DailyKos is fantastic for getting to what's behind national issues. It does a great job of publicizing community-wide ideas and issues that get no traction anywhere else. It leads the way on stories that become national news weeks later. For that, I'm wonderfully grateful.
But one thing that gets underreported here, and everywhere in the liberal blogosphere it seems, is the true origins of the conservative reactionism that we fight against every step of the way: Local elections.
For example, here in my home of Loudoun County, Virginia (which also happens to be home to a DKos frontpager. See, relevance!), seething crazy reactionary hate and feudalism is pretty much the basis for finding local Republican candidates.
I don't expect a national blog to have a local focus. Please don't think I am saying that. I do expect, however, that every so often, when, for example, there are only two states in the entire country holding elections, that the DailyKos community might find the time and energy to examine who is running in those local elections. After all, every opponent of progress on the national stage got their start somewhere.
And Loudoun County, Virginia, has turned into a font of potential future reactionism this year.
And the great-granddaddy of them all.
Local elections matter. Sure, for schools, roads, parks, public services and things like that. But they also matter because when hate, bigotry and entitlement are elected to office, they are emboldened and given a sense that they're doing right. And all too often, well funded reactionaries can essentially buy a local office, and use it as a springboard or bully pulpit. That's what they're trying to do in my County this year.
My fight is your fight, is DailyKos' fight too. Because stopping these reactionaries here in my County today will show them that their brand of division and disdain is unacceptable anywhere. And so, I ask for your help. Today.
Mark Herring for Senate
Shawn Mitchell for Senate
Mike Kondratick for Delegate
Dave Butler for Delegate
Jennifer Wexton for Commonwealth's Attorney
Tom Bellanca for Board of Supervisors, Chair
Kelly Burk for Leesburg Supervisor
Andrea McGimsey for Broad Run Supervisor
Al Nevarez for Sterling Supervisor
Malcolm Baldwin for Catoctin Supervisor
Valdis Ronis for Ashburn Supervisor
Larry Roeder for Dulles Supervisor
Denise Moore for Algonkian Supervisor
The reactionary we stop today may be the Senator prevented tomorrow.