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There have been some odd partnerships in the history of the General Assembly. We’ve partnered with some organizations, such as the NAACP and Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy on payday lending, for example.

But one creating the double-takes, stares and, in some cases, guffaws, is our partnership with Delegate Ward Armstrong (D-10, Martinsville) — the House Minority Leader — on HB 652, a bill that would provide a greater degree of jurisprudence to land owners who seek just compensation in eminent domain hearings. More about the bill later, but as an example of the reaction we’ve received in committee after committee was best exemplified Friday afternoon in the House Appropriations Sub-committee on Transportation when Delegate Scott Lingamfelter (R-31, Prince William) who feigned a heart attack to a room full of laughs after I followed Delegate Armstrong’s presentation to offer support for the bill.

So, today, on the bill’s second reading on the House floor, Delegate Armstrong, who has been milking our partnership for all that it’s worth, offered this in support of his bill:

And I might add this bill has a broad range of support including The Farm Bureau and The Family Foundation of Virginia for whom I am in the running for Legislator of the Month.

We’ve enjoyed the partnership, ourselves, Delegate Armstrong. But, it does prove a point. When there’s good legislation involving our principles, we don’t care who the patron is. We support it. We also oppose bad legislation, no matter the patron. By the way, just for the record, HB 652 also has four Republican co-patrons: Delegates Glenn Oder (R-94, Newport News), Sal Iaquinto (R-84, Virginia Beach), Ed Scott (R-30, Culpeper) and Matt Lohr (R-26, Harrisonburg). That’s a good heap of bipartisanship for anyone. Now, on to the Senate, where we hope for the same.

Video became available over the weekend of Thursday night’s Fairfax Family Forum candidate forum, held at Fair Oaks Church, for the candidates in the 37th Senate district special election. But an peculiar thing happened on the way to the forum. Only one candidate showed up — Republican Stephen Hunt. Democrat Dave Marsden apparently had another agenda and couldn’t find time to talk to voters about family and traditional values. An interesting tactic coming from any candidate who wants to represent “all the people.” It’s one thing to respectfully disagree, and at least hear where certain constituents come from on their views. It’s another to blow them off entirely. Even Barack Obama took questions from Pastor Rick Warren at his Saddleback Church. We’ll see if this serves to further motivate values voters to turn out to the polls.

The election is tomorrow, January 12. The district is in Fairfax County and polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The election is necessary because of the vacancy in the seat due to the election of Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli. Here is a portion of the forum as provided by the Fairfax Family Forum via Viemo:

Republican Steve Hunt attended the Fairfax Family Forum candidate forum for the candidates in the 37th Senate district special election. His opponent, Democrat Dave Marsden, must have had something else to do, rather than discuss with voters issues regarding family and traditional values.

The January 12 special election to fill Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli’s Fairfax County seat in the Virginia Senate is hot as it is important. As such, we are redoubling our efforts to alert and educate voters in the 37th Senate district. Our Winning Matters campaign, which distributed nearly 1,000,000 voter guides statewide during the recent election, now is focused solely on this important Senate race in Fairfax County.

In addition, our grassroots chapter, the Fairfax Family Forum, is hosting a candidate forum tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Fair Oaks Church, 4601 West Ox Road. Democrat nominee, Delegate Dave Marsden, and Republican nominee, former Fairfax County School Board Member Steve Hunt, have been invited to discuss their positions on issues of concern to the faith community. They will also take questions from the audience. Please plan to attend this important event.

We have two Winning Matters area coordinators working in the county, as well as a project manager. The Family Foundation has produced a special voter guide for this election, available in English, Spanish and, for the first time ever, Korean. Our area coordinators are contacting hundreds of churches, pastors and volunteers, and have distributed 20,000 voter guides across the district.

