Well, the sign wars are in full swing here in the Old Dominion. Allen signs up for about 2 weeks are now being challenged with a deluge of Webb signs. Webb and Allen bumper stickers are proliferating. Webb/Moran combo signs dot the Fairfax County Parkway's Reston exit. And here in the VA-11, Signs for Republican incumbent Tom Davis and Democrat Andrew Hurst have sprouted with a speed putting mutant dandelions to shame. But I saw something rather more clever today.
The sign wars in the VA-11 race are especially caustic in the Springfield area, where Hurst lives, but which is sharply divided between the two parties. Both sides have accused the other of stealing signs. Across the Franconia Parkway, there are dueling signs: a huge one for Davis, and a Huge one for Hurst only a mile away. So as you see, it's gotten quite heated.
Davis has for years skated through elections by claiming that he's not as partisan as all those nasty DeLay types in the GOP. Whenever he disagrees with the national party, which isn't often, he loudly trumpets it to the press to make sure everyone knows just how "bipartisan" he is. His ads even try to stress not his positions on issues, but on how much pork he brings back home.
Apparently one Hurst supporter has had enough of Davis' games. Turning onto the Franconia Parkway, I notices something appended to each of the Tom Davis signs. I saw that it was a little blue tab, the same color as Davis' signs, affixed apparently with a stapler. It read "supports Bush 90%" I have seen the same tab afficed to a steak and placed next to Davis signs. I also noticed two places where Davis backers had moved their signs so that these new additions would not be pointing to them.
Perhaps nrothern VA is at last getting tired of Tom Davis' shell game. But even if not, I'm glad Andrew Hurst had the guts to take on the entrenched Davis, and to tell the truth to a moderate district that doesn't share Davis' right-wing inclinations.