I wrote this on Daily Kos back in March, and I think it's worth repeating, just "two days and a wakeup" (as Jim Webb might say) before we go to vote on Tuesday.This year is an "off year" for elections in the United States. Still, there are important elections out there, several of which have potential national implications. Basically, we've got three states (Kentucky, Lousiana, and Mississippi) holding gubernatorial elections, and four states (Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia) electing state legislatures. Of these, I want to spend a few minutes focusing on my state, Virginia. Specifically, I want to discuss why I believe Virginia is important, both in its own right as well as in the context of national politics for 2008 and beyond.
Last year, as we all know, Virginia did what almost nobody thought could be done, defeating George Allen and electing a Democrat - Jim Webb - to the United States Senate. The election of the anti-Iraq War and economic populist Jim Webb not only was a great thing in its own right, it also derailed George Allen's White House ambitions and provided the seat we needed to take back the U.S. Senate. Today, Jim Webb is a powerful voice in Congress for Congressional oversight of this Administration's foreign policy, specifically with regard to Iraq and Iran.
A year earlier, in 2005, Virginians went to the polls to select a successor to Mark Warner as governor. The candidates were Warner's Lt. Governor Tim Kaine (D) and Dubya clone Jerry Kilgore (R). Despite trailing in the polls almost the entire way, in the end the voters of a rapidly changing Virginia elected Tim Kaine. In part, this was due to strong netroots support on blogs like my own, Raising Kaine. Today, Gov. Kaine is working as hard as he can to continue Virginia's forward progress against a major obstacle - a state legislature that is controlled by Republicans, including several that fall into the "heinous right wing" category.
Fortunately, Virginians this year have a chance to vote for every single member of the Virginia General Assembly - 40 in the State Senate and 100 in the House of Delegates. Currently, Republicans control both chambers, 23-17 in the Senate and 57-40-3 in the House of Delegates. Given that Virginia has been trending "purple" in recent years, and given the fact that Virginia's GOP-controlled General Assembly has floundered on numerous issues of concern to Virginians (e.g., transportation), we definitely have a shot at winning back the State Senate this year and picking up seats in the House. Why does this matter?
1. It matters because Governor Kaine needs allies. Currently, he's got a state legislature that is more concerned with making it harder for kids to join gay-straight clubs, for women to have abortions, for scientists to perform stem cell research, for the state to preserve land and clean up the Chesapeake Bay, for action on Renewable Portfolio Standards and other important energy-related environmental matters, for minimum wage workers to get a raise, etc., etc. If we want to turn this around, we need to send Tim Kaine more Democratic and progressive allies this November.
2. It matters because in 2011, Virginia will go through the next round of Congressional redistricting. As the state's population booms in the "blue" areas and shrinks, relatively speaking, in the "red" areas, the number of Congressional seats controlled by Democrats in this state SHOULD increase. However, if Democrats have no voice in the process come 2011, we will be at the mercy of Republican gerrymandering and incumbent protection efforts. On the other hand, if we take back the State Senate this year, we are guaranteed of a voice in redistricting come 2011.
3. It matters because Virginia has moved from "solid red" to "purple," and because we need to keep moving the state in the "blue" direction politically. Needless to say, the implications of Virginia, with its 13 electoral votes, becoming competitive once again in national politics (Virginia last went for a Democrat in 1964) would be enormous. Don't think this is possible? Well, I'd refer once again to the fact that the last two governors - Mark Warner and Tim Kaine - have been Democrats, and the last Senate election saw Jim Webb replace George Allen. Also, I would point out that increasingly, Northern Virginia is becoming an extension of the solidly "blue" Northeast corridor, and increasingly, Northern Virginia is becoming politically powerful within Virginia as a whole. Frankly, it's only a matter of time until the growth in NOVA turns Virginia "blue." Our job, if we choose to accept it, is to ensure that this change occurs as rapidly as possible.
4. It matters because right now, we've got some great Democratic candidates taking on Republicans, far-right-wing and otherwise. For instance, we've got a great race shaping up in Fairfax between former Delegate Chap Petersen (D) and Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis, wife of Rep. Tom "DeLay" Davis (R). FYI, Davis hopes to succeed John Warner in the U.S. Senate in 2008 in a race that could feature Mark Warner on the Democratic side. Defeating Devolites-Davis would likely weaken Tom Davis, which would help Mark Warner become Virginia's second Democrat in the U.S. Senate in 2008! We've also got an important Democratic primary between George Allen-endorsing, Joe Lieberman-supporting Benny "Benedict" Lambert on the one hand, and Jim Webb-supporting, slavery apology resolution-sponsoring Donald McEachin. [UPDATE 11/4: Mission accomplished on that front!]
5. It matters because this is a test case for netroots activism. In 2006, the Webb campaign had 18,000 volunteers and an energized "blue" blogosphree helping propel him to victory (e.g., $4.2 million raised on the internet out of $8 million total). This year, ActBlue and Raising Kaine have teamed up to help raise money for Virginia Democrats. In just 6 days, we've already raised over $3,200 Since last spring, we have helped raise $25,736 -- not bad at all this early in an off-off-off year state election year - blowing past our original goal of $1,000 in 15 days in just 3 days. The goal is to keep that going and to give our Democratic candidates the resources they need to defeat vulnerable Republicans across the Commonwealth. Please donate if you can.
6. Finally, it matters because Virginia is an important state linking the Northeast with the South. If Democrats can continue to gain in Virginia, and eventually turn the state "blue," we can start pushing into North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, etc. And if we do that, we will help realize Howard Dean's vision of a Democratic Party that is competitive in all 50 states.
So, this is why Virginia matters in 2007. What we need now is the help of Democrats everywhere, just as we asked for and received that help for Jim Webb last year. Thanks for your contributions and for your support in general.
I just cannot trust anything most GOP candidates say, because they often mean something else.
Am I supposed to believe Gary Baise, who for many years has been an anti-environmental lawyer, that he suddenly wants to help his fellow man? I think he'll be no more an advocate of honest and efficient government than Tom Davis. This is the same club, folks.
So it matters that we show the national GOP that more and more formerly right-leaning communities are not buying their fear campaigns, their hate mongering, their upsetting of the economic balance in this country towards the rich, their condoning of torture, their spying on Americans, their starting of needless wars, their lying to the public about why the war in Iraq was necessary, their incompetence in running the government (because they choose to appoint political hacks) (e.g., Katrina, fraud and waste in Iraq), their attempts to suppress minorities and women, etc. and etc.
To hear their lectures on political morality would be humorous if it were not so intellectually contemptible.
And I am so tired of their same hackneyed examples of isolated Dem wrongdoing -- Bill Jefferson, Bill Clinton getting oral sex, John Murtha. Their entire national party has become a den of thieves.
I close with this Gospel reminder: Luke 6:41
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
It's a precept I try to follow. I highly recommend it to the GOP.