Despite this success, because of the extremely short time frame, we have been unable to contact anyone in several of the churches. If you attend one of these churches, or know the pastor or a parishioner at one of these churches, please help us make a connection there. E-Mail Mark Earley, Jr., at mlearleyjr@gmail.com or Marlon-David Sias at mdsias@gmail.com  and let them know how you can help. The voter guides need to be in these churches for distribution this Sunday, January 10:

Abundant Life Family Church, Fairfax

Annandale Calvary Church Of The Nazarene, 8220 Little River Turnpike

Annandale Church Of Christ, 4709 Ravensworth Road

Annandale Wash. Good Shepherd Nazarene, 8220 Little River Turnpike

Antioch Baptist Church, 6531 Little Ox Road, Fairfax Station

Braddock Missionary Baptist Church, 12326 Braddock Road, Fairfax

Calvary Church Of The Nazarene, 8220 Little River Turnpike, Annandale

Calvary Hill Baptist Church, 9301 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax

Centerpointe Church At Fair Oaks, 4104 Legato Road, Fairfax

Centreville Assembly Of God, 14821 Lee Highway

Centreville Church Of Christ, 13919 Braddock Road

Centreville Community Bible Church, 15109 Carlbern Drive

Centreville Community Church, 15301 Lee Highway

Centro Evangelistico El Refugio, 25207 Elk Lick Road, Chantilly

Chantilly Baptist Church, 14312 Chantilly Baptist Lane

Christ Church, 8285 Glen Eagles Lane, Fairfax Station

Christian Fellowship Church, 10237 Leesburg Pike, Burke

Church At Northern Virginia, 10922 Vale Road, Oakton

Church Of Love And Truth, 209 Oak Street Southwest, Vienna

Church Of The Apostles, 3500 Pickett Road, Fairfax

Clifton Baptist Church, 7152 Main Street

Community Baptist Church, 10112 Community Lane, Fairfax Station

Community Bible Church, 4400 Fair Lake Court, Suite 60, Fairfax

Diaspora Fellowship Church, 9304 Nester Road, Fairfax

Dulles Family Life Church Nazarene, 14740-H Flint Lee Road, Chantilly

Fairfax Baptist Church, 10830 Main Street

Fairfax Church Of Christ, 3901 Rugby Road

Fairfax Community Church, 11451 Braddock Road

Fairfax-Lee Highway Church Of God, 14740-H Flint Lee Road, Chantilly

Faith Baptist Church, 301 Center Street South, Burke

Faith For Living Church Of God, 12901 Lee Side Court

First Baptist Church Of Vienna, 450 Orchard Street

Grace Fellowship Church, 25350 Poland Road, Chantilly

Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2381 Cedar Lane, Vienna

Immanuel Korean Baptist Church, 5020 Marshall Crown Road, Centreville

International Baptist Alexandria, Annandale

Knollwood Community Church, 10000 Coffer Woods Road, Burke

Koinos Fellowship Church, 43844 Churchill Glen Drive, Chantilly

Korean Presbyterian Church Of Centreville, 25454 Gum Spring Road, Chantilly

Living Covenant Church, 14637 Lee Highway, Suite 102, Oakton

Living Savior Lutheran, 5500 Ox Road, Fairfax Station

Maranatha Baptist Church, 3511 Annandale Road, Annandale

Mok Yang Presbyterian Church Mission, 6608 Little Ox Road, Fairfax

New Creation Mission, Centreville

New Hope Presbyterian Church, Fairfax City

Nova Worship Center, 14740 Flint Lee Road-Unit H, Chantilly

Ox Hill Baptist Church, 4101 Elmwood Street, Chantilly

Parkwood Baptist Church 8726 Braddock Road, Annandale

Pleasant Valley Assembly Of God, 25207 Elk Lick Road, Chantilly

Prince Of Peace Lutheran Church, 8304 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield

Prosperity Baptist, 42962 Braddock Road, Chantilly

Springfield Church Of Christ, 7512 Old Keene Mill Road

Truro Church, 10520 Main Street, Fairfax

Washington Bible Baptist Church, 14701 Lee Highway, Centreville

Washington Grace, Fairfax

During the recent statewide campaign, we and our sister organization, TFF Action, ran an unprecedented — and massively successful — voter education campaign, Winning Matters. Although we anticipated a wind down after the election in November, Winning Matters remains in high gear for the crucial special election for the 37th district Virginia Senate seat (in Fairfax, January 12) vacated by Republican Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli.

Winning Matters retained a staff of three (two field reps in Fairfax and a project manager) which has produced, and is distributing, thousands of paper and online voter guides in English, Spanish and Korean to churches, civic groups and area businesses. It also is providing absentee ballot applications for people not be able to vote in person on the 12th. Winning Matters also is working with churches to announce the election and/or put it in their bulletins as a reminder to their members to go out and vote.

