| christian grantham | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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May 03, 2005
Wthin a couple of days, the focus of the blog will change from national politics to our local campaign's experiences with one of Virginia's most exciting House of Delegates races in the commonwealth's largest district of registered voters: 13th District.
As many of you know, over the years I've been really fortunate to be involved on a national level with some pretty exciting projects, from domestic policy forums in the Clinton Administration to helping mobilize the vote and advancing civil rights. For years, I hadn't paid much attention to local politics. That all changed with a single phone conversation with VA's 13th District Delegate, Bob Marshall.
Last year, Delegate Marshall returned a phone call I had made to him and then proceeded to call me a "Sodomite" for wanting to talk with him about H.B. 751, a bill he wrote that nullifies any contracts between same-sex partners in the commonwealth of Virginia that confers any rights of marriage. Following the conversation, he then refused to meet with over 40 of his own constituents to discuss the legislation.
That's when I knew religious belief wasn't guiding his agenda. Strong moral beliefs bring people together. What Marshall shared with me was vitriolic and hateful. As he's slowly become alienated by his own party, Marshall's legislative agenda has become one of divisiveness and noted ineffectiveness.
How could I, as a citizen, have allowed this to happen? Where was my voice over the years in defense of commonsense in my own community?
This time, Marshall has an opponent. This year, unlike any other race in his life, Marshall will have to defend his divisive agenda and a record of failure in representing the real priorities of the 13th District. This year, Marshall has a challenger unlike any he has faced before. In the first quarter, we out-raised our opponent, and with your help, we'll do it again this quarter.
The story you'll read will follow us though the November elections as we seek to elect Bruce Roemmelt and defeat one of Virginia's most extreme and ineffective delegates in the commonwealth. As I and others on the campaign share the campaign's story, I invite you to comment, but more importantly I invite you to join us.
There are three ways you can do that listed at Bruce2005.org. 1) Sign up to receive our email updates. 2) Contribute, and 3) tell your friends what we are doing and that we need their help. Wherever you are, your contribution sends a message loud and clear throughout the commonwealth that people demand leadership that represents all the people.
I hope you enjoy the view into the daily ups and downs on the road to a November victory here in our commonwealth. Most importantly, I hope you join me in taking a stand for America's deep-rooted principles of fairness by electing Bruce Roemmelt to the VA House of Delegates for the 13th District and defeating divisive forces in Virginia politics.
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
April 26, 2005
While the rest of us were stuck in traffic today, our opponent in the House of Delegates race for Virginia's 13th District was busy tackling the use of chocolate covered strawberries as aphrodisiacs. The people of the 13th district are tired of divisive pandering and ineffective leadership. They want a leader who will deal with the issues that matter the most: transportation, education and healthcare.
"We are concerned that the frivolous manner in which human sexuality is being treated here with GMU approval is counter productive to the best interests of Virginia's citizens," the legislators wrote."It was supposed to be something funny - strawberries, oyster crackers, food alleged to be aphrodisiacs. Chocolate," Agan said. "It's just food, basically, just trying to draw people in."
In a phone interview yesterday, Marshall said he failed to find the humor in the aphrodisiac "come-on," as he called it, and said the event was just "a cover for propaganda."
"Is there anybody who gets into college who is ignorant about sex? You can't walk down the aisle of a grocery store without seeing condoms and jelly for diaphragms," Marshall said.
Marshall said that George Mason will have to see how the event fits with its mission statement, and will discover "they can't justify this."
University officials don't plan to respond to the legislators, unless they call Merten directly, Walsch said. "We have nothing to say. We support what the students have organized and have been pleased with how this has turned out."
[Sex-ed fair held despite objections - Richmond Times Dispatch - 04-26-05]
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
April 21, 2005
Sorry for the lapse of posts. As many of you know, I'm working on a Virginia House of Delegates race to elect Bruce Roemmelt. Our opponent is one of our commonwealth's most radical Delegates who's solution to just about everything is a platform of divisive social issues.
