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You know it’s bad when your liberal allies in the mainstream media reject your ideas (Atlantic Wire). That’s the case with the White House and the Democrat National Committee right now, who can’t even get CBS to buy into their allegation that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and some conservative groups are taking foreign money to ”buy” the midterm elections (see Media Research Center). The DNC has put out an ad to that affect, even calling certain conservatives and the GOP unpatriotic. The Chamber of Commerce unpatriotic?

The irony is stunning, coming from the party of Charlie Trie, Al Gore’s “no controlling legal authority,” and the Obama campaign’s anonymous millions from gift card donations, not to mention forced labor union dues from Big Labor. It proves the axiom that when the left accuses you of something, it usually means they’ve done it themselves (and are tyring to divert attention from real issues). 

MoveOn.org also is in this game with its own echo television spot. This from the group that takes uncountable sums from the likes of George Soros and the same left who accuses anyone of disagreeing with them as questioning  their patriotism. Even the New York Times has disproven the charge. No matter to the White House, which now includes the Chamber of Commerce, once a health care ally, on its enemies list.

For the left, then, it’s about control. Whether through a leviathan government or through intimidation, the left wants absolute conformity. When Bob Schieffer of CBS confronted Obama henchman David Axelrod  about whether he had any evidence of the foreign money allegation, Axelrod snapped chillingly:

Do you have any evidence that it’s not?

So, in the Age of Obama, it’s guilty until proven innocent! The proof? An allegation, and any allegation will do. Especially when you’re desperate.

An incredulous Bob Schieffer can’t believe the shear gall from the president’s chief of enforcement.

Four years ago, only a few weeks after taking office and proposing (against his campaign promise) the largest tax increase in Virginia history, Congressional Democrats chose then-Governor Tim Kaine to deliver their party’s response to then-President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address. Yesterday, it was reported (see Washington Post), that Congressional Republicans have chosen newly sworn-in Governor Bob McDonnell to give the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s January 27 State of the Union.

How about that for asymmetrical karma? But there’s more.

Yesterday, House Republicans brought to the floor Delegate Bob Brink’s (D-48, Arlington) HB 1155, legislation that would enact former Governor Tim Kaine’s proposed income tax increase (see Richmond Times-Dispatch). The bill was referred to the House Rules Committee, which alone has the authority to report bills to the floor without recommendation. Thus it did with HB 1155 in order to put Democrats on the spot — vote against their friend and national party chairman or be on record for higher taxes in a recession. Delegate Brink requested that the bill be pulled, normally a pro forma request that’s granted at the will of the patron. Not yesterday!

Instead, it was put to a vote while Democrats vehemently protested. As if they couldn’t have anticipated it. Remember, last year Republicans did the same thing on a bill that would have repealed Virginia’s Right To Work Law (see post here and video here). They forced a vote by bringing that equally controversial bill through a no recommendation vote on the Rules Committee. The Democrats reacted by abstaining, but through a parliamentary procedure that says if a member is in his seat but not voting, and another member points that out, the vote must be recorded in the negative. Thus, Majority Leader Morgan Griffith (R-8, Salem) forcibly recorded no votes against the bill which put Democrats at odds with their Big Labor allies.

With this as background, certainly they knew something was coming with a monstrous tax increase bill, and they knew they couldn’t abstain. On the first day of session, when the rules package is adopted, Minority Leader Ward Armstrong (D-10, Martinsville) said as much when he objected to the Rules Committee exception. As it turned out, it was a unanimous blowout, with the House voting 97-0 (with Delegate Brink abstaining) to reject one last Tim Kaine tax increase, sending it down with all his others, this one posthumously, in the political sense.

So, the question is, why file the tax increase bill to begin with? Only Delegate Brink knows for sure, but we suspect some members of the General Assembly like to give a peek of their colors to satisfy certain constituencies, but seek to conceal them altogether from the greater electorate. Increasingly, however, these lawmakers get found out.

This isn’t so much a slam against Creigh Deeds for his vague, indecisive, obfuscating way of saying he’ll raise our taxes in a recession, as it is the grammarian and rhetorician in me: Can we please cut out the cliches, people!

However, since it is election season, when you combine this with his infamous tax and other dodges, and his braggadocio on submitting the most budget amendments in the General Assembly — a billion dollars worth — it all kind of comes together nicely. Oh, one other thing thing not purposely vague about the Deeds campaign was the news of a late $25,000 donation from the United Association, a Big Labor group that works to dismantle Right-To-Work laws.

Disparate questions about his plans, but the same answer from Senator Deeds:

If it’s pro-Big Labor and means more taxes, spending and regulation, and less freedom, “it’s on the table” for Creigh Deeds. 

