McDonnell goes for bipartisan support; Obama praises deeds

[Blue_Tires]

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell has formed a group called Virginians for McDonnell to entice Democrats and independents to support him.

In an e-mail yesterday, President Barack Obama also made a pitch for bipartisan support, for Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds.

The McDonnell group is led by Judy Peachee Ford Wason, a former Republican political operative who led a similar group that brought bipartisan support to Democrat Mark R. Warner in 2001, and by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Wyatt Durrette, who supported Democrat Timothy M. Kaine in 2005.

McDonnell said during a news conference that forming the group is recognition that Republicans have not done enough to reach out to the middle in the recent past.

"To me, it is a recognition that we need to rebuild the Reagan coalition," he said. "Ronald Reagan was able to get social and economic conservatives to support him, and he was able to reach out to so-called 'Reagan Democrats' and bring them on board around a good, solid fiscal conservative message."

The Obama e-mail in favor of Deeds went to hundreds of thousands of Virginians who supported Obama last year.

"Creigh has an ability to bring people together, build consensus and deliver results," Obama said. "He will bring the same bipartisan, pragmatic approach to politics that former Governor and now Senator Mark Warner and my friend Governor Tim Kaine used to help Virginia move forward over the past eight years," he wrote.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/BOBM16_20090615-220803/274073/

[The River]

1. Who Would Want To Be Identified

as a Republican these days?
That's why they want to appear
to be bipartisan.
Tying McDonnell to all the GOP
policies of the last 8 years should be enough
to sink him.

[VaYallaDawg]

2. Party of "no" - yep, that's the ticket for them!

Another fine point: it's going to be interesting to watch the GOP's antics re the death penalty with McDonnell. As you'll recall, since Tim Kaine is a devout Catholic, the Repubs tried to wuss him out with the claim that he wouldn't uphold the DP. Guess what - he said he would, and he has. (I think possibly one exception, which even the prosecuting attorney supported as justifiable).

McDonnell is also a devout RC - wonder how they'll deal with this question now? I'm sure it will just get glossed over, like their "family values" when they get caught in the wide stance issues.

And of course, Creigh Deeds is a Presbyterian - as far as I know I don't think that denomination ever had any trouble with the DP.