It's very possible that many of you attended Obama's historic rally at Manassas, VA on November, 3 2008. This was historic for many reasons, but mostly because Virginians helped put Obama over the top and volunteers, like us from MD, succeeded in our volunteer efforts towards turning our closest neighbor into a BLUE State!! :)
I hope that you enjoy some photos in this slideshow that I'd like to share with you on this historic event. :)
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=184082
A little more than 9 minutes into this show is a piece on Karl Rove and 'Papabear' O'Reilly, as well as three others. First Rove talks about how qualified Palin is via talking points because she is the governor of Alaska. Of course, the Daily Show then shows a clip from a few months ago when Rove eviscerated Virginia Governor Tim Kaine by saying his choice as VP would be proof that Democrats are "not concerned first and foremost with if this person is capable of being president of the United States" because he's been the governor of a state for only 3 years and former mayor of just the 105th largest city in the USA, a city that's smaller than Henderson, NV (and he named a bunch of other cities).
In contrast, Sarah Palin is the former mayor of a town smaller than many high schools and governor for less than two years of the least populated state in the union, with the next least populated state, Wyoming, having more than 4 times the population of Alaska.
Next up is 'Papabear' O'Reilly, explaining how teenage pregnancy is "a personal, private family matter" and nothing that should be judged "as long as the family supports the decision," and he hopes things calm down because this isn't something the public should be sticking their nose into. Then, in contrast, is a clip of O'Reilly ripping up the Spears family. "Here the blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl who obviously have little control over her." This is accompanied by a photo of the Spears parents with the word "PINHEADS" emblazoned below it.
Sarah Palin has dragged her pregnant daughter onto the campaign trail and placed her front and center in every photo op. But the press is not supposed to comment on the fact (that the Republicans themselves ANNOUNCED) that their abstinence-touting candidate has a teenage daughter who is 5 months pregnant? Do I personally care that this girl is pregnant? No. It's not my business, and it should be a family matter...that was kept in Alaska vs. paraded across the national stage. Gee, the word "Pinheads" springs to mind once more.
Next up are Sean Hannity and Dick Morris, talking about the 'sexist' way the media is treating Sarah Palin because of the baby issue. And, yes, they then show Dick Morris ripping up Hillary Clinton for complaining that media coverage was sexist and asking what's going to happen when the boys in the Middle East get tough, etc., and how "This is always what Hillary does when she comes under fire; she retreats behind the apron strings."
And then last is McCain Sr. Policy Advisor Nancy Pfotenhauer in a clip from last November warning Hillary not to play the sexist victim card because that's just not what we want in a president. Yep, then she goes on to whine about how Palin has been victimized because she's a woman, and how it's the most outrageous double standard she's ever seen.
Republicans, you can't have it both ways. I really wish these side-by-side clips could be shown to every voter in the US to prove how the Republicans are trying to manipulate the media to take the focus off the real issues with their exceedingly weak VP choice, how she is just more of the McSame. These clips would make a wonderful political ad. Please. Get it out there!
To me, it seems clear their choice was to round up the Hillary supporters. Do they really think the Hillary supporters will vote for McCain/Palin, simply because he chose a woman running mate? This is a woman so far from Hillary Clinton's ideals and values that I can't believe anyone in their right mind would think that strategy would work.
President Bush also said that the Hanoi Hilton could not break McCain and the "angry left" will not break McCain, either. How dare my president call (at least) half of the US population the "angry left." How foolish of the Republicans to focus on the whiner card when the issues I want to hear about are the economy, the war, and the energy crisis. This is all the proof I need that they are so far out of touch that they have no idea that the general population is mad as hell at their "make the rich richer, and good luck to everyone else" plan, and we're not going to take it anymore.
The Republicans are master panderers. I cringe when I think about how many average Americans are going to buy into their skillfully crafted marketing machine. If John McCain is elected, he will be our oldest president, ever. The last time this happened, Regan began to show signs of Alzheimers before he even left office. There is a better than average chance that 4-time cancer survivor McCain will die in office. I could have lived with McCain as president, but I shudder at the thought of a far-right former mayor of a town with a population of less than 10,000 being in charge of our country.
