Democracy for Virginia

New Progressive Groups in Fauquier County and Hampton Roads

For those of you who are eager for more opportunities to network with progressive Virginians, two new progressive groups in Virginia have become active lately.

The Progressive Women of Hampton Roads is an exciting new group meeting regularly in the Tidewater area.  Dedicated Dean supporter and DFA activist Linda Brooks of Hampton Roads writes:

This is our second meeting and I hope any women who are out there that want to attend and are progressive and want to put an end to the onslaught of the erosion of women's rights will attend.  If you need more info, please email me at lgb293 (at) aol (dot) com.

Details on next meeting of Progressive Women of Hampton Roads:

Thursday, January 20th
5:30 PM
Steve's Steak House (map)
11847 Jefferson Ave (in the Oyster Point section of Newport News)

And in Fauquier County, a group of progressives have founded the Sunday Supper Club.  The club founders worked together in summer of 2004 to register voters and pass out Kerry/Edwards campaign literature.  They began meeting for pot-luck dinners on Sunday nights in November and December to continue working together to bring about progressive change.  They now meet the second Sunday of every month for pot-luck dinners, conversation, and action.  For more information, visit the Sunday Supper Club Web site.

 

Donate and RSVP - Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue!

Thursday Update: With just three days left before the Turn Virgina Blue Barbecue and Frisbee Golf Tournament, RSVP's are steadily coming in and donations are starting to add up. Please help us to plan for enough food for everyone by RSVPing online today.

Click image above to RSVP!

Our list of honored and special guests has grown tremendously in the past few days! Our honored guests, for which we will be raising money, are four of Virginia's seven Democratic candidates for Congress - Congressman Jim Moran from VA-8, James Socas from VA-10, Ken Longmyer from VA-11, and our Dean Dozen candidate from Virginia, Al Weed from VA-5.

Please show your support for these great candidates for Congress by making a contribution online today to your favorite candidates through our Turn Virginia Blue donations page. Every donation helps with critical outreach, visibility, and GOTV efforts around Virginia, and we know that small donations can add up quickly!

In addition, we are proud that we will be joined by three great candidates for Liutenant Governor of Virginia in 2005 - Delegate Viola Baskerville, former U.S. Congresswoman and State Senator Leslie Byrne, and Delegate Chap Petersen. Kerry Donley, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia will also be joining us at the BBQ.

With all of these great Democratic leaders joining us for our day of fun and fundraising, our most important goal is increasing turnout at the BBQ so more people will be able to meet these great candidates. Please consider asking a friend to join you! The more, the merrier!

After Turn Virginia Blue BBQ: Two Great Parties

Is four and a half hours of fun with your fellow progressive Democrats at the Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue this Sunday not enough political partying for you?

If so, there are three great after-parties that might interest you, two in Northern Virginia and one in Richmond!

The first is our companion Majority Parties house party, sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and hosted by Lynn and Rich in Alexandria. Lynn and Rich's Party to Turn America Blue will be held in Alexandria right after the Turn VA Blue BBQ. Lynn and Rich are planning a relaxing evening, and the house party will feature a conference call with Nancy Pelosi and Al Franken! If you've already contributed to the DCCC through the Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue, you do not need to contribute again to attend Lynn and Rich's party. All are welcome, and don't feel pressure to bring food to both events!

If you're in the Richmond area, Robin is throwing her own Turn Virginia - And Congress! - Blue party on Sunday night. Some people will be driving up for the Turn VA Blue Barbecue and then down home to Richmond for Robin's party. It's going to be a great day!

The other great house party fundraiser on Sunday night will be a wine-tasting house party for Al Weed in Arlington from 5:00 - 7:00 on Sunday. It will feature wine's from Al Weed's own Mountain Cove Vineyards, including his unique fruit wines, including peach, blackberry, and winesap apple wines. I wish I could find a way to be in three places at once!

Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue - Fundraising Update

As of Wednesday evening, we have raised $465 for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for targeted races nationwide, and $510 online for our candidates from Virginia. We've also collected pledges for an additional $900 in checks to come in at the BBQ itself!

