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Over the last 24 hours two more polls were released, one by Democrat pollsters Public Policy Polling and the other by SurveyUSA for Roanoke television station WDBJ. Neither typically are considered top tier polls — not necessarily in the same league as Mason-Dixon and Rasmussen. But they have shown interesting, sometimes contradictory, results this campaign season. But now both show Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell with commanding double digit leads (14 and 19 points, respectively). Each also has the other two Republican candidates, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and attorney general nominee Senator Ken Cuccinelli (Fairfax), up by healthy double digit margins. Does the fact that these two newer polls to Virginia politics both show the same trend (though different margins) verify a trend?

One who pretty much said so today was U.Va. political soothsayer Larry Sabato. On WRVA radio’s Richmond’s Morning News With Jimmy Barrett, he wouldn’t go that far — yet. But he crept up to to the line, which, for Dr. Sabato, is saying a great deal. He said he would release his Crystal Ball’s predictions next week.

Listen to Larry Sabato’s interview (6:55) with Jimmy Barrett by clicking here.

Here is the analysis (including methodology) and internal numbers from the two polls, including from the polling organizations themselves:

Public Policy Polling 

McDonnell starting to pull away (PublicPolicyPolling.com)

Another Poll Suggests McDonnell Pulling Away From Deeds (CQPolitics Blog)

McDonnell up 12 pts. in new poll (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Both

McDonnell Opens Double-Digit Lead Over Deeds in Virginia (Politics Daily Poll Watch Blog)

SurveyUSA

Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #15927 (SurveyUSA.com)

SurveyUSA Shows McDonnell Clinging to a 59–40 Lead (National Review Online’s The Campaign Spot Blog)

News7 Poll: Republicans hold comfortable leads in statewide contests (WDBJ7.com)

We’re as thrilled as the next guy that Virginia continues to rack up victories in prestigious national rankings for business and management. The PR can’t hurt, especially in these times. Governor Tim Kaine certainly couldn’t contain his enthusiasm this morning on his monthly call-in show on Richmond radio station WRVA when he announced Forbes again named Virginia the best state in the nation in for business. (Never mind the fact that, by Forbes’ own admission, Georgia, which moved from 15th to fifth, is the real story this year). This adds to the Old Dominion’s CNBC Number 1 ranking, announced last month.  

Virginia has won so many “Best State For Business” and “Best Managed State” awards over the last 10 years (all without major league sports franchises and new stadiums, by the way) that one has to wonder how much of it is earned and how much is based on reputation. It makes one question whether CNBC and Forbes have even heard of VITA and Northrop Grumman (see Daily Press). How can either one claim the current administration has managed the state well with a massive agency/private sector partnership in meltdown (see Charlottesville Daily Progress)? What about the constantly missed budget revenue forecasts despite repeated warnings from outside sources and the General Assembly? Not to mention four years without a transportation plan. We don’t hear the governor championing those aspects of his government.

If you haven’t heard it by now, and you want a good laugh, listen to Democrat lieutenant governor candidate Jody Wagner’s interview this morning with WRVA’s Richmond’s Morning News host Jimmy Barrett (click here).

Barrett gets right to the point and asks the former Kaine administration finance secretary about her missed revenue projections, which have resulted in consecutive budget deficits and multiple budget cuts. I’ll give her some credit for her answer — she’s at least learned something from the Obama administration, and that’s the one thing it’s good at: blame, blame and pass the buck, with a litany of boilerplate liberal excuses:

» It was the Bush administration’s fault (at least twice);

» At least Virginia isn’t as bad off as some other states (that’ll make people feel secure);

» Passed the buck to economic forecasting agencies, business leaders and groups, and General Assembly leaders (how about that, Dick Saslaw?);

» But the 6.6 percent revenue growth projection in a slowing economy never gave her pause, even as many in the General Assembly warned the Kaine administration it was too high (she emphatically was “not overly optimistic”); and 

» Repeatedly said, “Let’s be clear,” (to the point where Barrett mockingly repeated it himself).

Not to mention her defensiveness when Barrett tried to loft her a softball about her campaign — she thought he was trying to blame her for the recession, for which she blamed George W. Bush (again).

All these excuses inevitably led to contradictions. Follow this bit of illogic: If it’s the federal government’s fault when things are bad, she must then credit it when things are good; if so, we have no reason for state government. So why is she running? She also got defensive when Barrett mentioned the recession came into focus a year ago, and rudely interrupted him to say she wasn’t in office then, as well as when he simply asked how forecasts might be improved in the future.

But we still haven’t heard the classics from her! Here goes:

On the grossly inaccurate revenue forecasts: 

“If I’m powerful enough to be personally responsible for that, then you want me to be your lieutenant governor.”

