Meet my friend Gail, a childhood friend of Bill Clinton. She doesn’t really need to see him at rallies. She and her family have seen him at the White House, when he was president; at his home in NY; and at the Clinton Library in Arkansas, where both Bill and Gail grew up. But there she was enthusiastically attending rallies this week nonetheless. Though not all FOB have such a history, it turns out Virginia has many thousands of FOB who would stand in long lines to see him, as they did all over the Commonwealth over the past ten days. And it is probably safe to say that this week all Democrats, many Independents and some Republicans are FOB too. From Southwest Virginia to Central Virginia and to numerous localities in NOVA, they turned out to see and hear FOB Terry McAuliffe too. Like Bill they know Terry will move the Commonwealth beyond GOP nihilism and onward to strengthen Virginia’s infrastructure and educational institutions. They, like Bill, are fired up. They are ready to take their enthusiasm to the polls. And they have a story to tell about where Virginia is heading.
The tale is this: Virginians are more progress-oriented than most think. They know the government shutdown hurt Virginia and they are ready to throw obstructionists out. They are ready to stop the radical “right” stranglehold in Virginia.
They won’t tolerate the continued wealth transfer from everyday Virginians to the wealthy and corporations. While the rich pocket the tax dollars of most Virginians via tax cuts, contracts and deals absolving the wealthy of the responsibilities of citizenship, everyday Virginians get further and further behind. They find it unacceptable that the GOP keeps finding ways to harm the poor and further impoverish them. The are fed up with attacks upon the middle class, children, seniors and the sick. They’ve had it with racism and homophobia. They have had it with a GOP which continues to insert itself into women’s health decisions, even pushing extreme personhood legislation, which could eliminate birth control and forcing women to notify the police when they have a natural miscarriage. More to the point, they think reproductive freedom and choice is a woman’s to determine. Virginians have had enough with short changing schools and colleges. They are sick of years of neglect of Virginia roads. And they want constructive problem solving. They also want the legacy of progressive policies and programs maintained and even strengthened.
Take no double-digit lead in polls for granted. The only poll counting is the vote of those who actually show up on election day. When more people vote, Democrats tend to win. You have no doubt gotten tired of hearing how this is an off-year election and off-years are different. But it is different this time. Virginia must, can and will reverse the off-year election scourge. It’s a moral imperative to replace those who would destroy the poor and the middle class. It’s a moral imperative to create institutions of government which serve the governed, not just the wealthy or corporations.
Gail is a very active Democrat. Indeed she serves as a city Democratic Chair in Radford, Virginia. You don’t have to work as hard as Gail does to win this, but your efforts are needed. Three days. It’s doable if you can lend a hand for three days.
If you tell the story of this year’s candidates, the story of an energetic, hard working, constructive candidate who will work on what matters to Virginia. If you listen to how Bill Clinton makes the case for Terry McAuliffe you will persuade most of those who listen with an open mind and heart. Go to any of the videos of speeches, whether in Dale City, Herndon, Blacksburg, Roanoke or other locations. It is a strong case. If you tell voters the many ways that they really can feel good about voting for Terry McAuliffe, as numerous bloggers such as Lowkell and NotLarrySabato have outlined, they will vote for Terry.
I’m counting the days. So, here’s to you, Virginia activists. This weekend is possibly the most important in Virginia election history. You are on the cusp of a huge victory…but only if you get out the vote. PS Don’t North Carolina Virginia.
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