Mudcat vs. Miller- Recap

I got a chance to speak to the host of this weekend's well publicized brawl between Harris Miller and Mudcat.

Steve McGraw was nice enough to send us a written comment on what occurred, and it is published below.  When I spoke to him on the phone, he relayed one other funny part of the story. After the speeches, Mudcat attempted to shake Miller's hand in the living room, and Miller refused.  A few minutes later, Miller attempted to shake Mudcat's hand in the kitchen, and then Mudcat refused.

I really wish I had been there.  Here's Steve's account:

--------------------------------

Hello, "NLS", and thanks for your message.  The original "RK" account of our
Sunday afternoon, March 19 St. Patrick's party/fundraiser occurrence between Harris Miller and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders is essentially correct.

While I would not describe either Miller or Saunders as being "out of control",
I witnessed only the initial discussion (in our living room) and the final
discussion (in our kitchen) between the two of them, and not the second one in our dining area.

Therefore, it is certainly possible that the second discussion between them was more heated than the two that I witnessed.  However, I have asked several of our guests about the second exchange and none remembers it being particularly heated.  At various times, both men were obviously angry, and the entire exchange between them probably lasted no more than five minutes.

Below, please find a message that I sent out to Roanoke County Democrats several weeks ago in regard to the candidacies of Miller and Webb.  I still feel the same about them, and I do not wish to give one of their eventual opponents any additional ammunition to use against them in the November election.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks again!

Steve McGraw

Good morning, Roanoke County Democrats!  With Governor Tim Kaine's victory, the Democratic Party's recent General Assembly successes, and the ever-increasing possibility that Democrats could make significant gains in Congress this year - if not regain control of at least once house - it is obvious that the political tide is now definitely turning in our favor.

To that end, we are most fortunate to have two strong candidates; Harris Miller and James Webb, vying for the Democratic nomination - to be decided by a state-wide primary on June 13 - to run against U. S. Senator George Allen in that election to be held on November 7.  With Allen being a possible
presidential candidate in 2008, the Virginia U. S. Senate race is shaping up to
be one of those that will garner intense national attention - and importance.

As you may recall, Harris Miller called me on Saturday morning, January 7
(during our Committee's reorganizational caucus, as a matter of fact . . .) and initiated with me several subsequent telephone conversations which led to his agreement to be one of the featured guests at our St. Patrick's party/fundraiser on Sunday afternoon, March 19.  Since then, I have enjoyed several more e-mail and telephone conversations with Harris and was glad to have met him and some of his campaign staff members during the Roanoke City Democratic Committee's mass meeting this past Saturday, February 18.  In a nutshell, Mr. Miller impressed me as a somewhat quiet and reserved but deliberate and focused candidate who is very well financed.  He is a former congressional lobbyist who is touching all the necessary bases in his quest for the Democratic U. S. Senate nomination.  At my behest, Harris will attend the Roanoke Kiwanis Club's next regular weekly luncheon meeting at the Patrick Henry Hotel on Wednesday, March 1.  His campaign
website is http://www.miller2006.org.      

Now, in regard to James Webb, approximately two weeks ago, I e-mailed his
website contact address and asked if he would attend our March 19 St. Patrick's party/fundraiser and had gotten no response.  Then, approximately ten days ago I contacted Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, co-author of the soon-to-be released book, "Foxes in the Henhouse" (please go to amazon.com) about attending our St. Patrick's fundraiser and he has agreed to do so.  In a later conversation with Mudcat this past week, I learned that he had just been contacted by James Webb about working in Webb's very recently announced candidacy for the Democratic nomination for U. S. Senate, and Mudcat had agreed to help Mr Webb.  Then, as you now know, Mudcat invited several of us to meet with him and Jim for breakfast on Wednesday and Thursday mornings in Roanoke and Buchanan, and those meetings went quite well.  In a nutshell, Mr. Webb impressed me as a most accomplished retired U. S. Marine, decorated Vietnam war veteran and former Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration who probably is not as well-financed as Harris Miller but who has a more quietly forceful, confident and deliberate personality.  Jim has written seven books, three of them national
best-sellers.  His website address is http://www.jameswebb.com.

Regardless of which of these two candidates we may prefer, it is very important to note that neither one of them will be officially running for the U. S. Senate seat against George Allen until after one of them wins the Virginia Democratic Party nomination in June.  Most importantly, we must remember that we are all playing on the same team.  When two Virginia Tech quarterbacks are vying for the starting position, we do not trash one of them in favor of the other, because we know that one bad tackle, one slip in the backfield can suddenly make our number two choice the number one quarterback.

Therefore, I would suggest that we say only positive things about our preferred U. S. Senate candidate and - if necessary and at the worst - say nothing about the other candidate.  In the political scheme of things, it's a long way between now and June 13.

And please stay tuned . . .

Thanks!

