Creigh Deeds Answers Your Questions

1. Libertas ? Coming from Bath County, AND being a star in the Democratic Party of Virginia, what would you do to counter the trend of Democrats sacrificing Southwest and Southside Virginia for votes in the ?Golden Crescent.?

Despite special elections where party money is pumped in against right wing extremists, Democrats seem to have failed in the General Elections of last fall.  How can we once again be a statewide party.

The Democratic Party is the big tent party.  I think we need to focus on our bread and butter issues and find candidates who will focus on the big picture.  The big picture to me is ensuring that Virginia is the best place in the country to live, work, and raise families.  We need to focus on issues related to job growth and lifting people from poverty to the middle class.  By focusing on issues like education, transportation, and health care, I think we connect with the majority of voters, be they in urban, rural, or suburban settings.  For too long, we have allowed the other side to divide us from our base by keeping the focus on social issues over which there will always be broad disagreement.  The majority of people simply are not going to agree all the time on all the social issues.  Therefore, we must focus on the things that unite us, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Virginians.  I am convinced that if we work toward building a better Virginia, we will also once again become the majority party.  In fact, I remain convinced that we Democrats are still the majority party of Virginia. 

2. Ben Tribbett (Not Larry Sabato) ? What do you think about the gerrymandering that goes on in Virginia, i.e. your district being combined with one 100 miles away and how African Americans in tidewater are forced to vote in districts segregated from white voters in Congressional, state Senate, and Delegate districts.

As long as the redistricting process is in the hands of those it personally affects most, the legislature, it will produce results that favor the majority.  In 2001, the Republican majority was particularly vicious, ending the legislative careers of some of my closest friends.  The Republicans took advantage of technological advances and changes in the law to pack minority majority districts and to pair Democratic delegates and senators.  In one case, three Democratic delegates were put in the same district.

The experience has driven me the past several years to introduce legislation designed to reform the process.  I am convinced that eventually Virginia will join the growing number of states who put the interest of the people above that of the electeds, and turn the redistricting process over to a nonpartisan commission. 

3. Josh Chernila and Lowell Feld (Raising Kaine) ? Senator Deeds, do you have any
comments on the recent revelation of Bob McDonnell's hidden corporate donors?

As a champion of election reform, is there anything that you would like to do to make these kinds of donations more transparent?

Shouldn?t there be restrictions on all this out-of-state money, or at least rapid and full disclosure?

Also, what did they DO with the money?  Specifically, what does Creigh think of the voter suppression tactivds used by the Republicans, such as phony robocalls from something called the ?Honest Leadership for Virginia PAC??  Shouldn?t there be criminal penalties for garbage like that?

In general, disclosure has been the rule of Virginia.  As last fall?s campaign demonstrated, however, there are deficiencies in our system.  The spirit of the law, if not the letter, was broken during this last campaign.  During this legislative session, we have taken steps to ensure that disclosure of 527 money is required by the letter of the law in future elections. 

I think that we as individuals need to be vigilant to ensure that as long as disclosure is the rule, all contributions are subject to disclosure.  Even if we address the issue with respect to the 527s, we still have work to do to ensure that contributions that come in from so-called charitable organizations, such as the American Tort Reform Association and the American Chamber of Commerce, are subject to disclosure as well.  Contributions to charitable organizations are not subject to disclosure, and these mechanisms are used to hide huge contributions.  I am not certain how we can make these organizations subject to Virginia?s campaign disclosure laws, but that is a topic I am thinking about for future legislation.  If we fail to act in this regard, those organizations will continue to be funnels through which large contributions are advanced to candidates, including my opponent last fall. 

For the record, I have introduced bills in the past to limit the size of campaign contributions in Virginia.  I am concerned that unlimited contributions distance candidates from the public and create cynicism.  Those bills have failed.  Therefore, if we are to rely on disclosure, it must apply to all contributions.  Out of state money does not bother me in general, as long as the contributions are disclosed.  Of course, there should be criminal penalties for deceptive voter suppression tactics.

4. AlecBGreen ? What can our state government do (and you personally) to support small family farms?  Will all of our investments go into infrastructure and high-tech development?  What can you offer those of us struggling to maintain our rural way of life?

I grew up on a farm in Bath County.  My family enjoys rural life, and maintaining some connection to our rural past is very important to me.  For that reason, one of my focuses in the legislature has been on finding ways to promote the interest of farmers by ensuring that regulation related to agricultural activity is kept at a minimum and by ensuring that the smallest of farmers can carry on farming activity as freely as possible.  I have also focused on finding ways to conserve open spaces and ensuring that some portion of our landscape is left in agriculture and forestry.  I think we need to continue to look for incentives for people to keep land in agricultural production.

5. Dan F. (Raising Kaine) ? On the estate tax.  I think it is a good idea to exempt family farms, but why everybody?  What I mean is, because the estate tax exists, repealing it means a tax cut.  Do you want to give a tax cut to family farms, or to Donald Trumps?

