The sensitive and caring may want to turn their heads.
 

Lowell - I agree as well. Look at what Miller has done to attack Webb already and to possibly get endorsements.
If you don't fight to win, what is the point of fighting?

Of course; I want a fighter, and it's the final push that usually makes the difference. Don't let up, and never, ever give up--- that's the difference between being a champion and an also-ran. There  is the angle, here, that this is a family fight and we still have to live together after this is over. I refuse to demonize the Democratic opponent, and that is important, too. I also do not want to be too distracted in the future by lingering wounds from the primary fight, something that Democrats do themselves on occasion. 

Back in the beginning of the Webb campaign, I worried that Republicans might flood the primary in order to vote for Miller, whom they felt Allen could beat easily, in order to avoid seeing Webb win, whom they felt Allen might have trouble beating. If that was true then, it is even more true now. We, as Webbsters, need two things: work behind scenes for the Party top dogs to get Miller to withdraw "for the good of the party" by offering him either a juicy appointment or a shot at another office (preferrably statewide--- I sometimes think Miller is actually running for state office anyway, when I listen to his stump speech). And second, GOTV for a massive Webb turnout in the primary. Fewer than 2percent vote in the primary; we mus try to change that, as insurance against Republicans' subverting our primary to their ends.

I have no trouble with a forceful primary battle.  I do express concerns about how that battle is carried out, as you well know. 

I also have some real trouble with the article you are citing from today's post.  If you look caerfully at Vietnam, the only way the US could win is to kill several million Vietnamese.  Gen Giap didn't care if he lost every battle in Tet, because he won a political point  -- the US had been saying there was light at the end of the tunnel, and it turned out to  be an oncoming train.  We had understated the number of people we were fighting, so that the American people were shocked by the scope of the Tet offensive.  We had been giving body counts as if the number we killed proved we were winning.  I have noted similar patterns with respect to Iraq.  You cannot win a war in which an enemy refuses to be defeated.  Thus I find the reasoning of the article (a) inaccurate with respect to what happened in Vietnam, (b)delusionary if one attempts to apply it to Iraq, and (c) totally inappropriate with respect to the primary campaign. 

If multiple Democratic Senators come out and endorse Jim, Miller -- if he wants any future in the party  -- will get the message.  So will Don Beyer, who does want to run for the Senate if John Warner's seat comes open.  Miller will find that his money will dry up, just as did Hackett's.  And he will either get out of the race except nominally, or find that he is destroying his own future.

I think we need to be careful that in our enthusiasm for Jim's candidacy we do not resort to s socrch and burn policy that destroys any chance of pulling together the coalition necessary to win in the general.  My sense is that Jim does not want to run that kind of campaign, either in the primary or in the general.

So compete.  Call Miller to account for hypocrisy, and do the same to Allen.  Cite the examples of positions from which they now wish to run away.  All that is legitimate, and you get no complaint from me.

But if this becomes a nasty food fight, we need to recognize that some whose votes we want to attract may simply sit out the election.  One can be a fierce fighter for one's champion without having to become Rovian in one's approach.

No nasty food fights.  Fortunately this is largely an echo chamber, so not much of the ugliness has gotten out to the world at large. 

this became a well-known blog during the gubernatorial campaign.  And even  anyone simply googling would encounter this site.  That you haven't seen the nastiness in the press doesn't mean it hasn 't been noticed.  Harris Miller is the kind of guy who would pull out a statement made by Lowell in the middle of the debate to try to throw Webb off stride.

And given that Webb's son has posted here, you can be sure that campaign reads everything posted here. 

And given the video stalker from Allen, it is also not unreasonable to think that George has someone monitoring this and other important left of center Virginia blogs as well.

think that's what you meant... Think Webb's son is busy preparing to go Iraq and only recall reading a post from Miller's son.

Thought I'd missed something big.  It would be cool if Webb's son sent a message though.  Before he went to Iraq.  I would like that.

I apologize -- I have a band sinus infection and my thoughts may not be all that clear, particularly since things are compounded by the amount of benadryl I have to take to minimally function.

