Creigh Deeds, the most likely next Governor of Virginia, is well known for his many Deeds and his simple, unassuming style of winning people over, building bridges and just being the nice guy around. Today, I had the privilege of observing him in a very different and live environment - the very well attended Independence Day Parade in Fairfax, Virginia. We walked a good part of the parade together and I could see Deeds was a man OF the people, FOR the people and surely, he will be elected BY the people.
The Fairfax Independence Day Parade started just after 10:00 AM and went on for about two hours. Several groups were present, and the festive environment at the staging area was a pleasure to be in.
City of Fairfax Republican Committee, supporters of Bob McDonnell including some carrying "Bob's 4 Jobs" signs, supporters of other candidates including Bolling and Cuccinelli, were all there in full strength.
Cardinal Bank had a great float, along with the Lions Club, many Fire Fighters Divisions, a group called Capolales Santiago which also had enthusiastic and energetic dancers, the Fairfax Optimists Club, International Association of Fire Fighters, and Skystone which played great music on their float.
Clifton Horse Society brought their steeds, along with a team of three members (wearing Got Poop ??? T-Shirts) to collect animal droppings (which they did at lightening speed), National Capital Region Mustang Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, several school and children groups, including one sporting "Love God, Love Others" T-Shirts, Bagpipers, some groups of Cub scouts, the Fort Calhoun Senior High School Marching Band, City of Fairfax Regional Library, Youth Department, Mt. Cavalry Baptist Church in Fairfax, Kiwanis Club of Fairfax, a very energetic dancing group in beautiful red and blue costumes from Bolivia came towards the end of the parade.
Some antique cars in the parade showed the love and care imparted them by their owners who drove the cars with pride and joy in what they owned.
One of the volunteers for Bob McDonnell was trying to promote his candidate and when I (wearing a Deeds T-Shirt)complimented McDonnell for the "Bob's 4 Jobs" sign, he kind of rudely asked why Deeds had not thought of that, and if he was not for jobs! I had to tell him that Deeds is Creigh, and not Bob, so that slogan would not work for him. He continued that McDonnell would cut taxes and grow the economy, as Republicans were well known for cutting taxes and putting money in peoples pockets. He did not appear to understand that there is no room for cutting taxes in an economy that was already heavily over stretched and suffering serious budget shortfalls, with basic services being cut - education, public services and more. Confused, he said spending will help stimulate the economy, but was not able to articulate where the money would come from to fund the spending. When I explained to him that the only way to get the economy back on track is to grow the economy with new jobs, new opportunities and new investments he appeared to understand that perhaps there was something he was missing. At that time his group started moving and he thankfully got out of an awkward situation :)
Fairfax City Democratic Committee, Fairfax County Democratic Committee, Volunteers and supporters of Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner, Steve Shannon and David Bullova were in full strength and by far represented the largest group of participants. They outnumbered volunteers of the Republican party by at least 2 to 1 and enthusiastically waved to the crowds who lined the streets.
Just as the parade was moving along well, Creigh Deeds reached the location, having driven a long distance from another celebration. He swung into action and did the parade route darting from one side of the streets to the other, to meet, greet and chat with the people gathered in large numbers. The people just loved him and hundreds of people sported the Deeds stickers and signs, and promised to vote for him and volunteer for his campaign. There were many people who asked to take pictures with Deeds and many others who became emotional about meeting the next Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in their neighborhood street.
There was an elderly gentleman sporting a McDonnell sticker who was a little dazed and said "He greeted me and wished me well on Independence Day" - referring to Deeds who just then had shaken his hand and greeted him. I told him that is what Deeds does, he is a man OF the people. Still in a daze, he silently pointed to the sticker on his chest, indicating his amazement that Deeds would so warmly greet a supporter of his opponent. He was delighted to hear from me that Deeds was the man who cared more for Virginia than anything else, and his campaign was all about the Commonwealth and not about himself. He agreed that more than voting along party lines, we need to vote for the candidate best qualified to be our next Governor and agreed to give Deeds a serious consideration as now that he met the candidate, he was touched and believed that he should not blindly vote for McDonnell. I did not even try a campaign or conversion speech, since that would have been disrespectful on such a wonderful day, when we were all celebrating our Independence Day!
My previous exposure to Deeds is very minimal, we met a couple of times at events and he spoke very well when it was his turn to speak. He always impressed me as a very likable and pleasant person. There was never any opportunity to study him in any detail. Today, the was a little more opportunity to understand his approach, his nature and his interpersonal skills.
Deeds works very well with his campaign staff and volunteers, the folks seem to hold him in great respect and love. He definitely is very approachable and friendly. He goes to great lengths to meet as many people as he possibly can: while he would meaningfully walk along the pavements greeting people, every time he changed side of the street, he would dart across without wasting a second!
Any time any one wanted to speak with him, he gave them his time and listened carefully. When any one wanted to take a picture with him, or of him, he was most obliging - even though we know he had a lot more ground to cover! And, after Fairfax, he was going to two more celebrations, so his time was at a premium.
Here is a link to some pictures of Deeds at the Fairfax celebration:
http://picasaweb.google.com/...
One of his children did a lot at the parade, from the staging area where she volunteered, to actually walking the parade and being one amongst the other supporters. She had taken a picture of a parrot that was riding a motorized remote controlled car, and wanted to show her dad the picture - Deeds chatted with admirers until his daughter found the picture, took his glasses out to see it, gave the daughter a hug and moved on to the next admirer! He was not rushed with his daughter, devoting time to see a picture he could very well have seen later, and this again is reflective of his family values and the positives he will bring to our Commonwealth as the next Governor.
Deeds is well poised to win the elections, he just needs help and support from those who care, from those who can make a difference, and from those who know what is good for the Commonwealth of Virginia. I do, and I will.
Will you?