WP - Va. Still in Play, Democrats Say

[TheKingfish]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10582-2004Oct29.html

Gov. Mark R. Warner urged fellow Democrats at an Alexandria rally yesterday to "Turn Virginia blue!" on Tuesday as they prepared for a weekend of get-out-the-vote efforts in the Northern Virginia suburbs.

"Every vote is going to count," Warner told supporters and local politicians at the soggy rally in Market Square. "What we see here today all over Virginia is incredible enthusiasm, record voter registration. Now it's down to crunch time. We just need to make sure we get out the vote."

and

Laura Bland, communications director for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said more than 2,000 volunteers will be staffing phone banks, passing out literature and canvassing door-to-door throughout the region this weekend.

Volunteers for Moran and the Kerry-Edwards campaign will be hanging signs on doors reminding residents to vote at more than 260,000 homes in the 8th District. Volunteers will also participate in similar efforts in the 10th and 11th districts, Bland said.

Kerry J. Donley, the chairman of the state's Democratic Party, said volunteers are aiming to reach some of the area's thousands of newly registered voters.

[huckleberry]

1. I'm volunteering today in Alexandria, VA!!

from the article.....

Volunteers for Moran and the Kerry-Edwards campaign will be hanging signs on doors reminding residents to vote at more than 260,000 homes in the 8th District. Volunteers will also participate in similar efforts in the 10th and 11th districts, Bland said.


Yay! I'll be out there today 12:30PM - 3:00PM. Let's turn Virginia BLUE!! We can do it!!!

[goforit]

2. Pull up your boot straps Virginia......and make it happen!!!!!

[Hokie]

3. That would be marvelous

If Virginia does not get called early for * it would be sign. If it goes for Kerry the * can pack his bags for Crawford right then.

[Nay]

4. I live in Richmond, and there are many, many more Kerry signs

than I ever would have thought possible for such a Bushite area. I would be ecstatic if VA turned blue for once.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

20. I saw a great DNC Ad for Kerry on cable in Richmond

There are a lot more Kerry signs, stickers and buttons than I expected.

Much, much more than Gore in 2000.

[jbane]

30. I live in the City...

Ginter Park actually and I agree, but what does it look like in Chesterfield and Henrico?

[Nay]

32. I'm in Chesterfield, and I'd say Kerry outnumbers Bush just a tad.

Don't know about Henrico.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

5. Democrats winning Virginia would be the UPSET of the night!

[belladonna]

6. I've been saying it for months now

I really believe we're going to see Virginia go blue this year. In Southwest Virginia, where I live, the Kerry yard signs and bumperstickers outnumber the Bush ones at LEAST 4 to 1. The only area I see POSSIBLY going for Bush is the area around Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and I'm even hearing that they're leaning towards Kerry now.

[virgdem]

8. Where did you hear that Norfolk/VA Beach is leaning Kerry...

I'm working for Kerry here and I have not heard that. I know it is close, but can't get any numbers out of the campaign. I do know, however, that David Ashe is very competitive with Drake, and I can believe that because I have been literally bombarded with multiple mailers on a daily basis from Drake's campaign (some more kindling for my fireplace).

[belladonna]

13. Mostly from friends who live in the area

So I'm not entirely comfortable with that one, but it'd be GREAT to see.

[Jane Austin]

10. How far southwest are you?

Roanoke? Abingdon?

[belladonna]

14. About 50 miles south of Roanoke

Are you from Virginia? If so, what area are you in?

[Jane Austin]

23. So . . . Radford? Christiansburg?

We're not from VA, although my mother's family came from Tidewater VA.

We lived in Bristol, TN for parts of ten years, and still have a house there..

Beautiful country, wonderful people.

[Morning Dew]

7. Holy Moly ! Virginia in play???

That's amazingly bad news for shrubco.

Go Blue, Virginia !!

[diamond14]

9. Go Virginia...ALL the background work is DONE for a BIG win...

the last big push is to GET EVERYONE OUT TO THE POLLING PLACES...and stand strong againt the bush* cabal effort to stop the voters....


we're ready...Kerry lawyers are in place...Kerry's Band of Brothers have done their work....Virginia is a BIG BLUE state now.....


time to CRUSH KING GEORGE...as shown on Our State Emblem....
a great time for a revolution....Amazon woman crushing king george...george's crown laying on the ground...Amazon woman standing proud with her BARE-BREAST, holding a sword and a spear...GO VIRGINIA...throw the bush* cabal OUT....


Virginia crushes george w.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. Alexandria

We're known as "The People's Republic Of Alexandria" because we're such a leftie place. I love my town.

But, driving around the well-known conservative Republican bastions the other day - Falls Church, Fairfax, Arlington - I started counting signs.

Believe me, I was astonished.

It's 4-1, Kerry over Bush.

No Democrat has carried VA since LBJ in 1964. I can easily imagine VA going for Kerry. I really can.

Kerry's gonna win big, I just know it.

[venus]

17. Yep. Yet another K/E sign in neighbor's yard

here in Alexandria. Hardly any Bush signs. However there are quite a few of the "Cheney" signs. Think she's tunning against Moran?

