before we will be in the trenches again, and I can guarantee the Republicans are rarin' to go after the stinging Senate defeat. What is happening to the various state PACs Warner, Kaine, etc, are promoting? It looks to me as though lack of money as well as lack of will is hampering the strengthening of the state part infrastructure. It is not time to rest on our laurels, and Kaine needs to bestire himself to build up the state party--- which he said he was going to do, darn it. And, as I recall, Webb himself mentioned beuilding, or re-building the Democratic Party at the State level. Let's go!

would love to see Warner's PAC money now used to revitalize the state party.

Also, Virginia hasn't seen Dean's 50-state staffers come through yet, I don't think.

Virginia has at least two, if not three of the 50 state strategy staffers - one in Roanoke, one in Tidewater and I also think one in NOVA.  I believe they started back in July.

was based out of PWC.

I didn't even notice the state party until the final few weeks  when I received a few mailers at home paid for by the Virginia State Party. Frankly, I thought I'd see more much earlier. But I honestly don't know anything on how a state party is run.

They probably were doing a lot of things behind the scenes, I am not attempting to defend anyone. I just think that just because we don't see them doesn't mean they aren't working.

In 2007, and 2008 I am hoping to see us build and grow from our victories in 2005 & 2006. I think ever single person involved from the bottom to the top and vice versa played a crucial role in winning. This is especially true because the margin of victory.

This was a team effort, now we must figure out how to grow and  encourage more people to join our efforts so we can increase the margin of victory for future elections.

I myself, and very enthusiastic about Mark Warner and his future in American politics.

Hope you all had a great thanksgiving.

At least that's something - can you describe them? How many? Were they effective?

They were very nice too, had a bunch of pictures of Jim's family. I really think they wasted them with me though, nothing could have prevented me from not voting for Jim Webb.

He's one of the best people I have ever met, a great leader, and the heart to make a difference.

There was a clear choice, I am happy the majority of voters agreed with me. =)

Interesting discussion..and will offer some observations in my region- (Fredericksburg Region)

In 2005 I saw more Kaine GOTV efforts in the Fredericksburg area including the typical "red" regions Spotsylvania and Stafford. There was a headquarters in South Stafford and was used by Kaine Campaign for regional GOTV. In 2006 there was no local DEM "headquarters" in the Fredericksburg area. The Fredericksburg Area GOP had a local HQ in 2006 and 2004 and coordinated with their 1st District Campaign (Rep Davis). Its my understanding that Federal election laws are more restrictive with coordination of campaign efforts so my guess is VA Dem party targeted areas that reaped the largest DEM voter rewards. Agree that voter turn-out could have been higher for Dems. It required more local volunteer efforts.
 

one mailer talking about the faith of Jim Webb and other Dem candidates.  And that came out very late.
I think the state party has done virtually nothing.  (Could they have been sulking because their leadership supported Miller in the primary?)I would like for them to espouse public campaign financing, set up a framework and fund effective GOTV efforts, do a survey of non-voters to see where they stand, why they don't vote, provide info on legislation (eg strategies for redistricting) to local committees.  For starters. 
Would be nice to begin with them sending all of us a budget report.  What money do they have--and how are they spending it? Until the DPVA does somehting positive, I won't be supporting them financially.

one mailer talking about the faith of Jim Webb and other Dem candidates.  And that came out very late.
I think the state party has done virtually nothing.  (Could they have been sulking because their leadership supported Miller in the primary?)I would like for them to espouse public campaign financing, set up a framework and fund effective GOTV efforts, do a survey of non-voters to see where they stand, why they don't vote, provide info on legislation (eg strategies for redistricting) to local committees.  They claim to want candidates--yet don't give those brave souls who run any real support.  For starters. 
Would be nice to begin with them sending all of us a budget report.  What money do they have--and how are they spending it? Until the DPVA does somehting positive, I won't be supporting them financially.

Surf over to http://www.vademocra... but don't expect much timely news.  Ok, the Webb victory is highlighted but I would hazard a guess that something worthy of mention has occurred between then and when he won the primary (the next item below). 

The Demo Memo at http://www.vademocra... is equally dismal with a dated item from July 19th advocating readers to flock to Barbara Boxer's site to attempt to get some PAC dollars sent Jim Webb's way.

I really feel sorry for someone who is finally fed up with the GOP and is looking to see what the State Party has to offer.  There is little (I'm only saying that because I gave up looking in disgust) or nothing for a newcomer to sink their political teeth into. 

Perhaps nothing matters more these days than savvy use of the Web.

So, on an effectiveness scale of 0 (no web site) to 10 (fantastic tool!), I'd rate the Virginia Democratic Party's site as somewhere between 1 and 2. Yes, they have a site, but it's plain they don't have the foggiest idea what to do with it.

And, no, this doesn't mean they need to hire a Web designer. It means that the party needs smart, forward-thinking leadership that (among a helluvalotta other things) appreciates how important the Web is these days.

If you want a good model, look at the North Carolina party's site. Lot's of good stuff there, and it's all the result of getting a great progressive state party chair (Jerry Meek) a few years ago.

Oh, and did I mention that the Democratic Party in North Carolina picked up a House seet a few weeks back? And got a bigger margin in the state House? And still control the state senate? And are on track to elect another Democraic governor in a few years?

Effective parties have smart leadership. Period. End of story ... and beginning of search for some smart people in Virginia.

Why are Republicans talking about a move to NC?  The valley of humility looks like a great place to be.

Great blogging community, e.g., http://www.bluenc.co...

And such a nice big fat surge.

In what began as a combination of curiosity and calling another poster's "bluff" of finding out what DPVA does by attending their steering committee meeting, I made the trip from Fredericksburg to Staunton and can honestly say that it was not a waste of fuel.

I picked an email contact from their web site (the one I was complaining about) that I suspected would help my decision to go by providing an agenda and Lavar Stoney answered later in the day with attached MSWord docs of the aganda, minutes and a victory celebration invitation. 

I'd estimate within the first couple of minutes of the Chairman's report, Mr Cranwell sounded like he was very familiar with this particular thread but didn't mention RK specifically just "the blogs". 

On the subject of my original reply, it looks like a new web site is on the way. 

 

From what I saw this year absolutely nothing was coming out of the DPVA. Even their website went "dead" mid-summer. I understand that new leadership took over in March but they certainly haven't made themselves known. What were they doing this year?

I've looked at other state Democratic Party sites around the county and they do so much more to support grassroots workers.  It's like night and day.

The DPVA's website really needs some MAJOR work. The
website has nothing on it!!  The search function is useless, there are no "how to's" that other state parties include on their websites such as how to conduct a voter registration, a house party, phone banking, etc.  And when your mouse hovers over the "Volunteer" button, the drop downs indicate "Photos"???

In contrast just look at the VA Republican Party site (vagop.org) and at the Virginia Conservatives Action Pac (vcap.org)and you see a drastic difference!  At the Republican sites there are lots of trainings, conferences, events, issues discussions, etc.  And they are raising lots of money too.  I got next to nothing in terms of e-mails this year from the DPVA and when I looked for events at their site....nada.

Bottom line is that George Allen shot himself in the foot during the campaign with his "macaca" moment and got himself defeated.....the Democrats probably won't be that lucky again in the future. 

The State Party has depended on Northern Virginia Democrats to do the work of electing Democrats. Now it's the DPVA's turn to work with the rest of the counties and cities in Virginia if this state is ever going to turn blue.  It's long past the time that the new team at DPVA do something.

