In this episode of Virginia Politics On-Demand, Bob McDonnell, Michael Steele, Barbara Comstock, and Chris Stolle join us for original interviews.

Steele talks about the importance of Virginia to the conservative movement and the Republican Party. Not only do we talk Virginia politics, but we delve into NY-23 and New Jersey as well.

McDonnell discusses how his jobs plan will help the people of Franklin and all Virginians. He also addresses how he will take on the budget and makes one final pitch for voters before they cast their ballot on Tuesday.

Comstock and Stolle - two candidates who potentially could pick-up seats for the GOP in the House of Delegates - describe their campaigns and what they would hope to accomplish if elected.

Finally, Brian Kirwin and Shaun Kenney tell us what they’ll be looking for on election day and give us their predictions.

And this podcast is also your prediction open-thread. Use this thread to submit your thoughts on the campaign and what you think the final outcomes will be. The person who is closest to picking the outcome of the statewide races (percentatges, please) and the right margin of seats between Republicans and Democrats in the House of Delegates will win a gift from the Bearing Drift store.

Drop me an email at vpod@bearingdrift.com with your thoughts and comments on the show.

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Opening music “Highway Run” by the Charlie Wheeler Band available through Ariel Publicity.

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Both SurveyUSA and Public Policy Polling has new numbers out and they aren’t looking good for any of Virginia’s statewide Democratic nominees.

SurveyUSA:

Governor
Bob McDonnell: 58
Creigh Deeds: 41

Lt. Governor
Bill Bolling: 56
Jody Wagner: 42

Attorney General
Ken Cuccinelli: 57
Steve Shannon: 41

SurveyUSA is heavy Central Virginia but still has McDonnell up huge in Northern Virginia. Also of note, McDonnell gets 55% of women and 38% of the voters identifying themselves as “pro-choice” - an audience the Deeds campaign was specifically targeting by focusing on McDonnell’s 20 year old thesis.

The worst showing by any Republican in any region of the state is Bolling with 53% in Southeast Virginia, Wagner’s home area.

Public Policy Polling:

Governor
Bob McDonnell: 55
Creigh Deeds: 40

Lt. Governor
Bill Bolling: 50
Jody Wagner: 38

Attorney General
Ken Cuccinelli: 52
Steve Shannon: 36

PPP also puts Deeds’s unfavorable at 49% while McDonnell enjoys a 56% approval rating. OUCH.

Compare to August 4th, Deeds favorable/unfavorable was 43/32 (+9) before the Thesis, now it sits at 38/49 (-11). McDonnell went from 54/26 (+28) to 56/36 (+20).

Only 28% of those voting for Deeds are voting specifically against McDonnell and 69% for Deeds. McDonnell, on the other hand, has 83% specifically supporting him and only 14% voting in protest against Deeds.

Only 24% of respondents feel the Democrats should have nominated either Brian Moran of Terry McAuliffe, 34% saying no.

Obama’s approval rating is 42% with disapproval at 52%.

The damage these numbers would do further down the ticket could be astounding.

In this episode of Virginia Politics On-Demand, we take a quick look back at the biggest news of the week in politics, including the debates between the LG candidates and the gubernatorial candidates, what Sen. Creigh Deeds thinks about a federal public option in health care, the closing of the International Paper Mill in Franklin, and where we stand in polls and endorsements.

Also, Jim Geraghty, blogger for National Review Online’s “Campaign Spot” gives us a glance as to what this campaign in the commonwealth looks like to those who follow national politics. He also gives his prediction on New York-23, the New Jersey campaign, and what will happen here in the commonwealth.

Finally, I close with a few thoughts about a holiday that will go largely unnoticed this week. However, it’s an event we owe everything to - especially when we talk about freedom.

Drop me an email at vpod@bearingdrift.com with your thoughts and comments on the show.

To listen to any of the previous podcasts, click here.
To automatically download and sync VPOD with your MP3 player, use this feed.
Opening music “Highway Run” by the Charlie Wheeler Band available through Ariel Publicity.