We cannot let this happen.
What a way to start your day! No, I don’t mean the Eggs Benedict and French Toast we were treated to at breakfast. I mean by the speakers at our Wednesday morning delegation breakfast.
The featured guest for the morning was Governor Kaine. His Mom and Dad were in from Kansas for the convention and they came along with Anne to dine with us.
They say you can tell how people truly feel about political candidates based on what they say about them and how enthusiastically they say it. I’m that way about Tim, as any of you who have heard me introduce him or talk about him can attest. It’s easy to be excited and you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to say. Well, our governor feels the same way about Barack Obama.
It showed Wednesday morning. Tim was “Fired Up and Ready to Go”, and he proceeded to wake us all up in rapid fashion. He began by ticking off the progress of the Democratic Party in Virginia over the last several years and then shared his recipe for success for the party.
1 - Solve problems – citing the example of the Democrats in the General Assembly
2 - Stick together – don’t fall victim to infighting and present a unified front
His focus then turned to 2008. The Governor chided John McCain for not knowing how many houses he owns and for admitting that he doesn’t know much about the economy. He blasted the Republicans for calling Obama an “elitist” when his mother had to resort to food stamps to care for her family after Barack’s father abandoned them. He spoke about Michelle’s humble roots, growing up on the South Side of Chicago. Tim was in prime form!
In case any of you are saying to yourselves, “Gee, I wish I could have heard him”, I videoed the breakfast and plan to show it at our September MCDC meeting. Join us!
But, I promised you Tim and Terry. We were also treated to remarks from former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe. Terry, as you may know is good friends with the Clinton’s, and does a darned good imitation of Bill. Put Terry in front of a group of Democrats and the results are hilarious. (Have I hooked you yet? September 18th, 7pm)
After breakfast, Terry sat and autographed copies of his book “What a Party!” that he had given to each member of the delegation. Rumor has it he may be thinking about running for Governor in ’09. In my opinion, he hasn’t paid his dues in Virginia, even though he has been very active on the national scene. None the less, he’s a very engaging and entertaining guy.
This was the only day we had a planned luncheon. Other days, we were on our own after breakfast. Today, we would hear from Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. Governor Patrick is only the second African American ever elected to lead a state. Our own Governor Doug Wilder was first, and he was on hand to introduce Patrick.
After lunch, there was only a little time to work on my blog and then it was off to the convention. People who attend national conventions tend to do things differently, based on their interests and level of commitment. For example, my new friend Terry Frye from Bristol made it a point to attend every energy related forum and roundtable he could fit in to the schedule. I decided to make every effort possible to include my friends back home via blogging and to attend as much of the gavel to gavel convention proceedings as practical.
Wednesday night at the convention, we were going to hear from Joe Biden, our Vice Presidential nominee. But first, it was time for the second speech from the Clinton camp. Tonight, the world would be watching and listening to see how enthusiastically former President Bill Clinton would endorse Barack Obama. Anyone who saw the speech will attest to the fact that he didn’t disappoint us in any way. Not only was Bill vintage Bill, but he also unequivocally verbalized his support for the Obama-Biden ticket. The crowd responded with a rousing, enduring ovation.
Joe Biden’s son Beau, Attorney General of Delaware drew the task of introducing his Dad. It was a very emotional time, for Beau is preparing to return to active duty and ship out for the Middle East. The emotions were cranked up a notch as Beau related the story of how he and his brother were involved in a car accident with their Mother while their Dad was in D.C. preparing to take the oath of office after being elected to the Senate at the age of 29. His Mother was killed in the crash and his Dad debated whether or not he could take on the job of raising two boys while accepting the responsibility granted him by the citizens of Delaware in electing him to the Senate. When Beau finished, there was not a dry eye in the house.
