Hahahahaha

The Washington Post "Macaca Alert" System ... thanks to Mike for the chortle of the day.

More bad news for Creigh Deeds

The new Public Policy Poll for the Virginia governor's race will be out later today ... and they are warning it's more bad news for Creigh Deeds:

One thing I find interesting looking back over our last four polls is that the percentage of likely voters who are Democrats has fallen every time. This is the first race we've polled regularly in the last few years where I've noticed this happening- this is also the first race we've polled regularly in the last few years that's so lopsided. Does anyone know if it's normal for supporters of a particular candidate to finally just decide they're not going to vote if they think he's going to lose? The more inevitable Deeds' loss has seemed the fewer Democrats we've found planning to vote.

Ouch.

Go Bob McDonnell!

H/T to Dave

"Battleground Virginia" tonight

Bob McDonnell Participates in "Battleground Virginia" Primetime Gubernatorial Special Tonight

ABC 7, News Channel 8, WSET Lynchburg and Politico.com will air "Battleground Virginia," a primetime Gubernatorial Special with Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell TONIGHT, Tuesday, October 6th at 7 p.m. The special is the result of a unique multi-platform partnership with ABC 7/WJLA-TV, POLITICO, YouTube and Google.

IMPORTANT NOTE
Tonight's event was originally proposed as a debate between the two candidates. Bob McDonnell accepted the invitation. Creigh Deeds refused to participate. For that reason each candidate appears separately in tonight's broadcast.

Prior to the broadcast viewers were given an opportunity to engage with the candidates through the use of Google Moderator. Moderator allows users to submit text and YouTube video questions for the candidates.

In addition to responding to web questions, candidates will be profiled in sit-down interviews with ABC 7's Leon Harris and POLITICO's John F. Harris where they will be able to address their views on the issues facing the State of Virginia.

This primetime special is an extension of the Battleground Virginia series produced by ABC 7/WJLA-TV throughout the 2008 presidential election. It is modeled along the same lines as the station's innovative Democratic Gubernatorial Primary Special using the Google YouTube technology in June, 2009. This latest edition of "Battleground Virginia" will also be carried on WJLA's sister station News Channel 8 and WSET-TV in Lynchburg, VA. The program will also be streamed live on www.politico.com. The Virginia General Election is on November 3, 2009.

Event Details
What: Bob McDonnell Participates in "Battleground Virginia" Primetime Gubernatorial Special
When: 7:00 p.m. TONIGHT

**The Special Can Be Viewed On**
ABC 7/WJLA-TV, News Chanel 8, WSET-TV, and streaming live at www.politico.com

Smoke and mirrors ... and the floundering Deeds campaign

Michael at Write Side of My Brain has links to posts by JR at Bearing Drift and Jim at Virginia Virtucon about the Sheila Jackson bruhaha that Democrats are stirring up to avoid talking issues in the Deeds camp.

Gubernatorial Democrat campaign 2009: Smoke and mirrors ... smoke and mirrors....

~yawn~ Linwood Holton endorses Creigh Deeds

Well, duh.

Lynchburg News & Advance: "Governor's Race Devoid of Issues, Filled with Fibs"

While I watch the Democrat bloggers sing Creigh Deeds' praises for his "transportation plan" and whatever else they can find to advance, I don't blame them because they are, of course, supporting their even if they have to grasp at straws to do so.

But then comes along a newspaper editorial that slams Deeds and boldly points out the glaring lack of decency in his campaign as he distorts, lies, and omits the truth in TV and radio ads.

The Lynchburg News and Advance smacks down the Democrat's eagerness to throw mud in this election cycle, probably because he has nothing positive to offer the citizens of Virginia. This paragraph from the op ed is striking:

Virginia needs a governor who leads from the front, not the rear. And right now, Creigh Deeds is gazing at the backsides of his followers, while Bob McDonnell is staring straight at the critical issues Virginia faces.

And there's much more that the News & Advance opines about that's worth reading.

