» Bob McDonnell’s candidacy continues its march to Richmond, while Creigh Deeds’ indecision and attacks do little good.
When Virginians head to the polls Nov. 3, all signs point to Republican Bob McDonnell being rewarded for calmly dictating the tone of the governor’s race, connecting with voters through his quiet confidence, integrity, polished leadership and vision for economic growth in the commonwealth.
Throughout the campaign, Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds has gone to great lengths — too far, opinion surveys suggest — to boost his sluggish numbers by painting McDonnell as just to the right of Attila the Hun.
It’s true this year’s GOP gubernatorial candidate can be pegged as conservative. It’s also true that, like McDonnell, much of America in the past two decades has softened on certain social issues while keeping their faith-based, conservative principles as a solid political foundation. People can and do change.
Clearly, McDonnell’s 1989 thesis hasn’t generated enough of an outrage to win this election alone for Deeds. Too bad he’s virtually built his campaign around it, choosing to sling mud instead of expounding on his platform.
Overall, McDonnell’s plan for Virginia is the stronger one, and he brings innovative ideas for how to fund transportation without raising taxes. That said, he should not refuse to consider the dreaded “T” word for much-needed road construction if his plans fail to generate significant revenues and the state’s infrastructure continues to crumble.
On issues like unions, health care, offshore drilling and limited government, McDonnell, unlike Deeds, does not have to try to appear conservative. He’s already there, not saying one thing to please centrist voters and another to pacify the core of his party.
We predict a new day will soon dawn in Richmond, with McDonnell joining Ken Cuccinelli as attorney general and Bill Bolling as lieutenant governor to make it a clean sweep for the GOP.
» Editor’s note: Political endorsements are decided by the Star-Exponent’s five-member editorial board and are not affiliated with the news-reporting process.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement