Although the margin was approximately 750 votes, Virgil Goode has requested a recount. This recount stands virtually no chance of succeeding. Under state law, Goode has nothing to lose, as the state foots the bill.

Goode certainly has a legal right to the recount, but it is a grand waste of time and money.

After spending the day hanging precinct information on doorknobs, I returned home, ate my weight in pita chips and then lay on the couch in caloric overload and existential terror. As the initial results started to roll in on MSNBC (my new constant companion except when Joe Scarborough is on) my fear did not abate.

Even Rachel Maddow was freaking me out, wondering if Obama’s campaign might have made a strategic mistake expending resources in traditionally red states–spreading things too thin, coming close but not flipping any Republican strongholds into the blue column. It was like somebody commenting with alarm about a mole on your shoulder that had, until then, been just a wee bit worrisome.

Completely agitated, I was forced to hit the mute button. And finish the chips.
When my husband got home he convinced me to head back down to the Mall to go to Obama Headquarters. Glancing at our depleted snack pile I thought of the table that always overflowed with donated meals and desserts–and agreed.

When we arrived, a large crowd was huddled around the television, emitting bursts of nervousness, waiting to see how Virginia would go. Tension hung in the room like Marlboro smoke in the parties of my youth. I made my way to the food.

Around 11:00 a map of the Commonwealth must have appeared on the screen because everyone standing in front of me seemed to twitch in unison. We began hushing one another.  And then it came.

But it wasn’t the announcement we were expecting.

The reporter said that the AP had just declared Obama the new president of the United States. A wave of shock ran through the office, a roar of unadulterated joy, and then a sea of tears.

Millions of separate paths have brought us here.  I keep thinking of the day I was registering people and of the man who politely declined my offer.  He explained that he’d been voting since the time he was forced to pay a poll tax. Imagine that.

I looked around the room last night before we left,  awed by the workers and volunteers, and what had been accomplished. I envisioned the same scene unfolding all over the country and will never forget the moment that we learned America chose hope.

This campaign has changed all that.

I have become energized. It is a vitality born of hope.  And fear.

If the Republicans win, our civil rights will continue to be trampled, our presence in Iraq will calcify, access to health care will be further blocked, and the already threadbare safety net for millions of Americans will be completely shredded. I find the underlying disregard of these policies both shocking and disgusting.

Their political rallies, too, have degenerated into scenes reminiscent of that mob confrontation in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Unlike Atticus Finch — who imposed order on the threatening crowd with his decency–the Republican candidates have fanned the flames of aggression. I don’t think I will ever forget McCain’s weird smirking silence at the hate-speech coming from his admirers. By not immediately telling his minions to knock it off, he bears some of the responsibility for the virulently anti-Obama shouts of “Traitor!” “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!” that continue to hang in the air like toxic clouds. No matter how many belated (and subdued) exhortations to employ better manners will be delivered in days to come, this past week has revealed stunning equivocation in the ethics department.

Although I like the sentiment espoused by my car (”Had Enough? Vote Democrat”), I’m glad I have gone beyond bumper sticker involvement this time around. Over the past months I’ve registered voters, canvassed neighborhoods, and entered data in support of the Democratic ticket. I’ve given out buttons (I believe donning campaign gear solidifies voter follow-through on election day) and I’ve even forced myself to participate in phone banking (which left me so breathlessly nervous I’m pretty sure more than one person on the other end of the line mistook me for an obscene caller).

But it was worth it.

Because I really believe Barack Obama will lead us into a decent, saner, more humane future. And the alternative is truly frightening. This November I’m going to be voting my hopes… and my fears. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

- Erika Raskin

With the Democratic nominee for president settled, and Mark Warner looking fairly unstoppable in his bid for the Senate, the most interesting aspect of the convention for me was the battle between Creigh Deeds and Brian Moran for next year’s democratic nomination for Governor, and I went specifically, among other reasons, to get a better handle on these candidates.

These comments are obviously belated notes from the Virginia Democratic Convention, but I hope no less meaningful — to the extent that they are at all meaningful, on account of their tardiness.

I have met Sen. Deeds several times and think highly of him. I have never met Del. Moran, but am aware that he is held in high esteem by many bloggers whose work I respect, such as Lowell and Vivian Paige.

Supporters of Del. Moran have taken to blogs to tout their man’s performance at the convention. A video of his speech has been posted, and in response comments in response have popped up like crocuses in Springtime – the commentators invisible one day, there the next, and then just as suddenly gone — to declare that Sen. Deeds ought to run for AG and leave the Governor’s slot free for Del. Moran.

