Say what you want, but they produced a win against a much better funded, larger organization that had at least a month's head start.

So they dropped some balls along the way: that happens with every campaign.  They had to prioritize, and some things that weren't as important were dropped by the wayside.

Bottom line, they won.

Ummm, JC: I would have to say that the volunteers produced a win.  Well, with some competent staffers, but not many.

Ummmm, Arturo: the campaign produced the strategy and they get to share the credit for the win with the volunteers.

It was a team effort and Jessica and her staffers were the head coach, the offensive coach, the defensive coach and the special teams coach.  (I'm using sports metaphors and small words so the Republicans reading this blog can understand).

No staff, no win.  No volunteers, no win.  Both were necessary, neither was sufficient.

And that strategy made NO use of the 2,500 army of volunteers.  My sense is that the volunteers who participated are the ones who made use of themselves.  I know that's true in my case and others.

I don't know that I ever even heard from one staff member, except VERY late.  I was ALWAYS contacted by other volunteers.

Josh, we need to get this rectified to beat Allen.  Don't go soft because these might be your friends.  No chances can be taken in the general, and remember, it's our very constitutional democracy at stake here.  If we beat Allen in VA, the Dems will win both houses.  We must get this right.

Honesty is critical, even if it hurts.

Josh Chernila is "Josh" and JC Wilmore is "JC."  Just thought I'd clear that up. :)

By the way, I agree that we MUST get this right and not let an opportunity of a lifetime slip away with Jim Webb.  Whatever.  It. Takes.  That's my attitude.

'Scuse me, I meant JC...

I will go further to say the volunteers were motivated by themselves, less so the Webb campaign. My husband and I worked hard in our neck of the woods and I have to say I didn't get the motivational feedback from the HQ. It was an all out self-motivational exercise if you can call it that.

It was right until I think the weekend before the election that we finally got some instructions and guidance from HQ.

 

The campaign itself had NO ground game strategy.  Those of us who did on-the-ground canvassing, phoning, and flushing in our own precincts DID increase the Webb turnout, no question.

If it were not for the volunteers, who, btw, were self-directed, we would not have won.  Like I said before, we did have some staffers who helped, but not many.  And then there was Mary Detweiler, and the lady Dr. (I forgot her name) on the phone bank.  Amazing people, all volunteers!

and because a majority of voters chose Jim.

Everyone contributed to the win, even (believe it or not) those of us who labored thanklessly deep in "Miller-land" (also known as the 3rd CD).

for discussion.  I WOULD point out that you can win or lose for a whole variety of reasons.  For instance, a less talented basketball team can beat a more talented one because: a) the less talented team has a better coach; b) home court advantage; c) luck; d) the better team had a really off night, etc. etc.  There's no "bottom line" here, as far as I'm concerned, but a long list of factors that each need to be considered as objectively as possible.

Every candidate needs a paid staff that can administrate the process and advise a green recruit.  Pay 'em the going rate (maybe Ben is pay-grade jealous).

What I am more disturbed by is the piss-poor turnout and voting in CD5 (with exceptions for Franklin,Albemarle and Bedford).  To my knowledge, only County Democratic Chairs in Franklin and Montgomery took the bold step of endorsing the clearly better candidate.  What is up with you other guys? Your people need guidance and information.  Get out and do your job or hand it off to someone with the energy to git'er done!

What I would like to see is a concerted effort by the Webb Campaign to put locals in the position of working each County.  Jarding and Vanderburg are out-of-staters - promote the locals and task them with getting out the word on the Virginia's Best Candidate for Federal Office in a Generation.  Then let Webb do his thing - he is awesome in person. 

A Mudcat in Every Precinct of the 5th/6th/9th is my prescription.  Let the interviews begin.

Steve Jarding is from Virginia.  Lives in Alexandria, I think.

Now he needs Bubba in Buchanan, Lee, Brunswick, Buckingham, Lunenburg, Halifax and Danville to get the word. These folks voted over 70% for Harris Miller!  A lecturer from Harvard's Kennedy School would not be a wise choice.  Send a local.

