Deeds Campaign Continues Attacking Energy Reform

Posted by The Green Miles

I've gotten this video emailed to me from quite a few different people, all asking: What does the Deeds campaign mean by "Creigh Deeds says no to any new energy taxes from Washington"?



There are several possibilities, listed from highest to lowest probability:

• The Deeds campaign thinks it can pander to voters in southern Virginia by falsely painting legislation like the Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act as an "energy tax" while dodging criticism from conservationists by not attacking clean energy & climate legislation by name.
• The Deeds campaign is attacking any future increase from Washington in the national gasoline tax to pay for transit, roads and bridges. This would be odd since the Deeds campaign has left the door open to state revenue increases to pay for transit, roads and bridges.
• The Deeds campaign is pre-emptively attacking any new future sort of energy tax that those Washington bureaucrats haven't even thought up yet.

Look, given the debate in Washington right now, it's pretty clear the Deeds campaign thinks it can score points in some parts of Virginia by attacking clean energy & climate legislation. Considering the polling, I have no idea why they'd think that.

If the Deeds campaign thinks environmentalists are voting for Deeds no matter what and they have room to pander, it's hard to argue with them. Especially given the Virginia League of Conservation Voters' and Virginia Sierra Club's endorsements. LCV and Sierra Club sent a loud and clear message that they don't care about Deeds' position on clean energy & climate action. Why waste an ounce of energy courting their votes?

But I can't sit by while the Deeds campaign attacks the work of the leaders who are trying to put America on a new energy path. People like Rep. Tom Perriello are staking their careers on it. People like Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb have shown a remarkable willingness to go to places that have been hooked on coal in the past and talk instead about clean energy for the future.

Deeds' personal relationships may have helped win Sierra Club and LCV support in Richmond. But I can tell you national conservation leaders who don't know Creigh and don't know his campaign are asking each other: Why is Creigh Deeds working to undermine our friends?

Given that the strategy of winning over conservatives hasn't worked so far, at some point, Creigh Deeds has to ask himself how much damage he's willing to do in a quixotic search for a few votes.