by Taylor Marsh
Tacky. Tacky. Tacky.
That's Brian Moran.
For those of you who don't know, he's running in the Virginia gubernatorial primary against Terry McAuliffe and state Sen. Creigh Deeds. Moran is trailing McAuliffe, who is leading, according to the latest PPP polling, done on May 5. So now Moran's desperate and it's showing.
I hope McAuliffe trounces him. Hey, but if you don't like Terry McAuliffe, give your vote to Creigh Deeds. Call it a vote for the underdog. Just don't vote for Brian Moran.
That wasn't my feeling until today, because I rarely weigh in on state races (Webb and Sestak were my two exceptions in the last years), which aren't my thing. But when reading in the Washington Post a report that Moran took his campaign for governor to a new low, basically saying that Terry McAuliffe shouldn't be elected because he supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries, that was it. But if that isn't bad enough, Moran's running targeted ads in African American communities that are really low considering Hillary Clinton has one of the top spots in President Obama's cabinet. But that's not good enough for Mr. Moran, who would rather dredge up primary battles.
In a fundraising appeal to supporters yesterday, McAuliffe's campaign called Moran's ads "a new low," and said they were "deliberately designed to deceive voters into believing Terry opposed Barack Obama's candidacy last November." It released a video of McAuliffe campaigning for Obama before the general election and a radio ad with McAuliffe saying he worked as hard for Obama in the general election as he had for Clinton during the primaries. ... "He is rewriting history," Moran said yesterday. "There's some audacity with him taking credit for helping elect Barack Obama when there were so many volunteers who worked diligently over many, many months to get him elected."
No one and I mean no one wants to rehash the primaries. Something that Scott Surovell, chairman of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, reminded Mr. Moran today. But with his latest campaigning, Moran also proved he doesn't have the gray matter to be governor. Because he's an idiot if he believes McAuliffe and all the other Hillary Clinton supporters, including Clinton herself, didn't help elect Barack Obama president, with no Clinton supporter believing he or she played a bigger role than the die hard Obama fans who took him across the finish line. But a short memory and primary desperation has led Moran to a tacky, stupid campaign mistake that deserve to cost him with Virginians.
You likely know a lot about Terry McAuliffe. For the record, I've met McAuliffe, who's got more energy than any ten people, and who has finally turned from supporting the Clintons to his own campaign. But it's unlikely you know much about Creigh Deeds. So here's a bit about him, someone I do not know, nor have ever met, but who has a solid record in fighting for Virginia.
Senator Deeds has spent the last two decades serving constituents from all walks of life--from his start as Bath County prosecutor to his current position as a State Senator representing the City of Charlottesville and a district that stretches to the West Virginia border. Whether he was working to clean up one of Virginia's largest Superfund sites, fighting for economic development, or writing some of the toughest legislation to keep our families safe and secure, Deeds has built his career as a consensus builder who delivers results.
He wrote Megan's Law, which allows public access to the state sex offender registry, and sponsored the Amber Alert Program to keep our children safe. Using his relationships with law enforcement officers and his experience as a prosecutor, Deeds wrote the state law that has turned the tide against homegrown illegal methamphetamine drug labs.
In addition to his work to cleanup the Kim-Stan landfill Superfund site, Senator Deeds also wrote one of the most progressive laws to preserve open space and protect the environment. For his leadership and advocacy, he received the Leadership in Public Policy Award from The Nature Conservancy and the Preservation Alliance of Virginia named him Delegate of the Year.
Tom Daschle, Obama's presidential campaign co-chairmen, just endorsed McAuliffe yesterday. Of course, that doesn't surprise anyone, because insiders stick together, especially ones in the Democratic elite. However, will.i.am has also endorsed McAuliffe.
Moran's moves to make Hillary Clinton the scapegoat for his inability to catch McAuliffe are despicable. Note to Brian Moran: Mrs. Clinton is now Secretary of State, doing a good job by anyone's objective standard, serving President Obama well, no looking back.
Let's hope Moran's cheap shot doesn't influence Virginia Democratic primary voters. He's proven he doesn't have the class to represent such a great state.
So if you're a Virginia Democrat, vote for Terry McAuliffe or Creigh Deeds. They at least have their eyes on what's important. Brian Moran does not.
Taylor Marsh now reports from D.C. You can also follow her on Twitter.