Virginia Campaign in Full Swing

Creigh Deeds Meltdown nearing 50,000 Views on YouTube

Click Here to Join the Fun! McDonnell, Bolling, Cuccinelli Rack Up Key Endorsements Our superb statewide ticket continues to accumulate important endorsements that tell voters which are the best candidates for the future of Virginia if you care about jobs, the economy, transportation and public safety. McDonnell Endorsed by Fairfax Chamber of Commerce: The Fairfax Chamber listed a number of reasons for backing Bob, but highlighted his transportation plan as a major reason. See Bob’s press release here, and the Chamber’s release here. Entire GOP Ticket Endorsed by Fraternal Order of Police Because of their records and stances on public safety issues, Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli all received the endorsement of the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police this week. This is always one of the most prized endorsements of any campaign and we are certainly proud that our fine candidates have earned it. >From the FOP announcement: "These candidates were chosen by the members of the FOP of Virginia. Every member had the opportunity to vote for the candidate they thought would do the best job for their respective offices. These candidates have proven and pledged to support the FOP of Virginia in keeping our state safe and secure for all Virginians."

Entire Democratic Ticket On Board with Tax Increase

"R.CREIGH DEEDS, the Democrat running for governor in Virginia, has now unequivocally committed himself to support higher taxes ..." - Washington Post Editorial 9/24/09 The statewide Democratic ticket of Creigh Deeds for governor, Jody Wagner for lieutenant governor and Steve Shannon for attorney general will raise taxes if elected, if public statements or past votes cast are any indicator of future behavior. Challenged to express their opinions of Deeds’ plans to raise taxes, Wagner embraced the idea while Shannon exposed his lack of credibility on the issue. Deeds, meanwhile, used a column in the Washington Post to repeat his plan to raise taxes to pay for a transportation package he will not unveil until after the election. Deeds: Higher Taxes, But No Plan Deeds used nearly 800 words in the Post to express his desire to raise taxes without a clear transportation program, writing, "As a legislator, I have voted for a number of mechanisms to fund transportation, including a gas tax. And I'll sign a bipartisan bill with a dedicated funding mechanism for transportation -- even if it includes new taxes." Meanwhile, he openly admits he has no idea how he would spend the money: "The day after I'm elected, I will begin assembling a bipartisan commission to craft a comprehensive transportation package." This echoes what Deeds struggled to say in his now-infamous press gaggle following the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce debate last week: "I'm willing to sign a bill that raises new money for transportation....in fact I intend to sign that bill next year," Wagner: Count Me In "Jody is looking forward to working with Governor Deeds to provide a long-term solution to transportation funding," Wagner’s campaign told the Washington Post in response to the challenge on Deeds’ tax plan - a clear indication that she would support raising taxes if elected. Shannon: Look at My Record Shannon largely ignored the question, which highlighted his duplicitous record on tax increases. During his first campaign, Shannon said he will focus on "trying to maintain a high quality of life in Fairfax County without continuing to overburden people. The key is how do we deal with budgeting - it’s simply not acceptable to keep raising taxes." (Washington Post, March 13, 2003). However, in one of his first votes, Shannon opposed $400 million in tax relief (Lynchburg News & Advance, February 26, 2004) Additionally, Shannon’s was one of the key votes in the House Finance Committee that approved the largest tax increase in Virginia history (Associated Press, April 7, 2004). He also approved a measure to increase the sales tax in Northern Virginia (Washington Post, February 23, 2006).

Deeds Running Exclusively Negative Campaign

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (Click to Read the Whole Thing): We'd hoped that this year's campaign for governor would maintain the reasonably lofty standards Virginia has come to expect from those seeking the commonwealth's highest office. Politics is a rough business and we understand tough charges from both sides. But the 2009 election is beginning to slide into the sewers -- and Creigh Deeds' campaign is responsible for most of the slippage. The Democratic nominee appears to believe his only hope for victory lies in sliming Republican Bob McDonnell. Diradour Doesn’t Know Why he Lives Where He Does Democratic challenger for the 7th District Congressional seat Charlie Diradour - who does not live in that district - now claims he was the victim of political redistricting that moved him into the 3rd Congressional District in 1999. A basic problem with that claim is that there was no redistricting process that year and he was actually displaced from the 7th District in 1991 - a full eighteen years ago. "I don’t live in the district because they gerrymandered the district 10 years ago," Diradour told Style Weekly in Richmond. Diradour is apparently unaware that the redistricting process occurs every ten years, immediately following the completion of the U.S. Census to gauge population levels in potentially redrawn Congressional districts. The most recent redistricting occurred in 2001, but Diradour’s current home was already located in the 3rd District at that time. In fact, Diradour’s residence was placed in the 3rd district in 1991, despite his uninformed belief to the contrary. His statement implies that he believes he was the victim of Republican malfeasance in the redistricting, describing the process as an attempt to "divide the community" (Richmond Times-Dispatch). In 1991, Diradour’s campaign advisor Paul Goldman was Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Delegate Dick Cranwell, a Democrat, was Majority Leader of the House of Delegates and pushed the redistricting plan through the legislature. L. Douglas Wilder, another Democrat, was governor and signed the package into law. "Thus, if gerrymandering discomforts Diradour, then he needs to attribute his suffering to Virginia Democrats," observed the Richmond Times-Dispatch. This guy can’t win for losing. He doesn’t live in the district and he doesn’t know how or why he lives where he does. Heaven help us if he gets to Congress. Someone will have to tell him that the U.S. Capitol is not in Peoria, Illinois. This guy doesn’t know which way is up. Seems like all he wants to do is be a member of Congress, and he just doesn’t care where.