Ingrid Morroy on the Webb Campaign
Ingrid Morroy is Arlington County Commissioner of Revenue, first elected in November 2003. Born in Holland and raised in Suriname, Ingrid speaks six languages, including Spanish. She is also extremely handy with a bullhorn at parades and other events. 
The following is an interview between Ingrid Morroy and me about her involvement in and invaluable assistance to the Webb for Senate campaign in 2006. Among other things, Ingrid Morroy is an elected official who really “gets” the netroots. In fact, she is a blogger herself, including on the “front page” of RK.
Feld: How, when, and why did you first get involved in the Webb campaign?
Morroy: I was waiting for a candidate I could support. Honestly! I knew enough about the opponent, and what I knew about Mr. Miller disturbed me. Not his Democratic activism, but his involvement in non-immigrant visa programs and insourcing and outsourcing of American middle class jobs. It was not attractive. One day, towards the end of 2005, out of the blue, I received a phone call from a gentleman by the name of Lee Diamond. I had never met Lee, but we talked, and he convinced me to consider signing a petition to draft James Webb for Senate and to pledge financial support. I did not know too much about Jim Webb: he was Secretary of the Navy before I became a citizen, so I did not pay as much attention then. I looked up Jim’s website, read his articles, became impressed, visited the Draft James Webb website, signed the petition and pledged financial support. Consequently, I talked to Arlington Treasurer Frank O’Leary and I asked him to consider Webb as well. We were the first current elected officials to endorse Jim Webb for Senate. The rest is history.
Feld: What was your role on the campaign and who did you work with?
Morroy: In addition to my work as a volunteer and “bullhorn manager”, I became the campaign treasurer, also a volunteer position. I worked with several campaign staffers such as Jessica, Steve Jarding, Kristi, and I continued to work with volunteers like Jim Franklin, and bloggers.
Feld: What were the biggest grassroots successes and failures that you saw or knew about?
Morroy: The most obvious grassroots success was the Draft James Webb campaign, which included getting electeds on board. Another obvious success was the coverage of Sen. Allen’s macaca moment on NLS. As far as failures are concerned, at times the communication between paid staffers and the grassroots was not that smooth. However, with volunteers like Mary Detweiler and others, I often knew whom to contact if I needed specific information. The grassroots folks organized, motivated, set up yahoo newsgroups, all of which I joined, so we were all on the same page. I have been (and still am!) in awe of people like Mary, Todd, Lee, Lowell and Josh, Mary Lee, Sarah, and countless others.
Feld: What, in your opinion, drew most volunteers into the campaign? Specifically, what about the blogs?
Morroy: Definitely people like Mary Detweiler and Jim Franklin. I believe that the newsgroups helped draw many volunteers into the campaign as well. I am not sure in what numbers, but many of us learned about volunteer opportunities through these newsgroups. It was an excellent way to build community. In addition, the first thing many of us did (and still do) each morning was read progressive blogs like RaisingKaine and NLS, which attracted many volunteers and activists. The blogs informed and prompted many of us to contribute to the campaign, not only financially but also as volunteers. Blogs also encouraged us to contribute as diarists. During the campaign I wrote a couple of diaries myself.
Feld: How well integrated, in your opinion, the grassroots/netroots were with the professional campaign staff?
Morroy: I don’t believe that there was ever a good integration of the grassroots and the professional campaign staff, although the grassroots activists were extremely beneficial to the campaign. I can think of many events where the grassroots built a presence for the campaign, on their own, without any direction from the staff: County fairs, school board caucus, farmers markets, etc. In my opinion, the integration of the grassroots/netroots improved somewhat when the campaign hired a netroots coordinator.
Feld: What lessons can we learn from the Webb campaign, particularly with regard to the grassroots/netroots impact and relationship with the top-down campaign?
Morroy: Without a doubt there is a place in every campaign for grassroots/netroots activism. I found the communication through the different newsgroups particularly effective. I believe that campaigns should take advantage of the netroots. Further, activists and volunteers did not wait for the professionals to tell them what to do. That was a big lesson for many.
Feld: Do you think that the Webb grassroots/netroots was unique (sui generis) or can be replicated?
Morroy: It can be replicated and built upon. Certain issues will remain: campaign staff cannot control the grassroots/netroots, but I believe that an improved relationship between campaign staff, party establishment and the netroots can be forged. It will take some time for traditional campaign managers to get used to a new mindset, but it will happen eventually. In Arlington, the netroots have become very much a part of the Democratic Party. The Arlington Democratic Committee even introduced a netroots award, handed out at the JJ Dinner.
Feld: Anything funny, shocking, or otherwise interesting from your time as a member of Webb’s “ragtag army?”
Morroy: The parade in the City of Falls Church was interesting. That’s where I became a bullhorn handler. We had tons of participants and what seemed to be a timid candidate. Another fascinating event was an Arlington Democratic Committee meeting before the primary. Harris Miller had already appeared there months before. While Jim addressed the audience, a fellow elected official whispered to me “I made a big mistake by endorsing Miller”. I whispered “It’s a secret ballot!” At the end of the meeting, Jim walked to the back of the room, and was followed by a huge crowd of men! It was obvious to many in the room that Jim had a unique leadership quality. I knew then that he would do well in Arlington during the primary. And he did.