Clinton, in Fairfax, raises $1 million for Va. Senate Democrats

McLEAN - On Wednesday Virginia Republicans seeking to energize their supporters brought in a GOP presidential candidate.

Today Virginia Democrats—determined to maintain the balance of power in the General Assembly by holding onto their 22-18 majority in the state Senate—brought in a president.

President Bill Clinton came to Northern Virginia to raise money for the Virginia Senate Democratic caucus – and to tell more than 300 high-dollar supporters that a GOP takeover of Virginia’s legislature would promote conflict-driven, anti-government politics that would have negative consequences for the commonwealth.

“I never once believed government was the enemy – that’s not what the Founding Fathers believed,” a slender-looking Clinton told the well-dressed audience, gathered in a heated tent in the backyard of the suburban home of his longtime friend and political comrade, Terry McAuliffe.

“This is a big deal. The assets of Virginia are important to the whole country. And you can force compromise and get good results, as they have, under adverse circumstances, if you’ve got the majority in the Senate,” Clinton continued. “If you give it up, you’re going to pay a terrible price for it…You will pay a price and the children of the commonwealth of Virginia will pay a price.”

The price at the fundraiser was steep – a minimum of $1,000 for light hors d’oeuvres, soda, beer and wine. But Senate Democrats were not whining. McAuliffe said the afternoon event raised more than $1 million for caucus coffers.

“This is a big deal election for us, folks,” said McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, who ran for governor in 2009 and says he might run again in 2013.

“We’ve got two seats we’ve got to keep, and we know what they’ll do – we’ve seen the bills they’ve done in the House of Delegates the one thing that can stop them are these people behind me and those 22 great Democrats.”

Click here to read the full article