VA-01: Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R) Dies of Breast Cancer

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Saturday October 06, 2007 · 2:18 PM PDT

2007/10/06 · 14:18

After a 2-year battle with breast cancer, Rep. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia's 1st Congressional District, died this morning, according to an alert from Roll Call. She was 57.

Shawn O'Donnell, Davis' Democratic challenger in 2006, released the following statement of sympathy:

I wish to extend my sympathy to Representative Jo Ann Davis’ family in their time of sorrow.

Ms. Davis’ passing is sad and a tragic reminder that work is still needed in finding a cure for cancer and other diseases that continue to unnecessarily cost human lives. Unfortunately, earlier this year President Bush proposed cutting funding for cancer research by $40 million and cutting government funds for other major health programs and services by hundreds of millions of dollars hurting countless Americans.

In this time of sadness, let us all recall the words of the ancient hymn and prayer of comfort and support, "May the angels lead you to paradise, and may the martyrs greet you on your arrival ..."

UPDATE: AP story here.

CT-04: Liveblog with Jim Himes, Turning ALL of New England Blue!

Maura in VA

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Saturday June 30, 2007 · 9:02 AM PDT

2007/06/30 · 09:02

This time last year, all eyes at DailyKos were on CT, and we Nutmeggers were grateful that our progressive allies all over the country supported our little state when we backed Ned Lamont in his courageous stand against Joe Lieberman. And we picked up two CT House seats (Murphy, Courtney) in the process!

In 2008, we're going to work even harder to win the very last Congressional seat held by Republicans in New England, CT-04, and I'm happy to introduce the DailyKos community to Jim Himes, an affordable housing nonprofit executive and Rhodes Scholar who is going to beat Chris Shays. Jim started the quarter by live-blogging at My Left Nutmeg, and he's liveblogging here with us today to end the quarter. Jim's goal is 500 founding members of the campaign by midnight. Please read Jim's statement below the jump and join us in comments for the next hour!

Maura in VA

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Tuesday March 20, 2007 · 4:29 PM PDT

2007/03/20 · 16:29

A few weeks after having dinner with local party chairs and less than a week after being introduced to the Democratic Congressional caucus in DC, former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter has made calls to key players in the the district today to say he has decided not to challenge Chris Shays.

While I'm sad to have lost the opportunity to play with hockey/politics metaphors for the next 18 months, the good news is that a great local candidate has emerged: Jim Himes, Director of Enterprise New York, a non-profit provider of affordable housing. A fluent Spanish speaker who lived in Peru and Columbia for 10 years, Himes is a Rhodes Scholar who studied Latin American policy at Oxford University. Himes is the Chair of the Democratic Town Committee in Greenwich and knows what it is going to take to beat Chris Shays here in CT-04. More below the jump.

Maura in VA

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Thursday January 04, 2007 · 7:17 PM PST

2007/01/04 · 19:17

I had tears in my eyes today as I watched footage of the swearing in of Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful woman in American electoral history. And as I think about the crew of grassroots activists who showed up last night at a DFA meeting in Norwalk CT, eager to strategize and get right back to work on our next projects together, I couldn't help but conclude that these historic victories, powered by growing grassroots and netroots activism and small donations, are a credit to Howard Dean's visionary campaign in 2003, his leadership in 2004 of Democracy for America, and his election in 2005 as Chairman of the Democratic Party.

Which is why Paul Begala's comment to scottforamerica today is so striking:

"Anyway," Begala continued... "I don't need some a**hole from Vermont telling me what to do."

Yeah, Mr. Begala, actually, you do.