I do agree, they do need a facelift. And a major one, perhaps one of our savvy IT types who contribute here on RK can lend a hand.

has anyone reached out to them?

DFA or Democracy for Virginia could help, but as far as I know the organization is defunct.

Why do real Democrats in Virginia tolerate such an inept party leadership?

We don't have to tolerate an inept party leadership. We can ALL let them know via e-mail (they say they answer e-mail)that we are unhappy.  We can all let them know what we want and expect and we can tell everyone we know to voice our frustration. 

In numbers there is power. 

K,

Come to Staunton and ask your question of your fellow Democrats at the Central Committee meeting next Saturday. Come watch the top leadership meet at the Steering Committee Friday night.

The info on Staunton is in the calendar section of the DPVA website - www.vademocrats.org.

If you have an issue, deal with it, rather than just blog about it.

you can do both, blog and get out in the meetings and try to make a difference.

I know for a fact that both the Sully District and the Hunter Mill District for the Fairfax County Dems had very active and effective operations working to get our candidates elected but that may be because both Districts have excellent and committed chairs and enthusiastic volunteers.  I can't say much about other segments of FCDC because I was focused on my local area events.  I have hearsay reporting that there were a few other very active and effective individual districts but frankly I heard and saw nothing from FCDC itself.  And as for the State Dems...who they?  I got no mailers, no contact, nada, zip.  I don't know what the root cause was...snit over their "annointed" candidate losing in the primary, incompetence, disarray...whatever it was, they were invisible to us down here in the trenches of local activism.  Yeah, politics is local and especially next year when we are trying to increase our numbers in the State Senate and House of Delegates but we need an overarching state organization to coordinate the state-wide efforts.  If the current officers can't, or won't, do the job, then in the crude vernacular, they should get off the pot!

You forgot Mt Vernon District! I'll put our chair and our committee right up there at the top for commitment, hard work and enthusiasm.

BTW, the next general FCDC meeting is TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 28th at Holmes Middle School, 6525 Montrose Street, Alexandria, VA  22312. Come at 7:30 for the social hour--the meeting starts at 8 p.m.

All good Democrats in Fairfax County should make a point and BE THERE!!!

I certainly did not see any effort by the DPVA for the election of Jim Webb. Then again, I'm not sure that the state party is capable of being an effective GOTV instrument at the present time.

It is past time for the netroots, the grassroots, to turn off the monitors, go out and join local Dem committees, get elected to district and state committees and make changes in the way the party operates.

It's a bit sad to see a party that has been a minority party for quite some time operate as if it's still the majority party. GOTV only works when there is effective action at the precinct level. Just concerning one's self with who is in some office and who gets to go to meetings is meaningless when Election Day comes around.

I forgot they even existed to be quite honest!

Although I was active in 04, 05 and now in 06 I am quite new at this. I had no ideal of the difference between the State and Federal election laws and they still have me a bit confused. I think it has some local and state committees confused also. Having said that and seeing what I call lack of leadership in the fifth district and the state and even a lack of local committeee meetings leading up to the election, the results were better then expected. Today I was reminded not to be so bleak about not winning the 5th District Congressional seat, because after all the Democrats took back the house and the Senate, I should feel good. Losing the 5th still makes me feel bleak and I keep looking back at what went wrong. Honestly I believe the candidate did an excellant job. He started Public Policy of VA in early 2005 and really worked hard in the Danville area. Really getting his name in front of the public and during the campaign did a lot of street walking and getting his name in front of the public. Heck he was over the 75% rang of name recognition in the 5th. Contributions were far greater then in the '04 race but it was still a 15% loss. Looking over the vote count it all seems to point to a low performance by either the local committeees, the 5th or state committee in the southern part of the fifth district. Their vote count was low. Looking around the state where Democrats did not do well the GOTV was in the 42% range, yet where the D's did well the vote percentage was over 50%. All of this points to poor leadership in the state, district and local committees in those area's, especially since how bad the country is doing the percentage should have been higher.

What I believe is needed is the State D's need to get a working GOTV plan that can be pushed in each district and reaching the local level. One of the first places they need to start, is recruitung retirees in each local committee through out the state. Retired people have time to give towards these committees. Mailing groups need to be formed and then the stuffing and labeling dates worked out. Sending sample ballots still go a long way toward a wearness. Groups need to be formed for each voting place. On election day, when each person goes to vote they take their yard signs with them. This way the polls get numerous signs and no one person has to worry about picking up the signs through out the city/county after election day. The last people working the polls round them up and take home or stack for some one else to pick up. One thing that distrubed me was that some people worried about sending literature to Republicans that the R's would turn out to vote for R's. No one knows how some one will vote. Some R's do vote D, which the Gay amendment vote indicates.

Brain storming here just may be part of the answer. Some times negative talking can turn groups into positive thinkers. One thing for certain, talking never hurts and ususally leads to growth. We need a Democratic House of Delegates in '07.

The primary was doubly divisive for the 5th. This brings up a broader problem. Who benefits when internal grudges are escalated into enmities and publicly aired?  One step further - over the course of the campaign I heard various complaints post-primary from one faction against the other, and even from senate and/ or congressional supporters against the other.  Comments and complaints like, "________ needs to do this, _________ needs to do that." 

And I heard about grudges apparently carved in stone going on several counties away.

I was not seeking this out; it was all over the place. It was a campaign, not a magic show.  I'm not advocating burying one's head in the sand by any means, but complaining to hear the sound of your own voice is simply destructive and self-destructive.

Next. If Webb had been able to attend the 5th CD dinner, there would have been more solidarity and focus of energy.  I know he couldn't attend, but that exacerbated a scattering feeling that already existed. 

And after that, Webb was plainly worn down on the day of the 5th CD caucus.  Everything seemed to go wrong that day. Later on the two campaigns worked together on many fronts but it seemed a bit forced sometimes.  But I think if things had started out a little more smoothly, there would have been a greater level of collaborative energy going on.

Finally, I was utterly spent on election day.  If it were not for our local committee members, and Janet getting them there, I would have been so SOL.  So some of them weren't out there every single day.  They certainly were closers because I didn't have enough energy to stay warm.

As for your idea about retirees, it's a good one. In your case, you're used to acting autonomously.  How would you feel about taking assignments?  Just asking.. :)

I have some ideas, too, that I would sure like to pass on to Virginia Dems. So if you guys are reading, send me an email.

I think that I received the same mailer refered to in a lot of posts, but with reference to the Seventh Congressional District little was done. Their appeared to be more grassroots effort around the race for Board of Supervisors Midlothian District than in the Congressional race. It as if the Party concentrates its efforts in areas that they perceive to be Democrat and merely want to drive turnout in those areas and neglect the other areas....thats no way to grow any party!! If the folks would do the kind of trend analysis you find in alot of blogs they would see that they are not speaking to areas where there is trending opportunity. Mailers do not cut it. If either Party is serious in Virginia; take nothing for granted and build up from the local levels of school boards,supervisor races, etc and build on that infrastructure for national and statewide races.There appears to be real plan or vision guiding the operations. Alteroffreedom.blogspot.com

I am a member of the DPVA State Central Committee and must let you all know that you are just plain WRONG. The party staff that began in March is head and shoulders above the folks that once were there. If many of you all think that the party apparatus was going to change overnight, you have another thing coming. At one time the DNC did not include Virginia in the 50 State Strategy, but the Party Staff fought to bring 3 regional staffers to Virginia. The Party now has regional staffers in NOVA, HRoads and SWVA. The Party never had a regional grassroots organizer on the ground, now they do in three areas. If you live in Prince William or Virginia Beach, I think you may have seen the role they played in the Pandak and Kellam races which undoubtedly helped Jim Webb. If many of you have not been around VA politics, the campaigns at the top of the ticket have always been responsible for GOTV throughout the state. They are the ones who lead the effort in setting up a State Coordinated campaign. We did not see that from the top of the ticket this year, instead in my area i know the GOTV efforts were delegated to the local party committees. And I'll say many committees stepped to the forefront and performed quite well. I have a friend who lives in a very black neighborhood in Richmond and she told me that she received multiple doorhangers and phone calls reminding her to vote on Election Day paid for by the Democratic Party. Also, if you were ever in Hampton Roads you defintely heard radio ads from the DPVA. In my opinion, the Party was the only GOTV driver in the State. I did not see anything from the Webb campaign. So, instead of throwing rocks at the folks who had a plan and actually directed most of the GOTV efforts in the state let's question the campaign apparatus that barely squeaked by????

