Terry McAuliffe is in

Virginia doesn't have exploratory committees- so he is a filed candidate for Governor.

I'm going to talk to him in about an hour- what questions do you want asked?

Waiting for statements from Moran and Deeds...

UPDATE:  THE INTERVIEW

Peter Lamarka on twitter asks: “Where do you stand on the Dillon Rule?”

Terry said he “believes we need to let local jurisdictions make decisions for themselves”.  He is a “big supporter of regional authorities".

Adam Schmidt asks on twitter: “In what areas do you believe you are independent from the national party”

Terry “disagrees with the concept” of that question.  He rattled off a number of issues including   “universal health care”,  “tax cuts for 95% of Americans”. “education benefits that will stimulate the economy” where he strongly agrees with the national party. He says the national platform is what “Barack Obama ran on” and “I support it 100%”.  Terry also added “No one was tougher on George Bush and I was proven right.  Our party has stood strong and that helps all Americans". 

Anonymous Question at 359 on NLS asks:  “What is your Opinion of Bob McDonnell?”

Terry said “McDonnell is one of the problems we have had in Richmond.  Bob McDonnell has been part of stopping progress.  Bob McDonnell has moved this state backwards.  He is out of step with where Virginia wants to go”.

How about Brian Moran or Creigh Deeds?

Terry said they are both “great guys".  He has "known Brian a long time".  "Creigh ran a great race in 2005".  Terry will "never say anything bad about another Democrat".  He's running because he has "big ideas" and wants a "good and exciting primary".  Terry added the "2008 primary was a huge benefit to the party" and helped elect Obama by creating his state organizations.   

Josh Nelson from The Seminal, which is a great national blog focusing on the environment asks: “Would you support a renewable electricity standard in Virginia"?

Terry said: “Yes, I support renewable energy. We can make Virginia the #1 state in this area.  We ought to be what the internet was a few years ago with renewable energy.”   Terry added it would be “one of our top, top missions” if he was elected.  He has “invested personally in windfarms and solar” and thinks it is a “great opportunity to create jobs”.  Terry finished by saying we have great resources in Virginia “from the ocean and mountains” to our “excellent higher education system” that could be tapped to make us #1 in this area.

Another question from NLS.  Howard Park asks how much will you spend on your campaign?

Terry said he "will raise a lot of money.  It wont just be for Governor.  It will be about winning House of Delegates".  Terry thinks it will be "expensive- more than we have seen in the past.  Conservatives will want to use this race to turn around nationally".  Terry's plan is to "run a coordinated campaign like we never have before".  One really interesting point he made that I have never heard before from a candidate for Governor: Terry feels it is his "responsibility to fund ALL the races" if he is the nominee for Governor from local to legislative. 

Another question from NLS.  Joe asks: "As the other two candidates running for the Democratic nomination have already explicitly stated their support for bipartisan or nonpartisan redistricting, what is your stance? Would you be willing to veto any proposed redistricting maps that are obviously gerrymandered, even if in favor of the Democrats?"

Terry said “Yes would veto them.  Independent commissions should be drawing these lines.  Competition is good- it is why I like primaries.  Competition keeps you on your toes."  Terry also added   "That’s why they (Republicans) want the Governors office" (i.e. to redistrict the Democrats into oblivion again).

Final Question, I'm going to ask one of the tough ones aimed at you, and its anonymous.

Terry:  *Laughs*  They usually are anonymous.

Here it is.  "Let's cut to the heart. My first thought is that Sen. Deeds will run a RoVA-to-NoVA campaign, Del. Moran will run a NoVA-to-RoVA campaign, and you will run a 22101-to-22102 campaign."  (For those of you who don't know, those are the two McLean zip codes).

