Thoughts from our Chair
November 5
Good morning,
Congratulations! Mathews, Virginia, and the nation sent a message to bullies and tyrants last night that serious, smart, and nice people are in charge. I am so proud to be a Democrat today. For all our foibles, we do know how to organize and turn out the vote.
First, all praise goes to Patrick Beattie and David Walsh for taking on Mathews's own mini-Trumps and getting them out of office. The vote totals tell it all. Mathews voters will no longer tolerate bad behavior from our elected officials. Civility is back.
The sweep of the three highest offices by Spanberger, Hashmi, and Jones, plus the 64-seat Democratic majority in the House of Delegates, shows Virginia is a modern, forward-thinking state. We are a national bellwether.
Our brave Elaine Walters ran a great campaign, but the Republican hold on the 68th House District remains strong. Elaine has a bright future in politics if she wants it. Speaking of bright futures, Leslie Mehta, who ran against Wittman last year in the 1st CD, won a seat in the VA House of Delegates for the 73rd District last night.
One of the hardest and most rewarding elements of political campaigns is door-to-door canvassing. Canvassing in Mathews is particularly challenging, given the distances between houses and the bizarre house numbering patterns. For me, the opportunity to meet and talk with new people is fun. We had a great canvassing team this year: Maureen Bongarzone, Susan Riggs, Deb Krahn, Butler Knight, Melinda Sprague, Christine Ulrich, Janet Deschak, and Ed Donohue. I want to thank all the canvassers for their dedication, and all the Mathews voters who graciously agreed to talk with us.
Regarding signs: Kent will start taking down the large signs today. We are saving Elaine's signs, but the Spanberger et al. large signs coated with plastic are hard to recycle and likely will go to the dump. Same with plastic-coated yard signs. Please save all of Elaine's yard signs. You can leave them up, and someone will pick them up. Or bring them to the MCDC meeting on November 15. If you have Spanberger et al. plastic bag signs, they can be bundled and put in the plastic bag recycling container at Food Lion. The metal wire frames go to the metal disposal container at the dump
Next meeting of Mathews Dems is Saturday, November 15, at 10 am in the Chesapeake Bank Community Room.
With deep gratitude!
Sheila
But What Can We DO?
Posted by Inequality Media, Robert Reich, professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator, tells us the 5 things we can do to protect our democracy.
Reich served in the Ford, Carter, Clinton, and Obama administrations.
Reich served in the Ford, Carter, Clinton, and Obama administrations.
August, 1927... One Hundred Years of Persecuting Immigrants
In August, 1927 Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed for the murders of a paymaster and a guard during an armed robbery. To this day, questions remain about whether or not they were guilty of murder or of simply being poor immigrants who were avowed anarchists.
In the moments before his death, Vanzetti spoke about his dedication to fighting for social Justice. His words seem particularly important today.
I have talk a great deal of myself
but I even forgot to name Sacco.
Sacco too is a worker,
from his boyhood a skilled worker, lover of work,
with a good job and pay,
a bank account, a good and lovely wife,
two beautiful children and a neat little home
at the verge of a wood, near a brook.
Sacco is a heart, a faith, a character, a man;
a man, love of nature, and mankind;
a man who gave all, who sacrifice all
to the cause of liberty and to his love for mankind:
money, rest, mundane ambition,
his own wife, his children, himself
and his own life.
Sacco has never dreamt to steal, never to assassinate.
He and I have never brought a morsel
of bread to our mouths, from our childhood to today
which has not been gained by the sweat of our brows.
Never…
Oh, yes, I may be more witful, as some have put it;
I am a better babbler than he is, but many, many times in hearing his heartful voice ringing a faith sublime,
in considering his supreme sacrifice, remembering his heroism,
I felt small in the presence of his greatness
and found myself compelled to fight back
from my eyes the tears,
and quanch my heart
trobling to my throat to not weep before him:
this man called thief and assassin and doomed.
But Sacco’s name will live in the hearts of the people
and in their gratitude when Katzmann’s bones
and yours will be dispersed by time;
when your name, his name, your laws, institutions,
and your false god are but a dim rememoring
of a cursed past in which man was wolf
to the man…
If it had not been for these thing
I might have live out my life
talking at street corners to scorning men.
I might have die, unmarked, unknown, a failure.
Now we are not a failure.
This is our career and our triumph. Never
in our full life could we hope to do such work
for tolerance, for justice, for man’s understanding
of man, as now we do by accident.
Our words, our lives, our pains—nothing!
The taking of our lives—lives of a good shoemaker and a poor fishpeddler— all! That last moment belongs to us— that agony is our triumph.
In the moments before his death, Vanzetti spoke about his dedication to fighting for social Justice. His words seem particularly important today.
I have talk a great deal of myself
but I even forgot to name Sacco.
Sacco too is a worker,
from his boyhood a skilled worker, lover of work,
with a good job and pay,
a bank account, a good and lovely wife,
two beautiful children and a neat little home
at the verge of a wood, near a brook.