Steve McGraw

Comments

[George Templeton]

Let me be the first to notice that Mr. McGraw didn't say who "won" the argument. Maybe he saw it and was too classy to say otherwise. So much for those who were saying, ask Steve McGraw he saw everything. A tip of the hat to Mr. McGraw for taking the high road.

[Not Chap Peterson]

Love the VT football comment.

[Sean Holihan]

That guy is my new favorite person for the day.

[I Do Not Trust Webb]

Yes, leave it to Steve McGraw to give a fair, even-handed account of what really happened. A terrific guy! A real class act.

If you want to spin, “Well, Steve didn’t say who ‘won’?” You’re right, he didn’t. Just shows you that Steve has a lot more class than Lowell and Saunders.

At the bottom of the RK blog in question, “vt butt” and Roy Mitchell further confirms what my two friends told me. No, these posts are not from me or my two friends, and I do not know who “vt butt” is:

v t butt Says:
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:38 pm

one more note on the “free for all” at the roanoke county democratic fund raiser last sunday. i was there, dave saunders was very rude to harris miller, this was a gathering of loyal democrats. i personally wanted to hear the candiates stand on the issues. this is what we got from miller. i thought that miller handled the situation very well, unlike john kerry, he had the guts to stand up for himself. if i were jim webb i would take a look at having someone like saunders speaking for me. it’s people like him that causes division within the party. i am not sure at this point which one of the canidates i will support.

ROY MITCHELL Says:
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:28 pm

A WITNESS REPORTING THE FACTS FROM THE ROANOKE COUNTY GATHERING…

Miller and Mudcat were our guests. THIS WAS NOT A DEBATE. Harris Miller was invited to represent himself, of course, along with his daughter. Mudcat was invited to represent Webb. Mudcat was asked ahead of time to present Webb since Webb could’nt be there. Mudcat was also asked not to “attack”…he agreed not to attack Miller but to share Webb’s vision.
Miller spoke first telling us about himself and what he wanted to do…never one time did he mention Webb. He was very positive.
Then came Mudcat. Almost from the beginning he was rude and condescending. Instead of focusing on Webb as he had promised he had to attack and insult Miller. Not only did he insult Miller but, as our guest, he insulted us as well. He was no Southern Gentleman…he was an ass.
Someone mentioned earlier that Miller should’nt be so sensitive. If you had been there you would have seen Miller responding in a strong and decisive manner. Three women told me that after seeing Miller’s “strength” that they would vote for Miller.
I went to the gathering strongly leaning towards Webb because I believe him to be the strongest candidate and we agree on many issues. My position has not changed. Webb, however, should be careful who he allows to represent him at gatherings. Mudcat did him no favors last Sunday.
Also folks, please remember that when the dust settles after the primary we need everyone on board if we are to take out Allen. Be careful what you say…it may come back to haunt you. We ca’nt be burning bridges along the primary trail.
Regards from a Democratic activist (since 1960)…

ROY MITCHELL Says:
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:49 pm

p.s. In Lowell’s piece he quotes Mudcat as saying that Miller is “dividing the party”. The most divisive force present last Sunday was Mudcat himself.
--

Again, there are two sides to every story. Lowell’s poor attempt at spin only hurts this party. I only hope that this wrong of RK is put to rest, once and for all.

[Virginia Centrist]

TDNTW:

You make some ok points, I suppose.

By why do you always sound like a press release?

[I Do Not Trust Webb]

Virginia Centrist,

Why do I always sound like a press release?

Heck, I don't know. But its funny that you say that. My wife says I mumble.

I'm outa here. Thanks NLS for contacting Steve.

[Adam Sharp]

Steve McGraw for Senate.

1) Steve McGraw is awesome. every blogger in Virginia can learn from this guy. Someone wrote it before but it deserves to be written again, Steve McGraw is a class act.

2)Roy Mitchell's more truthful looking observations makes Lowell's "poor attempt at spin" look like political pimping.

3) It continues. NLS first post on this story looks nothing like the truth. NLS only called to verify the story AFTER he posted it and After someone esle suggested he makes some calls. Imgaine how good this story could have been if NLS had called these people BEFORE he originally posted it.

4) BTW - I am not supporting either candidate right now.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Last anon- which first story did I post on this? I think you are confusing me with Raising Kaine.

[Josh Chernila]

ahem... anon9:14

Lowell called both the Webb and Miller campaigns for confirmation on this story. The Webb campaign discussed it. The Miller campaign did not return his calls.

Josh,

Of course Miller's people won't talk to Lowell. Lowell already burned that bridge, right?

Besides, anon 09:14 was writing about NLS, I presume from the NLS judgment comment on post:

http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2006/03/bloggers_debate.html#comments

So why didn't Lowell just call Steve McGraw? Would that have been so hard?

NLS-have you gone to JamesWebb.com? On that site is a May 22, 200 article that Webb wrote. It is a less than ringing endorsement of affirmative action? Can Democrats really nominate and elect someone who may be anti-affirmative action?

