Should a Democratic Delegate Have Attended the Virginia Tea Party Convention?

Warner Scores Again (0.00 / 0)

Mark Warner has the best political instincts of any Virginia politician, and his campaigning with Tom Perriello in Martinsville is worth a million dollars of TV ads. (I wish Jim Webb was doing more of this sort of thing.)

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by: Elaine in Roanoke @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 13:56:34 PM UTC

Mark Warner, and Other Notable Politically Astute Lovers... of the People, or Maybe Just The People One at a Time (1.00 / 1)

Yes, and buying a mansion on Lee Street in Old Town with a walled garden and view of the Potomac River. That is surely the action of a true Democrat, a man of the common people and the yeoman farmer, as Thomss Jefferson used to say, but more, perhaps like the late Marie Antoinette, whose antics dressing up like a milkmaid in provincial France  got her into a little run in at the Bastille, poor old girl.  

I positively adore Mark Warner, Obama, and that other rich guy who also owns a mansion himself in Old Town who ran for governor in the Democratic Primary and lost.  Old Whatshisname.  And Creigh, who is the only nonmultimillionaire in the whole bunch I have thus far mentioned.  

Sic transit Gloria and all that.

We Greens so love those environmentally correct politicos like Mark Warner who is oh so environmental.  We Greens love Mark Warner.  We loved old whatshisname, you know the Senator from North Carolina who is sooo photogenic.  Edwards!!!!  We lOVED him so much. Some of us, darn it, apparently loved him TOO much.  

You can see the results on You Tube, Arlngtonistas.

Or in PLayboy magazine.

Arlingtonista Greens Unite!

Vote for Our Guy.

Viva Arlington!

Fiona Usa, All

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by: Fiona Usa @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 04:02:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Keam should be applauded, not lambasted. (0.00 / 0)

The very fact that so many partisan-entrenched people are opposing his decision is the best reason for it.

Furthermore, you note that the issue he spoke on, government transparency, is a cause he's championing in Richmond (along side fellow Fairfax freshman Jim LeMunyon). This is an issue that doesn't cut along partisan lines, it cuts across old guard/new guard lines. Why not rally support for your chief cause whenever you can, particularly since this is an audience that will be highly supportive of it?

Sadly, this will only serve as further impetus to launch a primary challenge against Keam, which is rather discouraging. Ironically, the same people who will be at the forefront of that challenge are the same people who revel in talking about how the GOP is "outside the mainstream" during our primaries.  

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by: VA Blogger @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 14:24:23 PM UTC

The fact that you're applauding him (0.00 / 0)

says it all. Case closed.

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 14:25:42 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

lol (0.00 / 0)

And your comment confirms mine. Some people are too shut off to even consider anything that's not from the Daily Kos/Alan Grayson/"American Taliban" wing of the Democratic Party. Thanks to all that is good and right with the world, there are very few of them in office in Virginia. For everyone's sake, let's hope that holds up.

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by: VA Blogger @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 15:05:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Note that only ONE elected Democrat (0.00 / 0)

attended the Tea Party convention, and that almost every Democrat I talked to - not just the "Alan Grayson" wing, whatever that is - thought that Dem's shouldn't be attending. See the Connolly campaign's statement, for instance, which probably sums up most Democrats' feelings on the subject.

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 15:10:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

So that makes it right? (0.00 / 0)

I don't think so.  Surely every elected official in Virginia has members of the Tea Party as part of their constituency, why should they NOT be listening to their views?  Should Democratic leaders only be open to hearing the views of other Democrats?  What happens then when our representatives are Republican and refuse to listen to us?

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by: Clemgo3165 @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 15:24:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

NO, that is NOT what I'm saying (0.00 / 0)

To the contrary, I believe that elected officials have a DUTY to listen to their constituents' views, regardless of their political perspectives or allegiances.  What we're talking about here is different, as Del. Keam's district is not located in Richmond and is not statewide either. Instead, I believe he should have stayed in his Oakton/Vienna district this past weekend, knocked on doors of constituents, helped GOTV for Democrats on the ballot in 3 weeks, etc. Going to a Tea Party convention in Richmond and speaking on an Americans for Prosperity panel was: a) not a good use of Del. Keam's time; and b) lending legitimacy to the Tea Party and Americans for Prosperity, both of which are anti-Democratic and (I'd argue) anti-democratic.  That makes no sense.

