Kerry raising funds for Kaine

[Mass]

I do not know if there is somebody from VA here, but I found interesting that Kerry is using his base to support Kaine.

He is really everywhere supporting Democrats.

http://www.raisingkaine.com/blog/?p=536

Dear xxx:

The Kilgore campaign asked George W. Bush to come to Virginia today in a desperate attempt to recover from their candidate’s gaffe-filled performance in Saturday’s gubernatorial debate.

Tim Kaine was the clear winner in this year’s first face off between the two candidates. If we move quickly we can build on Lt. Governor Kaine’s momentum and move an important step closer to ensuring Tim Kaine’s victory this November.

Today, Bush is coming to Virginia to stand with Jerry Kilgore to try to sell Kilgore’s failed programs and irresponsible policies to your fellow Virginians. With his fiscal recklessness and mean-spirited, negative campaign tactics Jerry Kilgore is wrong for Virginia.

We will not allow him to turn back the clock to the old days when Virginia was running massive deficits and the transportation and educational needs of the state were going unmet.

Bush will use his fundraising network to fill Kilgore’s campaign coffers with checks from powerful special interest groups and hard-right ideologues. Let’s use our grassroots power to help Tim Kaine fight back. If you want Tim Kaine to continue his fight for honest budgeting, giving every kid a good education, keeping faith with Virginia veterans, creating good jobs throughout the state, and protecting habitat for fishing and hunting, then you need to do everything you can to put Tim Kaine in Virginia’s governor’s office.

Virginia is one of only two gubernatorial races this year. It will be closely watched to see which party has a vision for the future that inspires voters at the polls. You can help stop Bush in 2005 by acting today.

Join with the Johnkerry.com community in Virginia as we kick off a special one-day fundraising campaign to give Tim Kaine a strong grassroots boost.

Kilgore and Bush think this is their day in Virginia. Let’s prove them wrong.

By the time Bush returns to the White House tonight, let’s show that thousands of Virginians are committed to maintaining Democratic control of the governor’s office by electing Tim Kaine this November.

Please pass this message along to everyone you know in Virginia. In the next 24 hours, let’s stand with Tim Kaine.

Thank you,

John Kerry

[whometense]

1. Excellent!!!

Thanks for posting this. It's really wonderful news that Kerry's putting his weight behind this campaign.

[JohnKleeb]

2. Good

Kaine is gonna be my first vote, I appreciate Kerry using his name and money to help out, of course that ass Kilgore will use this against Tim but its fine with me. Kerry was the first presidential candidate I worked for, and Kaine will be my first vote.

[TayTay]

3. I saw on ABC The Note

that Sen. Kerry and former Sen Edwards are both going to be in NH this weekend for Lou D'Allasandro's Birthday party. (Must be nice to be a State Sen and a little tin god who gets the Bigs to come and honor your friggin birthday. Esp when you did so much for 'Joementum' last time.) Sigh! Sometimes I think the best thing that could happen to NH would be to have some other state be the first-in-the-nation primary. Then the little tin gods would have to get real jobs.

[whometense]

5. Re: that thought

Today's Boston Phoenix:

The current buzz centers around creating one or more regional primaries. Implementing such a framework would be difficult; each participating state would have to give its individual assent, which would require bipartisan legislative cooperation. Still, if a specific regional plan allowed Iowa and New Hampshire to keep their privileged position, the Democratic power brokers might endorse it as a Solomonic compromise.

Even among supporters of a regional approach, though, there’s ample room for disagreement. The National Association of Secretaries of State backs a regular rotation of regional primaries, with the right to go first shifting from election to election. And many Western Democrats — including New Mexico governor and Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson — are pushing for (surprise!) an early Western primary, which they claim could help the Democrats add votes in the Rocky Mountain region.