P.S.: If you ever look at FEC/State Board Finance reports, you'll see that the party raised more money in one year than they've ever before. Usually if you want to know what an organization or candidate is doing all you have to do is follow the money.

P.S.S.: Yes, I agree they need a new website like right now, but if you were "in the loop", you'd know from the past Central meetings that they have that in the works to be released at the top of the year! Maybe some of you need to down to Staunton on Dec. 2nd and see what the DPVA has actually been up to instead of spewing fallicies!

Enough with the Rock throwing!

Previous post have discussed this very issue - in fact I believe Lowell got a pretty good slapping because of a general statement.

That being said - at a minimum the State parties, etc, etc where not visable.  If you have active individuals that have insight to the working of the GOTV efforts and they have not, nor have not even heard of any members from the state organization - that should tell you that there is a huge communication gap.

Maybe the communication gap is with the CD and / or the candidates staff, but the preception is there that the State and CD did not run an coordinated effort.  So in the future the strategy, and perhaps the 2007 races would be good place to start, to get the working element in place to be more visiable down to the local levels.

Something as simple as a dispatch that discusses strategy and even things like upgrades and launch of what ever database and information will be used.

I believe visibility is everything, but of course some would argue that "I know nothing".

What makes people feel so damn special?

Ok, you made valid points as you represent the VA Dem Establishment. But, think before speaking.

You protest against "rock throwing" yet you yourself in your own commentary throw rocks yourself by writing in a tone that is very condescending to say the very least.

We must work together, if the Virginia state party leadership shares your tone with the grassroots/netroots who are not "in the loop" as you are and don't portray a more mature, well mannered response expect nothing but rock throwing in return.

If you fire, so shall return.

I actually remain neutral as much as possible between the State party and the bloggers. I once, months ago made the mistake of attacking when I didn't know the full story. I however was corrected graciously and was welcomed for my support, advice, and work.

However, if your are going to claim to represent any organization of the Democratic Party do so knowing that you represent them, and everyone may not have the knowledge that you hold so when you come on a blog that attacks your organization don't even attempt to attack back.

Because then you are doing the same thing you attempt to protest against. Which not only degrades the validity of your argument, and that of your organization and thus is open for questioning among any uniformed citizen.

If you as the "privileged" want to inform those less than, do so in a manner less confrontational and more congenial.

That is all.

Doc,

It is OK for you and other bloggers to attack DPVA and be condescending, but it not OK for someone to fight back, defend DPVA, and be as condescending as you are?

That doesn't make sense.

You say DPVA people are "privileged."  You say you are one of those who are "less than" privileged. 

What the heck are you talking about?  Do you have an inferiority complex?

BTW, some of us think it isn't enough to be a Democrat only during an election.  Some of us do it year around, year-after-year.

So, either get off the pot and join the DPVA (and pay the price in money, time, and effort) or go back to your self-described world of lesser-beings and sit around and bitch.

I was replying to the tone and language of the commenter kingdem, obviously he was upset and that's understandable. But if your going to represent the ideas and thoughts of an organization and defend that organization.

Do so in a manner that is far more mature. Or we are getting into well he/she did so, why can't I?

That is just childish. So come on, we all should be having drinks not engaging in a pissing contest.

Your defense of what the DPVA is doing clearly shows what you don't understand about your job and what you should be doing to help elect Democrats.  99.99% of us out here in the rest of the state are not "in the loop" (remember you haven't been communicating any information to us...how would we have known that anything was going on) and why should I travel to Staunton to a meeting I've never even been told about. Why don't you publish the meeting information, agenda, speeches, actions, etc. on the website instead.  You could reach a lot more people.  This is the attitude that frustrates us out here in the "boonies"....DPVA knows better than we do. 

How about a "suggestion box" and how about listening to the electorate?

I'm glad you're here to bring the DPVA's perspective.  Can you tell us more about the leadership apparatus and decision making?

montanya:

Please excuse my tone. I am just one of those people that believe instead of "stewing" people should be "doing." I don't know the individual who started the post, but I know he/she is probably a very able and capable person. If you call or email someone at the state party, i know without a doubt they would respond to your questions.

We all need to know that just because you aren't seeing it in your area, doesnt mean it isnt happening in other parts of the state. Everytime I view the blogs it's the same establishment v. anti-establishment rhetoric. I think both the netroots and Party are guilty of not engaging each other in this critical time in Va politics. And without throwing the proverbial rocks, we both can agree that it's a lose/lose until we bridge the gap.

Tired.

Agree, but there is this rift between the establishment and the grassroots and honestly the grassroots is a growing voice in American politics. Why? Because they are the die hards who break or make a candidacy.

If you don't believe me. Look at the races in 2006. No, the grassroots don't own anything yet. But, in time they will.

We need this, we need more people involved. It isn't about those in the top of the establishment. Its about those in the bottom. And criticism is good, it means that if the grassroots criticize they care. If the establishment wants them to do, ask. I am sure If Jim Webb, Tim Kaine, or Mark Warner asked for help in 2007 we would most surely without hesitation come aboard to help the Democratic party win.

But we can't come, if we aren't welcome.

And that means our opinions too. You say if we call our questions would be answered that sounds great. But I hope I tone stays congenial and less confrontational.

The ideal situation, whether in between Viginia's annual campaigns or during them, is for an involved, intouch and innovative party organization to meld with a highly energized grassroots.  This has become more important than ever with the slim majority we've seen in the past 6 years.  Somehow, that's proving to be difficult as there is no real blueprint. 

The campaign or party organization must have a dedicated liaison to the grassroots with a clear vision of the role grassroots will play.  Once perfected, this will be a dynamite collaboration.  I must say, I, too, questioned what the party had done as I don't feel that much was communicated (either to grassroots leaders or through local committees).  I called the office in the last week or two and got only a recording.  Never did get my question answered.

Spoken from someone who organizes grassroots and who is a local and state party member.

I started this post to initiate a public discussion in our netroots community - people who were very involved on the ground in 2006 - about what they saw from the DPVA.  Calling the DPVA would not achieve that.

I am very pleased that you are here though - more information from you is very welcome.  In fact, I was heartened to read your comment above - sounds like the DPVA is engaged and getting reorganized.

I will add, though, that the website is the organization's public face to the Commonwealth and the world.  It shouldn't have gone silent in mid-summer. 

If the DPVA claims it has a "plan" or is doing something, then it would have been nice if the DPVA had told the Democrats in Virginia!!  That is the first rule of good management:  communication.  But there has been none since March. 

