Find out how Cooch took $55,000 from the disgraced "U.S. Navy Veterans Association," in apparent exchange for his promise to get the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs (which had "notified Thompson's group that it no longer qualified for an exemption from state registration requirements") off the group's back. Can we say "pay-to-play?" Find out more.
In Sunday's Washington Post Robert McCartney pretty much nails the challenge to Virginia Republicans and Democrats by Ken Kookynelly's announcement that he saw the next governor in the mirror this morning.
It's been a while coming, but the reckoning has arrived for the Virginia Republican Party. It takes the form of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's back-stabbing decision to challenge Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling for the 2013 governor's nomination. It promises to last 18 months, as the tea party and establishment wings battle for supremacy.
The principal winners should be the Democrats - - -
Got that? "The principal winners should be the Democrats" -- Virginia Democrats can now sit back and watch the VA GOP implode.
Oh, but wait a minute -- McCartney continues:
The principal winners should be the Democrats - but only if they manage to take advantage of the GOP rift. They've looked pretty hapless in losing three straight elections in the commonwealth.
And there you have it, folks. The VA GOP is poised to split between the Bolling and Kookynelly camps -- and the DPVA is in no position to exploit the split as shown by our proving to be ". . . hapless in losing three straight elections in the commonwealth."
If the leadership of the Democratic Party of Virginia has any smarts at all (which I doubt), they will read carefully the direct, cogent, and insightful comments that have been posted in the past several days on Blue Virginia and on the petition at change.org and seriously consider how to implement some of the improvements recommended there.
I want to focus on one criticism that occurs over and over in both places: the lack of a message that can be repeated enough to refute the "no taxes, no government" echo chamber that comprises the Republican message. We Virginia Democrats need a strong message, and we also must learn how to "market" that message to the voters. In every campaign there is an unspoken question in the minds of every voter. "Why should I vote for that candidate?" The answer to that question is what a message should entail.
As one person said on Blue Virginia, "We need a message. A consistent, compact, hard-hitting message... A message that we spread all day every day - not just for 30 days before an election."
Another person stated, "All the organization in the world won't do any good without a consistent message that can be stated briefly, that grabs attention," Or, how about this comment? "Have a message, give the message, and give the message again. Make it a strong, unabashed Democratic message. Short and sweet and firm."
The Democratic National Committee has an excellent mission statement on its website, one that can easily be made into a message for Virginia.
On this blog there have been some interesting articles on what the grassroots want to see changed in the Democratic Party of Virginia (see Let's Improve DPVA - Tech Edition and A Few Suggestions for Reforming DPVA NonTech Edition). The long thread of comments provides proof that there is a strong, deep current of dissatisfaction, which is not, be it noted, simply whining, since it includes several well-thought-out recommendations.
This is not the first time on Blue Virginia that we've seen such calls for reform and even lists of suggestions (see the recently re-published Executive Summary of Hard Lessons). There is, in other words, a body of literature already out there that never got much beyond the readership of this blog, which naturally raises the question: is this time going to be any different? The Petition on Change.org has sparked interest from some members of the Steering Committee and others, so that's a hopeful sign, and I do remember that about 50 years ago the national Democratic Party did re-organize itself in response to massive complaints, so it really is possible DPVA can reform itself. After all, DPVA's increasing ineffectiveness at winning elections, and the way Organizing for America and even some candidates simply bypass the Party and run their own campaigns, must give even the most die-hard and barnacle-encrusted members of the Old Guard food for thought.
Just nibbling around the edges in order to stave off a serious shake-up is not going to be acceptable to the hard-working grassroots. Therefore, what reforms and changes are on the "A" List, which I believe we have to have, and no dawdling, please?
The day after the Deeds Campaign and the Democratic Party of Virginia lost the election, I wrote my after-action report from the point of view of a grassroots worker, and published it on the blog bluecommonwealth in three parts. This report highlighted what I regarded prophetically as systemic problems in the DPVA. It was, at popular request, condensed into an executive summary and circulated about. In view of the recent elections, I am re-publishing that summary inasmuch as very little has changed (unfortunately), and the observations and conclusions might add to today's dicussions.
