Today, the three co-founders of the "Draft James Webb" movement (Lee Diamond, Josh Chernila, Lowell Feld) are announcing their support of former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe for governor of Virginia. Here are statements from each of us.Josh Chernila
Nature abhors a vacuum, and Terry McAuliffe entered this race as a force of nature. He quickly developed a powerhouse campaign based on his well-honed media skills, fundraising expertise, and surprising understanding of Virginia issues. Most importantly, Terry came out with a real message, easy to understand and comprehend. McAuliffe has a solid grasp of issues, takes strongly progressive stands and is able to both communicate and fund his message.
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We need to stay focused on victory in November not just in retaining the Governor's Mansion, but in purging George Allen's Roadblock Republicans from the House of Delegates. Pragmatic progressivism requires that Democratic electoral victory and progressive legislative accountability remain at the forefront. For us to continue on the path to our Enduring Progressive Majority in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we need to make tough, pragmatic decisions and build on excellence to achieve victory. Terry has the message, the campaign, and the perspective to make this November a resounding victory for Virginia and for Virginia Democrats.
Lee Diamond
I started out this election cycle with a strongly negative view of Terry McAuliffe. (FYI, I've been an Obama supporter from day one.) I shared some of the attitudes that have been aired recently on the blogs. However, I was pleasantly surprised when McAuliffe visited Danville, VA, where I was volunteering for the Obama campaign. His ability to engage an audience is undeniable. He can come on strong, but I observed with my own eyes his great passion and desire to reach out to people. The guy loves politics. As I wrote (archived at Raising Kaine) at the time, his knowledge of health care and other issues was impressive. He has not spent all his time over the years merely raising money. He is very smart and he has a real interest in policy. I've seen him give cogent answers to questions on a number of occasions. It is clear to me that he has the drive to be a winning candidate. A huge plus for me is the fact that he is not strongly connected to Richmond. My judgment is that he is not only the best candidate for Governor, but also a superb person to make the do nothing House of Delegates a prominent issue in the general election campaign.
Lowell Feld
In September 2008, I had the opportunity to sit down with Terry McAuliffe and ask him every question I could think of. Having gone in to the meeting highly skeptical (largely based on what I'd read about Terry on the blogs), I emerged highly enthusiastic about Terry not only as an engaging, smart, determined, focused, positive person, but also as a surprisingly strong pragmatic progressive with a working-class, populist streak. I also emerged with the confidence that if Terry McAuliffe is selected by voters as the Democratic nominee for governor, he will run a strong race not only for himself, but also for Democratic candidates all around the Commonwealth. In fact, Terry declared, he planned on running a coordinated campaign "the likes of which Virginia has never seen before." That encouraged me greatly, since - as we all know (and as I have observed since founding Raising Kaine in January 2005) - without control of the State Senate and House of Delegates, a Democratic governor can be stymied at almost every turn. We also have the urgent matter of redistricting in 2011 to consider. As a consequence, it is crucial we keep control of the governor's mansion this November, and I left that September meeting with the strong belief that Terry McAuliffe is the person most likely to accomplish that goal.
Since September, I have watched as Terry McAuliffe has run a positive campaign on the issues that matter to people, and now on his "business plan" for Virginia's future (the first chapter, released yesterday, was a strong, progressive, and comprehensive energy strategy for the Commonwealth). I've seen a man focused relentlessly on the economy and "jobsjobsjobs," but also with an understanding that you can't have a strong economy without the high quality of life that attracts individuals and businesses to Virginia. That means ensuring that Virginia continues to be the "best managed state in the nation." It means investing in education and emerging industries like "clean tech." It means maintaining (and improving) the level of infrastructure and services in our Commonwealth. And it means bringing people together to achieve results for all of us, not just for the rich and powerful. I have confidence that Terry McAuliffe is the best person to accomplish all of those things.
Finally, let me just say that although I like both Brian Moran and Creigh Deeds personally, I also believe that it's time for a governor who's not been part of "Richmond" most of their adult lives. I believe it's time for positive change (in tone and content) in Virginia's capital, and in my opinion, Terry McAuliffe can deliver that change. You might be thinking, "what, Terry McAuliffe as a CHANGE AGENT?" I agree, that appears counterintuitive at first glance, but I've closely watched Terry (and Brian and Creigh) for months now, and have concluded that it makes a great deal of sense. For instance, consider that Terry McAuliffe is wealthy enough that he not only can, he actually HAS, refused campaign contributions from Dominion Power (as long as Dominion opposes Terry's proposed mandatory, 25% Renewable Portfolio Standard). Not being reliant on or beholden to powerful corporate interests? Now that's the kind of change I can believe in! :)