Of course, Joe Biden showed us right away why Barack Obama picked him to be his Vice President. With decades of experience in the Senate and a natural way of connecting to people, Biden is the consummate statesman. He didn’t take long to cut to the chase and blast the Bush-McCain doctrine. Of course, we didn’t know it then, but now we know Joe will be up against Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in the Vice Presidential debates. I’m sure they call the Governor Sarah Barracuda for a good reason, but my prediction is that Biden will chew her up and spit her out in little bitty pieces! He is without a doubt qualified to be Vice President and stand a heartbeat away from the top job.
Next – All But Over, The Last Day
What goes around comes around, Karl Rove:
"I think [Obama's] going to make an intensely political choice, not a governing choice," Rove said. "He's going to view this through the prism of a candidate, not through the prism of president; that is to say, he's going to pick somebody that he thinks will on the margin help him in a state like Indiana or Missouri or Virginia. He's not going to be thinking big and broad about the responsibilities of president." Rove singled out Virginia governor Tim Kaine, also a Face The Nation guest, as an example of such a pick. "With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America."
Rove singled out Virginia governor Tim Kaine, also a Face The Nation guest, as an example of such a pick.
"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America."
Presumably this still holds true? (For comparison, Palin was mayor of a town that is not one of the ten largest in Alaska.)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/211583.php
After a late night, it was an early morning. Credentialing began at 7:30am; the Virginia delegation breakfast at 8:30. Hint - if you ever go to a national convention, don’t miss the delegation breakfast or you won’t know what’s going on.
Our guest speaker at breakfast was soon-to-be Senator Mark Warner. Mark stressed to the crowd the importance of electing Barack Obama President while at the same time emphasizing his desire to work with other “Radical Centrists” as he puts it, to facilitate change in Washington. He emphasized the personal importance of his election citing his decision to drop out of the presidential race and his recent injury playing basketball (which landed him in UVA Hospital) as proof that he is slowly but surely eliminating other career opportunities and really needs the job.
Back in my room after breakfast, I worked on my blog entry. I have found it’s fun to gather my thoughts, refresh my memory and share with my friends back home. (It also would make me happy to see some comments – hint, hint).
After lunch with some friends and a brief exploration of the area around our delegation hotel, it was time to board the bus to the Pepsi Center and the opening session. The first impression that hits you as you get on the bus – there’s a police officer on every bus. I suspect that made an immediate impact on me because I had seen dozens of officers in riot gear in my short walk downtown. Scary, but somehow comforting to know that someone is paying attention.
After a circuitous route to the Pepsi Center, we left the buses to pass through security. There is a portable security checkpoint under a big tent where everyone has to pass to get in to the center. TSA agents checked us all out and made sure we were “clean.” We didn’t have to remove our shoes, but otherwise, it was a lot like going through an airport.
In the center we got to see just how important Virginia is to Barack Obama. Our delegation is on the floor, dead center, right behind Illinois! Elizabeth Chitwood, Rex McCarty and I staked out our seats on the center aisle, eleven rows from the podium. Elizabeth kept repeating over and over throughout the evening “This is crazy. This is crazy.” And she was right, the convention hall was a riot of enthusiasm and energy.
Our delegation is also sandwiched between Katie Couric and Richard Gregory, for all you news junkies. Wolf Blitzer is just on the other side of Katie. Joe Scarboro walked through the floor and posed for pictures with delegates. What a scene! It made me miss Tim Russert though.
I was also lucky to be seated directly in front of Governor Kaine’s parents and Ann and the kids. I had met Mr. Kaine when Tim was running, but never his mother. I told them how much Victoria and I think of Tim, not only as Governor, but also as a tremendous human being. I shared with them that in all my 35 years in politics, I had never known anyone who I held in such high regard. They were truly pleased, especially when I told them their son is a statesman, not a politician.
It was women’s night and family night at the convention. We heard from Barack’s brother in law and sister. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill’s children introduced her – and encouraged everyone (especially from their generation) to text in to the campaign to get the latest news from the campaign.
Caroline Kennedy introduced a tribute to Uncle Teddy, who gave a barn burner of a speech, giving us all inspiration to follow his example and do whatever it takes to elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The big screens showed Senator Biden in the crowd several times during the speech and each time, the convention center erupted in cheers and applause!
