Comments for 750 Volts

Comment on Profile in Courage: Virgil Goode by F.T. Rea

F.T. Rea — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:07:31 +0000

Nice job!

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by James Martin

James Martin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:52:46 +0000

Kenton- Allen didn’t move to Fairfax until his election to the Senate… He was elected to Congress and ran for Governor out of Charlottesville.

So maybe give another person from Charlottesville some statewide creds

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by Scott Nolan

Scott Nolan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:58:28 +0000

There are still competitive races and elections in 2008, why are we spending time worrying about 2009 already?

Extra efforts need to be made for Democrats running in every congressional district.

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by aznew

aznew — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:53:41 +0000

Kenton - Did I read your comment correctly? You seem to be ceding the rural vote and representation in the state to the GOP. This has it backwards. Democrats cannot build an enduring statewide majority without appealing to the entire state — all we will do is pick off an election here and there.

The Democratic economic message for rural voters is a powerful one, but if Democrats approach the 2009 election believing that NoVa and Hampton Roads will give them the statehouse and the HoD, then we will marginalize ourselves as a regional party. Even if we win the battle in 2009, we will lose the war, IMHO.

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by Kenton

Kenton — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:51:45 +0000

Allen’s base may have been in Central VA, but his residence in his bio articles all listed his residence in Mount Vernon.

Here’s my point: it’s not merely a question of geography, in fact, I don’t think being from outside or inside NoVA or the state’s urban regions is that big of a factor in electability considerations. The challenge for Democrats, in my view, is to make sure that NOVA and Hampton Roads see eye to eye. Otherwise, rural interests will continue to take precedence, and Republicans can strengthen their base.

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by aznew

aznew — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:44:09 +0000

Doug - This entire argument is a strawman. The divide in Virginia is between NoVa and Hampton Roads, and the remainder of the state (including Richmond, IMHO). Part of it is an urban vs. rural sensibility, and the way each candidate perceives the various financial and cultural issues that affect the state. It is not merely a question of origin and accent, as this post suggests.

There is an argument to be made that Moran would make the better Governor. Go ahead, make it. I don’t agree, but that is because there is anything wrong with Moran — he seems like a good guy and his stands on issues make sense. I just think Deeds would be better.

But there is simply no cogent argument as of today that Moran is the more electable candidate in a statewide general election against McDonnell. It doesn’t mean he can’t win — he can — but as democrats we should not delude ourselves that quite apart from these specific candidates the standard-bearer we choose in 2009 will have implications for the Democratic Party going forward that will transcend the immediate election.

As for not wanting to concentrate on the 2009 election now, that cat is out of the bag. The fact is that while Virginia will be a battleground state, it will likely not be critical to Obama’s victory. If Obama is going to carry Virginia, then he already has the election won. So, for us, there is actually much more at stake, at least insofar as the state is concerned, with the down-ticket confressional races and the 2009 election.

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by ajc

ajc — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:36:51 +0000

“He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.”

is this what you meant to say?

Did you mean to say maybe:

“He can’t win. He’s NOT from Rural Virginia.”

“He can’t win. He’s from URBAN Virginia.”

maybe the heat is getting to me.

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by Doug in Mount Vernon

Doug in Mount Vernon — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:36:42 +0000

Well, that’s an interesting point. I don’t know if this is put out there in light of the upcoming 2009 Governor’s race, but as a Democrat, I really wish that the Moran and Deeds camps would sort of chill out a bit until November. I don’t care which one of them is urban or rural, and honestly, I don’t care too much for thinking about that race until President Obama is sworn in….but your point does seem to deflate one of the big arguments used by the Deeds folks (not that I’m picking a side!).

Just my current thoughts….maybe I should have refrained…

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by aznew

aznew — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:23:57 +0000

Jim E-H is exactly correct. Look at your list for Governor. 5 of the last 6 governors came from areas other than NoVa (not sure that listing Allen as being from Fairfax is accurate, but even if it is, allen’s base was clearly in Central Va., not NoVa), and the one who did, Mark Warner (whom your chart erroneously lists as a Republican, BTW) is a particularly talented candidate who was able to, first, establish a rapport with rural Virginians, and second, who had the good fortune to run after the administration of Jim Gilmore, one of the most inept Governors in the state’s history.

Comment on “He can’t win. He’s from Rural Virginia.” by Kenton

Kenton — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:16:34 +0000

Whoops.

It’s fixed now.