( - promoted by KathyinBlacksburg)
Let me be clear - I am writing this not because I support Creigh (I do), but because there is an interesting pair of follow-ons to the Post endorsement of Creigh Deeds.
Today the Post's "Race to Richmond" series had a story entitled Underdog Has History of Beating the Odds. And at Noon, the candidate came to the Post website for this discussion. Regardless of whom you may or may not support for the gubernatorial nomination, both are well worth your reading, and the former has this photoshow (although you will have to sit through an ad first).
Let me offer a few extracts to whet your appetite. |
From the news article, which tells you about a serious auto accident which put the then 12-year-old Deeds in a coma for 16 days, we read
Deeds, 51, who dislikes talking about the accident, has made a lifelong habit beating the odds. Running as the underdog in the primary against Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran, Deeds said he plans to surprise people again. Although the race has been difficult to track, polls have repeatedly shown Deeds trailing McAuliffe and Moran. Deeds also spent the early months lagging in campaign money.
But one of his sayings has become the campaign's informal motto: "Always underestimated, never outworked."
We learn he has family roots in Bath County back to 1740 - which is well before anyone ever conceived of the Homestead, which is about all most people know about the County.
He had family that was active in politics, and at Concord College in W Va, where he met his future wife Pam, he made clear his interest in politics.
When Deeds left college, Virginia was changing. The state shifted from a reliably Democratic state to a Republican stronghold, especially in rural areas, after Richard M. Nixon's election as president in 1968. But Deeds never seemed to mind running from a position of disadvantage. After graduating from college and Wake Forest University's law school, Deeds ran successfully for commonwealth's attorney as a Democrat, waging a tireless door-to-door campaign in the hills and hollows of Bath County
And people should neither underestimate nor misjudge him. He can come across as shy, and some might consider him a bit of a redneck.
But those who know Deeds say he can be craftier than he lets on with his gosh-and-golly style. He likes to refer to himself as a country lawyer, but he lined up jobs with well-heeled Richmond law firms while campaigning.
"If people think Creigh's a redneck, then we should all be rednecks," said Alicia Gordon, an activist from Covington who enlisted Deeds's help to close a landfill when he was a young House delegate. "I don't think he's the wishy-washy country boy that certain individuals want to paint him as."
Turning now to today's live-chat, let me offer first his answer on his concern about redistricting: People should choose their representatives, not the other way around. That's why I have been a leader in the State Senate on reforming the redistricting process in Virginia. I know as Governor this is an issue I can address. The redistricting plan has to be signed by the Governor, and is subject to amendment or veto, like any other bill. I know I can fix this process for 10 years, but my goal is to fix it for the next 100 years, and it will continue to be a priority for me as Governor
and final exchange of the session, with question and answer: Anonymous: Terry McAuliffe is running in part on a pledge to attract business to our state based on his vast wealth of contacts. 1) Is he overstating his case? 2) What is your plan to attract more businesses to Virginia?
Creigh Deeds: We've never had a hard time with businesses wanting to come to Virginia, but we have had a hard time getting them here because of our failure to adequately invest in infrastructure to support economic growth. That's why I'm focused on building a transportation system that becomes a model for the rest of the nation and building the smartest workforce in the world by making higher education more affordable and accessible for all Virginians. If we build it (a transportation system that makes sense and the smartest workforce in the world) they (the jobs) will come.
Take the time. Go read both. You will have a better sense of Creigh Deeds.
Peace. |
