So this post is not about Steve Shannon, but it is only fitting that I end my posts on this blog by writing about Creigh Deeds since that is who was responsible for engineering the worst defeat democrats have had in the Commonwealth in the last forty years.  Creigh Deeds even managed to lose my home county of Fairfax – a bastion of liberal strength!

The now infamous David Petts memo that had Deeds’s pollster warning him to stay away from the president and Tim Kaine has now been proved wrong due to a new poll by the Progressive Campaign Committee for Change (full results here).

Simply put, democrats lost in Virginia this year because they ran away from who they were.  Creigh Deeds thought that he could convince voters that he was not a typical democrat by stating he would opt out of the public option for health care if elected and by keeping the president at a distance.  However, all this did was alienate Obama voters who did not turn out for Deeds this year because they did not like that he kept Obama at a distance.

It’s too bad Shannon could not beat the Deeds drag. – Bharat

And unfortunately the victor is Ken Cuccinelli by a seizable margin. Turn-out was very low and Democrats I guess just didn’t feel like showing up. Turnout among the under 35 demographic was almost a third the size it was just last year and was even slightly lower than at the last gubernatorial race.  Either way, here are the results with 98% of districts reporting:

The totals came to 787,804 votes for Steve Shannon and 1,078,135 votes for Ken Cuccinelli. There big story to me though is that despite the tough times, the radical right wing policies and a million other good reasons, people just largely didn’t show up. The only group that showed up more now than before was males over 50 and when that is who makes the decisions it is no surprise that Virginia is about to start moving backwards. ~AJ

The polls are currently opening across Virginia and a frequently quoted line by Tip O’Neil comes to mind: “All government is local.” Nothing could be truer today. There are overwhelmingly big moments that catch the eye of the world as well as the spirits of the people, the 2008 election happened to be one of them. Among these times it is easy to for get the important moments that change the game but in a smaller and more individual way. Today for Virginia is one of these moments. The eyes of the nation may be looking but it is just as important to think about the offices that no one else is paying attention to.

So, before you head out to the polls, take a hard look at who’s on the ballot. Who do you want as a delegate to the state house? Who do you want to be in second in command? What do you want to see happen with the Attorney Generals office? For me personally, I always look for someone with experience, with a plan, and discernable motivation. Shannon fills the bill for me. I see a prosecutor who has complex ideas, not just easy answers. He has shown that he has the motivation, how else does one bring in a program like Amber alert to Virginia. Whether or not Shannon is your candidate get out and vote because it is these moments that matter the most.~ TV

For a list of the candidates on your ballot:

http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Cidate_Information/Cidate_Lists/CidatesList.asp

In a matter of hours the polls will open, and we Virginians will get a chance to vote. But just remember that as conservative as our state may be, it shouldn’t stand for a radical like Cuccinelli. The polls do not look good but just remember all the things that he has stood for in this race.

• He has said he would use his office to pursue nullification of federal law
• He said he would not enforce the laws he doesn’t personally agree with
• He believes in the enforcing “natural law,” imposing one group’s morals over the rights of all others
• He wants to “root out” anyone working for the state that might be homosexual and discriminate in future hiring

Ken Cuccinelli is a bigot and a radical. He feels that laws don’t apply to some people. He feels that states can nullify the federal government like in the days of the confederacy. This is why the Washington Post declared that he would be an embarrassment to Virginia.

But now you have the power Virginia. Go to the polls and make sure to pooch the cooch! ~AJ

The Richmond Times Dispatch released a poll that said Deeds is down 12, Wagner is down 13, and Shannon is down 14.  Most polls have each of the candidates down by similar rates.  Moreover, the outlook on many of the state Delegate races is also looking quite poor.  Many districts that were assumed to be lean Democrat, are more and more looking like toss-ups or Lean Republican.  Tomorrow will unfortunately be a sad day for Democrats in Virginia.

Luckily, a WAPO poll from last week indicated that this election will less likely be about Obama’s performance and more about Virginia specific issues.  Hopefully this isn’t a referendum on the Obama administration and 2010 will not be as bloody as tomorrow will likely be.  Moreover, lets hope things in New Jersey work out well for D’s.  Please, somebody–ANYBODY– Pooch the Cooch!–MK

While endorsements are not the most important thing in a campaign, they often do a good job taking a hard look at the candidate and picking someone who speaks to their issues. Putting you name on the line for someone else is a risk and thus these informed opinions are a great way to figure out where you stand. With two days before the race take a look at what people are saying in defense or condemnation of the candidates. With that said, here are the recaps of groups endorsing the two candidates. I urge you to read why they believe their candidate would be the best for the job.~TV

Shannon’s endorsements:

Associated Builders and Contractors

Fairfax Chamber of Commerce

Home Builders Association of Virginia

Northern Virginia Technology Council

Virginia Credit Union League

Virginia Association of Realtors

 Virginia Police Benevolent Association

Fairfax Coalition of Police

Fairfax Deputy Sheriffs Coalition

Virginia Professional Firefighters

Virginia Coalition of Police and Deputy Sheriffs

 The Washington Post

The Daily Press

The Bristol Herald Courier

The Roanoke Time

The Virginian Pilot

The Free Lance Star

The Falls Church News Press

The Sun Gazette

Disability Votes

Humane Society

League of Conservation Voters

NARAL

Planned Parenthood

Sierra Club

VEA NEA

Virginia Partisans

 

