Cillizza's latest thoughts on 2012 Virginia U.S. Senate race

Chris Cillizza wrote in today's Washington Post, "Below is our look at the 10 Senate races most likely to switch party control in 2012." His take on Virginia's U.S. Senate race:

6. Virginia (D): With Jamie Radtke’s primary challenge to former senator George Allen (R) going nowhere fast, it now looks like a near-certainty that it will be Allen versus former governor Tim Kaine next fall. And that makes Virginia the home to the marquee Senate contest — in our humble opinion — of the 2012 cycle. Since this race is likely to be very close, what happens at the top of the ticket in the presidential contest will likely matter. If Obama can re-create his 2008 magic in the Commonwealth, it will help Kaine. If not, we could be looking at a return to the Senate for Allen. (Previous ranking: 6)

George Allen received endorsements this week from Republican leaders throughout the Commonwealth.

GOP U.S. Senate race ... and then there were five

In the race to gain name recognition, politics often pulls in candidates who have little chance to win but they gain name recognition for the next round of campaigning in the future.

Perhaps that is the case for some in the 2012 Virginia U.S. Senate race as the field becomes more crowded and additional names are tossed into the ring.

The latest is a Northern Virginia business owner named Timothy Donner. Spotted at the recent Republican Party of Virginia's Ronald Reagan dinner in Richmond, he was overheard speaking to those around him about his plans to run.

As he spoke, former Governor and U.S. Senator and current candidate George Allen was nearby, surrounded by supporters who pressed in close to speak and pose with him for photographs.

Three other candidates are vying for the Republican nomination: tea partier Jamie Radtke, tea partier Bishop Jackson, and Hampton Roads attorney David McCormick. Reportedly, Donner falls in line with the tea party philosophy, too.

The Democrats have recruited former Governor and major Obama supporter Tim Kaine for their candidate.

Most political pundits see an Allen-Kaine match-up that would put Virginia into play as one of the eight most-watched states in the country during the 2012 elections. With Barack Obama up for reelection, the eyes of the nation will be watching to see if the Commonwealth that turned purple in 2008, but that has been turning red in elections since, will continue the "red" trend.

Stay tuned....

2012 U.S. Senate race ... Virginia

From Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post:

5. Virginia (D): Kaine’s (somewhat) surprising decision to run means that the Commonwealth will play host to the marquee Senate race of the 2012 cycle. While former senator George Allen will have to run a primary campaign, the number of people running against him virtually ensures that the anti-Allen vote will be fractured so as to be ultimately meaningless. Both Kaine and Allen are well known entities in the state and will raise and spend millions. The question is what matters more to voters: Kaine’s support for President Obama as Democratic National Committee Chairman or Allen’s penchant for misstatements. (Previous ranking: 4)

And the field of Republican candidates just increased to five....

Closed rest areas come back to bite Dem Tim Kaine

Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine played politics with Virginia citizens ... and lost. Instead of making interstate rest areas a political pawn, he should have found the $9 million to keep them open and played politics in another way.

Bob Holsworth wrote on his Virginia Tomorrow blog that Kaine tried to blame Rep. Eric Cantor ... but that blame belongs squarely on Tim Kaine's shoulders. The issue of rest areas should never have reached the point where federal intervention was needed. The last-ditch effort did not work and "CLOSED" has been splashed across rest area signs throughout the Commonwealth.

What a sad commentary. We ask visitors to come see Virginia. Tourists arrive and see, "CLOSED."

Billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on laptop computers ... $14 million was announced earlier this week by Kaine for land to put in a nature preserve ... yet a measly $9 couldn't be found to keep rest areas open, something used by thousands of Virginians and out-of-state visitors. To close them in July at the height of summer vacation season was added insult and made more people take notice and realize it was a political move more than an economic savings.
Mr. Holsworth, political commentator and former political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, wrote in Virginia Tomorrow:

The problem is that the issue should have never reached the stage where keeping the rest stops open depended on an eleventh hour reprieve from Congress.

By not allocating the funds to keep the rest stops open, I think that the administration miscalculated public sentiment and misunderstood the powerful (and negative) visual symbolism that the CLOSED signs send about Virginia. It also served up an issue to Bob McDonnell on a silver platter.
...
Let’s get the rest stops reopened- the sooner the better.

