Although it is not completely updated yet, check out my website at www.sanfordhorn.com and link on to my blog. I am certainly open to advice as well. This must be a team effort, one person at a time and one dollar at a time.

Thanks,

Sanford

Whoa Sanford, I’m in the 8th district and NEVER voted for Moran. Not only do I vote for whomever runs against him, I work tirelessly on the campaign, but sometimes name recognition just wins the race.

I NEVER voted for Connolly either.

I agree the fundraising needs to improve and we need to focus on the issues and the message. However, we do need to point out how the Dems view the real Virginia and how they want it to be, just as a point of difference between the two parties. For example do we want Virginia to turn into another liberal NE State where people are leaving? Or, do we want to preserve the Virginia that made it a place to move to? Which is low taxes, good schools, a friendly business enviroment?

(B) Stop with the name calling. You are all morons in Fairfax and PW counties for the votes cast. We here in my 8th-CD are BIGGER morons for continuing to reelect Jim “the moron” Moran, so there. Help me raise $2.5 million and will gladly take him on in 2010.

(3) There will be no VA primary for governor as McDonnell will be unapposed and Bolling is running for reelection for lt. gov. with nominal opposition in some guy from Alexandria I never heard of, and I live there. The key race for the VA GOP will be the three-way race for AG between former Arlington County School Board member Dave Foster - who not only won election in Arlington, but won REelection; VA State Senator Ken Cuccinelli, a good conservative; and John Brownlee, who admittedly I know nothing about.

(4) We need to grow the party from the ground up with our young conservatives.

I lived in Arlington for years. A Republican could never catch a break there, unless he called himself an independent. Not so in Fairfax, or in any other County. My original polling place in MA had more votes/higher % for McCain than my new polling place in Fairfax.

Gerry’s departure means the Chairman of the Fairfax County BOS job is open. I know it may not interest people in PWC as much, but there is an excellent Republican candidate for that job in Pat Herrity.

I personally believe that we have some quality candidates for ‘09 who put the party before their egos. We could be looking at a McDonnell versus Bolling smack down primary, but at least they are cooperating for the common good. If we can hold or gain ground in the local and state level of government, we can regain what we’ve lost in Senate and Congress.

There is a backlash against W. Virginia is caught in it. It won’t last forever. Instead of complaining, we need to decide what to do next.

I doubt Jeff Frederick could have stopped the backlash. I didn’t support him for chairman of RPV, but that’s another matter. He is the chairman. He won. It’s okay to criticize, but really, we have to help him to help us. (And I believe he needs help.) Or we can complain. I figure a week after the election, the time to complain is over and we start thinking about what we do next and what we do better.

It’s time to drop the PWC vs. Fairfax County vs. “the people’s Republic of Arlington”, etc crap. It diminishes the content of the message the Republicans need to put forth. George Allen, living in Mt Vernon, railed about “the real Virginia” at his campaign rallies in southwest Virginia. Now we have Sen. Webb. The Democrats have largely learned to stop the intra-state insults and bickering (a certain GA member from Annandale - a noted exception). How long will it take the Republicans to do the same?

If you guys continue to make things an us vs. them battle at the county level (or the regional level for that matter) you will keep losing.

So, you will be happy paying additional taxes under Gerry, I can’t drive, and Obama, I’m sorry I’m late?

People have to realize that while they bitched about the high cost of gas, and blamed the oil companies, the Dems can’t wait to raise the price even more. Obama stated the only bad thing about $4.00 a gallon gas is we got there to fast. The Dems want gas prices to sky rocket just so demand goes down. They don’t have any other plan for a way to power cars, they just want to keep the price high and that will cause people to use mass transit, which is fine, but we are not set up for that right now, and won’t be for a long time.

And, what is wrong with targeting Counties? If the GOP wins each County, they win the District right/

He who has the most money, gets all the toys!

Would Fimian have beaten Connolly?
Would McCain have beaten Obama?

The Democrats have bridged the NoVA / RoVA gap while the Republicans are still arguing county-by-county. And the Republican county-by-county argument is bizarre in its lack of facts. I live in Fairfax County. My representative is Republican Frank Wolf. Now, tell me again how I am to blame for Fimian’s loss?

As for the governor’s race - keep thinking that Brian Moran is Jim Moran. Keep thinking Terry McCauliffe is a weak candidate because he lacks statewide credentials. Obama lacked a lot of credentials but it’s he who will be inaugurated in January - not a Republican.

Keith Fimian was a nice guy who thought he could run a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington outsider campaign. He didn’t have a great resume for office. The guy is no slouch - he’s a successful small businessman. He picked one issue to focus on - energy - and we all lost interest in it when the price of gas went back down again. He was easy pickings for the more cynical and devious political types, like the DCCC and their propaganda machine, who have no problem playing six degrees of separation to turn a devout husband and father (of all daughters, I believe!) into some sort of out-of-touch misogynist who wants to deprive us women of all our rights.

Also, Fimian kept talking about smaller government in a district where a plurality of the employed people work for the government or for government contractors. First timer mistakes. If the government shrinks, then a huge chunk of his constituents get hurt by association. Good sentiment (the government has lots of waste), but wrong place to highlight it in a questionable economy.

Also, he was a little weak in that he didn’t have a public service resume of any sort and Gerry Connolly could rattle off his awards and endorsements over the years. Connolly had a whole network of supportors sewn up because he’d been a local official. The realtors PAC loved him. Did you see their cheesy ads?

Would most of us have been better off with Fimian? Sure. He gave it his best shot. He stepped up and he tried. It’s too easy to Monday (Tuesday?) morning quarterback him. No candidate is perfect. He did okay in the tally, considering that he really was a political outsider. He was always a longshot.

I’m more disappointed that we recycled candidates with no hope. Like Jim Gilmore. I thank him for his past service, but the Republicans did not run a strong candidate for Senate. A not-so-popular past Governor is the best we could do for a targeted Senate seat?

As I said on another blog this a.m., it’s time to look forward and not backward. That’s one good thing about a trouncing on Election Day. It makes you rethink your strategy.

BTW, Keith Fimian was no great candidate either. He had minimal to no government experience, and was very moderate on several issues (read immigration). The Obamas and Connolly’s might not have won if the GOP had offered stronger candidates to run against them.

Buy em up now. They many not be available in the coming months if Obamarama has his way.

Let him and Moran fight it out for the Demoncrat nomination.