Democrats Nominate Rasoul

Lots of laying mash in the political trough this weekend - Sixth District Democrats did what everyone expected when they formalized the nomination of Sam Rasoul to challenge Bob Goodlatte for House of Representatives. No real surprise there . . . kind of like a good hen laying an egg every day.

Sam accepted the nomination and immediately took on the issues the Republican swiftboaters will likely raise - his age and ethnicity. Make no mistake, he knows he'll be hammered by bigots and Republicans obsessed with holding on to power. But from Sam's remarks, make no mistake that he'll answer every attack. Sam was inspirational while talking about the American Dream - OMG, hope that doesn't mean a "chicken in every pot . . !"

While Sam gave a fine speech, the highlight of the convention was the nominating speech by Bill Bestpitch, First Vice-Chair of the Roanoke City Democratic Committee and former member of the Roanoke City Council. Somehow, Cliff over at Cobalt6 got a digital copy and posted it by 6:00 PM! Line by line and issue by issue, Bill laid out Goodlatte's failings and hammered home the theme that when Sam Rasoul gets to Washington, he'll be working for us. 

Gotta admit, Bob Goodlatte has been feasting on the chicken feed of special interests. Will voters in the Sixth District return a guy who often sides with big agribusiness over the family farm? Will they return a guy who voted against the 21st Century G.I. Bill and valley veterans? Will they return a guy who gets a "F" on education policy and supports the failed "No Child Left Behind?" Every rooster knows incumbents are tough to beat, but Mr. Goodlatte is on the wrong side of so many issues near and dear to valley voters that his rotten eggs are starting to stink. Sam promises to listen, to hear, and to represent the values of the valley in D.C.

The convention also chose  four delegates (and one alternate) to the Democratic National Convention in Denver and a presidential elector. During the downtimes when votes were being tabulated, the convention honored "Most Valuable Democrats" and "Most Valuable Young Democrats" in each locality. Seems there is quite a rise in activism - some of these Dems must get up before the chickens!

David Layman, former chair of the Sixth District Committee, who suffered a heart attack while leading a committee meeting, was also honored. A slideshow of his family and political life accompanied the reading of a resolution commemorating his dedication to his community and the Democratic Party. David's widow and a number of family members were present.

Spotted at the convention was Chris Graham, the new chair of the Waynesboro Democratic Committee. 

That's all from the chicken coop for now. Remember Coarse Cracked Corn is 8% protein, 2.5% fat, and 2.75% fiber. But, that's a hell of a lot healthier than 100% BS at the local wingnut blogs. Peck. Peck.