Current mood:	chipper
Entry tags:	democrats:obama, elections:2005, virginia

Political Fundraisers ROCK
So last night I met up with girlfromsouth and evileconboy for a Tim Kaine fundraiser in Arlington, which just happened to have a very special guest:

Yes, that's right, our governor's race this year is so important, they brought out the Democratic Party Rock Star. (Hell, the other party is bringing out President Bush for their fundraiser tonight, that's how important it is.)



Me and Lacy got to the Clarendon Ballroom about 15 minutes before the event was scheduled to start, and the place was already packed. There was a great energy from the crowd, probably because the crowd was mostly mid-20's to early 30's... and had probably started drinking before they got there, like me. Heh.

The first speaker was my beloved Congressman, Jim Moran.



Jim talked about how much is at stake right now, between the Patriot Act being renewed, the DC/VA base closures, the Supreme Court nominees, the threat to abortion, etc. It was beautiful and got the crowd incredibly fired up.

[Oh, and Jim? I still don't know how you managed to gerrymander me & Reston into your Arlington/Alexandria district (because seriously, look at the map!) but I am so very grateful. I've seen you speak before & this was the best speech by a mile. Congrats!]

Next, Rep Bobby Scott joined Jim Moran on the stage.



I'm ashamed to admit I didn't even know what Bobby Scott looked like until last night. (And yeah, I know you can't really see him on stage in this pic because my camera skillz suck, but check his website.) Bobby continued on with Jim's main message: how much we have at stake, how much progress we've made in Virginia these past couple years, and how hard we've got to fight to hold onto this progress. Good stuff.

And then... the man himself came out.



Okay, everyone went CRAZY. It was like Jesus had come out on the stage, for real. But the best part? Obama deflected all the hero-worship masterfully, talking about ranking 99th in the Senate, how he spent his first day sharpening pencils, how he's just a simple guy with a funny name etc etc folksy cakes. Instead of it coming across as fake & pandering (like when Dubya tries it), this routine came cross as endearing and genuine. Probably because we all know Dubya grew up the privileged son of a powerful Old Money New England family, whereas Obama didn't.

I can't even remember what Obama said, because it was all kind of a blur, but I remember how it made me feel - PROUD TO BE A DEMOCRAT. There's nothing but hope and positivity coming out of that man. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Oh! And he joked at Lacy, who went "whoo-hoo!" at the wrong moment. It's a strange thing to be proud of, but there you go. ;)

Throughout the short speech, Obama kept bringing it back to what's been accomplished in Virginia with Mark Warner and Tim Kaine the past 4 years. Our state was almost bankrupt after 8 years of Republican leadership - now? We've got the 3rd lowest unemployment rate, we've got a budget surplus, and we've been voted one of the best-governed states in the country. That's no thanks to the greedy republicans but all due to the Warner/Kaine leadership.



Thanks for reminding us, Obama! Best of all, he presented Tim Kaine with a $10,000 check from his own PAC. How fabulous is that?

Finally, Tim Kaine came out. Now I have to be honest - until last night, I didn't know a whole lot about Kaine & couldn't have given you many reasons to really *want* to vote for him, other than "he's not Kilgore". Now, I'm definitely convinced. Tim is a genuine, solid candidate - a former missionary, a civil-rights attorney, and the son-in-law of the first "technically Republican" (as in, non-Dixiecrat) governor of Virginia, who helped bring integration to the schools and neighborhoods. Awesome.

I was most impressed that Tim stayed afterwards for a long time, shaking hands and talking to attendees. When I muscled my way up to the front & shook his hand, he was very polite and even asked my name. Awww, I feel so special now. Hey, look!



Lacy and Tim! (No, Tim's not that short, she's just that tall. 4" heels and all. *g*)

We were so impressed by the event last night, me & Lacy went and joined the Arlington Young Democrats. They were nice enough to let me join even though technically I'm not an Arlingtonian & live out in the wilderness of Reston. But we have the same Congressman, so I'm kind of a kindred spirit.



Only Lacy could make signing up for a political group look that sexy. Hee!