Health Care Reform Hits the Airwaves

The AARP has released a new ad on television news networks supporting health care reform now. Very good ad in support of the plan President Obama is working to get his Congress to push through.

YouTube Video (AARP Ambulance Ad):
http://bit.ly/keRVZ

President Obama Coming To Southwest Virginia

President Obama will come to Southwest Virginia next Wednesday, July 29th, as part of his push for health care reform.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs noted to reporters this morning in an off-camera briefing, "I don’t know if there’s any TV plans," Gibbs said. "We travel again on Wednesday. We’ll go through this in the (discussion of the) week ahead this afternoon but we have stops in Raleigh, North Carolina, and southwestern Virginia . . . It’s health care."

No further details have been released as of yet.

Stay tuned for more!

UPDATE 7/25 1:50AM : President Obama is scheduled to visit Bristol, VA for a townhall meeting on Wednesday, part of his push for health care reform.

New Email from Deeds Camp Notes McD's Weaknesses

Justin --

I wanted you to be the first to know: I just learned that Bob McDonnell will begin running ads across Virginia starting in the next 48 hours.

McDonnell and the RNC are worried. Instead of a lead, he finds himself behind in the polls, and struggling in all areas of the state.

His back is against the wall and now he's got to remake his record to try and convince voters he's a moderate. But his record shows otherwise, and we need to set the record straight to Virginia voters.

That's why we've set a goal of raising $100,000 online by the June 30 fundraising deadline. I know it’s an ambitious goal, but we need to make sure we expose Bob McDonnell for who he really is.

Contribute today to help Creigh raise $100,000 by June 30 to set the record straight on Bob McDonnell.

Who is Bob McDonnell? Well, we know he's charismatic. We know he's a capable fundraiser and candidate. But most importantly, we know that Bob McDonnell is wrong on almost every issue that’s important to working-class Virginians.

Bob McDonnell opposes a forward-thinking energy policy. He opposes an additional $125 million of unemployment benefits for laid off Virginia workers. He opposes stem cell research to find cures that will help Virginia families. And he opposes a woman's right to choose – even in cases of rape and incest.

Bob McDonnell has an extreme social and economic agenda. You and I know that. But Creigh needs your help to make sure voters all across the Commonwealth know, too.

I guarantee you that these new ads will not expose any of these facts.

Donate to our campaign today to make sure we have the resources we need to take on Bob McDonnell.

These ads, and McDonnell's whole campaign, will be well-funded by out-of-state interests and the national Republican party. These are the same people who led the fight for the agendas of Gilmore, Bush and McCain.

Our primary was crucial. Creigh emerged out of the primary a stronger candidate, and we built a powerful grassroots campaign to support him.

But we had to spend every penny we had to win, while Bob McDonnell stockpiled more than $4.9 million in his campaign coffers.

That financial advantage is allowing him to go up on the air this week. We must respond.

Help us show Virginians the real Bob McDonnell. Contribute to our $100,000 end of quarter goal today!

Thank you for all your help. Together, we can ensure Virginians make an informed decision in November.

Thanks,

Joe Abbey
Campaign Manager
Deeds for Virginia

Insiders in McAuliffe Camp Hinted At "Major Endorsement" Same Day as WashPost Endorsed Deeds

After a crazy primary season, we finally ended up with a winner Tuesday night, with Deeds crushing Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran, even in their own hometowns and precincts. The Washington Post endorsement of Deeds on May 22nd catapulted him above McAuliffe and Moran in the polls, far above any margin of error.

Insiders on the McAuliffe campaign say that emails and conference calls throughout May hinted at a "major endorsement" coming soon for the campaign. And they spoke very highly every day about a major endorsement that would put them over the top up until the day of the Washington Post endorsement, May 22nd, with the last round of hinting. After the endorsement was released by the Washington Post as an online story before the print edition went into circulation, all talk was hushed from the top down about any major endorsement.

The McAuliffe campaign was counting on the Washington Post endorsement since, as we all watched, it would probably put someone above the rest in the polls. Internal polling throughout May leading up to the WashPo endorsement in the McAuliffe camp showed his numbers dropping while Deeds and Moran both rose, Deeds with a slightly higher clip. This was also proven in public polls before the endorsement.

Raising A Governor's Debate

It's hard enough sitting down months in advance planning a debate for the Democratic candidates for governor of Virginia. It's even harder when, one month before said debate is supposed to be happening, you start to find out about numerous other debates around the same time.

We are looking for a few good.....gubernatorial candidates. As we find out about other gubernatorial debates in April, we would like to push for our own.

The Southwest Virginia Young Democrats, swvayd.com, are planning a gubernatorial debate for Saturday, April 25th at 7pm in the John S. Battle High School Auditorium in Bristol, VA. We've asked all the campaigns to attend our debate, and we're still waiting on all the okays. Let's make it a bit more enticing, shall we?

