Sunday, July 26, 2009
McDonnell, Deeds clash over transportation, economy in debate
It was their first debate in a governor's race that is already drawing national attention.
Former Attorney General Bob McDonnell, GOP candidate for governor, speaks with Boyd Musick of Monterey after his debate against Democrat Creigh Deeds. "I don't think the people of Virginia could sustain another tax increase" for transportation funding, McDonnell said.
Photos by JOHN W. ADKISSON I The Roanoke Times
Democratic State Sen. Creigh Deeds greets people during a reception after his debate with Republican Bob McDonnell. "I'm not prepared to throw up any lightning rods," Deeds responded when pressed to detail his plans for increasing transportation funding.
Republican Bob McDonnell (left) and Democrat Creigh Deeds share a few cordial words after a sometimes-pointed hour-long exchange, their first official debate as gubernatorial candidates. The event at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs was sponsored by the Virginia Bar Association.
JOHN W. ADKISSON I The Roanoke Times
After trading rhetorical jabs in their first head-to-head debate as candidates for governor, Virginia's former Attorney General Bob McDonnell (left) and state Sen. Creigh Deeds exchange a smile at The Homestead in Hot Springs. Some of their sharpest exchanges were over funding for transportation and pollution reduction.
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HOT SPRINGS -- Virginia's two candidates for governor clashed Saturday over their approaches to reviving the economy and funding transportation in the first debate of their high-stakes campaign.
Republican Bob McDonnell, the former attorney general, challenged Democrat Creigh Deeds to denounce federal energy and labor relations policies that have drawn scorn from Virginia businesses. And he pressed Deeds to say whether he would increase taxes to address the state's chronic transportation woes.
Deeds, a state senator from Bath County, repeatedly argued that McDonnell's transportation plan would drain money from public schools, and he questioned whether McDonnell understood the economic hardships of rural and distressed areas.
The candidates traded rhetorical jabs for more than an hour at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs, not far from Deeds' home. The Virginia Bar Association sponsored the debate.
The forum gave both candidates a chance to further sharpen distinctions in a contest that already is drawing national attention. Their most pointed exchanges came on transportation funding, with McDonnell touting his plan to boost spending for roads, rail and transit, and pushing Deeds to indicate how he would find new transportation dollars. The state has cut more than $3 billion from its six-year road improvements plan since 2007 because of declining revenues.
Deeds said he would make transportation a top priority in his first year in office, saying "there's no quicker way to create jobs and create economic prosperity in every corner of the commonwealth."
But when McDonnell asked him whether he would increase taxes, Deeds was evasive.
"A lot of options are going to be on the table," Deeds said. "I'm not going to presume what will or will not pass the General Assembly next year."
McDonnell hammered on Deeds' answer, telling the Democrat: "You don't have a plan. You haven't suggested one dime."
Pressed further on the issue by reporters after the debate, Deeds said: "I'm running for governor, I'm not running for dictator."
"A specific funding source would be a lightning rod," Deeds said. "I'm not prepared to throw up any lightning rods."
McDonnell said he would not raise taxes, saying, "I don't think the people of Virginia could sustain another tax increase."
McDonnell's plan includes a proposal to privatize the state's liquor stores to generate money for roads. But Deeds charged that the Republican would drain money from public schools by making transportation eligible for more dollars from the state's general operating fund.
"He'll pit schoolchildren against transportation," Deeds said. "You won't see that in a Deeds administration."
McDonnell said his plan would not cut funding for schools and told Deeds, "You know that's not right, Creigh."
The economy was a major issue, with McDonnell and Deeds touting competing plans to create jobs and cope with the lingering effects of a national recession.
McDonnell said he would boost state incentives to attract businesses and jobs, and increase tourism and film production efforts. He criticized proposed federal legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to make it easier for unions to organize, arguing that both would hurt the state's business climate.
McDonnell challenged Deeds to declare his opposition to a proposed cap-and-trade system for curbing pollution, which McDonnell derided as "a job-killing energy tax on the American people." McDonnell said the proposal could have devastating consequences for industries such as the MeadWestvaco paper mill in Covington, a major employer in Deeds' Senate district.
Deeds said that Congress needs to address climate change. But, he added, "In a recession, any legislation that's going to cause an energy price increase for consumers and will put Virginia and American businesses at a competitive disadvantage is bad policy."
Deeds said he was confident that Democratic Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner would protect the state's interests in the cap-and-trade debate and told McDonnell: "As much as you talk about what's going on in Washington, I wonder whether you're running for Congress or governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia."
Deeds last week unveiled an economic development and jobs plan that includes proposals aimed specifically at rural and distressed areas. He said he would create a rural business fund to assist new and current companies, extend broadband access to underserved areas and expand job training in high-need areas such as health care.
Deeds on Saturday criticized McDonnell's record on rural economic issues. He cited McDonnell's opposition to targeted economic development initiatives that Warner pursued during his final year as governor, and the Republican's votes to cut dollars from an incentive fund used by governors to close deals with business prospects.
Deeds also accused McDonnell of working against rural interests as attorney general, noting that McDonnell's office defended utility rate increases sought by Appalachian Power. McDonnell said his office worked to protect the interests of consumers, but said Appalachian Power and other utilities "are entitled to rate increases under the law."
"As attorney general, my job wasn't to make it up," McDonnell said. "My job was to follow what the statute said and that's what I did."
The two candidates generally agreed that social issues would not be major factors in the campaign, though Deeds did criticize McDonnell for his long record of supporting abortion restrictions. And they briefly shared their views on gun control when moderator Rod Smolla, dean of the Washington and Lee University School of Law, asked them how the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech affected their views on guns.
McDonnell said he is a "strong supporter of the Second Amendment" and opposes legislation to require background checks for all firearms purchased at gun shows. Families of several Tech shooting victims have advocated for the legislation.
Deeds has been a supporter of gun rights and was endorsed by the National Rifle Association when he ran against McDonnell for attorney general in 2005. But he helped push a compromise bill through a Senate committee this year to close the so-called "gun show loophole" and said the Tech families helped change his perspective on the issue.
"Those people poured their grief into the gun show loophole legislation," Deeds said. "As a parent, I felt a need to respond to that grief."
