KerryMail in GDP

[demdiva]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2666357

[ProSense]

1. Thanks for posting!

Really strong and positive message!

[whometense]

2. Just got this myself.

and donated, but just could not bring myself to give any $$ to Webb.

[globalvillage]

8. Same here.

I donated to the others and KAP. Sorry, Mr. Webb, I just don't have the same capacity as JK for taking the high road. It's a character flaw, but at least I own up to it.

[beachmom]

3. I haven't gotten the e-mail yet

But good God almighty, I'm in a pinch here -- the Miller campaign has my e-mail address and has asked me to phone bank for Miller while I will be soon receiving an e-mail from Kerry asking me to give money to Webb. Somehow I feel that I've betrayed somebody no matter who I choose. I was planning to go to that breakfast as an undecided voter, but looks like the Miller campaign has put me in their column already. I'm feelin' over my head BIG TIME!! Has this ever happened to anyone?

[TayTay]

4. Calm down. Take a breathe

Last year I wrote a post about just this sort of thing happening, cuz it always does, sooner or later. It's sooner in your case.

An election is about what you think and feel. You are the only one who knows your belief system and what is important to you as far as the issues go. Take a sheet of paper and write the good and bad of each candidate on it and see which candidate appeals to you.

You are not betraying anyone by doing this. You are practicing democracy. I respect Sen. Kerry's views, but if I thought a candidate that he did NOT recommend was the better one, I would vote for them with no qualms whatsoever. It is my responsibility as a citizen to do that. (Hell, Kerry asked us to do that. It's what voting your values means.) There is no betrayal in doing that. We are all human beings here and we can respect our differences.

Beachmom, you are obviously a thoughtful person who likes to put time and research into a vote. Do so, pick a candidate, work for them if you like, and do so with a clear conscience. That is your duty as a citizen. I am willing to bet that Kerry or any other thoughtful person would ask the same of you. It's about what you believe in and what motivates you to weather the shit-storms in the first place. Honor that about yourself.

[beachmom]

5. Thanks, Tay

Yeah, there's a couple of things at work here that had me anxious:

1. This is something new for me. I wanted my first foray with local Dems to go smoothly and this primary is making that difficult.

2. Timing issue. Kerry's endorsement was pretty late. I think this is not his fault, but rather that Webb did not reach out to him right away. Once he did, Kerry could make his decision.

I assume, given the red trend here, that people will be more thrilled to have another body in their party then worry if I have been 100% consistent for a primary race. Also, there's no doubt that there will be conflicts to come in the future (no doubt most people will be backing Warner in '08 around here), so I should just accept it.

But it's all new, and it's great that those like you and others here on this site are willing to mentor a little bit for some of us newbies.

(Did I mention that my definition of hell is having to call someone and sell them something? That's been my main reason for procrastinating reaching out to the local Dems -- phoning and knocking on doors by an accountant more comfortable in front of a computer definitely adds to the anxiety!!)

[TayTay]

6. This is a primary

That is where Democrats stake out a position and fight each other. (Some primaries are so awful that people can't reconcile for the general election. That is really bad. I pray that doesn't happen for your Dem Party in VA. It's nasty and helps to defeat Dems.)

No one will think that you are inconsistent. Again, primaries are where you should be sorting this out and trying to pick a candidate that you think works best for Virginia.

I am not a US Senator from the minority party trying to figure out a way to take back the Senate or at least get more Dems into the place. That is not where I come from. I am a voter. I can see and appreciate what the Senator did and I understand his reasons. I respect him for taking a chance and working for what he perceives as the greater good.

However, your vote belongs to you. Hang fast to your values and your beliefs. Trust yourself and your own instincts. They are entirely honest and honorable. No one will think less of you if you vote for Miller. After all, you went through the process of selection with an open mind and heart. That is all anyone with a soul and a brain can ask of you. (And no one, no one, will think lesser of such a thoughtful vote.) Besides, I have argued, more or less, with choices my Senator has made in the past, and, ahm, still here. (Arguing is the lifeblood of politics, at least for Dems, LOL!)

