Talk Elections

Yes, the former Reagan Naval secretary is running as a Democrat.



http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137833937927&path=!news&s=1045855934842

Great news.

Harris Miller is a horrible candidate with some horrible stances on the issues. Webb will be a huge improvement.

I now think this will be a DEM pick-up.

I won't go that far, but it'll at least make the state interesting.

Allen is still untouchable unless Warner runs.  Webb's a step above Miller in terms of electabity but that'st still not saying much.

Allen 58
Webb 42

From what I've read, Webb will have a lot of grassroots support. VA Democrats are going to give George Allen a pretty good scare in 2006.

As a former member of the Reagan administration and an accomlished veteran, Webb will have a lot of crossover appeal.

Sounds like a decent candidate to force Allen to fight a little for his seat. I still don't expect it to be close though.

Harris Miller would be the Senator from Diebold...

He is worse than Allen IMO.

By the way I called this race for web three months ago.

I hope that Webb wins, but regardless of whether he does or not, I hope that Republicans sink money into this one, causing them to neglect other elections where we can win--except for Rhode Island, that is.  :-D
I hope some polling comes out soon!

Any polling that comes out will show Allen with a huge advantage since only a small percentage of VA voters know who James Webb is.

Wait. People really think this seat is in play? BRTD has his fun with Laffey in RI and now I'm going to have fun with this.

He should give allen a run for his money. I wonder if he could break 45%?

sacrifical lamb.

I don't, but I think he might make the difference between token opposition and no opposition.

the Michigan senate race will be closer than this race

The idea that Webb could win, but Laffey couldn't, is really pretty laughable and puts to lie any serious notion that I am more biased than the vocal Democrats.

Both chances are very slim, however the Webb race in VA (while Allen would win with a decent margin) would be closer a Senate race in RI with laffey as the GOP nominee.

I doubt it. Laffey has low name recognition and neither Democrat got 50% against him (one I recall was 44-29 with tons of undecideds). He's not actually conservative.

I don't know what platform exactly Webb is going to run on, but I'd be surprised if he got 40%.

Keep in mind that the Democrats also have low name recognition, so that argument means little.  Also keep in mind that a primary battle between Chafee vs Laffery could pretty much turn into something along the lines of the independent republican who doesn't like Bush vs the [party line Bush Republican.  their have been little shots hrere & there that Laffey has taken against Chafee regarding Chafee not being in tune with the Republican Party, and things along those lines.  That is something which is only going to pick up and get more heated, which is something that is going to drive Rhode Island voters away from Laffey in droves (other than the hard party line Republicans which make a sup a small population of the state.  In order for Chafee to defeat Chafee in the primary that is what he has to do.  Position himself to the right of Chafee (which he is obviously) & try to point Chafee as being out of touch with the Republican Party.  Problem with this is, it will help him in the Primaries, but bashing someone for not being a ture Republican and positioniing yourself as being more of a Republican than your opponent will destroy him in a state that is not only overwelmingly Democratic (5-2 margin or something along those lines) but has deep deated hatred of the sitting Republican Prsiden.  Bush's #'s in Rhode Island are in the upper 20's with disapproval OVER 70%.  positioning youself as being more of a Republican won't help in a General when the leader of the National republican Party is HATED by the state as a whole

I think this race will be kind of like Specter Vs. Hoeffel exept in VA.

Also I have a feelong that James Webb will only win the Traditionaly Democratic areas of VA and Fairfax and that will be it.

^       ^

How old is Webb though?

I expect Webb to be surprisingly strong in Loudon--the fastest growing (but already lg. unlike many other fast-growing places) county in the nation, but also to pull his weight in SW VA.  And just for fun:
Webb--49.94%
Allen--49.93%
less than 300 vote margin of victory.

Wikipedia

(born February 9, 1946) is a highly decorated Marine officer, Vietnam veteran, former Secretary of the Navy, best-selling author, filmmaker, Emmy Award-winning journalist, and literature professor.

Webb, a native of Saint Joseph, Missouri, attended the University of Southern California on a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship for a year, then transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated in 1968 as a classmate of Dennis Blair and Oliver North.

Webb was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and went on to become one of the most highly decorated Marines of the Vietnam War, receiving the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts. He served with the 5th Marine Regiment in Vietnam as a rifle platoon and company commander. He served in the Marine Corps until 1972.

In 1972, Webb entered the Georgetown University Law Center. He began his writing career while at Georgetown, penning his first book, Micronesia and U.S. Pacific Strategy. He received his J.D. in 1975.

He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and Secretary of the Navy (1987-1988) during the Reagan Administration. He resigned as Secretary of the Navy after refusing to agree to reduction of the Navy's force structure.

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Webb wrote an op-ed piece for USA Today in which he considered the candidacies of John Kerry and George W. Bush from the perspective of military veterans. He criticized both men -- Kerry for his activism against the Vietnam War in the 1970s while affiliated with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and Bush for having "committed the greatest strategic blunder in modern memory" with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. [1]

In late 2005, an internet campaign was started to draft Webb to run for the Senate. On February 7, 2006, he announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for the 2006 Senate race against incumbent Virginia Senator George Allen. [2]

LOL

Double LOL

I'll be LOLing on Election Night when Dems pick up 6-8 Senate seats, possibly (but probably not) including this one.

have you been drinking?

The most we could pick up is likely two or three...and I am conservatively predicting only one net gain in the Senate in the Democrats' favor to guard against unwarranted optimism that -based on past experience- could only lead to crushing heart-breaking disappointment in the general election.  I know because I was guilty of it myself in 2002 and 2004.   

Still, I am pleasantly suprised by Jim Webb's unexpected strength against George Allen.  He will not win, to be sure, but if it causes George Allen some heart-burn in his re-election campaign it's worth it enough for me to go out and vote. 

LOL

Has college introduced you to hard drugs?

Why do you expect the Democrats to be strong in Loudoun?

The county is moving pretty strongly to the left.  It went from 20 points more GOP than the national average in 96, to about 16 points more GOP in 2000 and about 9.5 points more GOP than the national average in 04.  Kaine also won Loudoun County by 5.64% last year (VA went to Kaine by 5.73%).  It is still generally a GOP county, but Dems are picking up major ground.

Allen will still win Loudoun, and the election. Webb is an improvement, but far short of winning material.

Oh really?

It seems that whatever predictions that Walter Mitty and AUH20 make, the opposite happens!!

I also like the Jake comment about Webb not breaking 40%!! LMAO!!

I have to admit that this makes the Republicans here look pretty damn stupid, but George Allen lost this race more than Jim Webb won it, and anyone who predicted that Webb would win without Allen's "macacalypse" was pretty much a hack.

Plus Harry's comment was actually spot on.

whoa........

Bad prediction


Bad prediction


Pretty good prediction.

I was LOLing on Election Night by the way.

Loudon ended up voting for Webb, as well.

My God when these old threads are resurrected I always laugh my ass off.

Now you know why I never, ever make predictions without putting it in context of what is required for it to come true. :P

I think in the case of Virginia all of this is pretty unfair...if Allen hadn't screwed himself over, Webb obviously wouldn't have won. Adding to that, the national climate wasn't as brutal for the GOP then as it had become on election day.

My favorite comment in this bumped thread ;) (yeah, I know, I'm a bad person):

If only Laffey had won the primary. I could have more fun after Goldie predicted a victory by him.