Video: VA GOP Chair John Whitbeck on Hardball Epitomizes Why Everyone Needs to Vote Democratic Up and Down the Ballot & BREAKING: Virginia GOP Chair John Whitbeck Announces Resignation 16MAR & 30JUN18

REPUBLICAN politicians who brought us the fascist authoritarianism of the drumpf/trump-pence administration and their party's control of congress can not escape responsibility for their actions or inaction and the damage done and being done to our Republic by resigning from office. Though john whitbeck is resigning we must be ever vigilant to oppose his future political plans as well as  the political ambitions of like minded neo-nazis he supports. This from Blue Virginia, and remember, the 2018 Midterm elections are on Tuesday, 6 NOV 18. GO TO ROCK THE VOTE or VOTE.ORG to make sure you are registered to vote or to register to vote as well as information about voting in your state. GO TO Ballotpedia for information on candidates for office and ballot issues in your state......

Video: VA GOP Chair John Whitbeck on Hardball Epitomizes Why Everyone Needs to Vote Democratic Up and Down the Ballot

By

 lowkell

 -

 March 16, 2018

HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS Mar.16.2018:Trump says he made up trade claims in meeting with Trudeau

Want some warped entertainment? Just watch this video (below) of Virginia GOP John Whitbeck on Hardball last night. Among other things, Whitbeck attempts to defend the indefensible — Trump point-blank admitting he lied to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and bragging about his complete ignorance. Whitbeck’s brain-dead responses: a) it’s “a liberal calling Donald Trump a liar” and b) “this president does everything unorthodox.”

Uhhh…what??? As Chris Matthews responds, sarcastically, “lying is now unorthodox.” Of course, I’d say “unbelievable” except it’s totally believable for Republicans to act this way. Oh, and if that’s not bad enough, Whitbeck tries to defend Trump on the lying itself. Then it gets even worse, with Whitbeck claiming that Conor Lamb is somehow WITH Donald Trump on guns and other stuff. In fact, as David Weigel of the Washington Post writes: “Lamb did not run as a Trump supporter. He ran against the tax cuts, not for them. His abortion stance was a lot like that of Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) — while personally opposing abortion, he was against new restrictions on the procedure, a position that inspired a Family Research Council ad comparing him to Kim Jong Un.” As for Lamb’s position on healthcare, “Lamb criticized the GOP attempt to repeal Obamacare and called for bipartisan efforts to stabilize its markets.” So yeah…just like Trump, Ryan, McConnell etc. Not.

In sum, if you enjoy the GOP’s war on reality, as demonstrated by the VA GOP Chair last night on Hardball, then by all means vote Republican. If you prefer those pesky things known as “facts,” then not only vote Democratic up and down the ballot, but donate to your favorite Democratic candidate(s), volunteer for them, encourage your friends/family/neighbors to vote Democratic, etc. Sure, it will make the VA GOP folks sad, but it will be good for everyone else.

P.S. Also, can anyone translate Whitbeck’s mindless word salad into English for me? I’m having trouble comprehending what the hell he was talking about (e.g., “MAGA agenda”).

BREAKING: Virginia GOP Chair John Whitbeck Announces Resignation

By

 Blue Virginia

 -

 June 30, 2018 

by Kyle McDaniel

In a move that came as a shock to most observers, John Whitbeck abruptly announced his resignation as chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) earlier today at the party’s State Central Committee meeting in Richmond.

More details will likely emerge, but first musings are fairly obvious: either John wants to turn his disastrous tenure as chairman into another run for public office [UPDATE by Lowell: maybe for the House of Delegates seat currently held by Democrat Wendy Gooditis, or for Sen. Jennifer Wexton’s seat if/when she defeats Barbara Comstock for U.S. House?), or he was kindly shown the door by the Republican National Committee ( RNC). Or maybe both.

After the overwhelming victory in this months primary by every white supremacist’s best friend, Corey Stewart, it would be no surprise if the RNC actually did step in and insist on a change. As for running for political office, if you can’t run RPV, I guess trying your hand at running the state is the next logical step!

Either way, the RPV continues its slide into irrelevancy.