I remember Derek Miller coming on to defend his Dad after I posted something calling him a flip-flopper.  I think i called it "The Two Harris Millers" or something.  Apparently, it was something that freaked him out quite a bit.

As for reading this blog all the time, I don't know.  According to Ben at NLS, Harris was surprised about hearing of a Warner fundraiser for Webb, and this was days after we had already reported on it.  So, maybe they occasionally check in.  Apparently, some big endorsements are coming for Webb that could practically end this primary, though.

Just to alert the campaign as to whether there's anything that they need to know about. If Miller didn't know about the fundraiser it might have been because whoever was reading the blog didn't believe it and therefore failed to tell him. They may have thought it was merely rumor.

I wish the Webb campaign was letting more info out about Jim's ongoing campaign activities.  (The campaign web page is pretty dead, imo.)I sure hope he is making grassroots connections in a big, personal way.  I think Miller has done quite a bit of this.

Yes, Miller has been making connections with local Dem power structures; he's been going to various Dem constituencies like black church leaders, and so on. He's attempting to put together the tried and true Democratic interest groups with some success, even if that is same ol'-same ol'--- it worked in the past. These are the ones who vote in the primaries. Webb is not familiar with this sort of politics and seems, well, clumsy at it. It is up to us, his grassroots, to cover his flanks on this and not get into personal attacks out of frustration. Let's pull together, gang.

I was at Webb headquarters Saturday afternoon; NO one was making calls, lining up support, laying out a strategy or doing much of anything except two workers, one writing and one drafting a calendar and screen of statewide hoped-for activities requiring flyers and materials. I wanted to pick up some grip cards and flyers to use at our J-J dinner and to pass out. There was nothing available, they were all out. Is this a campaign or a fun event? Who is working on Webb's web site and updating it; who is putting out policy or issues papers? why aren't these issues on the web site? who is designing and ordering publicity materials? One conscientious worker e-mailed me a small flyer on "vote in the primary 13 June." I received it, highlighted the date of the voting for emphasis, and will print and use this myself. I understand Webb is on the West coast this weekend--- raising money, I hope.

Expect volunteer efforts to ramp up very soon. 

His natural constituency in a primary fight against Miller would certainly include the men and women of organized labor, whose jobs are on the line because of outsourcing and guest worker programs.

Indeed, I've seen emails from the national AFL-CIO's Communications Workers of America and other groups that have said straight out that Harris Miller is not a friend of labor.

Yet Miller showed up at last night's Northern Virginia Central Labor Council COPE Dinner. And Webb did not. That's the largest labor event in Virginia. Labor is weak, in general, in Right-to-Work Virginia, but if it's strong anywhere, that would be Northern Virginia. And Webb has already shown that he can win votes here.

At today's Braddock Derby Day event, I passed out Webb stickers and the easiest people to get to take them were still the labor folks.

I do understand that Webb had a longstanding commitment in California. But he was also invited to last night's COPE dinner personally by the person who organized it. Webb needs to be more visible in Northern Virginia in the future.

A lot of his early missteps will be forgiven, but there could come a tipping point. I don't want that to happen because I believe that he is the best candidate in the race and the one most likely to beat Allen. And I'm impressed by what I've read so far. But his campaign staff needs to be sharper in the future.

Webb will do the job. But a campaign can be lost at an organizational level too. In fact, that's what happened to John Kerry. So, I won't exhale until it's over.

It was a slow start, but the folks who have come on board the Webb team in the past few weeks are fantastic.  Things are heating up dramatically.  Still... I know that it's nerve wracking whenever you see opportunities missed. 

I think it would be fair to say anonymous is a woman was the most attractive woman I have ever seen at a Braddock Democratic event.

Anonymous is a woman, I believe that young man has just given you a compliment.  Although I have no idea what the competition's like there.

AIAW is an incredible writer.  Her last diary was superb.

Whom I've known for years. And he engages in a huge bit of hyperbole about a grateful middle-aged woman. Thank you Ben. I do love it! You are a true gentleman!

And thank you Kathy for the real compliment.