Cucchenelli’s endorsements

F. O.P.

The Washington Times

The News Virginia

NFIB

NRA

The Washington Examiner

The Virginia Farm Bureau

Prince William News and Messenger

The Culpepper Star Exponent

The Daily Progress

Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Lynchburg News and Advance

“Homosexual acts are wrong” – Ken Cuccinelli

An article from today quoted Ken Cuccinelli accurately when he said those exact words!  Cooch proved once again that the more he talks, the better Steve Shannon’s chances of winning this election.  Gone are the days when Shannon was queasy about going negative – I have been getting emails from his campaign manager on an almost daily basis about Cooch’s radical right agenda.  The title of today’s email? “Prosecutor or Political Agenda?”  Once again, the email hit Cooch on the traditional talking points the Democratic Party has come to rely on. Cuccinelli is a “culture warrior” who opposes “common sense.”  Someone who would turn a blind eye when priests molest kids or felons buy guns.

The Shannon campaign tried to win this race on positives.  They highlighted the organizations that endorsed him and McDonnell, and conservative papers like the Free Lance Star that turned a blind eye to Cooch.  But the time for positives disappeared with Creigh Deeds lead over McDonnell last summer.  Shannon has even gone to the lengths of distancing himself from Deeds in order to save himself. Its’ the right move.

Ken Cuccinelli – in your heart, you know he’s nuts. – Bharat

Deeds and Obama finally together campaigning after quizzically long wait.

In a recent article on of the Washingtonpost.com, Chris Cillizza discussed the effect of Creigh Deeds on the down ticket voting. He mentions that the Kaine victory helped if not won the elections for those listed below him. Extrapolating, he mentions that lower Deeds support might have the opposite effect this year. A theme in this election is run away. Deeds ran from Obama, until recently. He hoped to distance himself from a rough battle over healthcare. Steve Shannon has distanced himself from Creigh Deeds because funny enough Shannon is looking to have a closer margin then the gubernatorial candidate. As far as locals go they seem to be running their own show.

However is this running doing any good? People still talk about the two gubernatorial races being a validation of the President or Republicans, depending on how it all sorts out. The idea that national politics isn’t going to affect the race to be Governor of Virginia is naïve at best. The notion that the Deeds/McDonnell showdown isn’t going to come to play in the AG or LG election is just as preposterous. So where that leaves the candidates might be unknown but, I do know you can run but you can’t hide and you definitely can’t ignore the affect. ~TV

See article…
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/deeds-down-ballot-drag.html

Following up on my last blog about the Virginia Coordinated Campaign, “Is Shannon distancing himself from President Clinton or the Party?,” I now believe that the Shannon Campaign is trying to both distance itself from the other Democratic candidates and use the coordinated campaign’s resources to their advantage—having its cake and eating it too. I believe this for two reasons, one, because of the already documented non-existent events with the other Democratic candidates on the Shannon website, and two, because of my experiences canvassing last weekend.

Just recently, I decided to go canvassing for the Shannon Campaign with the hope of getting first-hand knowledge about what’s going on. However, going canvassing for them is easier said than done. After multiple calls and emails and after finding out that the Shannon Campaign headquarters is not metro accessible, I was informed that I should go through the Virginia Coordinated Campaign as they will be handling all further canvassing efforts—a very surprising thing to hear with more than a week out from the election at that time. Upon finally making it to the coordinated campaign HQ for Alexandria, it felt very much like a Deeds HQ converted to a coordinated effort. The flyers we handed out did have all three major Democratic state candidates, but the literature provided only mentioned Deeds achievements. Coincidence? I think not.

The point is, while I don’t know what exactly is going on within the Shannon Campaign, I can speculate. And it certainly seems as though it is trying to utilize all of the money, flyers, volunteers, and resources that the coordinated effort, funded in large part by the Virginia Democratic State Party, can provide without publicizing that it is doing so. I don’t know if this method by the Shannon Campaign will be an effective one or not come Election Day, but let us hope that he does POOCH THE COOCH.

–L.A.F.S

There’s a week left before people go to the Ballot box and the newest financial report is in. Elections are in part about money and thus it is easy to blame losses on lack of it. However looking at the newest report from the Virginia Public Access Project Steve Shannon actually has more cash on hand that Cucchenelli: $955,000 to $154,000. The only Democrat of the three main races to be ahead in money on hand. However Shannon is still lagging in the polls.

The Campaign needs to find a way to turn those donors into spokesmen and volunteers for the campaign. If the money is implicative of the situation it would seem that there is a large base of support. Now it is easier to donate money than time but if the campaign could get those supporters to come out it could make a huge difference. At the Campaign or at the supermarket, getting the word out is going to make or break this race; which few seem to notice and even less seem to know the ramifications.

Take a look at the full numbers on all three candidates in this Richmond Times-Dispatch article :
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/GOVS27_20091026-221205/301774/

~TV