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

Deeds campaign continues to deceive Virginia voters

New Low: Deeds Ignores Virginia Newspapers, Continues to Willfully Deceive Virginia Voters
Latest Ad Ignores Editorials Calling APCO Claim "Outright Lie"; "Blatant Lie"; "Not Honest"

From the Bob McDonnell for Governor campaign....

RICHMOND- After multiple editorials finding Creigh Deeds' attacks on Bob McDonnell regarding electricity rate increases to be completely without merit and false, the Democrat has now gone up with a NEW ad reiterating the same erroneous claims. As of this press release, it does not appear the Deeds' campaign has posted this new ad to their website, perhaps aware of the new lows the ad reaches.

Deeds' First Round of False APCO Claims Have Been Roundly Rebuked by Independent Observers.

The Lynchburg New & Advance TODAY
"His (Deeds) television ads have been below-the-belt and beyond-the-pale attacks. The most egregious was the spot entitled "$300 Million," which has been on a constant loop in Central and Southwest Virginia. The ad outright blames McDonnell for the increase in electricity bills that Appalachian Power Co. customers have seen in recent months, a blatant lie and distortion."
Read the Full Editorial Here:

The Lynchburg News and Advance September 20th
"The ad in question, which has been shown in our part of the state, outright blames McDonnell, then the state's attorney general, for Appalachian Power Co.'s recent series of rate hikes.
It's an outright lie, and the good senator and his campaign operatives know it. APCo, under the law (a law Deeds voted for as a state senator) is indeed entitled to collect certain costs and expenses from its customers. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but to suggest, as he does in the ad, that there was a dark cabal between the GOP, McDonnell and Big Power (to coin a phrase) is disengenous, at best.

Read the Full Editorial Here:

The Roanoke Times September 18th

"Before customers who have choked on high electric bills break out their pitchforks and go after McDonnell, they should know that Deeds' ad is not honest."

".....to pretend that McDonnell did anything but represent consumers and uphold the law is deceptive. Deeds should be ashamed."

Read the Full Editorial Here


While Deeds' has Chosen to Ignore Virginia Newspapers, Here are the Facts..... Again

Deeds Voted For the System His Ads Decry:
· SB1416, 2007

Deeds is Intentionally Misleading Voters About How the Regulatory System Works:
· Re-regulation returned the utilities to their previous status as monopoly providers
· By law, they must be allowed to recover the reasonable and prudent costs of providing service, and a reasonable profit
· The role of the Attorney General in those rate proceedings before the SCC was and is to represent Virginia's consumers, not to approve rate increases
· Bob McDonnell was doing his job as consumer counsel in the system that Creigh Deeds voted to implement.

Deeds' Ads Ignores the Hundreds of Millions in Savings Bob McDonnell Secured for Virginia Consumers:
· As Attorney General, Bob McDonnell stood up for Virginia consumers, recommending billions in savings, and saving citizens hundreds of millions
· From 2006 to 2008, APCo requested over $600 million in rate increases, and another $4 billion for a clean coal powered electricity generating plan in West Virginia
· Under the leadership of McDonnell, the OAG successfully limited these increases, saving consumers nearly $300 million

With Only 37 Days Left in the 2009 Election, Virginians Deserve Far Better than Creigh Deeds' False Attacks.

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

Deeds ducks debates ... McDonnell appears on Fox Sunday with Chris Wallace

Chris Wallace Calls Out Creigh Deeds for Ducking Debates

- Democrat Repeatedly Refused National TV Appearance, So McDonnell Appears Alone -
- Second Joint Appearance in a Week Deeds Has Dodged, First Was at VUU Tuesday -

From Republican Party of Virginia....

WASHINGTON, DC – Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds repeatedly rebuffed invitations from Fox News to participate in a nationally televised debate scheduled for this morning, leaving Republican Bob McDonnell no choice but to appear alone. McDonnell took questions from host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” this morning, with Wallace twice noting that Deeds had refused to meet on the program. This is the second time in the space of one week Deeds has refused to appear jointly with McDonnell. The first was Tuesday at Virginia Union University.

Click here to watch the video.