This summer, our opponent isn't spending his time trying to get on committees dealing with important issue like transportation. His plate is much too full trying to figure out the best way to strip Virginia spouses of their right to make medical decisions for their dying loved one. That's what the 13th District of Virginia has in Richmond, and it's time for a change.
Starting on April 28, the Outlet Wire will go on hiatus through the November elections. This is the news feed you see to the left (on the right on outletRadio.com). The morning hours are starting to fill up with what it takes to win. I will probably be blogging less and less here as I blog more and more at www.Bruce2005.org. I hope each of you interested in my posts here on the political realities we face in our great nation will follow our campaign there.
This is what it takes to wake up our country and stir America's common sense of fairness. As a reader, you've followed with me a narrative of political forces that are more concerned with bankrupting American Democracy on every level. You've read how radical forces within the Republican Party's base are attacking their own party's moderate leaders and thwarting their efforts to do what is right for their party and our country. You've read how our opponent in the 13th District literally called me a "Sodomite" rather than discuss legislation that affects the rights of his constituents. You've read how these same radical forces elected George Bush as President more for his position on "moral values" than they did for the issues that really matter: jobs, the economy and the war on terror. Some of those "moral values" include letting the paragon of morality for the Republican Party's chosen House leadership, Tom DeLay, make the medical decisions for your spouse rather than you. Like Tom DeLay, our opponent likes that idea a lot.
It's time each and everyone of us take these threats on our democracy and commonsense seriously. On a local level, I want to see our commonwealth's most radical Republican Delegate, who has become weak and ineffective as he's lost favor even with his own party, be replaced with the commonwealth's common sense I hear in Bruce Roemmelt. But I cannot do it without your help. I need everyone who has enjoyed this blog over the years to think about what you can do to help us. Join the discussion on www.Bruce2005.org. Contribute. Tell your friends to follow our campaign.
If you can give $10 a month until November, please click here, scroll to the bottom of the page and become a sustaining donor. if you can afford a lump sum, click here and give. Join our campaign. Tell your friends you've stepped up to the plate to focus on a race in Virginia to challenge the subversion our nation's Democratic balance of power by radical political forces.
The battle for our country's founding values and principles is here, and it's local. In Virginia, it's a battle for the commonwealth's largest district, the 13th District. Join us, and stand with America's commonsense. Stand up for the commonwealth!
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
April 03, 2005
I haven't seen an episode of Queer Eye for months. There is probably very little good to be found in the Pope's death, but I have a feeling cable television is seeing a lot of channel surfing. Today's episode of Queer Eye over morning coffee focused on a comedian named Kevin Downey Jr. In my opinion, the two seconds of his routine they could show of his performance really sucked. But when he proposed to his girl friend at the end of the show, Vince and I lost it. His girl friend was genuinely surprised and very happy. How sweet!
There is only one other show that regularly has us in tears, and we watch it pretty regularly. It's ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Every weekend, ABC does something amazing for a family that really needs it. We need more of that on television.
Speaking of TV, I know VIACOM's Logo, the all gay cabale channel, is slow coming out of the gate, but they were wandering around filming Equality Virginia's Second Annual Commonwealth Dinner last night in Richmond. There were over 1200 people that showed up at the sold out event, including Bruce and his wife Beth, Vince and me. The Governor and his wife slipped in at the last minute. Something about gravity, you know. Anyway, If Logo caught Bruce jumping up on his seat twirling his napkin in the air when the event co-chair recognized him from the stage, I'll just die.
The event was very nice, and Equality Virginia did an amazing job. I have the sense that the gays really don't like our opponent in the 13th district, judging from the comments of the Republicans on stage. Julian Bond, Chairman of the NAACP, was on hand to receive the Equality Commonwealth Award, and gave a very moving speech about Loving v. Virginia, and how the decision allowed he and his wife to be able to marry, celebrate and share their love for one another. He also talked briefly about how those who are on the losing side of history often resort to desperate measures. We've seen a lot of desperate measures over the past year in the Virginia House of Delegates, and it's time for change.
