Video from Nathanael Greene Freedom Festival

On Saturday evening, I posted a photograph of five candidates for the GOP congressional nomination in Virginia's Fifth District. All five are campaigning for the privilege of facing incumbent Representative Tom Perriello (R-Ivy) in the general election of November 2010.

I was also able to capture video of four of the five when the spoke to the political activists gathered at the Nathanael Greene Freedom Festival, which took place on the grounds of Ruckersville Elementary School in Greene County. Unfortunately, my videotape ran out just before the fifth candidate, state Senator Robert Hurt, took the stage.

I apologize to Senator Hurt and want to make clear this was not intended as a slight. There were other video cameras present at the event, and they might have captured his speech and posted it to the Internet by now. I am sure I'll have other opportunities to record speeches by Senator Hurt and the other four candidates between now and the convention/primary/unassembled caucus next spring. (The Fifth District Republican Committee has not yet chosen a method of nomination.)

Before the candidates spoke, WINA-AM radio talk-show host Rob Schilling gave a short address. You'll notice how windy it was: papers were blowing everywhere, flags were mostly unfurled, and it often sounds like someone is snorting into the camera's microphone. That's not a snort, it's the wind.

Rob Schilling:

I would like to gently correct Rob for a misquotation. He attributes the line, "A government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have," to Thomas Jefferson. This mistaken attribution is common. It was not said by our third president, however, but rather by the 38th president, Gerald R. Ford. He used a similar line in the early 1960s, when he was a congressman, and repeated it in an address to a joint session of Congress in 1974. I remember hearing it in his 1976 speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination, but have not been able to find a reference that confirms my recollection.

Thomas Jefferson said many marvelous things, but this is not one of them. Gerald Ford said more than "Whip Inflation Now" and "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"

The first congressional candidate to speak was Feda Morton of Fluvanna County:

The second candidate to speak was Michael McPadden of Albemarle County:

The third candidate, also from Albemarle County, was Ken Boyd:

The fourth candidate (another from Albemarle County) was Laurence Verga:

At this point, my camera hit a wall, to my chagrin. I missed several other speakers who followed, including Delegate Rob Bell (R-58) and business owner Tom Slonaker (Forest Lake Arby's) as well as state Senator Hurt.

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