Blue Ridge Democrat Vol. 1 #2
This is the second monthly publication by the Chair of the LEXROCKBV Democrats. In January 2024 we had one goal - change the political landscape of Buena Vista, Rockbridge, and Lexington, Virginia. We have reached that goal and there is a lot of work still to do. In the inaugural edition of The Blue Ridge Democrat I declared that Democrats in our area had found their voice, stopped being scared of putting signs in their yard, and that the term Blue Ridge Democrat would live and breathe every day in the lives of many Virginians. Now what I predicted just one month ago has become true. And it will become truer and truer going forward, I guarantee you.
In September the Blue Ridge Democrats at the Labor Day festivities turned up energized and joyful, and most importantly, showed up in Buena Vista like never before. Blue Ridge Democrats filled the cafeteria of Parry McCluer High School with a sold-out breakfast, a first in the 43-year history of Labor Day festivities there. Over 185 Blue Ridge Democrats listened to a great speech by US Senator Tim Kaine, the man who has helped Buena Vista get a Rural Health Care Center and who got money to keep the Buena Vista public pool open. At breakfast we heard State Senator Creigh Deeds tell us we must work hard to help Democrats come out of the shadows, even in rural areas, get people to register to vote and we must work 365 days every year to recruit great candidates to win elections for all elected positions because Virginia has elections every year. We heard Ken Mitchell, our darkhorse Congressional candidate running against Ben Cline, speak from the heart about healing the divide in America and working for every single resident of the 6th Congressional District. Ken is soft spoken as are most Blue Ridge Democrats. He helps his neighbors like most Blue Ridge Democrats. He could not be more different from Ben Cline, our current Representative who not only did nothing to help bring a Rural Health Care Center to Buena Vista, he voted against funding the only piece of federal legislation that could have helped fix the pool in Buena Vista and keep it open for its citizens. Democrats supported that legislation.
At the Labor Day festivities in Buena Vista, when Governor Youngkin started spewing lies about crime going up in the US (it is down 25% under President Biden and did not go down under Trump at all), that “illegal immigrants were committing crimes” (they commit 20% fewer crimes than American citizens per capita), and that the economy is in shatters and inflation is going up (the economy is strong, creating lots of good paying jobs, wages are going up, and inflation is coming down) Blue Ridge Democrats started to “boo.” And when Governor Youngkin looked at us and said we need to support Donald Trump for President we started chanting “We won’t go back.” He never stopped speaking. We never drowned out his voice, and we did the right thing with our chant. No audience should ever be silent in the face of blatant lies coming from any speaker in any situation. After his speech, and just before Senator Kaine got up to speak, with great disrespect for Senator Kaine and the entire audience in attendance, Governor Younkin got up and marched out of the Pavilion at Glen Maury Park. At that moment the City Manager of Buena Vista, Jason Tyree, said to the crowd, “The Governor has left the building.”
Senator Kaine then spoke. He explained with facts and figures and example after example that “Democrats Deliver” and cited the great progress this country has made through Democratic leadership under President Biden and Vice-President Harris in infrastructure improvements including building and repairing roads and bridges, investing in our future chip industry, and making improvements in producing the energy our nation needs for our growing economy. He said “Democrats Deliver” in rural health care, expanding affordable childcare, reducing poverty, and getting broadband to rural areas like Rockbridge County. Kaine also spoke of how “Democrats Deliver” support for Ukraine, NATO and our allies, have delivered in reducing inflation, have delivered in supporting better transportation and rail services to Virginians and the nation, and have delivered in keeping both social security alive, and Democracy itself alive.
The Blue Ridge Democrats not only won the legendary Labor Day Sign War, we also won the new Social Media war with over 3,000,000 social media hits of our Labor Day videos as Labor Day in Buena Vista became national news.
Ken Mitchell then spoke. He is the Blue Ridge Democrat. He is not “left” or “right,” but as he said in his speech, he is an American first and cares for his neighbors. He has adopted a cat, and he promised that when he is elected, he will work for every person, Republican or Democrat in the 6th Congressional District. Blue Ridge Democrats, unlike angry Republicans, are people who can have a civil conversation with every person in the 6th Congressional District and the nation about any issue of national importance.
So Blue Ridge Democrats are wearing buttons made at Democratic Party Headquarters at 11 South Jefferson Street. Come to our office and get a button. We have many to choose from.
Most Blue Ridge Democrats are not wealthy. Ben Cline has the wealthy Rocovich family he married into who supports his campaigns financially. Blue Ridge Democrats are the average people you will see walking down the streets in Lexington, Rockbridge County and Buena Vista. They will vote for Ken Mitchell, but are private people and may not be willing to announce to everyone they are voting for Ken Mitchell. The Blue Ridge Democrat is your neighbor and will lend you and your family a helping hand when you need one whether you are a Democrat or Republican. Ken Mitchell is that Blue Ridge Democrat.