Friday, January 29, 2010

McDonnell Takes The No Road

Gov. McDonnell is playing cutesy with the General Assembly, refusing to provide his own plan for cutting $4 billion from the budget over two years (without raising taxes), but hinting that he may yet have some "suggestions."



In other words, the Governor is counting on the legislature to reach a deadlock on budget issues. For now, he's washing his hands of the issue.




For those who (justly) criticized Tim Kaine for fiddling away on national political issues (as DNC chair) while Richmond burned, McDonnell is more of the same. We've got serious work to do in the Commonwealth, but there was McDonnell giving the GOP response to President Obama's state of the union address.




Sorry Guv, but that's not what the voters elected you for. Before trying out for a run at national politics, how about doing something here at home first.




What little McDonnell has said so far isn't too encouraging. He's given a lot of rhetoric to placing the bulk of state revenues from offshore drilling into a transportation fund, but we won't see that revenue anytime soon. Great for our grandkids--IF there is such revenue, which we won't know for quite a few more years.




Apart from that, he's proposed a mish-mash of minor bills that are part of a jobs stimulus program, but in reality are political payback to some key supporters. Just how many Virginia jobs are in the wine and filmmaking industries? This is more about rewarding millionaires.




He's also proposed adding the Lt. Governor to some commissions that oversee investment in economic development programs, which is just another way of politicizing those commissions and using them to build the Lt. Governor's "base."




Perhaps a new name is in order for Mr. McDonnell: Governor Empty Suit.

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