HARD LESSONS Do not believe the self-serving explanations for the recent Republican landslide victory in Virginia, such Conventional Wisdom mantras as: "Deeds was weak and ran a lousy campaign," "Obama wasn't an issue, it was all local," "Democrats were over-confident, history was against them," and the ever-useful, "Democrats were exhausted by the Presidential campaign and couldn't whip up any enthusiasm, whereas Republicans were angry."
All these no doubt have a kernel of truth but they are mostly CYA. The loss goes deeper than the Powers That Be care to admit---- or even acknowledge. What follows is a summary of my first take on the systemic problems in the Democratic Party which this election exposed, and which I believe must be addressed, or greater defeats will follow. (First published in extended versions on BlueCommonwealth.com in three parts entitled "Hard Lessons," with Tag "Reform Handbook;" that Tag includes other analyses by other authors as well). Disclosure: I am an ordinary member of a local Democratic Committee in the City of Fairfax; I had been a life-long Republican until May of 2004, when I converted. This is entirely IMO:
Our faith in Virginians and Americans should be renewed by the results of the elections yesterday. The wave of popular fear may be ebbing. Though the Virginia outcome could be better, our progressive ship is not on the shoals. However, we cannot stand idle while the DPVA finds its voice.
Elaine and her commenters have outlined many positive aspects of elections across America yesterday. There are other indicators that the Republicans and the Tea Party have overplayed their hands. Anecdotally, phone bank volunteers in campaigns noted that they often heard complaints about the tone of calls from the other side and the over-the-top rhetoric. And there is a trend back toward discussions of local issues away from the divisive and sometimes irrelevant national debate.
Until this fall, Sinclair Communications in the Norfolk market featured two all day, all night, wall-to-wall radio talk-fests featuring almost exclusive drum beating for "conservative ideas." But a few weeks ago one station, was completely transformed and the other broadly reformatted. Gone are Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz (both completely from the market), and others. One former talk-radio station is now Funny 850, almost exclusively comedy with some time for sports shows smattered here and there. On the other station, WNIS, local talk programming has been expanded from a low of 3 hours daily to 6. Based upon the volume of callers, it appears a successful venture. The much hailed "free market" seems to have discounted appeals to fear, hate, and loathing.
Right now is the time to be pressing our case hard, making our voices heard across Virginia. But there is no DPVA strategy to develop, maintain, and reinforce a message; to call out the Virginia Republicans for their obfuscation and downright fabricated accomplishments (see Bob McDonnell); to remind us and everyone what we stand for. The frustration expressed by Peter Rousselot is commonly held; just look at the comments to his diary. For some time there has been no consistent message or spokesperson at all. So it is important that we speak out here and wherever we can until the DPVA regains a voice and begins to represent Virginia Democrats rather than Virginia Democratic office holders.
At this morning, Virginia Democrats do not hold a single Virginia executive office, they're a small minority in the House of Delegates, and now they have (barring recount) lost control of the State Senate. Former Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair Peter Rousselot has written a devastating postmortem that I can't recommend enough and encourage you to read in full if you haven't already.
As for me, what I'll remember most about the 2011 election cycle is this ad from House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong trashing just about everything Democrats believe in. The leader of House Democrats - as chosen by his fellow House Democrats - distances himself from President Obama, a woman's right to choose, reasonable gun safety regulations, and limits on air pollution - all in one ad.
I understand the need to emphasize different issues and rely on different messaging in different parts of the state. But if you try to run away from the leader of your party and everything your party believes in, not only are you hurting your own team, voters don't buy it. A friend pointed me to this quote from Harry Truman:
I've seen it happen time after time. When the Democratic candidate allows himself to be put on the defensive and starts apologizing for the New Deal and the fair Deal, and says he really doesn't believe in them, he is sure to lose. The people don't want a phony Democrat. If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time; that is, they will take a Republican before they will a phony Democrat, and I don't want any phony Democratic candidates in this campaign.
Just as Harry predicted, Ward Armstrong lost anyway. And just as former Rep. Glenn Nye did last year, Armstrong managed to not just lose, but hurt the party he was supposed to be leading in the process, making Democrats look like a bunch of gutless phonies who'd throw a friend under the bus in a second if a consultant told them it might help their chances of getting re-elected.
