Virginia Senate: Inside Baseball question .......

[Stinky The Clown]

Now that Webb - hugely underfunded as compared to GFelixAllenJunior - is within 3 points, what do you think?

Is Webb 'surging'? Or is GFelixAllenJunior dropping?

I know it is probably a combination of the two, but which do you think is currently driving the numbers more?

I'm thinking it is more a case of GFelixAllenJunior doing himself in. I'm hearing little about Webb actually doing a whole lot, and he's surely the poorer of the two, cashwise.

(Note: I am a huge Webb fan.)

[kentuck]

1. George W Bush is toxic...

and Allen will continue to drop because of his relationship to Bush, would be my guess.

[DinahMoeHum]

2. Felix's ethnic slur (caught on tape) hasn't helped matters either.

n/t

[LibDemAlways]

3. Allen is fond of football metaphors. I think

he would tell you that he, as his team's quarterback, fumbled a play and lost yardage. However, how significant that play turns out to be may well be determined by Webb's ability (or inability) to capitalize on it.

Last April when Ryan Lizza's damning piece about Allen came out in The New Republic, exposing close to 40 years of racism, Webb's only comment was that it hit "below the belt." When Allen's goons later tried to go after him with a swiftboating attempt questioning his patriotism, he responded swiftly and surely, getting in some zingers about Allen as chickenhawk that led me to believe he was taking the gloves off. Allen has such a closetful of skeletons, it would be a shame not to unleash them. Now that George has opened his own can of worms, Webb has every right to let the public know what else is in there.

To answer your question, Felix is blowing it, but Webb has yet to truly advance downfield on his own.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. That's my take, too ......

.... do yout think Webb can capitalize on the gaffe(s)?

[LibDemAlways]

8. I think the window of opportunity for

taking full advantage of "macaca" has passed - particularly with the media obsessed with JonBenet. I think the only way, however, to wage an effective campaign against Allen is to hit him hard on the character issue in conjunction with pointing out his abysmal record as a Bush rubber stamp. My God, the guy's hobby in high school was race baiting, and he's still at it. He's also been involved in shady business dealings. I hope Webb goes on the offensive and reminds voters early and often what a sleazy, POS Allen is.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Are you in Virginia?

I ask only to see if you have an opinion on Webb's top adviser, Mudcat. Is he a hard charger? How did he work Warner's winning campaign?

[LibDemAlways]

10. No, I'm in California, but as an old

high school classmate of Allen's I am following this race closely. I don't know much about Webb's advisors, but I know Allen's aren't shy about slinging mud and this campaign is going to get very dirty.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. You went to HS with him?

Are you the one who recounted, here, recently, his racist activites back then? That story MUST be told far and wide and screamed from hilltops.

[LibDemAlways]

14. Yep, I'm that DUer. I've repeated the

story many times on this board, and to members of the media. I'm glad people are finally paying attention.

[Hoosier Dem]

4. I think it's a combination of factors...

1. Bush is political poison and many "safe" Republicans are feeling the effects of the Toxic Texan.

2. Allen has waged an idiotic campaign, with the racial slur just adding to that.

3. Webb is an attractive candidate in moderate-conservative Virginia.

4. Virginia is changing from a solidly Red state to a close Purple state.

5. Allen was elected in a fairly close election in 2000 against Senator Chuck Robb, who had some baggage of his own.

All in all, Virginia could be the "perfect storm" that sweeps Allen overboard.

[underpants]

7. That's not fair Allen only voted with Bush when he was right

which everyone knows has been 97% of the time

:bounce:

Seriously that is Allen's line about being a rubberstamp for Bush. He used it in their first (untelevised) debate.

[onenote]

5. way to early

I'm glad to see Webb closing the gap, but at this point -- mid August -- the electorate is really not that engaged and I imagine that the polls will continue to shift. I think the Macaca incident has hurt Allen, but its too early to tell how lasting the damage really was.

[sofa king]

12. I think the key is urban Virginians.

As with many other places, the key to winning Virginia begins and ends with our urban citizens. I'm not talking about NOVA, either--people waste too much time and energy on this part of the state. We're pissed and you bet your ass we'll do our part, so Webb can relax on that front.

No, I'm talking about the downtrodden, neglected voters of Newport, Portsmouth and Richmond, and even Roanoke.

Energize that part of the electorate and they can easily overwhelm every single 700 Club asshole that Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson can drag out. NOVA is just icing on the cake if that happens.

I think the polls show that the racist is doing a pretty good job of inspiring our inner city Virginians to hate him, but Webb needs to take his message to city neighborhoods personally, in order to inspire them to actually come out on election day. If he does that, he can't lose.

[dolstein]

13. I think it's more a case of Allen dropping than Webb surging

Webb's fundraising so far has been pitiful. I read somewhere than Allen has fifteen times as much cash on hand than Webb does.

Now I can understand Webb having trouble fundraising when Allen had a larger lead, but with the race this close, money ought to be pouring in. Apparently, Webb himself hates doing fundraising, but there are plenty of party fundraisers he ought to be able to tap, and it boggles the mind that Chuck Schumer and Mark Warner aren't doing more to help this guy.