APRIL MEN'S FORUM CANCELLED

The next monthly gathering of the Hanover Democratic Committee (HDC) Men's Forum has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Please watch this space for additional information. Be safe in the meantime.

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Parent Category: About HDC

Sad for the passing of Ragan Phillips

Ragan Phillips, a voice of activism, has passed to the next life recently. We are sad about the loss because Ragan was the voice of reason and passion.  He always had strength in his convictions. Information about his services is not currently available. Please stay tuned for more announcements.

JOIN OUR VIRTUAL CANDIDATES FORUM FOR THE 1ST DISTRICT ON APRIL 19

The candidates cannot get out on the stump. So we will do the next best thing with a 1^st Congressional District Virtual Candidates Forum at 3 p.m. on April 19. The forum will take place on Zoom. Registration information will be forthcoming.  Candidates Vangie Williams and Qasim Rashid will be participating.  Please address questions to John Suddarth, john@suddarth.net

Call for a Caucus of the Hanover Democratic Committee to elect Delegates and Alternates to the First District and State Conventions

Please read carefully, if you would like to take part in the state and national delegate selection for the presidential Democratic Party process.  The Virginia State Democratic Party has decided to host all of the calls to caucus in virtual forums. You can access their call update, statewide caucus, delegate filling, and participant forms at the links below this message. So, what does this mean? 

1. Hanover Democrats, If you want to participate in the statewide delegate selection process for the National Convention, you must register with the state Democratic Party by April 9.
2. The national delegates will be selected from among the state delegates.
3. The Hanover Democratic Committee has qualified to have 22 delegates (16 for Biden and 6 for Sanders, with 4 and 1 alternates, respectively).  Delegates must support the candidate for whom they signify in the application form.
4. Use the links below to register for the delegate selection process with the state party.
5. At this moment, all caucus’ and delegate conventions will be completed virtually.  The Virginia Democratic Party will keep all participants updated.
6. There is a virtual delegate selection training at 7 pm on April 2.  Click here to register for the training.

Click here for the DPVA Caucus Update

Click here for the DPVA Statewide Call to Virtual Caucus

Pre-Filing Forms

Click here for the pre-filing form to be a State Delegate or Alternate

Click here for the pre-filing form to participate in a Presidential Caucus

More information about the delegate selection process:  https://vademocrats.org/delegateselection/

Democratic Scholarship for High School Seniors!

The Hanover Democratic Committee would like to award scholarships of approximately $500 to one or more graduating seniors from each of our county high schools. If you could help us to impart this information to any pertinent teachers and/or students, we would be very grateful.

-The scholarship is not needs-based or for academic merit; it is for students who have participated in Democratic campaigns, supported Democratic candidates, helped the Hanover Democratic Committee or participated in/started a Young Democrats Club.

-An electronic copy of the application is attached here. The mailing address for completed applications is located at the top of the form. We are aiming for a deadline of April 30, 2020. Please feel free to contact Andrea Ferment at the email address or phone number below should you have any questions.

We were so happy to award ten scholarships in the past two years and look forward to awarding more this year!

Andrea Ferment
Chair, Scholarship Committee
Hanover Democratic Committee
aferment@comcast.net
804.339.4928

Artistic Opportunity for High School student artists

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students currently living in the First District. The winner of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from other contest winners nation-wide.  You can find the 2020 Rules and Regulations here and the Congressional Art Competition Website here.

Message from the Chair

Dan McGraw

Hi Everyone. I hope this message finds you well and safe. To retain some normalcy, we will be moving forward with remote meetings and reaching out by email and phone for the foreseeable future.

Like many and most, I have been "sheltering in place" recently and I watched the "Hillary" documentary on Hulu. And it got me thinking about leaders, and how for a truly great leader when there is a great struggle, there is also a great opportunity.
Out of the Depression, Roosevelt developed vital financial protections. Given a significant deficit, Bill Clinton balanced the budget. Against the recession, Obama stabilized oil prices. And many other people came together through their own leadership, at every level, to make our country better for all members of our society.

And on Hillary's final day of college, the student body unanimously selected her to be the first student ever at Wellesley College to take part in the commencement speech, even after many important figures at the time told her to sit down and be quiet. The speech is well worth watching and I'll include the full version here.

