Per the Creigh Deeds for Governor blog, at 11 am today:...Creigh is delivering a major speech at George Mason University laying out his vision for the Commonwealth and how he will create opportunity in every corner of Virginia.Here's what I'll be looking for Creigh to do today.
He'll highlight what's at stake in this election and the sharp contrast between the two candidates' plans for Virginia’s future. Additionally, Creigh will point out the key differences in priorities between his record as a legislator and Bob McDonnell's.
1. Lay out a strong personal narrative for himself.
2. Lay out a strong political narrative for his candidacy.
3. Connect the strong personal narrative to the strong political narrative in a way that makes it clear how the one flows right into the other.
4. Explain his vision for Virginia, being as specific (e.g., not vague) as possible.
5. Forcefully lay out why Bob McDonnell is not a moderate and in fact is a right-wing extremist who wants to take the Commonwealth back to the days of Jim Gilmore and George W. Bush.
6. Make crystal clear what's at stake in this election, why it matters, what the differences are between McDonnell and Deeds.
7. Speak from the heart and connect with people in NOVA and throughout Virginia on what makes Deeds the right man at the right time to be the next governor of Virginia.
8. Talk specifically about how he'll "grow the economy" and fix the transportation mess.
9. Personally, I'd like to hear Deeds strongly endorse a strong public option for health care, given that - as Ben Tribbett pointed out yesterday on the Deeds campaign blogger conference call - Medicaid is a huge expense for state governments and the public option will provide strong competitive pressure to help bend that cost curve down.
10. I'd also like to hear Deeds talk about the crucial importance of revamping our energy economy, jumpstarting a "clean tech" revolution, and dealing with the dire threat of global warming.
In short, I'm looking for Creigh Deeds this morning to frame this election as clearly as he possibly can, get people fired up (and "ready to go!"), connect with "urban crescent" voters, and overall jumpstart his campaign. Oh, and it would also be nice if he could cure the common cold and bring peace to the world. Other than that... :)
P.S. You can watch the event live streamed here. I'm also trying to get the embed code so you can watch right here at Blue Virginia.