There was really no excuse for their lack of communication, lack of training, defunct website, etc.  And if there are three regional organizers in the state how come no one knows about them....just read the blogs...everybody is asking if there are any.  Wouldn't it have been nice to have a point of contact for getting and giving information. 

I'm now living in Spotsylvania and my Democratic neighbors say don't bother joining the local committee as it's not an active committee. Geez I'm told that Spotsylvania is one of the fastest growing counties in the state, with many folks from NoVa moving here ....and there's no useful committee!!!  Where was the regional organizer?  The election results for Webb prove that nothing was done here.

The DPVA should be less defensive and, like mayor-elect Fenty in DC who is visiting and talking to other city mayors, the DPVA should go to other state parties and see what they are doing and how they do it.  I agree with a previous poster, NC is doing a fantastic job.  That would be a start.  Ask the DNC for help.  The DPVA owes it to the Democratic voters in this state...not a "holier than thou" attitude. 

The GOTV is what brings victory but if you don't even know who your Democrats are that you are to call, then you're in trouble.  The local committees should be devoted to identifing the Democrats early through Prevail and keep in touch with those Dems till election day!  It isn't rocket science.  One good start for the DPVA would be to put the Leadership Manual and the Party Plan on their website so people would have some "how to" information.  But try to locate them on the website and you come up with nothing.  The website is the most valuable communication tool we have besides Prevail.....fix them and use them.

As to DPVA's denial that Webb didn't have a GOTV effort all you had to do was go to his website and make your phone banking calls there.  It was brilliant and so easy to use.  Kudos to the talented and bright folks who designed that.

I am appalled by the ignorance of some of those posting on this diary about federal elections laws, the role and work of DPVA, and how the DPVA functioned in the 2006 election cycle for ALL candidates.

Dianna complains that the DPVA party plan isn't posted on the DPVA website.  WRONG! It is there for all to see.

Rob complains that the DPVA did not ads.  WRONG!  They did what they could given the fact that the spending authority for Jim Webb's campaign was handed over to the national party -- the DSCC -- at the Webb campaign's request.  Federal elections spending is much more restricted that spending in Virginia state races like we had in 2005 and will have in 2007.

Someone else complains that the DPVA didn't coordinate GOTV efforts.  WRONG!  Don't you realize that the local committees, which did the bulk of the field and GOTV work in Virginia this year, ARE the DPVA.

Summercat says the DPVA did "virtually nothing" and blamed it on the fact that "they" (whoever they is) all supported Miller in the primary.  WRONG!  Summercat is just ill-informed and is still bitter about Miller.  Get over it.

Dianne and drmontoya get defensive and attack one poster when he defends the DPVA efforts.  Quite frankly, the defender appeared to know what he was talking about unlike some others on this diary.

Dianne says "I'm now living in Spotsylvania and my Democratic neighbors say don't bother joining the local committee as it's not an active committee."  Well, Dianne, if you and some of your netroots pals joined the local committee, you could make it an active committee.

Dianne say "There was really no excuse for their lack of communication, lack of training, defunct website, etc.  And if there are three regional organizers in the state how come no one knows about them....just read the blogs...everybody is asking if there are any.  Wouldn't it have been nice to have a point of contact for getting and giving information."  Dianne, you ought to read the DPVA website - www.vademocrats.org.  The site has a calendar listing the upcoming steering and central committee meetings.  It lists all of the officers and county/city chairs.  It has a place to enter your email address so that you can get the "Demo Memo" emailed to you on a regular basis so you can stay informed.  It also listed the training that DPVA offered earlier this year and often lists training conducted by local committees.

Dianne, if you want to be "in the loop" just scroll beyond DPVA's home page.  Do a little research.  The web is good for that.

I could go on and on, but my purpose is not to attack.  It just burns me to read statements from fervent people with good intentions who don't have a clue about what they are talking about.

I respect your perspective from the ground.  I worked in the field too for Webb and our congressional candidate.  But you need to learn about what you are talking about before you spout off.

What is not being discussed here is the total disorganization of the Webb campaign.  The campaign structure, or lack thereof, made it very difficult for the party at all levels on Virginia to get close to the campaign for too many months.

Until Larry Byrne took over the Webb field operations, most party leaders at every level didn't know anyone with a position of responsibility within the Webb campaign.

As Larry Byrne noted in a recent post here on Raising Kaine (after Lowell wrongly insulted three-quarters of the party leaders at every level across state and then recanted his insult admitting he didn't know what he was talking about), without the DPVA and the CD and city/county committees, Webb would have been toast.

So you are welcome and encouraged to participate in the DPVA.  We hope you can make it better.  But you can't participate if you are not part of it.  (And frankly, many of you have made it clear you don't want to be part of it.)

There is always room for improvement, but come into the DPVA process with an open mind, not the king-size chips so many of you carry on your shoulders.  And that includes the folks from Raising Kaine who continue to attack the DPVA without having the facts.

 

AMEN VADem.... AMEN!

This isn't an attack on Larry Byrne. He did a very very good job as field director for the Webb campaign. This diary was to encourage discussion of the future of the Democratic Party in Virginia. I never degraded any party efforts in Virginia. In fact, if you read my commentary you will find I actually defended DPVA.

Without everyone's help in the last two election cycles we wouldn't have been the victors. That is without at doubt the case. I think people here on both sides are attacking each other without merit.

Again, my problem was with that one commenter was with his TONE and not his message.

And therefore you only prove my point, with the tone and attitude of the establishment toward the netroots/grassroots.

And, you insult our intelligence.

I don't recall myself doing that? I am just disappointed the discussion for the future has gone so far off topic to emotions and personalities.

Obviously I am not the person who is insecure here.

I have nothing to be insecure about, we won!

We ought to be celebrating still, and working on how we can improve and grow this party in Virginia.

Not throw rocks at each other, and if your the establishment show a little class. Why attack bloggers who don't know the correct info? Why act so superior? We must work together.

We are a team, a team wins. Not individuals. Not matter how high or low you think you are. We all matter.

Doc,

No one is attacking Larry Byrne.  (Larry Byrne helped rescue the Webb campaign from itself.)  And no one is insulting your intelligence.  (Where do you get that from?)

We ARE commenting on your lack of knowledge and your shoot from the hip attacks on the "establishment" (whoever that is).

There is no insecurity here.  Just a lot of annoyance at your attitude and the attitude of others who attack the DPVA on one hand, criticize those who attack back on the other, and then offer a sleight of hand comment at the end saying we are one team, we should celebrate together, and that the DPVA supporters should "show a little class."  (If I wanted to insult you, I would suggest you are bi-polar.)

Why is it all right for the bloggers to attack at will without any regard for facts, but it is not all right for a DPVA supporter (not a leader) to fight back with facts? 

Where do you get off suggesting that someone who blogs to defend the DPVA somehow is an official spokesman or representative of the DPVA any more than you are an official spokesman or representative of Senator-elect Jim Webb?

And stop this crap about "no matter how high or low you think you are" and "privilege" and "less than" privileged.  No one from DPVA is suggesting this other than you.

Stop being a martyr, go read the DPVA Party Plan on the vademocrats.org website, and figure out how you can help elect ALL Democrats next year and every year thereafter.

I can't find the Party Plan on the website.  Can you help me out? 

The Party Plan is on the DPVA website at http://www.vademocra...

You've just sent me a link.  I'm asking where I can find the link on one of the web pages at the site.  I've looked and looked for a long time, like others, and we've never been able to find a link on one of the pages that says "DPVA Party Plan". 

Immediately after the primary the Webb campaign stated that they would work hand-in-hand with the local Democratic Committees. We were under strict marching orders to defer to their wishes in how they wanted to approach GOTV.  We did exactly as requested.

