5:45 PM IN MANASSAS – GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN EVENT. Sen. Deeds will join supporters and voters for a campaign event in Manassas. Sen. Creigh Deeds will speak to supporters about the importance of getting out the vote on November 3.
When: 5:45 PM
Where: City Tavern (upstairs)
9405 Main Street
Manassas, VA
Senators Mark Warner, Jim Webb, and Governor Tim Kaine will join Creigh Deeds, along with Jody Wagner and Steve Shannon. Supporters are asked to be there by 5:30-5:45.
Perhaps Deeds can ask Kaine why the DNC pulled money allocated for the VA governor’s race to run ads to support the governor of Colorado who isn’t up for election until next November?
Regardless of who you are rooting for, this race has been over for at least a month if not two. Deeds ran a terrible campaign, and that’s not just me saying so. Even the Obama administration has been rather vocal about distancing themselves from Deeds. The thesis issue was worth a try but the Deeds campaign stuck with it for at least a month after the polls were showing it wasn’t working. Deeds transportation plan (He’ll appoint a commission to develop a plan once he’s elected) sounds too much like ducking the issue. You may not like McDonnell’s transportation plan, but you know what it is before the election.
Shannon might have had a chance if he could have gotten some time and money to make the case for him vs. Cuccinelli, but that would have been the usual ‘far right social values’ play. After the thesis attack on McDonnell failed, it would be difficult to go back to the well on that style of attack again.
I’ll admit the Democrats are running into a headwind in Virginia this year but Deeds’ poor campaigning is going to doom the entire Democratic ticket and probably close to 10 seats in the House of Delegates. Honestly, at this point if Deeds looses by less than 10 points and the Democrats keep their loses in the HoD to under 10, that’s a victory of sorts for them.
Campaigning is well, campaigning. Saying what you are going to do rather than showing what you will do. I am not at all pleased with McDonnell'[s past, both personally and legislatively.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter to me who the better campaigner is.
They sure are bringing out the heavy artillery here this afternoon though, wouldn’t you agree?
I am not real happy with the White House for those comments either. (the ones bashing the campaign.) As a Virginian, I will be holding that against the Obama White House.
Campaigns are certainly different than governing, and a good campaigner doesn’t necessarily mean a good governor. However the reverse is usually true, if a candidate can’t manage a good campaign or at least hire a good campaign manager to act on their behalf, it doesn’t bode well for the candidates ability to govern.
Bringing out every Democrat elected to a statewide office may help some, but the Democrat’s heaviest guns (Presidents Obama and Clinton) have given New Jersey far more attention than Virginia. This last minute show of force by the local team isn’t going to turn the election around and the only people who might have turned it around wrote the race off a while ago.
Most polling organizations have stopped polling in Virginia. McDonnell isn’t paying for more polls and Deeds doesn’t have the cash. (the $600k that Kaine had the DNC pull out of Virginia tells me a lot about what Kaine things about the race.) Deeds has even cut back his commercials in NoVA to about 1/4 a typical ad buy for the last two weeks before an election. With four days to go before the election, there’s almost nothing Deeds can do move the polls significantly.
With all that said, it’s great to see major politic figures of either party visit Prince William County.
It doesn’t look very hopeful for Deeds for sure. I understand that it was the Deeds campaign who felt the need to distance itself from the White House rather than the other way around. Al Gore found out that wasn’t such a hot idea. (singing when will they eeeevvvveerrr learn)
The NJ race is also neck and neck. If I had to dump money, I would dump it where it had the greatest chance of doing some good. But that’s just me….
Any mentee of Pat Roberston I do not want as a governor. I also realize I might have to have that for 4 years. If that is the case, I will make the best of it.
Marc Ambinder in the Atlantic Monthly notes “… if your opponet runs ads
claiming to be a fiscal conservative who plans to simultaneously cut
spending and cut taxes AND invest in infrastructure, call out the opponet
on those claims”! – make peace after a primary, make clear McDonnell and
his crowd are not moderates on social issues, but hammer and hammer again
on Job Bob’s economic “plan”. Mark my words, the real plan is to get elected
and start the blame gain towards Obama and Kaine (we didn’t know how
really bad it was – blah, blah. Of course, Dems also pull the guy before me
punked us ploy). No way in hell, selling ABC stores and revenue from
off shore drilling will be of any real help in the next four years to aid schools
and transportation in NoVa. Not sure Deeds could have won, but he
too often fell over his own feet and let McDonnell smugly spout economic BS.