This is not the first media outlet to notice that Deeds has a consistent reluctance to appear in public forums with McDonnell. The Republican had proposed a series of ten face-to-face meeting only to be turned away on multiple occasions. The two have participated in just two debates so far, with less than 40 days to go before the election.

Deeds Bailed on Joint Appearance at Virginia Union University As Well
The two candidates were invited to appear in a debate hosted by Virginia Union University this past Tuesday, but were forced to appear separately because of Deeds’ refusal to share the stage with McDonnell.

“And we are worried about Deeds' reluctance to take the stage with McDonnell,” wrote the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “A governor must be willing to face his constituents and the political opposition. Why is Creigh Deeds so afraid?”

"I know that the last time Deeds agreed to debate Bob the results were, shall we say, less than beneficial for Creigh,” said Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins. “This is a time in Virginia that calls for leadership. People are looking for answers and they want someone who will lead and not be afraid to take on the difficult questions. Ducking debates every step of the way is not what I would call leadership.”

In what has become an Internet phenomenon, Deeds conducted a now-infamous press gaggle following the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce debate on September 17th. The clip of the exchange is rapidly approaching 50,000 views on YouTube.

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

WaTimes: "Wilder to Deeds ... 'That's not leadership' "

Doug Wilder's resistance to endorse his Party's candidate took a dramatic turn Thursday when he publicly announced he would not be endorsing anyone for the gubernatorial race:

Spurning pleas from the president and the leader of his party, former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder refused to endorse Democrat R. Creigh Deeds for Virginia governor, taking issue with the candidate's willingness to raise taxes in a weak economy.

"That doesn't show leadership and responsibility to me," Mr. Wilder told The Washington Times on Thursday after he announced that he would not endorse either Mr. Deeds or Republican candidate Robert F. McDonnell.

Mr. Wilder objected to statements by Mr. Deeds indicating that he would not rule out new taxes if they were part of a bipartisan bill that contained a dedicated funding mechanism for transportation.

"We are in the toughest economic times that we've had. I think the most driving thing to do now is to be a part of fiscal sanity and restoring accountability," Mr. Wilder said in a telephone interview.

Meanwhile, Politico headlined, "Wilder whacks Deeds," and wrote:

Former Virginia governor Douglas Wilder announced Thursday that he will not be endorsing a candidate in the Virginia gubernatorial race, while mounting some sharp criticism at Democrat Creigh Deeds over his stance on taxes and guns.

They added:

Wilder also indirectly attacked Deeds for supporting tax increases to help fund transportation projects in the commonwealth. Deeds wrote an op-ed in yesterday’s Washington Post declaring his support for a “dedicated funding mechanism for transportation -- even if it includes new taxes.”

Wilder’s response? “This is not the time in our Commonwealth to talk about any kind of tax increase, especially those that are fundamentally regressive and will hit hardest those who are struggling."

The first African-American governor in America, Doug Wilder's word carries weight and obviously was much sought-after by the Deeds campaign:

Wilder’s announcement is a significant blow to the Deeds campaign, which had been aggressively courting his support in recent weeks. Even President Obama got involved in the lobbying campaign, making a personal call to Wilder earlier this month asking him to endorse Deeds.

Isn't that what it's all about? Being more interested in the state and her citizens than politics?

I tip my hat to Mr. Wilder.

McDonnell says yes, Deeds says no to Fox News debate

This morning on Fox & Friends, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace revealed that the show had offered a platform for Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds to debate for the gubernatorial campaign on Fox News Sunday, and had asked for a list of dates that were available for them.

The McDonnell campaign, he said, provided about 10 dates ... the Deeds campaign provided NONE. Therefore, Mr. Wallace said, they will be talking with Bob McDonnell this Sunday and not with Creigh Deeds.

So tune into Fox News Sunday as host Chris Wallace sits down with Republican Bob McDonnell to discuss the gubernatorial campaign.

Bob McDonnell for Governor

No endorsement for Deeds from Wilder

In what may be a bomb shell in Virginia politics, former Democrat Governor Doug Wilder announced today that he would not be endorsing either candidate for the gubernatorial contest.