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In this episode of Virginia Politics On-Demand, Tim Murtaugh, Communications Director of the Republican Party of Vriginia, gives us his analysis on the 2009 campaign and what to expect these last two weeks. We also hear from John McCain and Bob McDonnell who appeared together in Virginia Beach and tune in on the press conference that followed - featuring AP’s Bob Lewis and WaPO’s Anita Kumar - that way you can judge for yourself if it was reported accurately.

Drop me an email at vpod@bearingdrift.com with your thoughts and comments on the show.

To listen to any of the previous podcasts, click here.
To automatically download and sync VPOD with your MP3 player, use this feed.
Opening music “Highway Run” by the Charlie Wheeler Band available through Ariel Publicity.

• Please also visit us on Podcast.com or PodcastPickle.com and help us promote the podcast by writing a review or adding us as a favorite!

It’s now head-to-head on the Eastern Shore between Del. Lynwood Lewis (D-100) and Ms. Melody Scalley, the Republican.

At a debate sponsored by the Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore, John Smith, a third party candidate, took the opportunity to lambaste Lewis and throw his complete support behind Scalley.

In an already close election, this is a surprising turn of events.

Given the repeated desperate begging coming from the Deeds camp and the steadfast refusal from the Obama camp, let’s have some fun! Caption this photo!

My caption: You’re dead to me you mealy-mouth idiot!! Look at him, he’s just sitting there, laughing!!

In this episode of Virginia Politics On-Demand, Tucker Martin, Communications Director for Bob McDonnell, gives us a campaign update and we talk a little about tonight’s statewide debate that will be on PBS at 8 p.m. (catch all the action here on BD also for a live blog).

Then Brian and Shaun join me on the bloggers roundtable as we talk about Sheila Johnson’s comments, Kaine and Transportation, Dems distancing themselves from Deeds, Dems blowing their collective cool, the week in polls, Deeds chances of winning - especially given his new message of raising taxes, and Ken Cuccinelli winning the debate and the election all-in-one this past week.

We also have our weekly winners and losers. The winners are almost all Democrats!

Drop me an email at vpod@bearingdrift.com with your thoughts and comments on the show.

To listen to any of the previous podcasts, click here.
To automatically download and sync VPOD with your MP3 player, use this feed.
Opening music “Highway Run” by the Charlie Wheeler Band available through Ariel Publicity.

• Please also visit us on Podcast.com or PodcastPickle.com and help us promote the podcast by writing a review or adding us as a favorite!

In this edition of Virginia Politics On-Demand, your guest hosts Shaun Kenney and Jason Kenney talk about the lengthening list of non-endorsements Creigh Deeds seems to be racking up, along with an in-depth analysis of how the Virginia rightosphere is feeling about polls, whether the Washington Post’s boosting of Deeds is new or just business-as-usual, and yes — for Jim — we discuss the Washington Redskins loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field and lament the fact the only winning sport we have in the Nation’s Capital… is hockey. Mullets for everyone!

Drop me an email at vpod@bearingdrift.com with your thoughts and comments on the show.

To listen to any of the previous podcasts, click here.
To automatically download and sync VPOD with your MP3 player, use this feed.
Opening music “Steam” by Peter Gabriel.

• Please also visit us on Podcast.com or PodcastPickle.com and help us promote the podcast by writing a review or adding us as a favorite!

In this edition of Virginia Politics On-Demand, we lead off with breaking news from the Lieutenant Governor’s race where LG Bill Bolling has canceled his participation in the Prince William 100 debate scheduled for Thursday. Matt Wells, Bolling Campaign Manager, explains why.

We also talk a little ACORN and its role in the campaigns (and how Sen. Ken Cuccinelli has responded to his opponent receiving money from them) and what Rep. Eric Cantor is doing about federal funding to them. We also discuss Cantor’s potential challenger, Charlie Diradour, and his real estate troubles (as well as how he put his foot in his mouth right out of the gate). Then, of course, we talk about the flow of union money flooding into Democratic coffers.

