Experience

Experience, an advertisement from Virginians for Wagner, highlighting the reasons that Jody has what it takes to lead Virginia. This video demonstrates that Jody has the fiscal experience to help Virginia by highlighting Virginia's ranking as the best state for business and the best managed state during her tenure. The ad also appeals to family values, noting that Virginia was also ranked the best state to raise a child. The final message, that Jody cares more about the next generation than the next election, demonstrates that she is running to do the right thing for all Virginians.

A Real Problem Solver with Experience

Jody Wagner received the endorsement of The Washington Post for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia last week.

The tagline of the Post's article is "In Virginia, a problem-solver is better than a pol." Jody's resume demonstrates that she is a problem-solver, and voters in Virginia can be confident that if elected, she will continue to use her skills to solve the problems that face Virginians.

The article notes: "Unlike the usual run of officeholders in Richmond, she is more pragmatist and problem solver than partisan political warrior. As the only one of the six statewide candidates to have had hands-on experience with the state's budget, she would be uniquely well placed to serve as a resource for whichever candidate is elected."

The economy is one of the biggest issues facing voters next Tuesday. The Washington Post's endorsement demonstrates that Jody has the experience to be a valuable asset to the Commonwealth as Lieutenant Governor. As the lone statewide candidate to have real experience with Virginia's budget, Jody clearly stands above her opponent.

The Washington Post endorsement can be found here:

Republicans: Moving Virginia Backwards

The November 3rd statewide election seems to be looking grim for those hoping Virginia will remain blue for another four years. The polls all have the Republicans leading the Democrats by sizable margins. However, one must keep in mind that polls are only snapshots in time and that polling trends show the true nature of the race. Weeks ago pollsters had Jody Wagner trailing Bill Bolling by 15% points, while a Clarus poll last week had her gaining significantly with a difference of only 7% points. This is impressive considering she started out as an unknown candidate and is running against an incumbent with significantly higher name recognition. The campaign is going to have to put all of its efforts into mobilizing the voters who turned out to support Democrats in 2008.

But being a realistic student of politics, this is easier said than done... which makes me wonder, what will happen if Republicans sweep the board on November 3rd? What will Virginia look like with Republicans running Virginia. Well, the citizens of Virginia need to prepare themselves for serious movement... and I mean serious movement backwards. McDonnell's thesis has been gone over with a fine-tooth comb and everyone knows he has touted terrible ideas concerning women and gays and their harmful effects on society. But most people will argue that was 20 years ago and McDonnell has "changed". Ok fine. But what about now? McDonnell, Bolling, and Cuccinelli all have taken drastic legislative action to prohibit a woman's right to choose. Are we really prepared as citizens to move backwards nearly four decades? McDonnell sponsored legislation 35 times that prohibits giving women the right to choose... and supports prohibiting women from obtaining an abortion even in the case of rape or incest. Ken Cuccinelli has submitted legislation as well. And Bill Bolling, one of the few times he decided to show up for work, was the deciding vote in the Senate on an amendment to cut funding from Planned Parenthood because the organization provides abortion services. Seriously people? These three straight, white, male, middle to upper-class leaders are supposed to be representing the interests of all Virginians? Frankly, this is a terrifying thought. Electing the Republicans will only be moving Virginia backwards.

Jody Wagner, the only female running in one of the major state races, will represent every person in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Her recent endorsement by Equality Virginia (EV) shows that she will stand for equality for families, workplace protection, and hate crime legislation. EV CEO Jon Blair said, "In every respect, Jody Wagner has demonstrated that she will walk with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender Virginians on the path to full equality."

I sincerely hope the Democrats and Republicans who went blue in 2008 will turnout to vote for Jody Wagner on Nov. 3rd and keep Virginia moving forwards... not backwards.

WWJD? Solve Problems

Supporting a Public Option

Reports have emerged that Jody Wagner is for the public option. When asked by the popular blog Notlarrysabato.com she responded by saying that she would fight to make sure that Virginia will not opt out of any public option passed by Congress.

There has been some talk in Congress about allowing states to "opt out" of any public option, giving governors a tremendous amount of influence when it comes to federal health care policy. In a recent debate, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds was ambiguous about supporting the public option, and even implied that he would ensure that the Old Dominion would not have universal healthcare within its borders.

But in a gutsy move, Jody Wagner will fight for the option. While that may cost her some votes, its nice to see a Virginia candidate sticking with her principles

To see the direct quote, look here: http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2009/10/jody-wagner-will-fight-any-attempts-to-optout.html

WWJD... On Spending?