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 15:40:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

And the only people... (0.00 / 0)

Who attended the convention in Richmond were only from Richmond??  There wasn't a single person in the group from NOVA???  I find that hard to believe.

He was asked to be there to talk about an issue about which he is passionate and which crosses party lines.  There's also the small matter of legislation being carried over from last year.

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by: Clemgo3165 @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 17:56:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Another straw man (0.00 / 0)

The point, once again, is that Del. Keam represents the 35th House of Delegates district, where he very well could have been meeting with his constituents last weekend instead of legitimizing a group that's spending millions of dollars to defeat members of his party. This really isn't that difficult, just imagine if the tables were turned...

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 18:06:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

No, it isn't difficult... (0.00 / 0)

And the condescension really isn't necessary.  I'm imagining if the tables were turned, and I'm still not seeing a problem here.

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by: Clemgo3165 @ Tue Oct 12, 2010 at 18:36:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Fire The Campaign Manager First (0.00 / 0)

I can almost, not really, understand why a candidate would go to any event. You don't run for office unless you have an ego the size of a bronco. And with that ego comes the absolute solid feeling of "where ever I go people love me and will vote for me". His campaign manager should have taken him to an ABC store for lunch and explained the facts of life. Those people hate you and will use you and your image to destroy you and the Democratic Party.

Doing the teabaggers in person is the same as doing an interview slot with faux news. They will use it to embarrass you, destroy you, and destroy the Democratic Party.

Even the paid talking heads get eaten up and used for crow feed by the Murdock propaganda machine.  

Expect campaign lit to show up with Keam's picture pointing out the Dem's are really teabaggers too. That the teabaggers are bi-partisan and you need to vote for them because your elected's will too.

He might recover by immediately going public with an attack against the teabaggers.  Some thoughts would be:
I went there and learned these people want to destroy you and our country.
I went there to scout out how insidious they are - and they are insidious.

Take the initiative immediately and attack the teabaggers. Turn the table on them immediately. Don't let the post anything first, otherwise you lost.

And, fire the campaign manager.

Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy.
Edmund Burke

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by: blue bronc @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 14:37:14 PM UTC

I don't think he has a campaign manager (0.00 / 0)

He's not even up for reelection until November 2011, so for now, I believe it's just him.

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 14:41:31 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

He doesn't have one..... (0.00 / 0)

I believe Peter is running a congressional race somewhere (which escapes me currently) Mark is a smart, intelligent politician and has never shied away from anyone he met who disagreed with him and I believe that is why he had such a successful campaign when he ran.  I'll definitely be out there for him 2011.  He doesn't need to attack anyone but rather use this as an opportunity to continually differentiate himself from this group which obviously isn't hard.

As for using his appearance against them, I'm sorry to say they can use that with nearly every statement you make.  Hell, I believe it was Keith Fimian (or Pat Herrity) I can't remember who took bits and pieces of a speech by Gerry Connelly to use it in a negative ad.  It was so bad the Washington Post came out an slammed it because it was from their story I believe and called it such a flat out falsehood, even though the campaign manager defended such trash.  I know Lowell remembers because he covered it.  But the point is that no matter where you go or what you say, if they don't like you they'll use and do anything.  

Mark knows what he's doing.

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by: DanielK @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 01:10:17 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

another perspective (0.00 / 0)

Setting aside whether this was the BEST use of Mark Keam's time, given that we are in the home stretch of a very contentious election, I have to go on the record as saying that I fully support Democrats like Keam attending the Tea Party conference.

This isn't because I think that Keam is going to be able to persuade anyone to his point of view.  This is essentially a closed circle of argument, and nothing that he says is likely to verbally change someone's mind.  And yes, I recognize fully the risk of organizers being able to claim this is a "bi-partisan" event, I'm also sure that Mark Keam accorded himself well on the panel (something not all Democrats would have been able to do), even if no one in the room came around to his point of view.