If you are interested in helping Winning Matters with this crucial special election, between Republican Stephen Hunt and Democrat Dave Marsden, especially within your church, please contact Roger Pogge at 804-343-0010 or e-mail him at roger@familyfoundation.org. 

Although the campaign is a short one, it has been hot for a while, probably because it is so crucial to the makeup of the Virginia Senate, which the Democrats currently control by one seat. Among the issues: Marsden now claims to be for lower taxes, despite his history of votes to raise them; the fact that he moved into a friend’s house to be eligible to run for the seat; and, of course, it wouldn’t be a campaign in Virginia if life and abortion weren’t part of the (misleading) discussion. If Hunt wins for the GOP, it will remain within striking distance of winning crucial votes, with Lt. Governor Bill Bolling breaking ties. If Marsden pulls it out for the Dems, the left will have a little leeway with a second vote to spare. One seat might not sound like much, but whoever wins the election can change the dynamics of the entire Virginia Senate. Which is why winning matters.

During the recently completed statewide campaign, Family Foundation Action, our sister organization, conducted its largest ever voter education and mobilization effort — Winning Matters 2009. We know those efforts were not in vain as a record percentage of values voters voted in the November 3 election. Our work, though, is not through, and your financial support is needed.

In November, Virginians — to the great consternation of hyper liberals — resoundingly  chose Senator Ken Cuccinelli, with 58 percent of the vote, as their next Attorney General. However, his election created a vacancy in the Virginia Senate. Now, there will be a special election in the 37th Senate district (Fairfax County) on January 12, 2010, to fill out the remainder of the term. Because this seat is critical to advancing our pro-family agenda, we are planning to continue our Winning Matters efforts for the duration of this campaign. Our project manager and two area coordinators will continue their work on focusing, educating and mobilizing values voters for this upcoming special election.

Senator Cuccinelli has been a champion for issues that are important to the family and to Christians. He has been a leader in the fight to defund Planned Parenthood, protect property rights, bring transparency to government spending and strengthen marriage. In 2006, he was the only elected official who actively campaigned for the Marriage Amendment in Fairfax County. This year, he successfully shepherded the “Choose Life” license plate bill through both houses of the General Assembly.

It is vitally important that his seat be filled by another pro-family conservative. Senator Cuccinelli’s senatorial district has become very competitive. The last Senate race there was decided by only 92 votes. In a special election, the turnout is typically very low and every vote carries an even greater importance.

The Family Foundation plans to educate pro-family voters on the contrasting views of the two candidates and needs your gift to do so. Please donate today.

The Republican candidate for the seat is Steve Hunt, a long time conservative activist, and a former elected at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board. The Democrat candidate is Delegate Dave Marsden (D-41, Burke). Delegate Marsden did not live in the 37th Senate district but “moved” into a friend’s house in the district to be eligible to run for the seat. He earned a 20 percent score on The Family Foundation Action’s 2008-09 General Assembly Report Card.

We believe it is every Christian’s sacred duty as a citizen to participate in the electoral process and vote their Biblical values. Our Winning Matters staff is dedicated to making sure that happens on January 12. To ensure that voters are educated about where the candidates for this Senate seat stand, we are producing a Special Election Voter Guide for the 37th Senate seat. This guide will not only educate voters, but also remind them of this special election — less than one month away.

But to do all that we have planned we need your support. We spent nearly all of the funds raised for Winning Matters during the general election. So, to support Winning Matters’ efforts in this very important election, we hope that you will click here and send a special “Win the 37th!” Winning Matters contribution.

I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Bob Holsworth (Virginia Tomorrow) speak Monday night about the recent elections. He is the best political analyst in Virginia in my opinion and his insights on campaigns and strategies never fail to enlighten.

He said that one of the many aspects where the Creigh Deeds campaign (as well as the Wagner and Shannon campaigns) fell short was in its inability to respond to the federal issues — card check, cap-and-trade, nationalized health care — Republican Bob McDonnell repeatedly raised as not only an intrusion into Virginians’ sovereignty, but as harmful to Virginians themselves —their prosperity, opportunity, way of life, health. In other words, upholding the 10th Amendment, which leaves to the states all powers not specifically delineated to the federal government.