P.S. by Lowell: With Virginia GOP Chair John Whitbeck resigning, it might be a good opportunity for a quick recap of his illustrious – ok, maybe not! LOL – career. That includes serving as VA GOP Chair starting on January 24, 2015; since then, Virginia Republicans have lost election after election, including Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by 5 points, a complete wipeout in November 2017 (Democrats swept the statewide races plus picked up 15 seats in the House of Delegates), and now the nomination of neo-Confederate Corey Stewart over party favorite Nick Freitas. Complete debacle, in other words. With that, here are a few links to get you caught up:

• Va. GOP official refuses to apologize for anti-Semitic joke (September 2013)
• VA Republican Says His Joke Wasn’t Anti-Semitic Because He Heard it in Church(September 2013)
• Party Chairman Who Told Anti-Semitic Joke At Cuccinelli Rally Is Now Running For Office (November 2013)
• Jennifer Wexton wins Virginia Senate special election to succeed Mark Herring: Ms. Wexton led Mr. Whitbeck 53 percent to 37 percent. (January 2014)
• “Anti-Semitic VA GOP Chair John Whitbeck Scolds Republican State Committee Member for Religious Bigotry” (June 2016)
• Virginia GOP Chair Says White House SHOULD Ban “Media Who Hate Us” (February 2017)
• VA GOP Chair Says Massive # of Dems Running in 2017 a “Huge Help” to…Republicans??? (May 2017)
• Video: John Whitbeck, John Adams Both Massively Fail to Criticize Trump’s “Many Sides” Bull**** (August 2017)
• VA GOP Chair Takes on Trump 2016 VA Co-Chair Over Rep. Barbara Comstock; Hilarity Ensues: Whitbeck claims Comstock can’t do town hall meeting because constituents might shoot her (September 2017)
• Corey Stewart calls for resignation of RPV Chairman John Whitbeck
• VA GOP Chair/Good Trump Soldier Follows Orders, Disowns Bannon, Gets Brutally Mocked (January 2018)
• Video: VA GOP Chair John Whitbeck on Hardball Epitomizes Why Everyone Needs to Vote Democratic Up and Down the Ballot (March 2018)
• Wayyyy Beyond Parody: VA GOP Chair John “Whitebeck” on Far-Right “Newsmax TV” with Seth Rich Conspiracy Theorist Jack Burkman (March 2018)

UPDATE 3:52 pm by Lowell: I’m hearing speculation about Nancy Dye to replace Whitbeck. For some info on her, see Virginia Democrats criticize Dye as extremist on abortion (“The criticism comes one day after Dye, a retired surgeon, called for Planned Parenthood to be investigated and defunded”).

UPDATE 2:11 pm by Lowell: The Washington Post reports, “‘Other political opportunities have arisen for me that I am thinking about pursuing,’ he told members of the party’s governing board at a meeting. He did not elaborate.” Also, “There is speculation Whitbeck does not want to spend the next four months answering for Stewart.” Ya think? 

Weekly Virginia Politics News Wrap from Blue Virginia 1JUL18

PROGRESSIVE POLITICS IN VIRGINIA. REMEMBER, THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE ON TUESDAY, 6 NOV 18. VOTE, BECAUSE THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE RESULTS.  GO TO ROCK THE VOTE or VOTE.ORG to make sure you are registered to vote or to register to vote as well as information about voting in your state. GO TO Ballotpedia for information on candidates for office and ballot issues in your state. 

