Welcome to Virginia Real

I am a Brit heading to Virginia to help Barack Obama be elected President of the USA on 4 November 2008. I will be reporting from the frontline for the last five days of the campaign.

I wanted to call this blog 'The Virginian' but that wasn't available. And one of the state nicknames, 'Mother of Presidents' has also been taken.

So I've plumped for 'Virginia Real'. If you read the extract from wikipedia below, you will understand why I've chosen this name. Enjoy!

Virginia was given the title, "Dominion", by King Charles II of England at the time of The Restoration, because it had remained loyal to the crown during the English Civil War, and the present moniker, "Old Dominion" is a reference to that title. The other nickname, "Mother of Presidents," is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as President of the United States, including four of the first five: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. Additionally, Virginian Sam Houston served as president of the Republic of Texas.
The seal was designed in 1776, and the flag was first used in the 1830s, both were made official in 1930. The majority of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century, though the state motto and seal have been official since Virginia declared its independence. The Virginia reel is among the square dances classified as the state dance. Virginia currently has no state song. In 1940, Virginia made "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" the state song, but it was retired in 1997 and reclassified as the state song emeritus. Various alternatives, including a version of "Oh Shenandoah," have met with resistance in the Virginia House of Delegates