Suzanna Stohr, grand-daughter of Shirley Pfile, president of the LOW Democratic Club, interviewed Abigail Spanberger, our candidate for Congress from the 7th District at our recent Tri-County rally.
Her account of the interview appeared in the Oct. 12 issue of The Growl, student newspaper for Massaponax High School.
Suzanna’s story is an example of the gathering interest that young people have in our democratic institutions — an interest that we are only too glad to cultivate.
Voters arrive at Clubhouse precinct on Election Day
Election Day could not have gone much better. The president won a second term, carrying Virginia in the process; Gov. Kaine was elected to the Senate; Democrats made gains in the House and retained control of the Senate. Sure, we’re disappointed that Wayne Powell wasn’t able to boot Eric Cantor out of Congress, but we can take great pride in the fact that Wayne earned a very respectable 41.3 percent of the vote, better than any Democrat has been able to do in the recent past.
It’s no secret that we Democrats are outnumbered in Orange County, at least for the time being. But the election clearly demonstrated that our disadvantage isn’t as great as it sometimes seems. The president garnered better than 40 percent of the vote countywide.
Comparing the results to the election of 2008 is problematic, due to the redistricting that took place in the county in 2011. Current precincts do not coincide with precincts in the previous contest. Voters in Lake of the Woods were confined to two precincts four years ago, but now are distributed among three precincts — Four East (402), Five South (501) and Five North (502).
But in the interest of learning from this experience, it is useful to look at the president’s performance in Orange County this year and to weigh it against his performance in 2008.
The chart below shows the vote totals for President Obama and his opponents in Orange County in both elections.
November 2008
Candidates
Votes
Percentage
McCain-Palin
8,506
53.83%
Obama-Biden
7,107
44.97%
November 2012
Candidates
Votes
Percentage
Romney-Ryan
9,301
56.71%
Obama-Biden
6,864
41.85%
So, the president received 243 votes fewer in Orange County in 2012 than he did in 2008! This despite a months-long campaign by hundreds of dedicated volunteers that included registering hundreds of new voters, house-to-house canvassing, phone banks and get-out-the-vote efforts.
There may be any number of reasons for this — not the least of which is the perception of local voters on the state of the economy. The president’s efforts have produced a sound and steady but slow recovery from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Voters often tended to dwell on the “slow” part of the equation, but ignore the “sound and steady” part of it, demanding miracles instead of mere success.
As for voters in Lake of the Woods, the president’s opponent received a majority of votes in all three precincts: 57-43 percent in Four East (402), 60-39 percent in Five South (501) and 63-36 percent in Five North (502). In 2008 these precincts had different borders and names, but the McCain-Palin ticket won all three by similar or slightly narrower margins.
The takeaway from these data is that despite the imbalance between the parties in Orange County, there is a strong and vigorous Democratic base here.
Between now and the next election, Orange County Democrats can build on that base by advocating and demonstrating our sound social and political principles to our neighbors. We’ve always believed that every non-Democrat is just a Democrat who doesn’t know it yet. There’s still work to be done here in Orange County.
There’s no doubt who’s the choice in this household
Have you noticed that Obama-Biden yard signs are springing up on front lawns all over Lake of the Woods?
If you don’t have yours yet, contact Kerry Sipe at 972-2737 to arrange to pick one up. They’re free as long as current supplies last.
LOW regulations say that yard signs may be displayed six weeks prior to an election and up until the day after an election. You’re entitled to one sign per candidate, so pick up a sign for Tim Kaine and Wayne Powell while you’re at it.
(Update: Demand has been so great that we’ve temporarily run out of Kaine signs. The campaign says more may be available in a few days. Sorry.)
The July 7th activities at Clubhouse Point have been canceled due to the forecasted 104-degree heat.
Parade chair Betty Beck reported late Friday that the club’s participation in the LOW Independence Day Parade has also been cancelled. Congressional Candidate Wayne Powell, who had planned to march with the club in the parade, will visit Lake of the Woods at another event at a later time.
The cancellation of events at Clubhouse Point is disappointing, but better not to risk the well-being of our members and the public.
