RK ARCHIVE - Our Work Has Just Begun

As most expected on November 7th I lost the VA-01 House race. But, the campaign also helped Jim Webb on his path to victory!

I'm proud of our all volunteer grassroots campaign. With modest monetary contributions from thousands of typical working Americans, we started turning our District blue and helped Jim Webb on the road to victory in the Senate.

We've just begun rebuilding the Democratic Party in Virginia and I firmly believe that Democratic candidates must run and challenge every Republican seat in the 2007 Virginia House of Delegates and Senate election and in every Congressional race in 2008.

My thanks to Raising Kaine and to each and every volunteer and contributor who gave their time, talent, and treasure to Democratic campaigns and committees around the Commonwealth. Your work was invaluable and I am personally grateful for the welcome and every kindness and hospitality extended to me and all your efforts on behalf of Democrats.

In 2006 Virginia's 1st Congressional District voters decided not to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its failed and ruinous record since 2001. They also failed to vote for our next Senator, Jim Webb.

However, over 81,000 Virginia 1st Congressional District voters joined millions of other Americans who had had enough. Nationwide, voters decided to intervene to save their country by giving the Democratic Party a large majority in the United States House of Representatives. Beginning in January, Democratic senior legislators will take their places as Speaker of the House and chairs of House committees.

Congressional rubber stamps are now in the minority where I hope their 6 year record of government for the wealthy few and powerful, legislation written by corporate cronies' lobbyists, endemic corruption, and their disdain for typical working Americans will be halted and made transparent.

Getting Jim Webb elected to the Senate was a watershed event for Virginia and our Nation. Now it is time to go forth and continue to build on those efforts!

Comments

Thanks for running (Rebecca - 11/21/2006 3:02:25 PM)

Shawn,

Thanks for running. Your efforts will help build the foundation for a vibrant Democratic Party in Virginia. I like the idea of extending the 50 state strategy to Virginia as the "All Districts" strategy. I think the same principles apply.

Thanks for Running, and . . . (PM - 11/21/2006 6:00:54 PM)

Your comment ---

"I firmly believe that Democratic candidates must run and challenge every Republican seat in the 2007 Virginia House of Delegates and Senate election and in every Congressional race in 2008."

--- is excellent.

Even if there's a slim chance of winning, we should field candidates in every race. They don't have to expend a lot of money and energy on the race. Maybe set up a website, write op ed pieces to the local papers, all low resource items. One thing that does is force the GOP candidate in the race to spend money -- even token opposition should make them a little nervous. And that way the GOP candidates will be less likely to transfer money to other more competitive races.

thanks shawn (lgb30856 - 11/21/2006 7:21:38 PM)

for doing all you did, you were everywhere and when we were at the fall festival in newport news, you really had people listening.
I admire you for getting out there. We aren't going to win unless we have people running.
thanks again.

I do not doubt that Webb may well have won because of O'Donnell (thegools - 11/21/2006 8:03:39 PM)

& he could very well have lost if J.-A. Davis had run unopposed.
The margin of victory was so small for Webb that his win could be ascribed to the would be non-voters who voted due to the 1st district having a Dem candidate. I would imagine that if every district had had a Dem candidate, Webb's margin of victory would have been still larger.
Even when a Democratic candidate doesn't have a chance of winning, he is still helping in the larger sense, by keeping Incumbant GOP dollars at home, and by helping swell the Democratic turnout for statewide races and initiatives.

Every District Policy (Teddy - 11/21/2006 8:30:34 PM)

When I converted to being a Democrat it blew my mind that there were NO Democrats running in District after District in Virginia, which, only a few years before, had been loaded with Demorats, or, at least, Dixicrats.

I completely agree we need to run candidates in every District, and they should be more than token candidates. It used to be that the minority party would permit a woman to run in an unwinnable race and, once she had softened up the electorate and winkled out the winning issues, then the Powers That Be would put up a man as the "real" candidate. Have we outgrown that infamous political trick? No matter, I expect it all comes down to Money, and it's hard to recruit good viable candidates if they realize they are only place holders.

That brings up the problem of gerrymandering, which makes for so many Districts that are seldom truly competitive. And That brings up the question of reforming the rules of re-districting, which can end up making every race competitive. I say we have not only to run candidates in every race, but we absolutely must reform the drawing of election districts, and that should be our mantra for the coming year. Hopefully, it's an idea whose time has come (is coming???)

Thanks for running, Shawn (libra - 11/22/2006 2:31:24 AM)

To have the nerve to "stand up and be counted" is important, whether or not one wins; if we don't stick to our principles, we'll die inside and out.

I agree with "the gools"; in all probability, every Dem candidate, who ran for a House Representative slot, contributed to Webb's win by energising the electorate to go out and *do something, dammit*. I'm only sorry we (6th) didn't have anyone this time around.

Win or lose, we have to *try*. Otherwise, people will always have this bewildered look on their faces: "a Dem? what's that?"

Thanks so much for running, Shawn-- (summercat - 11/22/2006 10:11:02 AM)

you did a lot to hearten Dems and get a debate going. I think the state needs redistricting (non-partisan is fine by me) and public campaign financing to make running viable for Democrats in currently Republican districts. And, while changes may be coming, I think that the DPVA could do a lot more to help--such as now in the quiet time getting contact with non-voters to find out why, as well as financing major absentee ballot reg drives at senior centers, retirement homes, etc.
But I thihk there may be some more Dems seated in the state legislature from NoVA, which might be enough to topple Howell in favor of Hamilton (I don't know how good Hamilton would be on issues like transportation, but no one could be worse than Howell, imo.)