The Webb campaign brought in a huge number of people that either had never been involved before or had not been involved in the Democratic Party for years. We promoted the canvassing and events of the local committees and sent our volunteers to support those activities. We distributed campaign material to the local committees and coordinated phone banking operations. When a local committee determined they wanted to directly handle phone banking we deferred to them and offered volunteers. When the local committees had no phone bank operations (especially in the rural areas), we did that for them.

Some local committees had no idea how to cut street sheets or phone lists. When we found that out, we provided the lists to them. When they needed scripts, we provided them as well.

In all of our events we coordinated with the local committees and local Democratic officials. Whenever we had a chance, we trotted out the local party chairs to get their face on TV or to do a radio interview.

Whatever you say kingpin, please do not say that the party deserves all of the credit for GOTV. That is simply reinventing history.

This thread was about the DPVA and lessons learned from the campaign. There are plenty of lessons that can be learned from both how the campaign operated and how the DPVA operated. Airing the details of that on a public forum is probably not the best way to go.

However, I will say that the party controls information on a “need to know” basis. Apparently, they don’t feel a lot of people need to know. If the mission of the party is to elect Democrats, then the party’s “customers” are the rank and file. The DPVA should know its customers better.

As for the web site – a revamping has been promised for a very long time. Perhaps we could just start with timely information. The web site should be part of an overall marketing and content management strategy and not some stand-alone component of the party.

It would be nice to see the leadership loosen up on information and begin sharing. Holding tight onto in

The DPVA needs to communicate and to listen.

drmontaya: You say this post was made for discussion, but many of the first posts on here were attacks at what the party did in 2006. They may have not had an aggressive tone, but the question posed was in a passive aggressive manner to begin with. Since the DPVA is every Virginia Democrat's party why couldn't someone get their email addresses and find the answer that way instead of surveying the blogoshpere? I'm pretty sure the answers Rob wanted weren't going to be found here. I guarantee an email or call to the party would've benefited greatly. That is just my opinion. From the beginning this post put the DPVA on the defensive since it looked like they were the stepchild that didn't participate in the 2006 election, when in fact they did.

This isn't about Webb or the DPVA. If we don't involve ourselves in our local parties WE are the ones to blame when things go wrong. Yes, some local parties aren't worth a damn, but that is where we need proactive intervention. Let's get some of these establishment old timers out. I agree it is time for some to get off the pot, but it isn't the folks at the State level.

Just a quick observation here - the "blogosphere" and the "establishment" are fundamentally different, so this argument is going to continue. Bloggers think they're entitled to information and inclusion by virtue of their hard work; the party presumably regards them as unpredictable and uncontrollable. Everyone's equal on the internet; a select few run the show at the party.

But remember, we're talking about POLITICS: why would the higher-ups share anything and everything with people who may well blast it across the internet for all to see? Including Republicans?

I think it's pretty easy to see where they're coming from, especially when they have more to fear from liberal bloggers than conservative ones (who airs more Dem dirty laundry, NLS or Chad Dotson?). Drmontaya, you just admitted that you posted a story before you checked the facts. Unless you guys stop shooting first and asking questions later, the DPVA has no reason to start trusting you with sensitive information.

Both sides have plenty to gain from each other, but let's drop the sense of entitlement and acknowledge that not everyone can run the show. Any successful business model has people at the top and people at the bottom - but anyone can get promoted if they pay their dues and work for it. Stay involved, climb the ladder!

We're just looking for some information from the DPVA!!!  We want to pitch in and help out, but without information about what is going on, how can you participate?  And as to sharing information, no one is looking for priviledged information from the DPVA.  We just want to hear from them sometime, have them guide us in how to elect Democrats and tell us where we can go to support Democrats! 

our revitalized city committee did a lot. now, saying that, it may not be what everyone wants but  we did what we could.
bought 100 4ft by 4ft webb signs. charlie, our co chair put most of them up. we got most precicts covered and gave them info and signs. on election day, needed more lit and webb campaign provided. turnout was good. lot of phone banking.
next time we will do better. got calls from people wanted to know if we were bringing lunch on election day.
lunch? sure, what is your order?
no matter what ya do , some want more.
anyway, webb won the 3rd district.
and I am going to the central committee meeting this weekend and will bring up the gotv thing.

Jackdem was right that this debate is neverending unless we change the focus.

Those liberal bloggers who consider themselves Democrats should come to Staunton next weekend and watch first-hand the actions of the DPVA Steering and Central Committees.

You will be surprised to see that the Central Committee looks like you!  Many of them are from your beloved labor ranks, including the state AFL-CIO officers, local union leaders, and rank and file members.  Some Central Committee members are bloggers. Some come from utter poverty.  Others are housewives and teachers, government workers and restaurant workers.  Some are retired.  Some are young.  Some are old.  But we are no different than you as you will see if you take the time to pry your fingers from your computer keyboard and come to Staunton.

If you want a piece of the action, you need to become part of the action. 

Are you prepared to spend the time and money required to participate?  Four statewide meetings yearly, 50 or more local and regional meetings, along with the day-to-day work of electing candidates every year in Virginia?

Are you prepared to go along with the will of the majority (and not turn around and anonymously castrate those you disagree with by posting attacks on this blog and others)?

Are you prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up to leadership positions?

Are you personally equipped to work in an organizational atmosphere, rather than the atmosphere of anarchy and attack that permeates the blogs?

Are you prepared to deal with the mundane tasks of running a political party?

Are you prepared to be loyal and support ONLY Democrats?

Are you readly to let your actions speak louder than your very loud words?

By all means come to Staunton on December 1 and 2.

Everyone is invited and there is a section set aside at the Steering and Central Committee meetings for guests and visitors.  Learn about the DPVA before you throw rocks at it.  Learn what DPVA really did to help Webb get elected.

It will be an eye-opener for you who have never participated in the DPVA.

Please don't make excuses that it is too far for you to go or you have other activities that weekend.  We all do.  We all come from the far reaches of the state to these meetings.  We all have other lives.  But we are committed to the cause (and that's why you get our dander up when you attack our party without knowing the facts).

There is no excuse for ignorance.  You can't learn everything on the blogs and the web.  Sometimes you have to mingle with other people.  Remember, politics is about people, not blogs or computers.

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.  So get off your asses and come to Staunton (but only if you are a Democrat).

But watch your tone, we are all brethren.

And some of us, have been off our asses. Those like Lowell, Josh, myself and SO many others here in Northern Virginia that just didn't talk the talk sitting in front of a computer but walked it as well.

We walked it, and we are willing to do so in the future. But again watch the way we communicate toward one another. If the establishment wants more people involved (and I can't see why they wouldn't) change the tone between ideas.

And that goes for your crazy bloggers too! =)

We must work together, build together, grow together.

And then the GOP is in REAL trouble in Virginia, and America.

Doc,

I didn't realize the netroots are so sensitive. You would never know it by the attacks here on Raising Kaine against George Allen, Joe Lieberman, Harris Miller, 70% of the Democratic leaders in Virginia, and so many others who dared to differ, even slightly, with the blogger community.

In fact, my tone is far less caustic than the "tones" of many of the posters on this diary who attacked the DPVA.

If someone is not going to participate in the DPVA because of my "tone," then they probably are not up to handling the wrangling and the work involved.

Besides, since when is the "tone" on political blogs anything but caustic, nasty, and over the top?

On the other hand, you are right.  We do have to work together, build together, and grow together.  However, the bloggers have to learn to play by the rules.  Not their rules.  THE rules.

