Patterico's Pontifications

10/23/2009

Obama Throws Creigh Deeds Under the Bus

Filed under: Obama,Politics — DRJ @ 9:46 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

The Washington Post reports the Obama Administration wants to make sure no one blames President Obama if Democratic candidate R. Creigh Deeds loses the Virginia Governor’s race:

“Senior administration officials have expressed frustration with how Democrat R. Creigh Deeds has handled his campaign for governor, refusing early offers of strategic advice and failing to reach out to several key constituencies that helped Obama win Virginia in 2008, they say.
***
A senior administration official said Deeds badly erred on several fronts, including not doing a better job of coordinating with the White House. “I understood in the beginning why there was some reluctance to run all around the state with Barack Obama,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak candidly about the race. “You don’t do that in Virginia. But when you consider the African American turnout that they need, and then when you consider as well they’ve got a huge problem with surge voters, younger voters, we were just a natural for them.”

Deeds is hurt:

“Deeds said he was puzzled by the comments from unnamed Obama administration officials who said that he had virtually no chance to defeat Republican Robert F. McDonnell and that such a loss would reflect on Deeds’s failings rather than on Obama’s popularity.
***
“It is frustrating to read, because that’s not what we’ve been hearing from anybody over there,” Deeds said. “I’m just not sure where the talk is coming from. It just doesn’t make sense. . . . There’s been no disagreements between us of which I’m aware.”

Local Democratic strategists view the White House leaks as counterproductive and clueless:

“When it comes out of the White House, this Monday morning quarterbacking stuff before the election even happens, it’s devastating to the whole ticket,” said David “Mudcat” Saunders, a political strategist who worked to elect now-U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) governor in 2001 and Webb to the U.S. Senate in 2006. “I think Obama ought to find who did this to us, and I think he ought to fire ’em. It’s totally without character.”

Paul Goldman, a Richmond activist and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, called the tactics “bush league,” an attempt to send a message to Democrats about crossing the White House without regard to the damage it might cause the state party and its candidates.

“It’s take-no-prisoners,” he said. “It’s exactly the kind of thing we voted out of office.”

Actually, Mr. Goldman, this is the untested, undefined candidate Democrats nominated and now everyone is getting a taste of exactly who you voted for.

— DRJ

41 Responses to “Obama Throws Creigh Deeds Under the Bus”

  1. Creigh isn’t exactly going to be lonely under Obama’s bus.

    daleyrocks (718861)

  2. When those tires hit everyone, it’s gonna feel like the axle-rod-thingamajig got jerked out from under the bus.

    John Hitchcock (3fd153)

  3. The Democrats need to get their story straight.
    The evil Rove Cheney Team were the professional Darth Vaders of political destructiveness–veritable political limbs of Satan as it were.

    Now the Democrats are saying that the “bush league” tactics in the White House are unprofessional and “exactly what they voted to get rid of”.

    Guys get your story straight–were the Rove Cheney team “Champions of Destruction” or chumps?

    Well you guys wanted Obama and his Chicago thugs; now you are surprised that they’re running around and, figuratively speaking, can’t find their political backsides with both hands.

    It’s going to be a long three and a half more years.

    Mike Myers (710e8b)

  4. By election day, this Dem will be characterized as a tool of the teabagger and prolly watches Fox.

    JD (a080a1)

  5. I like watching foxes. In 7th grade, the whole home-room class knew there were 5 foxes in the class. Everyone watched them. I even let 2 of them cheat off me on a science test.

    John Hitchcock (3fd153)

  6. Every election is a referendum on Barcky, BarckyCare, the stimulus, and cap&destroy.

    JD (a080a1)

  7. State level democrats are getting a taste of how organized crime runs/ruins politics/poiticians.

    Scrapiron (996c34)

  8. Earth to Deeds:

    Obama will never take responsibility for a failure. I am surprised he didn’t blame Bush. Seems to work with everything else. Take consolation, you have a lot of company under that bus.

    Anyway, there are probably plenty of new jobs with the Obama administration. You can get one of them if you play your cards right. EPA will have a real plum, counting CO2 bubbles in champagne for labelling purposes.

    Count your blessings.

    Corky Boyd (4e8f68)

  9. I talked about that here. The Obama administration is making a tactical error. Virginia is a pretty evenly divided state, so losing the governor’s mansion isn’t a big deal. After all, a Democrat took over for a Republican in Virginia in 1986 and 2002 (elections in Nov 85 & 01 respectively), and it didn’t mean a change in party in the White House, nor did it make a difference in the 2002 midterms where the Republicans regained the Senate from a near-even split.

    Does Deeds go on the under the bus category or enemies list, though?