But the fact that it is a closed circle gave Keam something that no one else yesterday in the Democratic party had -- access to a group of people who are not only defining themselves (Tea Partiers) but also defining Democrats.  And the best way I know to stand up to opposition branding is to stand there and smile and say, "I'm here.  I'm a Democrat.  And what you're saying doesn't apply to me."

It's a lot easier to insult groups of shadowy "theys" when there is no one there to laugh and say, "That isn't me at all."  It's a lot easier for emotions to intensify when "the other" has no voice at all.  It's easier to claim things about people when you don't have to say it to their face.  Not that this will stop a certain segment of the population, but most Americans, to my mind, don't enjoy being outright rude and hateful to someone's face.

Mark Keam may not have found any votes last night, but he probably brought the temperature down a few degrees.  He probably made at least some of the people there have to stop a minute and think instead of simply going with the flow, which in my mind, is a very good thing for long term politics here in VA indeed.

So I'll go out on the limb and say, Thank you for trying, Delegate Keam.

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by: GretchenLaskas @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 15:12:12 PM UTC

To piggyback (0.00 / 0)

And to reiterate my comments above, he was speaking on a panel about transparency in government, one of his chief issues. This is an issue that resonates strongly with the "tea party" crowd, as it does in some circles of the Democratic Party as well. So Keam's attendance was less about persuading people to his point of view, and more about finding common ground on an important issue he believes in.  

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by: VA Blogger @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 15:20:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

There's already common ground (0.00 / 0)

That legislation passed the House of Delegates 86-13 last year, and passed the Senate Rules Committee 14-2, but was "carried over" to 2011. Not exactly controversial or in need of "common ground," this legislation is supported overwhelmingly by just about everyone.

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 15:36:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Being carried over is not "passing" the Senate Rules Committee (0.00 / 0)

Most legislation that is carried over is killed in the future, not passed.

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by: notlarrysabato @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 23:40:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Right, but it passed the House easily (0.00 / 0)

and passed the Senate committee easily, that seems to indicate support for the legislation, no?

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 00:04:48 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

It did not pass the Senate Committee (0.00 / 0)

It was carried over, not passed.  

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by: notlarrysabato @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 00:16:41 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

OK, I stand corrected. (0.00 / 0)

So, does that mean there isn't as much support for this legislation as it appeared?

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 00:38:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

More to the point... (0.00 / 0)

...does Mark Keam really need to be speaking at a Tea Party convention in order to build support for this legislation?  

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 00:39:18 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't know if speaking at the Tea Party helps or not... (0.00 / 0)

But, the Senate thought this legislation would be too difficult to do on the state site- even though Waldo did it on Richmond Sunlight very easily.  Basically the problem was older Democrats (and Republicans, but mostly Dems since the Senate is controlled by D's) who don't understand technology and aren't willing to listen to people that do.  The crowd that can barely use email is determining how people get their information online from the legislature.  shivers

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by: notlarrysabato @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 01:19:28 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

There's more to government transparency than one piece of legislation (0.00 / 0)

n/t

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by: VA Blogger @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 04:08:01 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Really? (4.00 / 1)

Wow, thanks for telling us that, what would we do without comments like these? LOL

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 10:47:19 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Respectfully, I Disagree (0.00 / 0)

I doubt very much that Mark Keam used his Tea Party panel appearance yesterday to "stand up to opposition branding" or to "smile and say, 'I'm here. I'm a Democrat. And what you're saying doesn't apply to me' ". In any event, the best way for him to have made these points would have been to issue a public statement explaining why he had declined to attend the Tea Party Convention in the first place. As an elected official, you have to "draw the line" every day. In this case, Mark Keam drew that line in the wrong place.

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by: Peter 2010 @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 15:35:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Any evidence? (0.00 / 0)

From what I hear, Del. Keam didn't in the least bit "stand there and smile and say, 'I'm here.  I'm a Democrat.  And what you're saying doesn't apply to me.'"  I also haven't heard any evidence that he "brought the temperature down a few degrees." In fact, following Keam's appearance, there were fiery talks by Ken Kookinelli and several others, and the crowd went wild. No temperature lowering there!

