Creigh Deeds, Democratic nominee for Governor in the state of Virginia, continues his free fall with an embarassing and humiliating performance at a debate Thursday night in Northern Virginia.
As you may recall, Deeds was the winner in the June Democratic primary for Governor, defeating his two opponents, taking 50% of the vote. But as time goes by, it is becoming crystal clear that Democratic primary voters picked the wrong man for the job. As Robert McCartney wrote in todays Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
If you're a candidate for governor coming to debate in Northern Virginia, you'd better be able to say simply and plainly how you'd raise money to repair and improve the roads. Democratic State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (Bath) failed to do that Thursday. In fact, he bungled it pretty badly. He managed to sound both vague and two-faced about the most important issue in the race for the Washington region.
As northern virginia expeiences explosive growth, the region has become solidly Democratic and that trend is continuing this year. So, for a Democratic candidate, who has been in the state legislature for over a decade and who ran for statewide office in 2005 to the same opponent not to have a comprehensive plan to deal with the transportation crisis is appalling and demoralizing.
Check this out:
When asked directly by moderator David Gregory of NBC News whether he would raise taxes if necessary in the current economic climate, Deeds said: "No, I'm not going to raise taxes. But I am the only person on this dais who will sign a transportation plan that raises new money."
Huh? When I and other reporters pressed him afterward to clarify, he said he meant only that he wouldn't raise taxes for the state's general fund, which pays for a broad range of services, including education and law enforcement. That clearly left open the possibility that he'd raise taxes for the transportation fund, which is separate.
Even then, though, Deeds tried to have it both ways. In one breath he told reporters, "I have no plans to raise taxes." In another he said, "I intend to sign" a bill that "raises new money for transportation." That sounds like a plan to me.
Didn't John Kerry go down this road in 2004? He sure did, and we all know where that ended up. If Deeds "intends" to sign a bill raising new money for traffic woes, he needs to spell it out.
The election this fall is shaping up to be a disaster for Democrats this fall. Deeds fortunes were on the rise after release of his opponents thesis, but Deeds' inability to communicate a clear and concise plan on transportation may prevent him from being able to win this race.
One other note:
In trying to make the sale, though, Deeds comes up short -- especially in the two debates so far. On Thursday, he struggled at times to provide focused answers and occasionally seemed overly excitable. He didn't offer the kind of poised leadership style that would appeal to his audience of Fairfax business executives.
Creigh Deeds came across in this debate much like Al Gore did in the 2000 presidential race. In that race, Gore was coached by a bunch of consultants who made him come accross as unfocused and arrogant. And with the Deeds campaign consisting of enough consultants to sink the Exxon Valdez a second time, Deeds is coming across the same way. And to add insult to injury, Deeds has also surrounded himself with a bunch of political hacks who have no clue on how to run a statewide campaign, as they proved in 2005 when Deeds lost the race for Attorney General to McDonnell.
If Deeds can't compete and run a credible campaign, how will he be able to become an effective Governor?