You who are making excuses for the DPVA just don't get it.  Let me say this once again, if you don't give us the information we need (training, events, meetings, issues, talking points, etc.), we can't just hope to find it on a blog like this.  The DPVA employees are being PAID to carry out a strategy for electing Democrats and communicating to the Democrats should be first on their list. Making excuses just doesn't work.  We who are out working for candidates are tired of that. You've got a job to do and you haven't done it.  The candidates know it and also are frustrated.  I've been signed up for Demo Memo for a long, long time and this year there was nothing from Richmond.  Didn't hear from the District Committee either...nothing. 

First, allow me to provide a bit of context on where I'm coming from. I consider myself a moderate Democrat - fiscally conservative, very liberal on social issues. My views aligned virtually 100% with Howard Dean and that is who I supported in 2004. I worked very hard for Dean, in my own way, outside the Democratic Party establishment. I was proud to hold one of the largest "house party" fundraisers for Dean in Virginia, and top 10% in the US. I helped promote and organize the largest political rally ever held in Falls Church, VA, 5,000 people, for Howard Dean. None of that was done in concert with the Virginia State Democratic Party. In fact, as I recall, the local party committee was absolutely dumbfounded in trying to figure how to handle it. Finally, they decided to take the stage at some point in the rally. I guess they couldn't avoid the fact that they were Democrats and Howard Dean, was, well... a Democrat too.  To say they looked completely uncomfortable and awkward would be an understatement. It was all done at the Democratic grassroots. That experience helped formulate my opinion that the Democratic Party both National and Virginia were dinosaurs, a relic of times gone by.

I participate in several blogs and I have donated to Netroots Democratic candidates all over the country. I, as well as millions of others, did that without any coaxing from any Democratic Party "establishment".  We did it with our "fingers pried to our keyboards". I say that pridefully, while some other poster here, perhaps you? said it with disdain.

The Web, the Blogs, and the Netroots, are a totally different paradigm than "the establishment party committees". The two really can't be compared. One is raw, base, and multi-faceted with no hierarchy. The other is structured, controlled, and almost monolithic in its views. 

Personally, I believe if you are part of the Netroots, you should not waste your time in becoming part of and conforming to the archaic "establishment". For the reasons I stated above, the two are not at all compatible.

Now to parse some of your comments:

No thanks. I'm not interested. The Netroots has demonstrated it is capable of power and action, having sponsored hundreds of candidates all over the country, raising tens of millions of dollars, in almost all cases, despite any state party "action" or any of its "magisterial committees". I had to laugh when I saw this term used in one of the posts in this thread. The VA Democratic Party actually has "magisterial committees"?  Good Lord. No thanks. Keep it!

In somewhat turning the tables, I'd suggest if you want a piece of that action (cooperation and support of the Netroots), you show a bit more deference. I think the performance of the Netroots is worthy of your respect.

Simply put - Absolutely not.

If you honestly believe the Netroots is just about words, you are grossly underestimating its power and what it did in 2004 and 2006. From Moveon, to Meetup, to Democracy for America, to DailyKos, ActBlue, and yes, RK, the Netroots has amply demonstrated its ability to impact politics. To ignore it, is to do so at one's own peril.

When you say this, the following statement from Harris Miller came to mind:

Asked later whether he thought Webb is a legitimate Democrat, Miller said that "when you welcome someone to the church, you don't necessarily invite them to be the choir director the next day."

Is that what you mean by loyal? Or to "pay your dues", as other posters suggested, by starting out at the bottom, having to be in a certain position for a certain amount of time before being allowed to move up into some higher position?  Is it all about demonstrating "loyalty"? Did the State Party think the nomination was owed to Harris Miller because of his years of loyalty to the State Party? Was the State Party offended when the National Party threw their support behind Jim Webb over Va State Democratic Party favorite son Harris Miller? And was the State Party establishment and loyalists equally befuddled when the "liberal bloggers who claim to be Democrats" came out in enthusisatic, almost universal support of Jim Webb over the very liberal Harris Miller?  And, how many DPVa officials thought that it was actually Republicans who won the primary for Jim Webb because of Virginia's registration rules?  While I'm on that subject, you and others claim how difficult it was to support the Webb campaign early on because the campaign was so disorganized. I'll accept that. But, that wasn't the only reason why it was difficult. It was equally difficult because Webb was not the candidate that the DPVa wanted. He hadn't "paid his dues", nor "demonstrated his loyalty". You say you cannot learn everything from the Web. Well, you can certainly learn what I just said is true by Googling the various pre-primary media. And it will only take you 15 minutes or so.

When you become part of the Netroots, you don't have to wait two years before your posts are allowed to be seen or you are allowed to make an online contribution to any candidate anywhere in the country. And, you don't have to wait two years or demonstrate any kind of loyalty to any particular establishment or viewpoint before you are allowed to speak your mind and have an impact.

If you're part of the Netroots, keep doing what you're doing. You owe no homage to any Party establishment, State, National, or otherwise. You, the Netroots, have amply demonstrated your ability to effect change and win.  Don't conform, don't follow the rules. Break them. Continue supporting candidates like Howard Dean, Jon Tester, Jim Webb, Joe Sestak, Patrick Murphy, and Ned Lamont. They are the future of the Democratic Party.

And if you are part of the "establishment", it is time that you pay attention to what the Netroots is all about. The onus is on YOU to reach out to the Netroots and figure out how you can harness and leverage its power and proven success. The onus is NOT on the Netroots to figure out how it has to work within your time-worn, rigid and "magisterial" structure. The Netroots will continue doing what has demonstrated it is capable of doing, with or without you.

I have a friend who is trying to advance in Party in Virginia. He is fairly new to this. He knows all the details, so I will just paraphrase some of the things he tells me.

First, the Democratic Party in Virginia does not operate like such in other states. I'm not sure what that means, but my friend seems to think it is a very strange bird. I seem to remember that he has told me that one has to be in a specific office for a few years before one is "allowed" to move into other positions. He explained to me this keeps the old guard permantly in place and makes the Party in Virginia more like an exclusive club rather than a vehicle for democratic politics. He would like to see this change. He also says the Party in Virginia is very fragmented and stove-piped. -Just telling you what he said.

Another friend is a member of a Confederate organization (yes, as in the Civil war). He is also a Democrat and he has told me this. "After Nixon's Southern Strategy was put in place(i.e. co-opting the old Southern Democrats in the name of segregation or states rights), the Democratic Party in the South was set up for one specific reason, to make sure the Democrats lose elections." I'm just telling you what he said. He is an officer in this organization so I would think he would know what he is talking about.

Having said all of the above I think it's time concerned Democrats start looking at ways of reforming the way the Democratic Party of Virginia works. Most of us on this site are involved with the netroots which is a fairly new phenomenon. I think we have no choice but to try to reform the Democratic Party since third parties have had such a dismal record in the United States.

Rebecca,

Go to a DPVA meeting yourself.  Go to your local committee yourself.

Tell your friend to prove himself and he will become a leader.

This crap about Democratic parties being set up to lose is poppycock.  This crap that the Democratic Party doesn't operate in Virginia like in other states is nothing but fantasy.  The Virginia Democratic Party is much more accessible and open that Democratic parties in many, in fact most, other states.

Obviously, those people who work for many years and get the job done rise to the top.  Those that don't get left by the wayside.

The above question needs to be answered by the DPVA. Netroots don't have time to rise through the ranks. Its a good thing we don't have to wait a few years before we post here, put up opposition research websites, and buy signs to post along the highways, and do all the other things we do on our own to advance the cause of the Party. All of these things have been done by people working outside the DPVA.

