Category: Virginia Page 14 of 34

This from the ACDC, and I hope that if you’re on the edge about volunteering today or tomorrow, that you’ll decide to come to NoVA.  Running up the numbers in NoVA will make a difference:

GOTV in YOUR neighborhood!

Where
ACDC Office – 2009 14th St. N., Suite 612, Arlington, VA

When
Nov 03   10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Nov 03    3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Nov 03    5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

[and]

When
Nov 04    9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Nov 04   11:30 am – 2:00 pm
Nov 04    3:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Please come out and talk to your neighbors about why you’re voting for Barack Obama. Bring your friends, bring your family, and join others in your area to knock on doors.

[ . . . ]

Polling Place Signs Go Up

Where
Countywide

When
November 03, 2008

Joint Campaign visibility event. For more information contact JC chairs; Jody Olson at jody_olson@hotmail.com, Madi Green at yellowdog22207@yahoo.com or Jay Fisette at jay@fisette.org

[This would be a good thing to do if you’ve only got a couple of hours this evening.]

Also, if you can, please consider this (remember, the average age of the pollworkers is approximately 103.  You wouldn’t want them to go hungry, would you? :)):

Donations of food and water for Democratic poll workers

Where:

2607 Washington Blvd

When:

Throughout the day, Monday November 3

We are seeking volunteers to provide a variety of food, water and juice for campaign workers on Election Day, November 4, 2008.  We desperately need fruit (suggestions: apples, bananas, pears, and plums), granola bars, breakfast bars all flavors; bottles of water; juice boxes, diet and regular coke, napkins and a variety of sandwiches.  The number of volunteers we are trying to provide assistance is approximately 400.

These supplies will be distributed to Election Day volunteers, many of whom are working 13-hour days without break.

If you can help, please deliver items by Monday, November 3, to Gillian Burgess’s at 2607 Washington Blvd, Arlington. VA 22201. If no one is at home please put items in the backyard on the porch.

Contact for this effort is Helen Mathis and she can be  reached at 202-422-7817 or at the Obama Arlington County office 703-528-8588 or at mathis2001@earthlink.net

Finally, after all is said and done, there’s the Arlington victory party:

Victory Party

Where
Bailey’s Pub & Grille 4238 Wilson Blvd, Ballston Common Mall,. Arlington, VA 22203

When
Nov 04   starts after 7:00 pm
The Arlington Young Democrats, the Arlington County Democratic Committee and the Joint Campaign are teaming up to host the must-attend party of the year – the Election Night Celebration Party!

Join us at Bailey’s in Ballston (in the Ballston Common Mall), where we have reserved two large rooms to accommodate what looks to be an impressive turnout of local Democrats! We will watch returns come in on the many TV’s, as well as hear from local elected officials and party leaders. This will be a very historic night – so come out and celebrate with a night to remember!

Wear your favorite Obama garb and come excited!

Our reserved rooms at Bailey’s are smoke-free for this event. The celebration starts after the polls close at 7:00PM.

I won’t be there, unfortunately (and I’d really like to make up for the last time I spend a Presidential election cycle night with the ACDC – 2000), but I’m sure it will be fun.

A devastating look at the difference between the Obama and McCain ground games.  With pictures.

My belief that Virginia is in reach for Obama isn’t newly acquired, but it’s certainly stronger these days.   However, I can’t say that I’ve ever really been optimistic about the races for Virginia’s seats in the House.  Sure, I thought that a Dem pickup in the 11th was a lock the moment that Rep. Tom Davis announced his retirement, but beyond that, I thought we’d be able to count on Virginia’s usual resistance to change to prevent any other swaps.  Well, it looks like there may yet be a ray of sunshine breaking through in Virginia, as two House races have been shifting towards the Democratic challengers.  I’m still not optimistic about them, but I can definitely picture a victory.

The first instance is down in the Second District, where Glenn Nye is challenging Rep. Thelma Drake.  This is a heavily military district, and the race has just been moved from “leans Republican” to “Toss up” by the folks at Cook.  Drake is one of those “Support the troops on the trail, vote against them on the Hill” Republicans, while challenger Nye has actually worked towards stabilization in Iraq.  Vivian Paige takes a look at the state of this race here, and there’s a longer piece at Roll Call here.

The second instance is a longer shot, and takes place in Virginia’s Fifth District.  Here, Tom Periello is challenging Rep. Virgil Goode, who is perhaps one of the most open and disgusting bigots currently in Congress.   Goode’s constituents, unfortunately, have demonstrated quite a tolerance for his intolerance by putting him back in office over and over again*.  However, challenger Tom Periello seems to have found a connection with the district, and the DCCC just dumped $650k into the race.   My friend and Fifth District resident Mark Brooks has been writing about the race here.

So.  Here’s to hoping.

*And as a warning to those who assume Dem = good, I’ll point out that he arrived in Congress as a Democrat.

A friend of mine, fresh off her experience at the Obama rally in Leesburg, decided to check out the Palin rally that occurred five days later.  I asked her whether the Palin rally involved any “positive vibes”, and this is her response:

I sense desperation from the right wing crowd.  The message at this rally was about average Joe the so and so, lying about Obama raising your taxes, him being hurtful to small businesses and being big government.  This is their message now going forward,  after all this time they finally have one.  Fortunately, they latched onto this late in the game and hopefully people won’t buy into it.

These visits to Leesburg by both candidates were historical and I wanted to see them both. I loved the Obama rally and the cool people of all types there.  Palin’s rally only got about 5,000 people if that, and MANY were kids and teens who cannot vote.  I did not see any hate spewed at this rally like the others ones I have seen on video.  Unlike the rude McCain people at the Obama rally, no Obama supporters yelled anything while Palin was speaking.

I don’t like Palin at all , but her positive vibe thing for her people is that I saw she has a way of really connecting to the crowd, being very personal just like Bush, the guy you could have a beer with.  But both of them are dummies, and very scary with their views, but these people are too stupid to see that.   I think many people were there at the rally because she is pro-life.  Her comment on that got the biggest roar out of the crowd above all others and that answered my question as to why many were there.  In spite of our country falling apart that is is all many care about.  The protests at the Obama rally last week on the street near the site seemed to be pro-life related signs too, so I heard.

Oh, Frank Wolf was there, but I did not see his cane wielding staffer beating any Feder supporters.  There were Obama supporters with signs protesting at a different entrance than where I went in.  They were yelling, “Use your brain – don’t vote McCain!”

When I left they were having a fire sale of free McCain yard signs. People were walking away with 4-5 of them as if putting up more signs will help their cause.   I can’t wait to see the Republican party melt down and their in-fighting after this election.

Indeed.  She ended with this note:

I went to this Palin rally with my friend’s husband whose son has just been sent to Mosul, one of the worst areas of Iraq.   He is very worried for his son.  He is voting Obama.

Yes we can.

Truly inspired.