Virginia is a red state and although the popular belief is that N. VA is the Democrats territory the southern part may be as well. I've noticed a lot of support for Kerry in the Hamptonroads area. I hope this election year VA turns blue.
The Virginian Pilot endorsed John Kerry:
A course change: The Virginian-Pilot endorses John Kerry
George W. Bush oiled the troubled waters of his 2000 election by promising to govern as a unifier and a compassionate conservative.
Four years later, the nation is more bitterly split than ever. That is because the president abandoned the middle ground of the Republican Party in favor of its ideological edge.
He discourages internal dissent, equates disagreement with disloyalty and presents the terrorist attacks of 9/11 as an unassailable justification for whatever course the administration takes.
It goes on to ask Americans to ask themselves if the president has strengthened the national, economic, and retirement security of this country. They cover each and point out where the president has failed. Some highlights below:
National Security
[...]
From the start, Bush failed to square with the American people about the true nature of his bold gamble to establish a democratic beachhead in Iraq.
He justified the venture first on the basis of a nonexistent bond between al-Qaida and Saddam, next on equally non-existent weapons of mass destruction. Duped by misplaced faith in shadowy Iraqi resistance figures, Bush wrongly assumed that we would be greeted as liberators, not occupiers. He failed to protect Iraq's infrastructure, failed to foresee the consequences of disbanding the Iraqi army, failed to have enough troops on the ground to secure a peace.
[...]
Economic Security
Bush inherited a recession. That is not his fault. He promised that tax cuts would put America back to work.
Congress obliged. But today we have fewer jobs than when Bush took office. And by cutting revenues and increasing spending we have traded a record surplus for a record deficit.
That's because when circumstances changed with 9/11, Bush didn't. He held fast to tax cuts while beefing up spending for the war and homeland security, all defensible. What's indefensible is that he also invited an explosion in domestic spending, including an unaffordable prescription drug plan that is the largest escalation of Medicare in its history.
On Kerry. They point out his flaws but who is perfect? One thing is clear, he is so much better than Bush.
But on balance, Kerry is a better choice. He has shown more substance than the flip-flopping caricature drawn by his opponents. He demonstrates an admirable seriousness of purpose, steadiness under fire, and a grasp of the complexities of domestic and foreign policy issues.
Contrary to claims that he tilts with the prevailing winds, Kerry has throughout his lifetime charted an independent course. His zigs and zags reflect his digestion of new information and his arrival at new insights, not slavish devotion to public opinion.
Yes, as their title suggests we cannot afford to stay the course, Mr. President. It's time for major change.