Senator Deeds couldn’t dis President Barack Obama, who historically carried Virginia last year, and turn off the liberal Democrat base and its newly energized voters, by opposing those signature liberal issues. So the best he could do was assert they had nothing to do with running the commonwealth. Dr. Holsworth said Deeds’ inability to satisfactorily deal with this dynamic pleased no one — crucial independents, who broke overwhelmingly to the GOP, nor the base.

Who am I to disagree with Dr. Bob? But I want to add that it was more than that. Defending one’s state against the onslaught of the federal leviathan is a constitutional charge. So it is a legitimate issue. But Senator Deeds, reflective of today’s ingrained liberalism, at the very least couldn’t respond to the issues because he doesn’t understand the 10th Amendment. Doubtful. So that leaves the worst, but more likely, case — a total disregard for it. When state politicians become too comfortable accepting mandates and force-fed programs from Washington, which stunt states from their roles as democratic laboratories and distinctly different places to live, they deserve to lose. Indeed, federal issues always have and always will be integral to state issues because the constitutional relationship of states to the national government demands it.  

Annotations & Elucidations

The Governor’s Take

The education poll leads the news, but by now you know all about that. As for politics, Governor Tim Kaine is all about the long knives, now, criticizing Creigh Deeds for his campaign, as if the DNC chairman had no say so in it. I would write that it’s easy for him to complain, but what does he know? He wasn’t in Virginia for the campaign (rim shot, please).

The bulk of the news is about the House of Delegates: The Appropriations Committee gets a budget briefing during its annual two-day Capitol retreat; recently defeated Delegate Phil Hamilton (R-93, Newport News) announced his resignation, effective Sunday; and each  caucus held it’s leadership votes over the weekend. The Republican lineup remains the same while the Democrats seem to have a position for every member of its diminished number.

In education news, about 10 teachers at a Henrico County high school are complaining about a guest speaker who advocates abstinence. Yeah. Hate speech. Speaking of communication and culture, a real blow to the Washington, D.C., media community: The homosexual advocacy publication Washington Blade is closing its doors. 

News:

Poll: Virginians like public schools but would like more nonpublic options (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Democrat Deeds ran without his base, Kaine says (Washington Post)

House committee to hear state budget forecast (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Va. House caucuses choose leaders (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Phil Hamilton resigns from House of Delegates (The Daily Press)

Freeman High abstinence-only speaker draws fire (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Health care-sharing ministries: Paying their fair share (Roanoke Times)

Gay weekly Washington Blade closes (Washington Post)

Washington Blade closes; new paper for gays planned (Washington Times)

Annotations & Elucidations

The Biggest Loser Strikes Again

The Washington Post is at it again . . . still! Forget Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner and Steve Shannon, election night’s biggest loser was the Post. It created Deeds with its Democrat primary endorsement of him. His campaign slogan effectively became, “Endorsed by the Washington Post” and its influence over the liberal Northern Virginia base carried him to primary victory. It then became his de facto political consultant, telling him to come clean on his tax increase plans, which he did in a Post op-ed, and coaching him every step of the way. It even gave him his singular line of attack against his Republican opponent — a thesis Bob McDonnell wrote while earning his MBA at Regent University. Now, after a couple of weeks of silence, the Post can’t contain itself and is back on the hunt, trying to tie the governor-elect to a comment Regent founder Pat Robertson made about Muslims. Lesson learned number one from the campaign: Don’t hire the Washington Post as your campaign advisor. Lesson two: It’s a real sore loser.

Elsewhere, we’re mentioned in a piece about Governor-elect McDonnell’s transition team. One of our board members, Dave Barrett, was named as a transition team senior advisor. Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro speculates on whom McDonnell will name as Secretary of Finance, his most important personnel decision, according to Mr. Schapiro. Is House Majority Whip Kirk Cox (R-66, Colonial Heights) a contender? The T-D also examines the online advertising aspect of the late campaign — it was among the best, it says. No wonder, there was a lot of material to work with. Also, policies are starting to emerge from the Team McDonnell. Finally, please check out Michael Ramirez’s editorial comics at the links below. He’s a hoot. Maybe the Post should look them over, laugh . . . and lighten up.

