Webb has all kinds of cousins and other family in SWVA.  He visited them frequently while growing up.  Also, Webb's father was in the military and traveled around constantly.  So, the fact that Webb was born in Missouri is neither here nor there.

It's so obvious.

...furiously (both meanings)...

I didn't know all those big oil companies and big drug companies were based in Virgina. 

You might be right, Roger. But I believe you are a lot like George Allen. He is a phoney blowhard. Your recollection of Ned Jarrett probably came from a magazine, and your understanding of this campaign comes from whatever pablum you've been reading.

I'm sure that you are correct in saying that George will bury us with TV ads, and smear Jim Webb as much as possible after labor day. George will have less incentive to save any of his $$ for a Presidential race now that he's blown his chances of getting the nomination, so he can now throw $20 million plus into lying and covering up for his Senate bid. Barf.

That doesn't mean the Allen campaign isn't scrambling and spinning out of control right now, though. It doesn't make George Allen any less of an ass, either. Nor does it guarantee that he will win. Allen is a leading proponent of a massive failure of leadership that must be replaced. Fortunately for us, these recent events are encouraging signs that his juggernaut is not invincible; in fact, he has a terrific ability to self destruct. 

So go ahead with your complacency and your smug hubris. We're not laughing with you, we're laughing at you.

so that explains the Ned Jarrett comment. And, my interest in racing isn't limited with just NASCAR, either. I could have used another analogy...but that one seemed to work. BTW, are you a NASCAR fan?  What was the last race you attended? If you want to get into a trivia contest regarding various forms of auto racing, I'll gladly put my knowledge against yours.  Frankly, I'd rather watch a good race than most of the bullshit that passes for television entertainment these days.

Anyway, my commentary and/or analysis of this campaign is based solely on my own observations.  Take it...or leave it. I don't care. Frankly, I haven't had the time, ability, or even desire to read anything about this race until the last day or two.

You still haven't answered the primary thrust of my comments -- that Webb has no name ID...and isn't likely to drive those numbers any time soon.  Labor Day is in two weeks!

I think that Webb needs to gain more name recognition in order to have a shot at winning. A lot must change between now and November or your predictions will come true.

Webb and everyone I've met in this campaign knows that this is a challenging, uphill battle. That just makes us more determined.

But, I thought understanding Southern culture was part of the snake-oil potion that your Party has been purchasing from the likes of certain political consultant hucksters stating that Democrats must understand NASCAR and hunting in order to bolster their numbers with the bubba vote?

I'm shocked and disappointed.

I hail from Georgia, and have a first-hand understanding of southern culture. I don't really fit the "bubba" description, and don't need to prove anything to you.

NASCAR and hunting are very popular, but no one is saying that they should be campaign platform planks. The snake-oil sales pitch has been coming from fakes like George W and George Allen. Those are the guys that pretend to look like something that they're not. In the meantime, they're screwing over everyone that they can.

Jim Webb is right about a lot of things. For one, we should stop wasting billions of dollars building permanent military bases in Iraq, and focus instead on a viable exit strategy for our troops.

We're supposed to be fighting a war on terrorism, but I can't tell that we're fighting it in a very smart way. It looks like we're just throwing money and the lives of our troops down a rathole, and at the bottom of that hole there are a bunch of war profiteers getting fat off of their no-bid contracts and corruption. Meanwhile, we've thrown ideals of human decency out the window, saying that our enemies are such devils that it's ok to torture them without regard to international laws and treaties. This is creating hostile environments around the world that endanger our diplomacy and economy.

That's just one part of one issue. Policies must change. Leadership must change. This isn't a game, and if it continues going the way it is, in a short time our very lives will be at stake, and NASCAR won't matter anymore.

We might not agree on much, but there's some common ground here. 

Brian is a big NASCAR fan as well. 

I enjoy NASCAR but it's dependent on the track - some make for great racing and others really are watching cars go in circles.

My favorite is the one I can catch early Sunday morning.

I pretty much got hooked watching a CBS broadcast of the 1982 or '83 Daytona 500.  Cale Yarborough won that race in the Hardee's car.  They had the first version of in-car camera on at the time...and it really added to the viewer experience.

Since that time, I've been a diehard fan.  My son and I have been to Daytona, Charlotte, Martinsville, Bristol, and Richmond.  I hope to go back to Daytona in February.

Aside from NASCAR, I also watch Indy cars with the IRL.  The best real racing, however, is at a local track on Friday or Saturday night.

My son is going to start racing quarter-midgets or go-karts next year.  That will be a lot of fun.