Then, the absolute best for last: On the Public Policy Poll (a liberal pollster) that shows all three Democrats behind by double digits:

“The Democratic candidates have not yet begun communicating with the public yet and we will be doing that as the campaign moves along.” 

So, that entire primary thing back in June was a what? Those television ads she ran . . . ? Those campaign appearances and interviews . . . ?

There you have it. It has nothing to do with her previous job performance, but that she and her ticket mates haven’t yet communicated with the public. Don’t worry, though. They plan on it. But with interviews like this, Ms. Wagner may want to delay that communication as long as possible.

I was interviewed this morning on WRVA-AM’s popular Richmond’s Morning News with Jimmy Barrett about the murder of abortionist Dr. George Tiller in Kansas (click here to listen). Jimmy is a very good-natured host and I always enjoy his show. 

He started out by saying about the alleged killer, Scott Roeder: “He’s probably the poster child for what a lot of liberals think pro life people are . . . there are gonna be people out there who are going to take a look at Scott Roeder and say, ‘Well, this is what the pro-life movement is all about.’”

Jimmy then went on and described Scott Roeder’s profile like this:

“Called himself a citizen of the Republic of Kansas;
didn’t believe in income taxes, social security taxes;
refused to register his car car; has a history of mental illness issues, etc. So this guy is a nutjob.”      

Jimmy then said that this is obviously not what most pro-lifer’s look like, but liberals are going to try to make it seem that way, and he’s right.

As I pointed out with Jimmy on his show, there are “nutjobs” that claim all types of causes. There will always be people to take things to unimaginable extremes and frankly shame the rest of the movement.

Sadly, a perfect example of a leftist “nutjob” surfaced just one day after the murder of Dr. Tiller. In a case that has not received as much Mainstream Media coverage, a man named Carlos Bledsoe, who converted to Islam and now goes by Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, shot two people at an Army recruitment center in Arkansas (see RedState.com, here). 

So far, the profile of this shooter reads:

“Peace activist;”
“One who had a ‘disagreement over the military operations;’”
“Opened fire ‘with the specific purpose of targeting military personnel;’” and, “Held ‘political and religious motives.’” 

My point is: the left best be very careful accusing all pro-lifers as being like Scott Roeder and the right better be careful not to claim all Muslims or peaceniks are like Carlos Bledsoe. Both sides need not exploit the tragedies to push extreme agendas.  

These are both incidents of extreme hatred perpetrated by cowards.  Hopefully, justice will prevail in both cases. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see if the profiling by the left continues.

This past Saturday, TFF Action President Victoria Cobb was a guest on Richmond radio station WRVA’s Saturday Morning With The Lee Brothers to discuss the organization’s 2008-09 General Assembly Report Card (click here to order, print or download). Scott and Richard Lee discuss with her various lawmakers’ scores and how Report Card votes were determined. The Report Card has received a fair amount of media coverage, which you can access in today’s News Stand. To hear the interview, which went up today on the hosts’ Web site, click on the link below. It lasts about almost five minutes.

Family Foundation Action Report Card Interview With Victoria Cobb, Saturday Morning With The Lee Brothers, May 16, WRVA/1140-AM (4:52)

On August 8, 2007, Family Foundation of Virginia President Victoria Cobb was interviewed by Scott and Richard Lee on their highly rated talk show “Saturday Mornings With The Lee Brothers” on WRVA-AM/1140 in Richmond about Governor Tim Kaine’s government expansion into Pre-K education.

Although it was conducted about 10 months ago, this interview is very timely today as Governor Kaine (contact him here) reflexively seeks a massive tax increase on Virginia families, obstensibly to finance transportation improvements. The topic presciently was brought up even in this August interview . . . . Why begin new state programs that don’t work and no one wants? Why not use that money for transportation instead of jacking up our tax burden yet more?

Scott Lee coins a great new phrase in this interview which we may unashamedly appropriate for ourselves. Even more presciently, he claims rightly:

The best government is the one not in session.

Are you listening General Assembly (contact here) and Governor Kaine? You meet in the winter, not June.

The interview lasts about five minutes. You can listen to it by clicking here.

More print, video and audio interviews with Family Foundation spokesmen, as well as other interactive features, are at our new Online Newsroom and Online Library. 

On Saturday, May 17, Family Foundation of Virginia President Victoria Cobb was interviewed by Scott and Richard Lee on their highly rated Richmond talk show, “Saturday Mornings With The Lee Brothers” on WRVA about the California Supreme Court decision striking down that state’s law banning same-sex marriage.

Click here to listen to the interview. It lasts about six minutes.

If you like listening to or reading interviews with Family Foundation spokesmen, please check out more interactive features at our new Online Newsroom and Online Library. A separate video interview is at the first highlighted link above.