Bill Bolling's attacks on Jody Wagner throughout the campaign have been two-pronged. The first attack, which I have already addressed, goes after Jody on taxes. The second is an attack on Jody's spending. This is a common "go-to" attack for Republicans and they tend to point their fingers before they conduct any solid research. We've repeatedly heard over the past few months that the past administration has spent so much money they have outstripped population growth and inflation. This accusation is wrooooong. Bill Bolling's goal to link Jody to an administration that spends, spends, and spends some more is a lie and is mere political exedience. A recent Washington Post article has set the record straight ("Balance in Virginia, Oct. 16th). According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, Virginia state fund expenditures have grown at an average rate of 4.6% since 1999. Also during this time, spending by states nationally has increased at a rate 5% faster than Virginia spending. Additionally, prior to 1999 during the dot.com boom, spending in Virginia peaked at 15.3%... this was all during eight years of Republican governorship. I think Republicans should hesitate to point their fingers on spending after George W. Bush took federal expenditures to an entirely new level.

Jody Wagner has no interest in spending Virginia into the ground, despite what her opposition may say. Her goal is to improve the state, and has made job-growth her number one priority. The facts show that Virginia has consistently been ranked a best state to do business, raise a family, and is a best-managed state. Jody's practical experience with monetary policy makes her an asset to Virginia, and citizens of the Commonwealth would be lucky to have her.

Clips from Jody Wagner vs. Bill Bolling Debate

From their first and only debate. Bolling used the phrase "that was a meaningless platitude about nothing" to describe something that Jody Wagner said. Personally, I like my politicians to by more articulate than that. He also accused her of running a "dishonest, deceitful, hypocritical campaign." Real mature.

If I find the whole debate online I will post the link. I bet some of the other bloggers have things to say about what may be the most important event in this Virginia Lieutenant Governor election.

WHAT is Jody DOING?

At this point, I have to be completely frank.

WHAT is Jody DOING? 

More importantly, what is her staff doing?

Jody Wagner is a fantastic candidate for Lt. Governor, and her campaign is simply flailing from a lack of action. Where is the movement? Where is the fight?

WHY should we vote for Jody Wagner? I know why, but I am not the general population of the commonwealth of Virginia. Wagner is a candidate who cares about the constituents and the future of Virginia. But let's be honest: her campaign has no real message, and voters have not yet been able to attach to her in any lasting, legitimate way.

When was the last time Jody Wagner's name was printed in the Washington Post in any meaningful sense? Where is the publicity? 

Let's take a look at the facts about Jody:

• she has ample experience in both the private sector and public administration
  
• she is a mother of four bright, happy children and cares deeply about education on a personal level
  
• she is a small business owner who fully understands the needs of the Virginian worker, and is genuinely dedicated to the cause of creating jobs 
  
• as Secretary of Finance she has first hand experience handling the economy that her opponent simply lacks
  
• she is brilliant and educated and a down-home Virginian who wants to improve her home state for completely altruistic reasons
  

To you hardworking folks over at the Wagner Camp, please listen! Give the voters something to attach to. Voters aren't looking for a new Lt. Governor-- they're looking for a leader. They're looking for a role model. They're looking for an answer. Jody Wagner is that answer-- now it's your job to tell them that.

The key to getting people to vote for your candidate is motivating them. The people need to feel inspired enough to leave the comfort of their homes and cast their ballots for Wagner. Give the voters a real, tangible, specific reason why Wagner is going to make their lives better. Just one brilliant reason repeated over and over again is all she needs. But it has to be real. It has to tug at their heart strings. It has to be viable and different and needs to give Jody Wagner some real character (which she is currently lacking).

Who is Jody Wagner? Why should we make the push to the polls come Election Day for her?

Get her name in the papers. Have her attend public events every single day. Come up with a real slogan and catch phrase and hook, and publicize the hell out of it. You have two weeks to make this happen; sure the task is daunting but it certainly isn't impossible.

Jody Wagner's campaign narrative: Bill Bolling is a no-show

Take a look at this video from the Jody Wagner campaign:



The video features Vietnam veteran and Virginia Delegate Bob Brink. The Lieutenant Governor of Virginia sits on an advisory board important to veterans' issues. Apparently Bill Bolling never showed up to any of the board meetings, essentially meaning that Bill Bolling doesn't care about veterans. This is just another example to reinforce the narrative coming out of the Jody Wagner campaign: Bill Bolling is a lazy no-show who doesn't care enough about his job or Virginia to ever show up. Whatever the Commonwealth is paying Bill Bolling to pretend to be Lieutenant Governor, it is far too much.

If I were working for the Jody Wagner campaign I would be repeating this narrative every chance I got. Messaging works because of repetition and truth. The truth seems to be that Bill Bolling doesn't take his job seriously enough to show up to work. Now the Wagner campaign just needs to loudly keep repeating that truth until election day.

Lieutenant Governor's Debate

HamptonRoads.com announced yesterday afternoon that Jody Wagner and Bill Bolling, the candidates for Lieutenant Governor, have agreed to debate, after one scheduled debate fell through.

