Creigh Deeds Making Virginia Dems Wish They'd Picked Terry McAuliffe

New York Times:

When State Senator R. Creigh Deeds defeated Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic Party chairman and confidante of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, to be the Democratic nominee for governor of Virginia, the argument among many Democrats was that Mr. Deeds -- an easy-going, moderate Democrat from rural Virginia -- would be the stronger candidate in a general election.

But with this closely-watched election less than a month away, and Mr. Deeds struggling against Robert McDonnell, the Republican former attorney general, it is hard not to forgive some Virginia Democrats for thinking that they might have been better off with Mr. McAuliffe at the top of the ticket. This is no small thing since a defeat for Democrats in Virginia would be a decided setback for this White House, particularly after President Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state last year since 1964. Democrats have held the Virginia governor's seat for eight years.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Cyndy Keith]

After reading the comments in the NY times, I would say that the title of the column is misleading. There are more comments from people who don't like McAuliffe, and more comments from people who do like Creigh Deeds. I hope that the election will come out the same way, but I am afraid it may not. Where are the outraged groups of people speaking up for people who stutter? Moses couldn't speak perfectly either but I believe he accomplished his task.

Deeds is the best choice for governor because he knows what we need in this state, and he isn't going to lie about it. This crap about raising taxes is ridiculous. When has any state been able to improve roads or education without some taxation? As long as the tax is fair and commensurate to the cost needed, I don't object. We pay tithes to support our church, we must pay taxes to keep our state running smoothly. When Gilmore decided to drop taxes on vehicles, our state went into such a shortfall that we haven't recovered yet.

If McDonnell can build our new roads without taxes, then I think we should keep an eye on what he plans to cut to achieve his goal.

[StopSexismNow]

Yep, this is precisely why I sent money to Terry.

Afraid to say, but Virginia may be royally screwed now.

[mitch93]

Waste of cash!

[AttorneyAtLaw]

Were McAuliffe the Democratic Party candidate, McDonnell would only be further ahead in the polls. McAuliffe won a paltry six out of the nearly 100 counties and cities in Virginia, even losing Northern Virginia where his showing should have been the strongest.

Much of the distaste for McAuliffe in Virginia (as the article points out) comes from the fact that quite a few Virginians don't believe McAuliffe to be one of them. Rather, he is viewed as a New Yorker who just happened to live in Northern Virginia so that he could play the Washington, D.C. political game. As such, they ask: "if he is not one of us, how can he effectively understand or represent us?" Virginians can suffer a less-than-perfect public speaker (Deeds), but they will not suffer a carpet-bagger.

[OB-GYN]

Respectfully disagree. Virginians tolerate all comers to the State, and in fact dislike politicians who reveal their bias by a "macaca" moment.

McAuliffe has energy, humor and street smarts. Plus he had viable suggestions.

No, we just took the wrong fork in the road when presented, and we will pay by having a hard right leaning conservative in charge for two years.

Pitty.

[mitch93]

No he does not. My view as a Democrat is that McAuliffe seems more like a used car salesman than a serious canidate for Governor. Deeds did much better in hypothesis polling than McAuliffe did, and McAuliffe would be doing even worse now. However I think we both agree that Virginia deserves better than Bob McDonnell.

[HC4BO]

So whats so bad about losing once in a while ... ??

Helps to settle some delusions of grandeur problems once in a while ...

[amazingdays]

While I love the comments on Huffington Post, in this case readers may be amused and further enlightened in this case by looking at the "comments" section on the actual New York Times article that's linked to here.

You will find a whole lot of smart and almost uniform responses to this stupid, stupid, stupid article (did I mention it was stupid) that was evidently written by someone who very possibly could not find Virginia on a map.

It is certainly not true, by the way, that Democrats in Virginia (with the exception of Terry McAuliffe) are wishing we had picked Terry McAuliffe. Not having picked him is the silver lining in this whole situation.

The NTY piece is so utterly innocent of any understanding of the Virginia electorate that I seriously question why this man had the gall to write the article. Since he doesn't know anything about the subject of Virginia (just the largely unrelated subject of Terry McAuliffe), he builds the entire analysis on an interview with one random "pundit" and parrots his thoughts.

Again, read the comments section on the NYT on this one (especially if you sort them by "Readers' Recommendations"). Well worth it this time.

[OB-GYN]

Easy does it there. I know quite a few Virginians who wish Virginia will stay Blue.

Terry McAuliffe had his baggage, yet he was incredibly energetic and "out there", and he at least had a clear, concise state business plan for jobs and growing the economy which didn't involve raiding the general fund like McDonnell will.

Pity the poor Virginia college students who worked all these years to be enabled to attend great state schools just to see them robbed of state support. No THAT says something of a Governor's lack of wisdom.

[Jeffersonian1]

After all, he does have that winning combination of the President's lengthy experience and the Secretary of State's easy likeability.

[harmonikasavingsbonds]

Why?

He's a crazy drunk who will only flip out one day.

[bsc]

what a stupid article...why not focus on what is actually happening not on what the author predicts might have happened had McAuliffe been nominated.

[kannita]

And seeing as how Mr Deeds has chosen NOT to have the Pres. stumped for him, its his own fault. I see more commercials for McDonnell anyway. I've already reconciled to the fact that VA will have a Rethug for Gov.

[jsgaetano]

McAuliffe was a perfectly good candidate, they were wrong for opposing him so much. "Oh noes, he knows Teh Clintun!!!!"

[UnknownSolider]

More DLC propaganda, McAuliffe lost election after election as head of the DNC with their Blue State Strategy, as opposed to Dean's 50 State strategy. They still do not GET IT

[Melizzy]

McAuliffe is a clown.

[Cyndy Keith]

So is our current governor whose only accomplishment was making Virgina a little more smoke-free. I will always vote democratic, or occasionally indie, but even if McDonnell wins, it will just be four more years of nothing in the governor's mansion

[OB-GYN]

So very true! I voted for Terry, my husband voted for Terry, and Deeds is precisely why.

[dteg]

Both sound like two weak democrats. I just wish they had someone else that would excite the base.

[BowlingForRevenge]

Hindsight is notoriously 20/20. Too bad.