Wonks on the Web

Steven Sisson: Blue Dog Tales


 

"Steven Sisson's pieces offer a perspective on political goings-on that you're not likely to see anywhere else in the news media … Steve's column is consistently the best-read op-ed column in the AFP - and that's saying something, given that we have a lineup of 27 columnists who write for us on a weekly, monthly or bimonthly basis."

 

"I would say that he is fair and balanced, to employ a slogan currently in vogue in the newsgathering world today, when it comes to dishing out the criticism."

 

      ~ Chris Graham, Editor and publisher

         The Augusta Free Press

 

"Since Steven began writing for us, he has become our most popular columnist.  The columns are better written, researched and presented than any others I read … His columns have been the most politically insightful of any columns I have read from locals through Virginia."

 

"I appreciate the subject content and writing skills Steven brings to our publication."

 

      ~ Morris Rowe, Publisher

         The Virginia News Source

 

"Quite interesting!  I think I can hear your name being used in vain ... all the way from Richmond to my home in Lexington!  You missed your true calling in life.  Keep writing."

 

"Amen, dude, amen." 

 

      ~ Anonymous

 


 

About Steven Sisson

 

"Blue Dog Tales" columnist Steven Sisson, a conservative "Blue Dog" Democrat, attended the prestigious U.S. Naval School of Photography and Photojournalism. In the past, he wrote a monthly column for the Common Ground organization's newspaper about issues addressing peace, justice and the environment.

 

However, Steve's fiscal views and thoughts are slightly "right of center" within his own party philosophy.

In the past, Steven Sisson has been involved with numerous political organizations, campaigns and committees. He was the 2003 Democratic candidate for the Virginia State Senate in the 24th District.
Much to the disdain of the current Democratic governor, Mark Warner, and statewide Democratic Party membership, then candidate Sisson became the first Democrat in the Old Dominion to sign the Republican-

oriented "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" sponsored by Grover Norquist and the Americans for Tax Reform.  

 

As a "progressive" Democrat, Steven Sisson became the first in the Old Dominion to receive the endorsement of the fiscally conservative, Virginia Club for Growth.

 

Sisson is the former Rockingham County Planning Commission chairman and also served as the Planning Commissioner of District V.

 

He is also an alumnus of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.

 

Politically, Steven is a strong-minded, persevering Mountain-Valley Democrat, however …

 

As a genealogist and family historian, Steven relaxes, enjoying his days off in the valley researching his Sisson family histories and folklore in the Commonwealth.

 

The Virginia Sissons go back to the beginnings of the nation.

 

Thomas Sisson, who emigrated from England in 1621, settled in Jamestown settlement in Virginia. But the earliest recorded Sisson male in Steven's direct line is his eleventh generation grandfather, and grandmother, Robert and Amy Sisson, in 1650.

 

Robert Sisson served as the Clerk of Court in Lancaster County VA, 1667-1674.

 

In the late 1600s, Daniel Sisson, of Westmoreland County, was known as an Indian interrupter and served in the earliest colonial militias with Generals John A. Washington and Isaac Allerton during Bacon's Rebellion.

 

As an attorney, Daniel Sisson represented Washington and Allerton in the subsequent Indian murder-massacre trial in the aftermath of Bacon's Rebellion.

 

Steven's sixth generation grandfather, Robert Sisson, served in the American Revolutionary War 1775-1782. Robert Sisson fought at the battles of Brandywine, Mud Bank Fort, Monmouth Court House, Somerset, Stony Point and Charleston.

 

While Robert Sisson is listed as a 'Revolutionary War Patriot' with the Daughters of the American Revolution, his proud modern descendant, Steven Sisson, is a member of the central Shenandoah Valley's Fort Harrison Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

 

In Northern Virginia, a Sisson descendant owned and resided in the building that currently houses the Fairfax City Hall annex, the 'Sisson House' -- c. 1825.

 

During the Civil War, Steven's fourth generation grandfather, John A. Sisson, served as a Union Army Scout, and is rumored to have meet with Abolitionist John Brown in his Arlington, Virginia home the night before the raid on the Harper's Ferry Federal Armory.

 

Steven has participated in the Sisson DNA testing project, and certified his ancestral lineage.

 

There is no doubt that Virginia politics and history are in Sisson's bloodline.

 

The Augusta Free Press publishes Steven Sisson's "Blue Dog Tales" columns bi-weekly --appearing Wednesday and Friday. He resides on the corner of his in-law's farm, along the Shenandoah River outside the Town of Elkton, with his wife Anne and their children.

 


 

Columns

 

Read all of Steven's back columns -- not just those published in Bacon's Rebellion, in the Augusta Free Press archives.

 

April 3: Warner Watchdog. To most Virginians, Mark Warner may be out of sight and out of mind.  But the Blue Dog faithfully keeps tabs on the former governor's national ambitions.

 

March 20: Culture Wars in the Valley. Perturbed by pornography, abortion, out-of-wedlock births and other signs of moral decay, the Blue Dog has begun attending the Family Forum’s Capstone program. 

by Steven Sisson

 

March 20: Porn in Libraries? Whatever. Under the guise of defending free speech, Virginia's Senate sided with smut peddlers and sexual predators to block applying common- sense filters to computers in public libraries.

 

February 27: Goldman Silenced? I Doubt It. Paul Goldman hasn't revealed his plans since resigning as Doug Wilder's senior policy advisor. But you can count on one thing from the master political tactician: He'll be back! 

 

February 13: Mollycoddle Mania. Hither Mark Warner? Another run for governor... or a run for president? Southern pro-business conservative... or tax-hiking, soft-on-crime liberal?

 

January 30: The  Big, Bad Warner. Mark Warner is touring the country telling fables about his fiscal conservatism, i.e. ramming through a tax hike in a red state. Why, Governor, what big lies you have.

 

January 17: Hereby Let It Be Resolved... The Blue Dog dispenses advice and wisdom.

 

January 3: Open Letter to Tim Kaine. As governor-elect, you get a fresh start. Don't follow the path of tax hikers Jerry Baliles and Mark Warner. And champion rail over the hideous Star Solutions for Interstate 81.

 

January 3: Year-End Reflections. The Blue Dog reviews 2005, a year of tsunamis, blogs and the election campaign that never ended.

 

- 2005 -

 

December 12: Here's Timmaayyy! Gov.-Elect Tim Kaine has taken his transportation show on the road. The Blue Dog dishes the dirt on who said what in the Staunton hearing.

 

December 12: The Mollycoddle Mystique. Mark Warner is "the man" after helping Tim Kaine win the gubernatorial race. He's got a PAC and he's making national appearances. The "Draft Warner" movement is gaining momentum.

 

November 28: Mollycoddle Manque. Mark Warner is positioning himself to run for president in 2008, but a certain U.S. Senator from New York stands in his way.

 

November 14: All Hail the Choir Boy. Tim Kaine won the gubernatorial election by hiding his liberal agenda. The next four years are going to be ugly as the truth emerges.

 

October 31: Hot Button Politics. Some say Jerry Kilgore's death penalty ads backfired. The Blue Dog says they did the job: highlighting Tim Kaine's liberal leanings for a conservative electorate.

 

October 31: Death Penalty Dodge? Tim Kaine says he would enforce Virginia's laws regarding the death penalty. Here, then, is the follow-up question: If elected, would he work to enact a legal moratorium on executions?

 

October 17: Rumors and Speculations. The Blue Dog barks and growls about Russ Potts' campaign aide, Larry Sabato's Center for Politics, Gov. Warner's latest campaign ad, and the future of Ben Affleck in Virginia politics. 

 

October 3: Banging the Potts. Russ Potts is one tough blogger. The Blue Dog and his friends pulled no punches in their blog conference, but Potts gave as good as he got.

 

September 19: A Walk in the Park. The Blue Dog schmoozes his way through the Buena Vista Labor Day parade.

 

September 19: A Walk in the Park II. Jerry Kilgore and Russ Potts will blog with the Blue Dog -- why won't Tim Kaine?