Disclosure: even on the day of the Lord, I work for Elect Roemmelt
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
April 02, 2005
It's pouring rain here in the 13th District. Needless to say, they called off the parade in Manasass today featuring the drivers for the opening season race at the Old Dominion Speedway. We were really looking forward to seeing ACC Motorsports #66, Team Roemmelt's sponsored car. We'll have to wait until next weekend. We're all rooting for Rob and Ron Jardine, and can't wait to get out to the track for a few races over the summer. Here is a picture of Bruce with the car from last weekend.
Late last night, after a meeting with some amazing grassroots Democrats at Matt Harrison's house, I had dinner with Maura Keany from Democracy For Virginia. Last week, she posted a couple of great posts on DKos about our campaign. You can also read her coverage on the DFV site. We literally closed the place down talking well past dinner about the challenges ahead as people cleaned up around us. Somewhere into the hour past closing, they turned up the air conditioner, then the heat, and dimmed and brightened the lights. Around 1:30 in the morning, the manager finally had to ask us to leave, and we stood in the parking lot for another few minutes in the drizzling rain. We could have talked for hours more. I have a feeling this is what Friday nights and weekends are going to look like for some time, but it's a lot of fun, and when it's spent with passionate people like Maura eager to elect people like Bruce, it's time well spent.
Maura is doing an amazing job with Democracy for Virginia and working to help build our Democratic party precinct by precinct. Democracy for Virginia recently won a national contest to recieve free consulting on house parties from Party2win and will soon be able to provide a lot of support for targeted House of Delegate races across the commonwealth.
It's because of the work of people like Maura that the Democratic party is able to continue building upon the grassroots energy from the 2004 elections. We aren't giving up. We're going to need all the help we can get over the coming months, and Maura is just one of many faces you'll come to know as we tell our campaign's story.
disclosure: I work for Elect Roemmelt.
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
March 31, 2005
Check out this post on DailyKos by Democracy For Virginia's Maura Keaney on our opponent for the 13th District. Keaney does yet another excellent job summing up who we are up against this November.
Now that Marshall has been in office since 1992 (and is so accepted as an incumbent that he didn't even have a Democratic challenger in 2003), he is not as worried about moderating his views. Oh, he still tries to pass himself off as a reasonable person, but his recent legislation reveals his extremism.Of course, Marshall's not stepping up to introduce extreme legislation in pursuit of the American Life League's goals to ban all abortions in all circumstances, ban use of emergency contraception, and, in fact, ban all artificial contraception at all as ALL espouses, but he has let his extremism slip through in bills such as HB1807, which essentially would have made it a felony to for a mom to provide birth control to a teenage daughter who had been raped. This bill, luckily, failed. But many of Marshall's others have succeeded.
[The Rise and Fall (With Your Help) of An Extreme Theocon in VA - DailyKos - 03-30-05]
Special thanks to Beaverhausen for spreading the word about Team Roemmelt's campaign for Virginia's 13th District.
Bruce Roemmelt is running against the number one homophobe in the Virginia House of Delegates. His opponent Delegate Robert Marshall is a man who submitted four floor amendments to try to retain a law that prohibited private companies from offering health insurance to the life partners of their gay employees. (No other state has such a prohibition.)
[Action Alert! - Beaverhausen - 03-31-05]
Disclosure: I work like a dog for Elect Roemmelt
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
March 30, 2005
Besides stirring up a hornet's nest here, I'm working on the campaign to elect Bruce Roemmelt to the Virginia House of Delegates for the 13th District. Bruce is a 30 year retired fire fighter, a veteran and an educator running against one of our commonwealth's most radical Republicans, 12 year incumbent Bob Marshall. I wish he had a website I could link to, but the best I could find was this.
At any rate, we are one day away from our goal of raising $30,000 before our first filing with the commonwealth. I hope each and everyone of you who read this blog across the country will join us and help send a signal across our commonwealth that divisive politics is unacceptable and isn't getting the people's business accomplished. Over the next few months, I invite you to follow the daily saga as I blog it to the best of my ability. I don't know much about computers, but from what I gather the Internets now flies through the air!
Here is a post from Bruce's Blog. Please consider giving, even if it's $10 or $20. Every amount counts when we are only $1,100 away!
