Republican incumbent Congressman Virgil H. Goode, Jr. and Democratic Challenger Tom Perriello spoke at a Senior Statesmen of Virginia event held August 13th, 2008 at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following opening statements by the candidates, questions were taken from members of the audience. Senior Statesmen board member and treasurer, Bob McAdams, moderated the program.
Congressman Virgil H. Goode, Jr. is a lifelong resident of Franklin County and currently resides in Rocky Mount, Virginia. He is married to the former Lucy D. Dodson and has a daughter named Catherine. Congressman Goode completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond where he received his Bachelors of Arts degree in 1969. While a student at the University of Richmond, Congressman Goode was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. Following his graduation from the University of Richmond, Congressman Goode attended the University of Virginia School of Law where he received a J.D. in 1973. During that time, he was selected for the Virginia Law Review. In 1973, at age 27, Congressman Goode was elected to the Commonwealth of Virginia Senate. He served as the 20th District Senator in the Virginia General Assembly until 1996 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives serving the 5th District of Virginia. He was sworn in to office in the 105th, in January 1997, and has served continuously since then.
Congressman Goode now divides his time between serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. and being in the 5th District. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Interior and Environment and the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development.
Tom Perriello, the youngest of four children of Vito and Linda Perriello, was born and raised in the fifth district and lives in Albemarle County a few miles from where he grew up. Tom is a product of Murray, Meriwether Lewis, Henley and Western Albemarle High School and graduated from St. Anne’s Belfield. From an early age, he was taught that a strong faith is a lived faith. His parents raised him to believe that to whom much is given, much is expected, and those lessons have shaped his lifelong commitment to service. Tom was an Eagle Scout in the Stonewall Jackson Area Council. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Yale University. He is presently a guest lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law. After receiving his law degree from Yale University, Tom accepted an assignment working to end atrocities in the West African countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone, which had suffered long civil wars fueled by blood diamonds. Tom’s work with child soldiers, amputees, and local pro-democracy groups in Sierra Leone played a significant role in the peace and reconciliation process that ended twelve years of violence in that country.
Tom became Special Advisor and spokesperson for the International Prosecutor during the showdown that forced Liberian dictator Charles Taylor from power without firing a shot. After this success, Tom served as a national security analyst for the Century Foundation. He has worked inside Darfur and twice in Afghanistan. He has worked on justice-based security strategies in Afghanistan and Kosovo, prosecuted warlords in Sierra Leone, and developed alternative peace strategies to curb acts of genocide in Darfur. He has been a consultant to the International Center for Transitional Justice and the National Council of Churches of Christ, an analyst for AfghanistanWatch, and a Fellow with The Century Foundation. He is a founding partner of Res Publica, which develops innovative solutions to global justice and security threats. Tom also co-founded Avaaz.org, an international on-line community of 1.5 million members, operating in 12 languages, dedicated to building a global response to “problems without borders,” such as climate change.
It is obvious who should be our next leader in the 5th District, and that is TOM PERRIELLO. He is young, smart, and giving.
He is amazing. If he will do so much for total strangers in another country, you can imagine what he will do for us in the 5th District, his neighbors, his friends.
I read where Virgil Goode had a grade of D- for his job in Washington. Tom Perriello has promised us that he will work a double shift in Washington for us to bring back jobs, etc. I believe him.
Goode is a fence-hopper that used to be a Dem, but wanted the votes of the Republicans, so he hopped the fence to win.
He hasn’t done anything for us in a long time.
I’M A REPUBLICAN and I want him out, so Virgil, don’t say the Dems want you out, because we want you out too….
I also read in a Danville paper that Goode is getting his campaign money from lobbyists, etc..
In spite, I went to http://www.gotom2008.com and donated some money to PERRIELLO. I figured if it was my son that had the GUTS to stand up and fight for our district, I’d want people to help him out, too. That’s the least we can do for him, eh?
Good luck Tom Perriello!! I hope you win!!
Virgil Goode has been a staple of southside Virginia since 1974, from his days representing the 20th Senatorial District in the Va General Assembly (which is what he was doing when Tom was “[doing] so much for total strangers” abroad).
The polling released on 14 August, not only reflects his chances in this election, but shows that as long as he wants the congressional seat, he’s got it! As much as the sampling’s from the poll may not agree with the left, it’s going to be tough for a son of Charlottesville to overcome a 34 point deficit over a son of the Southside (Franklin County). The DCCC can target Virgil Goode as much as they want, considering their combined cash on hand with the DNC dismally compares to the Republicans. Although, I don’t think that the RNC will pour one penny into Virgil’s re-election efforts…there is no need!