Wow, lot of heat here. Let's not forget that we are all on the same team. There are paid staff and that's what they are. They also have passion are dedicated to the cause as much as anything else, their pay is usually shit when you consider the hours and lack of social life they have to live through for months at a time. If you want to be a part of this lifestyle, go get a job, there's a pig farmer somewhere in Iowa trying to get elected to Congress and I'm sure he needs your help.

Overall the campaign functioned extremely well considering the short period of time these paid staffers had to put together a coherent campaign strategy. This goes for the paid staff, the volunteers and the blogosphere as well. We also owe a lot to Lowell, Josh, Lee and those who worked to draft him. After that, we all worked hard together. Made mistakes and made up for them. We're human, we can only do what we can and then correct it if an error occurs.

The Webb campaign is fortunate that it has a large number of very talented and dedicated volunteers. The volunteers here in NOVA are probably some of the most educated and professionally successful in any part of the country. That can be a big plus, but also a small minus. Smart, talented, successful people may not always be the best at taking orders.

Personally, I showed up to volunteer because I believed in Jim Webb as a candidate and as a human being. After reading Born Fighting and portions of The Nightingale’s Song, I found his life story to be one of the most inspiring I have read of any candidate that has chosen to run in American politics in the last 50 years (possibly more). Sometimes I showed up and feelings were hurt, so what. I came back because I believe in Jim Webb. At times I was there so much that I thought they would put a restraining order out on me, but the best thing about being a volunteer is they can't fire you.

Everyone involved in the campaign (at whatever level) deserves a round of applause, we beat the odds on Tuesday. Most of the stuff that occurred was above my pay grade. I was just glad to have what could be the opportunity to watch what could be history unfold.

We must now turn and march in the same direction. Our goal is defeating George Allen, Jim Webb is the focus of this campaign, every thing else is a distraction.

As far as Mudcat and Jarding, I'm not sure how you feel about stem-cell research, but I'm all for cloning about 1,000 of these guys by November. The campaign itself, paid and volunteer, needs to fire on all cylinders from now until election day, we don’t have time to eat our own.

Jim Webb and Jim Webb alone is the candidate. His name is on the ticket, he wins the race. Like other endeavors that involve a team effort, we can celebrate together when Jim wins in November and puts his boot to George Allen's ass.

Without the netroots and volunteers fighting back hard, I don't see how Webb could have won this. Webb is a great candidate, but the Webb campaign has not demonstrated the ability to raise funds. This is a HUGE problem since Webb has to raise millions in 4 months. 

2 changes need to be made at the Webb camp

1. Get some really enthusiastic local staff/leaders on board in areas where Webb did really badly. Leaders who want to win this, not people who will not do the heavy lifting.

2. Get some major fundraising people on board. Finances got to change for the better and quickly.

Just got a mailing from Barrack Obama, asking for contributions.  He lists a bunch of contested Senate seats - but not Virginia. What's up with that?  Hey DSCC, put your ears on.

I sent them contact information of a professional fund-raise who wanted to help for free. No response. I've been told that sometimes the paid staffers can feel threatened by outside help in their area of expertise. I say "Can't we all get along?".

It's that volunteers should stick to doing phone calls and talking to voters.  If you want to help raise money call your friends and ask them to give or hold and event and committ to raise 10k.  But calling the DSCC, another senator or the Webb staffer suggesting that they send out a mailer for Webb is just annoying.  Fundraisers have a plan that they set out to meet and they don't need backseat drivers.  What they and the campaign need is people who will put their head down and find people to give not restating obvious ideas.

I give the campaign a C so far.  They won the primary, but mostly w/ volunteers. The volunteers can't make the campaign all on their own.  We need champions on the staff.

I'd like to see Jim be more clear on where he stands on the issues.  I'd like to see him fill out an NPAT on Project Vote Smart.  I'd like less money spent on senior staff, and more spent on staff to answer e-mails and letters.

I agree that 3,000 volunteers was essential in getting us across the finish line but the staff overcame huge hurdles.

In just 100 days they took a rookie candidate running against a long-time party insider that outspent the Webb camp 3 to 1 (including TV vs no TV) and was able to be in a position where we could bring victory home.

