Obama Visit Shows Perriello's In Trouble, Says Opponent

The Republican vying for the House seat currently held by Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) called President Barack Obama’s visit to Charlottesville, Va. this evening a sign of desperation for the incumbent Democrat.

Polls show Perriello, who was elected to the House in 2008, running neck and neck with his challenger, Robert Hurt. Virginia’s 5th District has historically voted Republican, creating much vulnerability for Perriello in his bid for reelection. The nonpartisan Cook Report recently moved the race from “toss-up,” to “lean Republican.”

Hurt and Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) held a conference call with reporters on Friday to discuss the significance of Obama coming to campaign for Perriello just four days before voters cast their ballots. Hurt said the President is rewarding Perriello for being a “a loyal foot soldier” for the White House’s agenda.

“I think it’s refreshing to see that [Periello] is now embracing the President in this late hour, and it shows that he recognizes that his campaign, up to this point, is not convincing people of his commitment to the fifth district,” Hurt said.

Cantor, meanwhile, lauded Hurt’s pro-business approach to growing the nation’s economy which is currently mired in a years-long recession.

“[Republicans] ought to cut spending, we ought to reduce uncertainties that surround the Obama/Pelosi agenda and we ought to focus on putting small business people back into the game, so that they can create jobs.”

Congressional Democrats Call For Improved Health Care For Rural Americans

John DuBois, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Reps. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) and Steve Kagen (D-Wisc.) came out Thursday to support a report released by the Center for Community Change and the Center for Rural Affairs on rural communities' attitudes toward health care reform.

"Health care currently is for the privileged and that’s not how it should be,” Clyburn said.

According to the report, entitled "Sweet The Bitter Drought: Why America Needs Health Care Reform," 82 percent of rural counties are classified as medically under-served areas. Medicaid and Medicare account for 60 percent of rural hospital revenues. In 2006, twenty-five percent of family farmers with health insurance reported debt from medical expenses. The likelihood that rural Americans are under-insured are seventy percent higher than for urban Americans.

“Medical debt leaves women and rural americans afraid because doctors won't give them check-ups without insurance, even if it is a dire situation,” said Cindy Shawcross of the People Escaping Poverty Project.

G.I.V.E. for Volunteerism

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

The legislative stars were out for H.R. 1388 – Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, which supports volunteerism, partially with a stipend or grant toward higher education.

Backed by phalanx of representatives from Be the Change, AmeriCorps alums, Experience Corps, Serve Next, Survivor Corps, DC Central Kitchen, the court-appointed special advocates of DC, and the Young Marines, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) thanked everyone who worked on the bill and compared Obama’s effect on this generation with the way John Kennedy had inspired her and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Hoyer said, “In one year, the millions of Americans (who volunteered) generated in excess of $150 billion. Every dollar we invest in AmeriCorps gives anywhere from $1.50 to $3.90 in return. Boy, oh boy, wouldn’t we like to have a lot of companies who did as well as that.” He cited several volunteer home-weatherizing projects around the country.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) said volunteerism is for everyone: young, retired, and those displaced from their jobs.

Perriello, who has spent his entire career working for non-profits in Africa and the U.S., said, “What we’ve all found is that service isn’t just a matter of giving back to our community, it was a matter of forming our very character. Every American feels a call to service, this cannot be something that only rich young people can afford. This is a bill that is not about anything other than enabling young people to answer that call.” He also pointed out the expertise that volunteers gain doing this work, and the need to bank those skills against emergencies and disasters. “We’ve found that once people have volunteered a little bit, they become a volunteer for life.“Volunteerism is addictive,” he finished.

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) introduced Survivor Corps US Program Manager Capt. Scott Quilty. While leading a patrol in the Sunni Triangle in Oct. ’06, he was a victim of a roadside bomb,losing his right arm and leg.

“Service saved my life twice. Veterans and their families will be given the chance to continue serving their community, by this legislation,” Quilty said. “ Service doesn’t have to end when we take of the uniform, and it shouldn’t end.”

Miller predicted strong bipartisan support in Congress today and tomorrow.

Addendum: H.R. 1388 passed the House 03/18/09