Posted on 11/07/2010 2:11:26 PM PST by Senator Goldwater
RICHMOND - After two straight years of crushing electoral defeats, Virginia Democrats know they need to do something to start winning again - they're just not sure what.
Some party leaders and activists say Democrats should keep the focus on the same policies, but also must do a better job of communicating.
"I think the problem is the message is not getting out,'' said C. Richard Cranwell, the outgoing chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia. "We've got to overcome the disconnect."
Others say Democrats need to concentrate more on policies that Republicans have been advocating: creating jobs and cutting spending.
"If you talk about issues, the rest will take care of itself,'' state Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Richmond) said.
But all of them insist that Democrats will return to prominence in a state where for decades, political power has tilted back and forth between the two major parties. The Democrats just need to figure out how to get voters enthusiastic enough to go to the polls on Election Day and, more importantly, to vote for their candidates.
"Back in 2008, people were wrong to write the obituary of the Republican Party,'' House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry) said. "And they're wrong to write the obituary of the Democratic Party now."
Last week, Republicans toppled three members of Congress and nearly defeated a fourth, leaving Democrats with just three of the state's 11 House seats.
Tuesday's election came a year after Republicans swept all three statewide races - governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general - and picked up six seats in the House of Delegates. Virginia Democrats' only remaining base of power is the state Senate, and all of those seats are up for grabs in November 2011.
But the party's problems in Virginia are larger than electoral losses.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
“”I think the problem is the message is not getting out,’’ said C. Richard Cranwell, the outgoing chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia. “We’ve got to overcome the disconnect.”
Your disconnect is with reality. We do not want your ideology imposed upon us.
The most you can do is cooperate with our path to the future which does involve energy development and new technologies but also involves using our resources which until now have been placed off limits. We need hard-headed rational development and not some airy-fairy Green religion cloaked as morality.
We need healthcare available for those who need it, the poor, the unemployed, the sick. We do not need the hideously corrupt and bloated bill you passed. We need competition to force rates down.
We do not need a welfare state. We need jobs.
We do not need an ever expanding bloated federal government. We need efficiency in a downsized government personnel base and less relience on rafts of regulations that drive corporations overseas.
We need a lot, but not what you offer. Your ideology is the offspring of Statist engineering in the 19th and early 20thC that failed.
Usually at this juncture they just start calling people "racists" and other vile names.
I’m becoming an activist against Webb should he run again.
Nastiest, meanist man in the and so are all the people who work in his Virginia Beach office.
I don't think so - the message did get out loud and clear - and people didn't agree with it.
Earth to Demonrats: The message is getting out. Keep sending it.
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Disaster Presided Over |
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Clin Ton |
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Clin Ton |
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“W” Landslide |
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(2005–2009) |
Great Recession |
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Obamanation, |
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2010 Losses! |
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“”I think the problem is the message is not getting out,’’ said C. Richard Cranwell, the outgoing chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia”
But the message IS getting out loud and clear. The democrats want a government that has total control over the populace beginning on what foods they are forced to eat right down to who lives or dies.
I have to say that Robb was a gentleman, even though a dem. He was completely at ease with the GOP constituents as well as the dems.
That was in another era. Now the whole bunch of dems are nothing more than Bolsheviks.
Webb is simply an opportunist much like a cockroach invading the kitchen.
Cranwell is no outsider. He was a 30-year veteran of the House and Majority Leader for 8 years and Minority Leader after the Dems lost their majority in 2000.
His boy, Governor Kaine, FAILED totally.
No way it was a problem with us understanding those people.
The Fairfax comparison is hardly apt. If Maryland were as Conservative as Fairfax County the Democrats would not have a stranglehold on the state.
No, no... I get what you’re saying. I just wanted to make it clear this guy was a big part of the Dem power structure (indeed, he spent all those years in the House hoping to make Speaker until the GOP took it away). He did luck out with having some big gains on his watch as VA Dem Chairman (both Senate seats, the Governorship in ‘05, Zero in ‘08 and the State Senate), but now that it’s trending back to us, he obviously isn’t happy.
Yup... they tell us we haven’t heard them.
I guess they will need to hear from us in VA in 2011.
Maybe they’ll get the message then.
The one who’s really interesing to watch is Warner...not to long ago hailed as presidential quality, he has kept a very low profile during this campaing season..and may be regretting his vote for Obamacare..he refused to take the DSCC job..
Let’s hope he develops terminal depression and sighs and heaves his way into oblivion. Hate to have a guy like that wander into the State House wearing a suicide belt or something ~ so typical of the Democrat party’s allies in AlQaida.
Maryland is a disgrace, but at least my corner of it down here in Southern Maryland was blazing red.
Ret. marine Charles Lollar beat Steny Hoyer 57-43% in Calvert County. We also went 52-48% for Eric Wargotz over Barbara Mikulski. Also, we ousted an NEA tool Sue Kullen for a Democrat state delegate and replaced her with a small businessman conservative Republican Mark Fisher, and all five County Commissioners were Republican. Also, Erhlich won over O’Malley down here, as he did in 22 other counties.
But as usual, Montgomery, PG and Baltimore City carried the state as they always do:
Off a cliff.
Blaming the messenger and not the message has always been a mistake.
“I’m becoming an activist against Webb should he run again.
Nastiest, meanist man in the and so are all the people who work in his Virginia Beach office.”
I’ll amen that. I, too, plan to be an activist when that guy comes up for re-election in 2012. I want him defeated.
I also want Warner defeated. Those two voted for the Obama agenda.
“Some party leaders and activists say Democrats should keep the focus on the same policies, but also must do a better job of communicating.
“I think the problem is the message is not getting out,’”
Seems to me that their message did FINALLY get out, and the people rejected socialism. They are welcome to scream their message even louder in 2 years...and, of course, we’ll be happy to help them.
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