Patrick Henry Building
The Times-Dispatch is reporting an interesting bit of back story to the budget drama that appears (for now) to have been resolved last night. According to the report, Speaker Howell had the staff of the Clerk of the House’s office working overtime to get a budget enrolled and communicated to the Governor as quickly as possible after the June 12 General Assembly session, which was just ahead of Father’s Day weekend. You will recall that as the session that produced the grassroots-inspired amendments blocking unilateral expansion of Medicaid by the Governor.
As it turns out, the Clerk’s staff completed their work quickly. The Times-Dispatch reports:
Administration officials said the House had told them not to expect the budget before early last week. When representatives of the House contacted the administration that Sunday, Father’s Day, House emissaries were informed that nobody would be present at the offices to receive the document. Howell had the budget delivered anyway, and an email was sent some 15 minutes later informing the administration that it had been left at the office.
But if the Governor’s office wasn’t open, and the Governor’s staff indicated they wouldn’t be there to receive it, how was the budget delivered? Speaker Howell secured the assistance of the Capitol Police (who work for the General Assembly) to penetrate the multiple layers of security in the Patrick Henry Building so that the House staff could plop the budget down inside the Governor’s office suite, all without assistance from the State Police (who have responsibility for the Governor’s security).
[O]fficials viewed the Sunday drop of the massive document to the unoccupied office not only as a breach of security, but as political gamesmanship designed, in part, to deprive McAuliffe of a weekend to review the two-year, $96 billion spending plan.”
Message from Bill to Terry: In your face, loser!
This Father’s Day token of the Speaker’s esteem was apparently appreciated in the spirit in which it was offered. Which is to say, the Governor’s people were livid.
What occurred here Sunday is unacceptable,” [states a letter from McAuliffe chief of staff Paul Reagan to the Capitol Police]. “Two employees of the Speaker of the House of Delegates were given access to an area of the Governor’s office where sensitive files and materials are kept. For good reason, it is an area that is surrounded by three security perimeters. Even on a normal business day, very few people — including members of the Governor’s cabinet — can gain access to this suite of offices. We certainly do not expect to have agents and employees of the General Assembly roaming through these offices on weekends.”
Just because it’s the “Virginia Way” doesn’t mean politics here ain’t hardball.
18 comments
Way to go Speaker Howell. He and his staff worked the weekend for the commonwealth to get his job done. I wish the Governor would take his job serious too. Having the capital police deliver it was the most secure way to get the budget to the governor.
I’ve been anxiously awaiting for the moment when Republicans decide to play to WIN. Progressives having been playing hardball for years now, so its time we reciprocate.
Just remember what goes around comes around Steve. We just have to be patient.
Jet planes run on jet fuel, most cars run on gasoline. The Republican Party (in my opinion short for Plantation Owner Party) clearly runs on hate, distributed by Faux News and the EVIL Network.
November will be here before we know it!
Hey, by the way, has Dave Brat figured out that minimum wage thingy yet! And about that “well crafted response”? We are still waiting?
You may take your political correctness that ‘ s where you come up with the Republican party is the party of hate , roll it up really nice and tight and stick it where the air is questionable. Since you came here to spew your liberal diatribe , we know who the real haters are . Every time a liberal opens their mouth ignorance spews forth you are the party of hate , racism , bigotry , homophobia . Oh and while we’re at it your party has the true war on women Teddy Kenney had the first confirmed kill .
Don’t leave Mrs. Clinton off the war on women list! She defended a rapist who raped a 12 year old girl when she knew the guy did it and she got him off! Hillary is despicable but that’s who Jim and the rest of the bleeding hearts want to be their next president. They don’t care that she lied about Benghazi, they don’t care that she calls people who support the 2nd amendment terrorists and they don’t care that she was an incompetent secretary of state who has put Israel in danger as we watch the middle east become overrun with EXTREME TERRORISTS!! I am thrilled that our conservative leadership stood up to McAwful and we have NO MEDICAID EXPANSION IN VIRGINIA!!! WOO HOO!!!
Why don’t you tell us about Universal Healthcare in Israel??? This is from Wikipedia, is it not true?
“Health care in Israel is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory. All Israeli citizens are entitled to basic health care as a fundamental right.”
So, why is healthcare a fundamental right in Israel, and not in the USA?
Is it “Stand with Israel”, or , is it really, “Write Israel a Check”? Based on what I have read, Israel does not need our money.
