Bob Gibson
Daily Progress political blogger

    Barnie K. Day, a friend and fellow blogger from Patrick County who spent 1997-2001 laboring in the House of Delegates, offered up a few kind words about a book about some fellow characters from the House in the good ol’ days a few decades back.

    Here is Barnie’s review of this 91-page book about House rascals, figures, leaders and ne’er-do-wells (that people should read to figure who was what):

    So now comes to the literature of Virginia politics a self-published good look back, Wading in the Muddy Pool: A Virginia Political Memoir, 1972-1982 ($15.00, Old Favorites Bookshop, PO Box 8347, Richmond, 23226) by Richmond book dealer Gary S. O’Neal.

    O’Neal, who began a 10-year sojourn through Virginia’s political corridors in 1972, when he signed on as an aide to Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates John Warren Cooke, has served up a rare inside look that reads like an oral history, despite wording here and there that seems…well…a touch quaint.

    I’ll translate one for you:  “recently passed from the earthly scene” means somebody died.

    Still, this is a good, snappy read, as much for its candid observations as anything.  (The two-page memory of the House Clerk’s Office is worth the purchase price.)

    Virginia politics now is a bland vanilla team sport.  It used to be a game of individuals.  Many of the personalities here have “passed from the earthly scene,” and won’t be recognized by anyone, even inside players, under the age of 60, or so. 

    A few will stir the dust of memory:

    “Robert B. Ball, Sr., a Democrat from Henrico County, was a self educated man and one time butcher who became a success in the hotel-motel business and real estate.  He amassed a fortune in the 1950’s by putting pay TV sets in his motels and used to brag that he took a wheel barrow of quarters a week to the bank.”

    “William Dudley, Democrat, “Bullet Bill,” a former NFL great and football star at UVA.  Nice man, but fairly dense, more adept at attending local sports banquets than debating the issues of the day.”

    “George Mason Green, Republican, one of the last Arlington County Republicans before the Democrats became the dominant party in that area.  One of the new breed of right wing ideologues.”

    “Frank Mann, Democrat, Alexndria politician and former mayor of that city.  Went back on his word to Delegate Lane (Ed Lane, of Richmond) on a committee vote at the 1973 session, a disagreeable man with little character.”

    “Thomas W. Moss, Democrat, Norfolk politician, liked the ladies and the bottle.”

    “Stanley Owens, Democrat, Prince William County, at that point growing somewhat senile, later known throughout the Assembly for crashing into a water fountain with his car at an Interstate 95 rest stop and then trying to bill the House of Delegates for the damage to his auto.”

    “As Speaker, Philot (Albert Lee, of Henry County) was more politically assertive than Cooke.  He saw the role of the Speaker as that of an active participant in the political process, rather than a nonpartisan referee like Speaker Cooke.  I don’t mean that Cooke had no party loyalty, but he exercised it gently while A. L. used a whip.”

    “Dorothy McDiarmid, Democrat from Fairfax, whose husband Hugh constantly trailed her around the Capitol.”

    O’Neal has given Virginia’s political junkies a tasty appetizer (91 pages).  I wish it had been an entrée. 

    You could do worse than buying this book.

Bob Gibson
Daily Progress political blogger

    House of Delegates Democrats finished up two days of closed caucus meetings this afternoon at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel after selecting the same leaders they had at the end of the 2007 General Assembly session.

    Del. Ward Armstrong of Henry County was re-elected as minority leader, a post he took late in the session in a coup against former leader Frank Hall of Richmond.

    Del. Brian Moran of Alexandria was re-elected as caucus chairman. Democrats chose Del. Lionell Spruill of Chesapeake to repeat as vice chair, Del. Rosalyn Dance of Petersburg as parliamentarian and Del. Mark Sickles of Fairfax County as secretary.

    “It’s not the time to change horses when you are doing it right,“ said Jesse Ferguson, a top aide to Moran. He called the reelections “an affirmation of picking up more seats than any year since 1975” with one more quite possible if former Del. Albert Pollard takes a Northern Neck seat many people expect to open up Tuesday.
   
    Del. Robert Wittman, R-Montross, is seen as the favorite to win the special election Tuesday to succeed the late 1st District Rep. Jo Ann Davis in the heavily Republican Tidewater 1st, and Pollard has all but said he would run for his old House of Delegates seat if Wittman vacates it.

    With Pollard, Dems would climb to 45 out of 100 in the House, five more than the number they held prior to last month’s elections.

Bob Gibson
Daily Progress political blogger

    House Bill 55, which was introduced this week by Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Woodbridge, would make English the official language of Virginia.

    Actually, the legislation looks more like an attempt to stop the state from using other languages unless someone is sick, in school or in court.

    Here’s the language of the text of Lingamfelter’s bill in what passes for legislative English:

    “Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 1-511 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 1-511. English designated the official language of the Commonwealth.

A. English shall be designated as the official language of the Commonwealth. Except as provided by federal law, no state agency or local government shall be required to provide and no state agency or local government shall be prohibited from or otherwise assist in providing any documents, information, literature or other written materials in any language other than English.

B.  Nothing contained in subsection A shall be construed to prohibit any state agency or local government from providing or assisting in the provision of any documents, information, literature or other written materials in any language other than English in connection with:

1.  Foreign language instruction,

2.  The administration of justice in the courts of the Commonwealth,

3.  Law-enforcement purposes, or

4.  The provision of health care services.“

    If Spanish is good enough for hospitals, schools or courtrooms, why couldn’t the state use it for tourism?

    The summary of the bill says that it: “States that, except as provided by federal law, English is the official language of the Commonwealth, and no state agency or local government shall provide or otherwise assist in providing any documents, information, literature, or other written materials in any language other than English.  The bill provides exceptions to this general rule for any documents, information, literature, or other written materials in a language other than English used in connection with foreign language instruction, administration of justice in the courts of the Commonwealth, law-enforcement purposes, or the provision of health care services.“

  Is the state really doing a lot of stuff in Chinese or Spanish that we don’t know about?