Southwest Virginia Blogs

From the Webb Campaign:

Congressman Rick Boucher,
Mary Lynn Tate and Bob Roberts

Invite you to join them for
Southwest Barbeque and Cocktails
with

Secretary Jim Webb
Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate

Saturday, September 23, 2006
7:00 to 9:00 PM
(Party Casual Attire)

The Tate-Roberts Farm
18254 Old Jonesboro Road
Abingdon, Virginia

Patron: $1,000
Sponsor: $500
Friend: $250
Individual: $100

To RSVP click here.

Questions? Call (540) 797-6985 or
email jen.tomasello@gmail.com

Sounds like this will be a nice event.

From the Webb Campaign:

Congressman Rick Boucher,
Mary Lynn Tate and Bob Roberts

Invite you to join them for
Southwest Barbeque and Cocktails
with

Secretary Jim Webb
Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate

Saturday, September 23, 2006
7:00 to 9:00 PM
(Party Casual Attire)

The Tate-Roberts Farm
18254 Old Jonesboro Road
Abingdon, Virginia

Patron: $1,000
Sponsor: $500
Friend: $250
Individual: $100

To RSVP click here.

Questions? Call (540) 797-6985 or
email jen.tomasello@gmail.com

Sounds like this will be a nice event.

Bill Carrico, the Republican candidate running against Congressman Boucher here in the Ninth District, recently gave an interview to the Quality News Network. It is available here.

Some of his responses were very interesting, the others are mostly GOP talking points. He did, however, stop short of declaring that God had endorsed his candidacy this time.

After being asked about the immigration problem, Carrico says “we have got to build that wall around us,” seemingly suggesting that we need to build a wall around the entire country. I have heard proposals of building a wall across the southern border, but Carrico is the first candidate I have ever heard suggest that we need a wall between us and Canada and on our coastlines.

Carrico was also asked about the budget and he quickly proclaims that he thinks the budget should be balanced. On the follow-up, though, when asked if he would support revoking the recent tax cuts on just people making more than $500,000 per year if it would balance the budget, he declines to answer. Could that mean that Carrico has a few friends (i.e., campaign donors) who make more than half-a-million per year?

This interview confirms what most of us here in the Ninth District already knew – Congressman Boucher should easily win re-election.

A large group of Southwest Virginia Democrats gathered today in Marion to nominate Congressman Rick Boucher. Boucher is seeking his 13th term in Congress.

I am afraid to guess how many people were there, but I heard estimates ranging between 200 and 300. It did appear, however, that there were thousands of “Boucher for Congress” signs. Someone got up very early this morning and started putting out signs.

Ninth District Committee Chairman, Tom Graham, kept everything rolling and did a good job. Graham said he invited the two senate candidates, but both were unable to attend.

Jim Webb, though, did have former-chair, Gary Hancock, speak in his behalf. Hancock gave an impassioned case for why Webb should be our nominee. One of Webb’s biggest supporters, Henry Tieleman, was also there passing out literature and yard signs for Webb. I looked as much as I could, but I did not see any Miller signs, stickers, or any visibility for him.

Senators Puckett, Deeds, Edwards, and Reynolds, Delegate Bowling, and several other elected officials were there to keep the crowd fired up. They all agreed that Boucher was, without a doubt, “the best Congressman in the United States.” I would certainly concur with that assessment.

Needless to say, Boucher accepted the nomination to be our Democratic candidate for the Ninth District. Boucher was his usual self and delivered a powerful speech. Boucher said his campaign would be positive and based on his previous accomplishments.

After the convention, Graham and others presented Boucher and his new wife, Amy, with a wedding cake that was topped with a bicycle. As most people have already heard, the Bouchers were married last week on the Creeper Trail.

All in all, the convention went great and everyone left energized. I am really looking forward to the next few months as the campaign really gets rolling and we get past next week’s primary.

Neal was apparently also there and has posted his thoughts here.

From the Congressman’s website:

On Saturday, June 3 U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher and Galax Gazette editor Amy Houslohner were married in Damascus, Virginia. The couple took their marriage vows following a bicycle trip from Abingdon . The ceremony took place on an old railroad bridge within the town which is now a part of the Virginia Creeper Trail. Officiating was Chief U.S. District Judge James P. Jones, a longtime friend of Boucher’s.

Following the ceremony, the couple returned by bicycle to Abingdon. The Abingdon-Damascus bicycle round trip is a favorite recreation of the Bouchers who decided to have a private informal marriage in one of their favorite settings.

Congratulations to Rep. Boucher and Ms. Hauslohner.

Next weekend, Boucher will accept the Democratic nomination as he seeks his 13th term in Congress.

From the Congressman’s website:

On Saturday, June 3 U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher and Galax Gazette editor Amy Houslohner were married in Damascus, Virginia. The couple took their marriage vows following a bicycle trip from Abingdon . The ceremony took place on an old railroad bridge within the town which is now a part of the Virginia Creeper Trail. Officiating was Chief U.S. District Judge James P. Jones, a longtime friend of Boucher’s.