This first winter storm may be a harbinger of Democratic fortunes if Terry McAuliffe's last ditch efforts can't yield immediate and dramatic results. The RPV is on air with repetitive spots aimed at vulnerabilities created within the DPVA. Many forces are at work, but abandoning the President was most significant.
This sign from Occupy Norfolk actually reflects the mindset of many Virginians. The DPVA hasn't dealt well with this. There are only three notable Virginia Democrats, one former, one current, and one future statewide officeholder, who have not been Obama Judases. That has been a strategic mistake. Unfortunately, the DPVA leadership jumped ship in 2009, led by the standard bearer who reached out to Obama too late in the campaign confusing every voter. Then the Party, left without success, leadership, or a message drifted for two years. During that time, Obama supporters have not been without purpose. The purpose of the DPVA has been to protect incumbents in the legislature. Clearly not complementary efforts.
There are so many forces at work against the Virginia Senate Democratic majority (forget the House of Delegates) that it may be wiser to preserve the funds McAuliffe is generating tonight for another day. Senator Saslaw and friends allowed a redistricting environment that the Republicans used to their advantage. Meanwhile the Republicans filled the DPVA message vacuum with themes that have not been challenged. Any notion of fiscal responsibility has been turned on its head so that any past suggestion by any Democrat that transportation improvements might have to be paid for are featured as proposals for job killing taxes in some very slick and effective attack ads. Health care is a wedge issue. Anyone who has seen the wisdom of reform is left twisting in the wind. Phil Puckett has found it necessary to completely abandon President Obama rather than simply disagree with him on coal. There is so much smoke that Republican redistricting carpetbaggers have full concealment.
So this happened. Yesterday I got an email from David Mills of DPVA telling us about how Bob McDonnell is trying to suppress the vote. I am happy Mills is doing something about this, but I am not so happy it took so long for the DPVA to fight vote suppression. While it is true that the new Virginia policy was announced just this week, there is nothing new about the GOP doing anything it can get away with to keep voters from either voting or having their vote counted. Here's the email:
Dear friend,
If you were one of the half-a-million Virginians to vote by absentee ballot in 2008 then you know that the right to cast a ballot, either in person or absentee, and have a say in who runs our government is central to what it means to be an American and a Virginian. That's what makes the nationwide right-wing attack on voting rights so disturbing. Instead of trying to win with the best candidates and the best ideas, they want to rig the game before it starts and rob otherwise-qualified voters of their rights in the process.
This week the latest front in the war on voters opened here in Virginia. As the The Virginian-Pilot reported, Governor Bob McDonnell's Republican-controlled State Board of Elections is trying to make it easier for election officials to disqualify absentee ballots over something as silly as a sloppy signature. That's right, if the regulations that the State Board of Elections devised go through, the way you cross your "T's" and dot your "I's" could cost you your voice in our government.
Instead of making it easier for qualified voters to cast a ballot and make their voices heard, the State Board is going out of its way to make it harder. Extreme right-wing Republicans across the country are resorting to similar measures, which is why we need you to lend your voice to the fight. If Bob McDonnell and Republicans on the State Board of Elections believed in protecting the right of every Virginian to vote, why would they disqualify ballots over sloppy penmanship?
While State Senate Democrats smugly accepted the outcome of Virginia redistricting as victory, they may have set the stage for Obama's defeat by leaving defense of their majority to Dick Saslaw and the DPVA. Republicans are focused on this vulnerability. Two seats and the door to voter suppression opens wide.
The new Texas law, advanced and signed by Gov. Rick Perry, provides a clear giveaway on intent. A voter doesn't even have to show his driver's license or passport -- he can qualify just by producing his license to carry a concealed handgun. Yet note what's not eligible now in Texas: any form of student identification (heaven forbid ballot-casting by young people with all their inexperience!). - Neal Peirce
In a piece published yesterday in the Richmond Times Dispatch but in reality a product of the Washington Post Writers Group, Neal Peirce discusses what is the clear implication of a Republican majority in the coming Virginia Senate. You see, those of us raised in the old South recognize the tricks. A fresh coat of paint doesn't fool us (not even the one on the rock at that Texas hunting club). However, voter suppression is a newly honed craft.
Pat Mullins, Chairman of the RPV, dropped in on Virginia Beach Republicans today to provide perspective on the Virginia elections this fall and update the faithful. His message was simple, direct, and aimed at taking advantage of the vacuum of DPVA leadership; in hiding since 2008.
