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diamond14 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:16 PM
Original message
Virginia rises as a major Democratic force....

It's been a long time coming. For years, Virginia has been strangled by reTHUGlican strongholds. Recently, we voted in a Democratic Governor, and that was the beginning. Yesterday at the polls, the Democratic Party took back the South. Strong, vibrant, glorious and very fragile, there she was:

the Democratic Party in Virginia.


My local polling place, the Beatley Library in Alexandria Virginia opened at 6 AM. I was there, greeting the early morning voters, who stopped on their way to work. I handed out brochures and asked them to vote for my favorite candidate.

This is the first campaign that I have ever volunteered for.

And it gave me great hope, that bush* MIGHT be defeated in November, if we all STAND UP and volunteer our time, our money, and our efforts. I saw it all at the Library. The workers of America against bush*. Coming to the polls in their business suites, police uniforms, city worker uniforms, postal uniforms, nurses uniforms. These people were STANDING UP to the shrub. Some cursed bush* as they gave me the 'thumbs up' sign.

There were Black Americans, Irish Americans, Catholic Americans, Middle-Eastern Americans, Hispanic, Italian Americans, and more. It was the face of the Democratic Party, WE THE PEOPLE, the 'simmering majority'.

One senior arrived in a cab. She greeted me with "F*ck bush*", which shocked me. A group of Iranian-Americans arrived in a mini-van. They told me how horrified they were about bush* 'perpetual war' program. Veterans arrived, wearing their military caps and medals. Some told me that they were reTHUGlicans, but they wanted to vote for my candidate, the Decorated Vietnam War Veteran. One Veteran arrived in a pick-up truck with a 'confederate flag' license plate. He said that he'd had enough of the bush*.

My Democratic Congressional Representative, Jim Moran, arrived in a old beater Mercedes (how Democratic can you get?!!!). Jim brought coffee and pastries for all the poll workers. Earlier, the Alexandria Democratic Committee Representative arrived. She also brought coffee and patries, donated from my local minority-owned backery. Everyone agreed, that to WIN the WHITE HOUSE, many more people will need to STAND UP and help. If you live in Alexandria Virginia, please join our fledgling committee, the Alexandria Democratic Committee. WE need your help to DEFEAT bush*...
Call (703) 549-3367 or visit
http://www.alexdems.org

Democracy happens only when people join together and STAND UP and demand it. Yesterday, only 13,583 citizens voted in Alexandria Virginia. I did not see a single YOUNG draft-age person come to vote from 6 AM until 10 AM. Just before I left, a group of YOUNG people arrived. They told me that they were draft-aged. However, they had NOT come to vote, they came to use the computers at the library. They were adamant in their stand NOT to vote at all. If every YOUNG person came to vote, and brought five friends to vote, bush* would be gone.


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Arugula Latte Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:21 PM
Response to Original message
1. The senior's comment is priceless!
F*@# Bush, indeed. That says it all. My mother-in-law HATES cursing (she won't even say "butt"), but I think she's another one who would make an exception in the case of AWOL.

Thanks for volunteering! :hi:
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bhunt70 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:24 PM
Response to Original message
2. I seriously hope that our state quits voting republican.
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diamond14 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:35 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. hoping won't make it happen, but volunteering to help WILL
make it happen...

in the 2000 Presidential elections, the split between Democrats and reTHUGlicans was close, in Virginia...if you helped for this Presidential campaign, that would make all the difference to get just a few people to switch over....

it's so close, that I can feel it....I actually heard it at the Beatley Library in Alexandria Virginia yesterday...Virginia is changing to a Demcratic State...if everyone joined together and VOLUNTEERED just a little time/money...we could make it happen....

How great it will be for Virginian's to STAND UP and LEAD the South, walking together down Pennsylvania Avenue for the Democratic Presidential Inauguaration....let's take OUR country back !!!!
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Jivenwail Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:36 PM
Response to Original message
4. I'm certainly glad things went so well up there
Because they totally sucked down here in Hampton Roads. There were barely any voters out yesterday, it was pathetic. But the repukes have a stranglehold on things in this area, anyway. Regardless, thank you for volunteering and for giving the rest of us in Virginia some hope.

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diamond14 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:45 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. 'barely any voters out' is the whole problem.....there's are plenty
of Democratic-thinking people in Virginia...they just need to STAND UP and VOTE....

that's where you can help....getting people up and out to VOTE....

IMO, the failure to vote is the MAJOR reason why a very small group of religiously-insane radicals have seized control of OUR government...bush* and his minions do NOT represent the majority of the people of America...WE THE PEOPLE....

390,180 people voted in Virginia yesterday (by WP estimates)...the biggest group of non-Voters is the draft-age people...

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underpants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:44 PM
Response to Original message
5. Over 393,000 votes cast yesterday first Dem primary in 16 years
That is about 18% of registered voters.

Very impressive.
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ed_vadem Donating Member (388 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 01:25 PM
Response to Reply #5
11. your number is off, with 4.2 million
registered voters the turnout was 9.24% and the number was only 5,000 higher than the 1988 primary, when registration was much lower.

While the DPVA is pleased with their effort, this primary indicates no real surge in partisan balance of this state.
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underpants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 01:39 PM
Response to Reply #11
13. Uh...hehehe....yeah
Edited on Wed Feb-11-04 01:39 PM by underpants
4.2 not 2.2 which of course would cut in half the percentage.....stupid calculator.
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Kathy in Cambridge Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 12:47 PM
Response to Original message
7. Are most Democratic voters in NoVA?
Seems to me that the Richmond and Virginia Beach areas are very conservative. Are there any initiatives to register Democratic voters throughout the state?
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ed_vadem Donating Member (388 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 01:35 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. no party registration in VA
so the turnout of this primary is the only indicator

You can check

http://sbe.vipnet.org/feb2004/d_01.htm#top

to see turnout by congressional district. The 8,10 and 11 represent NOVA. About 156,000 out of 393,000 total voted in these 3 districts.
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Bandit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 01:10 PM
Response to Original message
8. old beater Mercedes (how Democratic can you get?!!!).
I am thrilled by your account and believe people are pissed and want this Cabal gone but buying foreign automobiles Democratic?? It would have been Democratic if it had been a beater Chevy. IMHO
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Butterflies Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 01:16 PM
Response to Original message
9. My polling place in Roanoke was empty
I went at 5:30pm after work expecting a line, but no one was there. We had 500 people at the Kerry rally on Monday, so I had expected more voters. I'll be volunteering once the nominee is chosen.
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cap Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-11-04 01:24 PM
Response to Original message
10. any body know anything about the polls in Southside and
South East VA....

Lot of Factory closings in those areas ---
these are the counties that helped Warner win the Governorship.
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