Based on what I saw at the convention, however, Sen. Deeds is far and away the better candidate for the Democratic Party and for the State of Virginia at this point in time, even if he currently lags in organization.

Let me say that this is in no way a negative assessment of Del. Moran. Both candidates delivered fine speeches to the convention in terms of style. As for content, neither speech could be fairly judged on this point, as both Deeds and Moran used the occasion to exhort the party to support this year’s ticket, not to make the case for their own candidacies.

Within the hall, however, Moran clearly had more robust support, but this was also clearly the result of a more robust organizational effort by his campaign. His people distributed signs and were greater in number in Deeds. His very vocal supporters were gathered together up front to generate the most excitement.

As political theater, it was effective, but that is not a basis upon which to judge the relative merits of each campaign at this point.

My sense was that Sen. Deeds was less concerned with these kinds of atmospherics than Del. Moran’s campaign. His staff and campaign paraphernalia were decidedly low key. Indeed, when Sen. Deeds made his early announcement that he would run for Governor, he said he was doing so only to remove any doubt about his intentions and that he would not allow his candidacy to interfere with this year’s election.

Sen. Deeds has been true to his word. He made no effort to turn the convention into a rally for himself.

Indeed, even Sen. Deed’s hospitality suite was held not at the convention center itself, but in the hotel next door. And given that he is one of two frontrunners for the Commonwealth’s top elective office, it was quite modest compared to the lavish affair that Jon Bowerbank threw at the Convention Center.

More revealing to me than the set piece speeches on the convention floor, however, were the more informal talks both Del. Moran and Sen. Deeds gave afterwards at the DLOV reception. Here, Sen. Deeds seemed to me much more genuine and at ease. He seemed to really connect with his audience, which included Judy Feder.

This is not meant in any way to criticize Del. Moran, whose comments were certainly adequate, if unexceptional.

I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Del. Moran and chatted for a few moments – I won’t be reporting the content except to say it was not noteworthy. I came away feeling neither impressed nor turned off by him.

In comparison, even short conversations with Sen. Deeds have always left me impressed.

When I read the debates between posters here regarding the relative strengths and weaknesses of Del. Moran and Sen. Deeds as candidates, Del. Moran’s supporters seem to argue that he has an inherent advantage in Northern Virgnia. As for the rest of Virginia, well, Del. Moran’s supporters seem to argue that Steve Jarding will be able to advise Moran on that and have the same success he had with Mark Warner.

That remains to be seen. I would only note that even Jarding himself makes clear that Warner’s success in Virginia and his ability to connect with rural voters in the state, which Jarding says are essential to winning statewide office, was ultimately dependent on Warner’s political skills and genuine feelings, not the strategy of Jarding or any other consultant.

There is no doubt about Sen. Deeds, who came within 300 votes of winning statewide office in 2005 despite being outspent nearly 2-1 by his opponent.

Moran has proven himself an able legislator and party insider in Richmond. While he and his organization made a credible showing at the convention, Del. Moran has yet to show that he is a viable statewide candidate.

(Note: Many of the following pictures are in B+W because I took them for myself and I like B+W better than color. That said, there are a few color shots. Whether B+W or color, you would think having snapped in excess of 400 photographs I would have more than a handful worthy of posting, but the sad commentary to my skills as a photographer is that I don’t).

Sen. Deeds

Sen. Deeds, a different angle.

Last time, in color.

While I didn’t write about him, above, Mark Warner was a rock star at the convention. After his speech, he waded in the crowd to the beat of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.” He was a real pro as he swung from handshake to autograph to photo to autograph and so on. Here are a couple of photos I took from the scrum:

Last, but not least, it was Warner, not Bowerbank, that clearly won the sign wars at the convention. not only were there a million smaller lawn signs, these giant Warner signs seemed to pop up everywhere. Volunteers carried them around to form a backdrop for Warner when he was interviewed off the convention floor. Here’s a volunteer packing up the roadshow:

Of course, the idea that China is drilling off of Cuba and our coast has been fully debunked. See here:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/40776.html

Even Dick Cheney has admitted as much:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/13/cheney-admits-oil-lie/

I am thrilled to announce that, because of your help, we reached our $900,000 fundraising goal! For the second straight quarter, it was online donations that got us across the finish line with less than 2 hours to spare. That means we have broken district fundraising records for four straight quarters. Simply amazing. I am truly touched by so many of you digging deep to make this happen.

