I just got off a conference call with House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong (D-Martinsville), Susan Swecker (Former Chair, Southern Caucus Democratic National Committee) and Mudcat Saunders (D-Rural Virginia) responding to the following comments made by Bob McDonnell surrogate Tom Davis about Creigh Deeds:"He doesn't speak the language," said former Republican congressman Tom Davis, who works at Deloitte Consulting. "He doesn't understand it. That's just not the mold he comes from. He comes from a different world. It's okay. But it doesn't qualify him."Ward Armstrong says that these comments are part of a pattern exhibited by Bob McDonnell (towards women) and by McDonnell surrogates towards "a segment of the state" (rural Virginia). In fact, Armstrong says, he can't think of any comments that could be "more insulting" than to say that Creigh Deeds comes from a "different world," as if people in rural Virginia are all "barefoot and stupid." Armstrong pointed out that "we're not from another world, we're from rural Virginia," that "this is one Virginia," and that he doesn't go around "bash[ing] NOVA, Hampton Roads or Richmond." The bottom line, according to Ward Armstrong, is that Tom Davis' comments were "way out of bounds." The question is, does Bob McDonnell agree with his surrogate's "prejudice against people in rural Virginia" or will he repudiate the remarks?
Susan Swecker said she was "saddened and shocked" by Tom Davis' "divisive" statement. She also feels that it's part of a pattern, including RPV chair Pat Mullins' comments that people in southwestern Virginia "preferred to be on welfare." Swecker asserted proudly, "where I come from is a good thing" not a bad one as Tom Davis seems to imply. Swecker argued that in a Creigh Deeds administration, "noone will be left out or degraded because of their zip code" and that Creigh will "bring people together" - unlike what Bob McDonnell would do.
Mudcat Saunders incorrectly thought this was a private strategy call, which led to some characteristically "colorful" (and hilarious, IMHO) language by him, but the gist of his message was that "rural" is not just a matter of geography, it's "in your soul" (Mudcat noted, "affectionately" he said, that "there are more rednecks on Rt. 1 in Alexandria than in the 6th [Congressional District]"). In addition, Mudcat added that Bob McDonnell is a "hypocrite" with "no compassion" and no "affection for working people" who has "never done anything to create a job or build a road."
Anyway, that's pretty much what happened on the call. It will be interesting to see if Bob McDonnell repudiates Tom Davis' remarks and also whether they get people in rural Virginia riled up against McDonnell. On the latter question, I'm a bit skeptical, but time will tell...