The debate will be held on Monday, October 19 at 7:00 pm at Olin Hall in Roanoke College in Salem, and will be sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of the Virginia Bar Association.

The full article can be seen here:

The Importance of Voting

The Falls Church News-Press published an article on Wednesday noting that voter turnout for the election on November 3 is expected to be quite low. It is critically important that Virginians across the state get to the polls on election day to vote for Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner, and Steve Shannon.

Over the past several elections, Virginians have chosen Democrats to move the Commonwealth forward. Allowing the Republicans to win on November 3rd would move Virginia backwards.

Virginians have had the opportunity to read Bob McDonnell's thesis over the past several weeks and see the views that he holds about women and families. The Washington Times, in an article published today, notes that Republican Attorney General candidate Ken Cuccinelli has "...described himself as perhaps the most conservative State Senator from Northern Virginia in his lifetime."

The leadership of Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli would erase the progress that has been made in Virginia. It is important that Democrats across the state realize the importance of the election on November 3rd and come out to the polls in support of Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner, and Steve Shannon.

Bill Bolling Is Full Of It

WWJD ... on taxes?

The Lt. Governor’s race has hit the airwaves. The television ads are flying and it’s tough to keep up. But we do need to stop, take a second, and see if what is being aired… is really the truth. Are the candidates doing a good job explaining the issues? Well, in thirty-second spots no one expects a thorough analysis of tax policy. But when you only have thirty seconds to contrast yourself with your opponent, the truth starts to get lost, and Bill Bolling is fudging the truth. See Jody’s latest video on youtube on how Bill Bolling is not being honest.

Now we need to have an honest discussion about taxes. “Taxes” is a dirty word in politics… in most states, especially a traditionally red state, taxes = political suicide. But people tend to forget that governments cannot function without revenue. The school bus that takes your kids to school cannot run without revenue. The crossing guards at the local elementary school cannot help your kids cross the street without revenue. Stoplights, education, construction projects, and hundreds of buildings, roads, and programs cannot exist without revenue. And where does revenue come from? Oh right… TAXES! The state of Virginia is not invincible to the global recession. Everyone is hurting right now. Unemployment is touching every corner of the country, and Bill Bolling’s ads claiming Jody is responsible for job losses are ridiculous and wasteful rhetoric. So when the state is crying for better roads and improved transportation, no one thinks the money to pay for them is going to appear out of thin air. And McDonnell’s ideas about drilling offshore for oil to improve roads are laughable. What we need is to have an open and honest discussion about finding diverse ways to raise revenue, even if that does mean some tax increases.

Excluding tax raises from the discussion is politically expedient and dangerous to future generations. Bill Bolling and Bob McDonnell plan to avoid making the tough decisions and say whatever is necessary to get elected, all the while kicking the bucket further down the road for other officials to deal with later. The fact is that Jody and Governor Kaine have made hard and painful cuts, and in doing so managed to balance the state budget WITHOUT raising taxes. But the current taxes in place aren’t paying for what they need to. The gasoline tax (one of the lowest in the country) is not raising the revenue needed to make drastic changes in transportation. People are driving more fuel-efficient cars and the funding just isn’t there. At a Fairfax Democratic Club meeting a citizen stated, "I drive the roads, and I don't like sitting in long lines, so I don't mind paying more, because I'm using it…Why can't we add 10 cents more? Would that do it?" In response Wagner said "It is not the ultimate panacea we would like to think it is. So, ultimately, that is not the ultimate solution. It may be a bridge. But, ultimately, we're going to have to be more diverse in the way we handle it…” Clearly Jody is interested in having a discussion about realistic ways to improve Virginia’s roads (not drilling for oil). In my opinion, when you have an open and honest discussion about taxes and really think about what they are used for, maybe some increases don’t sound so bad.

Jody vs. Bill on the Environment

Young people tend to care more about environmental issues than older folks. As a young voter I think its necessary to look into the respective positions of Jody Wagner and Bill Bolling when it comes to the environment. Both of the candidates have sections related to the environment and energy on their websites:

Jodi Wagner: http://www.jodyforva.com/files/wagner_energy_environment.pdf

Bill Bolling: http://www.billbolling.com/issues/environment

http://www.billbolling.com/issues/energy

Now it’s hard to tell if Bill Bolling actually denies the science of climate change, but its resoundingly clear from his platform that he doesn’t think it’s a problem. He wants to drill for oil off of Virginia’s shores – a plan that isn’t going to make the price of gas go down, will ruin the ocean views in some of Virginia’s most popular tourist locales, and put beaches at the risk of devastating oil spills. Bolling also believes in the magic unicorn of global warming solutions: clean coal. He mentions clean coal on his energy page as if it were a viable technology. He fails to mention if he is talking about coal that doesn’t make as much smog or coal that doesn’t emit greenhouse gases (there's a huuuuuuge difference).

