Sometimes, I don’t mind being wrong 
In an editorial for the Sunday paper, The Virginian-Pilot endorsed Democrat Creigh Deeds for governor. And, as I suspected, the issue in the forefront of the board’s mind was transportation.
He offers a political strategy rather than a substantive plan for solving the state’s most overwhelming challenge. While that strategy does not provide transportation advocates the leadership they crave, the Democrat at least allows them a fighting chance to press forward. In contrast, Bob McDonnell’s plan is a chain-link fence of stall tactics designed to distract voters into believing that progress is being made while not providing the money to actually make it. Under a Gov. McDonnell, transportation advocates would waste four years clawing their way over, under and around barriers erected by the state’s top elected official.
The paper takes McDonnell to task on other issues as well, saying:
McDonnell may be a more persuasive leader, but he is asking Virginia to follow him down a dead-end road. If he is governor, he will spend four years churning out spreadsheets with fantasy forecasts and writing stern letters to the president, Congress, state legislators and city councils demanding that they do something to save him from his own inertia.
The “nobody from nowhere,” a characterization of him that Deeds often reminds us that the Pilot said back in 2005, just snatched one away from “Virginia Beach’s own.”
And that means both of McDonnell’s “hometown” papers endorsed Deeds.
UPDATE: I see the Roanoke Times has also endorsed Deeds. McDonnell didn’t even bother to be interviewed by that editorial board, a sure way to lose an endorsement.
UPDATE #2: Just a reminder to all the McDonnell folks out there: the Pilot endorsed McDonnell over Deeds in 2005.
UPDATE: I see the Roanoke Times has also endorsed Deeds. McDonnell didn’t even bother to be interviewed by that editorial board, a sure way to lose an endorsement.
^ That’s what happened with the VEA and that was the potential deja vu I mentioned for Call. I could be wrong though.
Posted by Max Shapiro | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10:16 amDid Howell not show up for the editorial board meeting?
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 4:54 pmCreig(whats in your wallet)Deeds has run his campaign looking backwards while from day one Bob McDonnell has put jobs his number one focus. We have lost way to many jobs to be looking backwards. Deeds supports Cap and Trade a 56,000 job killing policy in Va alone. Deeds admits to having spent the most tax money of any senator in Richmond. This reminds me of when Obama was saying how if we didn’t spend almost a trillion dollars of borrowed money unemployment would go over 8% now it is at 9.8% that plan didn’t work very well did it ? Under Tim Kaine Va has the highest budget shortfall in its history. Sheila Johnson Va’s first black female billionaire,BET founder, and a life long Democrat endorsed Bob McDonnell because in her words he was better for job creation in Va. Va needs a jobs governor thats why on Nov. 3rd I will cast my vote for Bob McDonnell the next governor of Va.
Posted by dave | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 11:49 amDon’t believe everything you read. Deeds doesn’t support cap-and-trade, but even if he did, what would that support mean? After all, he doesn’t get to vote on it.
And Bob had 14 years in the legislature to introduce jobs bills. He didn’t. So you just trust him now?
You are, of course, free to vote for whomever you wish, but bogus arguments don’t cut it around here.
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 4:57 pmIf Bob McDonnell had a big D beside his name would you support him ? What did i say that was bogus ?
Posted by dave | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 8:48 pmWhat did you say that was bogus? How about your claim that Deeds supports cap-and trade? That’s bogus.
And if McDonnell were a D and held the positions he holds, no,I wouldn’t support him.
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 9:46 pmUnless I’m mistaken, Deeds supports Cap and Trade in theory. His exacts words were something along the line of, “I don’t support the bill as written.” Just another in a long list of things that Deeds has failed to make a solid stance on. I’ll figure it out is not acceptable to the majority of Virginia and this is why Deeds is getting beat right now.
Posted by Max Shapiro | Monday, October 26, 2009, 6:19 amMax, he doesn’t support Cap & Trade. It is one title (7, to be exact) of the entire ACES bill. So, it doesn’t show that he failed to make a solid stance. It shows that he is knowledgeable about the piece of legislation.