 

September 5: Blue Moon Over Venezuela. Pat Robertson was wrong to advocate the assassination of Huge Chavez, but he was right to label the Venezuelan strongman as a threat to the United States -- and his own people.

 

August 23: Blue Dog Muzzled. Tim Kaine is the only statewide candidate who won't give the Blue Dog an interview -- all because of a little satire. Chill out, guys, the Blue Dog barks at everyone.

by Steven Sisson

 

August 23: Illegals and the Nanny State. The Cheap Labor lobby accuses Virginians of racism for opposing the influx of illegal immigrants into the state. We're not racist - we just oppose subsidies for lawbreakers.

 

August 8: Cultural Lightning Rods. The Supreme Court selection process will spill into Virginia's gubernatorial contest by highlighting the controversies over abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research.

 

August 8: PG-13 Library Cards. Libraries are for the edification of the masses, not their entertainment. Can we please sweep them clean of  CDs, DVDs and Internet pornography?

 

July 25: Faith of Our Fathers. The "Separation of Church and State" doctrine originated as a reaction to the Anglican Church's close ties to the colonial government, not a rejection of all religion in the government sphere.

 

July 25: Ten Commandments Purgatory. A recent Supreme Court ruling has put the Ten Commandments issue back in the public eye. Here's how the candidates parse the ruling.

 

June 11: Byrned Out? If Leslie Byrne isn't the most liberal candidate to run for statewide office in Virginia, you can be darn sure the Bolling campaign will paint her that way.

 

June 11: The Blue Dog Muzzled. What happened to freedom of religion? Even in the conservative Shenandoah Valley, the public-prayer police are ever vigilant against the public expression of religious sentiment.

 

June 20: A Chicken in Every Pot. Farming and food processing are big business in the Shenandoah Valley. If you're not from here, you probably missed the biggest issue of the month: The Pilgrim's Pride Buyout.

 

June 6: Valley Yin and Yang. Democrat Bruce Elder will have a tough time running against the GOP's Chris Saxman in the 20th House district. Saxman has a strong legislative record -- plus he serves great food.

 

June 6: Elder vs. Saxman. The race is on. The Blue Dog sniffs around the Elder campaign.

 

May 23: Begun, the Tax War Has. Darth Sidious the Governor Mollycoddle has taken over the senate. The forces of the Dark Side are extending their reach. The defenders of the Republic are in disarray…

 

May 9: Farmer vs. Farmer. The Central Shenandoah Valley is blessed with two exceptionally fine candidates for the House of Delegates this year: Matt Lohr and Lowell Fulk.

 

May 9: Getting to Know You. The Blue Dog quizzes Lowell Fulk and Matt Lohr, candidates for the 26th House of Delegates seat.

 

April 25: Subsidizing Illegal Immigration. Virginia Demos want to spend multi-millions to provide illegal immigrants with educational, healthcare and other social services. What is it about "illegal" that they don't understand?

 

April 11: Adventures in Cyberspace. Dodging viruses and e-mail invective, the Blue Dog chronicles his growing addiction to political blogs.

 

April 11: Mollycoddle Metamorphistics. The Governor did not endear himself to the Blue Dog at a recent Harrisonburg press conference. Raising taxes and subsidizing illegal immigrants is not a winning formula in the Shenandoah Valley.

 

April 11: Canine Chromatography. The Blue dog dissects the political spectrum.

 

March 28: Looking for a Few Good Blogs. Blogs are transforming Virginia politics. On the one hand, they allow anyone to comment on the political process. On the other, they invite dirty tricks. Election regulators are still catching up.

 

March 14: Hot Potts. Russ Potts may be a long-shot candidate for governor, but he has set the pundits' tongues to wagging. The Blue Dog rounds up the reactions. 

by Steven Sisson

 

March 14: The Weicker Connection. Did Mark Warner and the GOP's pro-tax cabal cook up the Russ Potts candidacy to divide the Republicans and get Tim Kaine elected?

 

February 28: Four Mo' LG Candidates. The Blue Dog continues his environmental scan of the candidates for Lieutenant Governor.

