Clearing out the smoke

This past Wednesday, the annual Wakefield Shad Planking, a time-honored political right of passage in Virginia, was held just off Rt. 460 in a Sussex County grove. Rain had dampened the pines, but you can be assured those in attendance enjoyed the beer, the smoke, thousands of yard signs jamming the roads, and the shad.

Enjoyed the shad? A oily and boney fish smoked all day with a over-salted basting sauce! Must be an acquired taste - one I will probably never come by. But, I must say their fried fish is great. No, I wasn't there this year - last time I made it was 2006 when only Jim Webb gave himself much of a chance and even Cooter's bluegrass music lured few to his booth. George Allen was working the crowd with his arrogant smirk of confidence that would be wiped off his face a few months later.

So, this must-attend event brought together all the gubernatorial candidates for a day of beer, banter, and bluster. Well, not quite. Actually, the biggest news to come out of the Shad Planking was about the candidate who chose not to attend - Senator Creigh Deeds. While Democrats Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran shared the stage with Republican Bob McDonnell for speeches that nobody remembers, Creigh Deeds was about as far away as you can get and still be in Virginia - the beautiful town of Abingdon.

Deeds joined U.S. Representative Rick Boucher for a day of campaigning in the great southwestern corner of the Commonwealth. The themes of the day were Deed's plans for jobs and education, but the real messages were (1) Deeds marches to his own drummer, (2) one of the most respected Virginia Democrats is squarely in his corner, and (3) Deeds prefers trout to shad (well, I just made the last one up... but once I did attend a Deeds' event with delicious grilled trout). Boucher endorsed Deeds last December and this was a great opportunity for the two men to send a message not only to folks in Abingdon, but to all small town and rural Virginians that Creigh Deeds has the best chance for a Democratic win this November:

Creigh Deeds does indeed march to his own drummer. It is the same drummer that kept him working in the Virginia Senate rather than resign for more campaigning and fundraising. It the same drummer that finds him taking up issues for regular families all across the state. It is the same drummer says raising big campaign dollars is less important than listening to and talking with Virginians. It must be the same drummer he learned in mountains of Bath County that served him (and his constituents) well through many years in the General Assembly.

So while his opponents were speechifying and blowing enough political smoke to outdo theguys doing the shad, Deeds was doing what he does best - talking with real folks about real issues and real solutions. Yeah, the big out-of-state money may be betting on another horse, but on June 9 this dark horse may just surprise everybody.

Obama Rocks Roanoke

Yesterday, Barack Obama made his fourth stop in western Virginia drawing over 8,000 people to the Roanoke Civic Center for a midday rally. A wildly cheering crowd, many with homemade signs like Hokies 4 Obama, and Roanoke Loves Obama filled the center with noise and enthusiasm. Apparently many students, teachers, officer workers, and others took a skip day to be part of making history.

Senator Jim Webb asked the crowd when was the last time the Republican nominee had been to southwest Virginia. McCain hasn't been to the region since 2007 when he visited VMI. Representative Rick Boucher told the crowd that the past week has seen "tremendous movement on the part of southwestern Virginians" toward the Obama/Biden ticket.

The video clip is from the part of Obama's speech where he talks about the need for change. Clips of his discussion on health care, the economy, and more can be found here.

Obama later stopped by a downtown hair salon and greeted the proprietor and customers. 

Meanwhile, across town at Young's Towing, a half dozen Republicans held a counter rally. Not sure why this was even newsworthy, but I'm glad The Roanoke Times ran the story which is full symbolism and irony. Delegate Morgan Griffith and a couple others spoke the garage's battery load tester which served as a podium. Actually, it was a disguised defibrillator for a campaign on life support. The tow truck left immediately afterwards, looking for McCain's car which is stuck in the mud they are spewing.

Of course, Republicans can never resist that mudslinging which only serves to get them deeper in the ditch - Delegate Ralph Smith of Botetourt County accused Barack Obama of being a Chicago gangster when he dropped the name of Al Capone, as if the criminal who died in 1947, was a close Obama advisor.