By Adam Bitely — When voters went to the polls in November of 2009 in Virginia to choose the next Governor, they decided by a wide margin that Bob McDonnell (R) was the better candidate over Creigh Deeds (D).
McDonnell had successfully painted Deeds as an unprepared, unserious candidate who had no clue how to tackle the issues the next Governor would face. And McDonnell had taken a position of no new taxes for transportation while accusing his opponent of failing to make the same commitment.
Bob McDonnell hit the airwaves hard with a television ad called “Priorities” where he promised no new taxes — a promise his opponent Creigh Deeds refused to make — for transportation projects.
McDonnell specifically laid out the main points of his transportation plan saying, “My plan, new money for transportation while protecting education funding and not raising taxes.” Notice that he does not say “some increased taxes” or “a few increased taxes”. He said “not raising taxes”.
Deeds was terrible at explaining his position on transportation. And he was even worse at being able to look directly in to the camera and lie — a skill his opponent had mastered.
Just this past weekend, the largest tax increase in Virginia history of $1 billion a year was passed by the General Assembly. That tax increase was backed by Bob McDonnell and was based on a plan from McDonnell that had called for tax increases to fund his transportation ideas. Apparently McDonnell’s slick advertising campaign from the fall of 2009 had been forgotten in the governors’ mansion.
Fortunately for Virginia taxpayers, many of which were subjected to McDonnell’s 2009 advertising campaign where he mocked those who were pro-tax, McDonnell’s one and only term as Governor will conclude next January as Virginia limits governors to one term.
And unfortunately for Virginia taxpayers, there is no penalty against politicians that tell you one story to get elected and then another once elected.
Adam Bitely is the Editor-in-Chief of NetRightDaily.com. You can follow NetRightDaily on Twitter at @NetRightDaily.