You can learn about our great Democratic candidates from Virginia on our Turn Virginia Blue fundraising page There, you can make one secure online contribution that you divide up among your favorite candidates. If you'd prefer, you can take the shortcut below and just type in how much you'd like to give to your favorite candidates. Remember, every donation adds up and makes a big difference - our money will fund critical visibility, outreach, and GOTV efforts in districts around Virginia, driving Democratic voters to the polls in November.

Al Weed	(House, Va.-05)	$
Bobby Scott	(House, Va.-03)	$
Jim Moran	(House, Va.-08)	$
James Socas	(House, Va.-10)	$
Rick Boucher	(House, Va.-09)	$
Jonathan Menefee	(House, Va.-04)	$
David Ashe	(House, Va.-02)	$
Ken Longmyer	(House, Va.-11)	$

After you've donated, please help us to plan for adequate food for everyone by RSVPing online today!

RSVP Today for Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue!

Just over a week remains until our Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue on Sunday, August 29 at Bluemont Park in Arlington.

To help us plan for enough hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers for everyone, we ask that you RSVP today!

Click image above to RSVP!

Special guests who will be attending this event include four great Democratic candidates for Congress from Virginia:Congressman Jim Moran (VA-8), Ken Longmyer (VA-11), James Socas (VA-10), and Virginia's only Dean Dozen candidate, Al Weed from VA-5!

At the barbecue, our Democracy for Virginia Frisbee Golf Tournament will raise money for all Democratic candidates for Congress to help their efforts to Turn Virginia Blue! Even if you cannot attend the barbecue, please give generously if you can! Our Democracy for Virginia/Turn Virginia Blue fundraising page allows you to donate to your choice of worthy candidates around the state with just one secure online transaction. Donating through this page gives "credit" to Democracy for Virginia for helping to support Democratic candidates from Virginia - please consider using it when you support our candidates in Virginia!

We look forward to a big crowd - please help us to plan by RSVPing online today. We WILL Turn Virginia Blue this year!

Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue - plans underway!

Plans are underway for Democracy for Virginia's Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue on Sunday, August 29 in Arlington. We need the help of all local Democracy for Virginia supporters to pull off an event of this size - there are many opportunities to get involved with outreach to other groups, publicity, organizing potluck side dishes and desserts, leading volleyball, kickball, and other games, and volunteering to help with the Frisbee Golf Classic.

Congressman Jim Moran (VA-8), Ken Longmyer (VA-11), James Socas (VA-10) and Al Weed (VA-5) are all confirmed to be attending the event, and we are hoping to hear from other invited special guests soon! To get involved in planning the event, please email maura (at) democracyforvirginia.com.

Please click the image above for more information and to RSVP!!!

90 Years Old and Voting for the First Time this November: Why Re-Defeat Bush Works

Geri Weis-Corbley from Manassas, our favorite grassroots documentary videographer from the Dean campaign, shared this inspiring story with Democracy for Virginia about her efforts, through ReDefeatBush, to register women to vote before November.

The highlight of my post-Dean political activities was the the moment when I talked to a 90 year-old African-American woman and registered her to vote.

I was participating in a calling party for ReDefeatBush using my cell phone to call unregistered citizens in the swing state of Pennsylvania. Her name was Tiny Taylor and she lived in a mostly-Democratic district in Philadelphia. As I filled out the registration form for her, I entered her birth date, September 12, 1914. She told me she doesn't like Bush at all, saying, "He stole the election."

Before saying goodbye to her, I spoke with her niece who promised to get Tiny to the polls in November. I said goodbye and reminded them, "All you need to do is sign the form and pop it in the mail."

According to their Web site, "ReDefeatBush.com is a political action committee whose goal is to register one million new Democratic voters in swing states. We organize weekly events across the country at which volunteers register voters in battleground states by telephone."

We, in Northern VA, are lucky to live in one of only a few areas where ReDefeatBush offers this excellent opportunity to make a difference. If you want to do something meaningful, join ReDefeatBush and help register a million voters in swing states. If you don't like calling people, you can write letters instead, all in an environment that offers good food, good beer, and friendship. Joe Trippi is pitching in this week and here are a variety of ways that you can too.

Click for extended copy to learn about details of upcoming opportunities to get involved with ReDefeatBush. If you have participated in a ReDefeatBush calling party, please share your experiences in comments!