The elections this year, and you've got all your delegates running, your senators running, what we want you to do is not let anybody currently an incumbent get defeated. Be sure and get out and vote. Even if they are unopposed, vote for them, because if they get 95% or 100% maybe it'll scare people off next time too.
The reason I'm saying this is the whole country is watching Virginia elections this year. I go to RNC meetings and they tell me "We're watching you," just like they did two years ago. After the current occupant of the White House (and I have difficulty calling him President) the current occupant of the White House carried Virginia, there was a fear around the country, "was this going to keep carrying over?" And we said the next year we've already had enough of him. And we voted in Bob and Bill, and Ken; the following year we took three Congressional seats including Scott's in this area and we sent a message.
They're watching this year to see if the blame game being placed on the Republicans, on the Tea Party people, on anybody who doesn't agree, believe it or not, with the White House, is the blame game working? So, they're telling me if we can win the Senate, pick up those two to three seats we need, pick up a couple of House seats, then the word will go out to the country: the blame game isn't working. Virginia is going to be the first state to refudiate (sic) Obama and we're going to carry it through next year.
Now why is that important for next year? Because I've been told that if Virginia's electoral votes don't go Republican, the current occupant of the White House will stay there. If Virginia's votes don't elect a Republican United States Senator, that the Senate is going to stay in the Democrat (sic) majority. So it's that simple. If we want to win, we've got to win this year and send a message: Next year elect a Republican (and any running is better than what's in there right now) and elect a United States Senator to get us a majority we need in the United States Senate.
DPVA Chairman Moran has proven that 90% of success is showing up; always the beneficiary of someone else's coattails. He knows it and so do his supporters. Projecting their own discomfort with criticism of his hypocrisy, they have labeled his detractors limousine liberals. The DPVA hierarchy is chronically delusional.
If Moran were to reveal his compensation from the grifters he represents, his loyal following might not wince. But he probably couldn't get away without a making campaign contribution or two to Democrats (not a one since 2009). It appears he is in good company in this inner party charade. But, Moran is the diametric opposite of, say:
Attorney General Jack Conway (D), who is leading a multi-state investigation into for-profit colleges with top prosecutors from 18 other states, alleged that Daymar Colleges violated state consumer protection laws by engaging in "unfair, false, misleading and deceptive acts and practices" involving financial aid and recruitment of students. The suit seeks damages and restitution for approximately 5,000 students who were allegedly swindled by the schools. - Huffington Post
Conway probably isn't fond of right-to-work laws either. Of course, taking principled, progressive stands in a liberal state is much easier...oh wait, we're talking about Kentucky here. The fact is that Moran and his DPVA are scared of their shadows and this puts the truly principled Democratic candidates in the state at great risk. No one has their backs.
Here's the message to the true limousine liberals: the shoe leather liberals, the ones who showed up on the streets and in the malls for Webb in 2006, the legislature in 2007, and Obama in 2008 are staying home this fall. The Virginia Senate majority is slipping away unnoticed publicly by anyone other than the Washington Times. Quietly and privately, the tents are folded awaiting the worthwhile fight of 2012.
Virginia is home to some of the top state-level progressive bloggers in the entire country. So this weekend's The Virginia Summit organized by the Democratic Party of Virginia will take advantage of their experience & expertise, right?
Nope. The only point of view on people-powered politics will be the official party perspective:
4:00-5:30 - Concurrent Sessions 7: Roadmap to Victory Part 2 - Putting your values into action through social media, blogs and effective community organizing:
Facilitators:
* Brian Coy, Communications Director, DPVA
* Marianne Von Nordeck, Press Secretary, Organizing for America - Virginia
Let me be clear that I'm not criticizing the panelists, but rather the decision to go with party insiders - the exact same ones from "Roadmap to Victory Part I: Messaging for 2011 & 2012." At 10am, you may be getting party-line talking points. But at 4pm, those talking points will be your values!
To repeat: The White House recognizes the strength of Virginia's online progressive community, but the Democratic Party of Virginia does not. Instead, The Virginia Summit will be just one more example of how DPVA takes them for granted - or worse, keeps their sometimes-dissenting voices at arm's length.
