I had a chance to sit down with Democratic LG candidate
Mike Signer the other day and was very impressed with his intelligence, passion, and progressive values. Mike has agreed to "live blog" here - answer your questions - at 2 pm this Friday (today). I strongly encourage you to ask whatever's on your mind (on second thought, maybe not WHATEVER is on your mind - lol). Also, I invited other LG candidates to come here and "live blog" as well. Thanks.
I'm Mike Signer, and I'm running for Lieutenant Governor because I actually want to be Lieutenant Governor, instead of using the office as a political stepping-stone or placeholder. This campaign is about you -- it's about Democratic activists, across Virginia, building a viable progressivism on the heels of the victories of leaders like Jim Webb, Barack Obama, Mark Warner, Gerry Connolly, Tom Perriello, and Glenn Nye. It's about turning the office of Lieutenant Governor into a public advocate. It's about moving past the dark days of “old Virginny," taking on the antiquated systems that are failing working Virginians and their families. It's about building a new Dominion now.
From the enthusiasm I've heard about my campaign in dozens of meetings with hundreds of Democratic voters around the Commonwealth, I firmly believe this is the right time for Virginia Democrats to invest in a nominee who represents the new generation of leadership. I believe my experience in Virginia government and as Deputy Counselor to Governor Warner, my achievements as an activist fighting for justice and fairness in Virginia, my work with some of the top progressive policy minds in the country, and over a decade of service as a Virginia Democratic activist and strategist make me that candidate.
I'm running for Lieutenant Governor because I believe the office can play a very active role in increasing opportunity in our economic system, helping to create thousands of new jobs, and taking on predatory practices; pushing our environmental system to the forefront of the country; fulfilling the sacred contract we have with veterans and military families; and fighting for justice and fairness in our democracy by taking on "Old Virginny" institutions like Dillon's rule and Jim Crow-era disenfranchisement laws.
I hope you'll take part in this venture. With your help, we can create a bottom-up movement of Virginians dedicated to the future rather than the past—to creating a new vision for one of Virginia's three constitutional offices, to challenging politics as usual, to creating a viable progressivism in "Blue Virginia," and, finally, to putting Democrats back on the offense this fall.
