TPMDC
McDonnell Giving SOTU Rebuttal In Front Of Audience
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell
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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has learned a lesson from awkward State of the Union responses in years past, and tonight will offer his rebuttal to President Obama's speech in front of 300 people in the House of Delegates chamber.
McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin told TPMDC that the newly inaugurated governor will speak surrounded by family, supporters, government officials and lawmakers who will be seated on chairs on the risers behind him.
That image - and likely applause - will be a stark contrast to Gov. Bobby Jindal's response to the Obama speech (not officially a State of the Union since he'd just taken office) last year and to the two other Virginians tasked with the response during George W. Bush's presidency.
The McDonnell speech will be live and will start a few minutes after Obama's speech to the joint session of Congress concludes, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Jindal (R-LA) was widely mocked following his response, and both then-Gov. Tim Kaine (D) and Sen. Jim Webb (D) were criticized for their style of delivery. All of the responses have been direct to the camera, featuring the politician in their office or official residence.
The Times-Dispatch said the $30,000 cost for the McDonnell staging will be paid by the Republican Governor's Association; McDonnell's political action committee, Opportunity Virginia; and the Leadership PAC of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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mike from Arlington
January 27, 2010 8:34 AM
Can anyone get in there and yell you lie over and over?
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IndyLinda
January 27, 2010 2:41 PM in reply to mike from Arlington
My first thought exactly . . . you beat me to the punch.
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Maritza
January 27, 2010 8:41 AM
Is he a good speaker? He doesn't appear to be that great of one.
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felix
January 27, 2010 8:43 AM
A great speaker, no, but he is fairly telegenic. I imagine he'll do quite well.
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ilovebacon
January 27, 2010 11:52 AM in reply to felix
not telegenic. he's ugly as hell.
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wbgonne
January 27, 2010 9:12 AM
O/T. But very important. I just got off the phone with Sen Kerry's office. I asked if the Senator favored using reconciliation to fix the health care bill. She said the senator preferred other approaches. I asked what they were. She said Kerry wants to reach across the aisle for a bi-partisan compromise. I was stunned. She reminded me that a Republican just won the MA senate seat and Kerry interprets that to mean that the country wants bi-partisanship. I told her Kerry was both spineless and stupid. It was downhill from there. So now we see where the problem is. Anybody from MA want to give Kerry a call, his number is 202-224-2742.
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Lalo35adm
January 27, 2010 9:17 AM in reply to wbgonne
"I told her Kerry was both spineless and stupid. It was downhill from there."
- LOL. What did you expect, "thank you for the compliment?"
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wbgonne
January 27, 2010 9:24 AM in reply to Lalo35adm
Yeah, well, you're kind of missing the point aren't you? I said that AFTER Kerry demonstrated that he WAS both spineless and stupid. If the truth hurts, tough shit.
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Lalo35adm
January 27, 2010 9:41 AM in reply to wbgonne
Well, at least you can proudly say you made important progress in converting Kerry to your cause.
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wbgonne
January 27, 2010 9:45 AM in reply to Lalo35adm
Well, maybe if YOU call and act real nice Kerry will go for reconciliation. Give it a shot.
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Lalo35adm
January 27, 2010 9:49 AM in reply to wbgonne
Nah, I'd rather they fix the economy first, then start HCR from stratch, thank you very much.
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Tintin
January 27, 2010 1:22 PM in reply to Lalo35adm
Woebegonne's first foray into electoral politics and he, not surprisingly, comes up dry.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
January 27, 2010 9:29 AM in reply to wbgonne
Why do I suspect they're getting a lot of calls from Tea Partiers and not so many from PTDB people?
Looks like I'm going to have to give Hagan a call after all, because if Kerry's getting it, she surely is.
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wbgonne
January 27, 2010 9:33 AM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
Steve: To be honest I am stunned. But this demonstrates once again why Kerry couldn't beat Bush. No leadership. Kerry thinks he's a senator in ancient Rome, not 2010 America. Emperor Imperious. What an a-hole. P.S., If you DO call his office, try to be nicer than I am.
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ondioline
January 27, 2010 10:04 AM in reply to wbgonne
Ummm... Not to secondguess you, but rather than namecalling, might it have been more effective to point out that "the country" didn't vote in the MA-SEN election?
The election wasn't a nationwide referendum. It wasn't a Presidential election. It was an election for one Senate seat in one state. That fluffy little bit of rhetorical nonsense about how we have to change course because "the nation" spoke out loud and clear is a media narrative with no basis in reality... It benefits the GOP to push that line. I don't understand why Dems have picked it up.
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mardam
January 27, 2010 10:59 AM in reply to ondioline
Because they are spineless and stupid?
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ondioline
January 27, 2010 5:24 PM in reply to mardam
So are you not a Democrat? Or are you not spineless and stupid?
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jim43
January 27, 2010 11:07 AM
So the GOP goes from talking in an empty mansion to trying to replicate the United States Capitol for their own political purposes? In the old capital of the Confederacy, no less? Yikes...
http://www.political-buzz.com/
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ilovebacon
January 27, 2010 12:03 PM
he looks like a cartoon caricature of slimy, fake politician.
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Viva!America!
January 27, 2010 12:27 PM
It wasn't a lack of an audience that sank Jindal. It was a lame speech filled with lame ideas. So this time a lame speech with lame ideas will be cheered by a pre-selected audience. Great example of lipstick on a pig.
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Bass Ace
January 27, 2010 1:05 PM
What I want to know is whether his hero and mentor Pat Robertson will be in the audience, on camera.
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Powkat
January 27, 2010 2:20 PM
Will there be democrats in the audience who can cross their arms, refuse to rise and glare at him? I'm sure we can get some volunteers.
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Southern Man
January 27, 2010 5:31 PM
As a Virginian, I can say that McDonnell's both a telegenic and moderately decent speaker. It's a smart tactic to do it in front of an audience; it allows for a real-time affirmation of the GOP message and gives McDonnell the opportunity to deliver his lines with something of an oratorical approach.
What gets me is, why have three of the four or five latest SOTU respondents been Virginian? Webb, Kaine, and now, on the other side, McDonnell. Looks like both parties see Virginia as something of a representative battleground; it's got affluent, cosmopolitan, (sub)urban Northern Virginia, moderate rural Southside, heady Charlottesville, and the mix of strongly liberal and conservative twin cities Newport News and Hampton Roads. If any state could represent the nation, it'd be the Old Dominion.
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