*About 450 people in attendance, including most of Arlington's elected officials, Tim Kaine, Jim Moran, Harris Miller and Jim Webb.
*Tim Kaine got a standing ovation when he was announced
*The Mary Marshall Award for Outstanding Democrat of the year went to Tim Kaine's Senior Advisor, Larry Roberts
*Roberts made 3 key points. First, that Democrats govern better than Republicans. Second, that we need more Democrats in Richmond. Third, that he is glad Virginia's "ship of state" is under control of Tim Kaine's "steady hand."
*The Precinct Captain of the Year Award went to Webb super-volunteer Mary Detweiler
*Chris Zimmerman talked about how Arlington Democrats have a tradition of speaking out for what's right.
*Jim Moran talked glowingly about how Arlington really was a PEOPLES' Republic, where inclusivity and tolerance are highly valued, as are the "people who actually do the work."
*Moran confidently predicted that Democrats ARE going to win back the majority in the House this year, and that it will be a "seismic shift."
*Moran called the Republicans "lame ducks," and declared that "we're going to take this country back." He called Republican leadership "incompetent and uncaring."
*Tim Kaine said that "Arlington is the place Democrats come to plug in our batteries" and recharge.
*Kaine spoke about how tough last year's campaign was, how "nasty" it was, and how he had 2 "touchstones" - his father in law, Linwood Holton, and his friend Larry Roberts.
*Kaine said that he won last year for 3 reasons. First, he and his team "worked really hard." Second, he had "great supporters." And third, "Virginia is changing."
*Kaine said that people increasingly "like the way Democrats govern" - "fiscal responsibility," "inclusion," "don't talk down to people."
*Kaine noted that we had 2 "credible Democrats competing to be on a winning team" to take on George Allen and beat him this November. ("Jim Webb and Harris Miller are doing the Lord's work")
*Kaine urged a strong turnout on Tuesday to build momentum for the fall.
*Kaine noted that if the Republican-controlled House doesn't come up with a transportation package, that gives Democrats a "hell of a lot of ammo...for 2007."
*Harris Miller spoke well over his allotted 3-5 minutes. He talked about putting "24,000 miles on my hybrid vehicle" an how "people are ready for a change" to get rid of George Allen.
*Miller says "this campaign is about the future," whatever that means. He reiterated that he's "living the American dream" and that "people areound the state have the same desires and concerns."
*Miller asked whether the next generation of Americans "be able to live that dream" given the "failed policies f George Bush and George Allen."
*Miller called for firing Donald Rumsfeld, for an "end [to] our dependence on foreign oil" and for a "move towards alternative energy sources."
*Miller asserted that "green is smart," and said we needed a "stronger focus on protecting our nation's environment." That god a nice round of applause.
*Miller said that it was "not enough for Democrats to just be critical of Bush and Allen," but that we need to offer a "real alternative" - the "Virginia Democratic Way," as Miller called it.
*Miller noted that, under Governors Allen and Gilmore, Virginia racked up large budget deficits and was "one of the worst managed states in the country." In contrast, Miller said that he was about "real solutions to real problems."
*Miller said that "if Jim Webb is the nominee, I will work hard to elect him...[because] we need to defeat George Allen."
*Jim Webb gave the last speech of the evening, and stuck to his allotted 5 minutes. What a concept! :)
*Webb emphasized that "no matter how the primary comes out on Tuesday, the most important thing is to defeat George Allen."
*Webb talked about his "more than 2,500 volunteers" and how much they motivate him.
*Webb noted that he had been endorsed by most of the Democratic leadership in the US Senate.
*Webb urged a big turnout on Tuesday, saying that it would send a "signal to the country that we're moving in the right direction."
*Webb announced that John Kerry would be holding a rally for him Monday afternoon at 3:30 PM in Arlington.
I would agree that Miller spoke overly long. By my count...at least over ten minutes and I heard as much as 20 by other people who were noticing the time pass.
Also nice to see Webb and Miller bury the hatchet, at least in public. Let's see how many more of those mailers go out. If they continue, the war is still on.
Personally, I wanted more of Webb. He has a strong case to make and I don't think people would mind waiting an additional 5 minutes if he spoke about issues from his heart that we all want to hear.
America is starving for leadership...Webb is the answer...let his voice be freely heard.
The best thing about the night though is that it brought us all together to remind us what we are fighting for, those we are fighting against (Republicans) and those who fight alongside us.
I wonder if we can compare how many miles Miller has put on his hybrid car and how much money he has spent for his own campaign?