Yes, Virginia, There Is Accountability

The truth apparently has a liberal bias in the Virginia State Legislature these days, according to ABC:

Anger over Republicans killing bills without recording the vote, Democratic operatives began videotaping early morning and late-night statehouse proceedings and posting them on their assembly's blog and the Internet-based video site YouTube.

"We're providing openness and access to Virginia government," said Mark Bergman, spokesman for the Virginia Democratic Party.

Bergman argues that the videos are the only way for Virginians to see these committee proceedings because the Republican majority changed the rules in 2006 to allow off-hour committee and subcommittee votes to go unrecorded.

Last week, House Republicans in Virginia defeated a Democratic measure without recording the vote that would have raised the state's minimum wage.

Interesting as it is to find out what your representatives were doing in your name while you were sleeping, the Virginia GOP is calling it "gotcha politics," objecting to having the proceedings recorded.

"It's an effort to demonize Republicans," said Shaun Kenney, communications director for the Virginia Republican Party. "It's about targeting and embarrassing Republican delegates," he said.

Kenney said the presence of video cameras inside the committee hearing is hampering political discourse and debate.

Yes, having votes and committee meetings on public matters accessible to state residents is "demonizing," "targeting" and "embarrassing" Republicans. Kinda makes you wonder what they’re up to, doesn’t it?