Manassas City meets its new Democratic candidates for City Council

MoonHowler

And a good time was had by all yesterday, August 29, at the City Democratic kick off held at City Tavern.

Everyone had a chance to meet and greet the new Dem candidates as well as some other familiar faces. The early evening get-together was held on one of the hottest days of the summer and the candidates were smoking’ hot with enthusiasm for this upcoming election.

In addition to Rex Parr, Michelle Davis-Younger, and incumbent Ken Elston, who are vying for a place on the City Council, Democratic hopeful, Jennifer Wexton, candidate for the 10th Congressional district  was in attendance.  Jennifer has definite plans to unseat Barbara Comstock and to send her packing.

Other dignitaries who attended were State Senator Jeremy McPike, Manassas Park Mayor Jeanette Rishell,  Delegate Danica Roem, and Manassas City Treasurer Patricia Richie-Folks.  Pam Sebesky and Mark Wolfe, current Manassas City Council-members were there supporting those who are running on this years cycle.

Practically everyone in attendance was basking in the hot-off-the press news that Micron, a Boise based company with a plant  in Manassas City, had announced plans that very morning to  expand its memory facility to the tune of $3 Billion dollars and add 1,100 new jobs.  Governor Northam (D) was here in Manassas for the announcement which not only bodes well for Manassas City but also Prince William County, since those employees will probably live in both the City and the County.

Perhaps this is as good a time as any to address the summer-long hiatus that Moonhowlings.net has taken.  You know, there are only so many ways an ink-buyer like me can express their dislike, dismay, and distrust of a person like Donald Trump.  Additionally, Corey Stewart, his mini-me will continue to embarrass Prince William County with his antics and foolish statements, based on wanting a vote, rather than cogent thought processes.

However, yesterday I met some wonderful candidates over in Manassas City.  I saw old friends.  I heard some great, new fresh ideas.  What a great time to be a Democrat!  What a not-so-great time to be a Republican.  Not only will they have to toss around tired old ideas, but they will also have to avoid the stench of Trump and the barrage of political war-weapons he will sling their way if they don’t tow the orange line.

 

History in the making: Hillary can now claim the Democratic presidential nomination

MoonHowler

USAToday.com:

Hillary Clinton now has the necessary delegates to claim the Democratic presidential nomination. The Associated Press said so Monday, based on weekend primaries in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and on superdelegates who had decided to back her since the last time they were canvassed.

But there is more here than the AP’s tally and Clinton’s support among the party establishment. With Tuesday’s primaries in California, New Jersey and four other states, Clinton finally amassed a majority of pledged delegates — the ones awarded based on the actual outcome of elections. What’s more, when all of the votes are counted, her popular vote advantage over Bernie Sanders (3 million votes going into Tuesday) will likely give her a double-digit victory.

I have been very quiet about the Democrats during the primary process.  I saw no point in beating up one over the other.  I knew that is where I was going to vote, once Trump established his dominance.  Why have to eat your words. Now it’s time for Bernie to just go away.

The historical significance of yesterday is not lost on me.  My grandmother was 31 years old before she could vote.  When I graduated from high school and college, I don’t think I even thought it was possible for a woman to secure the nomination of either party.  I remember when Geraldine Ferraro was selected as a running mate for Walter Mondale.  Her claim to fame was “Tits and Fritz.”  That’s pretty much where the country stood at its knuckle dragging state in the 80’s.

Good for Hillary.   She has done what no other woman has been able to do.  She secured the nomination of her party.  The rest is up to her.

In the words of Neil Young:  Long May You Run!

 

I stand with Harry Wiggins

MoonHowler

I don’t always agree with the Democrats.  Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.  This is particularly true of the local Democrats.  This time I do agree with the Democrats and I stand with Harry Wiggins and the others who have left the Committee  because of the vitriolic language towards gays and lesbians  demonstrated by the chairman of Committee of 100.

Harry Wiggins, chairman of the Prince William County Democratic Committee, explained his position and the position of the 27 Democratic candidates in today’s Potomac Local:

Why Democrats will not participate in Prince William Committee of 100 candidate forums

As many know, the Prince William Democratic candidates for this November’s General Election are not participating in any forum, debate, etc, hosted by, sponsored by, or co-hosted by the Prince William Committee of 100.

This was a unanimous decision by all 27 Democrats running for office in Prince William. The reason?

