RK ARCHIVE - Miller's Most Amazing Kickoff Tour!

By the way, I love the excuse offered by the Miller camp: according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Campaign aides blamed the timing of the event, held at midafternoon." Well, hello? Who scheduled the event for Tuesday at mid-day in Richmond, anyway? Wasn't it, er, um, YOU GUYS?!? Hahahahahahahaha.

My other favorite Miller Moment from yesterday was reported in the Washington Post: "Miller said he has 'more in common with the people of Southside and southwest Virginia' than people might think because he 'grew up in Appalachia...' "Yeah, I'm sure Harris Miller has a great deal in common with Southwest Virginians. So, Mr. Miller, what are favorite bluegrass songs? NASCAR drivers? Hunting and fishing spots? Places to hang out in Gate City? Just curious.

P.S. Miller has stated elsewhere that he was "born and reared in a middle-class family outside Pittsburgh." If that's Appalachia, then I guess I'm from Anacostia myself.

P.P.S.: Also from the Washington Post, I love this: "Harris's rise to Northern Virginia's booming technology corridors made him rich, a fact his wife, Deborah, seemed to want to play down when she told a reporter to write that the candidate lives in Fairfax County rather than the wealthy enclave of McLean." Ha, this just gets better and better! :)

Comments

This is pretty enlightening. (summercat - 4/19/2006 9:07:04 AM)

The Daily Press today talked about the announcement, but not about the sparse attendance. One thing they mentioned was Miller's continually trying to link himself with Mark Warner--although they also stated that Warner is neutral. It's high time for the Webb team to get Warner on board for a fundraiser, imo. Incidentally, they didn't mention the AFL-CIO stuff--wonder if that will surface in the MSM any time soon?

Time to think about June 14 (Alice Marshall - 4/19/2006 9:24:27 AM)

19 supporters if you don't include reporters and Henry Marsh there to introduce him.

Why would you not include Henry Marsh? Think about what you are saying. No need to put down the other guys campaign, even less put down his supporters. Think about this for a moment. Try to see twenty-minutes into the future.

Miller (Arturo - 4/19/2006 6:51:17 PM)

is a fake, okay??? He is a millionare lobbyist who lives in a million dollar house in McLean and got rich off of the backs of American farm workers (in the 1980s) and the American middle class. He was the first in his family to graduate from college. Probably because he is the oldest in the family. He is slimy, okay??? And his sister Emily does not support him. Stop it already!!

Arturo, Emily Miller is not Harris Miller's sister (AnonymousIsAWoman - 4/19/2006 9:51:19 PM)

I'm not for Harris Miller, but fact is fact. They are not even remotely related. She's from Chicago, is an ardent Cubs fans, and is a Roman Catholic. He's from Pittsburgh and is Jewish (I don't know his baseball team, but somehow I doubt it's the Cubs). I don't think a brother and sister could actually be from two different places, have two different families and be raised in two different religions unless they were separated at birth. And somehow, I don't think that's the case here.

But for the record, Emily Miller, first woman to serve in the Virginia Senate and former chair of the FCDC, has endorsed Webb.

I was there (JC - 4/19/2006 9:39:23 AM)

I've posted my impressions of the event at my site. Actual attendance was about 33 (including Marsh). Whitley deducted the Press from his estimate--I did not. I counted and took pictures.

A total of 33 people were there.

Pittsburgh (VirginiaBelle - 4/19/2006 9:43:43 AM)

I would call some of the regions outside of Pittsburgh Appalachia. Link

Also, it's worth noting that most of Central PA considers themselves "outside Pittsburgh". It goes by football affiliation more than anything else, as far as I can tell. No need to be critical for no reason other than to be critical.

Not appalachia to SWVirginians. (DanG - 4/19/2006 10:25:37 AM)

Good Lord, VB. I know you're trying to stay neutral, and props for trying, but come on! Jim Webb was raised in SWVA. THAT'S Appalachia. That is what relates to the crowd down there. Harris Miller is just stretching the truth again to appeal to rural voters. It may not be a lie, but it's bending the truth to fit him better. Just like that "I don't live in McLean" crap. He's trying to manipulate crap to fit this image he wants. It's really quite sad.

Many parts of western PA are very much Appalachia... (Loudoun County Dem - 4/19/2006 10:46:47 AM)

Both of my parents grew up in Clarion County PA and there are areas that are indistinguishable from SW VA.

That being said, there are suburbs of Pittsburgh that are no more Appalachia than McLean...

And No One is doubting Jim Webb's roots (VirginiaBelle - 4/19/2006 11:28:26 AM)

But I've been in Pennsylvania Country that I could not distinguish from SWVA other than the license plates. I'm not even saying that this is where Miller is from. Frankly, other than outside Pittsburgh, I don't know, and outside Pittsburgh is such a general description as to lose all meaning with me other than "not Philly".

The difference to me is that there's a lot Pennsylvania Appalachia and SWVA have in common, whereas saying Fairfax County over McLean is purely to disguise the size of your house.

Appalachia (Alicia - 4/19/2006 9:46:32 AM)

I can tell you one thing -- people from the real Appalachia -- Southwest VA -- can smell a bullshitter from miles away. I dare Miller to go down there and tell them he is one of them. That is the most ridiculous lie yet.

I'm with you on saying, if Pittsburgh is Appalachia, then I'm also from Anacostia - Southeast.

That nails it. (Kathy Gerber - 4/19/2006 11:24:03 PM)

And a lot of times the candidates never find out until election day. And the same goes for the Afro-American community.

Not Appalachia, there are subtle differences between dialect in Fluvanna and Louisa counties if anyone bothers listening.

