The News and Advance, the daily paper in Lynchberg, VA - yes, that Lynchberg, VA, has released some very good news that must have pained them, sorely.
In our apparently hopeless battle to send Virgil Goode (R-VA, 05) back to the Republican Hell of Insignificance, we may just have found a candidate up to the challenge!
The fund raising figures are out, and "Our Guy" is showing sufficient strength against "That Nice Boy", to finally give Virgil a run for his money. These figures should, at the very least, peak the interest of the DCCC. (The DCCC has been less than helpful in the past, when we tried to unseat Virgil.)
Note: "That Nice Boy" is the epithet uttered by elderly women in the 5th whenever the name of Virgil comes up.
Lil' Ole' Virgil was that paragon of patriotism who wrote the infamous letter regarding Keith Ellison, (MN 5th), in which he opined:
I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped.
One problem: Keith Ellison is not an immigrant. In fact, his ancestors have been living on the continent for over 250 years, before the United States was established as a country
Mr. Ellison dismissed Mr. Goode’s comments, saying they seemed ill informed about his personal origins as well as about Constitutional protections of religious freedom. "I’m not an immigrant," added Mr. Ellison, who traces his American ancestors back to 1742. "I’m an African-American."
You can read about the whole nasty business at Think Progress.
The News and Advance is reporting that:
The 5th District congressional race between Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Rocky Mount, and Democrat Tom Perriello of Albemarle County was a close one in terms of fundraising during the April-June quarter.
Goode reported receiving donations totaling $390,575. Perriello said his campaign received almost $313,000, enough to maintain his lead in fundraising for the current congressional cycle.
Goode, however, said he’s ahead in terms of cash on hand.
Both campaigns issued news releases citing their progress and making points about their opponent’s contributors.
Goode said Perriello has received about $430,000, roughly two-thirds of his campaign’s total for the current campaign cycle, from contributors who live in other states.
Perriello countered that most of his contributions come from individuals and none from lobbyists.
"Almost 25 percent of Rep. Goode’s fundraising this cycle has come from political action committees," a Perriello news release stated.
That 2/3rds of Perriello's fund raising, that Virgil is whining about, came in large part from the netroots. This is where our nickles and dimes can really make a difference.
Check out Tom Perriello's web site and if you are at all inclined, let's give Virgil a great deal more to whine about!
Five Bucks to Reclaim the 5th for America.