[I Do Not Trust Webb]

Anon 9:05

Yes, I saw that on Lexis Nexis when I researched the WSJ on Webb.

This quote worries me:

"Affirmative action, which originally sought to repair the state-induced damage to blacks from slavery and its aftermath, has within one generation brought about a permeating state-sponsored racism that is as odious as the Jim Crow laws it sought to countermand. A Soviet-style bureaucracy of political commissars now monitors every level of our society to ensure that racial and gender "diversity" matches pre-ordained models, using the awesome powers of government to make certain that white males are not "overrepresented" in education, employment or government contracts."

I cannot believe this article is on his own website. I'm sure the Miller camp has this, and I'm positive the Allen camp has it.

Maybe this issue is just another reason for this:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/richmondreport/

What's your take on this, NLS?

[Alicia]

I found this too (on another blog, then found it very easily - plus more on yahoo) What's your take on this IDNTW or NLS?

"One of the most prominent industry lobbyists on the H-1B issue has been Harris Miller, president of the ITAA industry lobbying group. Miller first developed his contacts as a Capitol Hill staffer, then ran his own
lobbying firm, as well lobbying for the Fragomen immigration law firm, the largest in the nation.

As The New Republic, October 19, 1987, reported, Miller is unapologetic
about his role as a Beltway insider:

"I believe in interest groups and the right of interest groups to be represented, and if I can represent them on the Hill, well, I will do it," says Harris Miller, a former aide to Kentucky Democrat Romano Mazzoli's House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration who now has his own lobbying firm. Miller's first big client was the National Council of Agricultural Employers, a group of large growers who use migrant and illegal alien workers.

Virginia programmers and engineers will presumably not be campaigning for Miller, given his strong support of the H-1B visa program and offshoring.
Moreover, his personal manner has offended many. Lobbyists tend to be very aggressive, and Miller has consistently used tactics which most people would consider underhanded. For example:

* In 1997, the ITAA prepared a report which alleged a severe doubling of the H-1B program in 1998. Miller and Tony Vickers, also of the ITAA, distributed a preliminary draft of their report at a roundtable discussion organized by the Stanford Computer Industry Project on February 19, 1997. One of the major thrusts of the report was that the "shortage" was due to a lack of interest in university computer science majors. But a researcher from the Computing Research Association was at that meeting, and informed Miller and Vickers that there had been a 40% increase in CS majors that year, and that enrollment had been increasing since 1995. Though ITAA stated at the time that they were soliciting comments and suggestions for improving their report, they did not include this information about the sharp increase in computer science enrollment in the final version of the report, apparently because it undermined their argument. In fact, ITAA continued to claim enrollment was declining (e.g. see the San Francisco Chronicle, January 8, 1998), even after ITAA's suppression of the 1995 reversal trend was brought up in an interview with ITAA by the Electronic Engineering Times (September 29, 1997), until forced to stop when even the Department of Commerce found ITAA's claim to be untrue.

* In early 1998, Miller got the Dept. of Commerce to co-host a national conference at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley on the alleged "labor shortage." Under pressure from a congressional oversight committee, DOC then in turn pressured Miller to include in the conference speakers who were critical of his claim of a labor shortage. He complied, technically, but scheduled a competing event a couple of miles away on the UC Berkeley campus at the same time as the critics' speaking session. Since the competing event included participation by the Secretaries of Commerce and Labor, the Deputy Assistant to President Clinton for Technology and Economic Policy and other biggies, the press naturally attended the competing event, so most did not hear the presentations of the critics. (San Francisco Chronicle, January 22, 1998.)

This is reminiscent of the "dirty tricks squad" that Richard Nixon employed during the Watergate era."

[I Do Not Trust Webb]

Alicia,

The H1B program is a very tricky, and controversial program.

The program requires balance, and is often the subject of great political debate. During the Clinton administration, as you have already noted, many IT businesses AND the Clinton Administration worked together to find this balance. The congressional oversight you have noted was REPUBLICAN oversight that attempted to derail a joint project to find a balance.

Alicia, I would recommend that you go to your local library and do a complete search on this issue, and note solely rely on The New Republic article.

I understand both sides of the story. I helped to start a med-tech business, and we hired two H1Bs because they were more qualified and they brought an international component to the company. They both started in the low six figures. Several years ago, I was someone who was not promoted because a more qualified guy got a promotion over me (He's from Greece, who just finished his Ph.D. and was able to get an H1B after his dissertation). This guy deserved that promotion, and the company did better by keeping him (that's tough to admit, but it's the truth).

Harris understands the traps involved with the H1B. He is not going to send the American workforce down the river.

More importantly, why attack with this issue when the question remains, what does NLS think of the affirmative action writing from Webb? That is a legitimate question—your attempt to deflect the question is not necessary.