VA JJ: "Money Isn't Everything" Or Is It?
RICHMOND -- The trio of Democratic men vying to turn the Virginia gubernatorial election into a hat-trick for the party made their best case to be the nominee last night to 3,000 revelers at the party's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.
Former VA Del. Brian Moran came out swinging, showing a video before his remarks that showcased his more than a decade in VA Democratic politics. The piece went to black, and these words filled the screen, "MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING." Moran never mentioned rival Terry McAuliffe by name, but it was clear whom he was talking about.
"We must decide what our party stands for," Moran said in his speech, before taking a swipe at McAuliffe. "Will our party be dominated by big money and those who raise it? Or will we be the party of the people?"
Moran wasn't finished. "Mark [Warner] and Tim [Kaine] didn't just show up when it was easy and the battles had already been won," he said, referring to the state's last two governors. "They were here when it was hard to be a Virginia Democrat."
"It's one thing to say" you'll govern like the pair, he continued. "It's another to have fought the Republicans, each and every day, for the Warner-Kaine agenda."
Moran's remarks at once drew the largest applause of the night, as well as - when things got negative - the night's only boos, mainly from the McAuliffe side of the room.
Before things kicked off, it was clear that the ex-DNC chair McAuliffe, the formidable fundraiser and national Democratic figure, was hoping to set the table for his campaign at the banquet. McAuliffe signs were plentiful outside and in the Richmond Convention Center, as were his supporters. They packed the 39 tables around the room his campaign bought at the dinner.
McAuliffe was the first to speak. And the campaign video he showed before his remarks took aim at the criticisms he was about to receive from Moran. His voice was almost entirely absent from the video, which was instead filled with dozens of Virginians who told the camera McAuliffe was their man. The unflappable Hillary Clinton cheerleader made it clear that Obama boosters were on his side, too. In the video, a number of people who said they volunteered for Obama said they were now turning their grassroots efforts over to McAuliffe.
His speech didn't strike the combative tone of Moran's. "I'm not going to say anything negative about [state Sen.] Creigh [Deeds] or Brian," he said. "Because I fundamentally believe that any of the three Democratic candidates you hear from tonight will make a better Governor" than the presumptive GOP nominee, Attorney General Bob McDonnell.
Instead, McAuliffe focused on a litany of policy issues, from alternative energy - "Virginia produces about half a million tons of chicken waste each year ... enough to light up about 40,000 homes" - to the word his campaign wants to make synonymous with McAuliffe as the campaign moves forward.
"Pull out your cell phones and text the word 'JOBS'" to the campaign, he said. "So we can stay in touch with you."
Deeds was the last to speak. In 2005, he lost the AG job to McDonnell in what his campaign calls "the closest margin in Virginia history." In his speech, he took a few anonymous jabs at McAuliffe, but mainly said the '05 experience gave him the edge against the GOP candidate.
"Bob McDonnell will run a smart and focused campaign - he will make us work," he said.
(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)
Did you really name this post after that female body part?
It's the way you use money! The way George Bush and GOP spent our money will be characterized by an Era of Irresponsibility, while Obama wants to spend our money wisely and on rebuillding, if the GOP lets him. The awful truth is that One Party has destroyed America while the other Party the Democratic Party wants to restore it.
For instance: If you have a home in which you used your money to spend on alcohol, good times and neglected your roof, your bills, and now your roof is in danger of collapsing because you used your money on good times instead of the upkeep of your home and now the Argument is you are unable to borrow money to fix your roof before it caves in because you used your money foolishly in the past is also recklesslness and neglect on the part of the lender, so they let the roof collapse.
In the Bush years 30 billion was spent in Afghanistan -- 50 billion in Iraq and now Congress wants to say we cannot spend necessary money at home which has so long been neglected? States were given no money in the Bush years and now they still want to keep money out of the States on a fraudulent theory.
It is now time to for Congress to put money back in to the United States and to spend money wisely and not fraudulently, irresponsibly and in the dark as in the Bush years. Obama believes in transparancey, hence you can find the Stimulus package on line for all to see.
GOP say this money will be more of the same. It will not be more of the same. This money will be used for Americans, for jobs, to rebuild for improvement and innovations to improve life not on wars and countries which have nothing to do with American people or on big business who do not need the money.
Bush and the Republicans inherited a Surplus from the Democrats and yet the GOP has created the worst economic crisis ever. The GOP should do the right thing and let money flow back into America again.