The Virginia gubernatorial debate today showed both candidates running to the middle ground, with a very interesting pattern: Republican Bob McDonnell would stress areas of agreement he had with President Obama, in addition to wide policy disagreements — while Democrat Creigh Deeds would say how much he respects and supports Obama, while also pointing out his differences.
It’s a very interesting pattern, and perhaps indicative of Obama’s current approval levels. He’s not so massively popular as to have a Dem candidate rushing to tap into his brand name, but he’s not unpopular to the point where he would be freely bashed by a top GOP candidate, either.
As examples, McDonnell tied Deeds to national Democrats on issues like cap-and-trade and the Employee Free Choice Act, which aren’t big sellers in Virginia and which Deeds is not supporting, either. Deeds pointed out his respectful disagreement. “I’ve shared with him my concerns,” he said, discussing how he’s met the president during a recent campaign stop — and that he looks forward to campaigning with him again.
Meanwhile, McDonnell praised Obama’s achievements, and even talked about his full support of Obama’s and Sec. of Education Arne Duncan’s initiatives on rewarding charter schools — and he wants to make sure Virginia gets its full share of that money. This was at the same time as he relentlessly went after the administration cap-and-trade, EFCA, Guantanamo Bay and other hot-button issues.
A key moment came when moderator David Gregory asked Deeds whether Obama is his kind of Democrat. Deeds told a story about how when he first ran for the legislature in 1991, the top two Democrats in the state, Gov. Doug Wilder and Sen. Chuck Robb, were in a public feud. Candidates would often be asked whether they were Wilder Democrats or Robb Democrats.
Deeds would get around the issue: “I’m a Creigh Deeds Democrat.”
Again, Gregory asked whether Deeds is an Obama Democrat. Deeds responded that he likes Obama and is proud to have his support. But again: “I’m a Creigh Deeds Democrat.”
