in VIRGINIA, Activists Sizzling with Election Fever (Washington Post)

[diamond14]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57266-2004Oct23.html

In Va., Activists Sizzling With Election Fever

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 24, 2004; Page C06

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Across the state, and especially in vote-rich Northern Virginia, thousands of union members, teachers, party activists, churchgoers, veterans and college students will spend the next nine days knocking on doors and punching in telephone numbers in an all-out effort to get their supporters to the polls.

In addition, the AFL-CIO and its member unions have fielded more than 200 people to aid Kerry and the Democratic congressional candidates. State President Daniel G. LeBlanc said they are walking precincts in a program they have dubbed Labor to Neighbor. "We have issue-specific leaflets. We have a conversation with the union member at the door," LeBlanc said. "You can't always get them with the phone. You don't always get them with the mail. That's why we go to the door."

The Democratic get-out-the-vote effort is less centralized through its activists and incumbents, party officials said. The Democrats rely more on the unions, teachers and loose-knit grass-roots groups such as the Virginia Grassroots Coalition, which consists mostly of 2,500 people who don't attend regular party meetings.

Democrats said they identified almost 400,000 supporters during their party's primary campaign in February. And thousands of people across the state have been gathering at informal meet-ups across the state, said Laura Bland, the party's communications director.

[BayCityProgressive]

1. That would be amazing if we win

Virginia, W Virginia, Arkansas, and Colarado this year.

[diamond14]

2. we will KERRY Virginia...so many American Patriots have been

working on this since the primaries.....


we have a Democratic Governor
we have the STRONGEST Democratic Party in years
we have the money
we have the Veterans (so mad about the swiftboat liars, that they have already met their goal of 100,000 Vets for KERRY...the Brotherhood)
we have the Seniors
we have the Environmentalists
we have the draft-age youth
we have the Military Families
we have the "Republicans for Kerry"
we have the "Country before party" campaign

[6th Borough]

3. Let's push the Mason-Dixon line further south this year...

and make sure NC is strongly in play in 2008. Save our coasts! :thumbsup:

I have doubts that South Carolina will ever be competitive in my lifetime...but at least push the blue line south (and west into hill country).

[JolietDem]

4. Awesome!

Invade what the Shrub thinks is his "turf!" That kind of stuff INFURIATES Rove and Cheney and the rest of the thugs...I remember total glee when Dean aired ads in Texas as a "Welcome Home, Mr. President" kick to let Bush know that Dems were going to kick him out this year...now Kerry's going to finish the job, so that Bush can spend all the time in the world on his little ranch....WOOOOO!