Sully Dem's Fight Back, Boot McCain-Palin Out of Fairfax High School

By: Lowell
Published On: 9/9/2008 3:01:11 PM

As you probably know, the McCain-Palin rally that had been scheduled for Fairfax High School tomorrow morning has been moved.  What I'm hearing is that Sully Democrats were largely responsible for this, threatening lawsuits and pressuring Democratic school board members to move the McCain rally out of the high school to an outdoor location in a park.  Basically, the Sully Dem's "out-Republican'ed the Republicans," as one of them put it to me. What follows, on the "flip," is a series of emails that gives you a flavor of what went down. I've removed identifying information where I didn't think it added anything.

P.S. The grassroots/netroots strikes again! :)

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2008 09:17:50 -0400
From: Another Sully Dem
To: An FCDC Officer
CC: Sully Dems and FCDC
Subject: McCain and sidekick rally tomorrow at Fairfax City School

Dear Sully Friends,

I am alarmed and greatly disturbed -- and more! -- at the news of the Republican Rally using day time school facilities. Only Republican  students will be admitted!

This is against school policy and against general sensibilities. There is no comparison to Obama's appearance earlier in the summer.

This is another example of how rules will be ignored and ethical standards shoved aside if this effort wins in November.

We need to do something today to keep this from happening!

Fired up!

Another Sully Dem
Co-Captain XXXX Precinct

From: Another Sully Dem
To: Sully Dems and FCDC
Subject: RE: McCain and sidekick rally tomorrow at Fairfax City School
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2008 09:58:39 -0400

I just called Jack Dale - of course his assistant "had to take a message" - I identified myself as a lawyer and politely asked that he needs to call me back. She wanted to know what about and I told her to tell him that he is violating county laws by allowing the republicans to come in during regular school session and that those policies don't mention anything about summer school (which was when Senator Obama came).  His number is xxx-xxx- xxxx. Call or simply show up at his office as a group.

Sully Dem

At 11:08 AM 9/9/2008, A Sully Dem wrote:

Hello:

Fairfax City school board sole member and Supervisor of City of fairfax, Ms. Monday (she is appointed not elected) spoke to me just now and stated that she, the city school Chair (elected official) and the Mayor all thought it would be good educational value for the children and so entered into a contract with the McCain campaign to rent a hall in the school that has separate entrances to the Republicans as the city owns the school.  However, their policies are dictated and controlled by Fairfax County School policies and hence they had to get permission form Jack Dale to hold the actual even[t].  Jack Dale gave the permission and the Fairfax County School Board was notified about it. Dale gave the permission, according to Ms. Monday.  Her number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.  She went on to say that classes won't be disrupted as only govt students will go in and there are entrances from the outside to the hall and the parking will be off campus.  I told her how disappointed I am as a mother and county resident that they did not put the security and safety of the children first.  She agreed that 100% security is not a certainty.

[...]

Would any of you attorneys like to join me for a TRO an emergency restraining order with the Circuit Court.  Shouldn't be difficult but I don't want to go out on a limb by myself

Still Another Sully Dem

To:First Sully Dem Lawyer
Cc: Sully Dems
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 10:50 AM

Subject: Your ticket for the McCain and sidekick rally tomorrow at Fairfax City School

   Dear Sully Dems,

   I don't buy it that this will come back to bite us, if we succeed in pressuring the schools to uphold their own policy. I can take a few bites. It is the height of hypocrisy to McCain's sidekick to be so against public education, like the rest of the Republican Religious Right, and yet use the public schools for blatant partisan activities. There is indeed an absence of shame in so many places.

   Attached is a ticket I am trying to send to all of you, so you can go to the high school rally dressed in your finest blue. Don't take any signs     or anything metal.

   If you want to get your ticket legitimately, go to Virginia.JohnMcCain.com and put in your contact RSVP; then you can print it out -- and I am sure you will have lots of communication. If enough of us do it, they may have difficulty cross checking us to see that we are not truly Red.

   If nothing else we should show up outside the school at 7:30 a.m.

   Peace,

   Another Sully Dem

Comments



On NPR . . . (JPTERP - 9/9/2008 3:11:04 PM)
I was hearing that the event is being moved because the tickets sold out for the event.  

This explanation certainly adds some more details to possible motivations behind moving the event.  



WTOP (Pain - 9/9/2008 3:34:20 PM)

I heard it this morning on news radio, and they said the school supervisor thought it would be a good learning experience for the children.  Yeah, the republican children since only they would be allowed in.


It's definitely ironic . . . (JPTERP - 9/9/2008 4:08:03 PM)
that McCain-Palin would select a public school for the site of the event too.  

McCain-Palin are advocating policies that would effectively gut the public education system and turn these into profit centers for a few of the GOP's financial backers.  

McCain-Palin want to do to public education what the GOP has done to our national health care system.  People pay more for less, and a few well-connected Republicans get filth rich off the scam.    



Is our children learning? (Andrea Chamblee - 9/9/2008 10:23:56 PM)
It's interesting that after all these years in the Senate for McCain, and all these days holed up in a hotel getting coached for Palin, that neither one of them is ready to answer questions from adults, but only from schoolchildren.  And Republican schoolchildren at that. Great job, blogosphere, of kicking them out.  No millionaire left behind!


Bam! (Bubby - 9/9/2008 3:45:22 PM)
An "absence of shame" runs into a "wall of accountability".  Accountability wins.


So many Republican noses out of joint (Teddy - 9/9/2008 3:59:30 PM)
after this, those elephant trunks may never recover. The City mayor is a good friend of Tom Davis' by the way: "Those silly liberals getting so upset over an educational event! Stirring things up in an unpatriotic manner!"  

