"Outraged Virginia Republicans quickly began searching for a way to preserve the state’s gay marriage ban Thursday after Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced that he would join a lawsuit seeking to have it declared unconstitutional. Some GOP legislators were exploring ways to defend the ban without Herring’s help. Herring’s most ardent opponents sought to take legal action against the attorney general for what they described as his misuse of the office. The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex unions, called for Herring’s impeachment on grounds of alleged “malfeasance” and “neglect of duty,” though legislators did not go that far." Washpost
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A Democrat won Herring's state senate seat in Loudoun County. The new senate will be evenly balanced and the lieutenant governor, a Democrat, might cast a vote in an impeachment trial. In any event conviction would require a two thirds majority.
Same sex marriage, expansion of medicaid by any means, abolition of the death penalty, Obama style gun laws; these are McCauliffe's early agenda items.
The Republicans are 67 in the new House of Delegates. The Democrats are 33. This is going to be a rough ride for someone. pl
Also of note is the fact that Herring not only voted for the marriage amendment in the past, but presented himself as a supporter during the run for AG.
‘Rule of law’ indeed. If they don’t have respect for the law, why should any of us?
Seriously though what happens when some future AG decides that the Civil Right Act violates the free assembly clause of the First Amendment and refuses to enforce the CRA? Or that the NFA unduly burdens the individual’s 2nd Amendment rights and is therefore unconstitutional?
These idiots are opening a can of worms. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
This is a great article on Egypt by a Cato Institute author..isnt Cato right-wing politically? I agree with this guy wholeheartedly. It is refreshing to learn that there are still objective perspectives out there.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-bandow/support-for-egypts-new-ph_b_4658639.html
walter
Cato is a Libertarian think tank. pl
People get the government they deserve.
The idea that McCauliffe is ‘far left’ is ridiculous. He’s a prototype Clinton, DLC type Democrat. Some people have moved so far to the right in this country that Genghis Khan would seem to be ‘far left’ to them.
Republicans in Virginia lost those races when they decided they were going to use the power of the state to rape women (yes, sticking a wand up a women’s vagina against her will is equivalent to rape) in an effort to stop the same women from carrying out their constitutional rights. Just like they are going to continue to lose all over the country with their Huckabee’s, Santorum’s and so on. Women know what’s going on and the pushback is only going to get worse against the Republicans. To call the politicians who are beneficiaries of that pushback ‘far left’ is ridiculous.
You can’t use the ballot to take away a constitutional right. If the most far right court in my lifetime and one of the most far right in the history of the country has already ruled these types of initiatives to be unconstitutional then what do you expect any AG to do?
AG’s don’t decide these things. Courts do. What can of worms is being opened if we all have to live according to the decisions of the courts? Isn’t that the way its always been and the way it’s supposed to be?
JH
Like everyone else in the world you think that you are located at the center of the political spectrum. From that point of view McCauliffe is probably seen as being to the right of you. No matter, you represent the far left of the democratic Party. McCauliffe and all he other hopeful Dems will be forced to run in such a way as to please you and that will hurt their chances with all the “rapists” and other people that you do not like. The Virginia election was far more complex than you are willing to know. pl
Col Lang
How much did the McDonnels pending indictments impact the election in Virginia
AE
It was one of a number of factors that led to rather narrow Dem victories. The republicans here keep shooting themselves in the foot. pl
Jack,
That ‘most far right court’ had not yet ruled on the constitutionality of the Virginia law. As Tyler pointed out, the new AG not only supported that law during the campaign, apparently for the sole intention to garner votes, but voted for the law as a state senator. Now he indicates he will not only not enforce that law but will actively seek – not to have it changed by the elected assembly – but to have it declared unconstitutional by the federal court. Of course he was so busy in the preceding year of the campaign that he had zero time to actually review the law and form an opinion. He certainly did not have any time to read and review the law as a member of the Virginia Senate – before he voted to enact that law. I see great things ahead for a man of such vision and integrity.
