That’s the best writeup on this topic I’ve seen to date. Who is Shaula Evans? She’s friggin’ awesome!

Posted by Josh Chernila on 15 October 2005 @ 2pm

Thanks for the highlight, Waldo. I drew heavily on your work and the work of other VA bloggers in writing the piece–so thank you for the great coverage you’ve put in on the story. You made my job easy. :)

BTW, the article is up on the front page of The Agonist right now, too (story permalink). BOP and the Agonist draw somewhat different crowds, so the discussions on the two sites are developing differently. Both sites are also very high traffic, so I am hoping the article will drive some linky love back to my fellow VA bloggers.

And thanks for the kind words, Josh. :) I’m a Virginia blogger and a campaign hack–among other things.

Posted by Shaula Evans on 15 October 2005 @ 4pm

Deceptive advertising is the name of the game. Consider if you will the following in the under-ticket race for attorney general.

The handsome young man sports a military uniform standing in front of a military helicopter. Next, with the stern look of a former prosecutor we see him standing in a jail surrounded by police officers. The overlying voice of the campaign ad says he is tough on crime and that he is a good family man who will protect us from vicious criminals.

The ad invites you to believe Bob McDonnell is the type of model citizen we would want as Virginia’s next Attorney General. Yet, like the candidate himself, the ad is a slick well-produced showpiece.

In 1996, McDonnell sponsored legislation to make it a serious crime for candidates to make false charges during a campaign. Three years later his campaign manager admitted that McDonnell’s campaign had made false charges against an opponent.[1] That “Do what I say, not what I do” standard is nothing short of hypocrisy. It is not a character trait worthy of any statewide candidate.

Yet, the most damning part of this sad episode is the subsequent downfall of McDonnell’s campaign manager. Was he fired because he told the truth about making false charges during the campaign? Surprisingly the answer is no. The campaign manager, Robin W. Vanderwall, was later caught-up in a Virginia Beach Police Internet sting. He was arrested and subsequently convicted of attempted indecent liberties with children.[2]

My father taught me that men are judged by the company they keep. Does this make Bob McDonnell a child molester? No it doesn’t, however, it does call into question his ability to protect our children from sexual predators when he can’t even keep such people out of the hierarchy of one of his campaigns.

Now then, it would appear that it’s not such a good week when you look below the very thin veneer of a cleverly produced campaign ad.

[1] Roanoke Times, 1/11/96 & Virginia Pilot, 1/14/03
[2] Virginia Pilot, 11/24/03 and 2/8/04 & Richmond Times Dispatch, 1/21/03

Posted by The Hornet on 17 October 2005 @ 8pm