Terry McAuliffe Brings Back Robocalls For Virginia Gubernatorial Race

[Corrected, below.]

Remember how awful it was to live in America during the last few weeks of the 2008 election? One of the things that made our daily lives like an endless walk through the blasted heath of Hades were the incessant robocalls we received in our homes, from politicians telling us about how their opponents were terrorists or atheists or Satanic ivory poachers. It was a tough time, but like so many other national crises, we, as a people, endured, and we are entitled to some god damn peace and quiet in 2009. At least from robocalls. But, according to Battler Of Robots Extraordinaire Shaun Dakin of The National Political Do Not Contact Registry, that silence has already been broken by robocalls pertaining to the Virginia Governor race in 2010! WHY, GOD, WHY?

Just who is responsible for this? UGH. Terry McAuliffe, of course! Last seen offering the Hillary Clinton campaign the very best of his illogical, unhinged gum-flapping, McAuliffe has apparently decided that the Commonwealth of Virginia has gone blue enough for him to mount a campaign for the statehouse. I sort of think that McAuliffe has a giant, gaping lack of appeal where the voter profile of rural Virginians is concerned. But clearly this candidacy is founded on Barack Obama's ability to expand on the successes of Jim Webb and Time Kaine statewide, making the iron slightly warm to the touch. You know what is going to alienate those Virginia voters, though? ROBOCALLING THEM IN JANUARY 2009 FOR A RACE IN NOVEMBER 2010.

Dakin sources the McAuliffe robocalls to some activity on Twitter. One of the tweets comes from Miles Grant, a Northern Virginia politico who's running himself for the Virginia House of Delegates -- as reliable a source as you can get. Two other tweets, however, are indicative of the sort of reception McAuliffe is likely to get from Virginians if he doesn't stop and leave them alone. Kevin Reiss tweets, "Got a robocall from Terry McAuliffe about a NoVa town hall meeting this week. What am I going to do if he gets the nomination? Stay home?" Another Twitterer, "vmarinelliRVA," says, "Just got Robo-called by Terry McAuliffe, with message that cuts off the beginning so it's hard to ascertain what he's yammering about. Hrm."

God knows that these Robo-calls are probably done at the suggestion of incompetent Glover Park bridge-troll Mark Penn, who likely got paid seven hundred million dollars for his advice. Anyway, Terry, listen to me: you MUST chill. Sweet Mary in the morning, you MUST chill.

[CORRECTION: An emailer points out something ridiculously obvious! The Virginia Gubernatorial Election is actually this year, not 2010. It's not a mistake I should have made! I regret the error, but not as much as I regret the thought of robo-calls, because 2009 or no, it is just too soon to start them up again.]

Comments

[grf67]

One robocall and I will vote for anyone but mcauliffe.

[capybara1950]

I'll be donating to mcauliffe's opposition in the primary. But I already knew that before reading this column.

[mheister]

My sympathies to the fine people of Virginia. Nobody should be subjected to that kind of garbage, from any political party.

[xcrunner77]

Virginia has turned blue, but not enough that you can run any old a-hole and win. For a Dem to win Virginia it will still require lots of work -- which means lots of volunteers knocking on lots of doors and yes, (gasp!) making lots of phone calls. (But not this early.)

The majority of those volunteers in Virginia were Obama volunteers. We remember how despicably Terry behaved during the primary. Few of us are going to turn up if Terry gets the nomination.

My support is for Brian Moran, but I will work for Deeds if he wins the nomination. I will NOT work to get out the vote for Terry if he is the nominee. The Obama supporters I know will not either. Some pills are just too bitter to swallow. Terry -- you can't sh*t on people one day and expected them to work hard for you the next.

[ndnndpendent]

Just thoughts:

Obama is undoing the damage done by McAuliffe and the Clintons..­..

If Terry was a white Republican woman neo con, he would be Ann Coulter

Since he is not he should marry Ann and they could have little James Carvilles.­.....

[TIMLHOWE]

the damage done by the Clintons..­..

party unity my a ss. right?

[jeffp26]

I'm a democrat, but I would not vote for this clown as a joke.

[TIMLHOWE]

Who are the people who write these posts?

Lord, the only reason that you despise good ol" terry is that he dared to be against your crush-candidate.

Everybody who has ever spent two minutes with him likes him.

And by the way - Obamas fundraisers went after the very same kind of money Terry does.

And if you think that Penny Pritzger is in any way a different kind of animal, youve never spent two minutes with her.

The difference is that she comes from billions and lets you know it right away.

Terry comes very much from the middle class - worked his way up and in - and he never puts on airs.

