He wears the Marine boots that belong to his son who will soon deploy to Iraq. As James Webb puts it: “I wear these boots every day because every morning when I lace them up, I remember that our finest young men and women are in Iraq serving their country. And they’re at risk because of the Bush administration’s failed policy and their incompetent management of an inadequately planned occupation.”
Webb (and his boots) showed up at a recent gathering, held in the heart of Hollywood. 
It was a classic, vintage scene: A 1920’s stucco mansion with a football field-sized patio and a huge, sparkling swimming pool. Three hundred beautiful people met from 6:00 to 8:00 pm to meet a real hero (possibly their first genuine, non-fiction hero) at the Jim Webb event a week ago Friday night.
Democratic candidates from all over the U.S. make the trip to California for one reason: to raise money. The state is big, it’s blue, and it’s rich. When Dem contestants need cash, they ride off into the sunset to tap the strongbox on the Western stagecoach. And Jim Webb needs money — now that he’s got the big macacallen shaking in his boots. 🙂
I got there early to watch the guests trickle in. I followed as many as I could out to the patio to ask them how they came to be invited. Some were politically-active members of the Hollywood community. But I was interested to find that many of the attendees had some special connection to Virginia – they grew up there, or graduated from UVA, married a VA native, or worked in Washington and lived in Virginia for a few years. Another important Hollywood-VA axis: Elizabeth Taylor was once married to John Warner. 😉
After an hour of chit-chat, Jim Webb, his wife, and friends arrived. Buzz-buzz…the whole patio started to levitate. After all, Hollywood is ground zero for star power and this was the moment everyone was waiting for.
A warm introduction
A few minutes later the crowd was shushed and a tall, middle-aged fellow stood up on a low decorative brick. (Sorry, I couldn’t hear his name and forgot to get it later.) He introduced Jim Webb as someone “who will help right the ship of state from its current ugly course” because he “has the backbone to walk the walk.” And, he continued in a note that carries special weight in Hollywood, “Jim Webb has special qualifications because he is a writer.”
He observed that Ronald Reagan had changed from the Democratic to the Republican Party in the 1960s, noting that, “If Ronald Reagan was alive, he’d come back to the Democratic party!
But the old labels don’t really apply. The choice today is not between left and right – it’s between up and down.
“In Virginia this year, we entered a primary we couldn’t win, against an opponent we couldn’t beat – but we did beat him and we did win. I congratulate you on your insight and your optimism – I introduce Jim Webb.”
Jim Webb wins L.A.
Webb began by explaining how he came to run for the Senate.
When he wrote his book Born Fighting , the concepts of Jacksonian democracy caught his attention. (Andrew Jackson was the founder of the modern Democratic Party.) At the same time, Webb was watching what happened after 9/11 and how the war on terror unfolded. He was an early critic of the invasion of Iraq. Then came Katrina and the dismal failure of the federal government to take prompt, effective action.
“I either had to stop screaming at the television set or do something,” said Webb.
After consulting with friend and fellow veteran Bob Kerrey, former senator from Nebraska, Webb made up his mind to run. He added that three weeks ago, he was asked if he was running against George Allen as a Democrat because of convenience. His answer?
“My race for the Senate isn’t a matter of convenience – it’s a matter of conviction.
“I started on February 8 with no money and no staff. And we won the primary by 8 points. I have an old Jeep Cherokee and with my old Marine buddy, Mac, we put 5,000 miles on that car, hitting every highway, byway, and back road we could before the primary day. And everywhere we went, we won, even though we had no money for ads.”
Blue Californians got a lesson in Virginia politics and an explanation for why the campaign will need early money now if there is to be any hope of winning against Allen. Webb said he will run the race on two overarching themes he believes will resonate in Virginia: reorienting foreign policy and the national defense budget and re-establishing fundamental social fairness.
The guests gathered to hear Webb first-hand came to the event with a respectful attitude and left with excitement and enthusiasm for his candidacy. He opened their minds and they opened their wallets. After all, he’s a writer, a decorated vet, a former Secretary of the Navy, a Democrat, and a man of the people – even in Hollywood, stories just don’t get better than that.
Lesson in Virginia Politics
Webb’s comments about his state: “Virginia is a microcosm of the U.S. Northern Virginia is very different from the rest of the state: dominated by urban attitudes and a sophisticated environment. Downstate has been hit hard by outsourcing but is emotional about social issues. If we can get 48% downstate, Allen can’t win. Tidewater is military with a lot of veterans, and we do well there. Richmond, in the middle of the state, is very mixed but has some heavily Republican areas.
“We need early money now because George Allen has a big grass roots machine in Virginia,” explained Webb. “The polls show us 7 points to 16 points behind, depending on which one you read. Where people know me, we can win; where they don’t George Allen is beating us up.” [NOTE: Since the event and Allen’s macaca gaffe, the Rasmussen poll shows that the race has tightened considerably to a 5-point gap, with Allen at 47% and Webb at 42%.]
Foreign Policy and National Defense Budget
[I took extensive notes during this discussion, but it was difficult to hear. While I believe this account is accurate, I may have misunderstood or missed something important.]
Webb’s discussion of national defense began with the observation that “our foreign policy is in chaos everywhere: Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and China. And we are not on good terms with our European allies or Russia.”
According to Webb, Bush mistakes have robbed the U.S. of flexibility by preventing us from acting elsewhere. “And they have led us into two strategic mousetraps. The first is that by taking out the Sunnis in Iraq, we turned power over to the Shia. Then in Lebanon, we pushed out the Syrians – which only paved the way for Hezbollah to step in. Most recently, we failed to act to prevent the destruction of Lebanon – and its Sunni government.” So now after all the blood and treasure the Bush administration has squandered, the U.S. and its allies face a powerful Shia crescent that stretches from Iran, through Iraq, to Lebanon.
As far as our troops in Iraq are concerned, Webb said that the Bush administration has hollowed out the military, which has had adverse consequences on force structure and weapons. In addition, the civilianization of the military has added a significant burden to the cost of the effort in Iraq.
Webb doesn’t see any real optimistic upside outcomes available to the U.S., given the blunders that have produced the current situation. He believes our best strategy is to leapfrog troops into neighboring states, and to take advantage of our relationships with those neighbors. Groups in these countries have ties to factions within Iraq, and we may be able to engage their help in fostering a stable political environment.
Webb thinks that the U.S. does not have an exit strategy from Iraq – because the Bush administration doesn’t want to leave. “The people who led us into the war cling to the mistaken idea that a long-term presence of the U.S. military in Iraq will be beneficial for the region.” In this environment, Webb says it was yet another Bush error to put the emphasis on force in his dealings with both Iran and Syria. Finally, he argues that Democrats should not fall into the trap of making a time-line the whole debate; rather, we need to focus on outcomes.
Fundamental Social Fairness
How can the Webb campaign win votes from conservatives and people on the religious right? He notes that there is a core group whose political action is defined by anti-choice and gay marriage – they may never come over. The Republicans have put a gay marriage initiative on the Virginia ballot to activate them. [Talking point to heteros: This initiative will affect heterosexual couples who aren’t in legal marriages.]
“We have to get beyond these issues,” says Webb. “There is a group of conservatives and religious people who are in the middle, and they can be reached with the concept of fundamental social fairness.”
Webb observes that Downstaters have suffered economically from the disastrous trade deals that the Republicans have put in place. “George Allen is anti-labor and anti-union. I have been endorsed by the United Mine Workers because they know that I am pro-labor and pro-union.”
