Al Weed looks to be the nominee

Old Outlook:  Likely Republican
New Outlook:  Safe Republican

With Al Weed's victory in the Democratic Caucuses last night, the Democrats nominated a candidate in southside who supports legalizing drugs (ironically, weed) and got 36% of the vote last time.  The chances of beating Virgil Goode just went out the window.  I wasn't impressed with Bern Ewert either but at least 64% had not rejected him in the last election.

MZM or not, this race is over.

"BY TYLER WHITLEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 17, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Al Weed, the Democratic candidate in the 5th Congressional District, wants the federal government to take over the health-care system, opposes the war in Iraq and opposes a constitutional ban on gay marriage. He also wants to decriminalize marijuana."

Comments

[Danny Plaugher]

I concur, rumor from some of his former staffers is that he was horrible at doing the necessary things to win elections such as calling to ask for votes and money....it was below him. Lets hope he has had a change of heart due to his previous loss.

[Riley, Not O'Reilly]

Smokin'!!!

[Anna]

Actually, 5th District Democrats just selected a nominee who's a 42-year Army veteran, a rural farmer, and a world-class mind. He's the only candidate who actually takes the time to meet with the people of the District and talk about the issues that they care about - gas prices, jobs, and the war. And on all three of those issues, in case you haven't been paying attention, he's winning over Republicans and Independents. Since you seemed to have missed it, Al also supports establishing a biofuels refinery in Southside (a cause for which there's been widespread BIPARTISAN support)which would produce a viable alternative to oil, revitalizing agricultural communities that are suffering from the downturn in tobacco production, and the establishment of higher education facilities in Southside to retain younger members of the community and retrain older workers for the new economy. Oh, did I mention affordable quality healthcare?

Man, I've never seen a candidate so out of touch with the needs of his district.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Give me a break Anna. If he is so in touch with his district, how did he get 36% last time?

Has any candidate in the history of Congress won after getting 36% or less in the last election?

[Riley, Not O'Reilly]

I wonder if they're taking bets on the Goode v. Weed race.

NLS,

No, no one has ever come back from less than 40%. And as someone who lived in his district and has met him, I can assure you, Al Weed won't be the first.

[Curt]

Has any candidate against Virgil gotten more than 40%? Has any candidate run twice against Virgil? Do we have any way to gauge how name recognition would affect a candidate on a second run? Al has campaigning continually, and the name recognition is huge. Of course it is an uphill battle, but we're not worried. At the campaign we've been working hard and the one thing we know for sure is that this year is different from 2004 in every way.

[Joe Stanley]

Al Weed NEVER advocated the legalization of drugs.

To take a statement on the decriminalization of SOME uses of marijuana and turn that into the legalization of all drugs is just laziness.

While I understand that all voters may not do nuance, I expect more of NLS.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Weed=Weed

[Shaun Kenney]

Sounds like a platform for drug legalization to me...

I haven't read anything from Waldo Jaquith on the race results (incapacitated as he is), but I'd be interested in reading what he has to say.

Not too many 5th District Dems beyond Waldo, I think.

We'll see.

[Shaun Kenney]

Weed = Weed

Sounds like an LP candidate to me!

[Jon Sheridan]

NLS,

You give us a break.

36% represents a candidate who, at that point, nobody had ever heard of, running against an entrenched incumbant who has been a main stay in 5th district politcs since the 70s and even has VA highways named afer his father.

Get some perspective, its hard to break through that.

Bern was someone who had to start from absolutely rock bottom, who didn't seem to have any policy ideas of his own, despite his claim to numerous TV apperance, nobody knew who he was, and he couldnt raise any money!

Say what you want about Al, but he has to know the district by now, he has a hoard of dedicated volunteers --the evidence is in how much he dominated the caucuses.

And he has, more than, the beginnings of a strong fundraising net-work (I believe, despite Virgil's lead at the bank, Al out raised him last quarter).

You can point to the past and say 1st time defeats killed a lot of potential politician, but if you subtracted all the 1st time losers (or even second, third time losers) from history we would be bereft of a lot of our most important leaders.

I thougt in America we chapioned the underdog, and reward persestance agianst long odds?

Its a hard fight no matter who we would have nominate.

I personal voted for the candidate who has been a leader in the party, and has been working his butt to make the party stronger.

I voted for the candidate who at least has been offering ideas for a party that everyone complains has no ideas.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Jon, Actually you voted for the candidate that would lose to Virgil even if he got indicted.

[tylermoore]

NLS ---

You're a douchebag and a true jackass. What utter bullshit and mischaracterization of Weed's position.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Who wants a "Weed Alert" for the rest of the campaign?

[Ken]

So, will this be the second time that Congressman Goode smokes Weed?

[James Young]

Having read those positions, I'm wondering how he got as much as 36% of the vote last time.

[Not Larry Sabato]

James- as Al would say "lack of name recognition". haha.

[Jon Sheridan]

NLS,

Hey, I enjoy a smart-ass as much as the next guy. But too much does start to reveal a lazy brain.

My turn:

Ken says,

"So, will this be the second time that Congressman Goode smokes Weed?"

That reminds of when I worked in a camera shop.

There was always that inevitable jackass who found something that didn't have a price, and they inevitably made this jackass joke, "must be for free".

It wasn't funny the first time, and its not funny the 110th time!

Ok, so, maybe it was funny the first time. But you're still lame.

[notvirgilgoode]

One of my favorite comments from the last race was the headline in one of the local papers commenting on the landslide as...Goode smokes Weed

[Not Jack Herrity]

To Anna and Jon, get over it. You've been smoking way too much of the Al Weed "Kool-Aid." To say that this man stands a chance in Southside Virginia with the positions he has taken on the issues is pure wishful thinking.

NJH

[Born Feuding]

If nominated, I will proudly stand beside Al Weed in my campaign against George Allen ...

[Riley, Not O'Reilly]

Sure, a second campaign can do wonders against an entrenched incumbent. Just look at how well Demaris Miller did in her second run against Jim Moran in the 8th. What's that? Oh, she got LESS vote the second time around? Never mind.

I love the Weed Alert, NLS. Psychedelic with the peace sign. You should have a flashing cannibis leaf over it to complete it.

[DLC = New Labour]

Someone wants to legalize marijuana, big deal? Why are people such uptight puritans when it comes to this issue?

[Dannyboy]

Weed has no chance, but I didn't think Ewert had much of one either. Goode will beat any Democrat there soundly. The only district that I really think Democrats can win back is the Second.