No high-speed Internet leaves people behind

[Originally posted 9/29/06 on Forward Together Blog]

The New York Times ran a story yesterday about the residents of the Northeast who are having trouble connecting to high-speed Internet and the telephone companies that are ditching the rural areas and investing only in the cities.  

This is all happening “just as high-speed access is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury,” says the article.  Without high-speed Internet, you can’t chat with friends; download music or movies; collaborate with co-workers in realtime; or, for that matter, even foray into SecondLife.  

It’s not just about the technology; it’s about keeping up with the future.  Broadband Internet is central to our economies, our communities, our schools, and our way of life.  Just look at some of these stories from residents in Vermont:

Helen Masson, who lost her job at an Ethan Allen furniture factory a few years ago, grumbles that the lack of broadband has made it harder for her to find work, despite taking computer classes. [Bill] Johnson, sitting nearby, nods in agreement. “The staff at the statehouse shudder when I’m on a committee because they have to lick a stamp instead of pressing a send button,” he said.
…
“We have companies that lose money because they don’t have broadband,” said Maureen Connolly, a director at the Economic Development Council of Northern Vermont. “We’re not a third world country. We shouldn’t have to beg for service.”
…
Towns like Canaan will not have access to the growing number of government records kept online…and hotels and other tourist attractions will have a harder time attracting outsiders.

It’s disappointing that the United States is 12th in the world for broadband deployment.  When he was governor of Virginia, Mark Warner worked with legislators, businesses and local governments to help lead the largest rural broadband deployment in the nation, which will eventually connect 700,000 citizens and over 19,000 businesses to high-speed Internet.  

We have to start looking to the future.  The only way we’re going to be competitive is with an innovative national agenda that makes science and technology a priority. Check out Governor Warner’s thoughts from the 2006 Global Agenda Magazine on how America needs to compete in our Web 2.0 world.  

Students use cell phones during Warner speech

[Originally posted 9/27/06 on Forward Together Blog]

Governor Warner stopped by New Hampshire’s Concord High School last Friday to speak to students about the importance of political participation and voter registration.  

Speaking to a crowd of approximately 500 high school students, Governor Warner launched Forward Together’s YouthRoots, our Web-driven youth outreach effort that encourages young Americans to participate in the November mid-term elections.

After introducing himself to the next generation of voters, the Governor encouraged the students to become “better engaged”:

The decisions we’re making, they’re effecting your life.  And do you really want to trust us to make all those decisions without you guys having your say?  Quite honestly, in a lot of big issues, you probably understand it better than some of our policymakers, particularly when it comes to issues around technology and change.

The first step engagement is getting registered to vote, he said.  And that’s when he asked the students to take out their cell phones.  

“Seriously?” asked some of the students.  Yes, he was serious.  The Governor, who is one of the co-founders of the company that became Nextel, became the first politician to encourage young Americans to get their friends and family registered to vote using cell phones and text messaging.

Governor Warner back in the blogosphere

[Originially posted 8/25/06 on Forward Together Blog]

Governor Warner liveblogged this morning on RaisingKaine.com, an influential blog here in Virginia, and DailyKos. He helped make the case for Virginia Senate candidate Jim Webb, and encouraged the Netroots to add to the PAC’s $5,000 contribution and donate to the campaign.

Comments were posted by a number of Virginians who know for Governor Warner’s record as well as hardcore supporters and curious oberservers outside of the Commonwealth who wanted to know about the Governor’s views on today’s hot topics.  

The Governor talked about national security, Iraq, alternative energy, and the 2006 elections:

The big issues in the Senate and Congressional races in Virginia and across the U.S. are: restoring America’s stature in the world, ensuring we have a plan to get out of Iraq that doesn’t leave it a haven for al Qaeda and Iranian expansionism, connecting the dots between energy policy, American security, Global Warming — and if we could lead in the development of alternative energy solutions it could be the same kind of economic engine for American job creation that IT and telecom have been for the last 20 years.

I also believe that we’ve got to have a national competitiveness strategy that links education, health care, intellectual capital creation, and fair trade. To do this, we’ve got to get our fiscal house in order so that we can make these investments.

He also reemphasized the importance and the influence of the blogosphere:

I think folks in the netroots want leaders who understand that it isn’t so much left vs right as it is future vs past. I spent 20 years in technology and I don’t say I understand all the changes sweeping through our world, but at least I see that they’re coming and I’m not afraid of these changes.

Check out the two diaries, one on RaisingKaine.com and the other on DailyKos (it’s the number two recommended diary).  Read some more of the Governor’s comments and continue the discussion.  

Warner boosts strong Democrats in PA, OH, MI

[Originially posted 8/23/06 on Forward Together Blog]

After a jam-packed day with three Pennsylvania Demcorats who are trying to change the map, Governor Warner continues his tour with stops in Ohio and Michigan.