[Laelth]

12. I'm predicting Virginia goes to Kerry, 51-48

Get the scoop here:

Laelths Election Projection

:smoke:

-Laelth

[Zen Democrat]

15. My daughter in Lake Ridge called me to say No. VA on fire for Kerry.

She called to tell me that her area is covered with Kerry signs, Kerry bumpersticks, and Kerry enthusiam. She works in Arlington and says that everyone she works with is for Kerry. She doesn't see how Kerry can lose. Even though Northern Virginia is the customary Democratic stronghold in Virginia, she said she's never seen it like this. She told me that the only Bush/Cheney bumperstickers she sees are "faded out" because they're 4 years old!

If Virginia elected Warner, they can sure as heck go blue for Kerry!!!

[wackywill]

16. You would normally expect Northern VA

to go Democratic. I just spent a couple hours quite drive northward on Rt 522 from Rt 3 through Culpeper, Sperryville to Front Royal and back. One would EXPECT this to be the heart of Bush country. We saw as many if not more Kerry signs than Bush. Often the signs were directly across the road from one another or right next to one another at the property lines. One thing I can feel is no matter who wins the other side is not going to give up and become the loyal opposition. Unless there is an unexpected landslide I fear for our democracy, I don't see how we can continue this animosity on both sides.
What was sad is that most of the Bush signs were at the homes of obviously poorer people, in my opinion these are people who could never and I mean NEVER justify voting Repug. If you make over 200K a year at least you could say "I got a tax break, screw the rest of you" but these poor folks can't EVEN say THAT.....it's so frustrating.
Jan 20th can't come soon enough,
Jan 21st I want to see these neocon bastards doing perp walks.

[venus]

18. Front Royal is the area I was most worried about. Good to hear. n/t

[DaveSZ]

19. If Kerry won Virginia and Colorado, that would be something

[osaMABUSh]

25. My In-laws live just south of Winchester and I sent them F 9/11

I know one of them despises Bush and I believe both will be voting Kerry. I don't think, though, they are very vocal about their beliefs.

[wackywill]

28. That's just it.

All these Kerry/Edwards signs in Bush country where people usually keep their dissent to themselves. I'm sure you have to be very upset to hang out your Kerry sign in Bush country.

I feel more positive about this election now than anytime in the last year.

[Stinky The Clown]

21. I agree that VA is quite possible

My work has me at the Pentagon, among other gov't installations in the MD-DC-VA region, and I can say that the buzz is not nearly as pro * as many might imagine. The other week I was walking to my car through the south parking tunnel and listening to a conversation between three civilian Pentagon employees. The general gist of that was they resented being told that * is fearless leader and they need to support him. One of the persons, a middle aged African American woman also brought up her issues with her pastor, who was apparently calling the boy king a "good Christian man".

In meetings with mixed military and civilian attendees the pre-meeting buzz is also mixed. One civilian guy said about something that was being pushed down by the current administration to just wait and things would improve with a new administration. A military guy said he didn't have to wait. He was out of there at the end of his current enlistment (He's an O6 and not at retirement yet.)

My sense is this bodes well for us. I don't think * will get near the military vote he thinks he will. And these folks are NoVa voters.

Yes, Virginia, there _is_ a Santa Claus!

[russiamommy]

29. If Federal Employees are any indication...

We have a good chance of picking up Virginia. I live in Maryland, but work in DC. Most of my colleagues live in Virginia. Again, we're talking Northern Virginia, so I'm not sure how much it means, but Federal employees as a whole are fired up. In my small office (about 140 people), I'd say at least half voted for Bush in 2000. I know of only 3 that are voting for Bush again. We're just so fed up with the arrogence of this administration and being pushed around by these people that think they know everything, don't ask for opinions of those of us that have been for 20 years and then wonder why their ideas don't work. From what I've heard, this is the same throughout the government. I know of people in many different departments, including civilian military, that feel the same way.

Two specific examples. My boss (who lives in Virgina) is normally apolitical. In 14 years I'd never heard him make a political statement. After being pushed around for 3 years, he started becoming more and more vocal (at least to those close to him). He voted in the primary just for the satisfaction of voting against Bush and will be at the polls at 6AM on Monday.

Second example. The husband of a friend of mine is an engineer for the Navy. He jokes that if Bush is re-elected he's moving to Canada and so is the rest of his office.

Anyone know any stats about voting patterns of Federal employees and what it means for incumbents? This is another fairly large block of voters that will be going decidedly for Kerry.

[DC Chak]

22. I'm doubtful, but hopeful

I was driving around Great Falls today and was quite surprised to find numerous Kerry signs and Moms for Kerry signs, but very few Bush signs. Don't know if it means anything, but I sure hope so.

For those who don't know the area, Great Falls was bright red (over 60% Bush over Gore) in the Washington Post's 10-17-04 map of the DC metro area. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/daily/graphics/redBlue_101704.html

Conversely, my town of Reston is a nice blue island (60-80% Gore) in the middle of a sea of red in Fairfax. All Kerry signs here, and lots of them too, in the neighborhoods. The only Bush signs are at main intersections off the Toll Road, and they are always accompanied by Kerry signs.

[ElectroPrincess]

24. I'll do my part ...

and so will my husband. Check two in No VA for John F. Kerry!

[saccheradi]

26. IF THERE'S A UNIVERSITY ANYWHERE NEAR YOU VA...

GO GET THOSE STUDENTS TO VOTE!!!!

[ibegurpard]

27. Even if this doesn't happen

It's definitely a worthwhile effort. It will help with the popular vote margins.

[DirtyBirdOne]

31. More States Are In Play Than The "Polls" Suggest

In my opinion, the pundits and pollsters are going to be saying "We didn't see that one coming?" in quite a few states.