It wasn't the centerpiece of the evening, but it might signal that the DPVA intends to conduct outreach. Moran declared the need for a grassroots effort and development of a message that effectively advocates Democratic values and positions. There will be a July Summit to craft that message.
The fete at Crocs in Virginia Beach Sunday evening was billed as the first in a series of DPVA gatherings across the state that are intended to provide casual and affordable venues on a more regular basis than the annual banquets. Senator Mark Warner headlined the evening and was joined by a number of local electeds and a full house of Hampton Roads Democrats.
Don Mark, political director of the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA), tweeted the picture at right this morning with the note, "About to hit he road with @davemillsVA to Wytheville in our sweet Grand Cherokee." Dave Mills is DPVA executive director.
Depending on the model, a Jeep Grand Cherokee gets 14-16 miles per gallon city & 20-23 mpg highway. With Virginia gas prices ranging from $3.19 in Troutville to $3.79 in Alexandria, should DPVA employees be blowing members' money on a gas guzzler? I asked, "Maybe a little tone-deaf to be bragging about driving SUV at time of $3.50+ gas, no?"
Dave's response: "actually guys, we're riding horses to Wytheville. Don's horse is named Grand Cherokee." Ha ha?
Setting a better example was Del. David Englin, who tweeted, "heading to NYC on Bolt Bus for weekend getaway w/family & friends." A ticket on Bolt is not only cheaper than a single day's worth of parking in NYC (never mind gas & tolls), you can get work done with their free WiFi instead of grinding your teeth in traffic on I-95. And oh yeah, your energy use & carbon pollution will be rock bottom.
I'm aware the Bolt Bus doesn't stop in Wytheville. But a Ford Focus would be just as capable of handling that gritty, tough, off-road drive on ... um, I-64 right to I-81. And, especially after a session in which 23 House Democrats voted to let Big Coal ignore water quality standards & Democratic leader Ward Armstrong voted to block energy efficiency standards, it wouldn't send the message that energy, environment & fiscal responsibility take a back seat at DPVA.
Pointing out Governor McDonnell has created jobs and wondering aloud whether making moves Tim Kaine and he himself took constitute dereliction isn't going to persuade independent voters to back Democrats this fall or help Kaine defeat Felix or whomever in 2012. But that is Moran's chosen strategy for the DPVA.
There's just no sense in pretending that the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) is on its game. A meager chain of mealy mouthed releases that misstate ground truth and criticize the Governor for actions he may take in the future, but which Moran and Kaine themselves already demonstrated are appropriate, are laying the groundwork for the Republican's defense.
Take this from a recent DPVA Morangram:
"...Despite his repeated previous claims that he's "thrilled to be governor of Virginia," McDonnell flip-flopped yesterday and opened the door to jump ship if Sarah Palin or Mitt Romney come calling next year.
Let's remind Governor McDonnell that Virginians elected him to lead, not to run for Vice President..."
Somebody is getting paid by the Democratic Party of Virginia to communicate. Communication was the theme of the new state party chairman when he was selected. The Executive Director announced a weekly update six weeks ago and hasn't delivered. The website, using a standard template, is Poe dark and dreary.
From the Loch Ness donkey in the state party logo at the top left to the bright red "$ Contribute" button on the right, a visitor's attention is suspended, drawn into the deep blue background. There is content, but it requires effort to mine it. Below the fold are captures of the DPVA home page and the Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) homepage that link to each. Explore; compare and contrast. While the DPVA features the weekly update that isn't, the DPNM has used the same template space to deliver a running blog, a list of events, a poll, and Tweets. Though there is a "CONTRIBUTE" button, it shares standing with "VOLUNTEER," "MAKE PHONE CALLS," and "GET LOCAL."
At this moment, possibly the most immediately important Virginia issue, the budget, is mentioned only at the lowest right panel of the page, and then only in a tweet link. Connections to social networking, near the top of DPNM's homepage, are dead last at DPVA. Videos and photos are conveniently consolidated where if they are late to the date, that isn't so obvious. And DPNM acknowledges other sources of information...even blogs.
Brian Moran denies the reality he represents an industry that preys on the unfortunate. He defends businesses promising outcomes that are highly improbable; betraying the goodwill and trust of the American people. As their agent, he facilitates what is de facto fraud. Where's the outrage from Virginia Democrats? Here's mine.
