After losing the Democratic nomination in 2016, Bernie Sanders started Our Revolution, an organization devoted to grassroots organizing and raising the profiles of progressive candidates. However, today's POLITICO article by Edward-Isaac Dovere paints a bleak picture of an ...read more
Last year, Republicans in Virginia tried to walk a fine line between keeping their distance from Trump while trying to sound like him. The result was a brutal rout despite Virginia being one of the more heavily gerrymandered states in the country. Democratic gubernatorial ...read more
It's another bad day for Republicans as they just lost control of the carefully gerrymandered Virginia House of Delegates after a closely watched recount turned a 10 vote Republican lead into a 1 vote Democratic win for Shelly Simonds. That means the 100 seat House is now split ...read more
The American Women's Party is a new group that should be on your radar for 2018 and beyond. Differing from groups like She Should Run, which encourage women to run for office, The AWP is dedicated to empower the voices of voters, educate them on their rights, and encouraging ...read more
Tuesday night, white men in Virginia voted overwhelmingly (63%) for Ed Gillespie (after he ran an incredibly racist campaign. White women voted for him by a slim (51%) but convincing margin as well despite Gillespie embracing Trumpism, the wholesale rolling back of women's ...read more
To the GOP, Congratulations on your first lesson in karma in the era of Donald Trump! It has been a long time coming, but you've finally been made to feel the consequences of your allegiance to a bonafide lunatic who has no business being in the White House. The stunning ...read more
Last night's elections in Virginia were a stunning victory for the Democrats. As I reported on Monday, voters in the commonwealth didn't care about Donna Brazile and DNC fundraising squabbles: they were too busy organizing to usher into power their new governor, Ralph Northam, ...read more
In a perfect world, Virginia's election for governor tomorrow, between Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie, would not even be close. Gillespie has stoked the flames of racist Virginians with dog-whistle ads chastising NFL protestors, utilizing Latino gang members ...read more
Conservative Republican Bryce Reeves (yes, that's how he introduces himself), wants you to be afraid, so very, very afraid. Did you know that Obama left the world so dangerous that terrorists in full military gear may be living right across the street from you? Or they may come ...read more
If the allegations surrounding former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) and his wife are true, then they seem to be two petty, tacky people who deserve each other, but the hostility being directed toward Mrs. McDonnell, as exemplified by Morning Joe's Joe Scarborough, is telling of the ...read more
When House Majority Leader Eric Cantor unexpectedly lost his midterm primary to a little-known Tea Party candidate named Dave Brat on Tuesday night, liberals around the country cackled and rejoiced, even as journalists scrambled to figure out who, exactly, Brat is. ...read more
A group of Confederate flag enthusiasts called The Virginia Flaggers has just completed their second massive erection of a Confederate flag, along Interstate 95 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Just how massive? The 20x30 foot flag now flies atop an 82-foot pole, where, according ...read more
Happy hump day! It's good to know you're at least halfway through the week, so why not celebrate the small victories in life with a nice round-up of news. 1. Terry McAuliffe Clinches Governor Seat in Virginia, Chris Christie Re-elected in New Jersey McAuliffe, a democrat ...read more
If You Like Ken Cuccinelli, you'll love his pick to be lieutenant governor, E.W. Jackson. Jackson released this video. I will let it speak for itself. ...read more
The Daily Banter Headline Grab. From Huff Post: A Republican-controlled committee in the Virginia State Senate voted 8-7 on Thursday to block Democrats' efforts to repeal a new mandatory ultrasound law and a set of regulations that could shut down many abortion clinics in the ...read more
Obama is holding on to his commanding lead in Ohio – he’s up by 4 points. Richard Adams at the Guardian points out, for Romney to win, he has to take Florida, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa and Colorado. Romney's increasingly narrow path to the Presidency To get the ...read more
From CNN: Mitt Romney repeatedly seemed to question whether President Barack Obama believed in the American dream in an energetic campaign speech Tuesday, calling his rival's approach to leadership "foreign" and accusing him of trying to change "the nature of America." ...read more
By Chez Pazienza: I didn't want this to turn into a public back-and-forth, but when I wrote a piece last week for this site on the double-standard when it comes to how news outlets cover crimes which are racially motivated or have the potential to be racially motivated, I knew ...read more
By Bob Cesca: Last week, my friend and podcast partner Chez Pazienza wrote a piece for The Daily Banter about a case involving several African American youths in Norfolk, Virginia who allegedly beat up a pair of reporters from The Virginian-Pilot newspaper, Dave Forster and ...read more
By Chez Pazienza: Every once in a while I apparently like to see to it that my progressive street cred takes a huge hit and, well, I guess it's that time again. The line to angrily show me the error of my ways forms to the left -- just, please, not the face, eh? In case you ...read more
Newt Gingrich finally ended his Republican presidential candidacy Wednesday, unbowed and with a backhanded endorsement of the party's presumptive nominee. Flanked by members of his family at a suburban Virginia hotel, the former House speaker said he would work to elect ...read more