Republican legislators tried to avoid closings from the time it was announced last winter.

* Rep. Frank Wolfe (R-10th Congressional) said the rest areas should be reopened.
* Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell said the rest areas should be reopened.
* Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling said the rest areas should be reopened.
* Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) said the rest areas should be reopened.
* Del. Todd Gilbert (R-15th) said the rest areas should be reopened.
* Del. Chris Saxman (R-20th) said the rest areas should be reopened.
* Del. Steve Landes (R-25th) said the rest areas should be reopened.
* Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th) said the rest areas should be reopened.

So why are the Democrats keeping the rest areas closed?

H/T to CM

Obenshain & Gilbert weigh in on VDOT, Kaine, rest areas

The political games being played by Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine and VDOT with Virginia's rest areas are being disseminated to the citizens of the Commonwealth and do not let up two days after 18 rest areas and a visitor center were shuttered to the public. Check out the VDOT Waste webside.

Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) and Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Woodstock) issued a press release today about the subject:

HARRISONBURG—Today, Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) and Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Woodstock) wrote an open letter to Governor Tim Kaine expressing their objections to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)'s closure of eighteen rest areas across the state and calling his attention to a VDOT practice that is draining funds that could go toward restoring service to the closed rest areas and maintaining Virginia's vital transportation infrastructure.

The full text of the letter is appended, and a PDF copy may be viewed here.

* * * * *

July 23, 2009

The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine
Governor's Office
P.O. Box 1475
Richmond, VA 23218

Dear Governor Kaine,

As the deadline for saving the rest areas from closure passed us by, you expressed regret that funding was not available to keep them open. We have long urged you to preserve these rest areas for the safety of Virginia's motorists, but we are not unaware of the financial challenges confronting all state agencies and departments during the economic downturn. We have, therefore, sought to accompany our calls for keeping the rest areas open with ideas for locating the necessary funding, and in that vein, we write you today to call to your attention a VDOT practice that is draining funds that could go toward restoring service to these closed rest areas and maintaining Virginia's vital transportation infrastructure.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)'s equipment division maintains an extensive 32,000 piece, $534 million fleet, with VDOT residencies “renting” equipment from the division to meet local needs. We are informed that, under current policies, residencies can lose rental priority, and in some cases even rental rights, if they do not utilize equipment with certain established frequencies, and that on many occasions, this requirement has led to the wasteful spectacle of residencies leasing more, or more expensive, equipment than is required for a particular task, or in more egregious instances, running rental equipment in back lots to log time on the meter despite the lack of any actual need for that equipment.

Any system that rewards this sort of low-level fraud, and indeed renders it necessary for residencies wishing to gain timely access to necessary equipment at a later date, is severely flawed, and we call upon your office to review these wasteful practices, which tie up equipment, transport it needlessly, and waste both fuel and man-hours.

We also write to express our concerns about the cost of maintaining the VDOT fleet. In one instance where the Louisa residency was unable to obtain a backhoe from the equipment division and was forced to utilize a private rental, they were able to meet their equipment needs for $800 / week, a savings of almost twenty-five percent off the $1,040 / week quoted by VDOT's own equipment division. When one considers that, whereas private rental agencies seek to profit in such transactions, an internal equipment division should not be marking up costs, one begins to realize the full scope of the cost differential.

The mowers VDOT provides for maintaining the median strips between interstate highways, meanwhile, are sometimes let for as much as $218 / hour. At this exorbitant rate, a single mowing season is sufficient to cover the entire cost of purchasing new equipment outright. What can justify such expenses? Why are the Department's equipment costs so high?

These are only a few of the questions we believe an outside performance audit of VDOT could answer, and we renew our request for such an audit. We do not believe that any measures short of a complete external review of the Department's operations are sufficient, but even if you are not, at present, willing to take this step, we urge you to make inquiries into current VDOT equipment policy.

If Virginians are to be asked to go without many of the rest stops upon which they have long relied, we believe they are owed the assurance that the state is leaving no stone unturned in the quest to reduce wasteful, duplicative, unnecessary, and fraudulent spending, and hope that you will join with us in seeking efficiencies and cost savings.