Sacco is a heart, a faith, a character, a man;
a man, love of nature, and mankind;
a man who gave all, who sacrifice all
to the cause of liberty and to his love for mankind:
money, rest, mundane ambition,
his own wife, his children, himself
and his own life.
Sacco has never dreamt to steal, never to assassinate.
He and I have never brought a morsel
of bread to our mouths, from our childhood to today
which has not been gained by the sweat of our brows.
Never…
Oh, yes, I may be more witful, as some have put it;
I am a better babbler than he is, but many, many times in hearing his heartful voice ringing a faith sublime,
in considering his supreme sacrifice, remembering his heroism,
I felt small in the presence of his greatness
and found myself compelled to fight back
from my eyes the tears,
and quanch my heart
trobling to my throat to not weep before him:
this man called thief and assassin and doomed.
But Sacco’s name will live in the hearts of the people
and in their gratitude when Katzmann’s bones
and yours will be dispersed by time;
when your name, his name, your laws, institutions,
and your false god are but a dim rememoring
of a cursed past in which man was wolf
to the man…
If it had not been for these thing
I might have live out my life
talking at street corners to scorning men.
I might have die, unmarked, unknown, a failure.
Now we are not a failure.
This is our career and our triumph. Never
in our full life could we hope to do such work
for tolerance, for justice, for man’s understanding
of man, as now we do by accident.
Our words, our lives, our pains—nothing!
The taking of our lives—lives of a good shoemaker and a poor fishpeddler— all! That last moment belongs to us— that agony is our triumph.
Have You Seen this?
I got this in the mail today... NOTE the language:
"Let me be clear: I will not support any changes that impact current beneficiaries or those nearing retirement. Instead, I'll continue working across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions that preserve this essential safety net."
Let's hold him to this promise!
"Let me be clear: I will not support any changes that impact current beneficiaries or those nearing retirement. Instead, I'll continue working across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions that preserve this essential safety net."
Let's hold him to this promise!
Witman Mailer
Witman Mailer page 2
"Federal Cuts Threaten Virginians"
Richmond Times Dispatch, May 15
An article by Michael Martz explains the cuts proposed by the GOP and their impact on Virginians.
"GOP committees proposed cuts that would shift the cost of food assistance to states, make it harder for people to get health care through Medicaid, and cost them more to buy health insurance."
Unfortunately, the Times Dispatch paywall prevents me from linking the article for everyone... but if you have a subscription, I think you will be able to log-in and read the article.
"GOP committees proposed cuts that would shift the cost of food assistance to states, make it harder for people to get health care through Medicaid, and cost them more to buy health insurance."
Unfortunately, the Times Dispatch paywall prevents me from linking the article for everyone... but if you have a subscription, I think you will be able to log-in and read the article.
Bud Ward with President Obama
Bud Ward worked at Anheuser Busch in Williamsburg starting in 1982. He was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Bud was active in the Mathews Democratic Committee for many years and became chair in 2012. He also became vice chair for the Southeast Region of the Virginia Democratic Party in 2012.
Under Bud’s leadership, our annual Crab Steam grew to be one of the most successful fundraisers of rural Democratic Committees in the state. He was well known among Democratic leaders across the state and was close friends with former Governor Ralph Northam. He completed his tenure as chair of the Mathews committee in 2020, but continued to be active in local and state Democratic affairs.
In recent years, Bud became an integral part of the effort to tell the story of the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island. He helped form the association of the descendants of Black people who were enslaved by Gwynn’s Island white families and who lived and worked on Gwynn’s Island after emancipation. The first reunions of the descendants were held on Bud’s property on the Piankatank River. He was so determined that the historic marker commemorating the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island be located on the island that he offered his property as the place for it to be installed. It is a fitting tribute to Bud that this historic marker will be erected in front of his house on Old Ferry Road.
Bud was an unapologetic champion of all principles and priorities of the Democratic Party in a place where not too many people agreed with him. He loved Mathews County nonetheless.
Bud was active in the Mathews Democratic Committee for many years and became chair in 2012. He also became vice chair for the Southeast Region of the Virginia Democratic Party in 2012.
Under Bud’s leadership, our annual Crab Steam grew to be one of the most successful fundraisers of rural Democratic Committees in the state. He was well known among Democratic leaders across the state and was close friends with former Governor Ralph Northam. He completed his tenure as chair of the Mathews committee in 2020, but continued to be active in local and state Democratic affairs.
In recent years, Bud became an integral part of the effort to tell the story of the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island. He helped form the association of the descendants of Black people who were enslaved by Gwynn’s Island white families and who lived and worked on Gwynn’s Island after emancipation. The first reunions of the descendants were held on Bud’s property on the Piankatank River. He was so determined that the historic marker commemorating the Black Exodus from Gwynn’s Island be located on the island that he offered his property as the place for it to be installed. It is a fitting tribute to Bud that this historic marker will be erected in front of his house on Old Ferry Road.
Bud was an unapologetic champion of all principles and priorities of the Democratic Party in a place where not too many people agreed with him. He loved Mathews County nonetheless.