[ProSense]

7. This is a very telling statistic about CA-50

Despite the spin, CA-50 is a ruby red Republican district. Republicans have a 55,000-registered voter advantage over Democrats in the district. In 2004, CA-50 voted for President Bush with 55% of the vote, and re-elected Rep. Duke Cunningham with 58% of the vote. The closeness of this special election is a testament to Francine Busby’s candidacy and her message of change and new priorities.

http://www.dccc.org/stakeholder/archives/004839.html

Busby lost by 5,000 votes!

[globalvillage]

9. Big Eddie was going off on this today.

Did anyone else hear him?
Said the national Dems let Busby down. He made some good points, and I couldn't help but see some parallel with '04.
I didn't agree with everything he said, but to Ed's great credit, when some Repub ahole called in trashing Pelosi and JK, he stood up for our guys.
I guess it's one thing to complain about the actions of our Dems, but quite another to stand by and let them be smeared. That's the point, really.
Pissed as he was, he proved his loyalty.

[ProSense]

10. I didn't hear!

I really would like to see the strategy to make up those four points. Yet, 55,000 is a lot of Republicans to counter. It's not just that Busby came close, it's that she made up such a huge gap from the previous election.

[globalvillage]

11. Apparently, Eddy believes

That both because the Repubs outspent us 2-1 and that national Dems didn't provide the same support that the Repubs did (the repubs sent 100 professional staffers from DC and bush*, Laura and Cheney all participated in the campaign), that we could have won if we had put in the effort.
He did say that JK and Hillary did phone messages, but that it wasn't enough, and Dean and Emmanuel were MIA.

[ProSense]

12. This is what

kills me: All the talk about getting the message out, well, it costs money to print things, to buy ads, run websites and make phone calls. People better wake up to the reality that campaigns cost money.

[globalvillage]

14. I know a lot of e-mails went out

from the DCCC, Boxer and Kerry. I gave to Busby when I got the Kerry mail, of course.
Ed didn't mention that, so I'm not sure he really did his homework, but he did make a very good point or two. We should have spent more, and we needed big name Dems to show their support.

[ProSense]

13. Cool! Setting up a for fight!

Bilbray Beats Busby, Faces Rematch In November
More Nasty Campaigning Expected

POSTED: 11:25 pm PDT June 6, 2006
UPDATED: 10:51 am PDT June 7, 2006

Email This Story | Print This Story

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif -- A former Republican congressman was victorious Election Day in a solid GOP district where Democrats hoped to capitalize on a GOP corruption scandal and capture the House seat once held by Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

Bilbray Beats Busby, Faces Rematch In November

The costly and contentious race between Republican Brian Bilbray and Democrat Francine Busby, a local school board member who ran against Cunningham in 2004, was closely watched as a possible early barometer of next fall's vote.

With 96 percent of 500 precincts reporting, Bilbray had 58,566 votes or 49 percent. Busby trailed with 53,598 votes or 45 percent. Busby told NBC 7/39 Tuesday night that she remained confident, but Bilbray maintained a lead in the vote count throughout the night. Bilbray will serve the remaining months of Cunningham's term, but he will face Busby again in November for the next two-year term.

National Democrats spent nearly $2 million on the high-stakes contest, and the GOP spent $4.5 million. President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush recorded automated telephone messages for Bilbray. A mass e-mailing from Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the party's 2004 presidential candidate, was sent last week to more than 100,000 supporters, urging them to help get out the vote. Former Vice President Al Gore also recorded a message telling Democrats to go to the polls.

Cunningham's downfall threatened to upset the electoral balance in this longtime GOP stronghold, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats 3-to-2. Cunningham pleaded guilty last year to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and was sentenced in March to more than eight years in prison.

Well before Election Day, some Democrats claimed victory just by forcing a fight for the seat.

more...

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/politics/9332733/detail.html?rss=dgo&psp=news

[TayTay]

15. Didn't Sen. Kerry do an appearance in her district

very recently. I know he did an e-mail appeal for funds for Busby and he also appealed for volunteers. I would say he had a presence in the race.

[globalvillage]

16. I don't recall that.

Of course, they could all have shown up, and without msm coverage, who'd a knew?