We remain ready and willing to work with you to restore funding to the Commonwealth's closed rest areas and to once again announce that Virginia is open for business and tourism.

Respectfully yours,

Sen. Mark D. Obenshain
26th State Senate District

Del. Todd Gilbert
15th House District

Senator Obenshain represents the twenty-sixth district in the Virginia Senate. The district includes the city of Harrisonburg and the counties of Warren, Shenandoah, Page, Rappahannock and Rockingham (part).

On the road again ... Tim Kaine crisscrosses the U.S. for DNC

The media have taken notice of Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine's MIA status in Virginia, something brought to the attention of the public for Republican Party of Virginia's Chairman Pat Mullins. Today he is on the road again in Minneapolis; next week he is scheduled to be in Colorado.

A Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed with the governor's office by RPV requesting travel and expense records. It was denied.

Associated Press (AP) filed an FOIA request. It was denied.

The Washington Post filed an FOIA request. It was denied. They did their own research and determined the Governor was spending 30% of his time outside Virginia on his moonlighting job.

RPV wrote:

The news media these days is doing a nice job of keeping Tim Kaine’s feet to the fire over his obfuscation related to his time, energy and resources spent doing his sideline job of Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The Washington Post – one of the news organizations which filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the governor’s office – has been frustrated in its repeated attempts to learn about the political movements of our elected chief executive. The Post has determined that Kaine spends approximately 30-percent of his work week doing the bidding of his political party rather than seeing to the needs of Virginians struggling with joblessness and the flagging Obama economy. See the Post’s story on this here.

Maybe the DNC Chair has to work so hard because President Obama's job approval ratings have dipped. Again from RPV:

... both Tim Kaine and Barack Obama have dipped under the magic 50-percent mark for job approval ratings. Kaine registers at 49-percent, while Obama comes in at 48-percent, according to a recent poll conducted by the Democrat pollster Public Policy Polling out of Raleigh, North Carolina.

You would think that with rising unemployment, enormous budget deficits and crumbling transportation infrastructure, Kaine would refocus his energies on his many tasks here at home in the Commonwealth. You would think that, but you would be wrong. Instead he is off on another series of junkets to Mississippi, Minnesota and Colorado.

No wonder less than half of Virginia citizens think he is doing a good job.

Bob over at The Journey blog responded to an earlier post with words to the Willie Nelson song that suited Gov. Kaine:

On the road again...
I can't wait to be
On the road again...
The life I love is raising money for my friends!
I can't wait to be on the road again!

Stay tuned to Gov. Kaine's next DNC adventure on the road again....

If it's Friday ...

... Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine is scheduled to be on the road again ... in Minneapolis, MN, this time, on DNC business.

His track record of being in the state taking care of business is not good these days....

Democrat Kaine & VDOT closing 18 rest areas ... call & protest

~Valley I-81 rest areas slated to close July 20~

Call Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine and tell him NOT to close rest areas: (804) 786-2211 (see additional contact info below). You may also want to ask for an audit of VDOT.

Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine can be held accountable for playing political games with taxpayers' money and their kidneys at a time when the General Assembly is not in session and the people of Virginia have not been polled about closing interstate rest areas.

Rest areas along roadways in Virginia are a way of life, a convenience for citizens, and a welcome sight for out-of-state travelers. They are also an integral part of safety while driving endless miles of interstate ... literally becoming "rest" areas to pull over when getting sleepy behind the wheel.

Now comes word that 18 rest areas will be closing July 20. The alternative? From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

"These are so much better than we have in Canada," Stan Jacobs said. "In Canada, you pretty much got to run to the bushes."

What is it with Democrats who want to go backwards and copy Canada in health care and rest areas? So we have a possibility of people relieving themselves along the roadways? Gee, thanks, Gov. Kaine.

While driving to Harrisonburg Monday, I saw flashing signs positioned on the shoulders of I-81 at the Mount Sidney rest areas at mile marker 242.4 announcing the closure of the northbound rest area on July 20 and the southbound rest area on July 21.

Politics? You betcha.

First, what better time to rouse travelers' ire than closing rest areas during the busy summer travel season?

