Warren Fiske
The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
Partisan tensions among Virginia’s top elected officials got a rare public airing Monday after the state’s five Republican congressmen were no-shows for a meeting with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine .
Kaine and the eight fellow Democrats who showed up voiced surprise at the snub. They said none of the Republicans sent a staff member on their behalf.
One of the GOP lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes of Chesapeake, complained that the event had been dictated by the governor’s office, which arranged the session on a date when a key Republican, Rep. Eric Cantor of Richmond, could not attend.
Cantor is the House Republican Whip, the second-ranking member of the GOP leadership; he was traveling with other congressmen in Afghanistan on Monday. Forbes said the session originally was scheduled on another day and that he thinks it might have been put off to accommodate U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye, a Norfolk Democrat, who was on a Middle East trip of his own at that time.
“I think this governor’s mansion has just turned into a sheer political operation if today is any indication,” Forbes said.
“They never asked me... Can your schedule allow you to be there then?” he added. “But I’d almost bet you money that they coordinated with the Democratic members.”
Clark Pettig, Nye’s press secretary, said Nye had sent word that he could not attend on the original date, Feb. 2, but did not for a new date. Gordon Hickey, Kaine’s press secretary, said the meeting was rescheduled because several members could not attend on the 2nd.
“This just a tempest in a teapot,” Hickey said.
The delegation has a long tradition of meeting periodically with the governor at the Executive Mansion, but this was the first time in memory that all the members of a party failed to come. Only one of the missing Republicans, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, sent word that a schedule conflict kept him away, Hickey said.
Kaine said the delegation discussed how federal stimulus plans being debated in Congress would impact Virginia and how to stop plans to move to Florida a Navy carrier stationed in Norfolk.
Kaine said he did not think his new role as chairman of the Democratic National Committee kept the GOP away. He speculated it had more to do with the discussion of the stimulus plan, which all House Republicans voted against. Forbes said that a discussion of the stimulus was not part of the meeting’s announced agenda.
Warren Fiske, (804) 697-1565, warren.fiske@pilotonline.com
Dale Eisman, (703) 913-9872, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com
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IN BAD TASTE
I am a conservative and a Liberarian, however some of the things that Republicans do I agree with. This is not one of them. Our system has confrontation on the issues built into it, however, political rivals are not mortal enemies. They have a choice whether to show up or not, but in respect for the govenor, at least a senior staff member should have been there.
johnp32882
You could not be more accurate, and the end results will be the death of the Republican party. Just watch and see. The Republicans can continue to ignore what this country needs and it will come back to bite them in the ... I find it totally disgusting that Republicans would simply say "no", just for "no" sake. Refusing to be a part of turning this county around shows how simple-minded they can be. If the Democrats pulled such a stunt, they would never hear the end of it.
I don't care which Republicans boycotted this meeting it speaks volums of what you have elected to represent the Commonwealth, and it stinks.
The real reason Republicans are against this stimulus bill
Republicans don't want their fingerprints on the stimulus bill or the next bank bailout because they plan to make the midterm election of 2010 a national referendum on Barack Obama's handling of the economy. They hope that by then the economy will still appear sufficiently weak enough that they can dub the entire Obama effort a failure; even if the economy would have been far worse without it, or even if the economy is beginning to turn around. They'll say Obama wanted more government spending, and they emphatically said no, but they just didn't have the votes to prevent it from moving forward.
Next, they'll ask us to elect them in 2010 and they'll turn the economy around by cutting taxes and getting government out of the private sector.
Isn't this exactly what got us into this predicament in the first place? My, what short memories Republicans have. They want Obama (and most definately, America) to fail. They also know that if Obama succeeeds, their party is history.
embarrassed
As a conservative I, too, am embarrassed that the GOP Representatives apparently boycotted the meeting. Gertz, you don't know how much I wish there were Republican Senators who could have met with the governor.
Those who thought the era of partisanship in Washington is over because Obama walked across the reflecting pool are in for a rude awakening, and it isn’t just because the Republicans are finally trying to be responsible stewards of the public’s money (eight years too late, I’ll admit). Pelosi’s insipid grin and constant “we won” lectures to the Republicans isn’t exactly leadership.
On another, more sinister note, Obama has taken the 2010 Census away from the Commerce Department and put in the hands of his ueber-partisan Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. Seems they want to do everything they can to help Democrats in future elections by importing Chicago politics to Washington.
So Randy Forbes wouldn't come because....
He didn't have Cantor there to hold his hand? Seems a little spine is in order for this pud from Chesapeake. He's nothing but a religious wackjob that doesn't have a clue what's going on in D.C. He should have been shown the door as well, when they threw out Thelma Drake. Look at his votes so far this session. He could care less about this country.
"Class act?"
See that smiling gent to Governor Kaine's left? Remember his "class act" as a brand new senator when President Bush politely inquired about the welfare of his Marine son?
Thank you Randy Forbes
Randy, thanks for not getting into that pig pen.
vitreol and hatred from the left
Its pathetic how a bunch of people who demand that their every need be provided for by someone else can do nothing but hammer the "republicans" simply for their beliefs. Your solutions always involve the efforts of someone else. You demand tolerance yet will not hear any part of an opposing opinion that the disagrees with your "world view". Your concept of bi-partisan translates to do it your way or you are being partisan. Your concept of stop the petty bickering translates to do it my way and shut up. Hypocrites the lot of you. Why attempt to have a dialog with one way narrow minded dolts that spout platitudes and hyperbole and offer no consistent point of view? The only underlying theme seems to be "give me something" and "its someone Else's fault" Then you proceed to devise plans that requires some one else to make a sacrifice. Then you congratulate yourselves on you superior intellect.
Poor Republicans
Want some cheese with your wine? How does it feel to get a taste of your own medicine?
If the Republicans spent as much time actually listening to their constituents than they do complaining about everything the Democrats do, they might not have lost the last election.
Good Job Randy!!!!
Thank you Randy Forbes for standing up to these democrap idiots!!!! I wouldn't want to have my picture taken with any of them. They are about to send this country down the tubes with their socialist crap. Keep up the great work you are doing for this state.