Deeds would follow climate change hoax and kill jobs in Virginia

Deeds Ditches Public Option, Still Fudging on Cap-and-Trade

- Democrat Gives Democratic Base Nothing to Vote For -

- Leaves Debate For MeadWestvaco Shift Change - to Apologize to Workers? -

SALEM - Last night, in the final debate of the campaign, Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds trashed two key issues dear to his Democratic base when he openly rejected a public option in any federal health care legislation and again duplicitously evaded a question about his position on cap-and-trade climate change legislation. Deeds faced Republican candidate Bob McDonnell while trailing in the polls and appearing increasingly negative and bewildered.

Deeds: Public Option? Sorry Democratic Supporters

Question: Mr. Deeds, would you go against some of your fellow democrats and back a public plan?

Deeds: I'm not afraid of going against my fellow democrats when I think they're wrong. The public option, that isn't a priority of mine ... I don't think a public option is necessary in any plan and I would certainly consider opting out if that were available in Virginia.

Moments later, Deeds faced the press corps, which attempted to pin him down on his public option answer. Deeds was characteristically evasive and gave conflicting and differing answers in succession.

See the video here.

Deeds: Still Dodging Cap-and-Trade

Deeds once again attempted to evade his previously clearly voiced support of cap-and-trade legislation, which is a scheme in which entities that exceed a government-imposed emission limit would be forced to buy "credits" from entities which emit amounts under the limits. Many analysts and employers have concluded that the idea would increase energy costs to consumers and severely limit the ability of private companies to sustain or create jobs.

Indeed, MeadWestvaco, a major employer located in Deeds' senate district, says it would jeopardize 1,400 jobs in Covington. Plant manager Mark George currently appears in a McDonnell ad, found by clicking here.

Incredibly, Deeds reportedly left the debate en route to MeadWestvaco in for a shift change at the plant.

McDonnell toured MeadWestvaco months ago: see the video here.

Deeds Supports Cap-and-Trade

Factcheck.org confirms that Deeds is aligned with Gore's position on Cap-and-Trade, noting that "there's no question Deeds ... has voiced support in the past for cap-and-trade."

"It's true, as we've noted, that Deeds was one of 40 members of a commission on climate change convened by Virginia's current governor. The commission was tasked with coming up with ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2025, in accordance with the Virginia Energy Plan. The panel, in recommendations released last December, said that Congress should pass legislation that ‘[e]stablishes a mandatory economy-wide cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.'"

Deeds even boasted to the Sierra Club that he endorsed all of the recommendations of the Governor's Commission on Climate Change, writing in their candidate questionnaire, "As a member of Gov. Kaine's Climate Change commission, I have endorsed the many measures undertaken through our work."

Additionally, in a Democratic gubernatorial primary debate in April, Deeds said the government should "even mandate sometimes things that are absolutely necessary if we're gonna continue to survive as a planet ... We have to reduce greenhouse gases." (Video)

Deeds Saps Base's Enthusiasm

"All we've heard from the Deeds campaign for the last few days is how they have to motivate their base to get back in this race," said Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins. "Well, liberal Democrats are crazy about the public option and cap-and-trade. Deeds has given them fuzziness and evasiveness on the very issues that drives them."

"And to go drop in on a shift change at MeadWestvaco is incredible," Mullins said. "If Creigh has his way, there won't be any shifts at all at that plant, and the only thing the workers will be changing is their careers."