In retrospect, this was a tremendous political accomplishment.

Still, we have cleared the foothills but the mountain remains. The campaign staff and volunteers have to redouble our efforts (I have no doubts that we will).

Precisely.

Skilled political operatives demand - and get -- serious bucks.

Think of it this way: The money is all for a short time (the election is now only 4 1/2 months off). After that, if the operative's candidate lost, the next job may be a long time in coming, and even with a winner steady employment may not come until closer to the next election.

first time poster, long time reader.

webb is a great candidate, and in my mind, he should have won by a much larger margin.  in SW VA, we were unable to get out the vote or inspire webb supporters.  this spells serious trouble for november. 

the problem?  very very very few volunteers.  as far as i know, just a handful including myself.

solution?  paid staffers with a full time regional office working full time to recruit volunteers and coordinate supporters.  we cannot win this election without SW VA and it should be jim's for the taking.

for reading Raising Kaine.  Please feel free to comment and write diaries on this community blog of ours...

They should have more staff to interface with the blogosphere.

It was the blogosphere that won this campaign in my view, it's a netroots campaign.

I think if they did a poll and asked:

1.  who did you support Webb or Miller
2.  Do you have high speed Internet access and do you research campaigns and candidates online?

That would answer that question.

The volunteers they have are some pretty sharp people with high levels of education and capability, thorough knowledge of the issues...this ain't your grandma's volunteer team, shift that paradigm.

A win is a win is a win.

However, the Webb Team faced some problems it will have to fix before the fall. 

1) Better communication with Volunteers outside the blogosphere.
2) Make peace with Democratic Leaders who supported Miller, especially those in the African-American community.
3) More FUNDRAISING!!!!!

I had to do an end-run around paid staff in order to be able to get some input in on education policy.  Had I been able to get input in earlier Jim might not have been embarrassed on one occasion with not being able to comment on NCLB

I have spend more time in hdqtrs -- I will not name names, but there are some paid staffers we would not miss, let's leave it that.  There are others who are fantastic.  But some of the key people were not those being paid.

Were I not connected with Ingrid Morroy and able to get around the barriers and the lack of response of some paid staffers, i might well have packed it in and not bothered to continue trying to help.

Folks, I've been through this before. I have been involved at a pretty high level in a presidential primary efforts (Hollings '84 - not all that successful) -- sometimes there are paid staffers who resent the volunteers who seem to have greater access to decision makers, and undermine them.  They need to be reminded that while they are there for a paycheck, the rest of us are giving up of free time because we believe in a candidate.  One can be paid or volunteer and there because of belief in a candidate, one cand be paid or volunteer and there because one is trying to advance one's own interest, and btw the two are not necessarily in conflict.  In my case my interest is not personal, but my passion for my issue of education, which is why I will help almost any Democrat running for office at any level.  Those who know me know of my relationship w/Tom  Vilsack.  I have flat out told Tom that someone could offer me the Assist SecEd for Secondary Education and I would turn them down because I want to stay in the classroom. My teaching is what fuels my passion for policy, but my teaching is also more immediate and more important than anything I do with policy or politics.  To his credit, Tom smiled when I told him this.

A campaign in a general election is very different than that of a primary.  But that does not mean you simply jettison people.

Whatever the campaign is going to do to reorganize itself, I sure as heck hope it happens quickly.  I have a narrow window for active participation that ends a week from tomorrow, because I am then out of town for a month for an NEH seminar at W&M -- I can do a few things electronically and on weekends but that's it.  When I return after 4 weeks I have atmmost 2+ weeks before i return to school for soccer practice.  And since this is not the only campaign I am helping, I really do help what ever organizational changes get made quickly.

That said -- I do not want to see DSCC coming in and dictating as they did in OK last cycle -- that might well have cost us a Senate seat.  Read the book by Markos and Jerome if you want to see what I mean.

All I have time for on this comment.

One of the accomplishments that Allen crows about from his time as governor is the Standards Of Learning (SOL) tests.

