Virginia Podcasting Network

Author Joseph Cummins‘ new book traces the various ways in which American elections have been influenced through chicanery. He joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to discuss Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Election Campaigns. After the 2004 campaign and the “Swift-boating” of Senator John Kerry, Cummins said he wanted to write a book that describes some of the country’s least flattering examples of democracy, and the result is a year-by-year catalog of various dirty tricks that have helped elect our presidents - from both parties.

Some fun insults are used in this interview: hermaphrodite, atheist, and “lady of the night.”

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John Whitehead is the founder and CEO of the Rutherford Institute joins Coy Barefoot on the January 28 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” for a conversation about the state of civil liberties and individual rights.

Conversations include:

• A discussion of Whitehead’s upcoming new book, tentatively titled Why We Should Give a Damn
• Whitehead’s thoughts on Barack Obama
• Whitehead’s thoughts on defending Paula Jones
• Recollections of interviewing a young Bill Clinton
• Whitehead was recently featured on the cover of the Hook
• Are You a Homegrown Terrorist?
• Whitehead’s campaign against the NFL (Daily Progress)

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Logan Gibson, the unofficial Washington and Lee University correspondent for WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!”, joins Coy Barefoot to talk about her school’s mock presidential convention. The convention, which will be held this weekend, has been quite accurate in predicting the opposition party’s presidential nominee.

“I think our full record is we’ve gotten it correct 18 out of 23 time, but we’ve only missed one prediction since 1948,” Gibson said. That was when the school nominated Teddy Kennedy over George McGovern.

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How does a strong and growing economy lend itself to job uncertainty, debt, bankruptcy and economic fear for a vast number of Americans? On the January 23rd edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston discusses some possible answers. His new book is called Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest American Enrich Themselves at Government Expense and Stick You With the Bill.

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David Solimini is the executive director of the Virginia Redistricting Coalition, a new organization formed to push for the reform of the way the state draws its legislative boundaries. Coy Barefoot spoke with Solimini about whether or not Virginia is one of the most gerrymandered states, and efforts to hand over the redistricting pen to a non-partisan panel. SB625 and HB836 are making their way through the General Assembly. Solimini says many legislators are “cautiously supportive” about the idea.

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Chris Graham of the New Dominion joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” from the Shenandoah Valley. This week, Chris and Coy talk about:

• the weather differences over the mountains
• the various bills dealing with animal fighting
• the tabling of bills to ban text-messaging while driving
• the fate of redistricting in Virginia

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Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling rejoins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now to continue outlining his legislative priorities for the 2008 General Assembly. Bolling began the conversation last week.

• HB20 would enact party registration in Virginia for primaries.
• Legislation to give state and local law enforcement agencies more power to detain illegal immigrants
• Legislation that would eliminate bail for an illegal immigrant caught by the authorities
• Legislation that would hold employers accountable for knowingly hiring illegal aliens
• Legislation to adjust Virginia’s mental health system

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The 2008 General Assembly session is underway, which means that Charlottesville Daily Progress political reporter Bob Gibson is commuting each day to Richmond. He phones in from the road to join Coy Barefoot on WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now to talk about what has happened so far.

Topics include:

• Democrats unhappy with bill limit set to take effect for next year
• Governor Kaine attempts to set bi-partisan tone and cautions against anti-immigrant tone
• Delegate Brian Moran removed from key committees in advance of gubernatorial run
• The end of the abusive driving fees is near, but details need to be worked out
• An update on Governor Kaine’s efforts to ban smoking in Virginia restaurants

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Attorney General Bob McDonnell joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to talk about his legislative agenda in the new General Assembly session. McDonnell comments on George Allen’s decision not to run for the Senate, how that affects his own plans to run,  his thoughts on the presidential primary, whether Virginia’s February 12 primary will make a difference, and Delegate Bob Marshall (R) throws his hat in the U.S. Senate race.

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Bob Gibson of the Charlottesville Daily Progress joins Coy Barefoot on the eve of the 2008 session of the General Assembly to talk about what Virginians can expect. Other subjects include:

• Delegate Bob Marshall has announced he’s running for the U.S. Senate, to the right of former Governor Jim Gilmore.
• New Hampshire goes to the poll, with Obama leading the way for the Democrats. Who will win the GOP primary?
• A preview of this year’s bond referendum for higher education and how it might change through the session

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