Annotations & Elucidations 

Polls, Debates And Third Party Ads

It’s all about the race to Richmond now (except for a new twist on the Senator Norment situation). Even CBS News is jumping into the coverage. With two weeks left there’s a bombardment of polls by every pollster this side of Minsk who wants to play Kreskin. Today, two more were released: One from Christopher Newport University and one from Clarus Research Group. In the campaign for governor, CNU has Republican Bob McDonnell up by 14 (not likely) but his running mate, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, up by just a few (even less likely), while Republican attorney general candidate, Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-37, Fairfax), up by something more than a handful (we’ll buy that; it’s consistent with other polls). Clarus is more in line with the Mason-Dixon and the Washington Post polls: McDonnell up eight, Bolling up seven (still seems light) and Cuccinelli up eight, but with many more undecideds in the latter two races.

If there aren’t enough polls for you, the third party ads are in high gear now: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the NRA have jumped in on McDonnell’s behalf, though not likely offsetting the big labor putsch for Democrat Creigh Deeds. Debates are also in high gear as tonight’s last gubernatorial version should be fun, especially since it is not on statewide television (embarrassing). Democrat Jody Wagner and Lt. Governor Bolling got into it last night. A math test for Ms. Wagner would’ve been more fun, though.

But will any of this matter? The Dems don’t think so. Virginia Democrat Party Chairman Dickie Cranwell says his side’s get-out-the-vote machinery will do the trick. That’s why President Obama is coming in for Senator Deeds. Of course, the last three elections the Republicans bragged about their turnout operation as well. Ask Governor Kilgore. But if the Dems can confound the pollsters, it’ll be because of their newfound and robust voter rolls and sheer force of numbers. Right now, it’s their only chance. 

News:

McDonnell Pulls Away in Va. Gov. Race; Tie in N.J. (CBSNews.com)

CNU poll: McDonnell holds double-digit lead in Va. gov race (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

McDonnell Expands Lead in Virginia Governor’s Race: GOP tops all three statewide elections in new Clarus Poll (ClarusRG.com)  

NRA’s New Ad: McDonnell Protects You From “Them” (TheAtlantic.com)

Deeds campaign to focus on getting Obama supporters to polls (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Deeds races to hook true-blue Democrats (Washington Post)

Deeds, McDonnell to debate for last time tonight (Washington Post)

Lieutenant governor hopefuls’ debate becomes heated (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Lt. Gov. candidates spar over attendance (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

In Sept., Dems outspent GOP in Va. House contests (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Garrett and Valentine spar on taxes, transportation, tuition (Lynchburg News & Advance)

Economy, jobs key issues in 7th District (Roanoke Times)

Sen. Norment and Attorney General’s office release opinion on W&M job (The Shad Plank Blog)

Last week, the candidates for attorney general, Republican Senator Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Delegate Steve Shannon, both of Fairfax, had only their second debate and the first that was broadcast — but only on Washington radio station WTOP-AM. (Democrat debate ducking has been taken to a whole new level this year.)

What’s particularly perplexing is the lack of coverage the media has affored the few debates that have taken place in any of the three statewide races, especially given the media’s endless pontificating about elections and issues versus slick and negative advertising. (With only a handful of debates, it sure doesn’t take a lot to cover them, either.) Yet, three candidates repeatedly refuse to debate (despite being well behind in the polls) and, when there is one, it is not on statewide television.

But we did have that one AG debate on WTOP’s The Politics Program with Mark Plotkin (listen here). The highlight seems to be Delegate Shannon’s ”I am a pro-business, law and order centrist,” comment when, in fact, he has a 100-percent AFL-CIO voting record (see AFL-CIO here) and has received nearly $150,000 in campaign contributions from big labor during his six years in the General Assembly — $120,000 of which has come during his attorney general run (see VPAP.org). 

What makes the statement even more astonishing is that Delegate Shannon attended a seminar in mid-September in Annapolis, Md., put on by the Democrat Attorneys General Association, that taught attorneys general how to sue companies into achieving liberal, extremist environmental policies not won through the legislative process. A suit-filing, job-killing AG. Now that’s business friendly.

As if that wasn’t enough, when it was Delegate Shannon’s turn to ask the one question each candidate was allowed to ask of the other, he asked Senator Cuccinelli about global warming and “cap and trade.” If this is so important, why do Delegate Shannon’s television ads stress Internet predators?

Instead, he wants to sue employers into closing down, such as the MeadWestvaco plant in Creigh Deeds’ own senate district. Read here what company Vice President Mark George wrote in an op-ed about the affect “cap and trade” would have on its Alleghany factory. It’s liberal strategy to redefine terms (marriage comes to mind), but instead of coming down the middle, Delegate Shannon comes right down Leftist Lane.