Northrop Grumman Will Move Headquarters to Northern Virginia

Throughout this controversy of where Northrop Grumman would relocate its headquarters I have had mixed emotions: a rejection of a Virginia location could be blamed on the reactionary regime of Taliban Bob McDonnell while having the corporate giant come to Virginia would ad another business voice to bring the state into the 21st century. No doubt, Taliban Bob will seek to take the credit, but as the Washington Post reports Northrop CEO Bush told Maryland Governor O'Malley that they "had been impressed with Maryland's package of incentives but were making what amounted to a real estate decision." Historically, it has been Virginia's large businesses - e.g., Capital One - that have pressured the Neanderthals in the Virginia General Assembly to pass more LGBT friendly laws. There's a LONG way to go, but if Northrop Grumman ads it voice to modernity, long term LGBT Virginians will likely benefit. It's also fun to note as does Blue Virginia - that McDonnell got snubbed by Northrop Grumman:
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Northrop Grumman's chief executive officer, Wes Bush, telephoned U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., late this afternoon to inform the former governor of the company's decision to move to Virginia.
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Hmmm, let's take a closer look at this. With an important bit of very good news to tell, Northrop Grumman's CEO Wes Bush didn't reach out to Bob McDonnell with the big news: instead, he called Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner. The meaning of this snub is clear: Northrop Grumman is coming to Virginia in spite of McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli, both of whom have done so much lately to make Virginians look silly in the national press.

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Here are some more details from the Washington Post piece on this subject:

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Bush gave credit to competitive offers from Maryland and the District but said in Monday's statement that the company's "final decision was driven largely by facility considerations, proximity to our customers, and overall economics."
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Some real estate brokers close to the deal and a Fairfax government source said they expect Northrop to pick a spot at the Fairview Park office complex in Fairfax because it is close to facilities the company already has in Tysons Corner, Rosslyn and other locations.
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According to Abbruzzese, Bush told O'Malley that they "had been impressed with Maryland's package of incentives but were making what amounted to a real estate decision."
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The gulf between Northern Virginia and the rural areas of Virginia that are still re-fighting the Civil War will continue to grow and I look forward to the day when the modernity embracing parts of the state can totally out vote the forces of reaction and bigotry.