TPMDC
Deeds On White House Displeasure: 'I Don't Know What It's All About'
Va-Gov Candidate Creigh Deeds (D), President Barack Obama
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Creigh Deeds said this afternoon he was confused and surprised by news that the White House feels he's dug his own grave in the race to become the next governor of Virginia.
This morning, the Washington Post published a story recounting displeasure on the part of White House officials over the way Deeds has campaigned against GOP nominee Bob McDonnell. Current polls show Deeds down by double digits in the contest, and unnamed White House officials told the Post Deeds had only himself to blame for the situation. The officials claimed Deeds had ignored calls from from White House and other Democratic officials that he focus more his attention on being proactive about the issues driving the election and less on McDonnell's 1989 master's thesis claiming that working women are "detrimental" to the traditional family.
On a press call this afternoon, Deeds said he hadn't read the story but seemed knowledgeable about its central themes.
"I understand the article says we didn't follow their advice," he said under questioning from TPMDC. "But I don't know what that's about. I honestly don't."
Deeds said he had a good relationship with the White House and pointed to next week's joint appearance with President Obama as evidence the White House stands behind him, despite what the article says.
"We talk to them on just about a daily basis," he said. "There's been no disagreement between us."
"Of which I'm aware," Deeds quickly added. "Now whoever is doing the talking, maybe he or she knows something I don't know."
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AJM
October 23, 2009 5:08 PM
Tell me this report isn't from the genius who leaked the Patterson debacle!
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mcc
October 23, 2009 5:13 PM
I think "fires back" is an inaccurate way of describing the quotes you offer here.
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Walter Mitty
October 23, 2009 5:18 PM
Deeds ran a shit campaign. Obama should cancel the rally with Deeds and instead rally with the down ticket Democrats in Va. Deeds is a lost cause and a crummy candidate. It's a case of Moran and McAuliffe nuking each other...
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gavin
October 23, 2009 5:54 PM
well there's a campaign theme for you: i find myself constantly surprised by what democrats want.
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jsfox
October 23, 2009 6:52 PM in reply to gavin
ROFLMAO!!
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bamboo
October 23, 2009 7:52 PM
If the WH ginned up the story about differences with Deeds, it was a tactical mistake. It's one more example of Obama's advisers not knowing how to deploy their considerable power and influence in domestic politics. Maybe their first priority was to insulate themselves against a likely defeat, but it was shortsighted. I don't take Deeds denial is very credible, unless he's more oblivious than he appears.
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mcc
October 23, 2009 8:28 PM
So here's an interesting bit where Creigh Deeds is apparently running ads in Virginia against cap and trade.
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El Puerco
October 23, 2009 9:17 PM
Obama should dump him. He should also dump Olympia Snowe.
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Middleclassvotingbloc
October 23, 2009 9:25 PM
Deeds fell in his own grave when he stated in his last debate that he, if governor, might opt out of health care reform (Public Option). I was very disappointed in his answer to the health care question. He does not trust his own polls about the desire for health care reform.
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BeeClone
October 24, 2009 2:30 PM in reply to Middleclassvotingbloc
The Dems seem to be slow to understand the public option is a winner.
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Middleclassvotingbloc
October 23, 2009 9:28 PM
For the sake of the voters in that state, I hope they don't vote for the Republican, he is as about as right wing as they come. A Pat Robinson study.
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slb
October 26, 2009 2:44 AM in reply to Middleclassvotingbloc
I think it would take a miracle for Deeds to pull it out at this point. And I would agree with the analysis of the unnamed WH officials: He hasn't been proactive enough about key issues -- most of his campaign has been knocking McDonnell, and while that was effective in the beginning, McDonnell came back with some good counter ads, and besides, people get tired of hearing the same theme over and over again and they start turning you off.
I heard part of a debate between the AG candidates this afternoon, and that was some of the same thing: the Democratic candidate, Steve Shannon, kept bringing every single question back to his crusade against child pornography and the 19,000+ computers in the state he claims are known to be actively dealing in child pornography. After a while, you just want to say, "Give it a rest and move on to some other issue!" But Shannon doesn't seem to have too much in the way of other issues; the rest of his campaign seems to be (1) he has prosecutorial experience and the other guy does not; and (2) he has the endorsement of more police organizations than the other guy.
As far as McDonnell and the others being extreme right wing: that may well be the case, but it's not the way they have come across in the course of the campaign. Of course, Bush didn't come across as a gung-ho neocon in 2000, either.
I'll vote for the Democrats because they're still better than the Republican candidates, but I can't say that I'm all that enthusiastic about anyone who is on the ticket.
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Smitty McGhee
October 23, 2009 11:22 PM
I don't know if emphasizing McDonnell's thesis was a bad idea, and Deeds is a really good guy, but the problem is that Deed is completely uncharismatic and rather mealy-mouthed(sorry, Creigh). He doesn't project authority. I've met Bob McDonnell several times, and well I can't stand him the fact remains that he looks more like a governor: self-assured, handsome, in-charge. Creigh's just hard to like. We VA democrats really screwed up when we picked Deeds over McAuliffe, who, though he came off cocky and is a total carpetbagger (not to say NOVA isn't "Real VA" or "Real America"), at least had the presence to be a credible gubernatorial candidate.