The reason I can never forgive the Obama campaign - is that they spread h ate - through out the democratic party.

This poster - so obviously un hinged - is a prime example of what the Obama campaign left behind in its wake...

[mikep007]

Terry was an embarrassment as DNC head. He had no strategy and we lost many elections that should have been won, because of him. I think the voters of Virginia would vote for a Republican (yuck) over McAuliffe (also yuck). Why can't there be a Webb, a Kaine or a Mark Warner type running?! Hopefully one will jump into the race before we lose the state.

[TIMLHOWE]

what do you know?

we almost won even with the weakest candidate since the last time the Kennedys forced us to pick another loser from Mass.

And remember - it was Obama communication director - Robert Gibbs - that ran the Dean morphing into Osama ad that made Kerrey the nominee.

As a Clinton staffer, I was behind Dean and I still believe he'd have won the whole deal if it wasnt for that horror of an ad.

And remember this, Obama hired Gibbs directly after that. I mean directly..­.and made him his communications director.

Now, i know you folks dont understand this...but that move led directly to the ugliness in the 2008 Dem primaries. I know you blame it ALL ON THE Clintons - but the reality is the opposite. from the first day of the Obama campaign when Gibbs said to the press that the Clintons had "sold out the Lincoln bedroom" - I knew that his campaign was going to be about using right wing and msm scripts to get people in our own Party to HA TE the Clintons..­.and guess what? You all do!

I mean they actuqally still have you believing that it was the Clintons who played the race card - EVEN after John Lewis himself said it was the Obama camp....bu­t you people are sooo sure in your hatreds...

Its amazing and very, very sad.

Go Terry. I'll join ya in VA for primary week!

[TIMLHOWE]

Unlike Kerrey, he was savage in his attacks against Bush. Savage.

At the time he was the only one who would go on the cable shows and attack him.

the only one.

And explain to me the differences - politically between him and Warner?

[ndnndpendent]

He was savage to Obama during the primary...­...now he will have to lick some boots to ride those coattails.­....

[mommadona]

He's going to be the next Blago for the Democratic Party.

He is so out of sync with Virginia, it makes your teeth ache.

[macbabe]

if they vote him in, they get what they deserve, an IDIOT!!

[macbabe]

if they vote him in, they get what they deserve, an I D I O T!!

[AgathaX]

If Virginia votes for McAuliffe? Virginia will not vote for McAuliffe. McAuliffe does not merely have a "gaping lack of appeal where the voter profile of rural Virginians"--try ALL Virginians. Its more than a little embarrassing that he would even run here. Anyone who thinks Virginia could vote for McAuliffe doesn't know much about Virginia.

[GeorgeP922]

If Virginia, Maryland, and Illinois are not screaming loud enough for progressive revolution of their respective Democratic partiest are, I don't know what will.

These three states are home to the bread and butter of the DLC factions.

They are also home to some great progressives as well as Democratic majority voters willing to vote for a progressive.

So it's up to us to tip the balance.

Just look at Tom Periello who just beat VIRGIL GOODE, we need fighters like him not millionaires like Terry.

[TIMLHOWE]

Obama came from the Jones, Daley wing of the Party - not some group of "reformers"

Puleeze.

[Elderlady]

Darn, Jason. I got a robocall from the City this morning --- telling me when to put out my heavy trash.

They will NEVER EVER GO AWAY!

[jimhOR]

Here, I'll do a little more research for you (it took about 10 seconds). The election is even earlier than Nov 2009 - the PRIMARY is scheduled for June 9th, 2009 (that's just 5 months from now). I'm no political scientist, but I'm pretty sure the calls are targeting the primary election right now.

Yeah robo-calls suck but take a breather dude and get your facts straight. I wouldn't want you to lose your credibility.

[Hank10303]

Another wrong headed poll that needs to be shown the door. I voted for Obama and democrate but I'd never vote for this nut job.

[TIMLHOWE]

and since you dont live in Va - noone cares

[pharden]

Classy, bro!

[friskee1]

is it me, or does mcauliffe talks as if he's had 4 red bulls?

[ABCD]

Sorry Friskee1 -

It's definately you. Why, just listening to him you know he's had at least 6 or 7 redbulls!

[bygollymissmolly]

How to kill your campaign in one easy lesson.

[jimhOR]

Actually, the VA Gov race is in November 2009. That's *this year*. I'm in Oregon and even I know that.

I think Terry's got a shot. He's a very dynamic speaker. My wife and I went to his book signing a couple years ago where he passionately spoke about Hillary. He at least made us think about supporting her - until she went all Lieberman on Obama with that 3:00 a.m. ad, etc.