Virginia

Virginia continues to be a key state in setting the political tone in America. I have believed since 2004 that Virginia is a state that can be slowly turned blue. The elections of 2005 and 2006 support my belief. This year the trend continues as we may well easily win the VA Senate race, and Barack Obama is consistently tied with McCain in this once safe-red state. But the House races also interest me, both because of our chances of winning a few, but also because the Dem candidates seem to be a particularly good bunch. I think we have a shot at winning VA-11, VA-10 and VA-2, and, with a little more effort, maybe even VA-5. And in each case the Democratic Candidate offers experience that America definitely needs after 8 years of Bush mismanagement. Let me give you a rundown of these four candidates. For all of them you can help by donating through my Virginia Act Blue Site or by volunteering through their websites.

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More info here.

Register here.

Preliminary Agenda Here (PDF)

I have been pushing two special elections, one in Ohio and one in Virginia. Both were in traditionally DEEP red districts. The very fact that we seemed to have a shot at EITHER of them was a big surprise.

What happened in the end was the Republicans held their own. They performed pretty much as expected in both districts easily winning both. But what did happen was the strength of the Democratic challenge forced them to fight harder than they ever had to for these two districts. They had to fight harder than ever to stay where they were.

In and of itself this would be meaningless. But as part of a broader strategy (an extension of Howard Dean's contest every district philosophy) the Democrats did something pretty smart. The DCCC has far more money these days than the NRCC. This is unusual. Generally the NRCC does far better at fundraising. But people are so fed up with Bush that the Republicans are having a really hard time fundraising while the Dems are doing great.

So the DCCC, somewhat uncharacteristically, decided to take a lesson from Howard Dean. So they used some of their surplus funds to make a try for deep red districts. They lost but in the process they made the Republicans spend money they just don't have.

As of last filing the NRCC had $2.6 million in the bank and $3.6 million in debt. Yep they had MORE DEBT than cash. Since then we forced them to spend nearly 20% of the cash they had on hand to hold onto two districts that they never really had to defend before. This plunges them deeper into debt.

Today are two important special elections for Congress: VA-1 and OH-5. Both used to be safe republican districts, but the Iraq Quagmire and Bush's staggering unpopularity have turned them into hotly contested districts. The Republican Party is so spooked over these that they are actually going deep into debt to try and win them. They are pouring money they don't have into these distircts, yet going into election day both seats are still up in the air.

VIRGINIA's 5th Congressional District:

Philip Forgit is aIraq War Vet and a Bronze Star recipient . He served with a Naval Special Warfare Unit as an advisor to the Iraqi Army in 2005-2006. Prior to being called up Forgit was a 4th grade teacher at Rawls Byrd Elementary, winning the 2005 National Education Association (NEA) Award for Teaching Excellence. Bronze Star AND NEA award for Teaching Excellence. Seems like an excellent candidate.

Phil Forgit has been endorsed by Teamsters Local 95, Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, Captain Ted Hontz USN (Ret) Former Commanding Officer, Aegis Training Center, Chap Petersen, State Senator-Elect, 34th District (and someone I have pushed for before!), Sheriff Gerald S. Holt, and many others.

Forgit has a shot at winning, albeit a long shot. What he needs is a high voter turn out. So, if you live in that district VOTE. And if you want to help (from within or outside the district) please contact Forgit's campaign NOW.

Tuesday November 6th is election day in Virginia. If progresssives want to have an influence, they have to focus on low turnout elections like this one. This is one of our best chances to have an effect...if we VOTE!

Here are some resources and recommendations for Virginia voters:

Chap Peterson for State Senate, 34th district:

I've advocated for this guy before, and now is the time to vote for him. Endorsed by AFL-CIO, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Fairfax County Coalition of Police, Fairfax County Deputy Sheriffs, Gov. Mark Warner, Gov. Tim Kaine, Sen. Jim Webb and others. I picked Chap for top attention earlier this year and I place him there again just before election day.

I don't have enough info on other candidates to make specific recommendations for other races right now, but here are some resources to help you decide.

AFL-CIO endorsed candidates for Virginia in 2007

League of Conservation Voters endorsed candidates for Virginia in 2007

Sierra Club Endorsements

Yesterday, as I sat in the lobby of the Elizabeth Detention Center waiting to testify at a hearing, I learned about the violent incident that took place in Virginia. A small flat-screen television hangs on a wall in the detention center’s lobby. I sat there for almost six hours, each hour getting more and more agitated at the cell phone and video coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings. Normally in these situations, I get up and turn the television off. But I was in a situation where I could not get away from the images bombarded at me. CNN shot the ongoing campus scenes throughout the whole day, reiterating over and over again that this was the biggest shooting ever to take place in American history. At first while I listened to the news reporters, I masked my fears, needing to act like I was in control, that everything was okay, and that I was strong enough to stomach the events they televised.

