Sorry for the poor quality of this picture. Though usually a serious man for serious times, Jim Webb does have a very contagious laugh when the occasion calls for it.
This event was extremely well-organized except it was very crowded. At the garage the first person I saw was my topology professor from way back when. We crammed into the elevator like sardines. It was so uncomfortably stuffed that I got off as soon as possible and walked down the rest of the way. As it turned out, he was also attending the Webb event, but I didn't get a chance to talk with him again.
There was a long line to get in, but it was processed quickly. Nelson had a good size group, and we pretty much had our own table. Dave Cole was taking pictures so hopefully he got some good ones. Our chair, Janet Hunter, is spending the week doing work outdoors, and took the time off to drive up. Al Weed was there, Mitch van Yahres, and several elected officials from Charlottesville. I also had a chance to see Heena Reiter, who is well-known locally as an interfaith activist. She introduced me to a number of her friends who are Charlottesville Dems, but there were so many that I am afraid that I forgot all of their names.
Jim Webb came in to a round of applause, and if it had not been so crowded he would have been greeted by a standing ovation right then (and several more throughout). There was a lot of energy and buzz. After visiting most of the tables, Jim was introduced and began his talk. One point that he made was that we are facing complex issues, and in order to address them effectively they really cannot be reduced to sound bites.
He also addressed income disparity at length along with the need to provide incentives to corporations to keep jobs at home. Largely due to taxation, there is no incentive for companies to bring wealth earned overseas back home. This is, of course, a matter of particular interest locally in the 5th district. I've had the good fortune of being able to discuss some of these issues with econ grad students informally over the course of time. That is probably material for a separate topic, but with regard to individual incentives, when the majority of Americans are experiencing a decrease in opportunity and personal stability, they are clearly averse to policies that encourage exportation of jobs and wealth.
Overall, this was an informative and positive event; there was much more but I did not take notes. And more bumper stickers, signs, etc. will be available within the next month. Jim was aware of the sign wars going on down here. Some people don't care for the "born fighting" theme, and there are new bumper stickers without it.
While I respect and at times aspire to such a world view, I have seen situations where I knew if I were involved that I could not just "go limp" and be dragged away to a paddy wagon or something.
I agree with you, Bubby, this is a time for fighting, and a time for going on the offensive when warranted.
In the discussions of slogans and such, I did say that I think Webb's best slogan is "you take care of your people." That is something that works both ways. Our job is to support our candidate and our fellow campaigners. That support includes extending our understanding to those who are uncomfortable with confrontation, as you make clear is inevitable.
That reminds me that Webb also pointed out what we know already: this particular race has implications for the well-being of our country and hence for the world.
I like this phrase for Jim before it is realistic. We DO need to be able to defend our country, but not with pre-emptive strikes. We also need someone who is not afraid to fight the Repubs. Translate to mean "backbone". When we say backbone we mean "fight back".
Also, I think the Dems need to overcome their allergy to anything related to national defense. That's one point that turns people off about the Dems. As a Progressive I reserve the right to break from the Dem Party line on these things. So I say let's have a strong military, but use it wisely.
George Allen is prepared to outspend us. We can gain advantage through grassroots/netroots activity.
According to the FEC, in 2000, George Allen's campaign disbursements by the end of the campaign were $19,995,691. He got 1,420,460 votes. Total campaign cost per vote gained by Allen in 2000= $14.08
Chuck Robb's campaign disbursements at the end of the 2000 campaign were $6,810,252. Total campaign cost per vote gained= $5.25
Give to this campaign in both money and time. Even though Allen's got all that big oil money, we have the wind at our backs, and we're fighting for the good guy.
Someone who is more wonky than me might correct my math, but here's a little exercise that I did to get fired up to campaign harder.
Let's say that Allen spends 20 million this year, and Webb spends 8 million. Total voter registration as of 11/1/05 was 4,450,110. If we get a typical 68% Senate year turnout, that would be 3,026,075 voters at the polls.Now say that Webb winds up winning by 51% (1,543,298 voters). That would mean that Webb got about 1% (that's 30,261) more votes than Allen. Let's call those 30,261 the "deciding votes".
How much would each of those 30,261 deciding votes mean in terms of total campaign expenditures? Well, the Allen campaign would be losing at the rate of $661 per deciding vote. Conversely, those deciding votes are worth $264 each for Webb.
Now, I don't have a ton of money to contribute. But for every potential voter I meet, I figure that if I get them to vote for Webb, it's worth at least $5.18 to the campaign. If that voter happens to be one of the "deciding votes", then its worth $264 to the Webb campaign, and it's taking $661 away from Allen.
In addition to this, if the person that I introduce to Webb convinces a spouse, friend or relative to vote the same way, the value of my effort increases exponentially. The power of grassroots and netroots campaigning comes from viral marketing-- passing it on. But this gets even better, because the power of popular support snowballs as it picks up, bringing more volunteers and more contributions with it.
Who knows how much your effort will cost the Allen campaign when we win? I just like to think that every time I can get someone to vote for Webb, it could cost Allen and the fat cats who own him $661.
1) Kathy just says he was introduced. Well, that doesn't really tell the story! Jim was introduced by former Charlottesville mayor Frank Buck. Buck gave Jim's bio, then launched into a comparison of JW's bio with TR's bio, and it is surprising how well the two stories match up. If somebody got a recording of that introduction, it would be useful to have a transcript, because the campaign could use it. The comparison concludes with TR abandoning the Republican Party to join with other Progressives in 1912, and that matches JW's story, of course.
2) Jim made some remark about giving thoughtful answers, not sound bites, and during the later Q&A somebody pressed Jim to come up with some sound bite slogans. Jim acted uncertain, and the crowd started helping him. That is why the 'take care of your people' discussion occurs earlier in this thread of comments. Actually, during his remarks, Jim had a slogan, something like 'the government's rights stop at my front door'. Jim really should pick up on this sound bite slogan thing -- we need some easily remembered phrases that will frame our message properly and efficiently.
-Don in Charlottesville
I thought Webb was being a bit Socratic rather than uncertain in that instance, but who knows...
I have two daughters who live in the Cville area, and I am planning on being back in "my home" within two years, so I thank you all for keeping me up-to-date.