That’s the message that Creigh Deeds and Brian Moran are sending about Terry McAuliffe’s ideas in a Democratic primary contest that is becoming increasingly personal.
McAuliffe has portrayed himself as an outsider who wants to bring “big ideas” to Virginia and shake up the political system.
Change the Dillon rule. Develop a more aggressive strategy and incentive structure for pursuing major business relocations. Make Virginia into a leader for renewable energy. More jobs will be produced in Virginia than anywhere else.
It’s an idea a day. And McAuliffe’s the hopemonger-in-chief.
But Deeds and Moran are saying not so fast.
McAuliffe’s overcommitted. He’s making promises on which he can’t deliver. Don’t get taken in by all this talk about hope and new ideas.
Do you really believe that he’ll be able to come through.
What are we to make of all this?
It’s certainly fair for candidates in a campaign to ask an opponent how he’ll fund, develop legislative support for, or otherwise implement the campaign promises that are being proposed.
But there does seem to be a bit of an irony here.
Nationally, the Democratic Party has fared very well because it is the party of hope and not the party of no.
Wasn’t Bill Clinton the boy from Hope (Arkansas, that is)?
And wasn’t Hope Obama’s real middle name?
In a tough campaign, I expect that that candidates will use every weapon in their arsenal and it is no secret that both Moran and Deeds think that McAuliffe had no business becoming a statewide candidate in Virginia.
But, as a party, I think the Democrats have to ensure that in trying to defeat McAuliffe, they don’t also run down the major rhetorical advantage they’ve had over the GOP in the last few years.
The Democrats have to be careful that, whatevever the outcome of the primary, they don’t turn Virginia into the kind of place where hope goes to die.
Dr. Holsworth,
Truer words have not been spoken [except in the Good Book, of course]. The problem with attacking overextension of policy ideas is that it curtails the opinion of constituents of how much effort is expected from our Head of Commonwealth. Furthermore, sans a look into viability of implementation of such policies, Deeds and Moran simply open a can of worms without setting reasonable limitations of what can be expected from a Virginia Governor in terms of policy successes. Sure, McAuliffe isn’t going to tell them that any of their Democratic planks aren’t feasible but the aftermath of Deeds’ and Moran’s attacks is that they appear as negative, thus detached from the Democratic program and spirit, something that will NOT win an election. McAuliffe has the right tone and certainly has the means; offering solutions to today’s problems to constituents is many more times effective than telling constituents what a partisan opponent will not do.
Rob Smith, III
Richmond City Chair
Metro Richmond Area Young Democrats
McAuliffe is totally full of crap and while some are blinded by the easy out of state money and Eddie Haskell, flim flam hype, most primary voters are not and will not vote for a con artist like McAuliffe.
Oh but Brian Moran isn’t full of crap? He lies about his record, attacks others for the same thing he’s done, and hasn’t answered a single question as to HOW he’s going to accomplish anything.