News:

*Gov.-elect McDonnell announces senior advisers to transition team (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

McDonnell meets House Democrats, stresses common ground (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

McDonnell eyes health-care changes at state level (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Robertson’s remarks put McDonnell in a bind (Washington Post)

Online ads in Va. gubernatorial race ’set the standard’ (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Dates set for special Senate primaries; “Debate” held in the 8th today (BearingDrift.com)

Tickets on sale now for Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly in Norfolk (The Daily Press)

Analysis:

Budget boss atop concern (Jeff Schapiro/Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Editorial Comics:

Pork Flu (Below) (Michael Ramirez/TheWeek.com)

Pelosi & Reid’s Miracle Health Care Reform (Michael Ramirez/Townhall.com)

RINO: A Scene From “The Godfather” (Michael Ramirez/Townhall.com)

Our Quote of the Day normally is reserved for General Assembly session (during which there are too many to post). But tonight at Richmond International Airport, at the GOP ticket’s second-to-last stop on its final fly through tour, attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli again stole the show, earning himself yet more ink.

You know the Democrats are desperate for help when they even fly Tim Kaine into Virginia to campaign for them!

Fun aside, and there was much of it, the event was serious, with exhortations to not let up over the next 24 hours. Gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell and Lt. Governor Bill Bolling joined Senator Cuccinelli in asking the crowd of about 300 to do the blocking for them, to be the boots on the ground, to continue calling and e-mailing and Facebooking and Twittering friends, family, neighbors and colleagues; to man the polls tomorrow and give people rides to vote; to knock on doors and volunteer. Still lots to be done was the message. Taking nothing for granted, these men, not after eight years in the desert.

There were two surprises: Senator Jill Vogel (R-27, Winchester) emceed the event and Jeanine McDonnell, the Republican’s eldest daughter and Iraq War vet (Army Lt., platoon leader), who first starred in the campaign as the his designated introducer and later in a campaign ad, sang the national anthem. What a great voice! Tomorrow night, she and the McDonnell family hope to be singing another song.  

The DNC Chairman, Governor Tim Kaine (contact here) sounded off last night in the attorney general’s campaign. Literally. He voiced a “robo call” on behalf of Democrat AG candidate Steve Shannon. Unfortunately, he really didn’t have much to say about Delegate Shannon’s qualifications.

Instead, he launched into a vicious attack on Republican attorney general candidate Ken Cuccinelli, using a Washington Post editorial as cover for calling him “bigoted” (see Norm’s Leahy’s first-hand account at Tertium Quids). I, myself, got a call from an African-American friend immediately after he received the call. He reasoned the calls were going into African-American neighborhoods to pump the fear of Satan into otherwise disinterested black voters. But they also went into upper income, socially conscious (i.e., “moderate”) white neighborhoods, too, the areas that the GOP seems to be gaining back this campaign. Which makes sense: with a double digit lead, the only way to defeat Senator Cuccinelli is to expand the voter universe and flip some votes (or get them to skip the AG ballot).

What is interesting is why the DNC chairman and his hacks think they can pick off Senator Cuccinelli. In the SurveyUSA poll, out today, he has the largest lead of the three (20 points!) — and even the Democrat Public Policy Poll says he leads in all regions of the commonwealth, including the liberal bastion of Northern Virginia. (How can that be?) The answer? Trashing the constitution and our founding principles. By parodying Senator Cuccinelli’s principled stands and record of adhering strictly to the constitution, liberals think they can caricature him into something abominable because adhering to Life and Liberty aren’t nearly so important as doling out government-style happiness.

No matter whether one interprets “bigotry” to be the racial kind or the “intolerant of other lifestyles” kind (the call left that open to your interpretation), it’s interesting to note that it was Senator Cuccinelli who accepted, attended, spoke and stayed late to meet people at the Virginia NAACP’s recent forum and Delegate Shannon who accepted — but stood them up. It’s also strange that Governor Kaine thought highly enough of Senator Cuccinelli to work with him on this summer’s special session to remedy the impact on Virginia from the U.S. Supreme Court’s Melendez-Diaz decision. (You remember . . .the session Shannon called a “political stunt.”)

Even stranger is Delegate Shannon’s previous dinner engagements at the home of Senator Cuccinelli. Guess he was an okay guy before he went up double digits, huh? 

Ever since he took the DNC job, Governor Kaine has not been able to decide whether he is governor or desperate partisan in chief. His level of campaigning is beneath the dignity of the office Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson once occupied.