Terry: "I have helped many Virginia candidates. I will run all over state.  I have lived here almost 20 years.  I donated Mark Warner 1.2 million from DNC when he was running for Governor.  We gave 5 million dollars to Kaine, the largest single gift in history of party.  Virginia is important to show we can win in the south.  No one will campaign harder". Terry added he would spend the "next 60 days on road going to every part of Virginia.  I will play everywhere.  I've just been in Tazewell, Bristol and Galax.   Our message of job creation and growing economy works.  Richmond does not work.  Republicans in House of Delegates won't move state forward and are stuck.  We cant move forward unless we change that.  The House thinks small and makes petty decisions instead of the best interest of state".  Terry finished by saying, "Tim and Mark have gone a magnificent job- Tim has to cut another billion and half next month- we shouldn’t be forced into those challenges.   We have already cut to the bone and we can not raise taxes in down economy".  Terry's solution?  "We have one option- grow the economy.  I can grow the economy. I will use my personal contacts and be Virginia’s greatest salesman and bring jobs to the state.  We have more money for education and health care if you grow the economy". Terry says he will "fix Richmond, and fix the House of Delegates" by using his contacts and "won't be happy until we are the #1 growth state in country".

Looks like we are in for a heckuva race!

Comments

Boxers or briefs?

Does he support Al Gore that no new coal power plants should be built?

[Howard Park]

How much will Mr. McAuliffe spend on his campaign?

Ha- see if he can name the Governor between Robb and Wilder.

[Josh Nelson]

Please ask one of the following:

Should the state of Virginia be investing tax dollars in the development of "clean-coal" technology?

Would you support a renewable electricity standard in Virginia?

Thanks

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Terry,

At present, we have two candidates who seek the nomination. Both have deep roots with the state-wide electorate, money contributors and the state government. Both are great on the stump, have been campaigning for over a year already and both candidate's supporters realize the strengths of the other. One nearly won a state-wide race in 2005 and the other has massive Northern Virginia as his base.

Why do you feel that Virginia Democrats want you to push them aside?

[Josh Nelson]

Would he support a renewable electricity standard in Virginia?

Much better question that old Governors- see how many members of the Democratic Majority in the State Senate he can name.

[Karl]

Where does he stand on coal and will he actually answer the question?

And does he have anything that separates him from Tim Kaine. I.E. What would he have done different compared to Kaine over the last 3 years?

Chicks or dicks?

Would he be in favor of removing all of the smelly hippies from Virginia and send them off to New Hampshire or somewhere far, far away?

[Not Larry Sabato]

Great Questions (until the last one).

Keep them coming- I will let you know when we can't take anymore.

Whats his opinion of McDonnel

Has the DNC's 50-State strategy been a success? Should it be continued?

What counties in VA are crucial to statewide chances next year?

What HOD seats are likely Democratic pickups and which ones do Dems need to focus on defending?

Will he donate personally to the candidates in those races regardless of his performance in the June primary.

What key VA Democratic endorsements does he have?

[not tim kaine]

to terry:

If you had been "stuck down in Richmond" during the same time that the two other candidates for governor have been working in the VA legislature, on what issues would you have worked/voted differently and on which issues do you think they have specifically voted incorrectly?

[I hate being stuck in traffic]

What specific ideas do you have on Virginia's transportation crisis? This has been the #1 issue in Virginia for nearly a decade and we've made little progress.

Most people agree we need high-speed rail and huge investments in infrastructure, but how can we get there with a budget crunch and voters who will vote against you if you support raising taxes?

[Joe]

As the other two candidates running for the Democratic nomination have already explicitly stated their support for bipartisan or nonpartisan redistricting, what is your stance? Would you be willing to veto any proposed redistricting maps that are obviously gerrymandered, even if in favor of the Democrats?

Finally, would you be willing to force McDonnell to take a stand on it in the campaign?

[Andrew Wright]

I'd like more specifics regarding the "High Speed Rail" in his announcement.

And considering VA is likely facing a significant decline in revenue, I'd like to know what proposals may have to wait.

What will his process of determining and weighing policy priorities look like?

Let's cut to the heart. My first thought is that Sen. Deeds will run a RoVA-to-NoVA campaign, Del. Moran will run a NoVA-to-RoVA campaign, and you will run a 22101-to-22102 campaign.

So what Virginia experiences and perspectives can you bring to the Commonwealth that Mr. Deeds and Mr. Moran cannot?

[Not Larry Sabato]

Just finished up- asked a bunch of these questions- posting it all in a few minutes.

[t]

Terry,

What will you do to ensure the rights of precious unborn babies are protected by law?

What legal restrictions on abortion will you sign into law?