Posted by tx2vadem | Monday, October 26, 2009, 1:21 pmI fail to see how not supporting a bill as written is indicative of a solid, knowledgeable stance on a bill. It begs the question whether he agrees with the idea in theory and not in its current implementation or whether he agrees with neither.
Posted by Max Shapiro | Monday, October 26, 2009, 8:43 pmJust saw your update the NRA also endorsed Creigh(whats in your wallet)Deeds in 2005 also.The NRA got it wrong in 2005 and the Pilot has it wrong now.
Posted by dave | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 8:53 pmLet me remind you of my comment policy. We don’t do name-calling here. You can express an opinion without such characterizations.
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 9:48 pmThe Pilot’s editorial board wants bipartisanship in everything except membership on the editorial board.
Posted by Brian Kirwin | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 11:50 amIs that all you got, Brian? I believe I could say the exact same thing about every paper that has endorsed McDonnell.
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 4:55 pmGo ahead. At least they’ll be right.
Posted by Brian Kirwin | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10:09 pmRight? Um, no.
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10:25 pmHardly surprising: Publisher (and H-SC classmate) Maurice Jones worked in the Clinton Administration.
The only surprise would have been endorsement of McDonnell. This endorsement was entirely predictable.
Posted by James Young | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 1:38 pmJust goes to show how much you know about Hampton Roads: the publisher isn’t on the editorial board and doesn’t get to vote.
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 4:53 pmThe Virginian Pilot endorsement is huge. In 2005, they endorsed McDonald, the “local” guy. Also, the VP is in the Newport News-Norfolk area which has horrendous traffic problems. Economic development community and other thinking people know that Deeds has experience and credibility on transpo issues in the General Assembly. McDonald’s big ideas of paying for roads by stripping public education, privatizing liquor stores (a huge source of revenue for VA state gov’t) and putting tolls on I 85 and I 95 would never pass the General Assembly.
Deeds may pull this out yet. Educated women voters are scared to death of McDonald’s views. This endorsement, the one in Roanoke, and also in South Boston, VA (deeply conservative southern part of the state) all tell me that support for Deeds is stronger than the pollsters know.
Posted by Marsha H | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 9:39 pmMarsha, the Newport News-Norfolk area? Yeah, that Virginian-Pilot just gets delivered all over Newport News.
I’m not sure what they think of McDonald, whoever that is.
Do “educated women voters” think there is someone named McDonald running for Governor and that Newport News’s hometown newspaper is the Virginian-Pilot?
Posted by Brian Kirwin | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10:13 pmMarsha
The Pilot covers only the greater Norfolk area – on the southside. The Daily Press covers Newport News and the rest of the Peninsula. But yes, we have traffic problems. And yes, the endorsement is important.
And it’s McDonnell, not McDonald.
Posted by vjp | Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10:28 pmWait. “Virginia Beach’s own”? I thought he was “Fairfax’s own” or, um, “NoVA’s own”. At least that’s what all the signs say . . .
Posted by MB | Monday, October 26, 2009, 10:24 am
Posted by vjp | Monday, October 26, 2009, 1:27 pmI am glad to see the Pilot editorial board being a bit more “fair” than past boards. I am so glad they saw the light on Bob McDonnell.
Posted by silver donkey | Monday, October 26, 2009, 11:07 amI see that you stated at the top of the blog that both of McDonnell’s hometown papers have endorsed Deeds. I know the Virginian-Pilot endoresed him but who is the other paper? I’m pretty sure that the Daily Press endorsed McDonnell.
Posted by John Crocker | Thursday, October 29, 2009, 9:46 amJohn – McDonnell claims hometowns in both Hampton Roads and Northern VA. That comment was related to The Washington Post, which covers NoVA politics, having also endorsed Deeds.
Posted by vjp | Thursday, October 29, 2009, 9:50 amOk. I’m new to the blog and that statement just stood out as strange. Now that you say that though, I have heard people make that comment before.
Posted by John Crocker | Thursday, October 29, 2009, 9:54 amNot a problem. And welcome to my blog
Posted by vjp | Thursday, October 29, 2009, 9:56 am