Maura in VA

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Thursday November 02, 2006 · 9:17 PM PST

2006/11/02 · 21:17

Hi, DailyKos friends! I haven't posted since before Labor Day since I took the position of 4th Congressional District Coordinator for Ned Lamont, but I'm jumping in with just 4 days left to encourage all of you within driving/train distance from CT to join us on Saturday to participate in one of the most important and FUN ways you can help Ned Lamont reach victory - a Knock and Rock With Black 47 in Stamford on Saturday!
KnockRockBlack47-crop

A Knock and Rock is a fun grassroots campaign event -- a giant door-to-door canvass followed by a party and live performance by Irish-American anti-war rockers Black 47. Larry Kirwan, Black 47's lead singer, will join us in canvassing, and Ned Lamont will join us for our party and rally in the afternoon. Stamford is an easy train ride from New York City -- let's turn this into a great DailyKos reunion! More info below the jump. Read More

CT-SEN: Lottery for Lieberman's Clinton Event - Sign up now!

Maura in VA

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Friday July 21, 2006 · 10:46 AM PDT

2006/07/21 · 10:46

The Lieberman camp has just released info on a "lottery" they will be holding to distribute tickets to their event on Monday with Bill Clinton in Waterbury.

I have no doubt that plants like me would be disqualified from such a "lottery", but I'm sure there are hundreds of other loyal Connecticut Democrats here on DailyKos who would love to see our former President in Waterbury on Monday.

Of course, the real question will be whether Connecticut Democrats could be excluded from the event based on what they wear on their T-shirts or whether they suspect attendees of being rabid blogger jihadists. Only one way to find out! Details after the jump. Read More

Joe Lieberman Actually Called Me A Plant

Maura in VA

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Wednesday July 12, 2006 · 8:16 AM PDT

2006/07/12 · 08:16

Wow. I knew from reporters who asked me about telling Joe Lieberman he is a fair-weather Democrat that some of his staffers were saying I was a Lamont campaign plant. According to the New York Observer, though, Lieberman himself was pissed enough to call me a plant himself:

Joe Lieberman was incensed.
He'd just been confronted at a campaign event for Irish supporters in his hometown of Stamford, Conn., by a woman who lectured him about his lack of commitment to the Democratic Party.
"She was a plant," said Mr. Lieberman, complaining to two campaign staffers in the parking lot behind the Irish Tigín Pub. "It was a set-up."
This, writ small, is what has become of Mr. Lieberman's political career.

More after the jump including a roundup of news from the event.
Read More

[UPDATED2] Today I Told Joe Lieberman He is a Fair-Weather Democrat

Maura in VA

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Monday July 10, 2006 · 1:49 PM PDT

2006/07/10 · 13:49

VIDEO UPDATE 2: Spazeboy has BOTH videos of local local TV news coverage - notice the VAST diffference! When I initially heard that Joe Lieberman and Joe Biden would be appearing together in my hometown of Stamford, CT, I had no interest in attending. A friend of mine tried to RSVP for the event, though, and was told that it was open only to "Stamford Irish Democrats".

Since I'm an Irish-American Democrat from Stamford, I decided to stop by the event to learn more about this organization. Given that Joe Biden is the only high-profile Senate Democrat to be willing to campaign with Joe, I thought it would be a bonus to see what he would say to reporters about Joe threatening to run as an independent if he loses the primary.

I planned just to be a fly on the wall at the event, figuring it would be a huge crowd. But when Joe Lieberman repeated the lie that Ned Lamont is running a "one issue" campaign and then said that Lamont lacked "courage and integrity", it really got my Irish up. The fact that it was a very small crowd meant that, unexpectedly, my question got quite a bit of press attention.

Maura in VA

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Wednesday May 24, 2006 · 10:27 PM PDT

2006/05/24 · 22:27

Want a shot of inspiration? Watch for yourself and share in the joyful shock as Ned Lamont and the Lamont grassroots/netroots "crashed the gate" at the CT Democratic convention last Friday. Lamont's inspiring and couragous campaign stunned the Democratic establishment in CT and shattered everyone's expectations to receive more than double the required number of votes to earn a place on the ballot against Joe Lieberman.

Watch at YouTube here!

The amazing Spazeboy at La Resistance has painstakingly edited and spliced together each and every one of the 505 delegate votes at roll call at the convention last week. It's a short video, but as each vote or group of votes for Lamont comes in, you can feel the excitement build.