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 15:40:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't know (0.00 / 0)

But I guess I just look at the whole situation a little differently.  Either the Tea Party is a large establishment which means it is statistically possible that at least some small segment of that populace can be reasoned with most of the time.  Or it is a tiny population of true believers, in which case it doesn't matter much at all to the outcome of any given election.

While I don't think that it's a "independent" group (I think it is mostly hard core conservatives) I also think that people enjoy being a part of something, whatever that something is.  (I said similar things about Obama's campaign.)  It has the psychological effect of making people who are part of it feel as though they are building something, which is always more appealing to human nature than maintaining something.

I also think that there are two ways you work with people, even your opposition, one is long term, one is short term. Right now, the Republicans are going to win the short term -- they will win pretty big (although perhaps not as big as they once hoped) this November.  But they are at serious risk of losing the long term game, which is won one on one, individual to individual.  Assuming that Keam wasn't smuggled on and off the panel under cover of darkness and actually had to speak to some real people, I think he had a chance to do some long-term good, although that won't be obvious in the short term.

So while I think the argument can be made that given the current situation, this might not have been the BEST use of Keam's time, I guess I just don't see why we should be angry about attending.  It's likely that people who actually took a moment to speak with him personally (and again, I'm making an assumption) had more to risk by appearing "bi-partisan" than Keam did.  If it's true that these are the hardest of hard core conservatives, just having a Democrat on the panel must have been embarrassing for them to watch.

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by: GretchenLaskas @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 00:12:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Angry because AfP is evil incarnate (0.00 / 0)

...spending millions to defeat Democrats, and there's no way a Democrat should be on a panel organized by that group. Frankly, it's outrageous, and I can't believe you or anyone else is even trying to make excuses for it.

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 00:43:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm not making excuses (0.00 / 0)

I simply have a different point of view!  :)

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by: GretchenLaskas @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 01:16:17 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Well, my view is that (0.00 / 0)

what he did is inexcusable. Let me quote the Connolly campaign once again:

Democrats attending the Tea Party convention are merely allowing themselves to be used as props to create a false patina of legitimacy for what is in reality a radical right-wing organization dedicated to turning back the clock on progress.  Tea Party values are not Northern Virginia values, and moderate Northern Virginia voters do not want to see their leaders associated with it in any way, shape, or form.

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by: lowkell @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 01:32:51 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Until I know more about results (0.00 / 0)

of his visit, and what he has to say about it, I refuse to condemn Delegate Keam for attending the TP-Con. As I said privately to some, it strikes me that it could make very good sense for a strong Democrat to attend the TP-Con, for the following reasons:

1) Need to know what's going on, meet participants face to face (as I did on my trip to Arizona a few months ago) 2) TP is not a monolithic block, believe it or not, there are angry Democrats who belong, not many, but they're there and 3) TP memers will undoubtedly vote, and politicians have to go were the voters are.  

I don't believe attending TP-con validates the TP, but it treats its members with dignity, which they deserve as human beings, at least until they prove otherwise. The down side is obvious, but Keam's presence does not mean he agrees with the TP (maybe sympathize  with, or understand, some of the anger, but not approve, just as a parent may understand a teenager's emotions but not approve of how the teenager acts).  

Until you actually meet individuals in the TP personally, especially when they are in their group-think mode, you do cannot truly "get it," nor can you develop an effective response. Not all are batshit crazy, even if their leadership does seem that way.

WE cannot afford to respond to the TP by becoming as rigidly polarized as they, or as Israeli-Arab, N. Irish Protestant-Catholic, Sunni-Shia, or North-South (prior-to-the--Civil War). Since there is little liklihood the TP leadership will show the maturity to be civil, we have to be the adults here if we want to short-circuit destruction of our experiment in self-government.

Why do Democrats always self-censor themselves in advance, out of fear of what the Republicans will do or say about them? So what if Republicans cleverly use Keam in their propaganda? Have we no response?  