Pundits told us that a first-time candidate would never be able to compete with a six-time incumbent on the Appropriations Committee. Pundits told us we would never be able to raise enough money. Pundits told us that the 5th District was just too big for a new campaign. But clearly they underestimated the power of you, our amazing grassroots network.

Soon we will launch our economic revival tour throughout Southside. Your support will allow us to reach every county in the district to meet voters and get our message out. There is a tremendous hunger everywhere we go: people want leaders who will shake things up in Washington and fight for them everyday.

I have refused all corporate lobbyist money in this election, meaning I answer only to you. And I renew my pledge to work a double-shift in Congress every day to bring jobs and economic fairness back to the district.

I have long maintained there are threee keys to a Democrat capturing VA-05 (assuming, all else being equal, a good campaign, of course):

1. A great candidate. CHECK

2. Strong fundraising. CHECK

3. An overall Democratic tide generated by the top of the ticket (can’t say CHECK yet, but this is clearly in the works with Obama and Warner).

What a great candidate Tom is proving himself to be.

Click here to see the opportunities.

Cheers,

Alan

    I want to touch on two areas that I found particularly interesting.
    First, many folks seemed interested in environmental issues. That may have simply been a reflection of the attendees, but my sense was that it is also an issue that is gaining traction with voters at the local level.
While government at all levels grapples with the complex competing economic, social and political interests inherent in all environmental questions, individuals have taken matters into their hands. We recycle more, or use a rain barrel, or purchase more energy-efficient appliances or automobiles – things large and small. It is not even a “think globally, act locally” approach, but rather a “think globally, act personally” one.
    Still, it is frustrating for people to take these steps only to see their neighbor refusing to do so. You may save gasoline by buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle, or changing your driving habits, but it all seems for naught when you observe a school bus idling in a parking lot for 20 minutes.
Grass-roots movements to address issues like these are great, but what I heard expressed at this meeting was a desire for government to be more involved as an organizing force in environmental issues.
    The second issue concerned, naturally enough, the economy as it manifested itself in the conflict over the transportation bill. Gov. Kaine has called the General Assembly back to Richmond next month to discuss transportation funding. He has proposed several new taxes (a sales-tax increase in NoVa and Hampton Roads, and a real estate grantor tax increase) to pay for it. The Republicans called those proposals non-starters.
    Quite apart from any rational discussion of the merits of various approaches to solving the Commonwealth’s transportation problems is the political game being played here related to the 2009 elections. Republicans do not want this session to accomplish anything on transportation. For one thing, a Democratic governor who actually uses government to accomplish something for people undercuts the entire Republican Party message.
    More basely, it doesn’t take a genius to see they are hoping to manipulate Gov. Kaine and the Democrats into proposing new taxes or other transportation funding solutions that the GOP can then demagogue in the next two election cycles, especially 2009.
    Kaine, on the other hand, has vowed that if nothing gets done, he will let people know who to blame, although it remains to be seen whether he will succeed at this.
    If no agreement is reached, then the problem is simply deferred to the 2010 General Assembly session when the next budget is written. Meanwhile, by law the money in the budget for transportation will be used first for maintenance and, if any remains, only then for new construction.
Over the long run, this will slow down economic growth in the state, first in the regions most directly affected – NoVa and Hampton Roads – but eventually throughout the entire state, since NoVa and Hampton Roads are so important to the state’s tax base. In time, Southside and Central Virginia will suffer the worst as a result of the Republican’s childish and irresponsible behavior.
    The Republican Party is unlikely to change its ways in the near future, if only because they are ideologically and paradoxically wed to a principle of government that eschews actual progressive solutions to problems if those solutions involve government. After listening to David discuss the issue, I am convinced the only answer to solving Virginia’s transportation crisis and continuing economic growth in all regions of the state is to elect more Democrats so the General Assembly can enact the programs we need.
    The difference between Democratic and Republican governance in the Commonwealth has not been of high taxes vs. low taxes, or big government vs. limited government. That is empty rhetoric robotically repeated by Gilmore, Frederick, Howell, et al., designed to fool voters, not inform them.
    The real difference between Democrats and Republicans is between good governance vs. incompetence; action vs. passivity; concern for all citizens vs. concern for the rich or the privileged few; maturity vs. childish game-playing.
    Once again, many thanks to David Toscano, both for the briefing and for the work he has done representing us in Richmond.