Monday, October 12, 2009

The Bob McDonnell Show

Having moved from Virginia to North Carolina last spring I have not really paid much attention to the Gubernatorial race in the Commonwealth. I knew that Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell were having a rematch, but that is about it. This past week I started to take a closer look at what was going on in my old state. I found myself surprised.

First, I am already calling this race for Bob McDonnell. Pending some unforeseen October surprise, his support is at a level that will be very difficult for Deeds to overcome. McDonnell is steadily polling above 50%, and even if all the undecideds break for Deeds it will probably not be enough.

The Democrats in Virginia have gained a lot of ground in the past eight years, and the state has become a model of how it is possible to govern with a sensible blend of liberal and conservative ideologies. This moderation is very appealing to a large number of voters, myself included. Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Jim Webb, and Gov. Tim Kaine all embraced this approach, and I was assuming the Creigh Deeds would also embrace it. How is it possible that Deeds is so far behind?

One theme that is very prominent on the Democratic side is Bob McDonnell's Thesis from 1989 (that's 20 years ago, folks). The Deeds campaign and the Democrats are stoking fear about it. Deeds finished up an answer in a recent debate saying, "Bob's record...is enough of a risk, and we can't take that risk in the Governor's office." Now, don't get me wrong, this thesis is pretty nutty, and it lays out an extreme conservative view of the family. However, Deed's obsession over the thesis is not going to win him votes, and McDonnell has effectively countered Deed's criticisms by citing the working women in his family.

The next theme I came across was abortion. Creigh Deeds is very much in favor of people having the right to get an abortion, and he is going after his opponent for being Pro-Life. Seriously? That's the stupidest campaign theme I have heard of from a Democratic candidate in a long time. Wedge issues are annoying, and as a voter I would be very turned off by this.

When you take these two themes together you have common threads. They are both about Bob McDonnell and why someone should not vote for him. Why should someone vote for Deeds?

After watching this video of Deeds talking out of both sides of his mouth on taxes, I have no idea. One thing is clear to me. Although I do not ideologically align with Bob McDonnell on a majority of the issues, I do think he is competent enough to be Governor. With Creigh Deeds I am not so sure, and I suspect I am not alone.

Drudge Shows Us More Evidence of Climate Change

Thank you for showing us more evidence of climate change, Matthew Drudge. Right now Drudge Report has a series of headlines on global warming.

-BBC: What happened to global warming?
-U.S. Chill Map...
-Montana cold breaks records...
-Record Cold temps in Idaho threaten potato crops...
-Austria: Earliest snowfall in history set to break records...
-Man has microphone cut off after asking about 'errors' in Gore film...

What Drudge is (probably intentionally) forgetting is that global warming and climate change cause extreme temperature events. This goes for both warm and cold temperatures. "Global warming" is somewhat of a misnomer.