Republicans, here’s your chance.

Joe Murray’s making one hell of a run for Tuesday’s special election in the VA-46.  You know, Brian Moran’s old seat.  The one Moran bailed on when he realized he needed to spend more time focusing on his race for Governor as opposed to his constituents.

Joe Murray is the Republican candidate and has a great chance to win one in what has been a dark blue district.  But he needs our help.

Please consider a contribution of $5, $25, $50 or more to Joe Murray for Delegate.  Your help can really make a difference, take one for the right, and send a good man to Richmond.  A man who will represent his constituents through and through.

For more information on Joe, check out his website and Facebook group.

Tim Kaine’s transportation plan is out and it’s not pretty no matter how you look at it.  He proposes imposing an increase in the sales tax in NOVA and Hampton Roads (the same type of increased that was killed by referendum by NOVA voters in 2002), a bump in the tax on car titling and a statewide increase in the grantor’s tax charged when one sells their home.  You know, because the housing market is a great place to be looking for money these days.

DJ does a good job dissecting the proposal, as does Brian Kirwin, Va Patriot and LG Bill Bolling.

VPAP has a new look.  I dig.

For those of you keeping track at home, here are the first quarter filings for candidates running for Tom Davis’s open seat in Virginia’s 11th:

Leslie Byrne (D) raised $231k and has $237k on hand
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00440909/332352/#SUMMARY

Gerry Connolly (D) raised $501k and has $422k on hand
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00445452/333752/#SUMMARY

Doug Denneny (D) raised $34k and has $14k on hand
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00437145/332033/#SUMMARY

Keith Fimian (R) raised $138k and has $742k on hand
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00437210/333649/#SUMMARY

The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is asking Average Joe’s to do some lobbying work for them:

The cash strapped Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) — especially after the Virginia Supreme Court stripped it of the taxing authority the governor and legislature gave it — is asking residents of the Washington, DC area to make videos of their commutes and post them to its “Piece of My Commute” campaign page.

Let the sock-puppetry begin!

Snipers force I64 shut down after shooting four cars and injuring two people.

A freight train derailed in Henrico this morning, forcing cancellations affecting more than 600 passengers.

Maybe it’s not NOVA/ROVA but EAVA/WEVA.

Waldo Jaquith has recently started adding Senate video archives to Richmond Sunlight.

The House of Delegates effectively killed Smoking Ban legislation yesterday.

The Virginia GOP Caucus has had a blog pop up recently that attempts to promote the Virginia House Republican Caucus and hold Democrats accountable in ways that Dems have been targeting the VA GOP for a while now: video, insider thoughts and the like.  Waldo Jaquith has taken them to task for it, branding it as rendering their previous stance as “bullshit”.  While I don’t agree with Waldo assessment, I do see problems with what the VA GOP Caucus is doing and offer the following advice:

1) Actually pay for a blog:  While “This blog is paid for and authorized by the Virginia House Republican Caucus” might sound neat, you’re using a Blogpress blog, for cripes sake.  Cheap hosting is available everywhere you look.  I recommend MJZHosting with plans starting under $19 a year.  This will give you a bit more flexibility in what you can do with your site like…

2) Use WordPress or another content management system that actually allows you to log who’s commenting on your site.  IPs are very important to keep yourself from being harassed and allowing you to…

3) Limit anonymous commenters:  If you’re the official blog of anything you need to provide yourself a bit of a shield.  By either banning or simply limiting anonymous commenters by tracking IPs, you grant yourself a greater level of control over your very own soapbox.  Because that’s what this blog is, YOUR soapbox.  Don’t let it get hijacked by others.

4) Fully utilize and understand blogging:  Just tossing up a blog and posting once in a while isn’t going to cut it.  If you’re not going to engage your commenters, why allow comments?  Also, you have to…

5) Use the site to inform or update people as to the happenings of the GOP Caucus:  Don’t make it a one note blog.  Hitting at the Dem Caucus is all well and good, but try and do a bit more cheerleading for the GOP side or a bit more informing the public as to what’s going on.

6) Transparency is key: Who’s blogging?  If it’s a legislative assistant, that’s fine, but if you’re going to have Delegates blog once in a while (which they should), you should have their name on it.  And have a means for people to e-mail you because folks might want to say something or ask a question or just reach you to say hello and spam ya.  And last but not least…

7) Use the Republican blogosphere: Announcing things once in a while is all well and good.  But if you’re not going to link to other blogs or let others know what’s happening, who really cares?  There’s a big ol’ Republican Virginia blogosphere out here waiting to be engaged and offering some great insights that you can push around.  There are also plenty of brains to pick as to how to really use that blog to its fullest.

Just a few thoughts from a guy who’s been doing this for a while.

Hope everyone’s doing alright dealing with these brushfires.