Richard Barton

Last Saturday there was a remarkable political meeting at Arlington’s Dawson Terrace Community Center, tucked away in northeast Arlington.

More than fifty local Democratic leaders met to kick off Congressman Jim Moran’s campaign for the eighth congressional district seat, both in the June Democratic Primary and the November general election, presuming he wins the primary. The meeting was remarkable because virtually every Arlington Democratic official and leading party activist were there or sent word that they would have been there if other commitments had prevented them from doing so.

Dan Steen, immediate past chair of the Arlington Democratic Committee and chair of the Moran campaign committee, opened the meeting with introductions of party stalwarts and an announcement that Dan Lucas, Moran’s campaign manager, was delayed because of a malfunction of his car. This was lamented because Lucas also carried with him a large supply of Krispy Kreme Donuts and coffee, an essential ingredient for a successful Saturday morning political meeting.

Dan then introduced Arlington school board chair Frank Wilson, who is now filling out his fifth term on the school board and planning to run for his sixth. Frank emphasized Moran’s pivotal role in gaining Federal support for educational programs, and his deep commitment to programs protecting minority rights and the disadvantaged. Then, county board member and former chair Chris Zimmerman cataloged the many programs on which Moran had worked closely with local officials.

Finally, Moran spoke passionately about many issues, all of which you will hear about during the campaign, and frequently had the crowd cheering and applauding.

After some technical campaign organization talk from Steen, the crowd happily adjourned to munch on the donuts and coffee finally brought in by Lucas, after he took care of his ailing car. All’s well that ends well.

The meeting dramatized two simple facts: Moran will win both the Democratic primary in June and the General Election in June. During much of last year, the betting was the opposite. Several public gaffes involving loans from friends and banks, and a couple of well-publicized public altercations discomfited his friends and delighted his opponents. The House Ethics Committee, however, absolved him from any ethical lapses in his financial dealings, and the other events have pretty much been written off as the manifestations of warm Irish blood, albeit still regretted.

Accusations of anti-Semitism because of some passionately worded criticism of Israeli policy and support of these policies by the American Jewish community have also faded. Anyone who knows Moran knows there is not an anti-Semitic bone in his body, regardless of how they feel about his assessment of the Jewish community’s role in America’s foreign policy.

So, we are left with at least three facts about Moran that were evidenced at the meeting. First, he is passionately involved. He speaks with verve, conviction, and deep knowledge about the issues of the day. Bland he is not. Second, he has the support of a vast majority of the Democratic activists in his congressional district. This is most important in the primary and provides him with a large cadre of on-the-street campaigners in the general election. Third, he has an unparalleled record of community involvement (and visibility) at all levels. He knows his district well and works effectively for all of its citizens.

This is not to say that it could not fall apart between now and election day. Moran’s passion is his greatest strength, but it can also lead to damaging overstatements. I think he has this in hand, however, and will win convincingly both in June and November. He deserves it.