His belief in the drill-baby-drill fantasy and the mythology of clean coal doesn’t suggest he understands other environmental issues very well. On the other hand, Jody Wagner has a detailed plan for creating green jobs in the renewable energy and efficiency sectors. In fact, conservation groups in Virginia have caught onto this and have made endorsements accordingly.

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has endorsed Jodi Wagner over Bill Bolling: http://www.valcv.org/majority/endorsement_list.html#statewide

The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club also endorsed Jodi Wagner:

http://votegreenva.com/

Jody's New Ad

The Virginians for Wagner campaign has just released its first television advertisement. It highlights Jody's achievements during her service as Tim Kaine's Secretary of Finance (she was the first female to hold this position) and Mark Warner's Treasurer.

The ad's focus on Jody's economic achievements highlights her strengths that can really help Virginia. The entire country is feeling the effects of the recession, and Virginia is no exception. Jody's record demonstrates that she has strong economic credentials. As Lieutenant Governor, her experience will be a strong asset to people across the state.

During Jody's tenure, Virginia was ranked Best Managed State, Best State to Raise a Child, and Best State for Business four years in a row. This demonstrates that Jody really does have what it takes to be an effective leader and to find solutions for the people of Virginia.

By putting this ad on television, people across the state will have a chance to learn about Jody's record of leadership and will be able to see that she is the kind of leader that Virginia needs in these tough economic times. Jody will bring her strong background and experience to the office of Lieutenant Governor and will help create jobs and find solutions to the difficult problems that face Virginians.

Voter Registration Deadline TODAY Oct. 5th

Virginia citizens wanting to vote in the statewide elections on November 3rd must register to vote today October 5th by 5pm.

Registration applications must be postmarked by October 5 or hand delivered to the local or state registrar's office by close of business. Registration applications can also be filled out at any local DMV.

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is October 27 if you want a ballot mailed to your home.

No Show Campaign Video

Jody Wagner has the right idea on how to get a voter's attention.

Her new campaign video (http://www.jodyforva.com/tv) highlights Lt. Governor Bill Bolling's high number of absences, and does so in a funny manner. A single camera focuses on an empty office chair, and several prominent Republicans "call in" to remonstrate the incumbent for not being there.

The video is brilliant for several reasons.

1) It's simple. Some candidates like to throw as much as possible at the voter in hopes that something will stick. In a full-frontal assault, a poorly-run campaign will try to overwhelm the opponent by pushing as many arguments at once. But this rarely works. The viewer might forget all of the barbs, and without a concise message, the ad will lose its power. In an age of quick-attention spans and lots of entertainment to watch, the good candidate knows that any attack must be short, sweet, and succinct.

2) It's easy to understand. When trying to tar your opponent, it's generally a bad idea to use murky and complicated assaults. Remember the details of Obama's real-estate deal with Tony Rezko, which McCain tried to use against him? Neither does anyone else. The best attacks can be summed up in one or two sentences, and are universal. Not everyone can explain Bolling's record in office. But every Virginian knows what it means to not show up to work.

3) It's funny. Parodying Republicans like Dick Cheney, Mark Sanford, and Bob Mcdonnell, this video manages to draw a laugh. And that's a good thing. So many people switch off their brains when they see boring footage of a candidate talking into a camera. LAME. Using humor, on the other hand, always brings people back for more. And a candidate that can crack a smile is much more likable. The perfect example is Bill Richardson's hilarious presidential campaign commercials from 2008, which showed the governor in awkward job interviews (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjOuL5qwNIc).

The point? Jody Wagner's campaign commercials will attract good coverage, and should spread like wildfire across the internet. Will they move voters to the polls? Only time can tell.

WWJD... for Women?

Anyone following the state races across Virginia has surely noticed that one topic is dominating the political scene... women's issues.

Every other TV commercial I see these days is a battle between Deeds and McDonnell over who represents women better. Perhaps both of these candidates have ideas about how they are the right choice for female voters, but slinging mud instead of having real discussions, could begin to alienate women.

You may wonder why is everyone courting female voters? In addition to the McDonnell thesis drama, in Virginia, women make up 54% of registered voters. That is quite a lot, and that number continues to grow. According to the Washington Post on September 30, "Since the 1980's, as women have entered the workplace in increasing numbers and taken on greater financial responsibility for their families, they have made up an increasing proportion of the electorate."

Instead of spending an enormous amount of money on TV ads to tell everyone how she is the right choice for women, Jody is leading by example. Jody has raised four children, runs a small business, has been a leader in her community, served as State Treasurer, and was the first female Secretary of Finance. Her dedication to promoting job growth, building a greener economy, and improving education shows that she is ready and willing to tackle the big issues that impact all Virginians.

Jody is paving the way for women across Virginia not through empty words, but by actively working to make the Commonwealth a better place for every person male OR female.