Later in the show, we get into endorsements - including who the NRA chose, as well as the Virginia Firefighters. And, we also discuss the debate, Creigh Deeds non-existent transportation plan, and investigate the poll numbers a little closer.

Finally, we talk about how Deeds is turning his back on Virginia’s energy needs, including a strong statement from API President Jack Gerard.

Also, our Winner of the Week is: Ham Sandwich

So, given the subject matter of the podcast, can you guess the opening music? Why we chose it? And who it applies to?

Drop me an email at vpod@bearingdrift.com with the answer and your thoughts and comments on the show.

To listen to any of the previous podcasts, click here.
To automatically download and sync VPOD with your MP3 player, use this feed.
Opening music “Highway Run” by the Charlie Wheeler Band available through Ariel Publicity.

• Please also visit us on Podcast.com or PodcastPickle.com and help us promote the podcast by writing a review or adding us as a favorite!

Last Thursday’s Gubernatorial debate offered Virginia voters the starkest contrast to date regarding what they can expect from either Bob McDonnell or Creigh Deeds should they be elected to the Commonwealth’s top job. For Deeds, however, the result of a heightened level of clarity in the race has not been favorable for him.

Throughout the debate before the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Bob McDonnell offered positive, innovative and detailed solutions to each of the most pressing issues affecting Virginians. On Transportation, Jobs and the Economy, McDonnell has taken a sober, business-minded approach. The result of McDonnell’s laser-like focus on these serious policy matters would be to force state government to set more reasonable budgetary goals, protect investments in priorities like education and public safety, and promote pro-growth policies to create jobs and speed Virginia’s economic recovery. The strength of these proposals is buttressed by McDonnell’s long and distinguished record of leadership on big issues such as welfare reform, juvenile justice reform, and reform of laws dealing with sexually violent predators.

Unfortunately for Virginians who deserve to hear an honest reckoning of the greatest challenges facing our Commonwealth, Creigh Deeds has instead chosen another strategy: obfuscation and evasion. Throughout the debate, post-debate, and indeed, the overall campaign, Creigh Deeds has ducked and dodged any question related to how he might govern and has instead repeatedly misled voters about his opponent and his own record. Indeed, when a Democrat can’t even get the Roanoke Times or Washington Post to defend him, you know that things have gone south in a hurry. Here are just a few examples:

Taxes: While Creigh Deeds proclaimed during the debate that he wouldn’t raise taxes, he later said that “all options” were on the table and then tried to limit his blanket statement to only those taxes that go into Virginia’s General Fund, which doesn’t include the gas tax. In addition, he is running from his long record of supporting higher taxes on virtually everything, including gasoline.

Business: While Creigh Deeds is attempting to paint himself as a pro-business, Mark Warner-style Democrat, he has collected nearly $1.5 million in donations from national labor unions. These unions have expressly sought to weaken Virginia’s Right-to-Work laws and remove the secret ballot in union elections. If elected, Deeds will owe a great deal of his victory to those union bosses and you can be certain those dollars are coming with a few strings attached.

Cap and Trade: In the debate, Deeds proclaimed that he doesn’t support the current bill, but those carefully chosen words are meant to obscure his past support for other Cap and Trade proposals. Such legislation, if passed, would kill thousands of jobs and levy exorbitant new taxes on consumers at a critical time in our economic recovery.

Advertisments: In the past week, Deeds has been taken to task by several newspapers around the Commonwealth for the dishonest campaign ads he is running. Even the Roanoke Times, certainly no friend to Republican candidates, called Deeds out for lying to voters about his opponent’s record.

At this perilous and trying time in our Commonwealth, voters are looking for a Governor with integrity and the qualities of leadership that will tackle big problems with forward-thinking solutions to keep us competitive in the years ahead. What they are not looking for are “vague and two-faced” platitudes and politicians who choose to punt big problems down the road rather than taking a stand.