Statewide television media have been invited and some have already agreed that they will be present, and C-SPAN has been invited to cover the event live. Two other stations that cover Southwest VA have also agreed to tape the debate and show it numerous times on local channels in its entirety. The questions have been submitted by citizens, or homefolk, of Southwest VA, so you(the candidates) know you're able to respond directly to the public's questions. On-site attendance for the debate, which will be publicized immensely, is expected to top 700. This number does not include the 300, 000+ people in the Tri-Cities television market, which includes Southwest Virginia.

The SWVA Young Democrats have been working for months to ensure a successful Democratic gubernatorial debate, and we would greatly appreciate if all three candidates running for the Democratic nomination would agree to participate in our debate. This debate will also be used to generate more interest in the Young Democrats, as our charter covers the entire 9th Congressional District.

I'm Back!

Finally, after months of contracts and NDA's, I'm able to write in my blog again. Let's start it right off:

President Obama is doing something that President Bush never did except on the campaign trail: conducting town hall meetings to hear regular Americans' thoughts on the economy and the problems facing American families. So in this way, the president can do his work in Washington, but also make sure that the work he's doing is favored by the American public. If it's not, he wants to hear from the people to see what he would need to improve upon.

Obama looks as fired up as he did on the campaign trail, and in many ways, it's like he never left it to begin with. Let's hope it works as Congress tries to pass the stimulus bill.

Town Hall Meeting with Governor Tim Kaine

A Town Hall Meeting with Governor Tim Kaine will be held at Virginia Highlands Community College tomorrow, Saturday the 20th, in the Theatre, which is in the LRC Building, Room 605. Doors will open at 9:30am; the event will start at 10am. No tickets are required. From there we will go to Representative Rick Boucher's campaign office, where Governor Kaine will launch our canvassing event, where we'll go door-to-door to see how people are voting. This is a first-come, first-served event, so be sure to get in early to get a seat.

To RSVP:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs5zjr

Economic Town Hall Meeting At The SWVA Higher Education Center

Top economic advisors with Obama For America, the Campaign For Change, will hold a town hall meeting at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, VA on Monday, August 4th, showcasing how Senator Obama’s economic plan will bring jobs into Southwest Virginia.

Details of the event:

Town Hall Meeting
August 4, 2008
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
2nd Floor West
Suite 240
12pm - 1pm

For more information:

Jon Ginter, Field Organizer, Obama For America
(276) 494-4144

Barack Obama Bristol Campaign Office Open House

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 19th, the Barack Obama campaign will open the Bristol, VA office to the general public with an open house. The office is also doubling as an regional headquarters for the Mark Warner campaign. The open house will run from 10am to 4pm, so feel free to drop by at any point. There will also be a breakfast at Shoney's on Exit 5 with the Bristol, VA Democratic Committee at 9am if you would like to attend that as well.

Info:

Barack Obama Campaign Office Open House
1009 W. State St.
Bristol, VA 24201
10am-4pm

Breakfast @ Shoney's
2066 Lee Hwy.
Bristol, VA 24201
9am-1-am


For those of you not in Bristol, there will also be an office opening up in Castlewood, VA on Saturday. From 10am-2pm at the UMWA Building, right near Pizza Hut.



VOTER REGISTRATION:

If you would like to help with voter registration on Saturday, please come by the Kroger's or the K-Mart in Abingdon at any point during the day. We will have tables set up at each location, registering voters and recruiting volunteers. We definitely need help with this part of the campaign. Voter Registration is key to winning over votes.

Obama For America Organizational Meeting And Training In Bristol

Being newly appointed Southwest Virginia Grassroots Field Organizer for Obama For America :), the news sometimes has to come through me if not by any other channels.

Tomorrow will be the Obama For America Organizational Meeting for Bristol, VA and surrounding towns and locations. Basically, we're going to discuss and train for volunteer opportunities in the Obama campaign in and around Bristol - setting up voter registration drives, GOTV events, organizing rallies and house parties, and much more.

Anyone that wants to volunteer for the Obama campaign should be at the Bristol Public Library at 11:00AM. Other slots are open for you to come at 3:00PM, and also Sunday at 2PM, but we'd like to populate the first as much as possible.


Breakdown:

Obama For America Organizational Meeting & Training
Bristol Public Library
701 Goode St.
Bristol, VA 24201

Saturday, June 21st
11:00AM & 3:00PM

Sunday, June 22nd
2:00 PM



We're expecting a turnout of over 300 volunteers, so it looks to be a fruitful meeting.

Hope to see you there!