As much as I’d love to agree with you, I have to differ.
I am a Republican. I am actually ashamed to say I’m a Republican since Bush was re-elected.
Unfortunately, the statistics include betting that I will vote for Virgil…but I’m not going to…
So, if ONE vote is off, then there must be others that feel as I do.
What Virgil is banking on is people not getting fired up. I’m fired up. I’m sick of it, and we need hope.
Tom Perriello gives us hope.
For example, when they had their ‘debate’ the other night, Virgil’s plans for the healthcare crisis was to round up all the illegal immigrants, deport them, and that would help.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHY VIRGIL NEEDS TO GO!! He takes a problem, offers a solution and everyone claps and yells….but as the dust settles, no one thinks, “How will we pay for 12 million + people being round up, deported, and keeping them out?”
Virgil takes one problem, and ends up creating TWO PROBLEMS!! Plus, how is 12 million people out of the 47 million people w/o health insurance going to solve the problem?
Please tell me there are people that are smarter than that…
Makes me want to run myself!!
If there are people that are so ignorant that they will elect someone because they are the ‘son’ of something…or because they come from a certain town…then that does not say a lot about the people from Virginia….
Tom PERRIELLO is smart, energetic, and determined to turn the 5th District back around.
I believe in him.
GOODE’S GOTTA GO…GGG
As much as I’d love to agree with you, I have to differ.
I am a Republican. I am actually ashamed to say I’m a Republican since Bush was re-elected.
Unfortunately, the statistics include betting that I will vote for Virgil…but I’m not going to…
So, if ONE vote is off, then there must be others that feel as I do.
What Virgil is banking on is people not getting fired up. I’m fired up. I’m sick of it, and we need hope.
Tom Perriello gives us hope.
For example, when they had their ‘debate’ the other night, Virgil’s plans for the healthcare crisis was to round up all the illegal immigrants, deport them, and that would help.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHY VIRGIL NEEDS TO GO!! He takes a problem, offers a solution and everyone claps and yells….but as the dust settles, no one thinks, “How will we pay for 12 million + people being round up, deported, and keeping them out?”
Virgil takes one problem, and ends up creating TWO PROBLEMS!! Plus, how is 12 million people out of the 47 million people w/o health insurance going to solve the problem?
Please tell me there are people that are smarter than that…
Makes me want to run myself!!
If there are people that are so ignorant that they will elect someone because they are the ‘son’ of something…or because they come from a certain town…then that does not say a lot about the people from Virginia….
Tom PERRIELLO is smart, energetic, and determined to turn the 5th District back around.
I believe in him.
GOODE’S GOTTA GO…GGG
AND SOMEONE PLEASE UPDATE GOODE’S PICTURE!!
HIS PICTURE IS FROM THE 70’s….
R Stone: I’ll give Tom credit for pivoting towards the southside issues as we all know his support is probably pretty solid around Manassas. His economic “REVIVAL” plan uses a buzz word that attracts evangelicals from the southside to his campaign while also highlighting his support to end the tax credit to companies that send work overseas or Mexico (a.k.a: NAFTA) which, as we all know, has really hit Central and southern Virginia pretty hard.
The defining issue of Virgil’s experience in congress has been immigration(indicated by the issue that you highlighted from the debate). His work to fight amnesty by co-sponsoring legislation with Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) and fighting the so-called “NAFTA Highway” further proves this point.
My point, however, wasn’t that being from Franklin County and therefore, the southside, entitles Virgil to the position but he beat George Landrith by similar numbers to the recent poll that shows Goode up by 34 points. The point is: Tom needs more than the DCCC or “fired up supporters” or energy or dis-enchanted Republicans. Just the facts, my friend. It’s the same reason why Gilmore doesn’t have a chance. Good luck.
Just because Virgil is ahead doesn’t mean everyone should roll over and simply accept some third-rate has-been to represent us. Goode was terrible. He ranted and raved, clung to ideas better suited to the 1830, and his grasp of the issues (or lack of…) was clear in the debate.
Perriello beat his socks off, and did it with class. He is smarter, better informed, quicker on his feet, fearless, and has a compassion that I just didn’t see in Virgil.
Goode just pulls the Bush lever every time he votes anyway. You could train a circus monkey to do that. I want a guy who knows how to think, how to fight, and how to win for our district. I’m going with Perriello!