So. Here's the plan:
Tomorrow morning, Senator George Allen will be in Danville, kicking off his re-election campaign. He began his campaign with a stop in Manassas yesterday, according to the Patomac News:
U.S. Sen. George Allen formally opened his Republican campaign for re-election Tuesday, but refused to guarantee that he would stay for a full six-year term."I'm running for re-election - just that," Allen said outside a microbiology research laboratory in Prince William County, a fast-growing northern Virginia suburb he chose to kick off his campaign.
He is due to stop in Danville at the regional airport at 8 a.m. tomorrow (*gah!* I am not a morning person!!!), and I will have the Darling Munchkin with me. Since she'll be late to school, I am requireing her to write up her own report on Sen. Allen's visit to present to her class... And I'm thinking of having her post it on her blog ('cause she certainly hasn't done anything on it recently...), as well as quoting it here.
I've told her that she needs to pay attention. She'll need to write down her impressions of Sen. Allen: is he confident? does he speak clearly? is he enthusiastic? does he come across as an honest, forthright person? etc. The Munchkin will also need to summarize two or three points the Senator makes, and discuss whether or not she found him convincing and why. Finally, she will need to conclude with a paragraph stating whether he has won her endorsement, and why (or why not).
Think it'll work? I want her to grow up well-educated and aware of politics and political manuvering, so she can make informed and reasoned decisions when she gets to be of voting age.
At any rate, the Patomac News stated that there were about 100 supporters at the Manassas event, so I don't think I'll need to be paranoid about crowds down here in Danville. Heck, I daresay the Senator will have ample opportunity to "press flesh" and perhaps answer citizens' (vs. reporters') questions.
Of course, he's being a little cagey about his presidential aspirations, but it's pretty obvious he's going to toss his hat into the ring. I have been checking through his information at Vote-Smart.org, and he appears to be a fairly strong candidate for conservative values, so he may rally significant support for the Republican nomination.
Oh! If I get a chance, I'm going to have to be certain to introduce myself as a blogger, and as associated with the Old Dominion Blog Alliance! [rummaging around...] Now, where's my "I'm blogging this" t-shirt.... Ah! Here it is! I'll need extra batteries for my camera, and a little notebook for, um, notes (LOL), and my cell phone needs to be charged, in case I want to do a moblog post.
OK, now I just need to be up and ready to go by 7 a.m. tomorrow morning!