NASCAR is a huge slice of Americana...and it is now finally getting its rightful due.

when you're an Air Force brat?  Son of the military I Pub. I read that he attend something like 18 different schools.

Family roots since Revolutionary War in Virginia.  Read Born Fighting son!

Your nastiness is losing steam as you perpetuate lies.  Nice try though.

It was for I.Publius of the cheetos in his mom's basement, but you'll do. You don't mind name calling do you? Your Senator doesn't seem to mind, so I figure its a ok for you.

I've been away for a couple weeks for different reasons so wrongly concluded that you were talking to me. Sorry.  My coma was induced by other means.  But, now that you mention it, cheetos sound kinda tasty right now.  Keep the diet Dr. Pepper, though. Lemonade is more my style.

If I remember right, RJ has been away due to major surgery, so comments about coming out of a coma when he shows up aren't very cool. Of course, he's still as irritating as hell. Ornery coot.

I don't mind opposing points of view popping up, although the remarks from I.Publius are beyond the pale. I wouldn't care if I.Pub were banned from here, except s/he'd probably return in a more virulent form under another moniker.

I do apologize RJ. I hope you are feeling better and recovering.

but let me tell you...if the doctor ever wants you to have a hip replacement...or reconstructive surgery of the hip...please say, "No."  Make that a "Hell No!"

This surgery really kicked my butt.  I feel grateful, however.  After three months, I get to throw my crutches away.  Hopefully, I won't end up in the Betty Ford Clinic.  Frankly, I don't know why Rush and all the others got hooked on OxyContin.  I've taken it...and it didn't do much for me. 

I take the "onery" comment as a compliment.  I am all that...but believe it or not...I'm actually a nice guy.  The great thing about being a lawyer is that I get to be an asshole during the day...and leave it at the office in the evenings and on the weekends.

One of these days, I'd like to see the return of bi-partisanship.  It just might take the Presidency of John McCain to do that.  Our differences need to stop at the "water's edge."

If bi-partisanship is what you want, George Allen is not your guy.  While I don't work in State gov't, I work closely with it (and have for a very long time).  George Allen was the person who destroyed civility and bi-partisanship in the Virginia Legislature.  He treated perfectly devoted and non-partisan state employees like the enemy if they happened to be in place before his arrival and did everything he could to degrade Democrats in the Senate and House.  I stress, he didn't just disagree and push through his agenda as any self-respecting politician would do, he used downright nasty tactics.

Now I know nasty seems to be the way the government is these days, but continuing to elect people who support this behavior is not the way back to bi-partisanship.

George Allen is not a man out to serve the public. He is a man out to satisfy a need for power and dominance.

and I don't think that he has done anything to evidence independence from the party line.

As to George Allen destroying civility in state government in the early 90s, I'd respond by saying that state government needed shakeup at that time.  At the time, Virginia was largely run by one party (the Democrats).  Richmond had become corrupt and state bureaucrats were becoming impediments to much needed change.  State government was infested with party hacks after twelve years of Democrat control of the Governor's Mansion.

George Allen was one of the most dynamic Virginia governors in modern memory.  From parole abolition to promoting Virginia to business which decided to relocate to the Old Dominion, George Allen brought lasting positive change.

I rest easy knowing that he and John Warner continue serving the Old Dominion with honor and distinction.

All throughout this campaign, I have continued to see whether Jim Webb would have a 'Sister Solijah' moment in which he would demonstrate a scintilla of difference with the National Democratic apparatchniks.  From partial birth abortion to taking a stand against raising taxes, he has not done so.  Therefore, I am left with the conclusion that he has been transformed into a liberal.

At one time, I was open to seeing if he had the "stuff" necessary to serve the Old Dominion.  I cannot abide the man for becoming co-opted by the so called "progressives" but de facto liberals who dominate this blog.

...I feel fairly qualified to pick out the BS on who's from where and who entitled to claim kinship.  The first Jim Webb book I read was Fields of Fire.  I knew immediately Jim had an intimate understanding of mountain people and their culture.  As I read more of his books, I realized Jim was more than familiar with the area, he came from the same people I did--and it's not something you can fake. 

George Allen tries to fake it, but anyone from the area will see though him in a minute. We've seen every kind of opportunist come into the mountains, from the coal companies, the timber companies, to the folk music collectors, all trying to grab something of value and put their name on it.  George Allen's just another opportunist--he's looking for votes.  But his actions in the senate have been one vote after another against the very people he wants to claim as his own--and we're just not as dumb as "Hollywood" Allen would like to think we are.

