The purpose of this blog is to explain why it's time to replace Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) with Democratic candidate Judy Feder. Frank Wolf has been in office a long time, and it's time for a change. Judy Feder will bring that change. Nothing against Rep. Wolf, but it's long past time to say "Farewell Frank!"
Just in case you thought the fight for one more seat in Congress, ours, doesn't really matter, OpenLeft reminds us that it matters more than those of us actually knocking on doors may realize.
7. Feder/Wolf. This one may surprise you, because VA-10 is a very tough district, and Judy- while being a remarkable candidate and raising a ton of money- is a ways from the top of the DCCC targeting. VA is a really important state in Presidential politics, though, and winning upsets in the DC market gets lots of national media attention and shakes people up (see Donna Edwards). But I mostly have her on this list because of Judy's savvy knowledge and passion on health care- if she is in the Congress, it improves our odds dramatically of getting a good universal health reform bill passed. Given her knowledge, skill, and connections, she would be one of the highest impact freshman members of Congress of all time. - OpenLeft
Judy has always been a superstar for her fight for universal and quality healthcare. It's great to see the national blogosphere taking a notice as well. And in this case, even putting its money where its mouth is.
It's nice to know that the nation has our backs as we fight for a progressive 10th District.
A better Congress means electing more and better democrats. Holding the line on civil liberties and passing SCHIP are just two examples of issues that directly impact our way of life which are at risk because our Democratic majorities in Congress are thinner than they might appear. A union of Republicans and conservative Democrats can, and has, blocked progress for the past year on a variety of issues. The logical response is to expand our majority where we can in order to dilute the strength and influence of those members of the Democratic caucus who defect to the Republican side of critical votes from time to time.
Furthermore, in districts which are overwhelmingly Democratic (MD-04, for example), we need to make sure that they are represented by truly progressive and dedicated Democrats, since they are "safe" seats for our party. This is the reason so many people in the netroots are supporting Donna Edwards against Al Wynn, for example, or Mark Pera against Dan Lipinski.
What this means for Virginia, and the 10th District, is that we need to alter the make-up of our state delegation by supporting and electing strong Democrats to Congress. That will give our next President the support he or she needs to fix the problems of the past seven years. We have a unique opportunity this year to make great inroads in Virginia. We have no fewer than five great candidates challenging for seats held by Republicans in Virginia.
VA-02: Glenn Nye is challenging Congresswoman Drake. Glenn has stepped up to challenge one of hte most Bush-friendly Republicans in Virginia. His experience providing development assistance in Iraq, along with his wealth of diplomatic experience would bring a consensus builder to Congress to replace the bomb-thrower that is Thelma Drake.
VA-06: Sam Rasoul is challenging Congressman Goodlatte. Sam Rasoul is one of the youngest candidates for Congress in America, but do not confuse youth for inexperience. He is a highly successful entrepreneur who has done more than talk about bringing jobs to the valley, he has actually created them himself.
VA-10: Judy Feder is challenging Congressman Wolf. Judy is the definition of a good Democrat. She is driven, dedicated and passionate, with name recognition from her previous campaign in 2006 and unmatched expertise in one of the most important issues of the coming year: healthcare.
VA-11: Leslie Byrne is fighting for the open seat of retiring Congressman Davis. Leslie brings a unique skill to the only open seat race in Virginia, previous experience in Congress. During her service in the early 1990s, she was a leader of her Congressional class, and serve Virginia well on many committees. Returning that experience to Congress will help our next president.
Each of these five would represent a strong addition to the Democratic governing majority in the House. Here in Leesburg, we have the privilege of supporting Judy Feder. Considering the importance of the healthcare issue in Loudoun (the new Board of Supervisors made it one of their first priorities), Congresswoman Feder would establish leadership on this issue for the 10th District. To make that happen, though, she needs our support, so do what you can, if you can, to send Judy Feder to Congress!
