McCain Not Much of a Draw for McDonnell

Bob McDonnell has attended fewer Virginia Beach Republican breakfasts this year than John Bell, the local Democratic Candidate for Sheriff. Just as well this morning, with its lowest attendance in months. McDonnell’s focus was on an appeal to veterans at a VFW Post. That didn’t work out so well either.

Clearly there was concern as the event approached; a sense of panic was apparent in an E-mail sent out by the local party asking for veterans to RSVP. The breakfast was located at another venue fairly distant from the VFW post, so that breakfast was called early and attendees, most not veterans, encouraged to transit. But even with that, you see that there wasn’t an anxious crowd waiting for the McDonnell campaign RV at the front door of the building. Turns out there were more yard signs than supporters. Then with the focus on veterans, the local news chose this headline for the story: Climate change confronts McDonnell at McCain rally. Tucker Martin must be wondering how this happened. From the news report:

"I think it's a real concern, and we need to find ways to be able to reduce (carbon dioxide) emissions," McDonnell said in advocating development of technology to eliminate pollutants from coal-fired energy plants.

When asked to clarify whether he believes that global warming is scientific fact, however, he hedged.

"Well, there's some debate that various scientists are going on in that," he said. "I think the temperature of the earth, from the science I've seen, is going up."

And no words of encouragement from Senator McCain reported? Maybe, just maybe the concerns we Democrats have voiced about voter turnout are shared by the other guys. Between the political fatigue after the Bush years and the negative campaigning, the results may be harder to pin than we or the polls have pretended. Dropping in on the pancake breakfast John Bell’s campaign was hosting this morning, there had been more attendees there than the Senator McCain energized McDonnell rally could draw. More anomalies this election season than Ayn Rand could metaphor in ten thousand pages.

Cross posted at Blue Commonwealth