Amazing! Over a month ago, we challenged Team Roemmelt, a small core group of supporters, with an ambitious goal to raise $30,000 by April 1. As of this afternoon, we are about $1,100 from making it. Thank you for making that happen and for joining Team Roemmelt!Most of our donations are $10, $20 and $50 donations from people across the district and around the commonwealth eager for change and results for the 13th District. Some people stepped up in a big way with large contributions of both time and money. You joined our campaign, you gave, and most importantly you've told your friends to join Team Roemmelt. We can do this. This is how we're going to win in November.
But we aren't there yet.
We're 1 day from our first filing with the commonwealth, and we need your help. If you have joined our campaign by following the three steps to victory, tell one more friend tonight to visit our website and become a part of our campaign for the 13th District. Tell your friends how your contribution helped get us get $1,100 away from reaching our goal, and ask them to give whatever they can. This is just the beginning of a long road to a November victory. Join us, and watch the ladder as we tally the results throughout the day tomorrow!
[One Day Left - We Can Do It! - Bruce2005 - 03-30-05]
disclosure: I work like a dog for Elect Roemmelt.
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
March 13, 2005
Yesterday, Bruce, Beth, Vince and I visited the guys at Ashburn Auto Collision Center in Sterling, VA in the 13th district to check out one of the three stock cars Elect Roemmelt is sponsoring in 22 races this year at the Old Dominion Speedway.
We showed up at the garage after a brief walk-through of the local International Association of Fire Fighters offices in Dale City (site of our March 26th campaign kick-off) with Allison Harvey, former advance person and Deputy Finance Director for the 2004 Kerry Campaign. Allison is the latest to join us in helping to make our campaign a success.
In this picture, the guys are finishing up the wiring on car #66's engine. That's Rob Jardine's car, who you can catch along with his brother Ron (car #33) at the Old Dominion Speedway every Saturday night.
After finally getting the wiring sequence right, the engine revved and gave us all a little taste of the power it takes for these stock cars to win. The next step will be repainting the body of the cars and getting them ready for the races. If you live in the area, you can catch #66 at Bruce's March 26th campaign kick-off announcement at 10a.m. at the Prince William Professional Fire Fighters office in Dale City. You can also catch the cars in a parade through the city of Manassas to the Old Dominion Speedway's first race of the season on April 2, 2005.
disclosure: I am a consultant to the Elect Roemmelt campaign.
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
February 26, 2005
Today, Bruce, Beth and I spent the afternoon in Washington D.C. for the Democracy For America (DFA) Regional Caucus (DC, MD, VA) at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. DFA Chairman, and brother of DNC Chair Howard Dean, opened the conference to a crowd eager to shape the future of government for the region.
Democracy For Virginia's Maura Keaney introduced Bruce from the crowd as Virginia's hope for such change in the 13th district House of Delegates race. The audience was very enthusiastic to learn Bruce was not only there listening and learning, but committed to defeating one of Virginia's most radical Republican House Delegates. Learn more
Disclosure: I am assisting the Elect Roemmelt campaign.
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
February 24, 2005
Yesterday, Bruce Roemmelt and I went to EchoDitto for a podcast interview. EchoDitto is an awesome company formed by Howard Dean's core 2004 Presidential campaign team to provide technological tools for progressive campaigns. Nicco Mele has been messing around with podcasts for a while. Terrance Heath, EchoDitto's blogmaster, hosted the interview with Bruce in a 30 minute segment that is an excellent introduction to this strong Democratic candidate for Virginia's House of Delegates representing the 13th district.
One of several awesome democratizing technologies available to campaigns are podcasts. This is where MP3 technology flirts with the emergence and popularity of MP3 delivery devices, like iPod. Basically, an MP3 is recorded and made available online for on-demand listening. Now you can synch your favorite talk shows with your preferred MP3 device and take them with you on the go. Today, I took the interview with me to the gym. It was my first podcast!
