Posts by Mike Signer

February 21, 2012. Richmond, VA – The New Dominion Project PAC today hosted a panel discussion on innovation, job creation, and growth in Virginia featuring Mike Signer, Chair, NDPPAC, Sen. Barbara Favola, Sen. John Edwards, and Dak Hardwick of the Harris Corporation at the General Assembly Building. In a lively discussion that highlighted the power of fresh progressive ideas to overcome the gridlock and overreaching in Richmond today, the panelists and audience members, including leadership of major Virginia organizations such as Virginia 21 and the Business Council for Higher Education for Virginia, discussed a set of principles drawn from a new NDP Strategy Paper titled “The Engine for the Future: Taking Higher Ed to the Next Level in Virginia” that recommends five “Principles for Reform” (summarized below).

There's an extraordinary op-ed in today's New York Times on ProgressVA's report on the far-right group ALEC's legislative agenda in Virginia. It's very rare for a scrappy group like ProgressVA (run by the estimable Anna Scholl) to achieve publicity like this, but this shows the power of good analysis and the right issue. The Beltway-run ALEC is trampling all around our beloved Commonwealth like a bull (or an elephant) in a china shop, and great advocacy like this goes a long way toward calling out the extremists in Richmond for what they are: reckless, out-of-touch, and fundamentally unconcerned with the problems of everyday folks around their kitchen tables.

Great work by Senator McEachin and Delegate Toscano calling extremists in Richmond to task for their failure to work on the issues that matters to middle-class Virginians trying to figure out how to live their dreams. in Senator McEachin's words: "Republicans are so focused on divisive policies that they are hindering our efforts at progress, putting our kids' education at risk, and leaving them less prepared for the future. In the last four weeks, Senate and House Republicans have introduced hundreds of bills that target the poor, women, and immigrants, make it harder to vote, and discriminate against gays and lesbians. It's time for Republicans to put divisive ideology and raw partisanship aside.

I've been dismayed by how fecklessly President Obama's enemies are trotting out the old playbook of attacking a Democrat as weak on national security. Even taking for granted our current fact-free politics, these assaults are particularly egregious, ignoring the confident, precise, intensely patriotic nature of the President's foreign policy and national security. I have an op-ed out in today's Richmond Times-Dispatch drawing on some of my experience in national security as well as some of the facts about the President's proposed new Pentagon budget to argue that it's critics like Mitt Romney who really ought to be playing defense on defense. Here are a few grafs from the article -- you can check out the full version here.

Now we're turning our focus to fresh ideas on public education. As a Virginia public school and UVA Law graduate, a small businessman, and an educator at Virginia Tech, I firmly believe in the power of public education to build Virginia's future -- and give progressives an edge at the kitchen table. Here's what we're delivering in the coming weeks...

As a veteran of seven Virginia Democratic election protection programs and founder of the New Electoral Reform Alliance of Virginia, I'm familiar with the provisional ballot system we have. I fear the intentional chaos that will be unleashed under this new system. I've counseled many frustrated voters through the process of casting provisional ballots and have advised them on how to ensure they get counted -- usually, by taking a day off work to show up to the registrar's office the next day. (Virginia's system is already unusual in that the "canvass" of votes starts the day after voting -- in some states, the canvass starts a few days later, giving more time to a voter to arrange to travel).

Tomorrow, the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus are sponsoring a "Protect Our Vote Rally" at the Bell Tower on the grounds of the Virginia Capitol in Richmond. The event features a special guest, the civil rights hero Dr. Benjamin Chavis. You can also take a minute to sign a petition opposing these anti-voter bills.

Yesterday, I drove to Richmond to attend the annual luncheon by Virginia FREE--a remarkable group that everyone should know more about. Virginia FREE, capably directed by Clayton Roberts--a former journalist--is a bipartisan coalition of business and civic leaders that advocates for bipartisan solutions to grow Virginia's economy. The organization also provides members with factual information about the progress of relevant legislation in Virginia's General Assembly -- cutting through a lot of clutter to let people know what is actually happening.

You're entitled to have your opinions, but you're not entitled to have your facts. And you're certainly not entitled to take out ideological crusades on the most vulnerable members of society -- particularly if they'll have dangerous consequences for all of society. That's why it's so unsettling that Sen.-elect Bill Carrico (R-Independence) chose today -- the day before Thanksgiving! -- to attack early ed programs in Virginia. Here's what he said: “I’m all supportive of the K-12 program, but I have a problem with pre-K.... I think it’s time that parents who want to have children raise those children and the government don’t stand and create a babysitting operation for a 4-year-old to get a pre-K program."

It goes without saying for NDP’s readers, but please make sure to vote today, and please make sure to remind, urge, cajole, and convince your neighbors, friends, family, peers, and Facebook friends to do the same.  With the Democrats’ 22-seat majority in the State Senate in the balance, this is one of the most important [...]