Watch at YouTube here!

And don't forget to join the official Ned Lamont for Senate blog for a related discussion. Also, in honor of breaking yet another fundraising bat at Democracy for America, Ned Lamont will be liveblogging at Blog for America on Thursday at noon eastern time. Read More

[Updated]Ned Lamont NOT on World News Tonight

Maura in VA

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Friday May 19, 2006 · 2:18 PM PDT

2006/05/19 · 14:18

From ABC's Web site, it looks like the story on the Lamont/Lieberman race will be on World News Tonight's national broadcast tonight. My Left Nutmeg is mentioned prominently.

This is a great opportunity for a national audience to be introduced to Ned Lamont. Unfortunately, if the article posted online is a rough transcript of the narration of the piece, it looks like the segment is just going to be a recycling of the "angry left" meme:

Lieberman is still strongly favored to win the primary and the general election, but the angry left is making itself heard.

Want to be heard tonight, even if you can't be shouting for Ned Lamont on the floor of the Connecticut Democratic Party convention? Donate to Ned tonight! More below on what might be in the broadcast... UPDATE The story on didn't make the broadcast. Still available online, though, at link above. Read More

Catholic Democrats: Have Faith

Maura in VA

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Monday March 27, 2006 · 4:50 PM PST

2006/03/27 · 16:50

Yesterday was the most hopeful day I've ever had as a Catholic Democrat. The Catholic diocese of Arlington, Virginia, reputed to be the most conservative diocese in the country, decided this week to finally allow girls to become altar servers, lifting a decade-long prohibition that excluded girls from sharing in this expresssion of their faith. When he finally changed the rule last week, Our Lady Queen of Peace church in Arlington was one of two churches in the diocese to sieze this opportunity and have girls serve at yesterday's Masses.

For years, I've felt increasingly disconnected from the religion of my youth as I became a more staunch Christian progressive Democrat. But just as I'd come close to giving up on "being a Catholic" entirely, one little parish kept me coming back -- one renegade, ragtag, humble little parish right outside of our nation's capital, in Arlington, Virginia.

Yesterday's joyful celebration of inclusion at Our Lady Queen of Peace made me feel hope again in the intersection of my faith, my religion, and my politics for the first time in a long time. Read More

POSITIVE things within our power now

Maura in VA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday July 07, 2005 · 6:40 PM PDT

2005/07/07 · 18:40

Things are bleak here tonight, for good reason. What intensifies all these negative emotions is a sense of powerlessness underlying all of them.

And yet we're not powerless. So here's a diary dedicated to positive things that are in our power to do - now, tomorrow, this weekend, etc. What are you doing? Please share with us in comments!

Here in Virginia, Democracy for Virginia and DC for Democracy are hosting DFA for a 2-day campaign training program for grassroots activists this weekend in Falls Church. We've got critical elections here in VA this year, and over 150 people are signed up to gain campaign leadership skills this weekend. We'll then mobilize across Virginia to help pick up seats for Democrats in our House and to help elect Tim Kaine. (You can join us, too!) So tomorrow, I'll be doing last minute recruiting, finishing organizing for a candidates' forum, and getting ready for a great weekend with fellow progressives. How about you -- we need some inspiration around here!

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VA-01: Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R) Dies of Breast Cancer

CT-04: Liveblog with Jim Himes, Turning ALL of New England Blue!

CT-04: Mike Richter Passes, Jim Himes Runs With Puck

In praise of some a**hole from Vermont

CT-SEN: Knock and Rock for Lamont on Saturday!

CT-SEN: Lottery for Lieberman's Clinton Event - Sign up now!

Joe Lieberman Actually Called Me A Plant

[UPDATED2] Today I Told Joe Lieberman He is a Fair-Weather Democrat

Watch as the Gate is Crashed: Ned Lamont Netroots Video

[Updated]Ned Lamont NOT on World News Tonight

Catholic Democrats: Have Faith

POSITIVE things within our power now