His endorsement of Democrat Creigh Deeds was talked about around office water coolers and probably expected but did not materialize and, indeed, he even disagreed with Mr. Deeds about a couple of issues.

On Bob Holsworth's "Virginia Tomorrow" blog, Mr. Wilder said:

The requests, made of me, have been to endorse Mr. Deeds, the Democratic Candidate, for Governor. I refrain from doing so and will leave that choice to the voters.

He talked issues and made a number of points including this one:

This is not the time in our Commonwealth to talk about any kind of tax increase, especially those that are fundamentally regressive and will hit hardest those who are struggling.

Creigh Deeds has made it clear he will raise taxes in Virginia. Maybe I could get Mr. Wilder to talk with the Augusta County Board of Supervisors about their wild spending spree this year.

Mr. Douglas disagrees with Mr. Deeds about 2nd Amendment rights:

In my conversations with the people across the state, I have not encountered anyone who has listed as their priority the need for them to have more handguns. The present law permits anyone of sufficient age, who is not a felon, to be able to buy one gun a month; twelve a year, twenty four a year for couples etc..

Mr. Deeds thinks that’s not enough and signed a pledge to repeal that law.

Ouch.

So there was no endorsement of the Democrat candidate from the former Democrat governor. I kind of count that as a backhanded endorsement of Bob McDonnell or, at the very least, a nod that Mr. McDonnell would do well as Governor of the Commonwealth.

NV: "Deeds, teller of tall tales"

Today's Waynesboro News Virginian editorial lays it on the line ... "Deeds, teller of tall tales:"

Casting aside probity’s shackles, Deeds has launched a series of ads exposing McDonnell’s social conservatism as though it were a string of bodies in a serial killer’s wake. “He opposes a woman’s right to choose, even in cases of rape and incest,” one ad declares. Gasp! “Bob McDonnell introduced 35 bills restricting a woman’s right to choose,” declares another. The horror! “And McDonnell opposed birth control for married adults.”

And he supports dunking gossips, hanging witches and requiring adulterous women to wear scarlet A’s on their frocks. OK, we added that one. From the perspective of Deeds, why not? He’s closed a gap in the polls that once was as wide as 15 percentage points to as few as two. Depict McDonnell wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a large buckle in the front and calling himself Cotton Mather, and maybe Deeds finally can take the lead.

Exposing the lengths that some politicians will go to in order to win, it's a good read.

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

Deeds scared to be on debate stage with McDonnell?

After a bizaar request from Creigh Deeds to not appear on stage with Bob McDonnell for their Tuesday "debate" at Virginia Union University, we get an update from Yankee Phil that, in a nutshell, sums it up:

McDonnell, Deeds make pitches at Virginia Union.

Both Candidates appeared at the university, even though Creigh Deeds was afraid to be seen on the stage with Bob McDonnell.

McDonnell said he shares President Barack Obama's support for charter schools, which operate largely independent of a central bureaucracy, as a way to revive urban educational systems.McDonnell said later that, while there is a Democratic tradition among blacks, "I'm not writing one vote off."

Creigh Deeds, Mark R. Warner,and John H. Chichester were all on hand to remind people that

CREIGH DEEDS WILL RAISE YOUR TAXES.

Former Republican tax-hiker John Chichester backing Democrat Creigh Deeds ... that should tell voters all they need to know.

Deeds calls one man on stage a "debate"? Isn't that an "interview"?

What is going on with the Democrats and debates? First Democrat Jody Wagner pulls out of a debate with Republican Bill Bolling and blames it on the Lt. Governor.

Now Democrat Creigh Deeds, at the eleventh hour, has decided he wants to be on stage alone for the Tuesday "debate" with Republican Bob McDonnell.

Is it called a "debate" when there is one candidate on the stage at a time? Or is that more of an "interview"?

The press release explained it all:

Tomorrow night's Community Forum with the gubernatorial candidates at Virginia Union University was originally planned, as many are aware, to be a joint event with Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds. Both candidates were to have been on stage, together, for the full event from 6:15 to 7:45pm. The two would have jointly taken questions from the moderator, allowing the audience to hear from both candidates at the same time.

