I've got a few questions on Harris Miller's "Begging...er, Working for Change" tour, which launches today with exciting (yawn!) rallies in Fairfax and Richmond. [snark alert] Don't all rush over there, boys and girls, I hear it's going to be way too much fun! [end snark alert]
1) How can a guy who's been part of the system, part of the PROBLEM, for so many years be an agent for change? I mean, seriously, Harris Miller's been an entrenched lobbyist who's given money to Democrats and right-wing Republicans (Dennis Hastert, Spencer Abraham) alike. He's lobbied for big agribusiness interests against migrant workers and everything Cesar Chavez fought for. He's a classic, "inside-the-gate" Democratic politician, the kind that Markos Moulitsas and Jerome Armstrong rail against in their book, "Crashing the Gate." So I ask, once again, HOW ON EARTH is Harris Miller "working for change?" I'm confused.
2) A humorous way of dramatizing Miller's hypocrisy was suggested to me by several friends {NOTE: J.C. Wilmore came up with this idea]: namely, every time Miller shows up somewhere talking about "change," people should shake cans of loose change at him to dramatize the plight of minimum wage workers, un(der)employed IT workers, and people whose jobs have been outsourced/downsized/streamlined into oblivion thanks to policies that Harris Miller has advocated. You can start today at 11:30 AM in the George W. Johnson Center at George Mason University if you're so inclined. Let Harris Miller know that you don't appreciate having to "work for change" - nickels, dimes, and quarters.
3) A side point, but why on earth are all of Harris Miller's events advertised on the Fairfax County Democratic Committee's (FCDC's) website? And why on earth aren't Jim Webb's? Is the FCDC formally endorsing Harris Miller or is this just the work of Miller's "politics makes strange bedfellows" supporter Alice Marshall? Yes, the same woman who, the last time I checked, was an anti-Iraq war, anti-death penalty, anti-globaliziation, pro-gay marriage, pro-voter verified audit trails, far left-wing Democrat. Aside from the question of what the heck someone like that is doing supporting an extremely Conservative Democrat, an "Old Testament kind of guy" to boot, what I want to know is why the FCDC website seems to cover only one of the two Democratic candidates running U.S. Senate this year? Is this what the FCDC wants, or Alice simply out of their control?
The best thing we can do is to contact DPVA and in particular the FCDC leadership and ask them to stop this biased practise.
On the right hand side bar you can see members of the steering committee with active accounts. I believe two of them, Kate Wilder and Rose Chu, are Webb supporters. For whatever reason they have not availed themselves of the opportunity to post.
I guess they've made their choice. If Webb wins the primary, I hope that people don't forget what FCDC is doing and bring it back on them. They'll need to answer for this if they're going to show they're trying to do the best for the party.
BTW, kudos for the phone banking for Judy Feder. I hope it's going well!
I don't know what you mean by "bring it back on them", but if you're unhappy about FCDC and live in Fairfax County, it's critical to join and get involved if you're not already an official member. Becoming a precinct captain and running your own precinct, recruiting volunteers, getting your neighbors involve is the most critical way to rebuild the Democratic party from the ground up. It's really important for people in the netroots to take leadership positions in local committees, too.
Why not join FCDC? You will find Webb has plenty of supporters on the committee, including the steering committee.
Nobody spoke of repercussions last year during the LG primary, I am very sorry to hear such talk in the Senate primary.
I would like to know if it's FCDC or Alice. (or both) It's only fair to be.... fair. !!
In my experience with DFV last year, I found that you can drop off flyers and things to FCDC HQ (as apparently Miller has dropped off signs and bumper stickers) and they'll post them or keep them out for you.
Similarly, they'll post a candidate's events on their online calendar if you ask. It's not like they don't have experience with primaries in FCDC, and last year I certainly remember them posting events for all of the candidates in the 45th who asked, and I seem to remember both Rosenberg and Moran events being posted in the 8th district primary two years ago.
So before you freak out about Alice, do you know for sure whether the Webb campaign has done its homework and actually sent their events to FCDC for submission? Dropped off signs and bumper stickers?
It's the sequel to a book called "Money Hungry", which in this context is pretty funny, huh? :-)
See, now I'm all depressed. I wanted to cause a disturbance, even if I won't say who I'm supporting.
Hi there. I am active member of the VA Democratic party--any reason why your website doesn't list any Webb events? Do some of his supporters need to keep your staff abreast of his travels? Just wondering; let me know, and I would be glad to provide his upcoming event info. We certainly want ALL Democratic candidates to get equal trweatment; I'm sure you would all agree.
The party of inclusion cannot be excluding a candidate simply bc the staff of the page may have developed a favorite.
Thanks!!!
So far as I know events would be posted on the FairfaxDemocrats.org calendar if you send them in, also I believe any member of the steering committee can post directly to the calendar as they can the web site.