Jimmy Carter appeared in a community service video and then he and Rosalyn took a quick tour around the stage. That was it. No speech, no stopping. It looked like one of those Swiss clocks where the little figures come out from the back and circle around the base of the clock only to disappear back into the other side as the clock chimes on the hour. Undoubtedly the strangest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention.
But the main event of the evening was Michelle. What a beautiful, passionate, woman! She told us a lot about the man who will be our next President. She had the audience spellbound as she told about their first dates and how he drove the car home from the hospital when their first daughter was born at a snail’s pace, wanting to do everything possible to protect his new family and insure his daughter has a bright future. She is going to be an incredible First Lady!
After we adjourned, it was back on the bus and back through all the temporary barricades and riot police encircling the Pepsi Center. I heard yesterday that $40 million had been spent on security. The evidence is everywhere!
Back at the hotel, I dropped off my “stuff” and prepared to go to Governor Kaine’s party. Like all good Democratic Chairs, I know that campaign materials are hard to come by – especially in Southwest Virginia. So, I dutifully carried an arm full of rally signs from the hall to take back home for our HQ.
Then, it was off to Marlowe’s Restaurant where Moving Virginia Forward, Governor Kaine’s PAC, was hosting a late night party for our delegation. There was a live band, and of course, Tim whipped out his harmonica and joined them for a song. Folks, if you don’t realize it, we have THE coolest Governor in all fifty states! He brought the house down with his bluesy solo!
And since I wrote something for the news junkies, it’s time for something for the sports fans out there. Shortly after the Governor descended from the stage, a buzz went through the crowd. I looked toward the door, and there he was, easily recognizable because he was the biggest, tallest guy in the place – Charles Barkley. He was passing by, heard the music and decided to stop in. He and the Governor exchanged greetings and posed for pictures for the rest of the evening. What a Party! Thanks Governor!!
Next up – Cousin Jim at his best
Joe Biden is a straight-shooting, tough-talking, experienced man who has appeal with the white, blue-collar independents that are resistant to the Illinois senator and ex-community organizer. Biden can challenge McBush on his monopoly on the national security issue with his foreign policy credentials. Biden can also drive through the true message of McBush's intent on keeping us stuck in Iraq for years and expose how McSame is Bush's 3rd term. He would also have a commanding voice to push back strongly against the Rethugican smear machine when it reaches its most aggressive and most atrocious closer to November. Biden is very passionate-sounding, which can help motivate progressives to go out and get those voters to the polls and get new people registered. I also believe that Joe Biden would support the emotional passion of the message of hope and change. Obama better consider this very thoroughly, he cannot risk throwing in a lukewarm candidate like Evah Bayh, who does not support his message, or Tim Kaine, that does not have the power to motivate the progressive base or drive independents into the 'change' column. I hope Obama takes these next few days to consider his options more carefully, especially if those options don't include a Hillary or a Clinton in them. Please, I hope he understands this: Don't pick Bayh, pick Bi-den.
Here's my latest Huffington Post article on the race, posted on Wednesday, August 13:
I don't imagine that Senator Barack Obama's veep vetting team is paying much attention to what I have to say, but I want to make the case for who I think the Land of Lincolner should pick for his running mate.
Since Obama became my party's presumptive nominee on June 3, names like Joe Biden, Tim Kaine, Evan Bayh, and Kathleen Sebelius have dominated the headlines. Jim Webb and Mark Warner took themselves out of consideration earlier this summer, and there's been speculation this week that Hillary Clinton has been asked to deliver the keynote speech at Tuesday night's convention, which pundits say rules out any chance that the junior New York Senator might speak as a Vice Presidential candidate in Denver (never mind that Tuesday, except in 2004, has traditionally been the Vice Presidential nominee's night anyway, which the talking heads seem to overlook).
The talk about Tim Kaine being on Barack Obama’s VP short list is no accident. Just look at the timing. That’s what has Christopher Newport University political-science professor Quentin Kidd thinking there’s more to the firestorm of coverage on this short-list news than maybe meets the eye.