However, late Friday the Deeds campaign officially requested that this format be changed. The Deeds campaign requested that each candidate now appear separately, and not be on stage at the same time as the other.

In order to ensure that this long scheduled event would still take place, we have agreed to the Deeds request to change the format. We are disappointed the Deeds campaign will not allow the audience the opportunity to hear from both candidates at the same time. We apologize for any confusion or difficulty this change presents. The formal media advisory can be found below.

So is Deeds running scared after his dismal performance at Thursday's Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate? Does this follow the line of thinking of, "Better to be silent and thought a poor debater than to open your mouth and prove it"?

Details of the debate:

Bob McDonnell, Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Attorney General of Virginia, will participate in the gubernatorial community forum on the campus of Virginia Union University tomorrow night, Tuesday September 22, beginning at 6:15 pm. The exact time of Mr. McDonnell's now individual portion of the program is still to be determined.

The Community Forum is sponsored by Radio One Inc., the Chesterfield Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Rho Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Richmond Crusade for Voters in partnership with Virginia Union University.

All members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend.

What: Bob McDonnell Participates in Community Forum at Virginia Union University
When: Each Candidate's New Separate Time Still to be Determined; Event Will Start at 6:15 pm; Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009
Where: Coburn Hall, 1500 N. Lombardy Street, Virginia Union University, Richmond

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

"I'm a Creigh Deeds Democrat." But wait....

Democrat gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds appeared to distance himself from Democrat President Barack Obama at the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate earlier this week when asked if he was an Obama Democrat. His response was that he was a Creigh Deeds Democrat.

Here's the latest from RPV:

Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds refused to wrap his arms around Barack Obama in the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate Thursday, even as his campaign had featured the president in radio advertisements. In the latest installment in an ongoing series of direct contradictions, Deeds is seeking to appeal to Obama supporters as he simultaneously appeals to those who are dissatisfied with the president.

“Passing up the opportunity to embrace the president, Deeds hesitated before addressing questions from moderator David Gregory, host of NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ on whether he would identify himself as an ‘Obama Democrat,’ reported Politico. “After initially trying to explain that he has tried to avoid such labels, Deeds said, ‘I like Barack Obama personally. He’s a smart guy, he’s an innovative guy.’

“But asked again if he would label himself an ‘Obama Democrat,’ Deeds paused and then offered, ‘I’m a Creigh Deeds Democrat.’”

However, following an early August rally and fundraising event headlined by Obama, Deeds clipped portions of the president’s speech for use in a radio advertisement.

In the spot, Obama says that he and Deeds are “cut from the same cloth” and describes the candidate as “somebody who has that same vision for the Commonwealth.”

“It must be very difficult to be Creigh Deeds right now and figure out which character he is supposed to be playing each day,” said Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins. “One day he supports Cap-and-Trade, but the next day he doesn’t. On another day he supports collective bargaining for law enforcement officers, but the next day he doesn’t. Now he’s even schizophrenic on whether or not he likes the president from his own political party. You really have to stay on top of things to figure out where he is on any given issue – moment to moment.”

Wonder how Obama supporter/DNC Chairman Tim Kaine feels about Deeds' flip-flopping.

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

Deeds: "I think I made myself clear, young lady"

A testy Democrat Creigh Deeds responded to a woman reporter's question, "I think I made myself clear, Young Lady."

Why did he say that?

Watch the video ... or read the transcript below:

Deeds: I’m the only candidate on the stage who’s gonna vote for a transportation bill that includes new money.

Q: So, is that a pledge that you won’t raise taxes?

Deeds: No, it’s not a pledge. I don’t take pledges. No.

Q: So, you would be willing to sign … you still would be willing to sign a bill that included a tax increase?

Deeds: Absolutely. I did not mean to make news with that perspective. I mean, with that answer I didn’t mean to change anything. I’m willing to sign a bill that raises new money for transportation. In fact, I intend to sign that bill next year.

Q: Creigh, I just need to clarify. You said, “what I said” was what you just said now. “What I said was that I have no plan to raise taxes.”

