Jeff E. Schapiro, political reporter and columnist for The Richmond Times-Dispatch, will speak to the club on the status of the Virginia electorate just two weeks before Election Day.
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Top political observer to address club
Jeff E. Schapiro, one of Virginia’s foremost political reporters and columnists, will speak to the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club Oct. 18 about his assessment of Virginia politics just weeks before Election Day.
The meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. in the lower level of the LOW Clubhouse. Guests are welcome, without regard to political affiliation.
Mr. Schapiro, a writer for The Richmond Times-Dispatch, has covered Virginia elections and the state Capitol for 30 years. His column appears Sundays in the Times-Dispatch’s print edition and his video column appears Thursdays on the paper’s Web site, TimesDispatch.com.
The columnist can be heard on Friday at 8:33 a.m. on Richmond’s Public Radio Station WCVE, 88.9 FM. Twitter users can follow his tweets at @RTDSchapiro.
Mr. Schapiro also contributes to the British newsmagazine, The Economist, writing on Southern politics and culture.
A native of New York City, he was graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in history.
In June of this year, three former Virginia governors, the speaker of the House of Delegates and an Associated Press reporter participated in a roast of Mr. Schapiro as part of a fundraiser for the Virginia Public Access Project.
On that occasion, emcee Page Melton Ivie said Mr. Schapiro had “prowled the passages of the powerful, mined the murky of the minions and scoured the sewers of the salons.”
Have you noticed that Obama-Biden yard signs are springing up on front lawns all over Lake of the Woods?
If you don’t have yours yet, contact Kerry Sipe at 972-2737 to arrange to pick one up. They’re free as long as current supplies last.
LOW regulations say that yard signs may be displayed six weeks prior to an election and up until the day after an election. You’re entitled to one sign per candidate, so pick up a sign for Tim Kaine and Wayne Powell while you’re at it.
(Update: Demand has been so great that we’ve temporarily run out of Kaine signs. The campaign says more may be available in a few days. Sorry.)
Be prepared when you go to the polls on Nov. 6.
In addition to choices for president, vice president, U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress, you’ll be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on two changes to Virginia’s Constitution:
Question 1:
Shall Section 11 of Article I (Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to require that eminent domain only be exercised where the property taken or damaged is for public use and, except for utilities or the elimination of a public nuisance, not where the primary use is for private gain, private benefit, private enterprise, increasing jobs, increasing tax revenue, or economic development; (ii) to define what is included in just compensation for such taking or damaging of property; and (iii) to prohibit the taking or damaging of more private property than is necessary for the public use?
Question 2:
Shall Section 6 of Article IV (Legislature) of the Constitution of Virginia concerning legislative sessions be amended to allow the General Assembly to delay by no more than one week the fixed starting date for the reconvened or “veto” session when the General Assembly meets after a session to consider the bills returned to it by the Governor with vetoes or amendments?
The Virginia State Board of Elections has prepared a document explaining the issues involved with these two amendments. It can be viewed at this link.
Reviewing these provisions in advance can help you make an informed decision at the polls.
To Matt Rowe the biggest surprise at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte was the animated, fist-pumping speech by former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm.To Janet Payne, the most suprising thing was an early morning pep talk by Donna Brazile, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.But both Virginia delegates to the convention Sept. 3-6, it was a week they will never forget.
Ms. Payne, a member of the Fredericksburg and First Congress District Democratic Committees, and Mr. Rowe, chairman of the Caroline County Democratic Committee, enthralled club members at the Sept. 20 meeting with stories of their personal experiences as convention delegates.
The delegates confessed that they didn’t get much sleep during the convention. They had to be up for 7 a.m. delegation breakfasts, where they obtained their credentials, and usually didn’t get back to their hotels until well past midnight.
Ms. Payne said it rained in Charlotte every day of the convention and each day she had to use an umbrella. But when she arrived at Time Warner Cable Arena the security officers would confiscate the umbrella.
Ms. Payne said the convention program was exceptional, but her favorite was the speech by First Lady Michelle Obama in which she said, “The presidency does not change the man; it reveals the man.”
Mr. Rowe said he was moved when looking out over the arena full of all types of people, united in a common set of beliefs and values. He said the reason he became a Democrat is because, “We have the facts on our side. We don’t have to twist and distort the truth. That makes it a lot easier.”
Ms. Payne complimented the Democrats of Lake of the Woods for having such a dynamic and involved membership. “I applaud you for what you are doing,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see your strength and your energy.”