Albo Sacked for Safety on State of the Commonwealth

In a sign of desperation, the Republican Caucus used embattled Delegate Dave Albo (R-Abuser Fees) for its response to the State of the Commonwealth. How successful was it? Well, here's what the conservative Fairfax Times had to say:

Still hung over from a fruitless transportation special session last June and defeats on Nov. 4, members of the state Republican leadership chose to take the low road during their post-State of the Commonwealth rebuttal Jan. 14. . . .

In a partisan push, Del. David Albo (R-Springfield) and Sen. Stephen Newman (R-Lynchburg), who gave the rebuttal, mocked the governor by pointing to his December 2008 budget address, saying nowhere in his speech did Kaine use the words “streamline” or “consolidate,” “public-private partnership” or “reform.”

Nowhere in the Republicans' rebuttal did either Albo or Newman use the words “new ideas.” . . . .
With only a little more than a month for state leaders to solve Virginia’s budget crisis, now is the time to focus on common-sense solutions.

Virginians cannot afford for our legislators to play politics in the next month and a half. We need new ideas, not old ideals. We need answers for the future, not agendas for the upcoming House of Delegates election. Virginia Needs Solutions, Not Partisanship, Fairfax Times (Jan. 21, 2009).

How accurate was Del. Dave Albo in his facts? The Democratic Party of Virginia published this four-part fact check correcting misrepresentations throughout the speech.

DPVA, Dave Albo Fact Check (Jan. 15, 2009)

This is not unusual behavior for Del. Dave Albo who spent his last contested race accusing his opponent of supporting tax increases he didn't support or saying he was in touch with his district while opposing restaurant smoking bans, blocking transportation funding, or pushing bills to promote the sale of alcohol for his donors.

Albo Puts Ideology Before Northern Virginia

Delegate Dave Albo loves to pretend like he cares about Northern Virginia more than keeping his leadership position in the Republican Party.

See, he has a little problem. His law partner - Majority Leader Morgan Griffith is Chairman of the House Republican Caucus. AMG, Announcing Albo & Griffith, Attorneys At-Law (June 24, 2008). We've frequently questioned how can Delegate Albo can exercise independent judgment or represent Northern Virginia when his business partner is his boss in the Republican Caucus.

Part of his misinformation strategy is to introduce bills that he knows have no prayer of passing like HB 1669. This bill requires the Commonwealth to return 50% of the growth of all income taxes to localities. How likely do you think it is that the rest of the Commonwealth will let the highest income jurisdiction in the Commonwealth keep half of its income growth?

Our Delegate thinks he can introduce these bills and then come back and pretend that he "did something" while he was in Richmond. It's an interesting strategy. Perhaps it is why he has been rated as one of the most ineffective legislators in the General Assembly.

So when the rubber hits the road and it comes time for Delegate Albo to buck his caucus so that we can actually seat a duly elected member of the Fairfax County delegation who does it go with? Northern Virginia or his law partner? He votes with his business partner and refuses to seat a duly elected State Delegate for four days in a row.

Is this behavior new? Well this may be the first time Delegate Albo has actually disenfranchised voters. Time to put that on his political resume. However, it's not the first time he's put the Republican Party before Fairfax County. In 2006, when it came time to vote for some minor budget amendments to restore funding for subsidized Fairfax County childcare for needy kids did he vote with this rest his delegation?

Nope. Check out this Oldie but Goodie - AMG, Is Dave Albo Offering to Babysit 1900 Children (Apr. 7, 2006) or this one - AMG, Albo Nixes Poor Kids (July 6, 2006). The South County Chronicle called his behavior a mean, partisan cheap shot." The Mount Vernon Gazette editorial said "Last week, Republican members of the General Assembly voted down 20 of 36 of Kaine’s priority budget amendments. Even Fairfax County members of the General Assembly voted to hurt local children with the partisan maneuver."

Looks like some things never change.