All sorts of things have been pinging this election. For starters, the Democrats had 3 very different people running. McAuliffe pissed off most of Virginia. He was the one with the campaign savvy and real Dem connections to make it work. Problem? Virginians just didn’t like him.
Moran-Northern VA boy. That is a curse when dealing with down state. mcDonnell gets away with it because of his underlying conservative roots and his connections in Tidewater.
Creigh Deeds- country boy. down home. Needed to win down state but he doesn’t excite the liberal base and state diversity. He isn’t a liberal.
Then there is that VA history that is every bit as bad as the curse of the Bambino.
Those are some interesting observations you are quoting there Poor Richard. Will you be checking in on the gang at City Tavern this afternoon? I understand no tickets are needed.
Off this topic, but a Pew poll out today showed “Fox News is viewed as leaning
conservative by 47% of Americans”, but “14% declared it liberal”.
Who are those 14%???? Drug addicts, neo-Facist, lunatics are simply jokesters
who like to play with pollsters. Hopefully, the latter.
Oh Dear God!!! Liberal? Maybe those were the drunks?
Thanks for a good eye-rolling session, Poor Richard! 🙄
It looks like Senator Warner has got the flu and will not be attending tonight’s event or any other public events for a couple of days. I’ll take the Senator at his word, although there are some who are already saying it’s an effort to distance himself from a loosing campaign. I don’t agree though. Warner has no skin in this game and isn’t up for election until 2012. Either way, anyone hoping to see Senator Warner tonight may be disappointed.
Thanks for bringing us that update. I don’t see why all of them have not gotten the flu with all that handshaking and getting breathed on by the masses. Actually, thinking about it, the flu sounds like a good reason to stay home. Think I will! (to avoid the true) @ Formerly anonymous
@Formerly Anonymous
>>> Warner ……isn’t up for election until 2012.
2014.
I was just thinking that was a real short 6 years.
Moving this post out of lead position since it is not longer time vital.
Warner has the flu, Formerly Anonymous. You have done an excellent job spinning and twisting and spinning some more. But you can rest at ease. McDonnell will win. Are you working for McDonnell or one of the local candidates?
LBH, Formerly and I probably aren’t supporting the same person. He might very much have a lot more to celebrate than I have on Tuesday. At least in the governor’s corner.
However, there is only one I feel is not fit for office on the slate. I can live with everyone else except the one who plans to not support laws he doesn’t like.
Last Best Hope,
I’m spinning and twisting and spinning some more? Let’s review what I said for a second:
“I’ll take the Senator at his word, although there are some who are already saying it’s an effort to distance himself from a loosing campaign. I don’t agree though. ”
I made three statements:
#1: “I’ll take the Senator at his word” – Is that spinning or twisting? I said I believed Senator Warner.
#2: “although there are some who are already saying it’s an effort to distance himself from a loosing campaign. ” – There are people who said this. Would you like me to provide links to some of the blogs?
#3: “I don’t agree though.” – Here I’m making it clear that I don’t agree with the people making statement #2, which reinforces my first statement “I’ll take the Senator at his word”
What did I spin? What was pro-McDonnell or anti-Deeds or Warner? (other than the statement that the Deeds campaign is losing (which I typed as loosing), but I think it’s generally admitted by most that Deeds’ campaign is trailing significantly.)
As for spinning “some more”, but show me one post where I have made a disrespectful comment about anyone Democrat or Republican. Yes, I have stated that Deeds has run a poor campaign, but the Washington Post ran that on Page A1 now that long ago coming from the White House. Does that mean I’m spinning for the Obama Administration? You’ve got as much right to claim that as your claim that I am working for McDonnell or any other candidate.
My reason for mentioning that Warner was not going to be attending the event was that it was late breaking news that was relavent to this blog post. When I posted it, the Washington Post had not posted their article about Warner’s cancellation. The sum total of information I had was “Breaking: Warner to miss Deed’s rally due to flu”. Some of the comments left in response to that headline suggested a skepticism. I did not know of Warner’s appearance at Cheeseburger in Paradise earlier this morning where he was visibly ill. If I had, I would have posted here earlier and would have referenced it instead.
