2011 starts today.

We will have a dozen races in 2011 that directly impact Loudoun, and those races start today.

I choose to focus on that this morning, because yesterday did not turn out the way we would have liked. As good Democrats, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I take heart in the fact that Harry Reid won and we retained the Senate. I choose to see Tom Perriello not as a former Congressman, but as a future Governor. I recall the dedication and energy of our fantastic volunteers and smile in the knowledge that the return of the Democratic Party in Loudoun rests on a solid foundation.

2011 starts today. Kelly Burk and other Democratic Supervisors are running once again for the Board of Supervisors, and Loudoun Republicans have their eyes on those seats. Mark Herring is running for re-election to the Virginia Senate, and the odious Dick Black is likely to oppose him. (For those, like me, who were not here when Mr. Black last served in public office, all you really need to know is that he mailed plastic fetuses to people in his zeal to oppose the right to choose. And he did this while serving in the Assembly.) I strongly suspect that great Democratic candidates will emerge to challenge for our Assembly seats and the countywide Constitutional offices that are also on the ballot in 2011.

For my part, Rebuilding our Democratic base in Leesburg will be essential to stopping the negatives to which Republican governance tends, as Loudoun counts on Leesburg being a bright blue beacon in a fog of Republican red. There is no place in Leesburg where Jeff Barnett, out-spent 3:1 in a strongly Republican year, did not get at least 30% of the vote. That is a strong core from which to build.

So, today, take heart. Stay strong and true. Talk to your neighbors about what is important, and have them stay informed and get involved. Plant the seeds of Democratic action early. Proudly advertise your affiliation on your car. You, each, are part of that effort. The first step to reasserting our majority here is letting our fellow Democrats know that they are not alone. That we are in this together.

Politics and elections in Virginia are constant. That’s one of the great things about living here. There is always another chance to make things better just around the corner. The only question is whether we take that chance.

I know my answer. 2011 starts now.

(Crossposted with some edits from Leesburg Tomorrow.)