Tag: Paul Goldman
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White Children Deserve Equity, Too
by Paul Goldman Did you know the Constitution of Virginia denies white children the right to equal educational opportunities? Indeed, not just denied: but intentionally denied by the drafters of Article VIII, the Educational Clause. The denial is particularly damaging to white children in the Western and rural parts of the state. That’s right: Trump…
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Bob Blue’s Big Opportunity
by Paul Goldman America needs to win the Artificial Intelligence battle. Winning apparently requires building hundreds and hundreds more data centers. At least say the experts right now. Do I have the intelligence artificial or otherwise to know if this is true? No, I don’t. Neither, I suspect, do more than a few hundred Americans.…
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How Youngkin Can Help the GOP Win This Fall
by Paul Goldman Governor Glenn Youngkin says he’s a team player. He desperately wants the Virginia GOP ticket to win this fall. That’s why his backers say he pointed out the risks of nominating John Reid for lieutenant governor. Without a lie detector test or some magical discovery, there’s no way to know whether this…
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How John Reid Was Played
by Paul Goldman The latest poll predicting a Democratic ticket sweep this fall doesn’t come as a surprise to anybody who has read my columns here. When Donald Trump was in the White House the last time, the Dem nominee for Virginia governor won by the party’s biggest percentage in 32 years. Ralph Northam also…
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Right-to-Work a Distraction from Issues That Matter
by Paul Goldman History says Democratic voters do not believe repeal of the right-to- law is a major issue. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, should have simply said no to repeal and pivoted to far more important issues to working families. The right-to-work law is increasingly irrelevant in today’s AI revolution, which is…
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Bagby the Wrong Choice for Dem Party Chair
by Paul Goldman Tellingly, the Virginia Democratic Party establishment is trying to force the Central Committee to elect State Senator Lamont Bagby, D-Richmond, as the new Party Chair. Tim Kaine, Louise Lucas, Don Scott, Abigail Spanberger, Mark Warner, the who’s who of the Party have endorsed him. His supporters on the Steering Committee (key party…
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Bobby Scott Plays Hamlet: A Theatrical Review
by Paul Goldman Poor Denmark: As if the threat of losing Greenland to President Donald Trump isn’t enough. Now Hampton Roads Congressman Bobby Scott as Hamlet? Such are the indignations the Danish people must endure today. Bobby is clearly not whom William Shakespeare had in mind for the princely role in 1600. He is a…
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Political Blood in the Richmond Water Fiasco
by Paul Goldman But for former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney running for Lieutenant Governor, the RVA water fiasco would likely have been a far different political story. High profile for sure. But Mayor Danny Avula is new, and folks likely would have been willing to let him fix the issue, fire the public works director, and…
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Mayor Avula, Appoint an Independent Commission to Fix Richmond’s Infrastructure
by Paul Goldman Once again, Richmond city government is facing a crisis of competence. The current water treatment plant fiasco is symbolic of this long history. You can’t run a city by moving from crisis to crisis. That’s why I believe Mayor Danny Avula should create an independent committee to review the city’s well-documented infrastructure…
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In Defense of Mark Warner
by Paul Goldman I find the attacks against Senator Mark Warner on this site most hypocritically amusing. It seems you are all afraid to appropriately criticize President-elect Trump, Elon Musk, and the GOP House majority. Despite you all claiming to be such great defenders of fiscal responsibility. Let’s review some facts. (1) Under his watch, President…
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Senator Warner vs the Congressional Black Caucus
by Paul Goldman After the stories about Senator Mark Warner trying to be the John Hancock of the revolution against President Joe Biden hit the national news wires, a leading member of the Congressional Black Caucus called me on my cell phone. “Is this Warner the guy who the Virginia Democratic Party claims ran Doug…
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Defending Jon Baliles: An Answer to the Lost Cause of Dick Hall-Sizemore
by Paul Goldman Does Bacon’s Rebellion recognize the validity of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States? I’m not sure and here’s why. Had Dick Hall-Sizemore written his response to Jon Baliles’ column, “Bonding With (or Against) the People,” prior to the Civil War, he would have caught Jon with his constitutional…
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An Open Letter to Sen. Louise Lucas About Funding New Richmond Schools
Editor’s note: Paul Goldman, a Richmond attorney and former chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, asked us to publish the letter below, which he sent last week to state Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, a fellow Democrat who serves as president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate. As of today, Sen. Lucas has not…
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Petersburg Casino: Is Youngkin Channeling Wilder and Should Biden, Warner, or Trump Care?
by Paul Goldman Race has too long defined Virginia politics. Several efforts to change this dynamic are discussed in my book Remaking Virginia Politics. My gut senses 2023 may feature another noteworthy moment on the road to Dr. King’s dream. The fight between Petersburg and Richmond over a casino license is currently not seen in…
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Abortion, Black Women, and the Thirteenth Amendment
by Paul Goldman I write today to put the abortion debate in its proper Virginia political, social, and legal contexts. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution banned not only slavery but also “involuntary servitude.” “While the general spirit of the phrase ‘involuntary servitude’ is easily comprehended, the exact range of conditions it prohibits…