Edwards in talks with Roanoker who helped (Virginia) Gov. Warner win office

The Roanoke Times (Virginia) ^ | January 3, 2003 | Michael Sluss

[Perseverando]

He's a moderate Democrat who hired a bluegrass band for a fund-raiser, had his name painted on the side of a race car and employed a consultant named Mudcat.

Even before he announced plans to pursue the presidency on Thursday, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards had begun courting rural voters with a strategy very similar to the one used in 2001 by Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. Edwards has even sought out one of the chief architects of Warner's strategy - consultant Dave "Mudcat" Saunders of Roanoke.

Saunders has been the national rural liaison for New American Optimists, a political-action committee Edwards formed last year to raise money for Democratic candidates. He and former Warner campaign manager Steve Jarding are mulling offers to join Edwards' presidential campaign.

"We're still working out the details," Saunders said Thursday.

Saunders and Jarding want to nationalize their Virginia strategy of reaching out to rural, working-class voters who have shied away from Democrats in recent national elections. Warner courted those voters by addressing concerns about jobs and by promising to protect their gun rights. He even sponsored a NASCAR race truck at Saunders' urging.

Edwards is offering a similar message in states with early presidential primaries in 2004. He's even allowed his PAC to sponsor a stock car in Iowa, with Saunders orchestrating the deal.

Saunders said Edwards can execute the strategy because "it comes very natural to him."

"You start with his accent and his boyish charm, and he's very outhern," Saunders said.

[Perseverando]

Let the scam begin!

Virginians were scammed by the 'Rats in our gubernatorial race. Freepers, please let's not let them scam America in 2004!

[NC Conservative]

He's a moderate Democrat

More like moderate socialist. He is an asswipe.

[ScoochDude]

I can't believe Mudcat is getting favorable ink. He is a shrewd businessman who would screw his own Mama for a $$.

He was my landlord at one time. All I remember is his ex girlfriend telling me that he had no "lead in his pencil", because he drank too much. Maybe ruining our country is the only way he can get it up.

[Fracas]

Hey, MUD! Is 'Mudcat' a shirt tail relative? If so, perhaps you could persuade him to get with the program. We don't want some trial lawyer with hair and a drawl getting within a mile of the WH.

[Mudboy Slim]

"Dave "Mudcat" Saunders"

Never heard of this DOLT...he's just a MUDkin-wannabe!!

But anybody who thinks Mark Warner's insincere "how can we fool the country folks" strategy will work at the National level need only to look at how much of a bust Cooter's campaign was to see that Ol' Horseface's win was the ephemeral result of running against a ridiculously-incompetent and pitifully-outspent candidate named Mark Earley.

Mr. Saunders is in fer a rude awakening if he thinks sponsoring a race car will make voters forget that Edwards is a HildaBeast-style Lib'ral!!

FReegards...MUD

[Ligeia]

Thought you might be interested in this thread...it's about one of your favorite people! :^)

[Darnright]

Wallaby darned! When I tried to find this article on the web, I came up empty-handed. Thanks for posting it.

And Mud, you have WAAY more class than this Roanoke Rat imposter (grin).

[GunsareOK]

Early really was lame.

[Mudboy Slim]

Thank you, my FRiend...what's this Saunders dude do fer a living? Bet'cha he's a "political consultant" or a "lawyer" or both...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Early really was lame."

I voted fer the guy, but he made it awful hard fer me to get other folks excited in his candidacy.

Then, when Dubyuh decided not to get involved in his campaign, well, the Right blew it and now we've got the RATS in Power in the Executive Branch while totally dominating the Legislature...SHEEEESH!!

FReegards...MUD

[Ligeia]

Early really was lame.

I think he's perfectly suited for his position as president of Prison Fellowship. We'll get 'em next time with Jerry Kilgore!

[Darnright]

He's a political activist, part-time promoter. I don't think he's ever been a lawyer.

The Roanoke Times did at least one article on him, when Warner was campaigning

[Mudboy Slim]

"We'll get 'em next time with Jerry Kilgore!"

Heck yeah we will...I've got some stuff saved fer RAT candidate Tim Kaine that'll blow his gavitas-less little arse away!! That's gonna be a fun gubernatorial election!!

Pro-Kilgore FReegards...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"The Roanoke Times did at least one article on him..."

Anybody gotta link?!

FReegards...MUD

[Darnright]

"Anybody gotta link?!"

I did some digging, and ya know, ol' Mudcat is quite the comedian. I present the following from Techsideline.com:

http://www.techsideline.com/news/1996/961127news.htm

>>Good stuff, huh? Now here's some that I received from Hokie fans:

Joke #1 (from Carroll Bell): This joke came instantaneously off the top of Hokie grad Dave "Mudcat" Saunders' head about 15 years ago.

Dave and I took a bus trip to the Tech UVA game in Charlottesville to watch the Hokies womp the Whooos, and as is usual, we had to endure all the trash talking.

Finally when Mudcat could take it no longer, he tapped one of the Wahoos on the shoulder and said, "I tell you boys one thing... one of our graduates, Chris Craft, put a man on the moon, and one of your graduates, Ted Kennedy, couldn't even get a whore across a bridge!"

Needless to say the Whooos were left speechless and beaten that day! Go Hokies!<<

Here are some other links:

http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/election2001/story29.html

>>"That's the reason I'm with Mark Warner," said Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, a Roanoke developer who serves as an informal adviser to the campaign. Saunders wrote the campaign's now-famous bluegrass song and has become a sort of hillbilly guru to the Harvard Law School graduate.

"When you're called a bunch of rednecks and hillbillies, the nicest thing anybody says about you is you're a liability," Saunders said. "Then somebody comes along and calls you an untapped resource. That'll get you kissed on the lips in some places."<<

http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/iowa0802/edw0802k.html

>>August 17, 2002--New American Optimists' director Steve Jarding and Optimists' rural liason Dave "Mudcat" Saunders greet Iowa Democratic Party vice chair Rob Tully (center) at the Fink Farm. Jarding signed on as director of the Optimists in January 2002, after having managed John Warner's successful gubernatorial campaign in Virginia in 2001. Saunders served on Warner's campaign as well. Saunders said that generally, "Democrats [in] the last several election cycles tend to not want to campaign in rural America." <<

[Mudboy Slim]

Perfect...Mudcat's a HokieBooster and I LOVE WHUPPIN' HOKIE's ARSES!!! 'Specially LeftWingers...LOL!!

I've got a new target fer my antipathies...WAHOO WAH!!

Thank you kindly, my FRiend...MUD

[sultan88]

This Mudcat dude is probably responsible for that famous campaign brouchure of Mark "Horseface" Warner wearing the camouflage fatigues and leaning on "his" rifle. It looked to me that in the photo, Warner had never held a gun before, but it fooled enough "good-ole boy" Virginians, who had previously voted for Ollie North, to vote for the "pro-gun" Warner.

[Darnright]

"This Mudcat dude is probably responsible for that famous campaign brouchure of Mark "Horseface" Warner wearing the camouflage fatigues and leaning on "his" rifle. It looked to me that in the photo, Warner had never held a gun before,"

He is. I have no idea where to find the quote (somewhere in the archives of the Roanoke Times), but I recall a story about Mudcat taking the city feller on his first duck hunt. Warner asked Saunders the most important thing to remember about the sport. Mudcat's unforgettable reply:

"Don't shoot Mudcat."

[sultan88]

Mudcat's unforgettable reply: "Don't shoot Mudcat."

BWAHAHA. And, depending on where the punctuation is, could be taken two ways!!