Benson Rollins wants a college degree. The unemployed high school dropout who attends Alcoholics Anonymous and has been homeless for 10 months is being courted by the University of Phoenix. Two of its recruiters got themselves invited to a Cleveland shelter last October and pitched the advantages of going to the country's largest for-profit college to 70 destitute men. - Business Week
What we have here, is a state party chairman who shamelessly defends an industry that dredges federal funds by trolling for the homeless and despairing in an effort to siphon entitlements and grants you and I provide in the belief they may rehabilitate fellow citizens. What is more worrisome than Moran's (and, thus, the DPVA's) vulnerability to criticism for hypocrisy (because it will be hard to find a Democratic candidate who will defend these thugs) in the next cycle, is that Moran may lead the Party lurching backwards. Recall: Brian Moran unabashedly supports Virginia's "Right-to-Work" laws. It all fits nicely: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
In the lead-up to the selection of a new Party Chair, the new Executive Director of the DPVA rolled out an initiative to provide a weekly update. A new chair was selected who emphasized "communications" to the Central Committee. Brian Moran said "We must communicate with our grassroots activists..."
That was three weeks ago. That first update was featured on the grassroots blogs. It garnered 623 views as of today. Two weeks ago we got our second weekly update. Actually, we didn't get it, we had to look for it. Message to DPVA, your site is not compelling enough (actually not compelling at all) to get traffic and to use as a primary communications tool. As of this morning it had 140 views. After this, a few more will have been added; maybe. Want a reason to watch? How about this highlight:
"As a former member...well actually I still am a current member...I hope soon...of the Alexandria Democratic Committee..." - Brian Moran, DPVA Chair
There's some communicating. Oh, and the third installment is overdue. But from the beginning, the concept was awkward. What does the DPVA think the audience for these "updates" is? If it is the Central Committee, fine. If it is Democrats, not so fine. If it is the grassroots, fail. Mr. Mills as a narrator, fine. Mr. Mills on the front line going after the other guys, not fine at all. Where are the members of the legislature going after all this budget craziness from Bob McDonnell? On the blogs, like this one. Where are the grassroots staying informed? Not here.
As a voting member of the DPVA central committee (no, I do not feel I am part of a commie "politburo") and a strong supporter of Peter Russelot for the next chair of the party, I was quite surprised by the virulence of some of the comments made on the live feed of the committee that Blue Virginia provided. Look, I knew when I got into a car at 4:30 a.m. for a four+ hour drive to get from southwest Virginia to Newport News that our efforts for Peter were going to fail. I am sure that Peter knew that as well. However, I don't believe in quitting before a game is played out. Nor do I believe in quitting now because I didn't get my way yesterday. I'd rather stand my ground, knowing that there will be another chance to win on another day, that some day I will prevail.
The fact that we had vigorous, contested elections at the last two state central committee meetings - one for first vice chair and then for chair of the party - is a giant step forward for the DPVA, which, like every other political group I have ever been involved with, is an "insider's game." Both of the "outsider" candidates in those contests can be proud of forcing new ideas to the forefront of party deliberations, of proving to the insiders that there are other ways to do political business, that those of us who believe that aren't going to go away.
Proof? Peter Rousselot insisted that state Democrats needed to have candidates to contest every seat in the 2011 legislative elections. That forced Brian Moran to go on record, saying in a letter to all committee members, "We need to recruit and support candidates in every jurisdiction and district. No Republican goes unchallenged and every open seat has a Democratic candidate running." Would he have put a commitment like that in writing without a strong challenge from Peter? Of course not.
The support for Brian Moran was not centered in just one area of the state. I had felt all along that the more rural parts of Virginia would be fertile ground to garner votes for Peter, especially since both candidates were from NOVA and would split those votes. I was dead wrong. It was obvious to me long before I went to the meeting that the fact that Mark Warner had suggested Brian Moran for chair carried enormous, insurmountable weight with most committee members.
The latest email from Peter Rousselot for DPVA chair, in which Peter pledges to "serve out the entirety of my term, devoting myself full-time to my role until May 2013." Good stuff, go Peter!
