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The First Election of the Obama Backlash
Townhall.com ^ | August 28, 2009 | Michael Gerson

Posted on 08/28/2009 4:30:56 AM PDT by Kaslin

The late-night hotel desk clerk in Salem, Va., -- after my long drive from Washington down the Shenandoah Valley -- wanted to talk political philosophy. He intended to support Republican Bob McDonnell for governor in November on Madisonian grounds. "I vote both parties, but I don't want anyone having all the control." Obama, in his view, needed to be checked and balanced.

This is the durable tendency of Virginia politics. Since 1977, the political party that has won the presidency has, in every case, lost the Virginia governorship in the next election. This pattern of cussedness is holding, at least for the moment. McDonnell, Virginia's former attorney general, is currently well ahead of his Democratic opponent, Creigh Deeds -- in one poll leading by 15 percent among likely voters.

McDonnell, riding in a well-worn, 30-foot blue RV from dairy farm to winery to college campus, recounts to me how the political environment has changed from a year ago. "The business community," he says, "was the first to recoil" from policies such as card check and cap-and-trade. "But health care now dwarfs previous concerns -- handing over the best medical system in the world to the federal government. It affects everyone." Conservatives, he contends, are more activated than at any time since 1993. A young McDonnell campaign worker told me: "We have the enthusiasm Obama's people had last time."

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: gerson; mcdonnell; va2009
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To: wagglebee
This is the strangest election in Virginia I’ve ever seen. I see signs for Bob McDonnell everywhere, but I have not seen a SINGLE Deeds sign.

I haven't seen a single sign for either one of them. Granted I'm pretty isolated here on the Eastern Shore, but I'm not even seeing any signs for the local House race either.

The American Manufacturing Association is running a pretty powerful ad against Deeds on WAVY10 using a play on his last name about judging him by his DEEDS, not his words.

61 posted on 08/28/2009 8:28:00 AM PDT by Gabz
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To: wagglebee
Not if the GOP keeps control of the state.

The GOP does not have control of the state now. We have a Dem governor (the second in a row), two Dem senators, and the Dems control the state senate.

62 posted on 08/28/2009 8:34:02 AM PDT by kabar
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To: kabar
What are you smoking? Blacks have more abortions than anyone else.

But they don't VOTE for it. The 'Rats who have been successful in Virginia (Robb, Baliles, Wilder, Warner, Webb) have always downplayed their abortion support.

Deeds isn't considered a Beltway liberal.

I was talking about McAuliffe and Deeds will be when he starts dragging other Beltway liberals around.

63 posted on 08/28/2009 8:35:14 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: Gabz

I see signs all over for McDonnell and I saw that ad the other day, I was impressed.


64 posted on 08/28/2009 8:36:24 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: kabar

I meant to say regains control of the state government.


65 posted on 08/28/2009 8:37:10 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: wagglebee
I forgot to menetion that the Dems now outnumber the Reps in Congress 6 to 5.

But they don't VOTE for it. The 'Rats who have been successful in Virginia (Robb, Baliles, Wilder, Warner, Webb) have always downplayed their abortion support.

No, they just vote for anyone who has a D after his name. Blacks vote in lockstep for the Dems. The only variable is turnout.

66 posted on 08/28/2009 8:41:56 AM PDT by kabar
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To: wagglebee
And just wait until Deeds talks about what a big abortion supporter he is, that will cause him to start losing the black vote.

I've heard quite a few evangelical blacks say that abortion is a woman's choice.

67 posted on 08/28/2009 8:42:29 AM PDT by nina0113
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To: wagglebee

As I said, I’m pretty isolated here on ESVA, but my “local” news is from Hampton Roads. Except for the fact that Lynn Lewis lives in Accomack County, I don’t think any other state office holder or candidate even remembers we actually are part of the Commonwealth.


68 posted on 08/28/2009 8:43:50 AM PDT by Gabz
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To: nina0113
I've heard quite a few evangelical blacks say that abortion is a woman's choice.

They don't support it as much as people think.

69 posted on 08/28/2009 8:45:11 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: Gabz

The people I know on the Eastern Shore would like to keep it that way.


70 posted on 08/28/2009 8:46:29 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: Gabz
Hello Gabz, I visited your neck of the woods ESVA a couple of years ago and was thoroughly impressed. Did you read this article in City Journal about the history of your area titled, ‘Conservative Revolutionaries, How the Lees of Stratford Hall made and unmade an empire’? I remember visiting the site of the Lee home on the Chesapeake River...the history of the ESVA is fascinating!
http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_3_urb-conservative-revolutionaries.html?
71 posted on 08/28/2009 9:11:22 AM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: Gabz
Hello Gabz, I visited your neck of the woods ESVA a couple of years ago and was thoroughly impressed. Did you read this article in City Journal about the history of your area titled, ‘Conservative Revolutionaries, How the Lees of Stratford Hall made and unmade an empire’? I remember visiting the site of the Lee home on the Chesapeake River...the history of the ESVA is fascinating!
http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_3_urb-conservative-revolutionaries.html?
72 posted on 08/28/2009 9:11:47 AM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: MayflowerMadam

“... at the polling places there will be thugs with clubs, activists as precinct workers, and manipulation of the voting machines. We will never win another election.”

Become an expert at bringing your arms up to shield your face and dropping to the ground with a cry of fear.

Oh, and have somebody with you with a camera. Cellphone cameras work nicely.

I don’t believe in fair fights when the opposition is boxing.

I bite.


73 posted on 08/28/2009 9:30:44 AM PDT by OpusatFR (Those embryos are little humans in progress. Using them for profit is slavery.)
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To: wagglebee

Ain’t that the truth!!!!


74 posted on 08/28/2009 9:43:20 AM PDT by Gabz
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To: Gabz

Another example is the win of Marilinda Garcia, in a special election for the NH state house, and perhaps also Jeb Bradley for NH state senate.


75 posted on 08/28/2009 10:33:25 AM PDT by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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