In the effort for providing better government transparency, a bill to aid the Library of Virginia in processing “Governor’s Papers” passed unanimously in the House of Delegates.
Tran’s Late Term Abortion Bill Proves too Extreme for Terry McAuliffe, Tim Kaine
Following a week of national outrage, two prominent pro-choice Democrats, former Governor Terry McAuliffe and US Senator Tim Kaine, are distancing themselves from Virginia’s controversial abortion bill submitted by Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Springfield), which drew widespread condemnation after Tran said on tape the bill would allow virtually unrestricted abortion in the third trimester, up until the moment of birth.
In a Sunday morning CNN interview, McAuliffe distanced himself from the legislation, responding “absolutely not” when host Jake Tapper asked the potential presidential candidate if he supported it.
“Where we come from, it’s ‘life of the mother’ in the last trimester,” said McAuliffe.
“I do not support that legislation, nor does Ralph,” he continued, falsely stating that Governor Northam did not support Tran’s “Repeal Act.”
Northam voiced public support for the abortion bill at a January 17th press conference, held with Tran and several pro-abortion groups backing the measure. At the event, Northam received praise from Tarina Keene, executive director of NARL Pro-Choice Virginia, who thanked the governor for making the legislation a priority of his administration.
“As you know, I do support the repeal bill,” said Northam, before later urging Virginians to elect a Democratic majority, to pass the bill next year.
Joining McAuliffe in denouncing Tran’s late term abortion bill was Tim Kaine, one of the two United States Senators representing the Commonwealth.
“I support the existing Virginia law, which has been in place since the mid-’70s, and it puts conditions upon a third-trimester abortion,” said Kaine, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “I support the existing law, not the Tran bill. I don’t think the existing law needs to be changed.”
As Virginia’s governor and later senator, Kaine had a pro-choice voting record.
As governor, McAuliffe was also favorably inclined towards abortion rights, which he noted in his CNN interview. During his 2013 campaign, McAuliffe received $1,689,519 from Planned Parenthood and affiliates, according to campaign finance reports compiled by VPAP.
McAuliffe and Kaine’s distancing reinforce a frequent criticism from Republican leaders, that the public outrage over the bill is genuinely against a measure which voters feel goes too far.
According polling conducted by Gallup from May 1-10, 2018, only 13% of Americans support legislation allowing unrestricted abortion until the moment of birth, as Tran’s bill proposed.
Gallup’s findings mirror results from a January 2019 Marist survey, which found only 15% of adults in support of Tran’s position, allowing virtually unrestricted abortion at any point during a pregnancy.
Already, public reaction to the bill has been swift, drawing condemnation even from many pro-choice voters who, like McAuliffe and Kaine, support legal abortion, but not late term abortion all the way through 40 weeks of pregnancy.
That outrage pushed one of the bill’s 22 Democratic co-sponsors, pro-choice Delegate Dawn Adams (D-Henrico), to withdraw her support.
After the controversy broke, Adams wrote in a letter to constituents that he hadn’t fully read the bill before signing on to it, saying she “did not exercise due diligence,” according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
“I made a mistake, and all I know to do is to admit it, tell the truth, and let the chips fall where they may,” read Adams’ letter.
In the Virginia House on Friday, Delegate Rob Bell (R-Albemarle) asked the 20 House Democratic co-sponsors where they stood on the legislation, noting they still have time to withdraw their support, on an issue which could prove important in the upcoming fall elections.
“It is now Friday,” said Bell. “I would encourage all of my friends to take this chance to not let this week end without making it crystal clear where you stand on this law that we now all understand what it says.”
“If you’re a co-patron and wish to get off, you still can. You can walk down the aisle, talk to Mr. Nardo, and he will take you off as a co-patron of the bill.”
As of Sunday morning, Virginia’s legislative information system showed that none of the co-patrons had withdrawn their sponsorship of the bill.
Terry McAuliffe All But Officially Announces His Campaign To Beat Trump In 2020
From federal investigations, to wonky deals with Chinese investors, to allegedly seeing the Khashoggi assassination, Terry McAuliffe may have to answer a barrage of odd questions when he officially announces his presidential run.
Will The Commonwealth Continue To Evade The Natural Right Of Religious Freedom?
“We are free to declare, and do declare that the rights hereby asserted, are of the natural rights of mankind, and that if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right,” said Thomas Jefferson regarding any enacted premise that would strip Virginians, and indeed Americans, of their religious liberty.
Terry McAuliffe ‘Obviously Looking at’ 2020 Presidential Run
Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said he was “obviously looking at” a 2020 presidential run during a Sunday morning appearance on CNN’s State of the Union.
“I’m not going to announce right now. I’m obviously looking at it,” said McAuliffe to host Dana Bash, who remarked he sounded like a candidate during an earlier part of the segment criticizing President Trump.
“I’ve got time. I’ve got a lot of great relationships. I have 40 years of working for this party. I have plenty of friends in many states, so I don’t have to rush into this.”
As a close ally of Bill and Hillary Clinton, McAuliffe was considered a top contender to become Hillary’s running mate for Vice President, before she ultimately selected Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.