Deeds: Right.

Q: Is that correct?

Deeds: That’s right.

Q: (overlapping): But in general fund taxes. General fund.

Deeds: I have no, I have plan to raise taxes. What I want to do is to get a transportation bill passed next year, and that’s gonna … we’re gonna have to raise money when we, um, when we fund transportation. That’s the bottom line.

Q: How?

Deeds: Everything is on the table with me, except one thing: taking money out of the general fund, taking money out of education. Everything’s on the table. It’s about bringing people together.

Q: But when you said, “I’m not going to raise taxes,” what did you mean? You said in the debate, “I’m not going to raise taxes.” What did that mean?

Deeds: What that meant in the general sense of the term, I’m not gonna, I’m not gonna raise general fund taxes. Um, I know we’re gonna have to raise money for transportation.

Q: So you’ll raise other kinds of taxes?

Deeds: I think I, I, I, I meant … I meant what I said. I have no, um, plan to raise general fund taxes. Um …

Q: So what kind of taxes would you raise?

Deeds: We’re gonna, we’re gonna, we’re gonna ha … everything’s on the table when we consider how we raise money for transportation.

Q: Is the gas tax a general fund tax? Does the gas tax go into the general fund?

Deeds: [pause] The gas tax goes into the Transportation Trust Fund.

Q: So it would not then be covered under “not raising general fund taxes.”

Deeds: [pause] I think I made myself clear, young lady, I don’t know.

Q: I’m sorry, Creigh, I’m not trying to be mean, I just don’t quite understand.

Deeds: [ignores – turns his back to reporter]

Q: I think what people are trying to understand … is the bottom line for people …

Deeds: For transportation, everything’s on the table except taking money out of the general fund … out of taking money out of education. We have to raise money for transportation. We have a need that exceeds a billion dollars a year. Um .. we have to come up with a billion dollars a year of new money. And to arrive at that, everything’s on the table with me, except taking money out of the general fund, taking money out of education. Now, here’s, here’s the problem to me … the other guy will tell you you can take money for any reason. I guess literally that’s correct, but honestly, last week, the governor announced a 1.35 billion dollar general fund reduction in fu … in sums, primarily from higher education, from the Department of Corrections, from other services. Now, the reality is we’ve got major needs in the, in the general fund areas and we can’t rob Peter to pay Paul. We’ve got to fix transportation. We have to come up with new … with real money to do it.

Q: And for people who don’t understand what it means: the general fund. Will Virginians see a tax increase if indeed you are elected?

Deeds: Virginians will not see a tax increase that goes to the general fund.

Q: But they might see one that goes to the transportation fund.

Deeds: They might see that … we’re gonna raise money for transportation, but you know, until we can bring people together and develop consensus around a series of ideas, it’s hard to know how that … what form that’s gonna take. But we’re gonna have to raise money for transportation.

Deeds Staffer: We’ve got time for one more question.

Is he going to raise taxes? Or was that question answered in the dialogue....

Deeds struggles to connect with Virginia business leaders

From Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009....

The Washington Post ran a major article today regarding Creigh Deeds' failure to find support among Virginia's job creators and business leaders. The article notes:

State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor, is struggling to connect with some business leaders, an influential voting bloc that has been key to Democratic victories in recent elections.

With major backing from unions, conflicting promises on taxes and no details on how to fix the state's mounting transportation crisis, Deeds is not swaying some business-minded voters who are jittery about the economy and who say they don't like what they see as Deeds's uncertain positions on a host of critical state and federal issues.

Doubts about Deeds's business support have pervaded the campaign this week, as has the perception that his Republican opponent, Robert F. McDonnell, has more persuasively made the case that he will create jobs, keep taxes low and protect Virginia's right-to-work laws.

On Thursday, both candidates appealed directly to one of the state's largest business groups at a debate in Tysons Corner sponsored by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. Many said afterward that Deeds failed to connect with the business-minded voters who helped elect the last two Democratic governors, Mark Warner and Timothy M. Kaine.