Second, rest areas are a result of taxpayer money that Virginia citizens can actually see and use as opposed to the pork that is in the budget that could have been cut.

It was not long ago that VDOT poured millions of dollars into the Colonial Downs rest area on I-64 near Williamsburg. Now we cannot keep others open? Why would the Virginia Department of Transportation play games with the Commonwealth's citizens by closing popular rest areas?

Check out VDOT's budget here. Check out their plans for I-81 here.

Tim Kaine could have stopped this ... but he didn't.

Republican reps have tried for months to halt this senseless move. Now Democrat Gov. Kaine, who also is the Democratic National Committee chairman and MIA from his job in Richmond much of the time these days, has moved ahead with the closings at a time when the General Assembly is not in session and representatives can do nothing about it.

It makes no sense except ... it smacks of politics.

The list of 18 rest areas being closed July 21 by Democrat Gov. Kaine and VDOT:

I-81 North Rural Retreat
I-81 South Smyth
I-81 North Radford
I-81 South Troutville
I-81 North Mt. Sidney
I-81 South Mt. Sidney
I-81 South New Market
I-95 North Ladysmith
I-95 South Ladysmith
I-95 North Dale City (cars)
I-95 South Dale City (cars)
I-66 East Manassas
I-64 East Goochland
I-64 West Goochland
I-85 North Dinwiddie
I-85 South Dinwiddie
I-85 North Alberta
I-85 South Alberta

The Waynesboro News Virginian reminded of past inquiries into VDOT's accountability:

Some minds inquire but don’t yet know. Bob McDonnell ... roughly a year ago urged lawmakers to order an external audit of the Virginia Department of Transportation. Chapped that VDOT planned to close a string of Interstate 81 rest areas to cut costs, state Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, and Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, echoed the call in March. Responses flowed like hardened mud.

Its balances unchecked by independent snoopers, VDOT has proceeded with the whittling Obenshain, along with a pair of Republican locals, Sen. Chris Saxman, of Staunton, and Del. Steve Landes, of Weyers Cave, detested. The agency announced Thursday that it would shutter 19 rest areas, reaping $9 million in savings as part of $1.5 billion in cuts in a six-year improvement program.

Stops in Mount Sidney made the list. For most motorists, the move is a trifle. Not so for truckers. They rely on rest areas particularly on highways like I-81, a glorious ride for ordinary drives but a grind for professionals making hauls up steep grades on 18 wheels. Rest areas provide a chance to cool heels along with gears.

Why didn't Tim Kaine tell VDOT to cut pork before cutting services that would affect the public?

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today that VDOT plans to "mothball" the rest areas. Columnist Bill Lohmann jokes that rest areas brought all kinds of relief. But he is spot-on with some of his comments:

Out-of-state visitors might be enchanted by the history of Jamestown, the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the solitude of the Eastern Shore, but they'll go home, and you know what they'll tell their neighbors? "I really had to pee," they'll say, "and Virginia locked its bathrooms."

Having traveled much of America by car, my family can tell you which states have nice rest areas (and, yes, Virginia ranks up there as one of the best) and which states have awful rest areas. It definitely leaves an impression.

Del. Chris Saxman tried to bring attention to the issue here and here. Senator Mark Obenshain and Del. Todd Gilbert expressed concerns here, here, here, and here.

Solution? Find money in VDOT's budget (they need to be audited), and look into privatizing rest areas.

Contact Tim Kaine's office and tell him you do NOT want rest areas closed down: (804) 786-2211 or email or check website.

I called "Constituent Services" at the Governor's office (#4 on the menu) and expressed my concern to the young man who answered the phone. He didn't ask for any information and when I questioned whether he needed something because I felt he was not writing it down or taking it seriously, he hung up on me. Nice.

Update: Bob at The Journey has written about this issue, No Rest Areas for the Weary, and has some good thoughts. Check it out for more on closing of rest areas.

Update: Solution to closed Virginia rest areas

RPV questions Kaine's whereabouts ... Mullins presses for info on expenses

It is nice to have a strong, articulate leader at RPV ... and Pat Mullins is proving again that he is up to the task. His latest move has been to file a Freedom of Information Act request for Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine's travel expenses now that he is pulling double duty as Governor of Virginia and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Are the lines becoming blurred ... is DNC paying for what DNC should pay for?