I have family and friends who are public school teachers in Virginia in various grades and, to a person, they are frustrated with the SOLs. I hear complaints that the first portion of the school year must be used to review of previous grades curricula before any new material can be addressed so the students can be ready for 'those damned tests'. I am told that the SOLs have crowded out teaching creativity or critical thinking and it encourages rote memorization.

I have also heard complaints from parents that their child is carrying a good grade average but that one (or more) of the SOLs have caused their child problems (one voter at the poll where I was working Tuesday was extremely upset with Allen about the SOLs, it was her key issue and she had an impassioned tirade about it).

I realize that my perspective is based on anecdotal evidence but I see real passion against the SOLs.

TeacherKen, I very much respect your thoughtful posts on all subjects but particularly on education so I would like to know your thoughts on the SOLs and if you feel that Allen may be vulnerable on them as a campaign issue? If you have already posted on these subjects a link would suffice.

Thank you

as it is for any other Virginia Democrat, because Mark Warner supports them.  It is one reason I am not ready to jump on the Warner bandwagon.

I will note that the state DOE has moved towards more flexibility -- eg, you can take AP or IB exams instead of SOLs.

The tests themselves are -  at least in social studies  -- all multiple choice, and not all that high level.  And the pressure that the exams place on schools and teachers and students is distorting the learning process.

Jim has committed to the idea of accountability.  I do not know if he has as yet gone beyond that, and I look forward to helping shape his position.  Please note -- there are people like college professors and school board members who are also contributing to the process -- but as he said in his liveblogging today, the really didn't have the time to to do the fullblown policy development in the intense four month primary.  I know he does not want to commit on a policy until he understands it.

Ingrid should be higher up or something in the campaign.
She's the one who immediately is putting out fires, getting out position statements, needs, action items to the volunteers.

Ingrid rocks.

for which we Arlington  voters/ taxpayers are grateful, but to which we expect her to pay some attention.  :-)

Clone Ingrid then.  I know she's working a full time job, dedicated and meets those responsibilities and that's what makes it even more obvious...
here's somebody who has kicked ass and she's meeting her more than full time obligations...

I'm fairly certain most people here are working more than full time...stark contrast to someone who is a full-time paid campaign staff.

First, let's all agree that Jim Webb is the Democratic nominee and we all need to work together to defeat George Allen in November.

Having said that, the view from the outside is that the Webb campaign is an undisciplined mess.  There is internal bickering between the volunteers and the paid staff and among the volunteers. The campaign is terrible at raising money and the latest mail piece from the DSCC doesn't even mention the Webb-Allen race.

Webb, his campaign staff, and the volunteers continue to ignore the Millerites, despite Miller's statement that we should help Webb.  Webb invites the Reagan Democrats into his tent, but ignores the Democratic "establishment" that largely sided with Miller and controls the party and the precincts in the Commonwealth.

Webb garnered a miniscule number of Democrats in securing his win in this primary and many of those votes were from northern Virginia activists who more closely identify themselves with anti-war groups, independents, Greens, and outsiders.

You need to stop your internal strife.  You need to invite the Millerites in and show them they are wanted.  You need to get serious about mounting a real general election campaign.  And you need to prepare for the onslaught on negativism and venom that will spew from Allen and his GOP cronies and henchmen.

You can't whine about Allen being negative like you did about Miller.  Your whining will fall on deaf ears.

So open up your doors.  Unite among yourselves and then unite the rest of the party behind Webb.

We are ready to help, but we are not going to walk through the door of a house as long as the destructive domestic violence continues inside.

If you don't want the Millerites inside, just tell us, and we will go on a long picnic where the grass is greener, the water is cold and pure, and the happy sun shines all day.

Moran, Kellam, Hurst, Feder, Weed, and the rest of our congressional candidates need plenty of help and unless your campaign gets its act together, you are going to be a drag not a help to their regional campaigns.

This is not an attack.  This is a plea for peace inside your campaign and inside our party.

since the election was called for Webb.  Surely you don't expect Webb to knock on your door in the next five minutes to offer you the corner office?

