Tuesday's Election: Just Say 'Hell No!' to the Bigots

I'm being told by those who know that a sitting Virginia senator and a couple of other hacks are helping to orchestrate a xenophobic, racist TeaParty attack on Sam Rasoul with a whispering campaign centered on Rasoul being supported by unnamed "terrorist" groups. The entire fictitious notion is based on a fog of misinformation, innuendo and asking questions that are so stilted as to have no proper answer (like, "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?").

Roanoke is heavily Democratic, but Rasoul has a family name that is Palastinian in origin, dark skin and connections to people with a background similar to his. Racists, bigots and xenophobes come out of the woodwork when a candidate's name is not as "all-American" as, say, Dan Smith.

The Bigot Party has 67 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and wants 68 with a win in Tuesday's 11th District race putting Rasoul against failed sheriff candidate Octavia Johnson, a woman who needs a job, but is not qualified for much. She is a black Republican, however, in a city with a strong black vote and so she's running with the party's strong backing. Repubs love unqualified and shaky candidates because they can mold them to their will from the jump-start.

This is yet another reason--among many, many--to turn out to vote. Don't let the bigots and racists have their way in a city where Local Colors is a huge annual tradition. Say "Hell No!" to the bigots, racists and xenophobes.