A poll conducted in March and April by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that 62% of the people in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina support the expansion.
A Jan 2014 Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research poll indicated only 26% of Virginians opposed expansion outright. 30% favor expansion now, another 33% favor expansion after “more efficient.”
Regarding guns, the same poll found that 85% of Virginians favor background checks at gun shows and 75% supported them for all firearm sales. Virginians are pretty evenly split on banning so-called assault rifles, semi-automatics, and magazines holding 10+ bullets.
A July Quinnipiac poll found that 50% of registered Virginia voters support same-sex marriage, while 43% oppose it.
Up here in the northeast, these issues are centrist. The polls I cited suggest a lot of people in Virginia and elsewhere throughout the south consider them centrist, too.
Col Lang
My party of record the GOP is pretty relentless in its ability to alienate swing voters – such as my wife . The most recent kerfuffle created by Gov Huckabee’s opinions regarding Uncle Sugar and women’s libidos really did piss off my one true love .We are seeing the same dynamic here in Texas – regarding Wendy Davis’s run for governor . This is probably the first election cycle since George W Bush beat Ann Richards that the Democrats have a credible candidate that could win. Credible being measured by how much money Ms Davis has raised so far , and the fact that some of the “best & brightest ” Obama campaign operatives are now guiding Davis’s campaign . The Republicans relentless and inexplicable ability to shoot themselves in the foot is not just resident to Virginia. OTOH SCOTUS Sotomayer did side with the Nuns -and kick that case back to the lower court .
AE
The GOP really is the stupid party just as the Dems are the mommy party. It would have been easy to win the recent election in Virginia if only the GOP had not screwed up any one of a number of factors that caused it to lose. A good example is the outcome of the election for Herring’s vacated seat in the state senate. this is in Loudoun County where the Republican effectively ran two candidates against the victorious Democrat woman. Suicide. pl
EA
How do you explain the 67 Republicans as opposed to 33 Dems in the lower house of the General Assembly? pl
Col Lang
Politicians? ugh. I was more interested to know how voters throughout Virginia felt about these issues.
I can’t answer your question because I know nothing about VA politics. It’s hard enough to follow the shenanigans in my own state. But. Judging by the polls I cited, there are a lot of moderate GOP voters in VA. It’s is my general impression that GOP electeds nation-wide fear Tea Partiers more than their moderate constituents so the TPs get the kowtow. That may also be the case in your state for all I know.
I am not sure the contention that Mr. Herring ran for AG as a supporter of a ban on marriage equality is correct.
This was his campaign’s ‘equality agenda’ released in April of 2013.
http://files.www.herringforag.com/MHAG_Equality_Agenda_Final.pdf
“Mark Herring believes that civil marriage is a fundamental right, and he
supports marriage equality for same-gender couples. In addition, as he works
to change the current law prohibiting such marriages,”.
EA
“there are a lot of moderate GOP voters in VA.” This is generally the case with Virginia voters, not just Republicans.
BTW, with regard to the supposed “gun show loophole,” there is no such thing. all registered vendors at gun shows in Virginia conduct on line background checks. As for private sales, reactions depend on how you frame the question. when it is made clear that this might mean a requirement to run a federal firearms check on a transfer to family member or neighbor the numbers change a lot. pl
That sure explains his vote in 2006.
To be clear – the AG is not refusing to enforce the ban. He is refusing to defend it in court. Not the same thing at all.
Col Lang
And look at how the GOP will have three different responses to President Obama’s State of the Union Address. It really makes me miss President George H. Bush Republican leadership . If it were not for third party candidate H.Ross Perot we might not have had eight years of Bubba. But I must say too President Clinton is looking pretty good these days in comparison to that mess say in Trenton .
Show me the constitutional right to marrying whatever you want.
Oh wait you can’t. Must be written in that invisible ink that created a right to abortion.
The courts are not created to overrule the will of the people.
To be clear – he’s actually signing on to a case opposing the law.
