Well, that didn’t take long.
Just a few days after yet another poll shows him lagging behind Republican candidate for Governor Bob McDonnell, Democrat Creigh Deeds went on the offensive on social issue (Washington Post) this weekend in an effort to motivate wake up reassure his base (so much for social issues being a distraction from the “important” issues like the economy and jobs).
Anyway, the label tossing has begun, with each side using the word “extreme” almost as much as Obama uses the word Czar (well, maybe not that much). It is always useful, though not very common, to do a little compare/contrast when talking about “extreme” positions on issues like abortion. So, as the Post article touts Deeds’ opposition to the ban on partial birth abortion and parental consent laws, let’s reflect way back to 2003 when those bills passed the General Assembly in overwhelming numbers (enough to override then-Gov. Mark Warner’s killer amendments). It is interesting to see what other abortion “extremists” joined then-Delegate Bob McDonnell (and 105 other members of the GA on Partial Birth and 99 other members of the GA on parental consent) in support of these “extreme” measures:
Senator Russ Potts (R) (D) (I)
Senator John Chichester (R) (D) (?)
Senator Chuck Colgan (D) (now chair of Senate Finance Committee)
Senator Edd Houck (D) (now chair of Senate Ed and Health Committee)
Senator Phil Puckett (D)
Delegate Ward Armstrong (House Democrat minority leader)
Oh, and the partial birth ban was supported by none other than former Democrat candidate for governor Brian Moran. That’s just to name a few.
Now there’s a line up of right wing extremists if I’ve ever seen one.
Since when did Ds and some Rs let the facts get in the way of rhetoric?
[...] after the game show Jeopardy!,where the answers are the clues and the questions are the answers, Democrat candidate Creigh Deeds’ response to the word “abortion” would be, ̶…?” It may be, but not the way he’s going after it. First, he’s the one way out of [...]
[...] One can imagine the Deeds team on a conference call last week, depressed by the poll numbers, frantically searching for in issue with traction. Finding none, someone yells, “I’ve got it! Abortion!” “Right,” the others would say, “the abortion card! Let’s play it!” But it’s no winning hand, as documented here. [...]
[...] suppose, to rally and excite the base over his true liberal credentials because his crass, hackneyed abortion move has flown as well as the Hindenburg. But if his base needs any confirmation, we’ll gladly provide it: Deeds received a measley [...]