The blogosphere has really shown it's lack of experience, expecting the Webb campaign to roll out an entirely new lineup the day after an election. 

This whole discussion is premature. Jeez, I haven't even finished doing my laundry yet.

You say that the campaign needs to reach out to you, right now?  Hmmm.  Seems to me that people who want to help the campaign will give them a little breathing space to make the changes THEY decide they need to make.

Me, I'm going to be patient and respectful.

How many times are you going to rehash the same thing? We get it. JC is right. We are more than ready to welcome Miller folks on board.

I don't see any closed doors myself but it's all in your point of view and how you are used to things. This has been a rough and tumble campaign so far. A real grassroots campaign. And I'm sure that we don't get to hear the internal bickering just the public bickering.

This is an environment with a high tolerance for squabbling.  But I was very hurt when I read destructive domestic violence.  There are lots of very healthy large families with plenty of squabbling going on. It isn't domestic violence, but maybe what you are used to?

And about the low turnout, that is what happens when a campaign is negative so I don't think is it very useful to act like that is our fault or something. Do you?

The Raising Kaine doors are open and there is a welcome to new people post on the very front page. What's missing?  I am curious about that.

Every Webb email group I belong to has been having long thread discussions about how much we want to welcome Miller supporters into the campaign with open arms!

This is just not true that Webb volunteers (or staff) are not anxious to welcome EVERYONE back into the fold!

I don't know where you get that impression, but it's certainly false from my point of view.

We'd welcome ALL Miller supporters who are committed to helping Webb beat Allen over at webb2006 @ yahoogroups.com.  Just visit the Yahoo Group or send an e-mail to webb2006-subscribe @ yahoogroups.com.

BTW, I think you're use of the word "outsiders" above is very troubling, and THAT mentality is more the problem here than anything else.

Perhaps Miller supporters don't read those, or perhaps after the campaign such as it was, a few lines in a blog won't cut it.  Will "Senator Webb" annouce something soon?  Will he post something on his website?

to the one Miller staffer whose contact info I have.

I can't claim to speak on behalf of the Webb campaign, though I am a volunteer coordinator for metro-Richmond.

I welcome any Miller supporters in metro-Richmond who would like to help with the battle to unseat George Allen to contact me at jcwilmore@msn.com and join Webb's metro-Richmond volunteers.

Although I think it would go a long way if Webb were to say so himself in a speech. I was going to ask him on the "Live Blog" today but something must have gone wrong.  I finally got the link to work Daily Kos.

you'll see that I asked him myself.  It seems that he and Harris Miller are planning something together.

I'll stay tuned.

By the way, I saw a great documentary, "Can Mr. Smith Go To Washington Anymore" at the AFI Documentary Festival about a populist candidate trying to overcome odds in St. Louis.  Keep an eye out for when it appears at the E Street Cinema; it's well done.

It sure looks to me like a lot of people have a lot to learn about serious election campaigns.

Webb won the primary on a shoestring. The general election -- only 4 1/2 months off -- will require millions of dollars and experienced full-time staff.

Volunteers can contribute hugely in time and energy, but that won't win an election against a well-funded opponent(Allen has at least $7.5 million with lots more yet to come)in a Red state.

Senate elections are a big deal. Experienced election staff are expensive. Allen's campaign bank balance gives him a huge advantage. Volunteers can contribute so very, very much, but money is a primary key to success.

So stop grousing if you can't get another yard sign, and instead try to persuade people to contribute to Webb's campaign.

We have a serious fight on our hands guys. Allen's people aren't running around shooting each other in the back. We need to close ranks and unite. We're in the big time now. Whatever your role, it's time to put Jim first.

This string of posts does not help Jim. We need to save our energy for Allen. It does Jim a disservice to shoot our own wounded on the battlefield.