Honestly, if this your reaction to somebody posting factual information, I don’t think I’ll be posting here much. I’m accused of spreading misinformation for being the first to post something relevant to the article in question in a civil and polite manner. I thought this blog was supposed to be “A reasonable voice for Prince William County politics, and the immigration debate” If you’d prefer a rah-rah ‘echo chamber’ where the only news that’s fit to print is what’s favorable to one party, then I’ll wish you well and move on to other pastures.
The one who really scares me is Cuccinelli. At least McDonnell is pretending to be a moderate to get elected. I expect their socially conservative right wing agenda will so inflame us that the liberal Democrats will continue our lock in my corner of Northern VA. At least I’ll do my best to keep electing progressives here.
I love the blame, the rationalizations, the slow, sinking feeling that the “kum-ba-ya” moment is over, and soooo fast! 🙂 🙂 Wait till Specter gets handed his walking papers in PA next year!
Slow, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. No one has been blaming anyone on this thread. It has simply been a discussion. You and LBH need a chill pill.
Firedancer, I totally agree with you. I think McDonnell will make an attempt to be mainstream. However, Coo Coo Nellie ? No. I don’t trust him. He is too arrogant with his own self importance and to think that Rule of Law would ever apply to him, in my opinion.
Do you agree with my assessment above of the Democrat candidates and the difficulties? Please throw in your 2 cents worth.
Formerly, we spell –loose– a lot of ways around here. No grammar police. Not sure I have spelled it twice the same way. 😉
Deeds is still running his ominous anti-McDonnell ads tonight, while McDonnell’s TV ads are positive and upbeat. He must have paid up front for the attack ads to continue through the weekend months ago, thinking the thesis retreads would carry him to victory.
Despite the Obama ad that came out this week, I don’t see the “Yes, we can” crowd turning out in droves again to elect Deeds. Even the ad seems half-hearted, and shows a deer-in-the-headlights Deeds at the end. Deeds ran a very poor campaign, and it was shocking to hear the White House criticisms BEFORE the election and then to see Obama’s grudging appearance this week. Tuesday is going to be VERY interesting.
Last I heard, Democrats don’t need any help! According to certain uber-intellectual contributors, people who would vote for McDonnell are such a small segment of society, he couldn’t POSSIBLY win! Democrats will be in control for a long time to come! No conservative will win an elected office for YEARS, and YEARS!! Get ready for a little taste of CHANGE!! A little change and hope for ya!!
I agree that the Shannon/Cuccinelli race should have been more competitive. Unfortunately for both Shannon & Wagner, the Lt. Governor and AG races tend to follow the governor’s race unless there is something that really stands out about one of the candidates. (Although I’ll admit 2005 was an exception to that.) I think if Shannon/Cuccinelli was the only race on the ballot, it would be a very close race and I don’t know who would win. As I said before, Deed’s has pushed the thesis/social issues angle pretty hard without much movement in the polls. It would have been next to impossible for Shannon, with a much smaller ad budget, to make a similar argument against Cuccinelli regardless of the merits of the issue. It would just get drowned out as yet another attack ad. If voters were focused on just the AG’s race, I think it would be much, much closer.
If it’s any consolation to the Deeds supporters out there, I think there’s a better than 50% Bell will defeat Marshall. Marshall was very slow to respond to an agressive challenger and Marshall hasn’t run a very good campaign. Marshall is vulnerable and has been for several years, but hasn’t faced a strong challenger until now.
Just more pro-McDonnell spinning & twisting from somebody working on one of the local campaigns. (And yes, I am saying this facetiously.)
Now that is pretty funny.
I can’t wait to see Specter get what he deserves. I would actually like to see another Democrat challenge him in the primary.
Formerly, I think the social issues that separate deeds from McDonnell are very important, but one cannot build a campaign around them. The main thing people are thinking about now is money. I don’t know how you really say I am not going to raise your taxes but I am going to fix this, that, and the other.
I think the real issues might lie in how things will be funded. Perhaps the person who promised to reopen the rest areas would win? It is not impossible to travel with pets. You can’t take them in to McDonalds for a potty break.
