Sen. Kerry readily acknowledged that he and Jim had had differences several decades ago over Vietnam, but that even back then he had respected Jim. He lauded Webb for opposing the war,and for being a forthright defender of the the American Worker. Since I did not take notes, I cannot offer specifics. He was emphasizing why we needed Jim Webb to defeat George Allen. The one clever line was to the effect that when Jim wrote fiction it was in a novel, but when Allen offered fiction it was in his failed promises to the voters.
After being introduced by Kerry, Webb came up. The most effective moment of his remarks came when he noted that he had been accused of opposing diversity. He then introduced one daughter+óGé¼Gäós long-time Hispanic boyfriend and his wife Hong, who is Vietnamese. He said words to the effect of +óGé¼+ôMr. Miller, I know diversity.+óGé¼-¥
I had the opportunity of watching and listening to Jim interact with the press. There was one exchange with a crew from a tv station that was particularly noteworthy. When asked about differences between himself and Harris Miller, he said that the voters would have to decide whether they wanted a leader like Truman or John Kennedy who knew how to make decisions and how to pick good people upon whom they could rely or if instead they wanted a staff person. I spoke with the reporter afterwards and she volunteered that it was a very effective soundbite.
Jim decided to enter the race at the end of February. It is not yet 4 full months. At the beginning he was not as effective a candidate as many of use would have liked. But he is a very bright man, and he has improved as a candidate by leaps and bounds.
I expect that this event will provide a lot of free media for Jim, perhaps enough to ensure the race.
People around headquarters are optimistic but working very hard. There were so many volunteers to make calls that they were out of phones, so I loaned someone my cell phone while I was at the rally.
A number of volunteers were going with signs to a metro station where Miller was due to appear. Many others are leafleting at other Metro stations. Many of us have brought home phone sheets to make calls -- I have 165 to do in the next few hours.
In 25 hours the polls will have closed. By an hour after that it should be clear if the race is a lopsided victory for Webb, or is a close race that could be won by either man. My sense of the atmospherics is that it is more towards the former. Republican party officials are discouraging Repubs from crossing over to vote, warning that participation in a Democratic primary this cycle might lead to disqualification in Republican party activities. There will be some crossover, but it is possible that much of it will be for Webb.
This is all I have time for. I have to drink some coffee and make my calls. Only then can I finally get some sleep.
Peace.