Frank Wolf does love the ceremonial. From swearing-in firefighters to speaking on Martin Luther King day, our Congressman makes the rounds being seen in the community, doing ceremonial things. He is a master of the photo op and the three-line blurb. His skill in this area allows him to maintain a strong level of mild approval and name recognition. However, a rational look at both his record and his influence demonstrates that Frank Wolf is all style, and no substance. He is a ceremonial Congressman, with only the efficacy of a figurehead.
We could start with SCHIP. On this important issue, Frank Wolf was against it before he was for it. Like a figurehead, he only points in the direction other people turn him. As the dean of the Virginia delegation to Congress, it should be his responsibility to not only vote for SCHIP, but to convince his Virginia colleagues to do so as well. If it is good enough to vote for, it should be good enough to fight for. But Frank Wolf has done no fighting on behalf of Virginia's uninsured kids. His silence stands in sharp contrast with his claim to be one of the most important Republicans in Congress (he's a member of the Appropriations Committee, after all).
This raises the question of Frank Wolf's influence and effectiveness as a Representative. While Wolf has railed against tolls on the Greenway and tried to fund rail to Dulles, his record of success in these signature areas is remarkably slim. He took credit for adding money to the Dulles Rail project in 2007, when he also spoke out strongly against a tunnel, so surely he must also take blame for the near-collapse of the project today. For a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and a twenty-six year veteran of Congress to have a Federal agency controlled by his own party thwart the most important project in his district, without his advanced knowledge is a demonstration of irrelevance, not influence. It is as if the President of his own party knows that Frank Wolf has no real power, and can thus be ignored.
If Frank Wolf is not showing leadership in his caucus or among the Virginia delegation, and there is little recent evidence of any kind of influence he may wield over issues that are important to Loudoun and the 10th District, is he at least looking out for us in Congress?
On the Iraq issue, Wolf's lack of effectiveness is incredibly stark. He was a major sponsor of the legislation creating the Iraq Study Group, but when the time came to implement the Group's recommendations, Frank Wolf abandoned his own solution and voted against the recommendations.
So yes, Frank Wolf attends many ceremonies, memorials, celebrations and parades in Loudoun. But that is all he does - show up and be seen. We neither want nor need a ceremonial Congressman, but someone who will fight for the citizens of the 10th in Congress. We need a Congressperson who will help effect change in our Iraq policy, who will help fix our healthcare system, and who will take action on our behalf.
The 10th District should not stand on ceremony. The 10th District should elect Judy Feder.
During the 2006 campaign, I worked for all our Democratic candidates. Here in Leesburg I was proud to hand out Webb and Feder materials at the Farmers' Market. In 2007, I volunteered for Kelly Burk's campaign, and worked for our other fantastic candidates, like Mike George and John Flannery. We were lucky to effect some great changes here in Loudoun as a result of November's elections. In 2008, there is remarkable Democratic energy around the Presidential campaign, energy which may translate downticket to the Congressional race against Frank Wolf.
The 10th District has a primary this year, on June 10th, to decide who will face Frank Wolf in November. Democrats in Loudoun, Fairfax, Warren, Fauquier, Frederick, Clark and Prince William Counties (and many cities and towns therein) will decide between Mike Turner and Judy Feder to compete in this race.
Leesburg Tomorrow happily and heartily supports Judy Feder as the Democratic Party's challenger to Frank Wolf in the 10th District. I have three main reasons for supporting Judy again this year.
Healthcare - The biggest reason I support Judy this year is healthcare. Our next President will face a great challenge in bringing healthcare reform to America. To do that, he or she will need a strong and experienced partner in the Congress. Judy Feder has spent her career in public service and is an expert on healthcare policy. She is a veteran of the healthcare fight of the 1990s, and will be able to help the Democratic leadership avoid the pitfalls of fourteen years ago in the next Congress. Judy has the skills and knowhow to help make healthcare reform work for America.
Candidate Experience - Judy Feder was our candidate in 2006. That kind of experience counts. It matters because Judy has continuing name recognition from the 2006 election, as well as an established network of supporters from that run throughout the 10th district. It matters because second chance Democrats have had good luck running for Congress of late (Nancy Boyda, Joe Donnelly, Paul Hodes). Judy continued fighting for Democrats in the 10th after losing her race in 2006, helping all our candidates in 2007. In many ways, her 2008 campaign began in 2006. She is in the best position to cross the finish line in November and take the race for the Democrats.