Blogging The Town Hall Meeting With Barack Obama: Pictures

An exciting event for a first-time press member, the Town Hall Meeting with Barack Obama was a spectacle even without the candidate. All the pictures are clickable, link to Photobucket, where you can view a larger version of each picture, email them, and more.

Let's start:

The press check-in line:

Me, my press pass, and my voice recorder ready to conquer the day(I was sweating profusely, that's why my hair's all messed up):

Interviewing Rick Boucher beforehand:


The crowd:

Rep. Rick Boucher talking at the podium:

Mark Warner speaking while Obama and Boucher look on:

The traveling Bus Press, all 18 that were sitting up here, were on their laptops:

Barack Obama speaking at the podium:

Barack Obama shaking hands afterwards:

Barack Obama Coming To Bristol, VA!

I would've posted this HOURS ago, but sadly, I was called into work on my day off, and was not able to post about this.

Barack Obama will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting at Virginia High School on Thursday, June 5th at 11:45am. Now, while I have applied for my press credentials, if I am turned down, I already have my ticket for the event, which is required, and I signed up to volunteer at the event. But I'm definitely hoping I can get my press credentials so I can get pictures and video for Virginia Left Wing and Raising Kaine.

So once again, the event will be Thursday, June 5th at 11:45am at Virginia High School in Bristol, VA.

Hope to see you there!

Barack Obama Slams John McCain For Voting Against GI Bill

Thank God for John Edwards!

John Edwards, my original choice for president, has officially endorsed Barack Obama's candidacy. So finally, we have Edwards, Richardson, and Dodd as the former presidential candidates that have endorsed Obama. Edwards and Obama were both noted as the "Change" candidates during the primaries, which made them both stand out. As soon as it was announced that the endorsement would be made, the news networks started the hype again about a possible VP spot for Edwards. I, for one, would love John Edwards as the VP, but I'd be more interested to see Jim Webb in that spot, but that's a story for another post.

What's interesting to note is that John Edwards garnered 7% of the vote in the West Virginia primary yesterday, which means that there's still quite a few citizens that Barack Obama needs to appeal to in order to secure a majority in November.

The SD's Flock To Obama

As Hillary Clinton continues her campaign with her strategy of "It's all about the general election", Barack Obama worries none about the apparent coming victories in Kentucky and West Virginia, saying that she will "most likely" carry those states. And he has no reason to worry, picking up more and more superdelegates, including one previous Clinton backer.

It remains to be seen if the Obama camp will slowly roll these SD's out, or they'll start speeding up the pickups.

Hillary Fords The River

I'm wondering when Hillary Clinton will drop out. After a long night Tuesday waiting in frustration for Lake County's results to come in, the state suddenly became closer than what anyone had thought. It didn't help that Mayor Rudy Clay from Gary, Indiana apparently didn't understand anything about the election process. More so, it didn't help when I woke up this morning and listened to commentary saying Clinton is still pressing on. We've had enough. I'm sure West Virginia and the rest of the states still want to vote for their candidate, but this primary cycle is becoming too tiring.

Listening to her speech today in Indianapolis, she still thinks it's all about the general election against John McCain. I think she needs to focus on her primary election, considering Barack Obama just picked up 4 more all-imporatant superdelegates, including Virginia House of Delegates member Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who switched her support from Clinton.

This Is What I Believe

My name is Justin, and this is what I believe. I believe we need to vote our values and beliefs, rather than vote for the issue/candidate that looks like it could win. I believe in Howard Zinn's quote, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." I believe that friends come and go, but the best ones seem to always stay near to your heart, no matter the distance. I believe that worrying is about as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

I also believe that I was gone from blogging for WAY too long. Last post being in January...of last year. So after I was introduced to Lowell Feld, of RaisingKaine fame, by Brian Patton at a Mark Warner For Senate Campaign Kickoff on Sunday, he proceeded to tell me and Neal Osborne, of Neal2028 fame, that there was no reason why we shouldn't be blogging anymore. This guy basically told us what we needed to hear; that we've been gone for too long and we need to get in the game.


So I'm back. Look for a few changes to come around on the blog finally. No WordPress for me...at least at this point in time. I want my viewership back, but most importantly, I want my ideas heard and discussed.

New Blog Address!

Still the same blog, but cleaner interface. (Thank God!)

So click and go!

Click HERE->>Virginia Left Wing

Blogger Problems

Ok, I haven't posted in a LONG time, mostly due to Blogger Beta, and support has really gone by the wayside.

So if you're wondering, this is Virginia Left Wing, rarely updated, but getting a makeover no one is expecting. So STAY TUNED!

Young Democrats Meeting

The 1st meeting of the Southwest Virginia Young Democrats will be held on Sunday, July 2, 2006 at Los Arcos in Abingdon at 5:00 P.M.

For more information,

http://swvadems.com/young
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jf