Following Clinton’s defeat in 2016, McAuliffe became the subject of widespread speculation that he might inherit much of Clinton’s donor network, national allies and campaign infrastructure. As a close Clinton confidant, observers noted that McAuliffe was well-positioned to win the support of a network he helped create.
McAuliffe served as co-chairman of Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign and chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign. During that time, he raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the Clintons, and ultimately faced an ethical controversy when he personally guaranteed the couple’s $1.35 million mortgage for the home they bought in Chappaqua, New York, following Bill’s departure from the White House.
In 2004, McAuliffe became one of five board members of the Clinton foundation.
McAuliffe also used the interview to criticize President Trump, calling him an “angry, emotional, unstable man” and remarking that the president’s criticism of Democratic leaders for the deaths of two children at the southern border was “the lowest act I’ve ever seen any president [sic] in the history of our country.”
If McAuliffe announces his candidacy, he would join a crowded field of more than a dozen declared or potential candidates.
JLARC Analysis Finds Democratic Political Bias Within Department Of Elections Under Former Governor McAuliffe
“If there’s any group that has to have integrity, if there’s any group that has to be nonbiased, it’s got to be this group,” Speaker of the House of Delegates Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) said following the revelation from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on the Virginia Department of Elections.
Virginia’s Shaky Relationship With Northrop Grumman Coming To An End
Very soon, Virginia’s relationship with Northrop Grumman will be coming to an end. One of …
I-66 Beltway Tolls To Be Tweaked And Lower Target Speeds Pushed
After tolls in early April hit $46 on the I-66 Capital Beltway, frustrating and emptying the pockets of drivers, there may be changes coming soon to lower rush hour prices for Northern Virginia drivers.
Virginia Transportation Secretary Racked Up $156,615 Using Taxpayer Financed Jet
Over four years, Layne traveled by state plane 251 times — more trips aboard a state airplane than any other individual cabinet secretary.
So Is McAuliffe Going To Reschedule That Meeting With Law Enforcement?
Embattled Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ralph Northam really seems to enjoy skipping out on meetings. Apparently, that means of doing business is catching on in the Governor’s Mansion, and Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie’s challenge to Northam last night to fix the problem seems to be going unheeded.
The full transcript is as follows:
GILLESPIE: Ralph, you heard me mention the meeting that the governor cancelled with the Virginia Sheriffs’ and I was truly disappointed by that. They are a non-partisan organization They are on the front lines of trying to protect our safety of our commonwealth. I am proud to be endorsed by a majority of our sheriffs, including Ronnie Oakes, who I think is here this evening. But they should not be punished as an organization trying to stand up for the deputies and to make sure that we have proper compensation. They are on the front lines of many of the problems we have talked about here tonight, the opioid, and heroin and mental health epidemic. And I would like to ask you tonight if you will join me in having Governor McAuliffe, I’ll urge him but you can obviously get him to do it, to reschedule that meeting and to do that before November 7th, and listen to those sheriffs and find out what their needs are and what they are looking for in their annual meeting that they have scheduled on an annual basis, a routine meeting where they talk about their budget. Would you do that?
NORTHAM: Well I’m glad you asked the question, Ed, because I was going to respond to that earlier, but Paul wouldn’t allow the time, which I certainly understand. But I had absolutely nothing to do with the cancellation of that meeting. And I want to just let people out there know, I grew up on the Eastern Shore, my brother is an attorney, my father and grandfather both judges, I have always had a tremendous respect for law enforcement. I have always had great relationships with our sheriffs and deputies, with our state police, with our local law enforcement. And in 2011, Ed – I don’t know if you knew this because I realize you were up in Washington lobbying at that time – but I actually won the award for legislator of the year from the Virginia Sheriffs’ Department. And I was very proud of that. And that was because, as you might know, there are 140 legislators, I won the award, Ed, in 2011. So I have always been very supportive our sheriffs and deputies, I will continue to be. I have fought for pay raises over the years, and as I have said a couple of times tonight, a $1.4 billion hole in our budget is not a good way to support local law enforcement, sheriffs and our Virginia state police.
GILLESPIE: For whatever it’s worth Ralph, for the past – more than a decade have had a business in Old Town, Alexandria, and I left the firm that you are talking about more than a decade ago. But the fact is, you just made clear that law enforcement is not a priority for you. You’re not going to urge the governor to have that meeting. I will do it right now. Governor McAuliffe, please reschedule that meeting with the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association. Listen to their needs, find out what they need in terms of their budgets to meet the challenges that we face here in opioid, and heroin epidemic, and mental health as well. That is a priority for me and it is one of the reasons I’m so proud to have a majority of the sheriffs endorsing me in the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as the Police Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police because I have policies that will make Virginia safer, and I will have their back as our governor. And I’m proud to have their endorsement, I wish the governor wouldn’t engage in politics when it comes to people who are on the front lines of keeping us safe in our communities every day.
“McAuliffe’s office did not dispute Jones’ claim that the meeting was canceled due to political feuding…” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9/29/17)
Another meeting missed; another responsibility dodged; another poor ROI for Northam’s New York financiers….
At some point, the Democrats cut their losses and focus on Herring. With just four weeks to go and the polls showing all three statewide races within the margin of error, the shock of a Republican sweep in 2017 would be violent and sharp to Democratic chances in the 2018 mid-terms.