When the Republicans rail against entitlements they overlook the matchless sense of entitlement Republicans display when it comes to having everything their way, to putting themselves first everywhere, and to forcing everyone else to cater to them. Nice that Sully gave them some tough love. Where were the Fairfax City Democrats in all this?



Campaign's Comment (Barbara - 9/9/2008 4:41:02 PM)
As quoted in the Post
The McCain campaign sent out statement that did not address the controversy. "Due to the overwhelming response from voters in Virginia, the space at the field house at Fairfax High School will no longer be able to hold everyone who wants to attend this rally," the statement said. "We have had double the amount of people respond than we originally expected. In order to accommodate everyone, we need to move the event to a location we are working on now."

I wonder if they are still going to give students the choice of going to class or going to the rally.


I got a phone call (JamesBenjamin - 9/9/2008 7:30:52 PM)
announcing the original rally, and then another one just now citing the same "overwhelming response" as the reason for the move.

I can't imagine they had "overwhelming response" in the heart of FFX co.

(My roomie is a registered R, and he felt the urge to give them our # at some point)



event last year in Stafford County (hereinva - 9/9/2008 4:51:57 PM)
There was a similar "clash" last year in Stafford County when Tim Kaine was invited to speak at a local high school(after school) on the topic of political process. Then senatorial candidate Albert Pollard was an invited guest. It was not a ticketed campaign rally.

Some vocal (repub pols) protested and attempted to shut it down. The attempt infuriated a lot of folks because it was an after school event and all students were invited. While Governor Kaine was prepared to participate at an alternative location - in the end the event was held at the highschool.

 



New Location - Van Dyck Park (danduckwitz - 9/9/2008 5:01:45 PM)
I am still waiting for word on where those so moved will be assembling to form a welcome wagon :-)

http://www.johnmccain.com/Info...


What: Road to Victory Rally: Fairfax, VA on September 10th

When: September 10, 2008 8:00 AM

Where: Van Dyke Park
3705 Old Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA

Join John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin for a Road to Victory Rally on Wednesday, September 10th. Doors open at 8am. The event begins at 11am, but come early to get a seat.

Click here to RSVP.

For further questions, email Virginia@JohnMcCain.com.

Event parking is available at Fair City Mall/Turnpike Shopping Center at the intersection of Main Street and Pickett. Shuttles will begin running at 7:45 AM to event site. There will be no parking available at Fairfax High School.



SIGH I wish I could go (Annie - 9/9/2008 6:44:37 PM)
This is my hometown, my BLUE hometown, they are not welcome here.  But alas I gotta earn a paycheck and keep my head low for now, I'm not in a position to be loud and proud right now -- my last job was defunded because my old org was unfairly targeted by political appointees for retribution because the head stood up for James Hansen at NASA and decades old programs were defunded in a matter of months.

Yeah the bitterness runs deep, I yearn for a day where workers can feel safer exercising their 1st amendment rights outside the workplace, a day where there are career paths besides the War on Terror etc.

Please, please my fellow Virginians, a better day will come if only we get Obama/Biden over the top in VA and the other swing states.



Sully Dem's Fight Back, Boot McCain-Palin Out of Fairfax High School (Teacher&Alumna - 9/9/2008 5:15:40 PM)
Actually, FCPS was facing a public relations nightmare with mass walkouts of students and teachers being organized in protest of the republican rally that had been scheduled at Fairfax High School tomorrow.  That is the true reason the rally was moved.

School Superintendent Jack Dale deliberately broke FCPS policy by agreeing to a blatantly partisan campaign event during school hours, and ought to be fired.



FCDC just sent this out (Lowell - 9/9/2008 5:26:07 PM)
Apparently, the McCain-Palin crew thinks that Northern Virginia is fertile ground for their campaign.  Well... it's time to give them a NICE, BIG, FCDC WELCOME!  Come out early.  BRING SIGNS.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Meet At 7:30 a.m.

***NEW MEET UP LOCATION***
The event as been moved to Van Dyck Park on Old Lee Highway
We will now meet in the parking lot of the Safeway at Courthouse Plaza Shopping Center
10350 Willard Way
Fairfax, VA 22030

Do NOT block the streets
Do NOT block ingress and egress to buildings

DO come and make yourself heard!
BRING SIGNS!



Sully Dems Rock (bigforkgirl - 9/9/2008 6:06:00 PM)
Jack Dale is a man with a tan and no plan, except to do the bidding of those he wants to curry favor with, in this case, the McCain campaign.  Shame on you!  McCain/Palin could care less about public education.  He should know that.  

Hold his feet to the fire!



The best political news I've heard out of Fairfax County in years!!! (Shenandoah Democrat - 9/9/2008 7:46:50 PM)
Everybody's getting Fired up and Ready to go!!
I'd like to fly an aerial banner over the rally!
Question is--what's the best message?
Here are a few options:

"McCain-Palin: Disaster for America"
OR
"McCain/Palin--NO MORE LIES!!!
OR
McCain Palin-- Bridge to Nowhere!!
OR
McCain-Palin--Your Lies are NOT Patriotic

Would like to hear some ideas!

Hope everybody can protest the Republican ticket that by their lies is an embarrassment to American Democracy!



Not Sully Alone (fblechma - 9/9/2008 11:22:43 PM)
At least two members of the Fairfax County Public School Board (Stu Gibson & Kaye Kory) immediately objected to the political event at a school when the school is in session.  They actively informed the Superintendent that they did not give their consent, that they there were aware that the event violated school policy, and that they intended to presss their objections.  Both actively engaged the media.  Their intervention was also part of the mix that led to the change of location.