“There are two reasons you pick a vice-presidential candidate. One is to correct a weakness, and the other is to strengthen a perceived strength,” Kidd told me this morning. “I would imagine that if Tim Kaine is picked, it’s because Barack Obama is pursuing a strengthen-my-strengths route as opposed to a cover-my-weaknesses path. Barack Obama represents a new, fresh, not-of-Washington perspective, and if Obama is going to push that message, if he feels confident enough to go forward with that message, Tim Kaine strengthens that message.”
University of Mary Washington political-science professor Stephen Farnsworth agrees with Kidd on the point about the timing of what appears to be a generated media speculation on an Obama-Kaine alliance. We wouldn’t be having this discussion if the Obama team hadn’t made a key internal decision.
“The timing of this is interesting coming on the heels of his trip last week,” Farnsworth said, referring to Obama’s trip to the Middle East and Europe that gave him a substantial if brief boost in the national polls, and seemed to answer the question that had been vexing the Yes, We Can! effort regarding his national-security bona fides. To be floating Kaine’s name out into the mainstream media for discussion is a likely indicator that the Obama inner circle feels that it won’t have to shore up the national-security flank by selecting, say, Sam Nunn or Bill Richardson or Joe Biden as a running mate.
“With Tim Kaine, we’re talking about somebody who really represents what Obama is saying in terms of a break from the Washington politics of the past. This is someone who has been mayor, lieutenant governor and governor, and has been very connected to hands-on issues in local and state governments. That is a big advantage, it seems to me,” Farnsworth said.
Which isn’t to say that there aren’t critics of a Kaine selection out there. I’ve seen and heard comments from Republican friends in the past couple of days that indicate that they think the John McCain campaign could try to spin the Washington-outsider approach of Obama to heighten the focus on the Washington inexperience of Obama, who has served in the United States Senate for three and a half years after serving in the Illinois state legislature for eight years, and Kaine, who has held state office in Virginia for six years after eight years on Richmond City Council.
And then there are the questions that could be raised by Democrats themselves about Kaine’s low profile outside of Virginia, where recent public-opinion polls at least have been registering his popularity as being on a par with the wildly popular former governor and ‘08 U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner.
“Kaine isn’t a national figure. He’s known in Virginia, but not really anywhere else. I would say that he lacks the national identity that a lot of vice-presidential candidates have had in the past,” Farnsworth said. Kidd counters, though, by pointing out that being a relative unknown isn’t necessarily an automatic negative in this instance. “There are two sides to being relatively unknown. One side is voters saying, Well, we don’t know anything about him, how could he pick somebody like that? The other side to that is, Boy, we don’t know about him, I’m really interested, I’m really curious, and things that I’m reading today are interesting, and I want to know more,” Kidd said.
In that context, then, one could consider Kaine an open tableau waiting for his closeup on the national stage. And you have to assume that he’s being viewed favorably by Virginia voters for a reason, right?
“I can’t think of anything negative that people could say about Tim Kaine,” Kidd said. “He’s a middle-class kid who is smart, he’s a religious person, committed several years of his life to missionary work, has a strong social-consciousness streak, has not been caught up, as far as I know, in any big scandals. So by picking somebody like Tim Kaine, Barack Obama might also have the opportunity to introduce Tim Kaine to the nation in a way that’s very positive and in a way that reinforces the Obama message, which is change, which is optimism.”
Bottom line - Farnsworth sees Obama going in one of two directions, neither involving Kaine. Farnsworth thinks the favorites for the second spot on the Obama ticket are Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, who would bone up the ticket’s foreign-policy credentials, or Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a friend of Obama nomination rival Hillary Clinton who could play a key role in vote-rich Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Kidd is there with me in thinking that a Kaine selection seems to be making the most sense right now.