Her speech spoke to me of true leadership, and I think it struck me hard because it was such a juxtaposition to the commander-in-chief we have today. I do not know the current President, but I have heard him speak, and I know people who have known him. He has not done much good in his life. In fact, the opposite is true. And so, I cannot connect with the current President, even at this time, when I need his leadership the most. But, I will look forward with excitement to the future Democratic nominee. Look at all the good our candidates have done, are doing, and can do. Once we select a nominee, let us unite with our full support so that we do not lose an opportunity to encourage our party leaders to shine. Let us also get excited about the candidates down the ballot and put your Democratic enthusiasm to good use!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSwLrRAKtWA

Hanover County Budget Public Hearing

In observance of Gov. Northam's order to not meet in groups larger than 10, the County is making public input available prior to the next budget hearing on April 1.  You can access the full announcement here.  You can call 365-3333 to leave a message about the budget. A limit of three minutes per comment will be observed.  You also can email your comments to this address: BudgetPublicHearing@hanovercounty.gov.  The County will gather comments from March 26 through 5:00 p.m. on March 31.

Get ready for the elections!

The next election will be for Town Council is Ashland.  This always brings up a little bit of confusion.  There are three Ashlands in Virginia:  the 23005 national zip code, the Hanover District, and the Municipal Town proper.  If you live in the actual town, and you are a registered voted, you may participate in the upcoming election on May 5.  Governor Northam has advised all registered voters to consider voting absentee.  You may register to vote absentee online now.  If you do so, the County will mail you a ballot which you must complete and mail back to the County by the appropriate deadline.  To apply to file absentee click here.  More information on voting is here.  The schedule of other voting activities may be found here.  

We now have two Candidates for CD1

In June, we will be voting on which of the two candidates will receive the nomination as the Democratic challenger to Rep. Rob Wittman for the first congressional district of the House of Representatives.  The candidates are Qasim Rashid and Vangie Williams. Two years ago, Mrs. Williams ran an impressive campaign against Rep. Wittman (R), capturing over 44% of the votes. Last year, Mr. Rashid narrowly lost the Virginia District 28 Senate seat to the incumbent Republican, capturing over 42% of the votes. Rashid appeared recently on the CBS Evening News. Recently, Phil Cox has suspended his campaign.  Earlier in the year, other candidates have announced and suspended.  All of these announcements and changes are evidence that we are on the right wave and that Democrats are going to "win bigly" (to quote the POTUS45) in November. Neither the current presidential follies nor COVID-19 will deter us. We will win in the elections and we will win in humanity!

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Parent Category: About HDC

This feature includes different perspectives on who should be the Presidential nominee for the Democratic Committee.  We are committed to supporting the eventual nominee.  We also believe it is useful to share different points of view.

Progressivism is Necessary to Address Our Current and Future Challenges

By Chance Lee

Thanks in no small part to the work of politicians like Bernie Sanders, ideas with progressive roots like Universal Basic Income and curbing free markets, once considered beyond the pale by moderate voices, have gained firm footholds in the popular imagination. With COVID-19 spreading across the country, these proposals are finally achieving the semblance of political salience. We live under the thumb of a right-wing administration, yet Congress is cutting Americans direct checks while the President’s handpicked economic czar flirts openly with state-owned equity in private business. We live in strange times. This crisis is forcing us to test the limits of our political horizons, and it becomes ever more apparent that progressive change is not only within our reach but a matter of necessity.

At a basic level, progressives propose reorienting our societal investments to empower the real people and workers who create value. One argument, though, has haunted single-payer healthcare, publicly funded universities, and other progressive policies for decades: the proposed cost. Election cycle after election cycle, the same tired rejoinder of “how are we going to pay for it?” rises like a vampire from its coffin and drains Democratic enthusiasm for progressive change. The federal response to the global pandemic at our doorstep finally drives a stake through this Nosferatu’s heart as our federal reserve pumps trillions into markets through record-shattering bond-buying and repurchase agreements. It’s no longer tenable for our leaders to say the alternative course is a financial impossibility.

The situation itself exposes the true cost of our misaligned priorities and how vital it is we shift to a progressive course. None of the measures so far to cushion Wall Street have staunched the bleeding nor has our privatized health system left us with the capacity to address the virus’s human toll. The bets we placed on job creators and big businesses aren’t paying off; instead, we find ourselves relying on increasingly precarious essential workers to keep fragile supply chains intact while the number of nonessential unemployed creeps upwards.