During VA gubernatorial races, only one other state has a statewide race and that is in New Jersey, where they also have a gubernatorial race. There are no federal elections going on during those years across the country, which is why the DNC makes VA and NJ a priority to fund GOTV efforts in both states. However, the real issue is who gets funded during federal elections - and VA is never on the priority list to obtain GOTV funding in federal elections, which is why the state Democratic party needs to get its act together and step into that role during federal elections.

The state party needs to take numerous steps to build a GOTV program.

The first thing they need to do is start re-invigorating local committees. During the '80's and until 1990, the Third Congressional District actually consisted of The City of Richomd, Chesterfield County and Henrico County. During this time, the local committees literally had 100's of people on their local committees - and they showed up at meetings and took active roles on sub-committees. In some of these jurisdictions, you had to get elected to the committee; it was a real fight to get on. The local committees had their own GOTV committees, which were headed up by one chair, along with each magisterial district chair. The committe would develope a GOTV plan and work through the summer and fall setting there program up and executing it. Fund raisers were usually held during the time the GA was in session and moneys raised at a receptons honoring some memeber of the House or Senate was held and moneys banked for GOTV efforts in the fall (I understand this is now illegal). And with so many individuals on the local committees, you had planty of volunteers to staff your GOTV efforts. Local committees, outside of NOVA and a few other places, have seen their memberships collapse over the last decade and a half and it is killing the party in so many ways, especially for candidate recruitment fundraising and GOTV efforts.

The party needs to also hire a full time GOTV coordinator who would be responsible for putting the plan togther, and later, hire additional staff to run GOTV efforts in each CD - obviously with a plan developed early on, these CD coordinators could be hired in July to begin implementing the plan in the CD.

The party needs to hire a PROFESSIONAL fundraiser to fund this program - the party needs to be able to pay for more then just office space and staff salaries - or a beach house in Virgina Beach, which was done earlier this month by the DPVA for DPVA staff members who were sent there to conduct GOTV in the 2nd CD race. This was not a good use of resources - the thousands spent on renting a beach house could have paid to mail out Democratic sample ballots to GOTV precincts in the City of Norfolk. The big question is - was it a beachfront house?

In addition, the party needs to hire a professional press secretary (do they have one?)who would be responsible for press releases, the website, blogs, dealing with the press, etc.

You can't fill these inportant positions with various political hacks who may or may have not worked on a successful gubernatorial campaign - you need professionals with expertise in each of these areas and proven track records in order to build a sucessful GOTV program.

The best coordinated campaign was run during the 1989 gubernatorial race. The coordinated campaign put a great plan together and they paid for voter registration list but the actual plan was executed by a volunteer coordinator who organized the GOTV efforts in each county and city - at least in the 3rd CD in Chesterfield and Henrico. Richmond had a paid staff member from the DNC running the their effort.

The coordinated campaign set up phone banks in Central Virginia ID'ing voters in strong Democratic precincts that voted at a 65 percent of higer rate for Democraic candidates. They also did persuasion phone calls into swing precincts.

On election day, the local volunteers in Chesterfield and Henrico were responsible for phoning on election day. They were alo responsible for finding a site on election day that had 7 phones (union halls were used in both localities) that could be used to contact voters on election day.

They were also given voter registration lists from the joint campaign - it was a tri-partite form that was carbonized - for each of the GOTV precincts. The plan was to have a volunteer take the list to the precinct they were responsilbe for at 7:00 a.m., and sit inside, next to the poll workers on election day. As voters came in and announced their name, our volunteer would locate them on our list, which was printed in alpha order by voter, and they would draw a line through their name, indicating that the voter had voted. Since the list was carbonized, the line went through all three pages of the list. We then had volunteers go to each precinct at 10:00 a.m., and tear off the first layer of the list and bring it back to the phone bank. We would then begin the process of calling all voters whose names were not marked off the list. The process was repeated at 2:00 p.m., and then again at 5:00 p.m., so by 5:30 p.m., we had a list of people in each targeted precinct that had not voted. We weren't wasting time calling people who had already voted. But the most remarkable thing was how many people the volunteer callers pushed out the door the last 45 minutes prior to the polls closing who had forgotten it was election day. And with Wilder only winning by 6,800 votes that year, each of those votes were critical. The system worked really well but I do not beleive it was ever duplicated again after 1989. This is something local committees could easily implemnt - just be sure someone sends lunch over to your volunteer working inside the polling location on election day!

GOTV efforts are so critical in every election. One battle that has always been controversial on local committees is whether or not to staff polls with volunteers handing out Democratic sample ballots. Some would argue that this is an important function to let our voters know who are candidates are. But I firmly believe this is a waste of volunteer time. Most people know how they will vote upon arrival at their polling location - the trick is to get them out to vote. It seems obvious to me that volunteer time spent calling, door knocking, flushing, etc., on election day is going to have a larger impact than handing out sample ballots.

And speaking of sample ballots, why not mail them to your targted GOTV precincts as well as all other Dems ID on the voter file. By mailing sample ballots, you can then have all your volunteers concentrating on getting voters to the polls. In states that have laws prohibiting any type of electioneering outside a polling location, the state Democratic parties take responsibility to mail the sample ballots out to their voters. Would our state party dare be so bold?

And not to re-hash the 2006 election, but, it would be best not to put polling location on door hangers used during flushing operations - it just has the potential to cause too many problems. One valuable thing to add to door hangers would be a phone number a voter could call to get a ride a ride to the polls. My understanding is that this was quite effective statewide, especially in high Democratic precincts.

Flipper: The Governor revitalized the state party by replacing the old hacks. Now they have a brand new Executive Director, Political Director, "professoinal" fundraiser, Research Director, and Campaign Director. As I stated earlier, from the reports it looks like the Party raised more money than it ever has this past year, I think they have that covered. They hired a staffer to focus solely on campaigns this year, which includes GOTV. The Political Director handles party committees and he has been a major addition. This party staff has only been here for about 7 months. Although they've done a superb job, every party ill won't be cured overnight.

You speak of the GOTV organizers in every CD, but that is a pipe dream unless you plan to contribute another 500k to the party. I think not. You speak about revitalizing committees too. You must understand that the State Party's hands are tied once a local commitee's officer is elected for a 2 year term. I live in an area where the city commitee is horrible because of it's local leadership, but the suburban committees get things done. The State Party can't just descend from Richmond and pull local party officers out. Believe or not, these folks were elected t their positions. The best way to reinvigorate a party is to get involve in it and make the Chair/slacker's life a living hell.

As a person who is in contact with the party staff on a pretty often basis, I can tell you that they are the most enegetic bunch of workers i've seen the party have in a long time. I use to go to these Central meetings and it would put me to sleep, but now I am excited to here from this bunch. They know what they're doing and I look forward to hearing from them next weekend.

You have to give credit where credit is due.

I just want to end a discussion that is counter-productive. We are all good democrats that care about this party, and this country. We may differ in ideas, but not in belief that we need a new direction.

I encourage those to get out and volunteer in your local democratic organizations. If you are, continue. Encourage those leaders to come blog here on Raising Kaine.

If we work together, the GOP will have a difficult time in future elections. And winning is the key.

For the people of this commonwealth, that's why we are Democrats.

divided we fall. Well, duh. I wasn't going to get into all this back and forth.....however.

I see fear here. Fear we need to get over, get past. Words are being thrown out like "establishment" and "liberal out of control bloggers".