Col Lang, Gerrymandering?
NancyK
Gerrymandering? I don’t know. In Alexandria we have two House of Delegates seats. One is for the east side of town and the other for the west. they have been stable for at least a decade. pl
Col.
What Obama style gun laws? No gun laws have passed the Congress.
NancyK,
Gerrymandering plays some part, but that process has been used by both parties. There are a lot of safe, unchallenged seats on both sides in Virginia. There’s a decent discussion of why the Republicans dominate the House of Delegates on the Democratic blog “Blue Virginia” that doesn’t try to make excuses.
http://www.bluevirginia.us/diary/10605/yes-gerrymandering-sucks-no-it-did-not-kill-virginia-house-democrats-in-2013
TTG and NancyK
If you think the size of the GOP majority in the HoD is caused by gerrymandering, then you don’t understand the state. pl
tigershark
My reference was to Obama’s failure to pass the law he wanted. pl
PL,
That was my point. It’s not due to gerrymandering. I don’t think the state Democratic politicians and party leaders understand Virginians living out in the boondocks.
Tyler,
You said, “Show me the constitutional right to marrying whatever you want.”
I doubt there is any right for anybody to marry anybody enumerated in the Constitution. It’s only specified in legal codes. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that interracial marriage was illegal. The only thing that will take the wind out of the argument for gay marriage is to remove all federal and state legal and financial rights and benefits associated with the marriage contract. Leave the sacrament of marriage to religious institutions. I personally think that would be a terrible solution for our society even though it would answer the equal protection under the law argument.
Col Lang, I wasn’t saying the reason was gerrymandering but just a possible explanation. I really know nothing about Virginia or the politics there. Here in NC, gerrymandering is a real issue, and historically it has been a fact in CA. I realize both parties do everything they possible can to stay in power. It isn’t so much what is best for the people as what is best for the politicians and the party.
TTG,
This gentleman from Oklahoma is already working that angle.
http://www.news9.com/story/24543033/lawmakers-consider-preventing-all-marriage-in-oklahoma
TTG
If the gay desire for the title of “husband” or “wife” were dictated by a desire for the legal rights pertaining thereto, then they would have pressed for those rights in civil unions rather than marriage. No, they want the public to accept the notion that gayness is not in any way choice and that God wants them to be and do what they do and are. As for your comparison of interracial marriage and gay marriage I think this is a deeply flawed comparison unless you think that marriage is a mere social construct. BTW, it is of no importance to me if they and you want to say they are married. Marriage appears to me to be a dying institution in the US and so IMO it matters not. pl
nick b,
Wow! I guess that guy’s serious. I wonder if he’s pushing for just getting Oklahoma out of the marriage license issuing business or dismantling the legal status of the institution of marriage altogether? Would they recognize church weddings or out of state weddings? It will be interesting to see if his ideas gain any traction as the legal case against the gay wedding ban goes forward in Oklahoma.
Gay people have the same rights as anyone else to marry someone – as long as its someone of the other sex. There’s your equal protection right there.
My personal issue is not only with gays attempting to shove their lifestyle choice (and it is a choice, let’s not forget that) down our throat, but other groups using it as a hammer to shatter our individual liberty through the tyranny of the judiciary creating ‘rights’.
TTG,
I have no clue. It seems like an awful lot of unnecessary effort to me.
The AG of my state announced in the beginning of the summer that she would no longer defend our state’s gay marriage ban. Since then, life seems to have gone on much like it did before.
nick b,
I’m with you. It’s all a lot of unnecessary effort. The AG will stop defending the state’s gay marriage ban. Challenges to the law will probably win. Gay marriages will ensue and life will go on much like it did before. No one will be forced to enter a gay marriage just as no one will be forced to purchase a firearm against his will.
TTG
That’s true. No one will be forced but the general process of entropy in the culture will continue. pl
Cato is to libertarianism as syphilis is to healthy marital relationships.
Weak drippy and evil.