Tim Kaine supports repeal of the estate tax.  I support Tim Kaine.  In 2003 when the estate tax repeal issue was raised here in Virginia, I introduced an alternative measure to repeal the estate tax only on family farms and small businesses.  I thought that approach would address the problem identified by proponents of repealing the tax.  The bill was not passed.  I then voted against estate tax repeal and voted to uphold the Governor?s veto of the bill.  Since that time, the new Governor has indicated he favors repealing the estate tax.  States around the country have continued to repeal the estate tax, and the federal government looks poised to do the same.  This session, I voted for the Senate?s approach to the estate tax question.  The bill passed by the Senate repeals the estate tax on estates worth less than $10 million and on estates with a farm or small business as the primary asset.  This is an approach similar to the one I have taken in the past and identical to the approach taken by Mark Warner.

6. Mario (http://viewfrommars.blogspot.com/) ? Sen. Deeds, why did you speak out against republican attempts to smear the gay community with a bill that contained broad language banning any type of contractual agreement intended to resemble a marriage, then vote for that very bill after it was cleaned up (to prevent over-generalization that would nullify other types of contractual agreements) which contained exactly that language?

In other words, why did you pander to the gay community by highlighting the bigotry of the Republican Party, then vote with them for the referendum?

In 2004, the battle was waged over two issues.  First, the General Assembly considered a resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to pass a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining a marriage as between a man and a woman.  Because marriage is uniquely a matter of state law, I opposed that resolution.  The second issue related to HB 751, which was broadly drafted and, in my view, could have some unintended consequences.  I did, in fact, speak out against that bill.  I thought it was mean-spirited and unnecessary.  The bill passed, and the law has not been set aside by the courts. 

The last couple of years have seen an effort to amend Virginia?s Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.  I voted for that amendment this year, as I did last year.  Narrowly read, the amendment would put in Virginia?s Constitution that which is already the law.  Because I was concerned about the wording of the amendment, I voted this year and last year to strip out the last two sentences of the amendment.  I was not successful in those efforts.  In addition, I have consistently voted to broaden the ballot question so that people know exactly what they are voting on when the amendment comes up for a vote this fall. 

Ultimately, this is a question that will have to be decided by the voters.  Statements made at one time or another and votes cast must be viewed in the context in which the statements are made and the votes are cast.  My views have been consistent on gay marriage.

7. Rob (Raising Kaine):  Mr. Deeds: What are your future political plans?

My focus right now is on helping Democrats win this fall and on the General Assembly races next year, including running for re-election to the Senate. 

8. Jonathan S. Mark (goodbyejim.com) ? Did the NRA endorsement hurt you or help you? 

In an election as close as mine, everything mattered.  I think my candidacy offered the test case for the NRA.  Is the NRA an organization that supports Republican candidates or candidates who support second amendment rights?  Throughout my time in the legislature, I have been a proponent of second amendment rights and had the right profile for a candidate to be endorsed by the NRA.  Aside from my record, I am a rural guy who has hunted all of my life.  I have not cast votes to woo the NRA; rather I vote based on my life experiences and my constituency. 

Without question, the NRA endorsement of my candidacy helped me in some areas of the state.  However, in the final analysis, their endorsement did not mean as much as it could have.  The day the NRA endorsement was made public, my opponent?s campaign manager quipped to the press that the endorsement was paper thin.  Apparently, she knew what she was talking about.  In the end the NRA ended up giving my opponent money through the RSLC. 

The lesson in the future, it seems to me for Democratic candidates, is that while the NRA endorsement is important, it matters more if the NRA actually backs up the endorsement with support.  In my case, while I am convinced that I got my share of votes among the NRA membership, the NRA endorsed me but did not support me.  However, I firmly believe that everyone must look at the big picture when evaluating a candidate.

9. Paul (virginiacentrist.blogspot.com) ? Creigh:  Which blogs do you read?

I check in from time to time with a variety of blogs: Waldo Jaquith,  Not Larry Sabato, Virginia Centrist,  Baron?s Rebellion, Commonwealth Conservative, One Man?s Trash, New Dominion, Blue in VA, Brian Patton, Sic Semper Tyrannis, Raising Kaine, NoVa Democrat, among others.  I get up pretty early every morning and generally look at the blogs before I start the day?s work, right after reading the Whipple clips. 

10. Daniel T. (http://www.youngrepublicans.homestead.com) - As a Virginian dealing with Tourettes Syndrome on a daily basis, I understand what it is like to have major ?inconveniences.?  As you may know, Tourettes Syndrome is on the list of syndromes that may be cured by embryonic stem cell research.  I would do almost anything to find a cure for this.  Almost anything, except support embryonic and germ stem research.  If embryonic stem cell research was to ever come u in the Virginia legislature, would you back up those of us with these conditions ? or where the votes are?

Life is precious.  I support stem cell research.  The potential of that research to answer many questions about diseases such as Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia, ALS, and many other diseases is just too great to ignore.  There certainly are some ethical questions that we need to grapple with, especially with respect to embryonic stem cell research; however, I am convinced that this research must move forward.

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