If you go up to Detroit Michigan and talk to some people up there, you find factory workers up there who still claim Kentucky or West Va, or Va as their homes, even if they were born in Michigan.  It's a question of culture more than location.  I worked in a Ford factory in Ypsilanti when I was younger and lived in the "Little Kentucky" section of town.  I heard the same accents there and ate the same soupbeans and cornbread I did home in Kentucky.  Mountain people--or the Scot-Irish if you prefer, don't change that much, wherever we go. We go to Detroit, we make a place called Little Kentucky. Detroit didn't change us--we changed Detroit.  Those old lines of kinship have held us together for centuries.  So, it doesn't matter where Jim Webb grew up--he is of and from Southwest Virgina and he couldn't change that if he wanted to.  It's blood red and bone deep. 

I would suggest to I, Publis that you read some of Jim's books.  Fields of Fire is a fine place to start, but if you want to have an understanding of his world view, you might want to start with Born Fighting. But wherever you start, let me assure you Jim Webb is the real thing when it comes to Southwest Virgina. 

I went to law school in Grundy up until last year.  A lot of people there made this outsider feel like part of the family.

I could not have put it any better, Nick. You explained it perfectly.

...in Southwest Virgina, or anywhere in the mountains.  People will get their feelings hurt if you don't come in and eat with them.  Good people.  I spend a week in Grundy once when I was working at Appalshop.  Nice little town.

in Rockbridge County...to the hills of West Virginia.

And, the fact of the matter, is that people vote for the candidate who supports their issues.

Mountain people care about family values in a way that most liberals will never understand.  They talk about faith openly and unabashedly.

Nick, I've read some of Jim's books.  You and I have already discussed that.  But, there is one thing that mountain folks won't tolerate...and that's a sellout.

Jim Webb is a sellout.  He soldout Ronald Reagan -- pure and simple.  You can't spin it otherwise.  He's more aligned now with the gay and lesbian groups than he is with folks at the Four Square Gospel Church.

You're a rich boy from Lexington.  You can't fool me. Webb didn't sell out Reagan.  Reagan'a henchmen sold out the Navy.  As most of here are probably people of faith, I don't know what that has to do with the argument. Some of us prefer to not wear our faith on our sleeve and do our praying in the closet as they say. I just don't want the church involved with the government. Roger, you need some new material.  You're running that tired old Reagan accusation over and over again and it's never held water. 

  You probably need to read some more of those books, and if I remember correctly I gave you a long list to read the last time we communicated.  And if you think liberals don't have family values, you know less about liberals than you do mountain people.
 

and Southwest Virginia on my father's side.  Lexington came later. My great-grandfather was an engineer on the Norfolk and Western Railroad based out of Portsmouth, Ohio.  He basically helped build the rail system in West Virginia during the early part of the 19th century.

My grandfather owned a gas station in Charleston, West Virginia during the Great Depression.  I'm no rich boy.  My father worked three jobs after the Marine Corps putting himself through college and then law school.  We moved to Lexington, VA when I was in high school during the Reagan Administration. 
So don't give me that rich boy crap.

Us mountain folk are well along to accepting our gay and lesbian relatives and support them. I'm a Campbell on my mother's side whose family got to Virginia in 1642 and into the hills before the Revolution. We are Rohers and Robertsons, Campbells and McClouds, and all sorts in between. We learned to accept melugeons into the family, African Americans, even the English. My family includes homosexual couples together for over 20 years. That's solid mountain values.

...about the only think we don't accept is the intolerance you and your hero, "Hollywood" Allen have shown.  You'd think a guy from California would be cooler than George is.  So much for the myth, I guess.

I'm a disappointed in you.  And, when you decide that you have time to read, I have my list ready for you.  I'll email it to you.

the Webb campaign is a third-tier race, at best, right now.

His name ID sucks.  His campaign hasn't shown any signs of life for weeks...and aside from the flap over Allen's comments...the only real news about this race has been that Webb's campaign has been nearly broke.

You still haven't answered my fundamental point...that Webb doesn't seem to be a dog that can hunt.  Hell, he hasn't even gotten off the porch yet....let alone run with the big dawgs.

Nick, you are also smart enough, to recognize winning campaigns when you see them.  Does Webb seem to have the "fire in the belly" that it takes to win?  Is he putting in the kind of hours that it takes for a challenger to win?