Programs like Medicare for All ultimately put the country in a better position to combat crises, allowing our institutions to be proactive instead of reactive. The current strategy, delivering a one-time stimulus, or proposals to waive COVID-19 treatment costs, won’t prepare us for the inevitable next disaster. Emergency progressivism can’t fix the structural failures that lead us to this moment and facing the challenges the future holds requires us to tackle these problems with a comprehensive progressive agenda.

Why I’m Ridin’ With Biden

By Ethan C. Lynne (PHHS Sophomore)

Courage, that is the word I would use to describe Joe Biden. That cannot be said for most normal politicians, but Joe is not a normal politician. After being elected as the youngest U.S. senator ever at 29, he got sworn in in his son’s hospital room after losing his wife and daughter in a car accident. He served in that capacity for decades, giving him the much-needed government experience that is extremely helpful to become the President. When you’re president, you have to have a lot of allies, both in the country and around the world, and Joe already has that. In 2008, after agreeing to serve as Vice-President on one of the most historic presidential campaigns in history, he fully immersed himself in the political world. He has been a Democrat his whole life, never switching to an independent, unlike Senator Sanders. After seeing his margins on Super Tuesday winning almost every county in most states, and his huge percentage of the African-American electorate, it is clear, the candidate who can win is Joe. We must choose the Democrat with courage, and experience over the independent with widely controversial promises.

Don't Let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good

By Ashley Hall

Let us not forget ... if we get a progressive Democrat in office, we can move him more to the middle. If we get a moderate Democrat in office, we can move him more to the left. We can call, we can march, we can shine a light on issues important to us, and these issues will fall on Democratic ears and the ears of their Democratic advisors. Not the case if Donald Trump wins a second term. So when it’s time to volunteer, time to call, time to vote, the Democrat on the ballot may not represent everything you want or need at the moment, but whoever it is, they are a HECK of a lot closer to your ideals than the current President in office. It’s a cliché, but clichés can be true. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. 

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Parent Category: About HDC

WOMEN'S COFFEE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED

While our Hanover Democratic Women's Coffees are suspended temporarily because of the virus, we look forward to soon resuming our informal gatherings of like-minded women from all over the county.

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Parent Category: About HDC

Blue Wave Bash, April Meetings Canceled

We regret to inform you that we are postponing the Blue Wave Bash, originally scheduled for April 23. At the moment, we do not know when we will reschedule it.

Because of the Coronavirus, we are not sure when it will be safe again to hold a large meeting. Furthermore, we are also canceling our regular April Democratic Meetings.

Normally, we meet every second Saturday at 10 a.m. at The Depot in Ashland. However, we will not be meeting until we can be certain that all of our members can safely attend.

As long as everyone practices good hygiene and social distance, we will be able to lower the curve and get through this with minimal consequences. Let us stay united in spirit. If we had a president who listened to scientists and trusted his department directors, we would likely be ahead of this outbreak. Alas, we are in the predicament that we are and the best that we can do is protect one another by washing our hands frequently with soap and warm water, keeping our distance from one another, and isolating ourselves when we are sick.

This will eventually pass. Use the time to email your elected officials or take one of the actions cited in Take Action Now. Until then, stay safe. All the best to you, your friends, and your family.

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Parent Category: About HDC

Call for a Caucus of the Hanover Democratic Committee to Elect Delegates and Alternates to the First District and State Conventions

Please read carefully, if you would like to take part in the state and national delegate selection for the presidential Democratic Party process.  The Virginia State Democratic Party has decided to host all of the calls to caucus in virtual forums. You can access their call update, statewide caucus, delegate filling, and participant forms at the links below this message.  So, what does this mean? 

1. Hanover Democrats, If you want to participate in the statewide delegate selection process for the National Convention, you must register with the state Democratic Party by April 9.
2. The national delegates will be selected from among the state delegates.
3. The Hanover Democratic Committee has qualified to have 22 delegates (16 for Biden and 6 for Sanders, with 4 and 1 alternates, respectively).  Delegates must support the candidate for whom they signify in the application form.
4. Use the links below to register for the delegate selection process with the state party.
5. At this moment, all caucus’ and delegate conventions will be completed virtually.  The Virginia Democratic Party will keep all participants updated.

Click here for the DPVA Caucus Update

Click here for the DPVA Statewide Call to Virtual Caucus

Pre-Filing Forms

Click here for the pre-filing form to be a State Delegate or Alternate

Click here for the pre-filing form to participate in a Presidential Caucus

Details