Press Releases

Demo Memo: 7/18/08

Posted by Greg on Friday, July 18

July 11, 2008 - July 18, 2008
www.vademocrats.org

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INTRODUCTION

As you may have already heard, Barack Obama's Campaign for Change is opening no less than 20 offices around the Commonwealth tomorrow - more signs that Virginia is going to be a heavily-fought battleground state this November.

If you'd like to attend, you can RSVP on the Obama campaign site. Don't forget to send us some pictures!

On a more serious note, we were saddened to learn that former Senator Joe Gartlan, who represented Fairfax County in the General Assembly for almost 30 years, passed away this morning after a sudden illness. As Governor Kaine said this afternoon, Senator Gartlan was a "true statesman," and our thoughts are with his family and friends on this difficult day.

Best,

Levar Stoney
Executive Director

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QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"Never, in all the years I have been involved in Democratic politics that I am aware of, has the city of Danville had campaign organizers come to Danville for a Democratic presidential campaign and said, 'We are here to help you organize, we are opening shop in Danville.' Never."
- Danville Democratic committee chair Sheila Baynes, on the Obama campaign's unprecedented activity in Virginia [Danville Register & Bee, 7/15/08]

"People don't like to part with their money if they perceive you as a loser."
- Prof. Larry J. Sabato, on Jim Gilmore's underwhelming fundraising [Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/16/08]

"If you like traffic, you're gonna love the next few years."
- Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher, on Virginia Republicans' continued obstruction of transportation progress [Washington Post, 7/15/08]

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HEADLINES

Gov. Tim Kaine

Sen. Jim Webb

General Assembly             

Election 2008

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EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

"You know the adage, 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' Well, shame on Jim Gilmore for fooling Virginia once. His 'No car tax' stand, the bumper sticker slogan of his 1997 campaign for governor, was a fine populist sop, but terrible fiscal policy... Now Gilmore's running for the U.S. Senate, and promising another illusion: No pain at the pump." [Daily Press, 7/12/08]

"The only things that came out of the General Assembly's special session on transportation were recriminations and accusations. The people of Virginia deserve better, but it will almost certainly take an election for them to get it. As long as the House remains in its current hands, there will be no statewide, comprehensive action on transportation. So Virginians will face a choice in November 2009: Keep in power a recalcitrant House leadership that refuses to view transportation as a statewide issue in need of a statewide solution, or elect delegates willing to put governance ahead of ideology." [Roanoke Times, 7/14/08]

"The latest obstruction in Richmond is, however, clarifying. It verifies, almost according to the scientific method, that Virginians can have an effective transportation system, or they can have a Republican majority in the House of Delegates. 'Or,' not 'and.' The next election will settle which Virginians hold more important." [Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 7/13/08]

"What is a crisis - sitting in traffic for an hour or not having a job? We think they both qualify. If one of our delegates - such as Danny Marshall - does not see the lack of jobs tied to poor roads as a crisis, despite the fact that Danville and Martinsville have competed for the highest unemployment in the state for more than a year, he may not keep up the pressure for a solution that includes this area. We cannot afford that." [Martinsville Bulletin, 7/13/08]

"[T]he fact that the Democrats are working in Danville today forces Republicans to worry about a region where it was expected to win... As the Obama campaign tries to win Virginia's 13 electoral votes this year, the campaign's legacy will be the energized volunteers, registered voters and local organizers. The party building work by the Obama campaign in Southside Virginia this year will help Democrats long after this presidential race is history." [Danville Register & Bee, 7/15/08]

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DPVA PRESS RELEASES

Local Democrats call on Drake to cancel fundraiser with Rove (July 14, 2008)

Democrats call on McDonnell to renounce Gramm (July 15, 2008)

The Congresswoman and the Congressional Runaway (July 18, 2008)

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Democratic Party of Virginia
1710 E. Franklin Street
Richmond, VA 23223
(804) 644-1966

www.vademocrats.org

 

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