I distracted myself from the flat-screen television and tried to focus on preparing for my testimony. But as the hours went by, officers at the detention center passed by me, shouting out the latest death toll. First 21, then 22, then 29, then 31, then 32, and finally 33. It was impossible to tune out. I felt my mind and my heart drift back to when I was 16 years-old, when I was also on campus during a college shooting rampage. That was almost 15 years ago.

At various times yesterday, CNN provided history and statistical information of previous school shootings like Columbine and The University of Texas massacres. I waited for them to list my alma mater. But one school they didn't list was a small early undergraduate program called Simon's Rock College, tucked away in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. This is where a college campus shooting occurred on December 14, 1992, the first shooting to occur in the United States in the 1990s.

About 31 people were killed with another 28 injured in two separate shooting incidents at Virginia Tech.

The first one ocurred at 7:15am at a dorm where 2 people had been shot. Two hours later the massacre occurred : After killing himself, an unidentified gunman had taken the lives of another 32 people.

The university chose not to dismiss classes or give any alerts over their public announcement system. School officials believe the first shooting was a domestic dispute and did not see any need to alert students after the 7:15am shooting. But by 9:00am there was an email already circulating asking students to stay in their class and doorooms because there was a gunman on campus.

This shooting goes beyond the 1999 shooting at Columbine and the 1966 University of Texas at Austin shootout. The first one left 12 high school kids and a teacher dead. The second left 16 people dead.

Are Americans reaching a breaking point? Online and off violence seems to have been unleashed without impunity.

Reuters

George Allen concedes, Jim Webb wins and Democrats control the Senate, 51 to 49. Sweet!

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Nov 9, 2006 (AP)— Republican Sen. George Allen gracefully conceded defeat Thursday after a bruising battle against Democrat Jim Webb, sealing the Democrats' control of Congress and the political downfall of a man once considered a White House contender.

Allen said the "owners of government have spoken and I respect their decision."
Source : ABC News

Jim Webb is winning by half a percentage point. He should declare victory NOW. Force Allen to go on the defensive.

UPDATE!
I mourned Jim Webb's loss too soon! He's winning by 3,000 votes! Talk about drama. Do we smell a recount in the air? I wonder if Diebold machines are involved in that election. And what about absentee ballots?

WOW.

This is getting exciting.

It looks like Joe Lieberman has held on to his seat in a three-way race. Ned Lamont has not conceded but it's not looking good.

Jim Webb, at the time of this post, is losing by less than 7,000 votes. The race has not been called yet.

What do you think this means for the liberal blogosphere or netroots? They poured with direct and indirect contributions to these races millions of dollars yet still could not deliver these high profile seats.

Why do you think this happened?

The Republicans recently conceded that they will lose many Senate seats and decided to entrench, or as they called it, build a fire wall at three states: Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia. Barbara Boxer, the excellent Senator from California, is challenging all Democrats to help break through that Republican firewall. Here is her challenge, including some good info on the three Senate races.

The Republicans have drawn their line in the sand and are making their last stand in 3 "firewall" states to desperately try to hold on to their narrow Senate majority. This Republican firewall is the only thing left standing between us and a Democratic Senate -- and we've got 18 days to break through.

Contribute to the 3 Senate races that will ensure a Democratic victory -- break down the Republican firewall now!

Yes, there is an almost unanimous view (with that pillar of integrity Karl Rove dissenting) that the House and the Senate are poised to swing to the Democrats this November.

So now the Republicans have started to circle the wagons around their most threatened Senate seats. They have admitted pulling money out of other states where they are trailing badly to try to build a firewall around these three seats: Tennessee, where Bill Frist is retiring; Virginia, where George Allen has been imploding; and Missouri, where Jim Talent has consistently rubber stamped President Bush's extreme right-wing agenda.

The Washington Post has just given Jim Webb their endorsement:

[Jim Webb] was prescient in warning, back in 2002, that the war in Iraq risked stranding the United States in a long-term occupation without an exit strategy. An intelligent man with a record of integrity, he has resisted the packaging of political consultants, which can only be a good thing. Those assets, as well as his deep familiarity with military and national security affairs, offer the promise that he would make an able, if unorthodox, U.S. senator. And the fact that his youngest son is deployed as a marine in Iraq gives him a perspective that is rare in today's Congress.

