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Credit: Bill Oetjen The Pentagon has admitted it was wrong about basic facts relating to basing the F-35 stealth fighter-bomber in Vermont, so of course the announcement was made late last week in a story spun to be about public participation. While most Vermont media missed the story entirely, the Burlington Free Press got the scoop and missed its significance, focusing instead on the extension of the public comment period on the Air Force’s environmental impact statement.   Mission accomplish

unPAC the 2012 Olympics fights to restore American unity by asking NBC not to run special interest political ads, including those from super PACs, during the 2012 Olympic Broadcast. http://www.unpac.org/olympics/ Libertarian Gary Johnson made national headlines yesterday after supporters took to Twitter to protest CNN for excluding him from polling practices. Because of his exclusion, they argue, Johnson has been shut out of the Republican presidential debates, greatly reducing his visibility.

Credit: Purple Strategies Purple Poll July 2012 In a new Purple Poll released today, voters in 12 swing states diverge dramatically on their views of the country's economic trajectory. This overwhelmingly affects who they plan on casting their ballot for in November. "Among those who believe the economy is getting better, 93% support Obama, 4% favor Romney. And among those who say it is getting worse, Romney leads Obama 84% to 7%," says the Purple Strategies findings. This economic question i

As the primary season for the 2012 election has ended, all sides are now focused on the general election and the march to Election Day in November.  On that day, millions of Americans will go to their local polling place and cast a vote for President/Vice-President.  Some will choose the Democratic candidate, some will choose the Republican candidate, and some will choose a third-party candidate such as the Green Party or Libertarian Party.  When we walk out of those voting booths, we feel as if

This weekend, the National Governors Association (NGA) will be meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia. The NGA is an annual meeting of current governors from all fifty U.S. states and five U.S. Territories. In honor of this year's meeting, here's the five memorable moments from governors past and present. Governor Chris Christie – New Jersey Governor Christie responds to a reporter questioning his tone of voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQQdZFtHJD8 Governor Angus King – Maine Governor King

Republican Rep. Scott Rigell of Virginia has revoked his signature from Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform pledge, and he isn’t the only one. Until recently the pledge had been signed by every Republican in, or wishing to be in, Congress. Now, just 45 of 83 of the Republican National Congressional Committee's current group of up-and-coming politicians, known as the “Young Guns”, have signed the no-tax pledge. By taking his name off the pledge in January, Rep. Rigell says his “advice and

On June 28th the Supreme Court ruled the Affordable Care Act constitutional and will be upheld as a law. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the bill, and the total was 5 for and 4 against. Immediately after the final decision was announced, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican from Virginia, announced the Republicans will be scheduling a vote to repeal health care reform on July 11th. This allows the House a recess before voting on the controversial bill. “The Supreme Court’s decisi

Independence Day commemorates the Fourth of July, 1776, the date borne on the Declaration of Independence, by which representatives of "the thirteen united States of America" formally announced their irrevocable political separation from the government of Great Britain. The Declaration was primarily drafted by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, but the ideas in it weren't his own. The document was a synthesis of political philosophy and ideas-- both European and very American-- that helped inspire th

Before 2008, Virginia had not voted for a Democrat to be president since 1964. The state is seen as a critical swing state in 2012 and there can be some useful insights gleaned from the 2008 exit polls and by reflecting on the changes that have happened since then.  Virginia has differences from the rest of the United States in several respects: * In 2008, Virginia had a greater share of African-Americans but a smaller proportion of Latinos. In general, each group was slightly more conservativ

Virginia Rep. Scott Rigell Credit: Rep. Rigell Facebook page Only two Republicans voted against holding Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt of Congress yesterday, one of those being Rep. Scott Rigell, who represents the 2nd District of Virginia. While it may seem unbelievable to some, it comes as no surprise for those familiar with Rep. Rigell's lawmaking style. His actions yesterday put on display his growing reputation as an independent conservative leader. As a recent Time pro