Virginia@: Chairman's Update: Jan. 28, 2015

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Chairman's Update: Jan. 28, 2015

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Robert,

We're off and running here at RPV!

For those of you who might not know me, I'm John Whitbeck, and I had the honor of being elected RPV's new Chairman by the State Central Committee on Saturday. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: thank you all for trusting me with this great honor.

I will not let you down!

The General Assembly is back in Richmond for the 45-day "short" session, during which lawmakers consider legislation and craft amendments to the state's 2-year budget. With a 2 year budget in place, there's no chance of a shutdown showdown over Medicaid expansion like we had last year.

But Democrats aren't stupid, and they realize their last chance to move legislation during Terry McAuliffe's term as Governor hinges on winning back the Senate and House of Delegates next year. That's why they're focused 100 percent on firing up their liberal base.

This year's Democratic priorities? Gun control, which has absolutely no chance of passing either the House or Senate. But that's OK, since it gets liberal voters to the polls, and makes liberals like Michael Bloomberg open their wallets for campaign season.

Also on the list? Medicaid expansion, and raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. Again, Democrats know these policies have no chance of passing -- and even some Democrats admit that they'd be a disaster for Virginia if they did. But it's not about governing for them this year. It's about motivating the base.

Meanwhile, our Republican majorities are working on Governing. Delegate Tim Hugo and Senator Mark Obenshain both covered our legislative agendas rather well in our first two Weekly GOP addresses

There's more going on in Richmond than just the legislative session. On Saturday I was privileged to announce that our former Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be the keynote speaker at our Commonwealth Dinner on Feb. 24 at the Richmond Marriott.

Governor Perry has a fantastic record, and he's a great speaker. I can't wait to welcome him to Virginia. Click here to get tickets today!

We're working very had to bring as many 2016 Presidential contenders to Virginia as we possibly can. If you don't live in Iowa or New Hampshire, it's tough to get a chance to talk to these men and women first hand, and we want to change that. It's a big decision, and we want our Grassroots to get to know these folks, too.

Governor Perry -- and all of our GOP contenders -- are a stark contrast to President Obama and his failed record. Just this week we found out that the Obama administration plans to pay for "free" community college by taxing money set aside in 529 College Savings plans.

Glenn Reynolds, a the law professor who blogs at Instapundit, said it very well: When governments get desperate for cash, they come for the middle class, because that's where the money is. I know tens of thousands of Virginians have been diligently saving for their children's education using these plans.

Changing the rules now and taxing those who have been planning ahead -- in many cases to benefit those who haven't -- is just wrong.

That's what we're up against this year. Liberal idea after liberal idea, all of which will make our economy weaker, erode our freedoms, and move us further and further away from Ronald Reagan's ideal of the shining city on a hill. That's the bad news.

The good news is that, working together, following our Republican creed, not only can we stop these bad ideas, but we can push back and make our country and our Commonwealth better, more free, and more prosperous, if we're all willing to work for it.

United by our Republican Party of Virginia Creed, we can win.

I'm ready to get started.

How about you?