Will you commit to preventing state tax monies from financing the butchers at Planned Parenthood?

[Not Einstien]

Anon 4:25 & Pete asked the same question for more eloquently than I would, but here goes: Why the hell should Virginians even consider voting for someone who has no ties whatsoever to the Commonwealth other than an address?

[Grapes]

Terry,

How will you protect the sacred institution of marriage from homosexual radicals seeking to subvert it to something wicked and perverse?

[Sean Holihan]

This guy is a walking generalization machine.

Ugh.

I have no idea what it would take for anyone to convince me that he'd be a good governor.

[Gnarly]

Now I'm getting a sense of the giddiness you Dems all felt when the GOP gave you Gilmore as the nominee.

Give us Terry...please.

Brian Moran must be freaking out. Creigh Deeds has got to be very happy right now.

I suppose we can count on a variety of taxes, conflicting laws and regulations if he guts the Dillon rule. (I am sure that will go over well with the businesses he wants to attract)

The coal miners and business owners must feel good that he wants to put them out of business in favor of the “wind farms” he has invested in.

He has learned that one can buy an election if one will “raise a lot of money”.
I suppose that by giving “millions” to Kaine and Warner he feels he has “bought” their services (is he calling them whores?).

All in all some good questions and some vague or curious answers, is this really Governor material?

[Hold On a Second]

Look, I'm not in the bag for any of these guys, but this: "Terry will 'never say anything bad about another Democrat'," doesn't even BEGIN to pass the smell test. Give me a freaking break! He didn't have a damn thing nice to say about President-Elect Obama until after Senator Clinton was out of the race. I'm all about bringing us all back together, unity and the whatnot, but come the heck on! That's just ridiculous.

That would be like Lieberman claiming he was secretly for Obama the whole time!

[Really Want to Know]

So are the rumors true about him and Madonna?

Question: Is Terry getting in the race in order to split the NoVa vote, and thus giving the nomination to Sen. Deeds, who is considered the strongest against McDonnell? I'm not a Democrat, but if this is indeed the strategy, I have to say that it seems like a smart one to me.

Speaking of education, why is Mrs. Obama looking at private schools.
I thought liberals believed in the public school system.
These schools are not good enough for the young Obama's but good enough for the serfs who voted them into office.
Why don't they go to Ballou, the school could use the extra security?
I suppose they don't want the eliet mixing with the common folks.

Did I leave out typical liberal hypocrisy?

[Not Dick Saslaw]

If I understand correctly, Terry "I've got a great rolodex" McAuliffe proposes to purchase the governor's mansion. Do Moran and Deeds agree that it is for sale?

[Not Joe the Plumber]

Has McAuliffe ever held a real job outside of the Washington money merry-go-round?

[RicJohn]

"Speaking of education, why is Mrs. Obama looking at private schools.
I thought liberals believed in the public school system.
These schools are not good enough for the young Obama's but good enough for the serfs who voted them into office.
Why don't they go to Ballou, the school could use the extra security?
I suppose they don't want the eliet mixing with the common folks."

Anon 9:25--First of all, Ballou is a HIGH SCHOOL (and they already have 5 or more police officers there, which hasn't curbed fights). Malia Obama is 10 and Sasha Obama is 7, so unless they were skipped a few grades, I'm sure they will still be in elementary school.

The Obamas were already sending their kids to the University of Chicago Laboratory School, a really top-notch private school. It was their choice to send their kids there...plus now that the girls will be under surveillance 24/7, they need to be in a more secure environment. I heard the Obamas might consider some public schools in Northwest DC (Key, Lafayette, Murch, Oyster, etc.) but its their decision.

is a Governors mansion much more expensive than a White House?
No real need to hold a job. just keep the seat warm while you campaign for something else.

were looking for "supreme world leader next" got any ideas about who might be interested?

[RicJohn]

Also, in reference to McAuliffe, he is totally unelectable. He is not a Virginia gentleman or statesman like Creigh Deeds or Brian Moran. The Democrats have been doing SO well since 2001, and why would they ruin it all in the name of Terry McAuliffe? If the Democrats want to be competitive across across the entire state and regain control of the House of Delegates in 2011, they'll nominate Deeds. Moran is also solid and I would happily support him, but Deeds is an all-around upstanding guy. Plus, with more resources and campaigning in Northern Virginia (where he ran behind Tim Kaine and Leslie Byrne), he can surely beat back Taliban Bob.

