Volunteers celebrating and looking forward

Yesterday many of the people who had volunteered for Jim Webb's Senate campaign got together in Arlington headquarters for one last celebration. It was pot luck, with people adding to the generosity of the time they had already given by bringing chicken, beer, soda, wine, pepperoni, veggies, champagne, popcorn, pretzels - you get the menu. It was a celebration that looked back at what we had accomplished, but it was also an occasion to look forward as well.

Some volunteers had been full-time: Sarah John who ran the phone banking, Mary Detwiler and Barb Kuykendall, who helped run the office, and many more. Josh Chernila, who had gone from being one of the bloggers who had helped recruit Webb into the race to being the paid director of volunteers, was focused on seeing how we could take what we had accomplished and apply it this forthcoming cycle to electing Democrats to the General Assembly.
Many of the paid staff came down to join us briefly. Dan, and John Paul, and Steve, and Larry Byrne (Leslie's husband who ran field ops), and Jessica from Press and the top two of the campaign, Jessica Vanden Berg and Adrienne Christian. They were welcome, but this was a celebration of what we had accomplished. And most of us were Virginians who were looking ahead to what else we could accomplish. Jim Webb had said that he was dedicated to helping Gov. Tim Kaine move the state forward, and the best way we could accomplish that was to elect more Dems to the General Assembly.

Some, like Wasim Entabi, who helped organize Real Virginians for Webb, have functional organizations that they want to keep together and are looking for guidance about what to do. Others having tasted making a difference do not want to see our enthusiasm wane, but worry that the state party really is not prepared to deal with a mass of enthusiastic and committed volunteers. And I cannot predict that we will find a way to apply our commitment and enthusiasm.

Some of us talked about how we use the raisingkaine web site. Others talked about what kind of structures we could erect, how to use the database of volunteers and that of voters - the latter with more identified Dems than the state party may have.  

In a sense it was appropriate that Hekebolos and Reality Bites had ended their Crashing the States tour with the Webb campaign because it was an example of doing something outside the traditional state party structure, at least to start, even though those involved with the campaign would be the first to tell you that without the commitment of Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Bobby Scott and Rick Boucher and Jim Moran and many others we could not have won the election on November 7. Jim Webb was the instrument by which many came to political activism: they wanted to make a difference. Having tasted the success of this campaign, while some are now ready to get on with their lives, still many are hungry to do more.

It is as yet unclear what we may be able to accomplish. Those of us around raisingkaine will use that as one means of staying connected as we explore how we can help in the forthcoming campaign for the 100 seats in the House of Delegates and the 40 in the State Senate. In a sense, it is much harder to organize for so many races than it was to focus on one race with one good candidate, Webb, against one person we all dislike, Allen. We know some of those we want to target: Bob Marshall, who coauthored the noxious marriage amendment, Jack Rust, Ken Cuccinelli, Jeane Marie Devolites (married to Tom Davis, and already facing a formidable challenger in Chap Peterson).  

Many at the Arlington headquarters live in Arlington or nearby in Fairfax, Alexandria and Falls Church. We are already represented by good Democrats under no threat of being ousted by Republicans.  We will have to commit to helping in districts for people whose constituents we would not be.  That is a different kind of effort. We have to recognize, and explain to others, that an election in Prince William or Faquier is just as important to us if it can help tip the General Assembly blue and thereby help Tim Kaine move his agenda forward.  

We have a real possibility of transforming Democratic politics in Virginia.  We have the possibility of reversing for good the Republican dominance of the state legislature. We can further demonstrate that people-powered politics can make a difference. Some have developed skills and confidence and know they can do so much more than merely stuff envelopes and make phone calls.  

The campaign offices were somewhat bare, both on the 2nd floor where the volunteers congregated and the third floor which was the home of the paid staff. Most of the computers and phones are now gone. Things are being packed up. We were pulling tape off the carpet. And yet the large room on the 2nd floor was overflowing, not only with people, but with enthusiasm. Winning can help generate that. Some people had never had a doubt that Jim would win, others were still floating on the excitement that came when the networks finally showed him ahead. Some, like Josh and Lee Diamond, first began working to get Jim into the race in the Fall of 2005. Others did not join us until after the primary. Some will move on with their lives. Others, including me, are already starting the processes of transitioning to a focus on state and local political races.  

I had previously written my "last" Webb diary. This diary has not violated that statement. This diary is NOT about Jim Webb, even though I included his name as a tag on the dailykos version of this meandering writing. This is about the grassroots, about the people who came together to make a difference in their state and for their nation. Some were highly skilled and experienced in politics before this campaign, some learned their political skills for the first time. All learned that they could make a difference. Many want to continue to do so.

I would suspect that what I experienced and observed yesterday is far from unique to the Webb campaign. Were one to gather volunteers of Jon Tester, or for some of the House races, one might well find similar attitudes. Even some of the races which were not won, the volunteers know that they made a difference. Some of our people also volunteered for Andy Hurst. Andy did not win, but he tied down Tom Davis, forced him to spend millions on his own reelection, funds that could not be used to help Republican incumbents elsewhere in the country.

We hope we can help get at least 140 Democrats running in Virginia, one in every district. We know there are districts we cannot win. But if we challenge in every district, we force the Republican party of Virginia, which is currently in disarray, to have to spread its resources around, and that increases the chance that we will be able to pick off some marginal seats. Howard Dean proved the validity of his 50 state strategy. And despite the original attitude of Rahnm Emanuel, the grassroots and their favored candidates proved the wisdom of challenging every House race they could. Look at New Hampshire and Ohio - by running candidates against Jeb Bradley and (originally) Bob Ney in seats thought to be unwinnable, lightening struck twice. If you don't compete, you cannot win. And we saw in Virginia what happens when you allow someone to run uncontested, as unfortunately happened in several of our CDs - those people can devote their resources to other contests.  

I believe in democracy writ large. That means that we the people need to be more involved in our political processes. We cannot sit back and assume others will run to represent our interests, and that still others will do the work necessary to elect people not hostile to that we hold dear. It is up to each of us. We have learned that in Virginia. Now we are attempting to find a way to apply that hard-earned knowledge.

What are you doing in your state?

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