Jim Webb's victory tonight is a victory for Virginia's netroots. Virginia's progressive blogosphere was not thrilled with the default candidate emerging earlier this year. So, spearheaded by Lowell and many others, they drafted a Reagan Republican with a stellar resume to run as a Democrat and propelled him to victory in the primary.Remember back when Jim Webb's candidacy was nothing but a throw away final question in some random interview across the country?
Are you interested in running for political office?I have been talking to people about running for the Senate next year against George Allen, as a Democrat from Virginia. I have a very good life. I'm not sure that I'm going to do that or not but I have been talking to people. Thinking about it.
From that small exchange, the Virginia blogosphere activated, built the Webb-roots even before he declared and turned him into both the choice of the bloggers and the establishment. Webb received endorsements from all over the nation and Virginia, from Senate Minority Leader to local board members. His fundraising and campaigning were energized by small donors and everyday Virginians. As with Tim Kaine's victory last year, the candidate of Virginia's progressive blogosphere's has won.
Now the battle intensifies. Enjoy the rest tonight, because tomorrow George Allen's machine will roar into action. The GOP and its allies will come after Webb with every bit of swiftboat negativity you could imagine, and then some. As he runs for president and senator at the same time, Allen's war chest will swell, his media attention will grow, his poll numbers will stay inflated.
No matter. We'll be ready. The Webb-roots were born fighting.
Nick Stump
I agree with someone who posted in another thread - this was an incredible victory, considering what was accomplished over just four months. But now, there is a whole heckuva lot to do going forward, on so many fronts. From fundraising (which we need a TON of), to clarifying and solidifying positions on issues outside of the Iraq war, to begin to design more complete campaign materials, to starting the process of reaching out more completely to local officials and party reps, to... etc.etc.etc.
One of the most important things will be to work hard to bring in those who supported Miller. They may never fully support Webb, but it will be essential to at least keep them as part of this process, to make them feel welcome under our tent, etc., so they at least get out and vote. We can't afford to write those people off, and really should try to bring them to our side.
An incredibly exciting night for the whole Webb team. But also, just the start of something pretty incredible ahead.
I hope all of you will reach your hands out in friendship to those people who supported Miller. We all need to join together in order to beat George Allen, and Webb supporters have the luxury to reach your hands out from a position of victory.
Primaries are incredibly important, but they're also really painful. I think most of us have seen victors in nasty, hurtful primaries make mistakes in not reaching out to embrace and show respect for supporters of the opposing candidate -- it's not easy to quickly let go of anger on both sides.
In the case of this race against George Allen, we don't have the luxury to embrace hurts and nurse our wounds for long. I know this is easy for me to say because I've been away during the primary, so please forgive me if I sound schoolmarmish. I just have so much respect for so many people on both sides of this primary divide, and I fervently hope that we can join together with respect and determination to beat George Allen.
"Jim Webb is going to be a great United States senator, and I'm going to do everything I can to help him get there," Miller said.Miller noted Webb's history as a decorated Marine rifle company commander in Vietnam and that Webb's son, also a Marine, heads for combat duty to Iraq this fall. Webb campaigned in his son's buff-colored desert combat boots, a deliberate contrast to Allen's cowboy boots.
Both candidates had relentlessly attacked President Bush over the war.
Webb "is no sunshine patriot," Miller said. "He knows firsthand the price and peril of war, and as his son heads off to serve our country in Iraq, we send our thoughts and prayers with him."
It is ice to here healing words from Miller. I will try to do the same from this moment on.
Miller Democrats are ready to help, but many of them are concerned about the blogosphere's ruthless comments and threats to defeat those elected officials who endorsed Miller. Many of these comments over the last several months were uncalled for and unheard of in Virginia before this campaign.
Good committed Democrats who have always supported the party's nominee are reluctant to get too close this time because they don't know whether the blogosphere will target them again the next time they don't follow the prescribed doctrine.
The Webb campaign and the bloggers are going to have to reach out and provide assurances to those who have been hurt, and those who watched the carnage grow on the blogs.
Attacks on rival candidates are an expected part of a campaign. Attacks on those whose only crime was to endorse someone other than the bloggers' choice are beyond the pale and not soon forgotten.
Even though the turnout was very low, those who were part of this were passionate and dedicated. While I may not have agreed with everything the Miller camp did, or may not have felt he was the best candidate to take down George Allen, I do think that the intensity shown by Dems statewide is a great thing. We will need every single one of those voices, hands, minds and votes when it comes to November.
I think your point about the power, and potential negative power, of the blogging world is very true. We should never seek to intimidate other Democrats, and should focus on bringing them to our side, not scaring them into submission. I'd imagine that as much as we are thrilled to see Webb earn the right to face Allen, we also realize that there will be a lot of responsibility on our part to act responsibly going forward. We don't want the Webb campaign or its supporters to be known as angry, extreme or negative, which means we'll need to be proactive and positive, not nasty. Your post is a good reminder that the first step involves bringing Miller's supporters, whether they are average Joes in places like Richmond and Norfolk (where we did much more poorly than I think many of us expected, maybe for racial reasons, maybe because we simply didn't have the money to run ads and send our mailers), his friends in Northern Virginia (who we will need for a Kaine-like push in the suburbs), or the many elected officials who endorsed him, who we may've turned off.
Like I said last night in one of my posts... wow, there's a lot of work to be done!
We need to look forward all of us. The primary is over. Those who supported Miller were our fellows who simple disagreed on one thing. Now that that thing is decided. We are together on the next big issue. Allen.
(And all the Repub voters who helped him, too. But Shhhhhhh! Don't tell anybody. They all think we voted for Miller.)
A big thanks to Harris Miller for so quickly coming on board. No matter what folks may have said about him, that shows he's a real Democrat too, and we are proud to have his support.
And now a warning to George Allen. if you try any dirty tricks, if you try and swift boating, if you try to fill the airwaves with lies; we will be there. We willb e there and be ready to tell the people of Virginia like it is. We will tell them of your coddling of Bush, of your war-mongering, and of the consequence of your cowboyism. We have a real fighter in Jim Webb. You may wear cowboy boots, but you don't deserve to touch the combat boots of Jim Webb or his son. Jim Webb is more the man than you will ever be.
George Allen, we are coming. Go Jim Webb!