Weekly News Roundup (7/1/18) Below are the top BlueVirginia.us stories from the past week. To support our work at Blue Virginia,please click here. Thanks! Video, Photos from Sen. Tim Kaine’s Busy Weekend Barnstorming Around Virginia Virginia Del. Mark Levine Speaks Out Powerfully Against Family Separation at the Alexandria Vigil for Immigrant Families Dealing with the Pain and the Despair Video: Amid Chants of “Build the Wall!”, Corey the Neo-Confederate Clown Leads Pro-Trump Protest at "Red Hen" Restaurant BREAKING: Virginia GOP Chair John Whitbeck Announces Resignation After Justice Kennedy, What Should We Learn? Moaning Never Changes Anything; Only Voting Does. VA Tech Professor Who Heroically Locked Herself to Pipeline Construction Equipment Says It’s “Insane” to Build Fracked-Gas Pipelines; Urges Northam, Legislators to View Damage Firsthand, Get Accurate Information Video, Photos: “Families Belong Together” Rallies in DC, Virginia U.S. Senate Passes Warner/Kaine-Sponsored Bill to Aid Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets BREAKING: McAuliffe Administration Secretly Weakened Water Standards at Dominion’s Request This Ad Against Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) Could Easily Apply To Dave Brat, Scott Taylor, Rob Wittman, etc. Virginia DEQ: Due to Complaints and “Issues,” the “Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project team has agreed to temporarily suspend pipeline installation" We Can’t Be Strong Until We Understand How We’ve Been Weak Culpeper Republicans Denounce State Senators Jill Vogel (R) and Emmett Hanger (R) for Support of Medicaid Expansion in Virginia Video, Photos: Virginia Tech Professor Chains Herself to Equipment in Montgomery County to Fight Mountain Valley Pipeline Video: New TV Ad Blasts Congressman Scott Taylor For Voting To Undermine The Affordable Care Act as Virginians Face Rising Health Insurance Premiums Sen. Tim Kaine Joins Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana at the Federal Level Abigail Spanberger Announces Five Endorsements from National Organizations and Individuals In Our Entire History, Virginia Has Had Only One Democratic Woman — for Just One 2-Year Term -- in Congress. Time to Change That! Sens. Kaine, Warner Demand Wait Until After November Elections to Consider Supreme Court Pick If Millions of Dems Hadn’t Sat Home in 2000, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2016, We Could Have Had an 8-1 Liberal SCOTUS for Decades Drop Whatever You’re Doing and Save Our Democracy! DNC Chair Tom Perez: “The last Supreme Court vacancy was brazenly stolen by shameless Republican leaders with no respect for American democracy" VIDEO: Denver Riggleman campaigns with White Supremacist in VA-05 Giffords (“Courage to Fight Gun Violence”) Endorses Tim Kaine for Reelection Yesterday’s Virginia Racial Gerrymandering Ruling Could End Up Impacting 33/100 House of Delegates Districts Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: A True Climate Hawk Beyer Leads 75+ Democrats Seeking Answers Regarding Allegations Of Abuse Toward Migrant Children In Custody “Democratic” Commonwealth Attorney Thinks It’s “Silly” for Legislators to Speak Out Against Bias in the Criminal Justice System AG Mark Herring Joins Multistate Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration’s Family Separation Policy BREAKING: GOP Racial Gerrymandering Thrown Out in Virginia 11 House of Delegates Districts Must Be Redrawn by 2019 Elections 97%-Trump-Voting Barbara Comstock Skips “Meet the Ticket” Event in Her District…with Trump “Mini-Me” Corey Stewart Proposing a Slogan for the Dems’ National ‘Blue Wave’ 2018 Campaign Q-Poll: Tim Kaine (D) 54%-Corey Stewart (R) 36% in U.S. Senate Race New Monmouth Poll: Jennifer Wexton Leads Barbara Comstock by 9-11 Points in Crucial VA-10, Depending on Turnout Model Virginia Politicians React to SCOTUS’ Disgraceful Decision on the “Muslim Ban”  Governor Northam Issues Executive Orders on Paid Parental Leave and Child Care Options for State Employees Former VA-01 Dem Candidate Edwin Santana and His Campaign Manager Launch “A New Dominion” Podcast Ah, Civility! VA GOP Calls for Boycott of “Red Hen” While Embracing Neo-Confederate Corey, "Grab-Her -By-The-P***y" Trump, etc. In Disastrous Hill.TV Interview, Neo-Confederate Corey Stewart Goes Wildly Revisionist on the Main Cause of the Civil War (Hint: It Was SLAVERY!) Landowners Announce “Encampment” in Bath County to Stop Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Preserve Unique Old-Growth Forest Virginia Delegate Provides “Direct Evidence” Campaign Contributions DO “come with an expectation of voting a particular way" Things Virginia Republicans Have Tweeted About the Past Few Days. Things How Republicans Dance Around the Elephant in the Room – and How to Stop Them Cold P.S. If you'd like to help Blue Virginia expand our ability to cover Virginia politics from a progressive perspective, please consider making a one-time or recurring donation. Also, please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in receiving regular updates from Blue Virginia. 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Rogue Stafford County Registrar Goes “Into Hiding,” Takes Down Twitter and Facebook Accounts & On Veterans Day, VA Dems Decry Stafford County Electoral Board Refusal to Count Military Ballots, Release Provisional Ballots List 11&10NOV17