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by: Teddy Goodson @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 17:15:12 PM UTC

Getting to Know Them (0.00 / 0)

The easiest way to get to know an opposition group is to have a surrogate visit. Not someone doing the camera on a tripod stuff, but to just sit there and observe.

A candidate attending things like that is to leave the candidate open to attack, and the opposition has no qualms about using the attendance and accompanying pics to attack.

There is no useful upside for a Dem to attend a Republican/teaparty event.

Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy.
Edmund Burke

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by: blue bronc @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 17:41:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I could see your point, but... (0.00 / 0)

...ONLY if Keam had gone there and been very forceful in advocating for the Democratic/progressive viewpoint and against the far-right-wing, pro-Republican, anti-Democratic viewpoint of the Tea Party.  From what I've heard, he didn't do that, therefore it made zero sense to participate.

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 18:35:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Different Approach (0.00 / 0)

A different way of looking at this is to change the group to Progress Now and the pol to CH Cooch.  If CH Cooch went to a Progress Now meeting to I do not think one mind or vote would change. And, if he gave a teabagging speech it would be as flat as a wet pancake if he was not heckled out the door.

There is no upside for a Pol, of any party, to attend events that are revival and/or come to jesus meetings for the other side.

Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy.
Edmund Burke

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by: blue bronc @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 18:45:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

What WOULD be the left-wing equivalent (0.00 / 0)

of the Tea Party?  I can't think of it, maybe something like International ANSWER (which I despise)?

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 19:01:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

No Equivalence (0.00 / 0)

Even going back to the 60's there has not been a political organization on the left that is truely equivalent, there were many anti-government groups, but not strictly an offshoot of the Dems.

The concept though, of a republican attending a hard core Progressive Democratic party event bringing republican planks to be accepted by the Dems is not going to happen. There is nothing that Republican can say or do to make the Progressives take his planks and put them in the Dems agenda. The Dems would use his(there are very few electable women R's anymore) attendance for an attack if it would help defeat an R or elect a D.

No matter, there is still no upside for a Dem pol attending a meeting of the far-right extremists whose stated goal is to effectively dismantle our country one way or another. The pictures alone are bad, and if he said anything that can be distorted, it will be.


Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy.
Edmund Burke

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by: blue bronc @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 20:25:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

A well-meaning stumble (0.00 / 0)

Knowing Mark, I'm sure he is utterly sincere in his desire for bipartisan dialogue and problem-solving.  It's a dream most of us share, deep down.

Sadly, you can't play baseball against people whose main goal is to use the bat to rearrange your face.  I wish we still had reasonable Republicans of the John Chaffee-Bob Michael-Gerald Ford variety, with whom you could talk, have a beer, and work things out.  But that's reminiscing about a species that I've watched go extinct within my lifetime.

The new tea party variety, and their corporate sponsors, are not interested in pleasant chats.  They are following dark conspiracy theories while being duped to support the corporate agenda, like the climate conspiracy theories bought and paid for by Koch and company.

I think that we have here on Mark's part is a little naivete from someone brand new to political office, perhaps believing the media's gross mischaracterization of the tea party as an independent grassroots movement.  I look forward to hearing his explanations and a clear-eyed, not idealistic, description of his experience.  

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by: kindler @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 19:24:07 PM UTC

Well said, and an interesting comment.... (0.00 / 0)

...coming from a big Mark Keam fan!

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by: lowkell @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 19:35:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Delegate Keam (0.00 / 0)

Delegate Keam is a great Democrat with good values.  I can't think of anything to give him bad marks.  He is a Democrat, I have talked to him one-on-one on quite a few occasions in Richmond without any pretenses to our conversations and can assure you that he is no right-winger, Tea Partier, etc.  At the same time, I don't know why he was there on a panel.  Was he invited?  If so, did he decide not to decline in hopes to keep his doors open for all constituents?  The answer sticks with him.

