An Invitation from Our Chair
Care lots about our community? Deeply concerned about the quality of leadership here, in our Commonwealth, and in our nation? Believe that individual citizens can make a difference? That local, grassroots politics is the most rewarding, most effective...and most fun? If so, we’d love to welcome you to the work — and fellowship — of our Staunton Democratic Committee.
We’re a group of committed volunteers — diverse in backgrounds but united in purpose — with an agenda: to work together to nominate, elect to office, and support representatives and leaders whose visions for our community, state and nation we share.
When folks lament to you, as they surely do, that so few citizens seem to take an active part in our democratic process, they usually mean our sorry record of voter turnout. But that’s not the most important issue: an infinitesimally smaller percentage take part in the week-to-week, month-to-month grassroots work that results, eventually, in the names that appear on those ballots.
Grassroots political activism can be demanding: up at 5 am to be passing out sample ballots when the polls open at 6; making phone calls to rouse out the Democratic vote; driving needy folks to the polls, volunteering at our Headquarters, addressing envelopes, helping with fund raising...and more and more. But we all have special skills and abilities: there is a task, a responsibility and a reward for everyone.
And our work has made a huge difference! We've replaced both former Republican Senators with immensely popular and effective moderates: Jim Webb and Mark Warner. And, with scores and scores of local volunteers, we won Staunton...and Virginia...and the country!...for Barack Obama: a President whom many of us consider the best of our lifetimes.
This year we're working to bring the same much-needed Change to Richmond as well. Creigh Deeds, a Bath County neighbor who long represented part of Augusta County in the House of Delegates, will continue, as Governor, the informed, balanced and responsible policies of Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. We'll be working for him, and for our Democratic candidates for Lt Governor and Attorney General, just as hard as we worked for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
But the centrist policies of Governors Warner and Kaine, and of the current Democratically-led Virginia Senate, have been adamantly opposed by the ultra-conservative, Republican led, House of Delegates. In Staunton, we are working this summer and autumn to bring home one of the most ideologically committed of these self-described “conservatives”: 20th district incumbent Chris Saxman. As Staunton's and Augusta County's moderates evaluate Delegate Saxman's sorry record through four terms in Richmond, they will, with our support, see Erik Curren, our Democratic candidate in this race, as a much truer representative of our Valley values.
Join us in this important work! We Staunton Democrats meet on the second Tuesday of every month, at 7 pm in the City Council chambers of City Hall at 116 W. Beverley street. And our year-round joint Augusta/Staunton Democratic Headquarters at 2507 N. Augusta street is currently open each Saturday morning...but will have almost daily hours as the November election nears.
The headquarters phone # is 213-1999.
Mine is (540) 290-3464.
Get involved! This is the year! Let’s go!
Bob Dickerman
Chair, Staunton Democratic Committee
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
About Us
Staunton, Virginia has an active and vital Democratic community. As the nation swings back to political sanity, it finds us already there - clear-eyed, rational, and ready to do the work of responsible citizenship.
If you support government that serves the public interest by ensuring that each person is treated equally under the law, that no person is abandoned to ignorance, starvation, homelessness, or health catastrophe, that each citizen serves as a conscientious member of our democracy, and that our nation should engage the world as a strong, reliable ally with like-thinking nations - as a beacon of hope , and ardent defender of human rights - then we invite you to join the Democratic Party of the United States of America, and as a registered voter in Staunton, Virginia, to serve on our committee.
The Staunton Democratic Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month, in the Staunton City Council Chambers (Check this page for any changes to this schedule).
Our mission is to find prospective candidates to run as Democrats for offices in which Staunton is a constituency, raise money for Democratic candidates, and work for their election.
Along the way, we try to have as much fun as possible, and to keep up a lively dialogue with our candidates and officeholders.
Given the prevailing Republican environment in our region, the Shenandoah Valley, we have an uphill battle to gain more for our constituency. So we need your help!
It's easy. Just come to one of our meetings, and sign up!
Remember, government begins with the local party committees. If we don't stay informed, vote, and serve our electoral process - to do the work of citizenship, we will fail to get a high quality government that delivers the great and beautiful promise of America.
If you support government that serves the public interest by ensuring that each person is treated equally under the law, that no person is abandoned to ignorance, starvation, homelessness, or health catastrophe, that each citizen serves as a conscientious member of our democracy, and that our nation should engage the world as a strong, reliable ally with like-thinking nations - as a beacon of hope , and ardent defender of human rights - then we invite you to join the Democratic Party of the United States of America, and as a registered voter in Staunton, Virginia, to serve on our committee.
The Staunton Democratic Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month, in the Staunton City Council Chambers (Check this page for any changes to this schedule).
Our mission is to find prospective candidates to run as Democrats for offices in which Staunton is a constituency, raise money for Democratic candidates, and work for their election.
Along the way, we try to have as much fun as possible, and to keep up a lively dialogue with our candidates and officeholders.
Given the prevailing Republican environment in our region, the Shenandoah Valley, we have an uphill battle to gain more for our constituency. So we need your help!
It's easy. Just come to one of our meetings, and sign up!
Remember, government begins with the local party committees. If we don't stay informed, vote, and serve our electoral process - to do the work of citizenship, we will fail to get a high quality government that delivers the great and beautiful promise of America.
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