Keep that quote. I'm going to ask him about it. (DanG - 4/19/2006 10:12:57 AM)

"grew up in Appalachia?" Horse hockey. Pittsburgh is not appalachia. Hell, outside of Pittsburgh is not Appalachia. It's outside of Pittsburgh. What a filthy liar, he'll say whatever he has to to get relected.

The Allegheny Plateau is part of Appalachia (anon06 - 4/19/2006 10:25:44 AM)

Lowell,

Well then, you must be from Anacostia. I guess Alicia is, too. I guess DanG, too?

http://www.visitpa.com/visitpa/NationalGeographicList.pa

Appalachia extends into central and western Pennsylvania. Harris Miller grew up on the Allegheny Plateau, which is part of Appalachia.

Itâ€™s a beautiful area of the country, but very also poor. My wifeâ€™s family is also from there, about a 90 minute drive from Pittsburgh. There is an Appalachian museum nearby. Remember "The Deer Hunter" hunting scenes: Yep, same area.

In defense of Deborah, she is right. They do not have a house in the village of Mclean. They live on the other side of the I-495 beltway, on the Tysons Corner side. Their postal address is â€œMclean,â€ but they do not live in Mclean.

Our postal address is â€œVienna,â€ but we do not even live in the town of Vienna. Jim Webb has (or at least had) a lakeside house in the very affluent area of Lake Barcroft. His postal address is (or was) Falls Church, not Falls Church City.

McLean is McLean (Alicia - 4/19/2006 10:46:43 AM)

and Miller lives in a multi million dollar house in McLean.

There is no city of McLean - I grew up around here. There is a city of Vienna and a city of Alexandria and a city of Falls Church. No city of McLean.

When Miller tells the people of Virginia he is from Appalachia -- how on earth can he justify the disloyalty to so many hard working people by getting in bed with Republicans and outsourcing their jobs. He certainly did not remember where he came from, if he in fact grew up so deeply poor.

That's Definitely McLean McLean (Luna - 4/19/2006 7:51:49 PM)

The kids I knew at Langley High School always talked about how their classmates were getting new BMW's for each birthday, etc. It's like the richest part of the entire state - one of the richest parts of the East Coast, practically.

And besides, lots of people *used* to live in poor, hard scrabble regions, but it's where they're living now that matters.

Langley also covers Vienna (rjl - 4/19/2006 11:54:05 AM)

God Lord. We need a Fact Checker, or Myth Buster or Bullsh*t Blaster.

Harris Miller lives on the western side of Tysons just off Route 7. I not even sure it matters, but that's about as far from McLean as you can stretch it.

"Vienna" neighborhoods as far out Route 7 West as the intersection with Baron Cameron also go to Langley HS.

Despite their Vienna addresses (VirginiaBelle - 4/19/2006 12:06:42 PM)

Those students would most likely self-identify as Great Falls and attended Great Falls Elementary, unlike the people on the Great Falls side of Rt. 7, who attend West Briar.

And it sounds to me like he lives in McLean in the region between McLean and Great Falls.

You can plead Tyson's Corner if you live on the other side of 123 after Evan's Farm, after the intersection with 66, or if you live inside the Dulles Toll Road intersection with 7. Otherwise, you live in McLean. If you live off Lewinsville, I'm sorry, but you live in McLean. McLean stretches along Rt. 7 and G'town Pike until Great Falls Park, (Old Dominion).

Just because this was fun..... (rjl - 4/19/2006 1:43:39 PM)

...and a periodic diversion from meetings, the area where Miller lives is referred to by the USPS as "West McLean" with a separate zip code and post office.

So there's a little bit there for both to parse.

And I like the idea of self-identifying as Great Falls. I think my property value just went up.

"Slicky-boy" (Info_Tech_Guy - 4/19/2006 3:56:49 PM)

Some of us would call Harris a "slicky boy"...

This is on top of telling the press not to report that Harris lives in McLean...

People can smell a phony...

Of course, it would be bad for Harris to say, "I'm stinkin' rich 'cus I helped outsource middle class jobs and all the CEOs love me..."

I Couldn't Believe (Luna - 4/19/2006 7:49:15 PM)

the Washington Post did almost a full-page color picture story on page 2 of the Metro section - for a "kickoff" that had barely 30 people in attendence!

Come on, WaPo. (I seem to be saying that an awful lot lately...)

Washington Post editorials endorsed Miller/ITAA lies... (Info_Tech_Guy - 4/19/2006 8:40:24 PM)

Don't be shocked if the WP gives Miller a pass on the union outsourcing/worker replacement criticisms. And don't be shocked if they continue to give Harris good press for his rather pathetic public announcement.

After all, the WP editorial board has ritualistically endorsed the Harris Miller/ITAA lies about a massive shortage of highly skilled workers (mostly but not exclusively information technology workers). The WP editorial board routinely endorsed expansions of the "business visa" programs that Miller championed. The WP editors routinely non-published letters and proferred guest editorials challenging the Miller/ITAA propaganda. My old email is littered with letters to the WP which were never published... I know of others who have made similar attempts and have been ignored.

This isn't to say that all writers or reporters at the WP are necessarily biased but let's say I am skeptical of their editors. (I've had good experiences working with at least one WP writer.)

The Washington Post has strong biases (AnonymousIsAWoman - 4/19/2006 9:56:45 PM)

both in favor of free trade and against unions. They are themselves anti-worker and have had problems with the Newspaper Guild. And some of their editorial positions in favor of free trade, NAFTA, CAFTA, and outsourcing have been nothing short of appalling. Populists they're not.

In fact, except for Webb's war record, I'd expect the Post to come out against him and in favor of Miller.