While the Governor spent his day in PA with congressional candidates Lois Murphy, Joe Sestak and Patrick Murphy, the top of the Pennsylvania ballot is looking strong. According to a recent Strategic Vision poll, Governor Ed Rendell is riding with a clean 10-point lead over his opponent Lynn Swann while Senate candidate Bob Casey is getting closer to clinching the Senate seat with 48 percent against Sen. Rick Santorum’s 41 percent.

In Ohio today, the Governor is working for gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland and his running mate Lee Fisher. Strickland is dominating the polls, with a 22-point advantage over his Republican opponent. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown from Ohio 13 is also doing well, leading his embattled Republican incumbent, Senator Mike DeWine, 44-to-42.

Tomorrow, the Governor heads to Michigan to campaign for Governor Jennifer Granholm. Today’s poll numbers show that Granholm, like Senator Debbie Stabenow, has been busy showing Michigan voters what the Democrats can offer in 2006 and beyond. Ron Chusin from “Liberal Values,” says:

We had a bit of a scare in Michigan with Dick DeVos leading Jennifer Granholm and Mike Bouchard gaining on Debbie Stabenow after winning the GOP nomination. Today’s polls are showing improvement for both Democratic candidates. Granholm has gained 8 points since earlier in the month and is now tied with DeVos at 47% each. Stabenow has increased her lead by two points and now leads Bouchard 51% to 42%.

As Stabenow continues to maintain her seat, other Democrats across the country continue their challenges against Republican incumbents as we try to take back the Senate. Check out MyDD.com’s updated Senate Forecast to see how the race is looking. Besides the PA and OH races, it’s looking more and more likely to change the maps in both Maryland and Rhode Island.

A Sign of Our Desire For Change

[Originially posted 8/11/06 on Forward Together Blog]

The Hotline‘s Chuck Todd wrote an astute analysis of Tuesday’s primary elections, which saw the historic defeat of three incumbents.  Each of the primary battles shared a common thread:

…they all lost to candidates promising to do the same thing: change Washington. Change the spending habits, or change the foreign policy, or simply change personal behavior.

More than their ideology, voters chose the challengers because they’re looking for a change, a new approach to handling the issues facing our nation.

The pundits are painting Tuesday’s results as a sign to Democrats.  But it’s larger than that: it’s a sign that voters are tired of any incumbent that hasn’t challenged this President and his policies.  This week’s poll results further emphasize their desire for change.  

Governor Warner said yesterday that, “Republican wishful thinking notwithstanding, Tuesday’s vote was anything but a Democratic party repudiation of a robust and determined defense of this nation’s security.” Rather, it is a referendum against the Republican leadership of the last several years.

Otto Man from “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Nachos,” comes to this conclusion:

We’re seeing two overlapping, but not identical movements out there — an anti-incumbency mood in the general electorate, and an anti-Bush drive in the Democratic ranks. Together, they spell bad news for the Bush enablers. Incumbent Republicans are running scared, not just from Bush’s Corleone Kiss of Death but from any connection to the Republican Party at all. Man oh man, is that a bad sign for the GOP.

The lesson is simple: Democrats and Americans in general are sick of the way things are being run.  They want to see a declining deficit, not a rising one.  They want to see progress in Iraq, not just rhetoric.  They want real leadership, not more broken promises.

Ultimately, since there seems to be no interest from Republicans in changing our current government’s course, voters want to see improvements in their lives and not more of the same.

Mark Warner’s Virginia Record

Forward Together PAC recently posted this on You Tube:

Democrats Take Back Business Professionals

[Originially posted 7/26/06 on Forward Together Blog]

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel highlights today the Democratic Professionals Forum, an up-and-coming organization in Florida that is attracting business people who are not afraid to say that they’re Democrats.

Less than a year old, the Democratic Professionals Forum draws hundreds to sold-out monthly luncheons that feature the party’s top national names. It’s aimed at diversifying the local Democratic Party’s base from the senior-heavy crowds and attracting “fresh, new Democrats.”

The group “links candidate to the people who attend the lunches.”  They host fundraisers for local candidates such as state Senator Ron Klein, who is running for Congress in District 22.

Governor Warner, a former business leader, recently attended a DPF luncheon. DNC Chair Howard Dean keynotes a luncheon today.

The group especially attracts those moderate Democrats who wish to reach out to businesses and bring them back to the party they love.  For example:

Take Stacey Sutton, a West Palm Beach lawyer. She started attending the lunches and came away energized about politics. So she helped organize a breakfast fundraiser for Warner, the moderate former Virginia governor whose record she admired.

Part networking opportunities, part political discussions, the laid-back lunches fit the suit-and-tie crowd, she said.

“It appeals to sort of a professionals association mentality,” she said.

The business community is crucial to Democrats this year and in the future.  Governor Warner–who co-founded Nextel–has  continually reached out to business leaders across the country and has brought them back to the Democratic Party that holds their ideals.