    SomeOtherSteve (7bc578)

  10. Anyone care to bet whether or not Barcky would claim some kind of victory were Deeds to win?

    JD (787a1f)

  11. No matter what happens, whether it’s the economy, the ongoing war or outrageously idiotic Cabinet officials, it’s never teh One’s fault. And the MSM will naturally agree; look at the incessant hand – wringing over Cheney’s speech defending his actions after their infantile whining and mud – slinging accusations. What do the salons at the MSM expect him to do, take that type of feces – flinging at will? Take some advice and try to pick fights that you have at least a snowball’s chance in Hell of winning.

    Dmac (5ddc52)

  12. 10-I would bet your common sense, but then I really wouldn’t have to wager much to match that. I’ll throw in a nickel. Let’s do this thing, JD.

    bells bells (08dac2)

  13. I understood in the beginning why there was some reluctance to run all around the state with Barack Obama,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak candidly about the race sabotage Deeds without being held accountable.

    WaPo, FIFY.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (0ea407)

  14. obambi senses things aren’t gonna go his way in va. he needs to establish this wasn’t his fault. it is. back in 2008, nothing would have prevented a bad candidate from winning who was riding on obambi’s coattails. obambi’s job-approval has tanked and no one is gonna win with him.

    ktr (bd0433)

  15. ktr-Are you saying we’re going to get another republican congress and go back to bushee’s policies? Excuse me while I remove all my money from the market and place it in a coffee can.

    bells bells (08dac2)

  16. $50 bucks to the charity of the winner’s choice, troll. Send the receipt to the site owner for proof. You in? If the Left claims a victory for Barcky if Deeds wins, you donate to my charity. If that is not the story, I do the same for your charity. Or, we could make it that a loss for Deeds is not a loss for Barcky, same wager. Your call.

    Regardless, we same seen your act before. Predictable.

    JD (304527)

  17. Sounds great. Let me get my credit card information ready so that I can hand it off to a complete stranger… because that seems like a good idea. Would you like my social security number too?

    bells bells (08dac2)

  18. Coward. I said send a copy of the receipt to the site’s host. But I knew you were being dishonest. SHOCKA.

    JD (304527)

  19. Dishonest? Is that what we’re calling the ability to steer clear of identity theft scams nowadays? I am going to need the name of the publisher of your dictionary, because he is ill-informed.

    bells bells (08dac2)

  20. As I said, we have seen your act before. Tired and predictable.

    JD (304527)

  21. Now you’re trying to shame me into giving you my personal information? You’re a real winner. Try that act on a conservative and it may work.

    bells bells (08dac2)

  22. bells bells – Make the donation in cash and send in the damned receipt. This isn’t that tough if you have the courage of your convictions.

    Have Blue (854a6e)

  23. It’s going to be my first vote as a proud, new American citizen, and I can hardly wait to cast my ballot for McDonnell and Cucinelli, and, locally, against “social and economic justice” re-distributionist, Harvard grad David Englin.
    Deeds was a weak candidate to begin with, but there’ve been lots of weak candidates who came on top in the end. Obama cynically destroyed Deeds’ last chance in order to disassociate himself from a failed democrat. The big laugh is that many people will now go with McDonnell precisely because of Obama’s move: to hell with the lot of them! Americans understand the chess game that politics is, but can’t stand in-your-face oportunism and lack of principle. At least this American.

    Pansy (7b029f)

  24. When those tires hit everyone, it’s gonna feel like the axle-rod-thingamajig got jerked out from under the bus.

    No doubt the chassis under the bus is a Dodge RAHM…

    /someone had to…

    the friendly grizzly (af1c45)

  25. Excuse me while I remove all my money from the market and place it in a coffee can.

    Of course, the state of California, by comparison, which has been a microcosm of federal-level liberal politics run amok (ie, Obamanomics) — barely modified by a squishy Republican governor (who, to makes matters worse, was pushed to the left by voters’ rejection of his long overdue reforms on the ballot a few years ago) — is a nirvana of good governance that pays big dividends.

    All the limousine liberals throughout America — and one can be that regardless of his or her level of income — should be taxed at a much, much higher rate and forced to do as they do, not just what they say. That includes phonies like Al Gore, residing in his big energy-hog mansion in Tennessee, and the “lefty” executives on Wall Street living the high life in politically progressive Manhattan (Hi, Mayor Bloomberg!).

    Mark (411533)

  26. I find Bob McDonnell repulsive. ( I am usually displeased by the candidates churned out by the VA machine, in general).
    But I won’t vote for Deeds, and he has Obama to thank for that more than anything else.

    It’s your fault Obama, and it’s a referendum on YOU.

    SarahW (692fc6)

  27. Sarah W

    “I find Bob McDonnell repulsive…”

    Can you tell me why (this is not a challenge but an honest question–I’m really curious)? Is it because of what he wrote about women’s role in that thesis?