McAuliffe also shows how easily he lies (No wonder he's the Clintons' BFF). He bashed President-elect Obama for months and months, talking about how awful a candidate he was. Why would Obama campaign around the state and tarnish his reputation for McAuliffe, risking his ability to win the state again in 2012?

We live in country where our political system can deliver a VP candidate who does not know the names of countries in North America, does not know the names of countries in Africa, does know whether Africa is a continent or a country. This is profound, shocking, massively disturbing level of ignorance in any political candidate in this country, but she (Palin) was a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Voters need to know that they are being lied to by their politicians about competence.

1:17
worse yet we have elected a president that thinks there are 58 states.

[Not Joe the Plumber]

...and while he's at it, perhaps Mr. McAuliffe can disclose his price point for seats in the House of Delegates. Will they simply be sold, or is an auction planned?

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Ben, rather poor interviewing on your part. "What about Brian and Creigh?" That was not the question. The question was about their deep roots with Virginia compared to Terry's total lack. The question was about Brian and Creigh's connection with voters and why Terry feels voters will discard them for him. That was the question.

PS - Troll, keep hammering that 57 state thing. It worked out well for you so far. Oh, mention arugala, too!

Pete,
Did Obama say there were 57 States?
That must have been right after he spoke about the "tiny" country of Iran being no threat.

No matter he is the President-elect, I worry less about his lack of intelligence than I do about his socialist leanings.
Not happy enough with the billions (of our children's future) already spent in the last couple months, he is now pushing to bail out more failed businesses.

What gives government the "right" to decide what companies survive and which are left to perish? We see continued abuses even now from AIG and unions even as they scream for more money. Until there is accountability these things will continue and will drag our economy and our society down with them.

you are going to be waiting a while. Heres the bottom line most of the people in the political field know one thing. how to win campaigns. They don't know jack about the economy.

Heres another shocker most people in the business field are smarter than the people writing the bills. Good luck finding intelligent people who want to work in government when you can easily make ten times as much in private industry.

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Troll,

Let go. Let go of the campaign. Limbaugh and Hannity couldn't make any headway with Ayers, arugala, teleprompters, elitist, Kenyan, Arab dot dot dot, but maybe you can. Obama unintelligent? I'm not optimistic for you, but feel free to give it a try.

As for the bail-out, I dunno, you tell me what gave President Bush the right to originate the bail-out and have his SecTreas push it even after it failed the first vote.

Pete,
By "first vote" are you talking about the Democrat controlled Senate and House?

[TJ's Ghost]

What Not Einstien said. If I'm forced to choose between McAuliffe and McDonnell for Governor, I guess I'll be writing in my wife's name.

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Sure. Just like in your post that by "government" you meant the Republican president.

Dude, the world and even this blog has moved on. I'm not sure how long I'll be willing to feed you scraps under the table like this.

11:25 AM, yup, the GOP sure picked some "intelligent" people. Heckuva job Bushie, Brownie, Rummy, Ricy, blah, blah, blah. Those guys are part of the legacy that delivered multiple branches of government to the Democrats (their incompetence might be good politial playback for another couple of years).

11:21 AM, keep up the attitude and we get our 60 seats in 2010. The field is looking good.

8:52 AM/8:14 AM, just continue runnin on racism; please. That should make Virginia a more royal shade of blue. Better yet, do what you can to keep Jeff Frederick (massive douche) in his position.

[Hokie Guru]

Ric John, if Obama supports Joe Lieberman's current position in the Democratic caucus (which we think he does), he will support McAuliffe. Obama will support the Democractic nominee in Virginia.

Not Joe the Plumber, has McDonnell every not supported a woman's right to be raped? He is so for right on abortion, that's essentially his position

Pete,
Why do you want to blame somebody else because Obama does not know how many States are in the USA?