 

February 28: Contributions, Sexual Politics and Sprawl. The Blue Dog completes his survey of the men and women vying for the Lieutenant Governorship.

 

February 14: Kaine on Death and Taxes. Choir boy Tim Kaine is a political moderate informed by his Catholic beliefs. But look for the Kilgore team to paint him as a liberal for his record on tax hikes and the death penalty.

 

January 31: Memo to Republicans. Stop whining. If Tim Kaine is raising big bucks from out-of-state contributors, go out and find your own money. Or fix the campaign finance law.

 

January 31: Inside the Democrats' LG Race. The Blue Dog walks Chap Petersen and Leslie Byrne through the burning issues of the day, from transportation funding to state budge surpluses.

 

January 17: Join the Club. Just get parental consent first... And then get over it. The flap in Harrisonburg over the Gay-Straight Alliance serves no one but the two extremes.

 

January 4: Travelin' Man. Mark Warner has been touring the country, bragging how he conned the General Assembly into enacting a tax hike. He's not boasting about that $1 billion revenue surplus, though.

 

January 4: Green, Schmeen. Mark Warner has shown so little interest in environmental issues that he makes the Republicans looks like Earth Firsters by comparison.

 

- 2004 -

 

November 19: Dead End. Philip Shucet and Trip Pollard approach transportation policy from different viewpoints. But they agree on this: Virginia will never address traffic congestion until it also reforms land use.

 

November 19: Our Valley, Our Road. The special interests want to run a concrete monstrosity the length of the Shenandoah Valley to expedite truck traffic -- and stick us locals with much of the bill. Thanks but no thanks.

 

November 15: The Roadman's Hammer, Part I. The Blue Dog has a bone to pick with VDOT efforts to engage the press and the public in its public hearings. But he will credit Commissioner Philip Shucet with being open to criticism.

 

November 15: The Roadman's Hammer, Part II. VDOT's "citizen meetings" amount to little more than showcases for road construction projects.  Citizens are mostly powerless to derail projects they don't like.

 

November 1: That's "Jeffrey" -- With an "J". The Valley Democratic Party apparatus didn't see fit to nominate a candidate to run against Bob Goodlatte. But that's not stopping Martin Jeffrey from running as a write-in candidate.

 

November 1: Adventures in Warnerland. Have all the rules of common sense been suspended? The Blue Dog reels from the illogic surrounding Demos' positions on getting out the vote, state accounting tricks and SOLs.

 

October 18: Baseball Been Very Good to Me. But not to Gov. Mollycoddle, who just struck out in his bid to bring a major league stadium in Northern Virginia.

 

October 18: Sucker Punch. The Kerry campaign has bailed out of Virginia, leaving only a token presence. So much for Gov. Mollycoddle's vow to make Virginia competitive in the presidential race.

 

October 4: Richmond Road Warrior. When talking to environmentalists last month, Tim Kaine came across as an advocate of smart growth. But in 2002, he backed regional tax increases for building more roads.

 

October 4: Dirt Road to Hell. It's tough pinning down Jerry Kilgore on where he stands on transportation and taxes, and for good reason: The Republican Party is split, and he needs a unified party to win in '05.

 

 

 

 

                

 

 

 

 

 

About Steven Sisson

 

Columns

 

 


Public Appearance Guidelines

 

Public speaking is one of the best things I hate"

       

~ Baseball legend Yogi Berra.

 

Personal Appearances:  Steven is available to give speeches and participate in panel discussions within the region -- Are you interested? Mr. Sisson  generally receives $150 per appearance and travel expenses, i.e., mileage pegged at the government rate.

 

If you want a very early presentation or an evening presentation, hotel/motel accommodations would be required.

 

Interviews: Steven Sisson is available for interviews via email -- Documentation is a must with the Blue Dog.


Contact Information

Steven Sisson

1692 River Road

Elkton, Virginia 22827

 

home: (540) 298-2140

cell: (540) 810-4972 

email: valleybluedog@

                adelphia.net