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by: robsmithiii @ Sun Oct 10, 2010 at 23:52:38 PM UTC

Tea Party a Contrived Group (0.00 / 0)

The Tea Party is the creation of several extremely wealthy right-wing types, Dick Armey, and a whole host of righties who got the Bejeesus scared out of them by their loss in 2006 and 2008 and the prospect of change to their happy little game. Add to those, the people who are outright bigots, and you have a combination far from the ideals of the founding fathers, one that borders on being a danger to representative democracy.

In fairness to some of the Teas, many of the small government, libertarian types have been upset since the Bush administration began some of their patently unconstitutional acts in the name of national security. Many of them may be attracted to the energy of the Tea Party, but they had better beware. They are playing with fire.

For a Democrat to attend a gathering of the Tea Party supposedly to participate in a "bipartisan" panel accomplishes nothing. When Tom Perriello agreed to attend a meeting of the Tea Party group in the 5th, knowing that he would refute them at every turn and would have reasonable and cogent reasons why they are wildly wrong in their political beliefs, they closed the meeting to the press and the public. Not exactly "fair and balanced," huh? I suppose they like to control their propaganda, just like their favorite propaganda channel, Fox News.

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by: Elaine in Roanoke @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 01:08:39 AM UTC

Should Keam have done this? (4.00 / 1)

Do we have to ask?  "Validating" the so-called Tea Party, which stands for nothing the original one did, but is a Freedom Works and AFP front group for corporatism,is the worst thing he could have done politically, IMHO.  And it qualifies him as Clown of the Week.  


There's nothing in the middle of the road except yellow stripes and dead armadillos (Jim Hightower). PS I'm on Twitter here.

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by: KathyinBlacksburg @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 11:12:37 AM UTC

Having said that, I think (4.00 / 1)

That we should ignore Keam for now (he's figuratively grounded anyway and worse than irrelevant to 2010).  But I think this diary was important.  And I think we need to point this kind of failure out as well as work the refs more.     Remember, though, there are folks running now who get it right.  

There's nothing in the middle of the road except yellow stripes and dead armadillos (Jim Hightower). PS I'm on Twitter here.

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by: KathyinBlacksburg @ Mon Oct 11, 2010 at 11:21:18 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

FCDC Chair joins in on Mark Keam's Tea Party appearance (0.00 / 0)

Here's Rex Simmons:

But Fairfax County Democratic Committee chairman Rex Simmons said Keam's actions, although well-intentioned, will not help fellow Democrats in what's shaping up to be a tough election year.

"Democrats do not tell their elected officials who they can meet with," Simmons said. "However, the Tea Party and the big-oil-financed group that calls itself Americans for Prosperity stand only for a radical, far-right agenda with a goal to defeat all moderate and progressive elected officials."

Simmons added, "A Democratic official choosing to engage these groups three weeks before congressional elections, supposedly to advance legislation with bipartisan support in the Virginia General Assembly, will not likely achieve any success, and such a meeting certainly does nothing to help President Obama and congressional Democrats move the nation forward."

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by: lowkell @ Wed Oct 13, 2010 at 14:04:07 PM UTC

Whatever right wingnut Scott McCaffrey says... (0.00 / 0)

...take the exact opposite!

Del. Mark Keam (D-Vienna/Oakton) is my kind of moderate Democrat, which probably doesn't endear him to the leftward side of his political party.

Keam this week earned some abuse from the "progressive" wing of the local Democratic scene, for his decision to participate in a panel discussion at the Virginia Tea Party convention, held downstate over the weekend.

Keam was there discussing legislation he is shepherding to expand transparency of government operations, something that one presumes both Democrats and the Tea Party crowd could find common ground on.

Even U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly got in on the act, with his campaign team issuing a statement criticizing Keam for attending.

Focus, Democrats, focus: You're three weeks away from an election that is going to be somewhere between ugly and catastrophic for your side. While Republicans can still blow it, odds mount that it's going to be a tough night for the Dems. Fighting among themselves isn't going to help the situation.

One can argue that Keam should have spent his weekend working to help fellow Democrats, including Connolly. At the same time, he deserves credit for taking his case to political opponents, doesn't he?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

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by: lowkell @ Wed Oct 13, 2010 at 14:11:00 PM UTC