Visit EchoRadio and listen to "Episode Twelve: Educator, Firefighter, Veteran" to become familiar with the man aiming to defeat Republican House Delegate Bob Marshall. After you listen, drop your feedback here and consider contributing to Elect Roemmelt!
disclosure: I am assisting the "Elect Roemmelt" campaign.
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
February 23, 2005
When Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall, representing the 13th district, proposed and then passed HB 751 last year, it gained national attention. The discriminatory bill was called one of the most anti-gay bills in the country, preventing contracts between people of the same sex purporting to confer any rights associated with marriage.
A civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage is prohibited. Any such civil union, partnership contract or other arrangement entered into by persons of the same sex in another state or jurisdiction shall be void in all respects in Virginia and any contractual rights created thereby shall be void and unenforceable.
[HB 751 - Affirmation of Marriage Act for the Commonwealth of Virginia]
One website, VirginiaIsForHaters.org, proposed a nationwide boycott of the state's businesses and encouraged gay and lesbian residents to flee the state.
Barbara and Tibby have sold their house. In April, they plan to move to Maryland, where they are certain the legal steps they've taken will protect both of them.
[Couple feels forced to leave - Freelance Star - 01-09-05]
A handful of couples did just that, but most of us who could stayed behind to stand up for principles of freedom and fairness. Our story, and the story of progressive Democrats across the state, begins in a very small way in this moment.
VOTE FOR CHANGE
On November 8, 2005, Virginians will go to the polls for a statewide vote on all of our House Delegates. In Virginia's 13th District, a candidate is emerging to challenge one of the state's most radical Republican incumbents, Bob Marshall. His name is Bruce Roemmelt. He's a retired firefighter with 30 years of service, an educator and a Vietnam veteran. Bruce traveled via bus for seven days across the state of Virginia for John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential elections. Over the past couple of months, Bruce has been traveling the district listening to the concerns of Prince William and Loudoun County residents, and what he hears isn't being taken care of in Richmond by Delegate Bob Marshall.
Over the 12 years Bob Marshall has "represented" the 13th district, there isn't much of a record that shows Marshall stands for his constituents. Marshall has refused to set up an office in his district to listen to his constituents, and has refused to even meet with some of his own constituents in his district because he simply doesn't like them.
The two sides don't see eye to eye and still haven't met. Marusak said 46 people are still waiting to meet with Marshall. Marusak sent Marshall a certified letter on Aug. 2, again asking for a meeting with him and other Prince William County area delegation members.
[Gay rights activists fail to open dialogue with Marshall - Manassass Journal Messenger - 10-12-04]
Session after session, Marshall's influence has waned, pushing him further and further to the second from the last row of delegate seats. The Virginia Family Values PAC calls Bob Marshall one of the most anti-family delegates in the state (More about this PAC later). Marshall's most recent legislative priorities clearly demonstrate a level of desperation, and it is time to take back the 13th district!
THE CHALLENGE:
Despite all this, Marshall has nearly $50,000 on hand ready to unload an even more desperate campaign to retain his seat. Marshall hasn't had to spend very much in past elections, and hasn't had to rely on very many people to help him out. His actions in Richmond reflect that, but that will now change.
We need your help! Those of us who call Virginia home need the financial support of everyone reading this to fund our message and our vision for a better Virginia, one that we can all be proud to call home. In order to show the county and state Democratic party that we are a viable campaign, we need to raise $30,000 by April 1, 2005.
HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
Our March campaign toward viability starts with you! Forward this message everywhere. Post it on your blog. Help us fill each rung of Roemmelt's ladder with $10, $20, $50 or $100 contributions.
Place "Roemmelt's ladder" on your website by copying and pasting the following code onto your website or blog:
Talk to your friends and neighbors and ask them to give whatever they can, and most importantly, follow Bruce Roemmelt's campaign website launched today at www.electroemmelt.org. This site will grow to include lots of dynamic content thanks to the hard work of Jennifer Bishop, Christian Dawson, Brian pace and others.
With your help, we can take back Virginia from the radical forces that have taken principles of freedom and fairness for granted!
Disclosure: I am assisting the "Elect Roemmelt" campaign.
filed under: Elect Roemmelt