So where was Tim Kaine when this request was filed? In Kansas City, Missouri, headling a fundraising luncheon for Organizing for America, a political group established by Barack Obama.

In a statement from RPV, a press release told of the FOIA request and released a video:

“At a time when Virginia is facing an economic crisis it hasn’t seen in decades, our governor seems to be spending a lot of his time in other parts of the country,” Pat Mullins said. “Worse yet, he and his staff have steadfastly refused requests from the media for information about his travel schedule. We think Virginians deserve to know where their governor is, particularly when so many of them are wondering how to put food on the table and take care of their families.”

Mullins’ FOIA request seeks information pertaining to the daily schedule of the governor dating back to January 2009, when he became chairman of the DNC. It further requests records pertaining to expenses related to the use of the State Police Executive Protection Unit assigned to guard the governor’s safety.

Mullins was joined by Del. Chris Saxman (20th District) in a media conference call to unveil a brief video that highlights the Virginia economy and Kaine’s stealthy travel habits.

The Kansas City Star posted a blurb on its website June 16th noting Kaine’s trip to that city, initially referring to him as the “former” Governor of Virginia before a hasty correction was made. Had the Star not made mention of the trip, Virginians would have been unaware that their elected governor had left the state for a political function. Additionally, the Washington Post found out that Kaine was in Chicago last week only because their bureau reporter happened to spot him while he was in town speaking to a DNC group.

“To me, this is an issue of transparency,” said Del. Saxman. “Where is the governor at any given moment? How did he get there? Did he fly on a commercial airline, or use someone’s private jet? If so, who paid for the plane? Who covered his hotel expenses? These are legitimate questions that we believe should be answered.”

“When he was in Miami, Tim Kaine made a joke about walking around the pool at the Fontainebleau Hotel with his shirt off,” Mullins said. “Their basic room costs over $300 a night, with the best ones going for over $800 a night. Who’s paying for that?”

Under Virginia’s FOIA law, the governor’s office has five working days to respond or can obtain an additional seven days if extra time is needed to compile the requested information. The office can comply completely with the request, issue a partial collection of documents while explaining what legal exemptions allow them to omit others, or deny the request completely while explaining which legal exemptions allow them to refuse the request.

“Tim Kaine told the Associated Press that he would only be doing this DNC job on weekends, in the evenings or on personal time,” Mullins said. “Well, today is a Friday and most people consider this a working day, yet he is in Kansas City raising money. Last week, it was Chicago on a work day. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for Virginians to receive an accounting of where the governor is spending his time, and on whose nickel.”

Has Kaine used unethical practices with SBE?

PRESS RELEASE

October 24, 2008
Contact: Mike Wade
Chairman, Third District Congressional Committee
(757) 880-9195

Statement on the Governor’s Office use of the
Unethical Practice Involving the State Board of Election

There is nothing unusual about a Governor or its staff working hard for a candidate for President; this has been done for years. What is extraordinary is for the Governor's office to get directly involved in making a back-door change to State Board of Election policies for one candidate and one election.

The Virginia State Board of Election has historically had an excellent reputation for being fair and non-partisan. This record has always given the public confidence in our electoral process.

That reputation has been badly damaged this year and many Virginians question whether the SBE can remain non-partisan under the direction of the Governor's office and the political agenda of the Governor.

# # #

Michael "Mike" D. Wade, Chairman
Republican Third Congressional District Committee
15 Westminister Drive
Hampton, Virginia 23666
(757) 880-9195

Authorized by the Republican Third Congressional District Committee.

Mark Obenshain: "Governor may have made a million dollar mistake"

[Sen. Mark Obenshain, the Republican representative for Harrisonburg and surrounding areas, is not surprised at Democrat Governor Tim Kaine's financial mistake concerning overly optimistic revenue forecasts. In his Obenshain Report sent out today, he takes the governor to task.]

By Sen. Mark Obenshain

The Governor just announced that he made a little mistake - possibly a billion dollar mistake. I hate to say I told you so, but...

