Visibly excited, Linda Perriello, Tom Perriello’s mother greeted everyone who entered the Elk’s Lodge on Pantops to attend the official endorsement of her son to the 5th Congressional District seat by Virginia Senator Jim Webb.
Having Senator Webb’s endorsement is “personally very important,” Perriello told C-VILLE. Webb was able to come into politics and be able to keep his integrity and “that’s the kind of leader I want to be,” he said.
Major General James A. Kelley, ret. and Captain Jim Morin were also present to endorse Perriello. Kelley said he is supporting the Democratic presidential ticket because of its strong foreigh policy platform and its stated efforts to take care of veterans, something Perriello “has really supported,” he said. “McCain’s record is not that good for veterans.”
Morin, a former Army captain, Afghanistan and Iraq veteran, said that the country needs better leaders who care about their constituents, and Perriello is just that. “There is no point in keeping someone safe if they are going to starve to death, and Tom knows that,” he said.
Senator Webb, who graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968 and served with Fifth Marine Regiment in Vietnam, was hailed by Morin as the “greatest champion” for veteran affairs in the Senate. His GI Bill, voted into law by President Bush on June 30, will provide post-9/11 veterans comprehensive education benefits, just as those who served in World War II.
Webb’s speech was as much as about politics as it was about Perriello’s character. According to Webb, Perriello “went off to get a good quality education” and put it to good use: Perriello forfeited the possibility of having a large income by having a Yale Law degree, and went “to places you read about in the newspapers and you hear people talking about and really few people in this country have on-ground experience,” such as Kosovo, Darfur and Afghanistan. Webb says that Perriello will bring the type of “balance that can reach across party lines,” a much-needed quality to bring to Congress.
At his turn on the podium, Perriello said Webb’s leadership was the reason he is now running for Congress, stating that Webb did more “for veterans in 17 months than the rest of Congress had done in 17 years.” The Congressional hopeful wants to bring a revival and “change the very rules of American politics,” he said.
His mother has no doubts his son can be the politician to bring about change, citing his experience working in non-profit agencies. “There is a connection between Tom and the people he helps,” she told C-VILLE. “They know he is the real deal.”
Senator Jim Webb, who endorsed Tom Perriello in his race to unseat Virgil Goode, authored the new GI Bill that provides comprehensive educational benefits to post-9/11 veterans.