As mentioned below, earlier today, the Republican Party of Virginia organized a conference call, featuring Reps. Frank Wolf, Bob Goodlatte, J. Randy Forbes, and Rob Wittman. The four congressmen offered brief remarks of why they support Bob McDonnell for governor, how various pieces of legislation could impact the state (particularly cap-and-trade and card check), and why they find it strange that the Democratic candidate, Creigh Deeds, has been rather unclear in explaining his position on those issues.
I think the line of criticism may work, but not quite the way they’re intending. On paper, a governor’s primary focus is on his state and the legislation working its way through that legislature; the office provides tangental influence at best over what’s moving through Congress. If a governor doesn’t want to take a position on a particular bill, it could be seen as welcome circumspection. There are probably more effective lines of criticism than having House members ask, “So how would you vote on this bill? How would you vote on that bill?”
Having said that, this is Creigh Deeds we’re talking about: A candidate with no transportation plan, a two-page education plan, and who greets a horrific state budget deficit with vague language about “streamlining government functions.” After some high-profile flip-flops on abortion, gay marriage, gun control, and tax hikes, I’m not sure what Creigh Deeds truly believes other than that he really, really, really should be elected.
The tone of the GOP’s criticism is that Deeds has liberal positions on these pieces of legislation, and doesn’t want to reveal them. But there are other, equally unnerving possibilities: Deeds may not really know what he thinks, or may not particularly care whether these pieces of legislation pass or not.