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roxsteady
October 24, 2009 12:03 AM
Here's what the whitehouse knows Mr. Deeds. You have in fact, spent most of your time trashing your McDonnell but, you haven't clearly laid out what your platform and ideas are. Like that fat pig Christie, you've spent all your time talking about what you're against but, not enough time laying out what you're for and are going to do.
It's not working for Christie who is now falling in the polls and it's clearly not going to work for you and, you did in fact put the final nail in your coffin when you said you'd opt out of the public option. Are you serious? Even if you didn't want the public option, the people of Virginia do so, it's a no brainer.
I'm a Dem but, I'd vote againsty your stupid ass too after what you said. The best part of all of this is that you've given the whitehouse and the Dems a good excuse to use when you lose. You publicly stated that you're against the public option while the voters of the party you claim to be a part of are strongly in favor of it.
The GOP can't claim your loss which seems inevitable, was a result of voters being turned off by Obama and the Dems. You've given the whitehouse and the Dems an obvious reason to claim that it was you who blew it. I'm actually not going to be sad if you lose because I'm sure that it will be because of your lack of support for this popular legislation. I don't care if you get your ass kicked; in fact, I'm hoping that you get crushed! It will serve as a warning to the douchebag blue dogs that they are next!
Even is we get a strong PO, I hope that Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landreaua and all the blue dogs get their asses kicked out of office!
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Dessalines
October 25, 2009 2:21 PM in reply to roxsteady
Amen. The one saving grace is that McDonnell being a Pat Robertson wing nut will once and for all divorce moderate VA voters of the notion that Evangelical Rethuglicans are anything but english speaking Taliban. Like Corporatist Evangelicals always do, McDonnell will run the states budget into a ditch, cause an increase in teenage pregnancy with more abstinence only programs, and put some crazed maniac over education.
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PMcP
October 24, 2009 10:10 AM
I said it before, and I'll say it again: I know Creigh Deeds, he was my family's lawyer. He's from a small town in the mountains without any stop lights called Warms Springs. He's an honest, hardworking man with a family who is motivated by all of the things that should motivate one to seek office: improving the state and getting people back to work. He is not a slick, Washington politician like McDonnell and McAuliffe (the latter of whom would never, ever be elected in Virginia). McDonnell is very right wing, and if you Democrats out there are so annoyed with Deeds that you don't vote, well, then you're going to be sorry. This race is about a honest guy who is not slick and well-packaged versus a lying idealogue who will play the culture wars to the hilt. The stakes are high, so get out and VOTE.
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Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle
October 24, 2009 2:16 PM in reply to PMcP
Why should Democrats vote for Deeds? He's given them no reason to? Why should VA Democrats vote for Deeds after his stupid statement about the PO during the debate? I don't care if he's hard working and all that. If he wants to be so stupid as to repeat Republican talking points, then he deserves the butt kicking he's likely to get.
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dswx
October 24, 2009 4:16 PM in reply to Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle
Wrong. Do you even care about social issues? McD is an extremist. He is anti-government and anti-science and will destroy the overall progress made under Warner and Kaine. He will set VA back many, many years. In a recent debate in Roanoke, he said he wants to emulate George "Macacca" Allen, for pete's sake. VA has been one of the best-managed states in the country under Democratic governors. And you want to ruin that? Then go join the Republican party. I was very disappointed by Deeds comments re: public option but that is not the only issue at stake here. And the stakes are huge here on many fronts.
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slb
October 26, 2009 2:56 AM in reply to Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle
dswx is absolutely right: the reason Democrats should vote for Deeds is because there is far more at stake here than the public option, and the Republican alternative would be far worse.
I also agree with PMcP. I don't know Deeds personally, but my impression is that he is a decent, hard-working man, and he has done some good work in the legislature. I think he would be a good governor, it's just that he's a lousy candidate, and unfortunately, the election tends to go to the best candidate and not necessarily to the person who would best fill the office. McDonnell is slick -- he reminds me a lot of Mitt Romney.
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PMcP
October 26, 2009 10:54 AM in reply to slb
What I was trying to say, really, is that this is not "Dancing with the Stars," where we vote on the best performance. This is real. It's about ideas + trustworthiness. Deeds' plans for high speed rail in Virginia alone would revolutionize the transportation system. Just think about it: high speed rail from Richmond to D.C., more cargo on the rail system and off the highways. Deed's ideas are better, and he is authentic. We've got to turn this around in the home stretch and get Deeds in the governor's mansion.
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Leftflank
October 24, 2009 10:55 PM in reply to PMcP
I don't know about the first part of your post but the last part applies to both candidate & voter, forever.
Thanks for the reminder.
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