Dear Fellow DPVA Central Committee Member,
I have promised that if I am elected Chair of the DPVA, I will serve full-time in that position.
I have outlined an ambitious set of strategic priorities that the next Chair of DPVA must pursue.
I have made proposals about Messaging, Organizing (my 134-locality strategy), Candidate Recruitment and Training (contest all 140 VA Senate and HOD seats), Electronic Communications, Coordination of the Work of Major Stakeholders, and Fundraising.
And today I'm making another promise to you: If you elect me as DPVA Chair, I pledge to serve out the entirety of my term, devoting myself full-time to my role until May 2013.
The purpose of Blue Virginia is to cover Virginia politics from a progressive and Democratic perspective. This is a group blog and a community blog. We invite everyone to comment here, but please be aware that profanity, personal attacks, bigotry, insults, rudeness, frequent unsupported or off-point statements, and "trolling" (NOTE: that includes outright lies, whether about climate science, or what other people said, or whatever) are not permitted and, if continued, will lead to banning. For more on trolling, see the Daily Kos FAQs. Also note that diaries may be deleted if they do not contain at least 2 solid paragraphs of original text; if not, please use the comments section of a relevant diary. For more on writing diaries, click here. Thanks, and enjoy!
If the leadership of the Democratic Party of Virginia has any smarts at all (which I doubt), they will read carefully the direct, cogent, and insightful comments that have been posted in the past several days on Blue Virginia and on the petition at 
On this blog there have been some interesting articles on what the grassroots want to see changed in the Democratic Party of Virginia (see 
Our faith in Virginians and Americans should be renewed by the results of the elections yesterday. The wave of popular fear may be ebbing. Though the Virginia outcome could be better, our progressive ship is not on the shoals. However, we cannot stand idle while the DPVA finds its voice.
This first winter storm may be a harbinger of Democratic fortunes if Terry McAuliffe's last ditch efforts can't yield immediate and dramatic results. The RPV is on air with repetitive spots aimed at vulnerabilities created within the DPVA. Many forces are at work, but abandoning the President was most significant.
While State Senate Democrats smugly accepted the outcome of Virginia redistricting as victory, they may have set the stage for Obama's defeat by leaving defense of their majority to Dick Saslaw and the DPVA. Republicans are focused on this vulnerability. Two seats and the door to voter suppression opens wide. 
Pat Mullins, Chairman of the RPV, dropped in on Virginia Beach Republicans today to provide perspective on the Virginia elections this fall and update the faithful. His message was simple, direct, and aimed at taking advantage of the vacuum of DPVA leadership; in hiding since 2008.
DPVA Chairman Moran has proven that 90% of success is showing up; always the beneficiary of someone else's coattails. He knows it and so do his supporters. Projecting their own discomfort with criticism of his hypocrisy, they have labeled his detractors 
Pointing out Governor McDonnell has created jobs and wondering aloud whether making moves Tim Kaine and he himself took constitute dereliction isn't going to persuade independent voters to back Democrats this fall or help Kaine defeat Felix or whomever in 2012. But that is Moran's chosen strategy for the DPVA.
Somebody is getting paid by the Democratic Party of Virginia to communicate. Communication was the theme of the new state party chairman when he was selected. The Executive Director announced a weekly update six weeks ago and hasn't delivered. The website, using a standard template, is Poe dark and dreary.
Brian Moran denies the reality he represents an industry that preys on the unfortunate. He defends businesses promising outcomes that are highly improbable; betraying the goodwill and trust of the American people. As their agent, he facilitates what is de facto fraud. Where's the outrage from Virginia Democrats? Here's mine.
As a voting member of the DPVA central committee (no, I do not feel I am part of a commie "politburo") and a strong supporter of Peter Russelot for the next chair of the party, I was quite surprised by the virulence of some of the comments made on the live feed of the committee that Blue Virginia provided. Look, I knew when I got into a car at 4:30 a.m. for a four+ hour drive to get from southwest Virginia to Newport News that our efforts for Peter were going to fail. I am sure that Peter knew that as well. However, I don't believe in quitting before a game is played out. Nor do I believe in quitting now because I didn't get my way yesterday. I'd rather stand my ground, knowing that there will be another chance to win on another day, that some day I will prevail.
The latest email from 