Shortly after being elected President of the Committee of 100, James Young posted a venomous attack on homosexuals. Mr. Young is, of course, entitled to his political views, and he need not forfeit them simply because he is president of the Committee of 100.

He is free to publicly oppose gay marriage, adoption of children by gay couples, and a host of other policies targeting homosexuals. His rant, however, was not a political policy statement, but a hateful and vitriolic assault on homosexuals as people, employing the type of language that has been used in the past to both provoke and rationalize violence against them.

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Don’t screw with Joe Biden! Pass the Jobs Bill

MoonHowler

 Joe Biden should be huffy.  This young pup questions the use of the language?   To answer his question, YES. 

Crime incidence is clearly and measurably linked to number of available police officers.  The more trained officers, the lower the crime rate is shown in case after case, in community after community throughout the United States. 

According to the Huffington Post

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden doubled down Wednesday on his charge that rape and murder will rise if Congress fails to pass the American Jobs Act.

Minutes after addressing a firefighters rally in a Senate office building to push for passage of (at least) a $35 billion provision that would pay for the hiring of hundreds of thousands of police officers, teachers and firefighters, Biden was challenged by a reporter over his crime claims.

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Bill Still has his Mojo

MoonHowler

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Damn, he still has that old Clinton MOJO. It pays to listen to Bill. He certainly proved it during his presidency. And he did know how to meet people half way. Nuff said. 

 

From Huffington Post:

Clinton gave the package his full-throated endorsement, even while noting that he opposes the extension of upper-income tax cuts – though he himself will benefit from it.

“I personally believe this is a good deal and the best he could have gotten under the circumstances,” Clinton said, urging fellow Democrats to support it.

“If I was in office now, I would have done what the president has done,” he said.

Clinton, whose focus on the economy helped get him elected in 1992, said he spends about an hour a day studying up on it and trying to figure out what to do about it. He said the proposal to trim Social Security taxes is the “single most effective tax cut” to support economic activity and create jobs. “I expect it to lower the unemployment rate and keep us going,” he said.

“In my opinion, this is a good bill and I hope that my fellow Democrats will support it,” Clinton said. “I think this is a much, much better agreement than would be reached were we to wait until January.”

So is Bill right or wrong?  Is this the best deal President Obama will get?

Dodd Forges Ahead with Financial Reform Bill with or without Republican Support

MoonHowler

From Marketwatch:

 

 

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — After months of trying to get Republican support for tougher regulations to prevent the next global financial crisis, Sen. Chris Dodd has decided to move ahead with or without bipartisan backing.

Dodd desperately wants a financial reform bill as a capstone to his 36-year career in Washington. But his lengthy negotiations with his Republican counterparts Richard Shelby and Bob Corker had produced little agreement, just headlines.

Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, announced Thursday that he would present his own bill to his committee on Monday. The banking committee — with 13 Democrats and 10 Republicans — will likely vote on the bill next week.

Dodd’s decision to abandon an endless quest to reach a bipartisan deal may make it more likely that Congress will actually enact legislation this year to rein in the worst of the abuses that helped lead the global economy to the brink.

The more Dodd negotiated with Shelby and Corker, the more watered-down the bill became. Each compromise with the Republicans made it less likely that the House of Representatives — remember them? — would go along.

The last straw may have been when Corker demanded that any consumer protection agency would not only have to be toothless, but it would also have to be run by the Federal Reserve, the omnipotent agency that utterly failed to protect consumers, the banks or the economy during the housing bubble.

The path to landing a final bill on President Barack Obama’s desk will still be complicated. Dodd will have to clear the bill out of his own committee and then find at least one Republican in the 100-member Senate to help him overcome the inevitable filibuster. And then he’ll have to compromise with the House.

By all accounts, the Republicans negotiated in good faith. But there were some issues that just couldn’t be compromised. It is time to act.

It seems like regulations are desperately needed.   I don’t ever want another September 2008 again, where we all sit there and watch whatever we have accumulated melt away before our eyes.  I don’t want the rich to get richer and the middle income folks to become poor folks, often at our expense.  This is one reason that the Republicans have earned the moniker ‘The Party of NO.  

Dodd has nothing to lose.  He isn’t coming back.  I thank him for sticking with this one.  He was also offered Kennedy’s chair.  He refused it because he wanted to deal with campaign finance.  It’s time for Democrats and Republicans to do the right thing and pass some reform, even if in incremental steps.