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Former Republican Senator Calls Albo's Bluff

Former Republican State Senator had this to say about Delegate Albo's new proposal to create smoking and non-smoking sections:

This approach is kinda like Griffith's in '07. He had a bill that year just to get credit for doing something not a true solution. However if he can get it out of the house and over to the senate then there is something to work through conference. At least that is a start. Since Albo is on the ABC bill killing subcommittee it will be interesting to see if he is serious about reporting it out.

Is he serious about solving this problem?

Let's just say Delegate Albo has at least 168,000 dollars... uh, I mean reasons not to be serious about reporting it out.

AMG, Delegate for Sale (Apr. 1, 2006)
It's Miller Time: Leveraging Booze & Smokes for $$$ (Feb. 21, 2008)
AMG, Albo + Tobacco + $$$ = A Legislative Coward (Feb. 17, 2008)
AMG: Albo & Big Tobacco Run with Jim Crow & Joe McCarthy (Jan. 2, 2008)
AMG: Albo: Just Don't Light Up In Your Fireplace (Feb. 15, 2008)

AMG boldly predicts that "The ABC Billing Killing Committee" will do it's job rather than give Kaine and the Senate another shot at banning smoking in restaurants.

Albo Proposes Smoking AND Non-Smoking Sections

Last year, Virginia came tantalizingly close to banning smoking from restaurants. However, Delegate Dave Albo fought it the entire way arguing that regulation of smoke in restaurants was "unamerican."

AMG: Albo & Big Tobacco Run with Jim Crow & Joe McCarthy (Jan. 2, 2008)
AMG, Albo: Leveraging Booze and Smokes for $$$ (Feb. 21, 2008).

This year, Delegate Albo is s back to the same tricks. He says that he plans to introduce bills to make it ok to limit smoke in restaurants so long as they have a smoking section (this is not a joke).

But Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax), who voted against the restaurant smoking ban last year, said Kaine does not appear to be seeking compromise. “They had a big election win and they want to run around shoving their bills down people’s throats without compromise,” Albo said. “It’s just purely political.” Albo said he plans to submit a narrower bill. It would ban smoking in some restaurants with key exceptions. It would exclude private clubs and restaurants that have designated smoking areas set apart from nonsmoking areas. It would also exclude cigar bars and establishments restricted to customers 18 and older, Albo said. Momentum Seen For Smoke Free Restaurants, Washington Post (Jan. 7, 2008).

Well, now THAT will be a big change from the way things are now - we'll have smoking sections AND non-smoking sections. Revolutionary.

One delegate said that kind of solution would make Northern Virginia the D.C. region's "ashtray."

It's interesting, because Delegate Albo did introduce a bill to regulate fireplace smoke - (Note: In Albo-logic it's American to regulate fireplace smoke, but it's Unamerican to regulate tobacco smoke).

AMG: Albo: Just Don't Light Up In Your Fireplace (Feb. 15, 2008)

You would think he'd budge after all the criticism. During the 2008 session, he was criticized by a Southwest Virginia newspaper and several other bloggers for his behavior:

AMG, Albo + Tobacco + $$$ = A Legislative Coward (Feb. 17, 2008)
Not Larry Sabato, Dave "Atria" Albo (Apr. 22, 2007)

In 2007, the Virginian Pilot pointed out that our own Delegate Dave Albo was #2 in tobacco contributions on the committee that had repeatedly killed smoking legislation. AMG: Doin the People's Bidness Albo-Style (Jan. 30, 2007). Even back in 2005, The Washington Post was asking questions and we got this gem:

Del. Dave Albo (R-Fairfax) went to Wolf Trap and took in a Redskins game courtesy of Dominion, and to a NASCAR event and two dinners on Altria. "These are two of the largest corporations in Virginia," he said, adding that it's to be expected that firms with large interests "would be more involved." "Nobody expects anything in return. It's a chance to talk. That's what we do," he said.
"Lobbies Treated Va. Lawmakers to $211,000 in Gifts, Food, Trips," Washington Post, B05 (Feb. 4, 2005).

When will Delegate Albo listen to his constituents? Maybe once people from the 42nd match the $164,000 that Delegate Albo has taken from the alcohol, restaurant, and tobacco industries. AMG, It's Miller Time: Leveraging Booze and Smokes for $$$ (Feb. 21, 2008).