SINKING to a new low in Virginia politics after the election on 7 NOV 17 and insulting the sacrifice US Military members make to guarantee our right to vote the Stafford County registrar greg riddlemoser r is hiding from the wrath of Virginia voters since his decision to refuse to count absentee ballots sent by Virginia members of the US Military. Be sure to listen to the opinions of former military members who are now members of the Virginia House of Delegates and delegates-elect  as  they condemn the Stafford County registrar and call on Stafford County and the Commonwealth of Virginia to make sure these votes are counted. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE NOBODY KNOWS WHO THESE VOTES WILL GO TO, but it is the Democratic Party of Virginia who is fighting to get these votes counted so the outcome of the House of Delegate race in Stafford County can be determined.

Rogue Stafford County Registrar Goes “Into Hiding,” Takes Down Twitter and Facebook Accounts

By

 lowkell

 -

 November 11, 2017

Earlier today, DPVA Vice Chair for Rules Marc Broklawski posted: “If anyone knows the whereabouts of Greg Riddlemoser, Stafford County Registrar, let me know. Instead of making sure that any service members ballots are counted and providing the provisional ballot logs that he’s now (and previously) been directed to provide (and all other localities have provided), he has decided to go into hiding. Why is Greg going to such lengths if he has nothing to hide? If he refuses to fulfill his duties, the Electoral Board should fire him and get someone that will. This is ridiculous. This is how I’ve been spending the last 72 hours.” Meanwhile, as you can see below, people have been pounding the Stafford County Registrar’s Twitter account, demanding that the military ballots be counted. The response of Stafford County’s (Republican) Registrar?  Apparently, to not just “go into hiding” but to take down the Registrar’s Office’s social media accounts. See below…crazy, huh?  For a lot more detail on this story, click here.

On Veterans Day, VA Dems Decry Stafford County Electoral Board Refusal to Count Military Ballots, Release Provisional Ballots List

Stafford County, VA Elections Officials Refuse to Count Military Ballots

By

 lowkell

 -

 November 10, 2017 

I just got off a call (audio below) with Democratic veterans Delegate John Bell, Delegate Marcus Simon, Delegate-elect Lee Carter and Delegate-elect David Reid, along with DPVA Chairwoman Susan Swecker; Chair of the Veterans and Military Families Caucus of the DPVA Terron Sims; and veteran Carlos Del Toro in calling for Gloria Chittum and Marie Gozzi of the Stafford County Electoral Board to Count a Reported 55 Absentee Ballots of Military Voters. Regarding the military voters, apparently their ballots arrived at the Electoral Board’s P.O. Box on Tuesday (Election Day), but were not picked up until Wednesday (!). And on that “technicality,” the Stafford County Electoral Board apparently is claiming that the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to defend – among other things – our right to vote are NOT being allowed to vote in this election! Is this outrageous or what, especially on Veterans Day weekend?

As if that’s not bad enough, on the call, it was noted that the Stafford County Electoral Board is ALSO refusing to release the list of provisional ballots, which basically every other local Virginia Electoral Board does routinely, and which is what they’re supposed to do.

By the way, as was repeated over and over again in the call, Democrats have NO IDEA which candidate (Democratic Joshua Cole or Republican Bob Thomas) these ballots will benefit, but that regardless, they should be counted. I couldn’t agree more.

