Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, spoke in Newcomb Theater yesterday about the present and future state of his party.
Entering to the sound of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," McAuliffe began by pumping up the crowd with stories of recent Democratic electoral victories, as well as contests the party is predicted to win next week. He cited Virginia as a Democratic victory -- a Sunday Washington Post poll reported gubernatorial candidate Mark A. Warner, a Democrat, holds a commanding 10 point lead over Republican Mark L. Earley going into next Tuesday's election.
"The Democrats have won every major race in America" this year, he said.
"The biggest races are in Virginia. ... People said we couldn't win," he said. "Today, Mark Warner is 10 points up in the governor's race."
He also addressed the possibility of a sweep of the statewide offices in Virginia. Governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general are all up for election.
"It's unfortunate that my counterpart, the [Republican National Committee] chairman is also governor of Virginia ... and is going to lose his own state," he said in reference to Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III, who recently was appointed chairman of the RNC.
McAuliffe also spoke about the importance of supporting President Bush in his fight against terrorism. However, there is a distinct difference between patriotism and economic issues, he said.
He criticized Republicans for "trying to take advantage of what happened on Sept. 11 to promote their economic agenda." He pledged that Democrats will not let that happen.
McAuliffe expressed his disapproval of the proposal of a tax cut, saying there never has been a tax cut during a time of war. He added that a tax cut only would benefit the wealthiest few rather than the unemployed.
McAuliffe also discussed the future direction of the DNC. He spoke of the DNC's changing role from focusing solely on presidential elections to local and state elections that occur every year.
"We're trying to take the party out to the grass roots," he said.
He briefly touched on the controversial 2000 presidential election, claiming the DNC has worked to guard against such problems surfacing again. The DNC will have trained workers and lawyers at polls to prevent any problems with voting in Tuesday's elections.
"People fought and died to vote in this country. ... I'll be damned if they take it away," McAuliffe said.
University Law Democrats President Adam Green, who led efforts to bring McAuliffe to the University, said he believes the event was a success.
"I thought the speech went very well," Green said. "Of all the speakers that I've seen, he's been the most enthusiastic."
Green also praised McAuliffe for placing great importance on the Virginia gubernatorial election.
There was also a brief question and answer session following his speech.
University Law Democrats and University Democrats, as well as 12 other organizations, sponsored McAuliffe's visit.
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