Va. race: I'm a little pissed off at the lack of support that obama

[liberalitch]

has shown for Creigh Deeds,... we're going to end up with McDonnell because the people who helped turn this state BLUE last November will not show up and keep it blue this November. Then they'll whine about his policies when it will be their fault.

[Jennicut]

1. Actually, I read that Deeds asked Obama not to be to involved.

I think Deeds wanted to try to appear as a conservadem and that has not worked.

[liberalitch]

6. That's not what the Va. Pilot said...

He wants his help.
Without it he will not get the black vote

[WI_DEM]

10. Why would a democrat not get the black vote? Even before Obama dems were getting

80-90 percent of the black vote. If that's the case it's not Obama's fault it's the fault of the candidate.

[liberalitch]

13. For some reason in this state the history is,....

... that Africans Americans vote regularly in the General election but let state elections slide.
I don't know why when power really is local.

[Captain Hilts]

21. I think, in Norfolk/Va. Beach it's a holdover from both city councils being elected 'at large', this

disenfranchising two VERY important constituencies: blacks and the military community.

[Captain Hilts]

20. Blacks and younger voters are notorious for not turning up to vote. THAT's the problem. nt

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Of course it isn't working.

He's not from NoVA, and he's not been successful in getting that part of the state on his side because of that and the "conservadem" tag, which should be the stronghold of any Democrat running in the state. Like I said below, he's been absolutely atrocious as a candidate.

[Mike Daniels]

39. Actually, I believe most of Northern Virginia leans Republican

Alexandria and Alexandria are the only consistent Democratic strongholds.

Once you get up in horse country to the west of those two areas you've entered Republican area Northern Virginia.

Jim Webb and Obama showed that a Dem can win in those areas but in the case of a weak candidate like Deeds they're likely to go back to the R column.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

41. Alexandria and Arlington are bigger than the rest of the parts you speak of.

Simply put - like you said, Deeds is a weak candidate.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Didn't Obama make a Richmond appearance in late spring?

i could be off....

[liberalitch]

9. Nothing since then,.... This is too important.

[Captain Hilts]

22. And Doug Wilder refused to endorse Deeds. nt

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. Deeds has to get himself together first.

He's been an awful candidate so far. At this point, I don't see how Obama would help.

[WI_DEM]

4. Reports are that Obama was asked not to get involved, so blame the state party.

[Captain Hilts]

23. I haven't heard that at all. To get younger voters and black voters to turn out he would be a plus.

[imdjh]

5. Why didn't Wilder endorse Deeds?

[liberalitch]

11. Doug Wilder has broken a lot of ground....

1st Black Governor, the grandson of a former slave and became the mayor of Richmond, Va. (The capital of the Confederacy)

BUT,.... he is looking out ONLY for himself,... as he has always done.

[Captain Hilts]

25. Voting for Wilder was fun, but he's always had a 'plays well with others' problem. nt

[FSogol]

27. Agreed. Wilder lends little political help to anyone and when he does, it

is too last minute to help. Deeds needs a big endorsement from the Washington Post.

[VMI Dem]

8. Deeds is horrible.

I'll vote for him, but he is going to lose.

[vadawg]

16. and i think he will lose horribly, hes lost me with his crappy ads

[OHdem10]

12. Are you all saying you would rather lose Va?????

[liberalitch]

15. NO,.....

That's my point anyways. Wait til there's no tier 3 unemployment,.... Va. will NEVER go RED again.

[WI_DEM]

14. Here is what Deed's has said about Obama....

Deeds himself cited Obama's efforts to combat the economic crisis and the tense showdown over health care reform as directly affecting his chances on November 3.

"Frankly, a lot of what's going on in Washington has made it very tough," he told a "Battleground Virginia" election forum earlier this month.

(Doesn't sound like he wants Obama's help that much)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h3yuUQ6qessPbq6GN7KAeo35rgDA

[Captain Hilts]

24. Just as likely he's rationalizing not getting it. Hard to say. Perhaps polling

shows Deeds is a sure loser. No reason to go down with that ship. That might be why.

[redqueen]

17. After reading this thread, I'd be rattling the state party's cage about this.

GOTV efforts sound like the best bet.

[AspenRose]

18. We're going to end up with McDonnell because of Deeds

Not because of Obama.

Deeds has not clearly laid out his plans. No one I know (republican or democrat) knows where he stands on anything.

And the negative ads don't help either. Negative ads only work as a strategy when you also explain fully how you are different from your opponent, and what you plan to do differently in office.

I really wish Moran could have pulled it out in the primary. Won't forgive Terry McAuliffe for that.

[VMI Dem]

19. +1.

[Captain Hilts]

26. If voters were more thoughtful and rational, I'd believe this explanation, but they are not. It's

about turnout. And the younger voters and black voters that turned VA blue in '08 are, so far, sitting on their hands.

[AspenRose]

33. You've got to give those voters on their hands a reason to get out and vote

Deeds has not been motivational in the least. He hasn't spoken directly to those voters sitting on their hands. Except for pushing awful ads to supposedly ratchet up disgust of the GOP, which democrats already have in spades. "Vote for me because he's awful" is not a motivational strategy.

Deeds hasn't had much of a presence where I live, either. I see many more McDonnell posters, signs, etc. McDonnell is from NoVA, so this is his home turf. There should have been a media blitz here beyond the negative ads.

[vadawg]

34. bingo, i dont know what the dude is about, everything has been negative

and im not taking a day off to vote for him, hes just ran an awful campaign...

[Captain Hilts]

35. Yes, I agree with that, and Obama might have been the reason to do so. nt

[Mike Daniels]

37. McDonnell's ties to Northern Virginia are going to keep that area from being a contest

Alexandria and Arlington may stay in the "D" column but the western counties which I think went "D" in 2006 and 2008 ( which helped Webb and Obama win their contests ) will revert back to their normal "R" status.

[berni_mccoy]

28. Whiniest Thread of the Day. The Election is a YEAR AWAY. It's Obama's Fault? Try Putting the Blame

where it belongs: On Deeds and his campaign.

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. It's 20 days away

[vadawg]

30. rofl, erm i think you may want to rethink that, and replan if you are a VA voter..

[AllentownJake]

31. Cold reality of Politics

President doesn't put himself out there for someone he thinks will lose. See the Georgia run off last year.

[Mike Daniels]

32. Deeds has run a pathetic campaign

Every advert on the TV for Deeds is an attack ad focusing on a thesis from 20+ years ago as opposed to reasons why someone should vote "for" Deeds.

People rejected using the strategy of using past writings and associations when McCain tried it last year on Obama and unless they're given a reason to vote for Deeds beyond "I'm not the other guy" they'll reject the strategy this time around as well.

[Captain Hilts]

36. And George W. Bush ran a good one, should we have voted for him?

I'm sorry, the thesis and the tie to CBN University says a lot about him.

Easy for a man to think it isn't important. It is to me.

[Mike Daniels]

40. I hear you however the women's vote is pretty even (maybe a three point differential)

and the thesis has been out there for at least a month now.

I'd say that means that Deed's reliance on the thesis as the centerpiece of his campaign is being rejected across the board.

[Mike Daniels]

38. The only way McDonnell loses this is if Palin just shows up on her own initiative

and starts her "us vs. them" rhetoric.

Since McDonnell has already said "thanks but no thanks" to the Palin camp I can't imagine that Palin would come uninvited though.