Obama, Kaine wins again put Va. ‘in the purple zone’ 7NOV12

THE will of the people prevailed over the tens of millions of dollars from right wing extremist and Tim Kaine is our senator elect! The koch brothers, karl rove and grover norquist couldn't buy our Senate seat. Senator Kaine, D-VA has a beautiful sound to it!

By Ben Pershing and Errin Haines, Published: November 7

After three consecutive years of strong Republican performances, the Democrats’ win in Virginia on Tuesday night underscores the commonwealth’s status as a seesawing state, giving both parties reasons for hope and heartburn as gubernatorial and state races loom next year.
The victories by President Obama and Sen.-elect Timothy M. Kaine suggest that the state is moving toward the middle, but perhaps no further. The demographic shifts in Northern Virginia might be permanent, but Virginians are notoriously independent-minded, which means any candidate can capi­tal­ize at the ballot box.
Kaine (D), who ran as a centrist, told reporters in Richmond on Wednesday that if his win over George Allen (R) is any indication, the key to running for office in “purple zone” Virginia will be a personal, positive appeal to voters. Many of them, he said, could be wooed by candidates with the right message.
“Many of these jurisdictions would not be red or blue, but they’re open to persuasion,” Kaine said, citing Prince William, Loudoun, Suffolk and Albemarle counties and Chesapeake. “They have some history of splitting tickets. They’re pretty heavily independent, and they’re going to vote based on the case you make.”
Still, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) said Wednesday that the Republican Party has to make its message of fiscal conservatism and the “opportunity society” appeal to young people, minorities and others who have gravitated toward Democrats.
“The Republican Party has a lot of work to do,” McDonnell said in Richmond. “Two elections in a row being lost is not good for our team.”
Former congressman Tom Perriello (D-Va.), who works at the liberal Center for American Progress, said both parties face challenges going forward in Virginia. He said that Democrats “built this unbelievable operation” to bring out the vote but that they did so in 2008, too, and then the organization decayed.
“The challenge on the Republican side is the clear direction of trends you see across the country, that the party is increasingly controlled by a conservative wing that is less appealing to Virginians,” Perriello said.
He said voters want the two parties to strike deals on issues such as transportation and higher education funding.
Virginia’s recent election results mirror a national pattern: When turnout is high, Democrats can win. When it’s lower, Republicans are favored.
Turnout in Virginia among registered voters topped 70 percent in 2008 and again Tuesday. But that number dropped to 40 percent in 2009, 44 percent in 2010 and 29 percent in 2011, all elections in which Republicans gained ground.
“The saving grace for Republicans . . . is that state and local elections aren’t held on the federal calendar,” said Michael McDonald, a George Mason University professor who studies voting behavior.
Presidential election years tend to bring out the kind of young, diverse voters that can boost Democrats. Network exit polls showed a Virginia electorate Tuesday exactly mirroring that of 2008: 70 percent white, 20 percent black, 5 percent Hispanic and 3 percent Asian.
In the Senate race, exit polls showed Kaine won 62 percent of Hispanics and 92 percent of African Americans, as well as 63 percent of voters younger than 30. Levar Stoney, the former Virginia Democratic Party executive director who works for gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe, said the key for Democrats is “making sure these individuals get off the couch and come vote in off-year elections.”
It’s unclear which voters will show up in 2013, when McAuliffe is expected to run for the Democratic gubernatorial nod while Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling battle for the Republican nomination. (Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday night that he would announce by Thanksgiving whether he would also jump into the governor’s race.)
During a CNN appearance Wednesday, McDonnell said the election results were particularly worrisome in Northern Virginia.
“We’re losing the exchange as you see up there in Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun, so we’ve got to do a better job in explaining to people why the conservative view of America is better for them and their pocketbooks,” McDonnell said.
Not all Republicans were as concerned. On the conservative Virginia blog Bearing Drift, Shaun Kenney noted that the White House and both chambers of Congress simply stayed put.
“Nothing was lost tonight folks,” Kenney wrote. “Everything remained tangibly the same. Just like the week before when you felt good about America.”


Laura Vozzella contributed to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/obama-kaine-wins-again-put-va-in-purple-zone/2012/11/07/dc09e6c8-2908-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_print.html