On Tuesday night, I attended a fundraiser for Virginia Democratic House of Delegates candidates, also in celebration of House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian Moran's birthday. Aside from the delicious cake with white chocolate icing, I had a chance to listen to General Wesley Clark, the event's special guest, speak about Virginia, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, and the future of the Democratic Party. It was great stuff, as always with General Clark; here are some highlights from Clark's comments:
*"I'm in awe of what Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have done in Virginia."
*"This [governor's race] is a battle for the heart and soul of America that must be won...All eyes are on Virginia!"
*"Virginia is a model Democratic state...America in a microcosm" in terms of its diversity (rural, urban, white, black, etc.).
*"We [Democrats] have a right to speak out and a DUTY to do so on international issues, not just on national issues."
*The Republican ticket's philosophy is "not founded on reason or grounded in American history."
*"Republican 'values' are only about SEX." But Jesus said, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself,' so the Republicans are wrong, "it's not about sex it's about LOVE."
*"Democrats have been stereotyped" for too long. We need to remind people that Gordon Gecko (from the movie "Wall Street") "epitomizes the values of the Republican Party - Greed is Good!"
*"Republicans really believe that the best government is the least possible government. Democrats believe in equal opportunity," and that "government should do its duty to help people who can't help themselves." Government also needs to be a guarantor of "freedom and opportunity."
*The Bush Administration's pathetic response to Hurricane Katrina epitomizes this contrast between the Democrats and Republicans.
*"The idea that you can take from the public to give to the wealthy is detracting from America."
*"We're in a real struggle now...we have to stand up for who we really are as Democrats. We've got a great record. We need to stand up and shout it out!"
As I said, great stuff by General Clark!
Oh, and birthday boy Brian Moran had an excellent line as well: "When you want to go backwards, you put your car in "R." When you want to go forwards, you put your car in "D"!!! You can say that again...please remind me to use that one sometime!