Thursday, October 29, 2009

HORSERACE

A Pair of Revealing Answers In Virginia

I think Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds each offered revealing answers in this interview with a Virginia magazine. First, there was the question about each candidate's hero:

1. What is your definition of a hero, and can a politician be a hero? If so, who is your political hero?

DEEDS: My heroes are people that have looked beyond themselves to accomplish a greater good. People who have done things outside of themselves. My hero’s my grandfather. He’s been gone from this world for a lot of years, but he worked hard to make a difference in his community and in his family, and he did. But my heroes are both public and private figures who have made a difference. On the big scale, I look at Franklin Roosevelt. [He] was a son of privilege who was born with lots of opportunities that other people just didn’t have. He had this handicap that caused him pain every day of his adult life. Yet he rose to power at a remarkably bleak time in American history. And he made tough choices. He changed the paradigm, completely changed the relationship between people and government. [emphasis added]

McDONNELL: I think anybody can be a hero. I think it’s people doing uncommonly good things. . . . using tremendous fortitude to accomplish great things under great duress. . . . My personal hero is George Washington. I grew up right in the shadow of Mount Vernon in Northern Virginia and got to know a lot about our first president, and he’s a hero for a couple reasons in my view. One is he had extraordinary courage on the battlefield, extraordinary ability to motivate people to achieve their highest and best, even when they were going through tremendous physical pain. And he willingly walked away from power. Some of the settlers wanted to make him king and he said no, it’s what we just fought against in England and I’m not going to do that. [emphasis added] So he’s my personal hero. And I think people in political life can do that if you’re a motivator, if you set high standards, if you are honest, if you keep your promises and your word to people, and continue to be resilient no matter what the obstacles. I think people in any walk of life can be heroes.

One candidate selected a president for the way he "completely changed the relationship between people and government" — expanding government and its power — and another selected a president for the way he walked away from power when he had the chance.

Then there was this unusual question:

17. Can you name one good reason that someone should vote for your opponent?

DEEDS: [Long pause] You know, I can name you a thousand good reasons why they should vote for me. I’m the best-prepared person to be the next governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. . . . Bob is a guy that I’ve always gotten along with, but I get along with most people. I work hard to get along with people. I don’t agree with Bob on a great deal.

McDONNELL: He’s a good family man. He’s worked hard to represent his district well for 18 years. To me, he’s a good story of somebody living and accessing the American dream. You know, he tells the story about . . . first guy in his family to go to college with four $20 [bills] in his pocket and now he’s competing for the job held by Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. To me, that’s a great story. I think there’s a hundred reasons why I’d be a better governor than him, but for the way, and this is his own personal life story, the way he has told it — it obviously happened because of tremendous hard work, tremendous perseverance to be able to get to the level that he is at, and I think that’s very admirable.

I think that Bob McDonnell was able to offer a genuine compliment and praise for his opponent says a great deal about him.

10/29 08:00 AMShare