Attack breeds defense breeds attack breeds defense, ad nauseam.

As far as this particular blog is concerned the second main goal (after Kaine) was accomplished. Jim Webb was elected Senator. George Allen is toast (for now).

What I did not realize before this election is that blogging gives a voice to so many who otherwise would not be heard.  A community that throws it up against the wall to see if it will stick. Who runs it up the flagpole to see if anyone will salute. You get the picture.
Whether those voices are always rational or even correct (politically or otherwise) really isn't the point.

It is participation. Participation on a level that has been sorely lacking for some time in the political process. It isn't always about following "THE rules". THE rules can and should be changed, amended and even broken if they aren't working.

Different viewpoints, different voices, different problems, different solutions. All have value.

For those who have worked within the state party environs, thank you. But you need to understand that people will not go where they do not feel wanted or included or valued. Sincere recognition (and even thanks) for the blogger's very real role in this election isn't going to kill you.

For those who have worked outside, thank you. But understand that somebody has to drive the damn train and you cannot dump the engineer(s) without offering an alternative.

Bloggers, go to the meetings if you can and it doesn't pull you too far from your comfort zones. Be heard and continue to participate and to win.

Party people, go to the blogs but be mindful of the power they possess. Stop worrying so much about control and credit and participate. Use this, the most effective tool I have ever seen, to win.

Please don't take a victory and turn it into a defeat.

Stand down.
Stand united.

Right above this.

There's right on all sides of this discussion and CommonSense states it very well.  The DPVA needs to find a way to harness the energy and excitement of the grassroots because that is where the extra people-power came from that stood in the rain to hand out sample ballots on election day and walked the neighborhoods canvassing...real boots on the ground, folks.  But the grassroots can benefit from working within the structure as well.  If we nourish a vibrant and engaged and agile party structure we can get effective coordination and a useful county and statewide campaign structure.  So, bite the bullet, guys.  I am going to become a formal member of Sully District, pay my dues and take the right to vote VERY seriously.  But you can bet I am also going to continue to fertilize my grassroots like crazy.  We need both.

When the bloggers here who profess to be Democrats attack the DPVA they are attacking themselves.

We are the DPVA.  All of us.

Constructive criticism is an important tool, but all I have read here is innuendo, suppositions, presumptions, and attacks.

Bravo to those who are calling for unity.  A pox on those who are seeking to attack and incite.

I want to reinterate what some of the previous people have said: If you want to play in the sandbox, you have to get sand in your shoes.  In other words, get involved and operate within the process.  The DPVA is a big tent and all are welcome.

I also don't think that Raising Kaine is the best place to dissect the DPVA since it is apparent that most bloggers don't understand DPVA's organization, mission, and operations. Besides, RK and its followers don't have much of a track record for accuracy on this matter.  Lowell has already been burned for his erroneous statements and lack of tact in a previous diary.

Finally, if it is fair to analyze DPVA here, I presume it is also fair to post diaries allowing everyone to analyze the operations and organization of Raising Kaine and the RK PAC as well as the Webb campaign, regardless of whether we have the facts or not.

I don't think the RK folks or the Webb supporters would tolerate that for one minute, even if it was forthright and truthful.

So everyone should grow up and work at unity and electing Democrats to the General Assembly, the state Senate, and County Boards around Virginia instead of making off-base and snide attacks.

Remember, you are the DPVA and all you are doing is hurting yourself and other like-minded Democrats.

Will some people get things wrong in the comments?  Sure.  And hopefully others will set them straight.  But there's nothing wrong in trying to figure out what went right and wrong in all aspects of the 2006 campaign - INCLUDING the role of the blogosphere.  In fact, Lowell and Raising Kaine got PLENTLY of criticism (including inaccurate slander) during and after the campaign.  So, if you want to go start a blog analyzing Raising Kaine, feel free.

I'm trying to encourage a discussion.  Some parts may be inaccurate.  Some may lose their temper.  But that's how many discussions evolve.  And I applaud those who come to clean the discourse and correct the facts.  But this is a conversation worth having now ... rather than in the height of the next campaign.

And this is as good a place as any.  The fact that some of the most engaged in the Dem grassroots don't understand the DPVa (as you say) is itself a problem that needs to be addressed.  I invite those with such knowledge to join the discussion.

Rob,

I am sure the Republican Party of Virginia will enjoy reading about the inner-most strategies and tactics of the DPVA on this blog.  RK will save them from having to tap the phones of top Democrats.

Let's hope that, as you say, "some people will get things wrong in the comments" so we can keep the Republicans guessing and chuckling about our plans for 2007.

As you say, "This is as good a place as any."  Maybe the RPV will ask you to do a diary on their tactics, as well.

so now the DPVa is some covert entity?  what happened to all of the "everyone is welcome to Staunton to learn anything they want!" Isn't  this a volunteer-based, democratic (small d) institution?

I'd be surprised if the DPVa agrees with you on this point.  If the GOP really wants to learn the "inner workings", they would. RK isn't  cracking open some secret vault.

Did more for the Virginia's Democratic Party, especially here on the blogs that you could ever do Mr. "Thomas Paine"

I think you made valid points but don't attack Lowell, he isn't the problem last time I checked he wasn't even blogging anymore.

We need to be united, you say you agree.

Let's begin today.

Remember that the Democratic Party in the South didn't want blacks to participate at first. Change is not comfortable, but that doesn't mean we should sit down and shut up. Yes, it is us and we want change.

I do two things: 1) I blog and 2) I do communications for my local Dem committee.  I am absolutely by no means very tech savvy.  (Thank goodness for the simplicity that is blogspot.) But I know lots of bloggers who are geniuses when it comes to this stuff and I know committee leaders who are totally in the dark.  Getting clever bloggers hooked up with various communications party people like me would be a win/win in my mind. Both sides would get a better understanding of each other's trials and tribulations.

It seems clear that some leaders of the DPVA consider themselves the "real" leaders of the Democrats in Virginia. The fact is that there are a heck of a lot of politically active Democrats who aren't part of that organization. Yet, remember these netroots activists are ESSENTIAL to the life of the Democratic Party in Virginia. In light of that I think it is necessary for the legacy Democratic organization to be more open to the netroots, learn from them and offer to help us all by using structures which are in place to bring the two elements together.

This cannot be accomplished if the DPVA considers activities on behalf of the Democrats which occur outside of their structure as being "out of the loop". Where would the Democrats be if the "out of the loop" video of the macaca event had not been posted on youtude? Isn't it a good thing that those who posted this video didn't have to mail in some money and wait a few years to get into a decision making position with DPVA before they did this?

The enlightened approach should be for everyone to reach a power-sharing working relationship. The netroots is well aware of its power and my sense is that the DPVA is also identifying with its own power. However, the problem with any institution is that it grows stale after a while without the infusion of new blood.

The netroots is a revival of the Democratic Party. I think it is far more democratic than an institution which expects years of prescribed sevitude, although I'm sure their hearts are in the same place. Let's just be very careful that we don't let the DPVA die from hardening of the arteries. The netroots is here to help. We are spontaneous and ready to work. Note, however, that the term net means a network, which is a flat organization, not a top-down stovepiped organization.

at least we have some good comments here.
I am going to the central committee meeting this weekend.
I made up packets for all our precinct captains, so if you need ideas, I have some.
I just did what I had to do for my city committee and did it.
I set up all the precincts in the city cause no one else was.
that is what a committee does.
If you have ideas, bring them to the meeting.
The hotel is great and if you say you are with the dem. central meeting, you get a better rate.
so see ya there.