Your witless diatribes shall not make the man any smarter. Face it he won and you are now stuck with defending the ignorance past, present and future.
Your were very persistent in bashing and blaming Bush for everything that happened during his time in office even when the democrat congress was giving out mortgages like candy on Halloween, spending like drunken sailors and taking away citizens rights.

Now your team has the whole enchilada with a promise to “fix” the problems. We have seen the Pelosi / Reid fixes in the past with bailouts galore, rising energy costs, falling stock market and retirement plans.

You will have your work cut out for you defending the three stooges Pelosi / Reid / Obama.

Btw, have you heard Obama say anything about pulling all the troops out of Iraq by April (as promised)?

Good luck and don’t forget if all else fails you can continue the standard liberal activity of name calling and changing the subject.

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Glad you got that off your chest. Feel better?

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Anonymous Troll,

Sorry about my last post. Since we're certainly the only people still reading this thread at this point, I'd like to mention something. In your posts, you spend 5% of your text trying to make a point and 95% percent of your text trying to be an asshole. It's strange and, IMHO, totally ineffective. I am usually inclined to skim past your posts when I see them because I know that you're not here for discussion, you're just here to call someone a child or whatever is your invective of the day.

Anyhoo, I'm sure you wouldn't type so much if you didn't care about your country and about politics. Frankly, I think political activism like this is important and even noble. I like this blog because I dig the inside scoop and the exchanges. Thing is, everyone has different writing styles, but I'm telling you, poster to poster, you come off as a petty, angry wanna-be-lash-out artist in every single post you have ever placed on NLS. My point is, why write like that? If you have as much hate in your heart as your posts suggest, you're still not going to score points on us evil Dems if your posts continue to be so far into the Coulter-esque margin.

I'm sure you'll find this "advice" to be completely useless and insulting. Sorry, I still cling to liberal fantasies like communication and friendly outreach.

Pete,
You are probably right about the last on this thread.

Not really trolling just trying to make some points and “give back” some of what has been said in the past about the current administration.

I would suggest that if you check the math I believe there was only a bit of “asshole” (three stooges comment, 58 states, and witless diatribe) in my post and mostly “points”.

The major point is that those in your position will now find yourselves trying to defend the actions of the new administration. Will there be mistakes? Yes.
Will there be people who have grown tired of hearing liberals bash Bush over every issue who will try to make you see the similarities and hypocrisy in any change of attitude you guys may have?, you bet.

Your last post seems thoughtful and I give you credit.
I believe you will have a very difficult job defending many of the positions that will soon come from Obama. Particularly because you have so much invested in him and so many believe him able to do things that are actually impossible. However these beliefs were promoted by him in order to win and you folks either have to admit that you supported a known liar or that the person you supported did not fulfill his promises (a very embarrassing position for his supporters).
I have already heard people say “we know he lied politicians always lie”, this does not say much for anyone truly believing in change.

In fact, I believe you will find that he will end up with positions close to Bush on some important issues (like Iraq and to some extent taxes). I will be interested to see if you will be as critical of him when he disappoints as you have been of the republicans.

Nevertheless, I have always and will continue to try not to stoop to name calling or any personal attacks (outside the “asshole” type I have admitted to above). I look forward to continued discussions on positions.

I will admit that not all of your posts are childish or witless.

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I don't have the temerity to think that anyone needs my help, I'm really just offering opinion and perspective in case you find any of it useful. When I read your response, I was thinking about something a teacher friend likes to tell me: It's not what you teach, it's what the student takes away. Likewise, I know that upon review, you feel that you only said coward once and petulant child twice, but I assure you, the tone that you put out there is that of a person determined to lash out and insult. Your actual points and arguments seem completely secondary.

The posts of an activist certainly should be all about scoring points and advancing a point of view. Heck, for all I know, I'm hyper-sensitive and I'm the only one who reads your stuff that way. But, just wanted to provide my $.02.

"Terry said “McDonnell is one of the problems we have had in Richmond. Bob McDonnell has been part of stopping progress. Bob McDonnell has moved this state backwards. He is out of step with where Virginia wants to go”."

If that's the best the Dems have got, McDonnell is a shoe-in. Could Terry have given a more dumbass answer than that? Good lord, any left wing 9th grader getting indoctrinated by his history teacher could've given that answer.

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