This morning's papers have a fair amount to say about the Democratic gubernatorial and lieutenant governor campaigns. Here's a sampling.*The Bristol Herald-Courier, as expected, endorses Creigh Deeds, citing his long record of "trad[ing] horses with legislators in the General Assembly" (personally, I'm not sure if spending years in Richmond "making sausage"/"horse trading" is such a great thing, but we'll see what voters decide on June 9). As a McAuliffe supporter, however, what makes me smile is what the paper has to say about my candidate:
McAuliffe, the former DNC chairman, has brought rock star enthusiasm into the primary race.Nice.
No one can deny McAuliffe’s enthusiasm and drive – he is running as if he already were governor, complete with a staff of more than 100 people and multiple daily updates on his appointments and availability.
We don’t support the criticism that McAuliffe, who has lived in McLean for about 17 years, is a carpetbagger. Residents of Southwest Virginia – too often forgotten by the wealthier, more populous regions – should look inward before dismissing residents from other parts of the state. For all of us, our hometown is an accident of birth.
*Mike Signer's campaign manager tweets: "Signer wins endorsement of 2 s-side newspapers "by a mile" the Mecklenburg Sun and South Boston News and Record. First newpapers to endorse and it's for Signer!"
*The Washington Post endorses Jody Wagner for LG, citing her experience as finance secretary under Tim Kaine. The Post has nice words for Mike Signer as well, writing that he "isn't afraid to broach subjects many politicians consider taboo, including the need to grant ex-felons voting rights."
*Last but not least, the always perceptive but also tart-tongued Jeff Schapiro writes that Brian Moran is now "on fringe of Dems race." Here's an excerpt:
For Moran, what seemed a plus now is a problem: geography. Northern Virginia was Moran's for the asking -- until the former delegate from Alexandria had to compete there with another local: McAuliffe of McLean.Ouch. By the way, speaking as someone who hasn't had a "great head of hair" in years, I'd say that latter point is nothing to scoff at. :)
Adding insult to injury: Moran's de facto hometown newspaper, The Washington Post, gave its editorial endorsement to Deeds, a state senator from rural Bath County. The Post's backing legitimized Deeds in The Land of Many Democrats as electable and solutions-oriented.
NoVa was supposed to be Moran's strength. Instead, it's proved his weakness.
[...]
As for Moran, face it: The guy has a great head of hair.
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When I read Washington Post endorsement of Jody I was a little surprised that they really only supported Jody in one paragraph of the three paragraph article. I know they probably don't have enough room for one the length of the Governor's endorsement but even though he didn't gain their endorsement Mike was spoken of I believe almost equally as highly. If voters read it as someone who can bring a fresh perspective to Richmond and notice that it is Mike who is the candidate who has introduced issues to the race that she would not have then I think it benefits him greatly. The endorsement would have helped him more obviously but I don't think it hurts him as much as say the Governor's endorsement hurt Moran at this point.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Daniel. This endorsement was an incredibly tepid endorsement. If you flip the second and third paragraph and change a couple of words, it is quite simple to see how essentially the same text could read as an endorsement of Mike Signer.
ReplyDeleteAs I said in a diary at Blue Commonwealth:
"I guess the reason this endorsement does not seem particularly strong to me is that this endorsement boils down to two points in my mind:
1. The role of the Lieutenant Governor. Public advocate vs. adviser to the Governor. The Washington Post comes down on the side of adviser, I want a public advocate.
2. Ideas vs. experience. When the Post talks about Mike Signer they talk about IDEAS and the willingness to talk about issues that just aren't discussed. When the Post talks about Jody Wagner they talk about experience. I personally will take someone who has BIG IDEAS and the energy to make them happen any day of the week."
The Post is infamous for following the CW, conventional wisdom. They are to endorsements what Cokie Roberts is to the punditocracy. Just go with the easy thing that requires the least explanation or thought.
ReplyDeleteTime after time, the Post reveals itself as only interested in positioning and not in choosing the best candidate.
Lee: Exactly right, they occasionally get it right but that's usually by sheer chance, not by seriously considering the candidates, the issues, etc. The one that bugs me the most is the 47th, where I have NEVER seen a Post reporter at a forum, debate, etc. How can they make an endorsement when they don't know squat about the candidates?
ReplyDeleteNewspaper endorsements: always good when they endorse your candidate, always irrelevant when they endorse the opponent.
ReplyDeleteJohnny: Actually, I don't think any of these endorsements are "irrelevant" to the extent that they reveal the thinking of the endorser. In the case of the Post, their endorsement of Jody Wagner was not much stronger than what they had to say about Mike Signer. In the case of the Bristol Herald-Courier, they went with Creigh but also had very nice things to say about Terry. Ultimately, it comes down to voters reading all this stuff, watching and listening to the candidates, and making up their own minds.
ReplyDelete