Not everyone thinks such changes would be prudent. "Some candidate from some region is going to be inappropriately advantaged because of a regional primary structure," says Steve Grossman, the former chair of the Massachusetts and national Democratic Parties. "If the governor of California is running, and the Western primary is first, they’ll become the frontrunner — and what does the governor of Virginia do to compete with that?" Grossman has another suggestion: four mega-primaries, each of which would bundle states from different regions together to represent one-quarter of the electorate. The contests would take place over four months, with the top spot rotating every election, thereby eliminating the frontloading problem — and, in theory, giving the candidates time to mobilize the electorate and spread the Democratic gospel. One more thing: New Hampshire and Iowa would lose their privileged positions.

"One disadvantage people have thrown out at me is, ‘Candidates would have to travel all over the country,’" Grossman says. "The answer is, this is about being president of the United States. If you want to be president, you’ve got to show that you can make it everywhere, and you’ve got to show that you can do it month after month."

It’s a compelling argument — but inertia can be a tough thing to overcome. Time will tell if the would-be Democratic reformers have the courage of their convictions.

[TayTay]

6. Clearly ,they have to do something

If it keeps going the way it is, the Iowa caucuses will wind up taking place on New Year's Day and NH will have it's primary on Jan. 2nd. This is madness.

I think they need to push these back till March. (Okay, late Feb.) The friggin window is too friggin long. And Front-loading the primaries was a disaster. I hate it. I like the longer process that results in a nominee in May (at the earliest.) It's better for the candidate and the Party.

[whometense]

7. I agree. It's getting silly.

There has to be a way to make it more rational.

On a side-note, look what the Carpetbagger has to say today:

In Virginia, Gov. Mark Warner (D) seems far more interested in running for president than the Senate, but a new Rasmussen poll suggests Warner could beat incumbent Sen. George Allen (R) next year. The poll shows Warner leading Allen, 48% to 44%. If Warner does not challenge Allen, and nearly everyone believes he will not, and no other top-tier Dem emerges unexpectedly, Allen is expected to win re-election fairly easily. Both Allen and Warner are considered likely presidential candidates in 2008.

I seriously hope someone's going to try to bash talk some sense into Warner. If the repugs can play ugly with Katherine Harris, surely a little dem hardball can be played on this front. For the good of the nation.

[TayTay]

8. OMG! Take out Barfbag?

I'm so in. I'll do anything if Warner takes on Allen, I'll walk his dog, clean his toilets, wash his car, ahm, make phone calls (gulp)

Someone has to talk to that boy. Maybe get him up to Nantucket for a nice luncheon, a good ride on a speedboat and some offers of cash. (And e-mail support and ahm, cash.)

Be still my beating heart. Thanks Whome! Take out Barfbag, for the good of the nation. Pleae don't let that ignoramous occupy his seat one second longer than necessary.

I'm such a happy camper now.

[JohnKleeb]

9. Ha how do you think I am gonna feel?

George Allen is a douche and a possible presidential candiate.

[TayTay]

10. Crap, Warner doesn't need cash, right

Okay, maybe just have lots of Big Dems call him and plead with him to run for Barfbag's seat. (Pretty please with sugar on top?)

Oh Kleeb, I'm a non VA voter and I can't stand this guy. I will light candles for you the next time I pass a church. I don't know how you put up with this guy as your Sen. My deepest sympathies.

[JohnKleeb]

11. Well there are other things to life than politics, thats how I deal

Warner on his own is a wealthy guy. Allen is just about the worst senator this state has had IMO since the Segerationist Father and Son Harry Byrds. Elmo Zumwault, Kerry's supreme commanding officer in Vietnam and the man who gave him the Silver Star ran against him in the 70s interestingly enough, another interesting thing about Adm Zumwault is that he lived in Arlington and my dad I believe knew him or something like that. I want him to run for that seat too honestly, another name you hear who may run if Warner doesnt is a retired general, Claudia Kennedy who was an early backer of Kerry for President in 2004.

[TayTay]

12. Warner and Warner

Allen beat Robb in '00, right? And Warner is up in '08? So it could get real interesting in VA real fast.

