Join LeeDems on a road trip to Richmond Wednesday, February 15th to show our appreciation for the Democratic Delegates and Senators to the Virginia General Assembly (Lee District elected officials – click here; state wide directory, click here). Don’t just tell our Democrats that you’re glad they are in Richmond for us, show them by going there. The repressive Republican majority in both bodies in the General Assembly is pushing Virginia back decades, and to the degree that our Democrats can fight for all Virginians they have, from school funding to voting rights. It’s not a coincidence that on February 15, 1799 the first US printed ballots were authorized in Pennsylvania.

Thanks to Democratic House Caucus Chair, Mark Sickles, for help in arrangements.

• RSVP REQUIRED, click here.
• Share on Facebook, click here.

We’ll gather together to carpool, and we’ll meet at 7:45 in Kingstowne in the parking lot near King Street Blues (see map, click here).

snap with your smartphone

COST: 1) lunch; don’t plan on separate checks cash is easiest in a large group, and 2) gas/parking – suggested contribution from passengers (cash to drivers) $15/person.

• 7:45 am – assemble to carpool
• leave promptly at 8:00 am for Richmond (details and information provided for drivers)
• 10:00 am – tour of the newly renovated Capitol
• visit the House and Senate galleries
• lunch near Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) headquarters
• visit DPVA headquarters
• visit Obama VA headquarters
• visit Kaine for VA headquarters
• leave for NoVA
• 6:30 pm – estimated return time

Resources for the trip:

• about the Virginia General Assembly, click here
• virtual tour of the Capitol, click here
• pictures of the Obama VA office opening, click here
• video of the Kaine for VA HQ opening, click here

Mobile LIS access is available directly from the link http://leg1.state.va.us/lispda.htm,  or just snap the QR code here.

* Anniversary of the Citizens United Decision
* Sickles, McKay, Barker, Puller, Ebbin Legislative Town Hall
* Supervisor McKay Open House
* Ryan McElveen’s Chinese New Year Celebration
* LeeDems Welcome and Volunteer Thank You Party
* Anniversary Roe v. Wade

details below …

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21

Citizens United
Citizens United v Federal Election Commission, 130 S.Ct. 876 (2010), was a landmark decision on January 21, 2010 by the United States Supreme Court holding that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited under the First Amendment. President Obama said that the decision “gives the special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington — while undermining the influence of average Americans who make small contributions to support their preferred candidates.” More about Citizens United, click here.

10 am

Sickles, McKay, Barker, Puller, Ebbin Legislative Town Hall
Saturday, January 21, 2012 10-noon, Thompson Center (6090 Kingstowne Village Pkwy, Alexandria, VA 22315; map, click here).

1 pm

Supervisor McKay Open House
Saturday, January 21, 2012 1-3 pm at the Franconia Governmental Center (6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310; map, click here). Flier, click here.

2:30 pm

Ryan McElveen’s Chinese New Year Celebration
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with Fairfax County new At-Large School Board Member, Ryan McElveen, Saturday January 21, 2012 2:30-4:30 pm. Chinese buffet and libations at Uncle Liu’s Hot Pot in Merrifield (2974 Gallows Rd., Falls Church, VA 22306; map, click here) next to the Great Wall Supermarket. Suggested donation is $25. RSVP, click here.

7:00 pm

LeeDems Welcome and Volunteer Thank You Party
Lee District Dems want to welcome all Democrats and thank our volunteers with a party on Saturday, January 21, 2012 7-10 pm at the Island Creek Community Center (7550 Thomas Grant Drive, Alexandria, VA 22315; map, click here). Join us for food, fun, drinks, and Dems. RSVP, click here. Share on Facebook, click here. Flier, click here.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22

Anniversary Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (decided January 22, 1973), was a landmark although controversial decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman’s decision to have an abortion, but that right must be balanced against the state’s two legitimate interests for regulating abortions: protecting prenatal life and protecting the mother’s health. Saying that these state interests become stronger over the course of a pregnancy, the Court resolved this balancing test by tying state regulation of abortion to the mother’s current trimester of pregnancy.

New Republican congressional remap plan sprinting through Assembly now under total GOP rule (Washington Post, January 12, 2012).

Redistricting is conducted the year after every decennial census; it is a requirement of the U.S. Constitution, the Virginia Constitution, and the Code of Virginia; however, after the results of the 2011 General Election giving the GOP complete control of in Virginia (Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Virginia Senate, and Virginia House of Delegates), the Virginia GOP opted to unconstitutionally delay passage of Congressional redistricting until the new body convened on January 11th. Passage of the GOP preferred map will likely be on the Governor’s desk as soon as the end of next week. The redistricting plan must still be reviewed by the US Department of Justice for compliance in time for June primaries.

First lady Michelle Obama will appear at Hayfield Secondary Friday, along with the cast of the Nickelodeon show iCarly, in an event for military families.

Obama and the actors will answer questions and screen a new episode of the show, which follows a teenage girl and the web show she produces. In the episode, “iMeet the First Lady,” main character Carly (played by Miranda Cosgrove) is supported by her friends during her father’s deployment in the military.

Students only, no parents.

from the Patch

Join us for food, fun, drinks, and Dems.

• RSVP, click here.
• Share on Facebook, click here.
• Flier, click here.

Sunday, January 8, 2012 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Tickets $40/person, click here
Springfield Golf & Country Club
8301 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA 22152
map, click here

Memorial Service
January 3, 2012  10:00 am
Fairfax United Methodist Church
10300 Stratford Avenue
Fairfax, VA 22030

For a breakdown comparing results for all the races in Lee District, click here. Specific results for Fairfax County, click here (PDF). From the State Board of Elections, click here.

Some trends were apparent, e.g. in the School Board At-Large race (see chart below):

• despite a notable sign presence and mention in media, independent (GOP, but not endorsed) Stuban came in dead last, and was not on any major party sample ballot, and
• among the GOP, the favored choice, Mancheno-Smoak, consistently trailed her GOP colleague, Brown-Kaplan, who had first position on the ballot.

Regarding turnout (from Delegate Scott Surovell):

There was no countywide pattern.  Compared with 2007, voter turnout was:

• Down 1% Countywide
• Up 0.5% in Absentees
• Up 2% in Hunter Mill
• Up 4% in Mt. Vernon
• Up 0.6% in Springfield
• Even in Dranesville
• Even in Lee District (up in Surovell/Puller precincts, even/down in the rest)
• Down 2% in Braddock District
• Down 3% in Mason District
• Down 4% in Providence
• Down 4% in Sully

The fact that countywide turnout was DOWN with MORE legislative races being contested this year is very unusual. In 2007, there were NO competitive races in Puller, Ebbin (Ticer), Favola (Whipple), Howell, Saslaw, Plum, Bulova, Albo & Surovell or Braddock District. In 2007, the main fights were Petersen, Barker, Cuccinelli, Vanderhye, Rust & Foust – that’s it.  2007 was a dead year compared to 2011. 

These instructions will also work on other calendars. You can then use your Google calendar to send yourself email and/or text message notifications about events.

How to add LeeDems.org calendar to your Google (Gmail) Calendar:

1. Copy this link (without quotes): “webcal://leedems.mhsoftware.com/iCal/calendar_id/2.ics“
2. Go to your Google Calendar and click the Setting button at the top right side of the screen
3. From the drop-down menu select “Calendar Settings”
4. Click the “Calendars” tab
5. Under ‘Other Calendars’, click “Browse interesting calendars”
6. On the right, under ‘More Tools’, click “Add by URL”
7. Paste the above webcal link and click “Add Calendar”

The LeeDems Calendar of Events will now be added to your Google Calendar.