If that is not true, why do you have to have the AIPAC?
Just where do those billions in aid go to? You have lots of relatives in the world, Stand by the Middle East, Stand by the Far East , Stand by Europe. Isn ‘t it really , “Write us a Check “?
Jim… nobody has a “right” to something someone else pays for.
Welcome back Amy!
I hope you are wrong. Didn’t Christ pay for our sins, so that we can all be saved?
I not who did?
Yes Jesus paid for your sins but you are totally missing the point if you thing salvation is your right instead of an unearned act of charity from the Savior.
Just what is your answer to the healthcare cost problem?
Repeal Obamacare. Pass loser pays tort reform, allow all individuals to have health care spending accounts where they can save their own money tax free to pay for their own health care (including insurance premiums), allow insurance sales across state lines and allow individuals to decide what coverages they want. End tax subsidies to companies for providing insurance because it distorts the market and inhibits people from changing employers.
After that, allow individuals who wish to engage in charity to pay for indigent and uninsure-able people’s health care. That will reset the relationships between parties to what they should be. People who are giving monies to provide charity will be doing so voluntarily and people in need who receive either health care or monies to pay for health care will be grateful instead of acting like the world owes them.
Take away government caused distortions and the “cost problem” will mostly fix itself as markets equilibrate.
How does the loser not already pay?
At the very height of his power Bush43 could do nothing about Tort reform.
I used to think like you and others regarding tort reform. Now, I hope nothing ever happens to tort. Lawyers are the police in the healthcare industry, and we need more of them,
Healthcare savings accounts are a scam. They do little to limit the cost of healthcare.
If you were middle- class you would know that there is no way to save enough money for a major illness, with or without HSA. Do you have even the foggiest idea what a heart attack or cancer cost?
Not even Obama could tackle selling across state lines.
Why didn’t the Plantation Owner Party put together a package in 2009? And please do not say that they did, cause they did not.
And since they have refused anything but repeal.
ObamaCare is working, even better than expected. Does there need to be some changes, yes, but the Plantation Owners say no.
Are you in any way connected to the healthcare industry? Family in the industry?
I’m still waiting for your “well-crafted response”, about Universal Health care in Israel? What’s the holdup?
Are we subsidizing healthcare for Israel?
Until recently, the democrat party had a Senator who had been an active member (leader) in the KKK. Al Gore’s father actually filibustered the civil rights act. LBJ had the famous quote about manipulating people to have “those ni%%ers voting democrat for 200 years”.
If you’re looking for ACTUAL hate and bigotry, you should probably look to your left and to your right…all around you.
Boy, you are a waking-talking liberal cliche machine, aren’t ya? How is any of your response pertinent to Steve’s post above?
And, speaking of plantations, it’s LBJ’s so-called “Great Society” and liberal policies since that keep black and poor Americans on the Democrat created plantation that keeps them VOTING for a living instead of WORKING for one in a free market.
Ed Would you please give me one example of what you mean by free market these days? Just one?
No budget was delivered to anybody. What was delivered to The Governor is nothing more than another pile of Liberal Republican spending. To the tune of an $11 Billion increase over the last Liberal Republican budget. Increased spending when the current operating budget came up $1.55 Billion short.
When Governor Kaine left office, his proposed budget was about $75 Billion. Now, under the Liberal Republicans, the budget has increased to about $96 Billion.
Didn’t McDonnell and his Liberal Republicans, raid VDOT, and then VRS, and now the rainy day fund, to pay for their brand of Socialism?
Has the VRS been repaid?
Just look at the condition of our roads since the VDOT raid? And the money? It was used to subsidize higher education for students with rich parents!!!!!
An increase of over 20% in just four years. And you call yourselves what? Just what is it that you call yourself?
I have figured the people in this blog out. You are connected either to healthcare, a Republican Operative, or working in State, Local, or Federal Government.
You want to go back fifty years. I want to talk about NOW!
What is the Republican plan? Where is the Republican Plan? Just what is a “well crafted response”?
Just what does Steve’s article accomplish? Does it create jobs? Does it help the economy? Does it make America a better place to live?
I’ll answer all of those questions, no. What it does do is fertilize hate and divide America. The article helps to satisfy the lust that Republicans have to destroy the middle class.
They can only accomplish the destruction of the middle-class by dividing Americans through deception. And of course, exporting our economy.