Saslaw speaks: "Outlook GRIM"

Saslaw said he's already seen bills introduced, with a strong chance of becoming law, that are unlike anything he's seen in his 36 previous legislative sessions in Richmond.

"We have three or four Republicans in the senate who are 'approachable'" by Democrats on some of the more extreme issues, he said. Otherwise, on issues like gun control, he said, "You can forget about it. If there was a bill that every house in Virginia should be equipped with a surface-to-air missile, it would pass," he quipped. He noted that the Republican attorney general has said it's OK to carry guns into churches, and while some Republicans are pushing to legalize them on campuses, only because of the fact that the NRA is not pushing that issue, he said, it might fail.

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Scott concurred with Saslaw's assessment of the overall situation in Richmond this session. "I've been in the legislature since 1992, and have never seen this kind of imbalance. We're facing issues we haven't had to face before. Our job is to make your lives better," he said, "But we will be fighting to avoid making them worse."

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Saslaw urged the audience to become more proactive in registering voters. In his 35th District, he noted, 51 percent is Caucasian, 25 percent Hispanic and 12 percent Asian. But while 84 percent of Caucasians are registered to vote, only four percent of Hispanics and eight percent of Asians are. If those numbers were significantly changed, Virginia would become "an entirely different state," he said.

Noting that campaigns now face the added burden of super-PAC money, since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations are citizens, he joked, "I'll believe that corporations are citizens when Texas executes one of them,"

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Repeater said:

Dick expresses concern over "surface-to-air missiles"

Grim Prospects for Richmond Outlined in Town Hall


The NRA is NOT PUSHING this issue? Really?

And who are these so-called Republicans who are 'approachable' -- name names, please, Dick.

Anti-gun Delegate Scott agrees with Saslaw:


So, gun rights makes our lives worse? Really?

Their solution to progress appears to be registration:

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Saslaw said he's already seen bills introduced, with a strong chance of becoming law, that are unlike anything he's seen in his 36 previous legislative sessions in Richmond.

"We have three or four Republicans in the senate who are 'approachable'" by Democrats on some of the more extreme issues, he said. Otherwise, on issues like gun control, he said, "You can forget about it. If there was a bill that every house in Virginia should be equipped with a surface-to-air missile, it would pass," he quipped.

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Dreamer said:

And there would be a MASSIVE influx of patriots, avionics enthusiasts, and "gun nuts" to VA if such a bill were to pass, indeed.

In fact, I would move to VA if my house came with SAMs. That would be just too cool... :monkey

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Grapeshot said:

Senator "Sam" Saslaw still delivering the same ol' message of gloom and doom - nothing to see here. Keep on moving, please.

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TFred said:

Now here is a truly ironic difference in perspective. From the linked article:

"And in the state house, Gov. Bob McDonnell is eyeing a nod as the Republican vice presidential candidate, Saslaw said, which means he isn't going to do anything which could be construed as soft on Democratic-favored issues."

Saslaw and the Democrats see McDonnell as trying to be hard-nosed to impress the National GOP, while local conservative GOP folks see McDonnell as trying very hard to not rock the boat by doing anything "crazy" that would knock him out of contention for the VP spot.

These two points of view cannot both be true!

TFred

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Citizen said:

Great photoshopping, Nap!

I don't know which is funnier: Dick "Banjo" Saslaw or Senator SAM Saslaw.

Bwahahahahahahahahahaaa!! What a demagogue. Who is so unsophisticated as to actually believes anything this guy says?

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Repeater said:

I agree! I love that movie;

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Northern Virginia has held considerable sway in the state Capitol for the past four years as Democrats from the region dominated the Senate.

Six of the Senate’s 11 committees, where chairmen decide the fate of legislation, were led by Northern Virginians. The majority leader, decider of which measures are actually voted on, was from Fairfax.

All that has changed.

Now there’s not a single Northern Virginian at the helm of a committee. The majority leader hails from Hampton Roads. And on top of that, two powerful, longtime senators from Northern Virginia retired.

Many in Northern Virginia’s delegation fear they’ve lost the power to stop bills that hurt it.

But now Northern Virginians feel like they’ve been shown the door.

“Northern Virginians have definitely lost influence,” said Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax), who lost her chairmanship of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee ...

“Last year, we had 24 bills coming over from the House of Delegates that were anti-immigrant, and we have no idea at this point if we can defeat them [this year],” Howell said.

As a committee chairwoman, Howell said, she did her greatest service to Northern Virginians by stopping what her constituents considered “bad legislation,” such as proposals to expand gun rights or nullify federal legislation.

“When I’m in Northern Virginia, the issues I ran are very clear. And then I get on 95, and about the time I get to Kings Dominion, I go off into the twilight zone,” Howell said. “Attitudes are different, issues are different, approach is different.”

Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), who was the Senate majority leader and is now minority leader, shares the view that the region will not suffer — but for very different reasons.

“Trust me, we’re unified,” he said. “There’s some pretty hard feelings there.”

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Northern Virginia senators also worry about their ability to block legislation on social issues that play very differently in the more racially diverse, better-educated and liberal Washington suburbs than in more rural parts of the state.

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Repeater said:

"Better-Educated" - really? So what, we're a bunch of white bitter-clinger country bumpkins? So legislation that would help Virginians defend themselves is "bad legislation" and gun rights are "social issues" that offend the sensibilities of you "Progressives"[sic]?

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ChinChin said:

Weird! When I shook my magic Saslaw it said "Reply hazy, try again."

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One group of citizens roaming the Capitol to lobby legislators yesterday wore orange stickers that read “Guns save lives.”
On the lapels of another group were stickers reading “Background checks save lives.”

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In the back of the crowd stood Lori Haas, who became a gun-control advocate after her daughter was wounded in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.

She is affiliated with several groups—including the Virginia Center for Public Safety and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and said they oppose most of the bills Van Cleave supports.

“We think the laws on the books are reasonable,” Haas said. “In no way, shape or form do we need to weaken the laws in Virginia.”

Colin Goddard, who was also injured in the Virginia Tech shooting, spoke. He said that if an armed citizenry were the antidote to gun violence, America “should already be the safest place in the world.

“Guns are not the solution to gun violence,” Goddard said.

Sen. Don McEachin, D–Richmond, said he plans to introduce a bill that will expand background checks on gun purchasers. He would require all purchasers to undergo a background check—currently a buyer does not need a background check if buying from a private seller.

McEachin said it was important to make sure people who aren’t allowed to buy guns—former criminals, the mentally ill and others—don’t get them, and to ensure that “we don’t accidentally arm terrorists.”

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mk4 said:

McEachin already filed the bill: SB 379.
Criminalizes private sales. Haas and Goddard need to go away. They are both completely out of touch with reality. :banghead:

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