You know that the answer is a resounding, "NO."

is not a point.  It's a tired old cliche.  You're arguing with yourself.  I don't think anyone is taking you very seriously.  You and your party need some new talking points.

jingoistic nonsense, fear and bigotry.  Great party, huh?

I'm not a bigot, fearful, or connected to any campaign or party.

I piss you off because I continue to pose questions regarding Jim Webb's transformation from a Ronald Reagan conservative to a RaisingKaine "progressive" that you have not and seemingly cannot answer.

At one point, I was intrigued by Jim Webb because of his record of service, his tenure in the Reagan Administration, and because I was hopeful that he might actually transform the Democratic Party into becoming something more reflective of the middle class.  My hope then was that Jim Webb would stand in stark contrast to Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and Hillary Rodham Clinton by demonstrating the independence of Joe Lieberman and the conservative values of Sen. Biyah.

I had hoped that he would demonstrate his own 'Sister Solijah' moment by showing the world that there were some with the Democrat Party who could stand tall for fiscal conservatism, a strong national defense, and appeal to voters of faith that he would fight against partial birth abortion.

Instead, what I saw is that he was co-opted by the likes of those within the website, and transformed himself into an entirely different man than he had been in the 1980s.

Conservative voters are not monolithic and they do not worship at the alter of Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell.  You and your supporters have treated them with contempt, however.  And, I suspect that you have largely written them off.

When and where will that 'Sister Solijah' moment come?  When will he be ready to stand on his own two feet?  It's time to give voters of faith some glimpse that he understands them and covets their votes.

I'd like to see Webb work in a bi-partisan fashion, and believe that he is much more likely to do so than Allen. Allen, like Bush- has failed regarding to bi-partisanship. 

Webb is definitely in favor of a strong national defense. Your argument against him is very weak in that regard. In fact, I would contend that Webb is much more clearly committed to a strong defense of the United States than Allen or Bush, who seem more bent upon protecting certain idealistic notions that serve them well than in taking care for the lives of ordinary people.

With regard to fiscal conservatism, there is probably no one in recent history with a worse record than George W. Bush, and his close ally, Senator George Allen. Anyone who subscribes to the economic policies of Bush is no fiscal conservative. These foolish men have taken the steepest path down into debt that this country has seen, and -not unlike in Iraq- they stubbornly insist on staying the course, while evidence abounds all around that their course is leading toward disaster. 

Finally, with regard to "voters of faith" and partial birth abortion, I must say that I haven't heard Webb say anything about this one way or the other so far. Maybe I'm not listening.

Personally, I believe that matters of religious belief are not to be enforced through legislation. This is a free country, and no one has stopped religious folks from working to persuade everyone to come to their point of view. If they fail to persuade, that's not sufficient reason to create legislation that imposes their will. I suppose that if we wanted a religious mandate in government, we could move to Iran, but I wouldn't like it. I'm not trying to speak for Webb regarding privacy and religious freedom, although I expect that he would want to uphold the rights guaranteed under the 1st Amendment.

If you are looking for Webb or anyone else to simply turn the Democratic party into the Republican party, I have to wonder why you are wasting time with us. It ain't gonna happen.

by stating that religious voters seek to impose their belief system through legislation.  This is simply not the case and it demonstrates that your misunderstand the religious right.

Second, if we are going to talk about fiscal policy, we must delineate between taxation and spending.  They aren't the same.  This particular Congress has an abhorent record on spending.  I will not defend them for it.  I advocate drastic cuts in domestic spending...and I also advocate to make the tax cuts permanent.

It is possible to be a tax cutter...and be fiscally responsible...provided that the line is held on spending.  This Congress has not done so.

Your party would like to balloon domestic spending beyond where it is currently.  So far, I haven't seen your candidate, Mr. Webb, advocate for any cuts in domestic spending.  If so, I'd like to know whats cuts and where.

Most in your party want to increase taxes and increase domestic spending.  You'd like to turn the health care system in a single payer system like Canada.

Back to partial birth abortion for a moment.  Polls indicate that Americans overwhelmingly want to see the practice banned. To be be anti-partial birth abortion does not a pro-life advocate make.

Abortion is a highly nuanced issue...but support for ending partial birth abortion would go a long way towards showing evangelicals that Jim Webb understands their concerns.

The reason that you haven't heard Jim Webb speak out on this subject is that he is firmly in the pocket of pro-choice groups, like NARAL, just as he is firmly in the pocket of teachers' groups.

He cannot afford to take an independent step...even if he were so inclined. So, I guess the man who was "born fighting" was really "born pandering" to liberal special interest groups.