Back in March, I warned that the Governor's revenue forecasts were wildly optimistic. On Thursday, Gov. Kaine's Secretary of Finance belatedly came around to my position, writing that "declining employment levels, slower income growth, lower consumer confidence, and the continued downward trends in the housing market drove shortfalls in withholding, sales, and recordation taxes."

I argued in the Obenshain Report four months ago that the Governor's official budget projections were "based on unjustified optimism," but this should have been obvious to any interested observer. In March, I pointed out that the budget projections presumed that Virginia's tax collections would grow at a rate of 2.2% in 2009 and then at the stunning rate of 6.8% in 2010. Even when they were first revealed, the Governor's estimates appeared to have been pulled out of thin air.

Why are these projections important? The Governor used them in establishing his spending levels for the Commonwealth's budget for the next two years. His Secretary of Finance and his administration told the General Assembly that it should rely on these projections in adopting a budget. Of course, if the projections are high, Virginia will face a budget shortfall - or a deficit. Consequently, it is critical that the process for establishing these projections be reliable and insulated from "politics." In this task, the Administration seems to have failed.

This year, we have experienced an anemic 1.3% rate of growth, and unfortunately, our economic decline has yet to bottom out. The Commonwealth is now in the unenviable position of having appropriated far more money than we really have, which will undoubtedly cause significant strain at all levels of state government. Unfortunately, this may translate into budget cuts and hardship for working families across Virginia.

In my view, state government has three fundamental priorities: transportation, education, and law enforcement. The temptation is great to "expand" these priorities and to open the public purse to fund unnecessary programs and non-essential services. The result has been the passage of budgets that fund the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame or the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, while failing to fully fund transportation or adequately address teacher salaries.

Sadly, we adopted a budget this year that increased state spending by $4.86 billion over two years, but it failed to include money for necessary maintenance on I-81 or other transportation infrastructure in the Commonwealth. In our own families, we start to cut costs when finances are tight. We eliminate some expenses entirely and look for cost savings in others. Above all, we set priorities.

I would prefer to close on a more optimistic note, but the reality is that Virginia's economy will not grow at nearly seven percent next year, the amount necessary to avoid a revenue shortfall. We continue to outperform national averages by a significant margin, but this is not enough to ward off the effects of the current economic downturn. Some chose to ignore reality, putting new spending programs above fiscal sanity. We now face the prospect of a substantial revenue shortfall for 2009. The Governor and the General Assembly will face a tough choice in deciding how to address this challenge - do we raise taxes or do we prioritize and live within our means.

This kind of fiscal blunder would mean little in Washington, where the government printing presses work overtime and a balanced budget is a pipe dream. In Virginia, however, it has the potential to cause real problems. With Governor Kaine receiving prominent mention in the Obama vice-presidential sweepstakes, he better hope he is going to be judged by Washington standards and not Virginia standards.

The rest of us need to hope that Washington standards are not becoming Virginia standards.

After no Dem backing, Kaine points finger at GOP

Republicans responded after Democrat Gov. Tim Kaine compared the just-completed Special Session to a "Seinfeld" episode.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported:

Republicans offered similarly scathing reviews of the governor. They faulted him for calling a special session that, they charged, was politically motivated and not ready for prime time.

The governor scoffed that he had "never seen a group work so hard to do nothing."

Republicans responded.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who presides over the state Senate, said the special session "was a colossal waste of time and money." He said fixing Virginia's roads must come from revenues already collected by the state.

"There was never a consensus about this session around any specific resolution to transportation," Bolling said.

Del. William R. Janis, R-Henrico, said Kaine was responsible for a session that suffered from a lack of direction.

"If you don't know where you're going, just about any road you take will get you there," he said yesterday at 1:45 a.m., as lawmakers left the Capitol after adjournment.

"And here we are."

The governor may want to be careful about pointing the finger of blame ... he was not backed up by his own Democrat legislators.

After traveling throughout the Commonwealth for weeks promoting his transportation tax plan ... after being rebuffed over and over by citizens who did not want more taxes as a time when soaring gas prices were taking a bite out of everyone's wallets ... Kaine still called the General Assembly to Richmond even though he did not have Democrat backing for his transportation plan.

His press conference yesterday in Richmond blaming Republicans appeared to be a case of "me thinks thou doeth protest too much."