I thought the twitter campaign to draft Mr. Weaver was embarassing on many levels. I might have been tempted to back him before, but I really can't imagine doing so after that. And I'm embarrassed as a white resident with an online presence that this Stroup kid spent so much time and effort twittering to do that. I don't like the idea of backing a guy who won a flawed selection process, but the notion of backing someone who is running because some kid twittered about him incessantly for a few weeks is at least equally offensive to me.

by myopictwit on Jan 21, 2011 1:03 pm • link • report

Why not all 17?

by Froggie on Jan 21, 2011 1:03 pm • link • report

Please ask Patrick Mara why he's not willing to do the job I voted for him to do 3 months ago. If I vote for him for Council in April, will he be looking for a new job by the end of the summer?

by jcm on Jan 21, 2011 1:10 pm • link • report

@myopictwit

Stroup supported him for a reason (and choosing to not support a candidate because of Stroup's support seems equally moronic).

In my opinion, Weaver was the most qualified "loser" of the original council race. It seems perfectly reasonable for the strongest losing candidate to give it a second try.

by andrew on Jan 21, 2011 1:20 pm • link • report

myopictwit: You're entitled to your opinions, but your comment is crossing the line into ad hominem territory by throwing around terms like "some kid."

Dave Stroup is not just some kid, and apparently a lot of people agree with him. But more importantly, it's not appropriate here on GGW to cut down other people based on age or any other characteristic.

Everyone is entitled to opinions, to voice them, and to have them taken seriously on their merits by others. Please feel free to express any specific reasons you might or might not support Weaver, but please avoid belittling other commenters, contributors, or people generally.

by David Alpert on Jan 21, 2011 1:29 pm • link • report

@myopictwit
It seems unfortunate that you are embarrassed for yourself or anyone else that a grassroots effort to draft Bryan Weaver as a candidate was successful. I supported the draft campaign, and am fine if you did not, but I'm not sure why you keep calling Dave a kid. He's an adult, just like me and, I presume, you.

by Jaime Fearer on Jan 21, 2011 1:30 pm • link • report

I support whoever will promise me nice things that the city can't afford.

I will also support anyone who advocates for caning and permanent exile for any candidate that leaves their campaign signs up months after the election (Vinny Orange, Clark Ray and Doug Sloan, I'm looking your way).

That said, is Biddle still on the DC Board of Education? Is Mara? Is anyone subject to the Hatch Act anymore?

by Fritz on Jan 21, 2011 1:48 pm • link • report

Myself and others support Bryan Weaver because we feel he provides a strong, progressive voice that has been missing in this field of candidates. Bryan's passion for helping DC youth is also compelling; youth violence in DC is a tragedy that we must confront and work towards stopping.

As I've mentioned before, while the draft effort may have started as an idea on Twitter, it's about more than that. It would naive and foolish to believe you could--or should--win an election based on "social media" alone.

So we'll be out there, getting signatures and telling everyone we can about why we feel Bryan is the best candidate for this at-large seat. We'll have conversations and disagreements.

But what I do know is this: We'll have a better race because Bryan is in it. We'll have some real conversations about what it means to be a progressive. We'll have real conversations about education reform and youth violence. We'll also keep working for your vote until April 26.

by Dave Stroup on Jan 21, 2011 2:13 pm • link • report

Fritz, Mara is still on the SBOE. Biddle is not. The way the Hatch Act treats people in DC nonpartisan elected offices as government employees is ridiculous and has been ignored for years, and the Office of Special Counsel has declined to take action on what are technically violations of it. Members on ANCs and the SBOE should not be banned from seeking higher office. Norton has introduced bills to fix the problem, but they apparently haven't been a priority for Congress.

That said, considering how fond the DC Republican Party is of complaining about ethics, I'm sure someone (likely Robert Vinson Brannum) will be repaying them by filing a complaint against Mara.

by Keith Ivey on Jan 21, 2011 3:17 pm • link • report