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RICHMOND After a year of partisan warfare that brought Virginia to the brink of a state government shutdown, Gov. Terry McAuliffe has started showing Republicans so much love that he has some Democrats worried.

The same governor who blasted Republicans last year for demagoguery, lies, fear and cowardice has lately heaped praise on them, celebrating their willingness to find common ground in certain areas even as they blocked some of his top priorities.

That dramatic shift in tone is one that legislators and political strategists chalk up to McAuliffes growth as a governor, his humbling defeat on Medicaid expansion or his desire to shake his lightning-rod image to help his good friend Hillary Rodham Clinton win the swing state.

But it has some Democrats concerned as they head into General Assembly elections with the goal of convincing voters that Republicans are standing in McAuliffes way.

Weve got ... to be able to say, These Republicans are impossible to deal with, said Del. Marcus B. Simon (D-Fairfax). I understand the need to put that [positive] message out. But by emphasizing the areas we agree on, it makes it much more difficult to draw contrasts on some of the areas that we think are very important to Northern Virginia voters.

Others say those concerns are misplaced given how early it is in the election year. The former Democratic National Committee chairman has plenty of time to pivot from tossing out compliments to throwing bombs.

Thats a typical Virginia two-step: You want everybody to think things are great, and then in the election, you have to make them think itll only be great if they vote for your side, said Tucker Martin, a former spokesman for the previous governor, Robert F. McDonnell (R).

State Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico), chairman of the Senate Democratic caucus, said there is no conflict between acknowledging bipartisan achievements in some areas while gearing up to highlight sharp differences in others.

I think the commonwealth can celebrate that we have a governor that has been able to find common ground with the people across the aisle, he said. Obviously, there are places where we differ with Republicans, whether its gay rights or gun safety or Medicaid expansion, and well have ample time to drive those points home.

McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said the governor has good reason to cheer Republicans: He says theyve moved in his direction.

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McAuliffe suddenly seems chummy with Virginias GOP lawmakers

Its early, but we already have a rough sense of some of the big-picture contrasts that will drive the next presidential election.

This is an incomplete list, but Hillary Clinton will support international engagement and government action to combat climate change; an immigration reform compromise that exchanges more border security for some kind of path to legalization for the 11 million; a deal with Iran curbing its nuclear program (if one is reached); and a continuation of the movement towards universal health care set in motion by the Affordable Care Act (whatever its fate at the Supreme Court).

By contrast, by the time the eventual GOP nominee is chosen, he will probably have come out against any global climate treaty and at best hedged on domestic climate action; he will have cast serious doubt on whether he can support a real plan for legalization; he will have promised to undo any Iran nuke deal; and he will have vowed to continue the crusade for Obamacare repeal until he draws his very last breath.

Some new polling from the Washington Post and ABC News helps illustrate why this contrast will likely take shape and what it could mean for the next election.

The poll finds that on all of those issues, Republican and conservative voters are on one side, while majorities or pluralities of Americans including independents and moderates are on the other:

* Climate change: 59 percent of Americans say they want the next president to favor government action to address climate change, versus 31 percent who oppose such action. Independents favor action by 61-32, and moderates favor action by 68-23.

By contrast, Republicans tilt against government action by 55-32, and conservatives tilt against it by 55-35.

* Iran: Americans want the next president to favor a negotiated agreement with Iran, rather than oppose it, by 49-42. Independents agree by 51-40, and moderates agree by 55-37.

By contrast, Republicans favor someone who opposes agreement with Iran by 60-31, as do conservatives, by 62-32.

* Immigration: Americans want the next president to support a path to citizenship, as opposed to being against it, by 51-45. Independents agree by 52-44, and moderates agree by 53-42.

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Republican voters want a president who will oppose climate ...

First Amendment and Technology - Professor Neil Richards
Professor Neil Richards of Washington University #39;s School of Law participates in panel 2 the 2015 JBTL Symposium, "The Impact of the First Amendment on American Businesses." Panel 2 discussed...

By: Maryland Carey Law

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First Amendment and Technology - Professor Neil Richards - Video

RACHEL MADDOW 01 07 2015 First Amendment triumphs! Kirby Delauter

By: Bill O #39;Reilly

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RACHEL MADDOW 01 07 2015 First Amendment triumphs! Kirby Delauter - Video

April 3, 2015 4:42 PM

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) speaks to reporters after finishing a speechabout the CIA on the Senate floor, on March 11, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) Do-it-yourself manuals for making explosives are caught in the latest salvo between First Amendment rights and the war on terrorism.

In a press release Thursday, Senator Dianne Feinstein took aim at The Anarchists Cook Book and Inspire Magazine after two women arrested in New York, allegedly used them to plan an Islamic-state inspired attack on the United States.

I am particularly struck that the alleged bombers made use of online bombmaking guides like the Anarchist Cookbook and Inspire Magazine. These documents are not, in my view, protected by the First Amendment and should be removed from the Internet, wrote the Democrat from California.

The Anarchist Cookbook was written by William Powell in 1971, and contains instructions to make explosives. Powell has fought to have is own book removed from publication, but the publisher has refused.

Inspire Magazine is purported to be published by al-Quaeda, and like the Cookbook gives bomb-making instructions.

Feinstein made a similar call after the Oklahoma bombings in 1997 and sponsored a measure that made it illegal to distribute bomb-making information for criminal purposes.

Free speech protectionists argue that the First Amendment prohibits the state from criminalizing thoughts and knowledge that are not acted on.

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Sen. Feinstein Wants DIY Bomb-Making Guide Anarchists Cookbook Off The Internet