Following the ceremony, the couple returned by bicycle to Abingdon. The Abingdon-Damascus bicycle round trip is a favorite recreation of the Bouchers who decided to have a private informal marriage in one of their favorite settings.

Congratulations to Rep. Boucher and Ms. Hauslohner.

Next weekend, Boucher will accept the Democratic nomination as he seeks his 13th term in Congress.

The 9th CD Convention will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, June 10, 2006, in the Marion Senior High School auditorium.

There will also be a short 9th District Committee meeting at 12:30 PM, following the convention.

Here are some directions to the High School:

1) Get on I-81 and head to Exit 45.
2) Northbound traffic turn left at the exit stop sign, southbound traffic turn right at exit stop sign onto Route 16.
3) You will pass the state hospital complex on your right (complete with high fences/guard towers).
4) Go to the end of this road and turn right at the last (2nd) traffic light.
5) Bear left onto Route 16 again almost immediately at the Chevron Station. Do not go up the long/steep hill directly in front of you prior to the turn.
6) At the next traffic light you will see a Hardee’s on your left. Go straight through this light.
7) Pass through a 2nd traffic light and then cross some rail road tracks.
8) At the next (3rd) traffic light at the Wendy’s/Rite Aid (located on your left) and KFC/Taco Bell (located on your right) turn right and go up the hill.
9) At the top of the hill, turn left onto Stage Street. Marion Sr. High School will be the 2nd school on your right after Marion Intermediate School.

Hope to see you all there!!

To us Southwest Virginia Democrats, it’s not “will Rick Boucher will beat Bill Carrico,” but rather “how much of the vote will Boucher win.” Take your best guess.

Polls Archive

Any thoughts?

Thanks to Congressman Boucher, I see that local farmers are now eligible for some financial assistance due to crop losses.

From the KTN:

Farmers in Wise, Russell and Washington County who have suffered crop losses due to last year’s drought conditions may be eligible to receive financial help from the federal government according to United States Representative Rick Boucher.

. . .

While farmers in these counties were previously eligible for assistance by virtue of being located adjacent to other primary disaster areas, this designation will enable farmers in Dickenson County and the City of Norton to qualify for federal assistance.

. . .

Boucher noted that the lack of precipitation experienced in Southwest Virginia in 2005 resulted in substantial damage to crops and justified the need for federal assistance to the producers of these commodities.

Farmers in localities declared as disaster areas who lose 30 percent of their income are eligible to be considered for up to $500,000 in low-interest loans from the U.S. Farm Service Agency for losses sustained as a result of this year’s drought.

I hope this will be helpful to some of our local farmers. A guy was recently telling me about how he had lost part of his crop because of the drought and I intend to mention this to him in case he has not heard about it.

One can certainly reach that conclusion based on his opposition to HB 1590 and HB 1084. Either of these bills would have brought the salaries of Virginia’s teachers up to the national average. Who can oppose that, you ask? Del. Bill Carrico can and did - twice.

Here is the key language of HB 1590:

It is a goal of the Commonwealth that its public school teachers be compensated at a rate that is competitive in order to attract and keep competent teachers. It is also a goal of the Commonwealth that the average salary for Virginia public school teachers equal or surpass the national average salary for public school teachers.

HB 1084 is a little different, but the key language is still:

With such funds as are made available for this purpose, the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth shall not be less than the annual national average teacher salary, in order to ensure the availability of a corps of high-quality instructional personnel in the public schools.

On two occassions, Del. Carrico has voted to kill each of these bills in the House Education Committee, breaking ranks with other Republicans both times.

I don’t know anything about running for congress, but Del. Carrico’s strategy of not supporting logical, needed, and sensible bills seems like a losing one to me.

Del. Carrico has (had?) high hopes of unseating one of the best - Congressman Rick Boucher. If this strategy works, will we see other candidates not supporting much needed bills? I hope not.

Apparently he does not care about Virginia’s teachers or the students who would get the significant benefits of having the most competent teachers in the nation.

It certainly looks that way, but will any one know? Even though he is running for Congress to represent Southwest Virginia, no media outlets are questioning him on his lack of support for Virginia’s teachers and schools.

Del. Carrico, though, did have time to introduce HB 372, which is summarized as:

Any person or persons who picket or assemble in protest at or near any solemn ceremony in a loud or unruly manner intended to disrupt the ceremony and the peace or order, such that the protest actually tends to inspire persons of ordinary courage with well-grounded fear of serious and immediate breaches of public safety, peace, or order, is a participant in an unlawful assembly. Every person who participates in such an unlawful assembly is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Del. Bill Carrico is the wrong guy for the 5th District (House of Delegates) and unquestionably the wrong guy for the 9th District (Congress). Luckily, here in the Ninth District, we have a great Congressman and have no worries of Del. Carrico even putting a dent in Boucher’s margin of victory.