Video: Ferguson Reid, First African-American elected to VA Gen. Assembly Since Reconstruction, Interviewed by Thom Hartmann

If you’ve never met him or spoken with him, you’ve definitely missed out. Dr. William Ferguson “Fergie” Reid, for those of you who aren’t familiar, “is a Virginia physician and civil rights activist” who, in 1968, “was the first African-American elected to the Virginia Assembly since the days of Reconstruction.” Today, his 90 for 90 campaign, in honor of Dr. Reid’s 90th birthday, aims at encouraging broader voter participation. Here, Dr. Reid strongly urges Democrats to take on Republicans everywhere (including “in Republican districts”), but says the “old-line politicians” are “more interested in maintaining the status quo” than “building the party.” I agree with this to a point, but I don’t believe that Democrats should expend large amounts of money on overwhelmingly Republican districts. Instead, I’d advocate for grassroots/netroots campaigns, including a heavy emphasis on door knocking, “tabling,” letters to the editor, social media posting (and sharing), etc. So, sure, let’s run Democrats everywhere, but let’s be smart and strategic about it since we don’t have unlimited financial resources…