Your newest member

By: faithfull
Published On: 8/31/2007 9:41:00 AM

Hi yall,
(Excuse the vanity of a diary announcing my arrival. I feel kind of like Max Fischer in Rushmore, giving his first speech at Grover Cleveland. :) )

My name is J.W.
A Native Tennessean, and a collegiate North Carolinian with a long history of interest in Southern politics (my major was Appalachian Political History)...I am proud to be penning my first RaisingKaine diary as a Virginian.

I am a long-time poster at the Appalachian Voices bolg, DailyKos, myDD,  BlueNC, and my old local blog - WataugaWatch.

I am very pleased to share with you that I am now the newest resident of Abermarle County, Virginia...and you won't find a much happier fellow around these parts.
My new little home is nestled out on a couple dozen acres of farmland beneath the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains, about 10 minutes outside of Charlottesville real near Monticello, where many of my ancestors are buried (including ol' TJ himself I'm told.)

These mountains are what inspires my profession. I work on Capitol Hill to stop the terribly destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal-mining, which is ravaging parts of southwestern Virigina. If you haven't seen it first-hand, please educate yourself at iLoveMountains.org, and do your best to make a trip down to Wise County, where 1/4 of the land in the county has been or is being strip-mined.

In North Carolina, I worked as a Vice Chair of the Watauga County Democratic Executive Board, and was the VP of the ASU college Dems. In my 3 active years I watched the grassroots  and localized strategies Howard Dean is now employing nationwide turn a Bush County into Democrat-central. We switched the County Commission to 0D-5R to 5D-0R in just two cycles. We took a 4-1 progressive majority on the Boone Town Council, and we defeated two of the states most right-wing Republicans and put Democrats into our State House and State Senate Seats for the first time in years!

Anyway, I wanted to greet you all and offer up my services. I will enjoy kicking the shit out of Tom Davis (or Gilmore) with you next year, and to do what damage we can to that obnoxious Virgil Goode.

Three cheers to a blue Virginia in 2008!!!

peace,
JW

(Oh yeah, I'll be at the John Warner speech today holding a big Mark 08 sign. Hope to see some of yall there.)

Comments



Great, welcome aboard!! (Lowell - 8/31/2007 10:29:01 AM)
And please let us know all about the John Warner event.  Thanks!


Ill try and do a write-up this afternoon (faithfull - 8/31/2007 10:30:50 AM)
although my allegiances are torn between my desire to get to know the VA blogosphere and my pressing need to get to know my Virginia wineries :)


Yeah, go for the wineries! (Lowell - 8/31/2007 3:37:33 PM)
:)


Nothing notable about the Warner announcement (faithfull - 8/31/2007 4:39:13 PM)
...that hasn't already been front-paged. Except, perhaps, that it was a pretty small crowd that gathered about 5 minutes before he started, and accumulated passersby during the remarks.

There were also no notable political aides or allies present that I saw (no Tom Davis, George Allen, Jim Webb, etc.), except Saboto of course.

peace,
JW



Thanks for the report. (Lowell - 8/31/2007 4:39:51 PM)
Now go enjoy some fine Virginia wine! :)


Welcome -- glad to have you here! (Rob - 8/31/2007 1:03:22 PM)
Please keep up the diaries -- looking forward to them!


I'm looking forward to reading yall's work as well (faithfull - 8/31/2007 4:43:06 PM)
I've been a random lurker at this site since the Webb election last year, so I'm really lookin forward to gettin down and dirty with the VA scene. Thanks for the kind words.
peace,
JW


Welcome aboard! (The Grey Havens - 8/31/2007 1:37:15 PM)
I recently moved up north from the C'ville area and couldn't be more jealous.

You're our kinda DEM and I couldn't be more happy to have you here.

I'm sure Lowell is going challenge you to join as a fp author here.

If you've got the time, we've got the place.

Josh



Come visit anytime (faithfull - 8/31/2007 4:40:13 PM)
Im out near Oakencroft on Garth. Its a beautiful spot for sure. Best luck to you up in the great white North. Don't get too depressed at lack of Republican representatives :)


I like how many folks write for the front page here (faithfull - 8/31/2007 4:44:07 PM)
Diversifying your input is always fun. And I hope I can contribute in a meaningful way as well.
peace,
JW


Hey there (kestrel9000 - 8/31/2007 4:27:54 PM)
and welcome!


Thanks! (faithfull - 8/31/2007 4:41:56 PM)
I've actually been afforded the excellent oppurtunity to get into birding at my new residence. Just ID'd my first Northern Flicker actually. A beautiful specimen. We've got Kingfishers and meadolarks and buntings and all kinds of deer and other great wildlife out here. I couldn't be more pleased to move to this place out of a townhouse on Capitol Hill :).

Thanks again for the kind welcome.



I remember you--- (Susan Mariner - 8/31/2007 6:41:37 PM)
Faithfull---

Hey, I remember you. I still have an email from you from last fall. You helped organize that brilliant volunteer sponsorship program with Workingmom OH on DailyKos. Honestly, we were all excited about that program here, but we were so busy working to get Jim Webb elected that I'm not sure we took the time to send you the info to get the money. Bad, I know.  But at least we came out on top in the race.

Did you all ever get enough volunteers to send in their hours in order to dole out the $5K to the 2006 campaigns?

By the way, that was absolutely one of the coolest ideas ever.

I'm so glad you've joined us on this side of the border!



Welcome to Central Virginia (Gordie - 9/1/2007 9:31:59 AM)
Welcome faithful and hope to see you at events. I am sure you know of these sites, but here is help if your are not aware yet.

Maybe I will meet you in Buena Vista marching with Mark Warner and other Dems. Below is an email address to get info.

courtney.dozier@forwardtogetherpac.com

Nelson County

http://www.democrati...

http://www.shrevefor...