As for Cucinelli, I find him to be a very frightening politician. INteresting about Bell. I hope you are right. He does seem to be aggressive. I can remember back in the day when Marshall would have amassed his church base. Is that not happening any longer?
Gainesville, have you always disliked Spector or is this something new? I have always liked him.
Hello Moon, yes, I absolutely agree with your assessment of the Democratic candidates and their difficulties. I hadn’t heard “Coo Coo Nellie” (lol), and I agree with your succint summary of his arrogance. I also agree with Formerly Anon’s assertion that if Shannon/Cuccinelli were the only race on the ballot, the focus would be quite different.
Slowpoke laughingly said that a conservative would never win an election for years. However, McDonnell has been forced to act like a moderate. Not sure if we’re using the same definition of “conservative”, but if Cuccinelli were running alone for state-wide office spouting his views, and not pretending to be more moderate, he would not win Northern Virginia.
So let’s see if the Greg Letiecqs of the the world think they have a free reign to start their crap again. Well, I hope they do. Nothing will mobilize us more for the next election.
You are exactly right about mobilization, Firedancer. The left and even moderates get real complacent real fast. They also have a bad habit of wanting it all. (To wit: those who couldn’t transition from Hillary to Obama.) The good news is that Conservatives have the same problem . (to wit: McAmnesty)
People who care about their elected officials are going to have to realize that things aren’t all or nothing. There is really no excuse in Democrats doing such a lousy job of energizing people around Deeds. The Republicans seemed to have learned that hard lesson….or at least most of them.
Oh how to say this….Minorities are not interested in this election. Deeds had a push me/ pull me with the White House. He didn’t want to bring Obama woes to his more moderate conservative downstate constituency and he needed Obama to reach out to minorities. He just doesn’t have minority charisma.
Demographics is critical in an election like this. It was very predictable that these sorts of problems would emerge. Really, no one is surprised.
Deeds had to walk a tight rope. McDonnell just had to smile and trot out a daughter or 2 to reach the moderate conservatives. The one who was a platoon leader in Iraq pretty much saved his bacon with the repression of women.
Who else would his conservative base vote for? He didn’t gross his base out with that thesis. Those who were grossed out probably weren’t going to vote for him anyway.
Many Democrats or leaners are just going to stay home. In this economy, you need more than the woman issues. You either need a strong base or a real good plan. No one has a real good financial plan.
Yes, but how could anyone get excited over Deeds? You’re asking alot, there!
Why should we as voting adults have to be excited? Why can’t someone just cover our basic principles without being razzle dazzle?
Other than the John Edwards hair, McDonnell didn’t do much more than that.
@M-H in Drag
Yeah, but it’s nice to be excited about a candidate, instead of holding the nose and voting for one because he’s “the lesser of two evils”. Oh, and you’ve got a whole mess of Obama-Zombies to ask about why adults should be giddy over a candidate…..the power of marketing!
I don’t get excited about many of them. You will gag if I told you the one I really got excited about. 🙄
I just want to like them ok…I don’t need fireworks. but its good you can still get excited. I don’t think its a bad thing.
Obama Zombies are ok. They will learn that he, live all others, has feet of clay.
I am waiting on Afghanistan myself. No way that is going to be a winning proposition.
I’ve been trying to not think about this….but I’d be lying if said I wasn’t curious!
Secretary of State’s husband. shhhhhh!
I think he did right by the country. There are a few bumps in the road, but over all, I was very pleased.
This is where I beg the question: Are there no candidates out there who aren’t Ken Coo coo nellie and Jessie Jackson? Looking for middle ground here.
I’ve said a hundred times, I liked Bill Clinton. Everyone says how bright Obama is, though he’s never shown a hint of intelligence. Now Bill Clinton, he was a smart man. Yeah, he was/is a horn dog. That puts him in some pretty good company, doesn’t it? I thought Clinton’s Presidency with Gingrich’s Congress was a very satisfying government. Now his wife is a compulsive liar, and not nearly as fit to lead as her husband, but conservative or no, I liked Bubba!! Still do!
I knew there was something I liked about you, Slowpoke! I liked him too. I still do too.
I never warmed to her like I did him. I got to work his event at the Lincoln Memorial in 92. It was fabulous. That was my one and only time I was excited over a candidate. I mean really excited. Mild enthusiasm doesn’t count.