“Several months ago, I would have said that of the three names that we kept hearing about from Virginia - Jim Webb, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine - that Tim Kaine was probably third on that list. But I’ve had a conversion here. The more I think about Tim Kaine, the more I realize that Tim Kaine is a really good pick for Barack Obama,” Kidd said.
http://virginiadem.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/potential-vice-presidential-candidate-tim-kaine-on-his-support-for-barack-obama-for-president/
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine speaking at the Democratic Party of Virginia’s 2008 Convention in Hampton about why he supports Illinois Senator Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States of America
Tim Kaine, the governor of Virginia, is supposedly in 'serious' talks to become Barack Obama's running mate. The other two most serious candidates are Evan Bayh and Joe Biden.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802041_2.html
Obama meets with the new Pakistani prime minister today, as well as with House Democrats.
The Virginia Democratic Party Convention was held on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at Hampton Roads Convention Center. (Post by and Images taken by Chris Williams)
The Politicians U.S. Senator Jim Webb Virginia Delegate Dwight Jones House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong State Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw Chairman of Arlington County Board J. Walter Tejada Congressional Democratic Nominee for Sixth District Sam Rasoul Congressional Democratic Nominee for Tenth District Judy Feder Congressional Demo. Nominee for 11th District Gerry Connolly Governor Tim Kaine Governor Tim Kaine Congressional Democratic Nominee for 5th District Tom Perriello Gubernatorial Candidate Delegate Brian Moran Gubernatorial State Senator Creigh Deeds U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner Tim Kaine, Mark Warner and wife, Lisa Collis U.S. Senate Democratic Nominee and Former Gov. Mark Warner
The Districts and More
Why are some of us losing faith in Barack, panicking and spreading fear among us? What is all this story about Al Gore being needed to come and save us? We have no reason to fear! Barack will win the nomination and he will unite the party for the final victory...
INTRODUCTION
This analysis is inspired by the e-mails I have been receiving from the Vice President Speculation Forum and from posts and discussions. Since November, I have been looking for the perfect candidate to be Barack Obama’s running mate, and it is proving difficult. I have set forth what the ideal candidate should possess to adding value to the ticket and the criteria below:
Basically, I will explore some of the possible candidates for vice-president (VP) and how some of these candidates could better fulfill cabinet positions, instead. As a note, foreign policy will be used as examples for my arguments, because this is the area of concentration I am most familiar. I welcome anyone who has suggestions based on other areas of concentrations concerning arguing his or her possible VP choices.
It's so great to wake up and read the articles in the various online papers. Isn't the internet wonderful?
I loved this article about Obama's relationship with Latinos. Especially the quote about his Vice President: "I want a candidate and a vice president that is reflective of the country". Bill Richardson???? I want his endorsement!
Okay, this one speculates that Al Gore is going to endorse Barack!!!! Whooo! That would be great. Come on in Al, join the band wagon, have some Kool Aid. :)
Obama for America campaign manager, David Plouffe "put together some numbers this week that show the strength of what this movement has created in the first four states and beyond" as follows:
Iowa: January 3rd -- We have more field offices (37), more field staffers (over 200), and more volunteers than any other campaign. According to the final Des Moines Register poll before the caucuses, the strength of our lead comes from "a dramatic influx of first-time caucusgoers, including a sizable bloc of political independents."New Hampshire: January 8th -- The largest field operation in the state has made nearly 1.6 million phone calls and knocked on 330,000 doors. Our campaign has been endorsed by both Democratic US Representatives, Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, and the latest Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire poll puts us in the lead.Nevada: January 19th -- We have the biggest organization with 11 field offices and more than 50 staff; we're gaining strength every day.South Carolina: January 26th -- Former Democratic chairman Donald Fowler praised our 55 staff members in 11 offices for running "the most methodical voter-canvassing project I have ever seen in South Carolina."22 other states: February 5th -- We have 32 offices open in 17 states, including states like Alaska, Utah, and Alabama where we're the only campaign up and running with a serious organization.
Let me add: Virginia: February 12th -- We have a strong volunteer network of supporters in place and working in every area of the commonwealth. Volunteers for Obama in Virginia made certain we were the first campaign of either party to submit petitions to be on the ballot to the State Board of Elections and submitted more petiton signatures than any other candidate. An impressive list of Virginia Democrats including Gov. Tim Kaine and Congressman Bobby Scott have already made endorsements.
