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 ehind
in the polls and badly outspent by his opponent, Virginia's GOP
candidate for governor brought America's two most popular politicians
and an important religious leader into his campaign over the weekend.
Mark Earley's campaign mailed a brochure displaying a big picture
of Earley walking half a step behind President Bush on what appears
to be a tarmac. Inside, there's a quote from Bush: "I appreciate
his strong stance on holding the line on taxes and cutting the car
tax in Virginia." Bush recorded a phone message on behalf of
Earley and two ticket mates, lieutenant governor candidate Jay Katzen
and attorney general candidate Jerry Kilgore: "Mark Earley,
Jay Katzen and Jerry Kilgore are the experienced leaders Virginia
needs to keep the state moving forward--with a positive agenda for
lower taxes, accountable schools, more jobs, and a safe and secure
commonwealth." Earley's campaign also aired a new ad featuring
New York mayor Rudy Giuliani: "If I were a Virginian, I would
vote for Mark Earley." Voters who tuned in to the start of
the World Series game last night would have seen
it.
In northern
Virginia, Earley may benefit as well from a letter by Catholic Bishop
Paul Loverde that was either read at Masses or inserted into church
bulletins over the weekend. In it, Loverde reminds parishioners
of their "moral responsibility to vote" on Tuesday. "Respect
for the dignity of the human person must be part of our consciousness
as we enter the voting booth," continues the two-page letter.
It also reminds voters of "the
priority to protect the human life of all persons, pre-born and
born."
The letter
would have been stronger if Loverde had mentioned specifically that
Earley is the pro-life candidate in the race and that his opponent,
Democrat Mark Warner, supports abortion rights. In other words,
there's more than just a moral responsibility to vote; there's a
moral responsibility to vote for Mark Earley. Another possibility
would have been to attach a scorecard showing how Earley and Warner
(plus other candidates down the ticket) differ on abortion. Earley,
for instance, supports legislation to require parental consent before
a minor may obtain an abortion, while Warner won't commit past the
parental-notification law that Earley helped enact.
As things stand,
the bishop's letter leaves voters on their own to figure out the
candidates' positions by tomorrow's election day. Perhaps they're
sophisticated enough to know where Earley and Warner stand. Then
again, perhaps not--and they won't receive much help from Earley's
campaign website, which focuses on taxes, education, and safety
issues.
But it's a
good conclusion to what has been a lackluster campaign. In the end,
though, the only thing that may salvage the hopes of those who intend
to vote Earley is if they somehow manage to vote often.
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