In response to the wave of Virginia legislation that was seen by many as an attack on women’s rights, a group of women founded Women’s Strike Force—a political action committee that will recruit and support candidates to defeat politicians who back the ultrasound abortion and personhood bills.
A number of former elected officials are founding members of the group.
“Republican women are as appalled as Democratic women by the [anti-choice] legislation that has been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly this year, as well as by the decorum on the floor of the House of Delegates, as exemplified by the Dave Albo video," former delegate Kris Amundson and founding member of the PAC told Blue Virginia. “This new group will be "a place where men and women appalled by this intrusive legislation" can go. “
“The bottom line message from all these women: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
* A grass-roots group in D.C. is trying to bring an initiative to ballots in November that would ban corporate campaign contributions to local candidates.
The council passed an ethics reform package last year, but did not ban corporate donations.
* Even with the abortion ultrasound saga seemingly behind them, Virginia Republicans can’t stop making national headlines.
A video of Delegate Dave Albo speaking on the House floor about how all the talk of transvaginal ultrasounds cost him a night of lovemaking with his wife went viral over the weekend.
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd included this anecdote in her column this weekend about how outdated the Republican Party is.
"The barking-mad Republicans of Virginia are helping to make the party look foolish and creepy. A video went viral on Friday in which Delegate Dave Albo comically regaled his fellow lawmakers on the floor of the Statehouse with his own Old Dominion version of “Lysistrata”: he suggested that he was denied sex with his wife because of a Republican-sponsored bill that would have made ultrasounds, often with a vaginal probe, mandatory for women seeking abortions.
With music, red wine and a big-screen TV, he made a move on his wife, Rita, while she was watching a news report about the bill. “And she looks at me and goes, ‘I’ve got to go to bed,’ ” Albo said as his colleagues guffawed.
The Republicans, with their crazed Reagan fixation, are a last-gasp party, living posthumously, fighting battles on sex, race, immigration and public education long ago won by the other side.
They’re trying to roll back the clock, but time is passing them by."
* Ron Paul has a chance for a strong showing in Virginia, and he’s taking advantage of the opening.
Paul will headline an event Tuesday organized by the “Youth for Ron Paul” group at George Mason University Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Waterford at Springfield, 6715 Commerce St.
Rand Paul, Ron Paul’s son and a senator from Kentucky, will also be speaking at the event.
Because of stringent requirements to get on the ballot, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are the only two candidates on Virginia’s primary ballot March 6. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum did not obtain the necessary petition signatures to qualify.
* Gov. Martin O’Malley, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, has been a big supporter of the president, appearing on national talk shows defending his policies and working aggressively to implement “Obamacare” in his own state.
But it seems the president forgot about all that for a quick second Monday.
The Baltimore Sun reports that at an education event, Obama tried to highlight Maryland’s education policies but momentarily forgot his governor-friend’s name. The president refered to the governor as “Jack O’Malley, and O’Malley responded with a quick joke about his son, whose name happens to be Jack.
Obama: Jack O’Malley -- where’s Jack -- Martin. Where’s Martin? Sorry. I was --
O'Malley: I thought my son was right here. (Laughter.)
Obama: Right, right, right.
The Washington Examiner reports that Mayor Vincent Gray’s One City Summit in February cost taxpayers more than half-a-million dollars.
The District received $51,000 in private donations to fund the event, bringing the total burden on taxpayers down to $556,603.79.
While Gray’s office said it was happy with the summit’s final cost, some weren’t as pleased.
VIA The Washington Examiner:
"The cost of this thing is outrageous," said Bob Kabel, the chairman of the D.C. Republican Committee. "That money could have been used for a lot of other things."
* Prince George County leaders will host an information session for interested business owners to learn more about its $50 million Economic Development Incentive Fund from 7 p.m.-9p.m. on Wednesday at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 7601 Hanover Parkway North.
According to the press relase:
As part of his FY 2012 Proposed Operating and Capital Budget, Baker sought and received County Council approval for a one-time investment of $50 million to be set aside as a multi-year commitment for the EDI Fund, with $7 million earmarked for FY 2012. The goals of the EDI Fund are: expansion of the County’s commercial tax base, promotion of major development and redevelopment opportunities, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), job retention and creation, and growth of key industry sectors.
Attendees at the information session will learn how the fund process works and who should apply to it.
For more information, visit edifund@pgcedc.com or call 301-583-4601. Seating is limited