The choice for Virginians in this election is clear. Bob McDonnell has a record of leadership and he is running a campaign based on ideas and solutions. All that Creigh Deeds has offered Virginians are misleading and dishonest tactics coupled with vague or non-existent positions.

Given those options, I trust Virginians will choose wisely.

Tag Greason, father of three and small businessman, talks about his challenger campaign to Del. David Poisson in the 32nd District.

Greason is campaigning on pro-family, pro-business issues in Loudoun County, and makes the case for why Del. Poisson has not done the job effectively.

Virginia 3rd Congressional District resident and hopeful 7th District Democratic nominee Charlie Diradour announced yesterday that he would be running against Rep. Eric Cantor because Rep. Cantor was tweeting during President Obama’s joint session address on Health Care.

Problem is, Cantor wasn’t tweeting. He was taking notes. Prompting Diradour to announce that his reason for running is “an honest mistake”.

Diradour, who lives outside of the 3rd District, also sees his campaign as one against a gerrymandering conspiracy aimed at “dividing his community”.

Diradour: Anti-Twitter. Anti-notetaking. Anti-district-boundaries. Anti-sense.

I was lucky enough to catch the Bob McDonnell - Creigh Deeds non-debate forum at the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar luncheon.

I thought these things weren’t called “debates” because there was no back and forth. This one wasn’t called a debate because Deeds spoke and then left the building about 30 seconds later before Bob McDonnell was able to walk to the podium.

While Deeds was there, he READ a statement for 10 minutes (If ya haven’t figured out why you’re running without reading it by this point, I feel sorry for ya).

He talked (ok, read) about going to college with $80 in his pocket, a good metaphor because it is exactly $80 more for transportation that Deeds has offered in his entire campaign.

Deeds talked (I know, read) about two things that did perk my interest. While saying he was going to protect spending for just about everything government does, he advocated saving money through zero-based budgeting. I found it curious that Deeds thinks we can save money by spending the same amount of money, so I thought I’d ask him.

Deeds’ staff refused to let me ask Deeds that follow-up question.

However, McDonnell happily took the question and gave this answer:

Regarding yesterday’s NRA endorsement of Bob McDonnell, Creigh Deeds resembled a petulant teenage girl whose puppy-love boyfriend just dumped her for someone more attractive.

In 2005, Deeds couldn’t stop cooing over the NRA endorsement: “This was and is very, very important to me,” Deeds gushed then of the endorsement.

Fast-forward to yesterday. You can imagine a heart-broken Deeds choking back the tears, attempting to brush-off the rejection, before storming-off to the bedroom when he says that the dastardly NRA is “basically a Republican organization.”

While pathetic, Deeds has a right to be bitter. As an outdoorsman who likes to tout his “A” voting rating from the NRA, he can hardly be blamed for being upset that he lost the endorsement.

In 1993, he opoosed former Gov. Doug Wilder’s pet-bill, the one-gun-a-month law. He also has caught heat from his left-flank by voting twice (unsuccessfully) to overturn Gov. Tim Kaine’s veto of allowing concealed firearms in bars.

But Deeds did not remain consistent on second amendment issues during the primary, so he only has himself to blame for the NRA switching its position.

After the VT tragedy, Deeds wanted to “respond to [victims' families'] greif somehow” by closing the so-called “gun show loophole.” It was a patently transparent bit of politicking, as the shooter did not purchase his weapon at a gun show. In the meantime, McDonnell went after the true failure in the system - mental health regulation.

So, this is the lesson Deeds learned yesterday, as he was bawling into his pillow: don’t check your principles at the door.

Update…check out Jim Riley’s post on Virtucon. He has a similar take on this subject.

Also, I’d like to point out that the Washington Post did not run an article in their paper today on McDonnell getting the endorsement. However, in 2005, they certainly ran one for Deeds.