Intellectual Rigor - Judy is a tenured Georgetown professor. (She stepped down from her position as Dean of the Public Policy Institute there to focus on the campaign this year.) The House of Representatives is a body dominated by nitty-gritty proposals and detailed, technical hearings. It is in the House that very nuanced and difficult problems are discussed, evaluated and solutions proposed. Our Representative should have a background in rational rigor, capable of insuring that the ideas put forth for consideration really are the best, most effective ideas. The discipline of academic review and teaching gives Judy experience in giving and taking criticism, while advancing ideas through opposition and bureaucracy. Is there anything more deliberative than Congress? Perhaps so: The professor's lounge at a major University.
For these reasons and more, on June 10th I will proudly cast my primary ballot for the next Democrat to represent the 10th District, Judy Feder.
10th Congressional District Chairwoman Eve Wilson passed away on Christmas Eve. The only information I can find online is here on the official 10th CD Democratic website. No arrangements have been announced.
Eve was a really great lady. When I ran Chap Petersen's first campaign, Eve used to check in weekly to make sure that everything was going well even though it wasn't her district- she had lived in the Fairfax Mews decades ago and had known Chap since he was born and so she always made sure to keep an eye out for him. She was a source of great advice and was a very strong Chair for the 10th District for a long period of time...
I didn't know Eve Wilson, but she sounds like a wonderful person and I'm very sorry to hear that she has passed away. My condolences to her family and friends.
UPDATE: Eve Wilson's service will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on Old Georgetown Pike at 10 a.m. Monday, December 31st.
From the New York Times, here's something for Frank Wolf to worry about.
...Northern Virginia looks like it has made the transition from swing area to Democratic territory, portending real Republican trouble should Representative Tom Davis not seek re-election and problems for veteran Republican Congressman Frank Wolf given the given the state legislative and county board results in his district.
"Frank Wolf’s district is more Democratic than previously thought," said the party memo on the results.
By the way the "state legislative and county board results" referred to above are:
1) Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel defeated Democrat Karen Schultz for State Senate by just 659 votes out of 51,521 cast. The 27th Senate district includes all or parts of Clarke County, Fauquier County, Frederick County, Loudoun County, and Winchester City. The district went 63%-37% for George W. Bush in 2004, and 51%-43% for Jerry Kilgore in 2005. In other words, Democrat Karen Schultz nearly defeated Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel in the most Republican parts of the 10th Congressional district. The times they are a changin'!
2) The Loudoun County board elections saw four Democratic challengers defeat four Republican incumbent. Whoops!
And we haven't even talked about Fairfax County, which has turned sharply "blue" in recent years. In sum, the 10th Congressional District is moving in the Democrats' direction -- that is, in Judy Feder's direction -- very quickly. And, this time around, Judy is determined to let everyone know what kind of a Republican Frank Wolf really is. Hint: it's not the "moderate" he claims to be. Another hint: initials GWB. :)
Click here for a report on what the Iraq War has cost the 10th District of Virginia. Also, check out what the 10th district COULD have gotten instead of the war.
What Citizens of Virginia's 10th District Could Have Gotten Instead: · Health care coverage for 452,504 people—or 814,521 kids, or · Head Start for 226,208 additional kids, or · 24,653 new elementary school teachers, or · 221,488 scholarships to make college more affordable, or · Renewable electricity for 1,347,355 homes, or · 10,652 affordable housing units, or · 37,237 public safety officers to keep the streets safe, or · 26,624 port container inspectors for Virginia
All for what, so that our country could be LESS secure than it was before the Iraq War? Apparently, that's what Frank Wolf would have us believe. No thanks.
Just in case you thought the fight for one more seat in Congress, ours, doesn't really matter, OpenLeft reminds us that it matters more than those of us actually knocking on doors may realize.
From the 
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