Exclusive: Work-place and college-campus slaughters have become a regular feature of America’s harsh economic landscape the past few decades, as Ayn Rand-style policies sharply divide the nation into a few heroic “winners” and many hapless “losers,” a factor Mark Ames examines in ...read more
A Navy fighter jet experienced a "catastrophic mechanical malfunction" during takeoff Friday over the military community of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and rained a stench of jet fuel shortly before crashing into apartment buildings, according to residents and Navy officials. ...read more
George Allen, racial terrorist (background), once again seeks to infect the U.S. Senate with his particular brand of ignorance. Former Sen. George Allen will end weeks of speculation and formally declare his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Virginia on Monday, two Republican advisers ...read more
Yet again, they are who we think they are. At age 34, two years before his first election and two decades before he would run for governor of Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell submitted a master's thesis to the evangelical school he was attending in Virginia Beach in which he ...read more
Last year Virginia played an important role in choosing now-President Obama in the Democratic primaries, showing that he did have strength in that swing state and we later turned the commonwealth blue in November. Now Virginia has chosen Creigh Deeds over Terry McAuliffe whose ...read more
In Virginia... Virginia! The Republicans recently oustered the state party chairman after the state went blue for President Obama. So now apparently some are talking up George "Macaca" Allen as a replacement. Seriously? Look, I'm a Democrat who wants to see Democrats win, but ...read more
Yes, I am 5 years old. (via) ...read more
Virginia's homegrown eyebrow, Tim Kaine, will be the new DNC chairman. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will become chairman of the Democratic National Committee later this month, serving as the top political messenger for Barack Obama's administration even while he finishes his ...read more
To break my moratorium on election talk, please somebody decent in the Democratic party oppose Terry McAuliffe running for governor of Virginia. He's just... wrong. Virginia is newly blue and I'd like to keep it that way. ...read more
Together, we can change the world. Sen. Barack Obama saved his biggest Virginia rally for last -- bringing out more than 85,000 people to the Prince William County Fairgrounds on the eve of Election Day. The Democratic presidential nominee's final major rally before voters head ...read more
New poll (pdf) shows Obama +11 over McCain in Virginia... ALSO: New polls show a 2-4 point lead for McCain... in Arizona! He'll likely win it, but by comparison Sen. Obama has about a 25% lead in Illinois. ...read more
"With the challenges facing us we can't afford to divide this country" 13 days. 13 days, sweet Jesus. ...read more
That's the feeling I get reading about the Obama volunteers in Northern Virginia. I wonder if, on some level, these great people are like those who worked with Dr. King some 40+ years ago? ...read more
The "real Virginia" crack is leading the local news here. Not good for McCain at all. It's like the Clinton campaign's refrain about which states did and didn't count but far far worse. Virginia was already leaning Obama, this may lock it in. WUSA Channel 9's (the CBS affiliate) ...read more
Because, you know they've got all those Democrats and minorities in Northern Virginia. Yesterday Sarah Palin said some states were pro-America and some weren't. Now they've ratcheted it up so that even within some states the residents aren't "real" Americans. These people make ...read more
New polls from Virginia. SurveyUSA: 53% Obama 43% McCain Suffolk: 51% Obama 39% McCain Yes, that's right. Barack Obama has a double digit lead in two polls over John McCain. In Virginia. Get to work, America. ...read more
Last week Republicans in Florida had a special meeting to discuss McCain's eroding support there. Then Michigan Republicans wailed about McCain retreating there. Now in Virginia, Republicans are facing the very real chance that they too will lose. Since this election season ...read more
McCain campaign rep in Virginia goes there. In 'humor' he accuses Obama of wanting to paint the White House black, supporting reparations, changing the national anthem to the 'black national anthem', teaching 'black liberation theology in all churches', and replacing the flag ...read more
Because Gov. Warner has a crazy 30 point lead in his senate race. In this case it would help for this down-ticket race to have an updraft. ...read more
So says this poll from Survey USA. I'm more than a little skeptical, but we'll see. I caught the debate between Mark Warner and Jim Gillmore on C-SPAN last night, and it was funny how Gillmore kept trying to use Obama to attack Gov. Warner. Gov. Warner didn't take the debate and ...read more
The Republican party is holding a rally for minorities. The Republican party is holding a rally for minorities... in Virginia. The Republican party is holding a rally for minorities in Virginia... hosted by George "Macaca" Allen. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! They're predicting 1,000 ...read more
Soren Dayton of The Next Right (same as TheOldRight, just with computers!) pulls some "analysis" out of his butt and decided that Sen. Obama was pulling out of Virginia based on an email looking for people to come to Pennsylvania to volunteer. But then we Marylanders got an ...read more
The newest state polls show movement for McCain, but the only one I would be concerned about is Virginia. I think just based on demographics and recent trends and the secret plan to send Marylanders to Northern VA (oh, did I say that out loud?), Obama will win Virginia, but it ...read more
Today Jim Gilmore barely got the Republican nomination for the open senate seat. 65 votes! Steadily I think Virginia is going to become more like us over here in Maryland. And Mark Warner has his first campaign ad up: Obama will win Virginia on Warner's coattails. ...read more