New Location

For anyone who cares, I'm blogging over at the Virginia Progressive now.

Anybody in central Virginia interested in starting an activism-centric community blog? If RaisingKaine is Virginia's DailyKos, I figure we need a MyDD, and the central VA crowd needs a more local focus. Calling all writers...

The Official Campaign Blog

It's finally here! The Al Weed for Congress Official Campaign Blog is up and running. Most of the posts there right now are copied from this blog, and much of the site is still under construction, but all my blogging time is devoted to that blog these days. If you have been a regular reader of this blog, thank you, and please keep reading over at the official campaign blog. I will be back after the campaign is over, to start blogging my next cause.

The official blog should have the same sort of commentary and opinion, but with more posts about what the campaign is doing, how we're doing, and how you can help. Hopefully people can use the campaign blog to keep tabs on the campaign and feel involved, even if they don't have 2 hours at a time to come volunteer. Running a campaign is a team effort, and the team is a lot more than the 5 people in the inner circle, or the 20 people who work every day, or the 40 people who work regularly on the campaign. It's everyone who goes out and talks to their neighbors, comes in to stuff envelopes, works GOTV in the last month of the campaign, or contributes funds.

This is a team effort, and you are part of the team. Ultimately, the goal of the campaign blog is to turn wallflowers into weekend warriors, to turn supporters into volunteers, but first and foremost it must become a community. I invite you to be part of that community, to comment and share your opinions and ideas.

Fiscal Conservatives are Pissed

From the Roanoke Times

Toss spendthrifts out of office

Rep. Virgil Goode, Sen. George Allen, the Republican Party and President George Bush have had six years to enact a balanced budget -- with no spending that is not paid for by same-year revenues.

Instead, they have failed miserably to represent Americans by callously passing along the multi-trillion-dollar tab for their drunken overspending to future generations.

Our national debt now stands at more than $7 trillion -- more than $25,000 for every living American. Most of this debt has occurred under Republican control, starting with Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton delivered the only break in federal-deficit accumulation since 1980.

This debt will cripple the future economic growth of this country. It will lead to the painful decline of America as the world's only superpower.

Goode's and Allen's spend-without-taxing behavior is cowardly and unpatriotic.

I have nearly always voted Republican, but this year I will vote for Democrats. Until irresponsible spenders like Goode and Allen are removed, there can be no hope for a balanced budget, and the economic rape of our children and grandchildren will continue.

Every citizen should vote against every federal incumbent until "we the people" elect a Congress and a president with enough guts to balance the budget and to begin paying down the debt.

Brian Raub

Moneta

Thanks for your support, Brian. We won't let you down. It must hurt enough for Mr. Goode to read this stuff from his own party, so I won't kick him too much while he's down, but this is a pretty good argument for why both Liberals and Conservatives should vote Democrat -- the Republican leadership is no longer conservative. They used to be a bunch of libertarians and fiscal conservatives, but now those people are all Democrats.

All I can say is, welcome back to the party. Find me a constituency group from their crumbling coalition that Democrats don't represent better. I can think of two: Fundamentalists who have long rejected the basic idea of pluralism and peaceful co-existence; and Corporations.

Map Changers

Al made it to the second round of ForwardTogetherPAC's Map Changers contest. Thanks to everyone who voted for him in the first round, and please go vote for him again! If we win this round, Al gets $5,000 from Mark Warner's PAC, and if we win the final round we get a fundraiser with Gov. Warner himself! I don't think I need to remind you that Warner's first post-governor fund-raiser brought in $2.5M.

Even if you're not biased towards Al in particular, go vote for the three Virginia Dems, Al Weed, Jim Webb, and Andy Hurst. You get 5 votes in the east and 5 votes in the west. I only voted for Al, but I can't expect everyone to be fully planted in this particular foxhole. So go show ForwardTogetherPAC which state has the most powerful, most active Netroots in the country.

A Statement from Al Weed

For three years Congress has sat quietly by while George Bush has pulled the strings in Iraq. Yesterday Congress finally dove into debate, but, predictably, it was useless partisan bickering.

I am a military veteran who faced combat in a political war. When I came home from Viet Nam and began to train reserves I came to a realization: Americans should never go into a war we can afford to lose.

