RICHMOND - Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins today noted the obvious irony inherent in Creigh Deeds' fundraising event with President Barack Obama tomorrow, given that Deeds notoriously picketed the very hotel franchise hosting the event. Obama is scheduled to appear with Deeds Thursday evening at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner less than seven months after Deeds joined hotel union workers picketing the Hilton in Crystal City in Arlington.
"This is rich," said Chairman Mullins. "Creigh probably doesn't know if he should grab a sign and start marching up and down the sidewalk or go on inside and start grabbing fat checks from donors. What a quandary."
In January, just a few weeks before Virginia Governor Tim Kaine proudly announced the movement of Hilton executives to Fairfax County, Deeds and his ticket mate Jody Wagner took part in a big labor picket line at the Hilton Hotel in Crystal City in Arlington County. Deeds handed out coffee and popcorn to the people picketing the well-established employer.
"Check out, not in," chanted the picketers.
While Deeds was seeking the Democratic nomination, there was no liberal interest group he failed to attempt to please. Big labor was among the greatest beneficiaries of his boundless affection. His two competitors for the nomination did the same.
Deeds has a long-standing crush on big labor bosses.
Dependent on Big Labor Boss Cash
Deeds has received at least $1.1 million dollars from major unions AFSCME ($500k) and SEIU ($100k), also including sizeable donations from the Democratic Governors Association - a major recipient of national labor money.
AFL-CIO: Deeds is Our Man!
Deeds appeared as the guest of honor at a July 27th reception hosted by the AFL-CIO in Washington. "During his 18 years in the Virginia House of Delegates and in the state Senate, gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds has ‘been with us every step of the way,'" said Jim Leaman, president of the Virginia AFL-CIO. The union helpfully highlighted Deeds' record of supporting big labor's agenda 93.7 percent of the time.
Directly contradicting Deeds' claim to the contrary, the union leaders cast this year's Virginia elections in strict terms of national importance to liberal interests: "With only two states, Virginia and New Jersey, holding gubernatorial elections this fall, Virginia voters are ‘setting the stage' for the 2010 congressional elections," said John Sweeney, AFL-CIO national president.
Pro-Card Check: YES!
The day after Deeds attended the AFL-CIO soirée, the radical liberal group 21st Century Democrats endorsed Deeds by press release, prompting Deeds to gush, "I respect their commitment to grassroots politics and admire their long record of electing progressives across the country." Candidates generally do not receive the endorsements of organizations without completing candidate questionnaires.
Question number five on the 21st Century Democrats candidate questionnaire reads, in part, "Do you support the Employee Free Choice Act [Card Check]?"
"It's not going to do anything to impugn Virginia's integrity as a business-friendly state," Deeds said in the Virginia Bar Association debate in July.
"I guess this is a rough deal for old Creigh," said Chairman Mullins. "Do I picket the place, or do I have some dinner with the President? I guess if I were a liberal Democrat who craved union attention, I'd be flummoxed too."
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