"He never addressed the issue of 'What is your plan,' " said C. Daniel Clemente, a real estate investor from McLean who supported Warner in 2001 but said he left Thursday's debate feeling "very sorry" for Deeds. " 'I'm for education' -- what's your plan? 'I'm for transportation. I'm going to bring everybody together.' To do what?" ...

... Still, Deeds has stumbled with a series of ambiguous responses to questions about his positions on whether he would raise taxes (yes for transportation, no for general services); whether he supports federal cap and trade legislation to reduce carbon emissions (yes in principle, but not the current congressional proposal); whether he supports ending the secret ballot for union elections (he says the congressional bill is not going anywhere, but he supports Virginia's right to work laws); and whether he supports health-care reform (it depends upon the details).

As a result of such positions, business groups such as the Virginia chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Virginia Association of Realtors, the Virginia Farm Bureau and the Virginia Credit Union League have endorsed McDonnell...

The latest poll has McDonnell 50, Deeds 43.

Meanwhile, the YouTube video of an indecisive Creigh Deeds after the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate earlier this week on the subject of taxes and whether to raise them has been making the rounds.

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

Fox News reports Deeds distanced himself from Obama

Fox News had extensive coverage at 6:30 Thursday evening on the Virginia gubernatorial race, and highlighted Democrat Creigh Deeds distancing himself from Obama by responding to the question, "Are you an Obama Democrat," with, "I'm a Creigh Deeds Democrat."

Questioning during and after the debate also showed Deeds stumbling when asked if he would raise taxes.

Stay tuned.....

Bob McDonnell for Governor 2009

Bob McDonnell gets NRA endorsement ... what does Deeds get?

The National Rifle Association has endorsed Bob McDonnell for Governor. His opponent received the firefighters' endorsement ... help for a campaign gone up in smoke? Fishersville Mike puts his signature humor on the endorsements and turns it on Deeds.

"McDonnell thesis fracas not hurting Republican's lead"

So says the Northern Virginia Daily in an article by Garren Shipley which notes that Democrat Creigh Deeds is still trailing in the polls. Mr. Shipley notes:

Bob McDonnell's 1989 master's thesis is apparently no "macaca."

The former Virginia attorney general and Republican gubernatorial candidate continues to hold a wide lead over Democratic nominee Creigh Deeds, 49 percent to 39 percent, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports released Wednesday.

With "leaners" included -- voters who initially say they're undecided but pick a candidate when pressed a second time -- McDonnell picks up 51 percent of the vote, while Deeds gets 42 percent.

The poll is the first to be done since reports about McDonnell's controversial 1989 master's thesis appeared on Sunday.

Liberals will have to go back to the Democrat play book because it looks like this one isn't going to take ... which also puts egg on the face of the Washington Post that tried so hard to duplicate their "macaca" glory.

When the story of Bob McDonnell's thesis broke earlier this week, he spent 90 minutes on a phone conference with the media, answering any and all questions from them in a calm manner and noting that some of his views had changed in 20 years. Creigh Deeds admitted that his views have changed over the years, too.

Now compare that to Sonia Sotomayor's comments in the past ... yes, the lady who was just voted onto the Supreme Court. Powerline has the details.

Meanwhile, a new Survey USA poll is showing Bob McDonnell up by 12% over Creigh Deeds ... this after the entire thesis debacle.

Conservative bloggers immediately began reacting to the poll numbers:

- DJ McGuire at Right-Wing Liberal with, Well, so much for that set of plans
- Shaun Kenney has McDonnell 54, Deeds 42
- Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift has McDonnell by 12 - GOP rolling
- Jim Riley at Virginia Virtucon with, Second consecutive post-thesis poll shows no damage to McDonnell
- Mike at Write Side of My Brain has Creigh Deeds on the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything
- Carl Kilo at Spark It Up with The Result of Creigh Deeds' Caca - Thesis? Bob McDonnell Up by 12
- Fishersville Mike has rounded up everyone at Strictly VA with Survey USA: McDonnell up by 12

Two months until Election Day. Let's keep the momentum going.

H/T to DS