Mr. Bush is our Commander in Chief. He took us to war, and as long as he occupies the White House, it is his responsibility to manage it. But Congress has a responsibility to be your voice.

Where was Mr. Goode yesterday? When it was time to debate, when it was time to be your voice in Congress, when it was time to stand up and do what is right, what did he do? Sat down. He did not utter one word. All he did was sit quietly. And when it was time to vote, he did as he was told. He did not vote for our soldiers, he did not vote for the citizens of the 5th district, he passively voted for the Republican Party.

In Congress I will stand up for you, I will stand up for what is right. I have served; I have been to war. In Congress I will again do my duty and stand up for you, I will stand up for what is right. I will ask tough questions, and I will vote my conscience, not my party.

This is a public statement released by the Al Weed campaign.

Progressive Talk Radio Comes to Central Virginia

A while ago I sent Air America (or maybe it was Al Franken) an email suggesting that they put a station in Charlottesville. Now, my wish has come true. Actually it probably came true a while ago, I just didn't find out about it until today. I'm a little miffed that they took my suggestion and didn't even send me a check, a letter of thanks, or a gift certificate to Outback. Not that I like Outback all that much (chains just don't match up to our local restaurants) but it's the gesture that counts.

Not only is this a cool move, and good car-entertainment, it's great for the progressive movement. Do not underestimate the power of talk radio. Every hour people spend listening to Rush Limbaugh is another hour spent cementing their worldview. Then when I try to present them with facts, I'm arguing with a thousand hours worth of cognitive dissonance reduction. Now, left-leaning, dem-curious radio-listeners can cement their worldviews as well -- except progressives base theirs on facts.

1450 AM radio.

Recent Happenings

I haven't been able to blog much, and I miss it. There's so much stuff I've wanted to write about, from atrocities in Iraq, to youth voter turnout projections (they look good), to Switchgrass gaining traction (and some editorial pretending that Virgil has always supported switchgrass because he likes Tech and they do research).

One of the things taking up my time recently has been the thing I should be blogging most about: working for the campaign. Today, for example, I went canvassing out in Crozet. I've got to say it is a great use of time. The weather has been great every day (except one), the air feels great; plus I get to talk to Americans about their civic duty. It's good exercise, and every once in a while you learn something, or someone asks you a question you've never heard, or you get to pet a fuzzy dog. There was one mean dog Thursday (out in Earlysville, short light-brown curly hair, stay away) but I doubt he was dangerous. The real danger was the band of roving Republicans telling me to "praise Bush" for Zarqawi's death. I'm happy the guy's out of commission too, but I'm not about to start worshipping false idols over his violent undoing.

Last Thursday was the one non-sunny day. Someone gave us a "shortcut" claiming the added bonus that it would keep the car from getting dirty. We wasted an hour and drove through a creek. It was okay though -- when the rain let up we could see three layers of mountains, one green, one blue, one gray, with orange-and-purple sky behind it. Maybe it was the right road to go down after all.

On another note, Al's live-blogging tomorrow (Sunday) on DailyKos. Check the Fighting Dem Vets diary page at 2 p.m. tomorrow. He'll be on till 4. Speaking of blogging, I wish my picture and profile didn't show up on the main page. I want to have a picture and profile, and I want people to be able to check them, but this is supposed to be about Al, the race, and activism. If anybody is familiar with blogger and can tell me how to change this (it's a pretty recent change) I'd appreciate it. I've looked at all the settings and I must just be missing something easy and stupid.

Before I go, one question relating back to Zarqawi. As a good Christian, does one pray for the souls of merciless, godless, child-killing terrorizers? Something about the way the world works tells me I'm supposed to hope he burns in hell, but something in me is repulsed by the idea of wishing that on anyone. Is it ok to end a prayer with the phrase, "and please send Zarqawi to the gnashing of teeth and the flames that are never quenched"? Doesn't feel right. Anyone know a good verse for me?

Another PAC Nomination

ForwardTogetherPAC is doing this Map Changers thing. You get to go nominate your favorite Democratic challenger and if enough people share your sentiments, they'll get money from the PAC. Pretty cool. Go nominate Al -- you know you want to. On the right hand side you'll find a link to Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund, you can nominate Al there as well.