I should note that MANY Democrats, though not enough in Congress, predicted the quagmire and criticized the lack of an exit strategy. So Webb was not ALONE in that, but it still is a major difference between him and his opponet, Racist Republican Allen. Speaking of whom, the Washington Post has this to say about Racist Allen:

Quite simply, he is a mediocre senator whose six years of undistinguished service do not justify rehiring.

...Mr. Allen lacks any comparable independent-mindedness. He has spent his time in the Senate in lock step with the Bush administration, embracing tax cuts that have imperiled the nation's fiscal health; subsidies for oil and gas companies that hardly needed the help; prisoner detention policies that have undercut America's image abroad; and restrictions on embryonic stem cell research despite its medical potential.

The Washington Post has just given Jim Webb their endorsement:

[Jim Webb] was prescient in warning, back in 2002, that the war in Iraq risked stranding the United States in a long-term occupation without an exit strategy. An intelligent man with a record of integrity, he has resisted the packaging of political consultants, which can only be a good thing. Those assets, as well as his deep familiarity with military and national security affairs, offer the promise that he would make an able, if unorthodox, U.S. senator. And the fact that his youngest son is deployed as a marine in Iraq gives him a perspective that is rare in today's Congress.

I should note that MANY Democrats, though not enough in Congress, predicted the quagmire and criticized the lack of an exit strategy. So Webb was not ALONE in that, but it still is a major difference between him and his opponet, Racist Republican Allen. Speaking of whom, the Washington Post has this to say about Racist Allen:

Quite simply, he is a mediocre senator whose six years of undistinguished service do not justify rehiring.

...Mr. Allen lacks any comparable independent-mindedness. He has spent his time in the Senate in lock step with the Bush administration, embracing tax cuts that have imperiled the nation's fiscal health; subsidies for oil and gas companies that hardly needed the help; prisoner detention policies that have undercut America's image abroad; and restrictions on embryonic stem cell research despite its medical potential.

In Pennsylvania, Republican Congressman Don Sherwood was caught in a very public scandal where it was discovered he had a mistress for 5 years. This was discovered because he tried to strangle her, she locked her self in his bathroom and called 911. After being rescued from the abusive Republican Congressman, she sued him, furthering the scandal.

In Virginia Republican George Allen has been publically using racial slurs and apparantly has been using them since at least college. He is also thought to have past connections with white supremicists.

These are the two people George Bush is going out of his way to campaign for. From Salon.com:

Bush will make separate appearances Thursday for Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Pa., and Sen. George Allen, R-Va.

Sherwood had been considered to have a safe seat for re-election until a woman filed suit against him and alleged that he had choked her during an altercation at his Capitol Hill apartment. He admitted to having an affair with the woman, 35 years his junior, but denied hurting her. They settled the case out of court.

"Mr. Sherwood has certainly admitted to what is going on," [White House press secretary Tony] Snow said. "And the president also believes that we're all sinners, we all seek forgiveness and, in this particular case, he's supporting Don Sherwood's candidacy."

I am posting on behalf of Hal Friedman, current Vice President of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats and local activist. He just attended a New Democratic Majority event with Mark Warner of Virginia, probably 2008 Presidential candidate. I want to emphasize that I am neutral on 2008 elections until we get 2006 out of the way. I am reserving judgement on Mark Warner, as well as all other likely contenders. However, Hal gives very clear observations of Mark Warner that are worth disseminating. Here are his observations in his own words:

I had the opportunity to hear Mark Warner speak at an even hosted by NDM & DLf21C this Monday and I'd like to share my impressions:

Mark struck two themes:

1.George Bush is a divider, he wasted a golden opportunity to unite all Americans after 9/11 and his rule has resulted in a bitterly divided nation. Warner will seek to unite Americans in a search for common ground and an emphasis on what is positive and great about America.

2. George Bush and the GOP are miserable incompetents and Warner and the Democrats will do a much better job.

The common ground rhetoric is not original to Warner. The latest manifestation of this comes from an important essay by Michael Tomasky in the American Prospect entitled "A Party in Search of a Notion". The point made by Tomasky, and Warner by implication, is that Dems continue to lose elections because they are perceived as being the political vehicle only for special interests. Dems are overly concerned with the needs and rights of sectors of the population, blacks, gays, unions etc while they don't appeal to Americans as a whole, in contrast to the New Deal & New Frontier Dems who always argued that expanding rights to previously excluded groups like workers or blacks was good for everyone. These Dems emphasized the need to subordinate private interest to the common good "Ask not what your country can do for you..." Warner said he would seek to unite Americans around a notion of serving the common good (he used that term), downplay extreme partisanship, and to put out a view that America has great potential and all should seek to realize it.