Whatever happens needs to happen fast. Allen won't wait for Webb to get his ship together if he can knock him out with an early media blitz. The campaign has incredible grassroots support, but unless it gets some establishment guidance, it may flounder. It would be a terrible tragedy for that to happen, because Jim Webb could revolutionize American Politics for our lifetimes.

that he is an amazing candidate.  It is all about his resume.  As to the paid staff, I think that changes need to be made.  Until the end of the campaign, they did not seem to be getting Webb out to the people very much--and forget their responding to email questions/suggestions. And the campaign web page--not good.  The best thing they did was those radio spots, an getting Jim into at least a couple of interviews.  (BTW, Jim needs to challenge Allen to a debate SOON.) Clearly there needs to be a paid organizational team, but this team needs to take full advantage of the volunteers.  And we need field offices, as in the Kaine campaign.
IMO, the votes Jim most needs are those of African Americans and of Independents.  I am so sorry that his hand surgery has prevented him (I assume) from attending the VFW state convention--that would have been a great venue.
As to Miller's people and Miller--they HAVE been invited to help--I would love to see Miller put as much time and $ into Webb as he would have into himself. That would be real support.

A win is automatically "above-average," but there were lots of confusion and missteps in the campaign - late appearances, not appearing at functions that were extremely important (i.e., a state central committee meeting), etc. However, remember that this campaign did not start until about March 1, so give them a break. Same for fund-raising.

Now, the campaign will have to raise big money very fast. Much early money probably (I hope) will come from outside the state. I have already gotten two emails from Wes Clark and John Kerry for the campaign. At the same time, the netroots will have to crank it out, too.

Chap Petersen has a very good analysis of the primary on "Ox Road South." He obviously learned much from his primary defeat. His two suggestions: "To win in November, Webb has to 1) build support in the black community, especially in Hampton Roads, and 2) raise a ton of money to compete with George Allen. If he can accomplish that, I think he'll win."

Steve Jarding says Webb will run a hybrid campaign, part Warner push for the rural vote, part Kaine push for the NOVA suburbs. I would add two other places to push: military and veterans plus the African-American community.

We can win this thing, but it will take working together and more that a tiny bit of luck. But...Jim Webb likes the odds. So do I.

Jim Webb is supposed to be live blogging now (3pm) on daily kos.  He doesn't seem to be there yet, but you could ask him there.

From his Daily Kos live blog session this afternoon.

I'm tremendously proud of the campaign we ran to win the primary.  We did not go negative.  We believed in our message and stayed with it.  We never backed down from what we believed in, either for votes or for money.  We stood firm on our convictions and those convictions will continue to guide us in the coming months.

I didn't see our campaign burdened by weaknesses as much as we were faced with significant challenges.  When you look at what we were up against in this primary, it is amazing to reflect on what we were able to accomplish.  We started late.  We were outspent three to one. We were opposed by a well-respected member of the Virginian Democratic establishment.  And we had to overcome the fact that I had worked much of my adult life for Republicans.

But in just 100 days and without a lot of money, we assembled a first-class staff, earned the support of an army of bloggers and 2,500 volunteers, raised enough money to get our message out, and convinced Virginia Democrats not only that I was a Democrat who could be trusted, but that I was a Democrat who could expand the party and deliver real leadership.

So even if I had the chance to re-run the campaign, I would run it exactly the same.

Getting endorsements: A
Free media: A
Fundraising: C-

I never got the bumpersticker.  It's a little thing, but telling, especially since I donated generously.  I hope to be able to buy some in the next month.

Not one of the messages I sent the campaign through the website was acknowledged. 

There were no materials at all, and no way to get any, for people who didn't make it to an event where signs or bumper stickers were handed out. 

There could have been a flyer .pdf at the web site volunteers could download and print.  There could have been some suggestions for ways to help spread the word; all I ever got via the email volunteer alerts was requests for money.

At the very least, someone in the campaign could have compared the donor list with the bumper sticker list to make sure everyone who gave money got a sticker -- or an email explaining the shortage.

And, yes, it took a while to get some materials, but that should improve as they move forward in the general.

that should be rolling full steam ahead as far as I am concerned.. and yes, I donated and never got a bumper sticker.

we need presence all around the state.  i promise to personally put 50 bumper stickers on 50 cars if they will just get some to me!! i suppose i can save up from my measley paychecks (after all, i am employed in SWVA) and buy that number of bumper stickers, but i could really use a little more support