2009.11.05
Thursday's column: Election provides plenty to gab about
Ah, the day after an election. Everything looks so clear and so obvious, you know?
There is plenty of nerdy election analysis from political pros elsewhere in the paper.
So here is some of the barroom-type stuff:
Creigh Deeds ran the worst statewide Democratic campaign in more than a decade.
How do we know? Rather than leading the ticket, the gubernatorial candidate pulled thousands of fewer votes than ticket mates Jody Wagner and Steve Shannon -- two warm bodies most Virginia voters had never even heard of before.
The Rev. Morris Fleischer of Christiansburg, no Bob McDonnell fan, summed up Deeds best on my blog: "He ran such an inept campaign, I questioned his ability to run the state as governor."
Read the rest of the column here.
Shoot, Deeds ran such an inept campaign I'm not sure of his ability to run an ice cream truck. Maybe he could handle an icemaker though, that's pretty easy.
Comment by Other John — November 5, 2009 @ 10:05 am
What did the Dems expect of Creigh Deeds? He lost the AG race 4 yrs ago to McDonnell. Was it Deeds turn to run? I think Deeds is a good man, but his campaign was inept at best. It's unfortunate because Virginia needs someone better than McDonnell. Good luck!
Comment by Ron — November 5, 2009 @ 11:06 am
There is no question that both parties need to field better candidates AND run more honest and informational campaigns to gain any respect. I am just not sure either one knows how or really cares about our respect. Good candidates win, bad ones do not. It takes a superb candidate to overcome the problems, a badly run campaign and a well funded, personable opponent. Virginians who have been paying attention knew and respected Creigh Deeds but he was not a superb candidate. None of them were. He also had to expend time and capital in a Primary and McDonnell did not. It was not our year in many ways and tradition won out. McDonnell had a well run, well funded campaign and a stealth pragmatism that allowed the real McDonnell to skate while the other two rode the wind.
No matter how painful it is to admit, most people do not vote the party, the truth or the real issues; they vote the candidate.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — November 5, 2009 @ 11:20 am