All the best. Anyone who stand a chance of taking out Allen has my vote. I don't know why, what with all the vile Rethugs in Congress, but he is the one who just rubs me the wrong way. I can't stands 'em.

[JohnKleeb]

13. Yeah lemme anser

Yes, Allen beat Robb in 2000, story is that a large part of it had to with Robb getting a late or no endorsement from former Governor L. Douglas Wilder who I believe now is the Mayor of Richmond. Yes, John Warner is up in 2008 and I hear he might retire, if he does, I dont know who will run, perhaps Kilgore if Kaine beats him this time, I know my congressman, Wolf wont run for Governor since he like Kerry is a big focuser on international relations, Tom Davis wont run since hes part of the GOP congressional leadership and oddly enough is too moderate to win a Virginia Gubertornal primary as he is more liberal than most virginia republicans on choice, envnironment, and guns. I dont know about the Reps in the other part of the state. To tell you the truth from what I see, theres a little schism in the Virginia State Republican Party between the Kilgore(Republican Nominee for Governor)/Bolling(Lt Governor Candidate) and people like Russell Potts who is the Indepedent Republican running for gnovernor. People like Potts are more socially liberal and are willing to support tax increases. Another person who was like this but a conservative on social issues was Sean Counnington, a key Prince William County Republican who lost his bid for Lt Governor and had the backing of Davis. I think what we have to do if we want Virginia to go blue ultimately is get those Republicans who are pragmatic on taxes to support us if the schism continues.

[MH1]

4. This is good to see.

When I first found JK's Keeping America's Promise PAC website, I noticed that he specifically mentioned the VA governor's race as a priority for this year.

Unfortunately, earlier this year the Raising Kaine folks were posting some pretty nasty (and juvenile) bashes of Kerry. I posted in a comment over there that they might not want to do that since it seemed Kerry was going to be helping their guy.

I don't know if the bashes stopped right away because I never go over there. But it's interesting that now they are all too happy to promote Kerry coming to help their guy (now that Kaine has been losing in the polls.)

Sorry if I sound a little bitter. But the way they were acting was stupid stupid stupid, and I still haven't forgiven them.

Meanwhile, I was a little worried because I didn't see anything JK was doing to fulfill his promise. Unlike some of the left blogosphere, though, I don't assume that something isn't happening just because I don't see it. Still, I'm glad now that he's doing something visible.

[JI7]

14. raisingkaine site has been bashing Kerry horribly

it looks so much like Kaine's official site that i was shocked at first. then i thought it was probably an anti kaine parody set up by republicans. but it seems to be a real dem site though not officially linked to Kaine.

but Kaine himself has been pretty critical of Kerry. not real criticisms but stupid things like complaining about windsurfing and other repeating of right wing talking points.

but this is also an example of why i like Kerry. he doesn't let these things get in the way of doing the right thing which is getting Kaine elected in Virginia. and he has always been like this.

[JohnKleeb]

15. I appreciate Kerry doing this

It speaks well of him and believe me this Virginia voter appreciates it. Yeah I saw Kaine do that, hes a conservative dem like Warner is but is regarded as being more liberal than Warner.

[JI7]

16. it is Virginia so kind of understandable

we can't even be sure Warner would have won last time around if there weren't problems for the Republican Governor then.

yeah, Kaine is seem as more liberal than Warner which is good. i'm sure Kerry sees this also.

[JohnKleeb]

17. Yeah oddly enough its on social issues

Where Warner is more pro choice than Kaine but Kaine has done stuff for the ACLU and hes anti death penalty. You mean the problems that Gilmore had? yeah I think thats part of what helped Warner in my opinion, Earley wasnt a great candidate either, Warner himself helped too by doing a lot of work in the southwestern part of the state. Yeah, I can kinda see why Kaine is distancing himself from Kerry and the national democratic party thus since Virginia Democrats and Virginians as a whole are more conservative than you or I.