA ADVISORY: Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms To Endorse McAuliffe for Governor

Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms, the Republican mayor of Virginia's largest city, will endorse Terry McAuliffe for governor tomorrow. This is the first time Sessoms has endorsed a Democrat for governor in his more than 20 years in public service in Virginia Beach.

"Terry McAuliffe's focus on diversifying and growing Virginia's economy will help foster economic growth in Virginia Beach, and help Hampton Roads to become a greater center of commerce in the Commonwealth, and I am proud to give him my full support," said Sessoms. "Terry's commitment to supporting investments in transportation and education here in Hampton Roads will make our communities stronger and prepare our workforce for the innovative jobs of the 21st Century."

Sessoms' endorsement marks the sixth out of the seven mayors in Hampton Roads to endorse McAuliffe. McAuliffe has also been endorsed by Mayor Paul Fraim of Norfolk, Mayor Molly Ward of Hampton, Mayor McKinley Price of Newport News, Mayor Kenny Wright of Portsmouth, and Mayor Linda Johnson of Suffolk.

Sessoms will announce his endorsement Tuesday while touring the Virginia Beach Advanced Technology Center with McAuliffe and Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim. The support for McAuliffe by both mayors Sessoms and Fraim signifies a major step in bringing the region together to foster economic growth, innovation, and job creation. McAuliffe will also release his economic development plan for Hampton Roads on Tuesday.

 Kudos to Will!!  I continue to hope that the message the Virginia GOP receives is that never, ever again can it allow The Family Foundation and/or Tea Party lunatics to hijack the GOP nominating process and put in place a slate so extreme on social issues that the general elections will turn out to be a GOP massacre.   The Family Foundation may still hold sway in backwaters like Martinsville, Danville and the hinterland of Southwest Virginia, but it is increasingly radioactive across the rest of the Commonwealth.  Victoria Cobb and her fellow hate merchants at TFF need to be kicked to the political curb once and for all.