    Pansy (7b029f)

  28. I would bet your common sense, but then I really wouldn’t have to wager much to match that. I’ll throw in a nickel. Let’s do this thing, JD.

    Let me get my credit card information ready so that I can hand it off to a complete stranger

    So you first issue a challenge, then run away as fast as your tiny frog legs can take you when said challenge is immediately accepted. Both feckless and pathetic; you’re a real two – fer.

    Excuse me while I remove all my money from the market and place it in a coffee can.

    Based on the above posts, you’d be better off putting that money up your arse.

    Dmac (5ddc52)

  29. bells bells, if you’re holding up this congress as a bastian of integrity, you’re stupid. you can live with cheats’, liars, philanderer’s (when their wife’s sick no less), murderer’s, etc.

    liberal’s have for too long expected everyone but themselves to do as they say and not as they do. it’s about time someone demands them to live by the rules EVERYONE else does.

    ktr (bd0433)

  30. Ever notice how Conservatives still get a tear in their eye discussing Ronald Reagan. Do you think the left will remember Obama fondly? He’s reaching his expiration date already.

    John Y (b67818)

  31. Do you think the left will remember Obama fondly?

    Actually, most of them will, regardless of how corrupt and devious he is. The left, after all, tends to be a very poor judge of character and often transposes good with bad. So Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro or, worse, Mao (or even Saddam Hussein vs George Bush)? “Goddamn America, y’all!”

    And look at Bill and Hillary Clinton. I suspect far too many liberals have qualms about such people only because they’ve sometimes allowed themselves to be caught, by their political foes and others. IOW, Bill and Hillary aren’t tricky, slick and sneaky enough when facing their unkind, heartless, non-compassionate, “vast rightwing conspiracy” challengers.

    Mark (411533)

  32. ktr-and that’s just the conservatives! Just think of all the evil ‘Deeds’ that the liberals have done!

    bells bells (08dac2)

  33. ktr-and that’s just the conservatives! Just think of all the evil ‘Deeds’ that the liberals have done!

    bells bells (08dac2)

  34. Coward. I recall this one has had several diferent aliases here.

    JD (3cdf9b)

  35. Sill paging Sarah W….

    Pansy (7b029f)

  36. Obama’s only a wet-behind-the-ears neophyte when it comes to getting rid of inconvenient persons. Sure, it’s a bit crowded under his bus, but it’s only individuals who suffer excommunication.

    While the Republican Party establishment gives the deep-six to the entire Conservative Wing every time the GOP wants to be seen as bipartisan, and then expects Conservatives (like a battered woman with no where else to go) to crawl home, beg forgiveness, and contribute money, time, and votes for the dubious privilege of kissing the Elephant’s big ugly rear end, until it happens again, and again, and again.

    ropelight (91c668)

  37. Considering that Virginia went for Obama last election, the notion that you don’t campaign with him throughout the state seems a bit suspect.

    LYT (797c6c)

  38. There are a few basic principles in politics; very few but a few. One of them is loyalty to your party and the guys who are running on your ticket. The people who contest a primary are supposed to join forces for the general election and most do. The president may or may not spend a lot of effort helping the down ticket and the local candidates may not want to emphasize the association with an unpopular president. Bush knew that and didn’t say anything when candidates declined to appear with him. What you don’t do is trash the candidate of your party before the election.

    Obama seems never to have learned the basics. Maybe that’s because he was always able to eliminate the rivals by maneuvers or luck. Hillary misjudged the primary campaign and ran out of money. I wonder how popular he will be after he forces unpopular votes like cap and trade, then loses the final vote. He may take a lot of Democrats down with him.

    Mike K (addb13)

  39. Pansy, I don’t know if you’re still reading this thread or not but I wanted to say “Congratulations! Welcome to citizenship in heretofore the greatest country in the world!” Oh, and you cannot be President. 😛

    I don’t know enough about NJ politics to help you in that matter. But I used to drive truck over-the-road for a living (JB Hunt). Vineland, NJ looks a whole lot like a mid-western community. I felt a certain ease and pace during my 12-hour visit.

    John Hitchcock (3fd153)

  40. It seems to me that there is an appreciable change in the mind-set of most of the posters in Comments section of this WaPo article. Aside from the usual MoveOn.org trolls who are either drugged and/or paid to post, comments are anti-Obambi in the extreme.

    Could The Boy King have passed the tipping point?

    jcp370 (f5203c)

  41. Wait a minute — “R. Creigh Deeds?” His first name ISN’T “Creigh?” I thought it might be short for “Creighton” or something!

    You mean to tell me the guy’s name is “Robert Creigh Deeds” and he CHOOSES to go by “Creigh”?

    Well, shoot. That’s a reason not to vote for him right there. There’s obviously something wrong with him.

    L.N. Smithee (f16044)


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