Letters to the Editor: Wilder Should Be Occupying White House

Wilder Should Be Occupying White House
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder once again showed his independence, statesmanship, and good judgment when he refused to endorse Creigh Deeds for governor of Virginia. In an interview with NBC's Mark Murray, Wilder said that he will not support Deeds because of his position on guns and because of the possibility that Deeds will raise taxes in a time when Virginia is experiencing a deep economic slump.

It is nothing short of a tragedy that Wilder is not currently sitting in the White House in Washington rather than the current occupant -- the arrogant, ostentatious, socialist-leaning Barack Obama.

Fillmer Hevener.
Farmville.

The state's award-winning slogan is "Virginia Is for Lovers," although I recently heard Republican candidate Bob McDonnell say: "Virginia is for election lovers," and so it is. No state in America is more politically focused than ours. Your Editorial Pages, Op/Eds, and readers' letters exemplify this.

This is a seminal election for Virginia, which is now designated by political pundits and psephologists alike as a purple state rather than the traditional Republican red. Both gubernatorial candidates, Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds, are interesting to watch in their election rematch, this time for the higher gubernatorial office than that of attorney general (in which McDonnell beat Deeds by about 350 votes).

The tone of the Democrats and their political strategy leaves a lot to be desired. Even the Obama White House and two Democratic senators can hardly be seen to be actively supporting the hapless Deeds. Gov. Tim Kaine -- chair of the Democratic National Committee -- has urged Deeds to campaign in a more positive manner. Deeds is struggling with his lack of substantive policies that seem reduced to he will "form a committee to look into it." This is not good enough for Virginians.

McDonnell has run a positive campaign and the polls reflect the success of this. McDonnell has comprehensive policy positions on transportation, energy, education, and jobs. He also has innovative policies with regard to tourism and promoting the commonwealth.

Deeds is a likeable man, he just hasn't run a likeable campaign. We'll know the evening of Nov. 3 which approach was preferable to Virginian voters.

Karyn McDermott.
Richmond.

Other gubernatorial debates around the state were sponsored by private organizations, some that endorse candidates. None was televised statewide. Only The People's Debate, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Virginia and AARP Virginia, was broadcast live statewide, giving all Virginians the chance to evaluate both candidates simultaneously and unscripted. With the help of the PBS Community Idea Stations and WTVR CBS 6, we were able to provide unfiltered voter information.

We hope to make this a quadrennial event so that all Virginians can have the opportunity to hear the candidates on issues affecting Virginia. This year, citizens submitted questions via the designated Web site, http://www.BattleGroundVirginia.com, and a sampling of questions covering a variety of topics were asked the candidates during the debate. The debate was streamed online and made available for broadcast to Virginia television and radio stations as a public service. It was also available for a national audience on C-SPAN. It is still online.

As nonpartisan organizations, we hope to make The People's Debate a standard in Virginia. The democratic process is messy, and it is sometimes hard to find unbiased information on the candidates and their policy proposals. We want to provide a debate where regular folks who may not have the deep pockets to participate in private encounters can get the information they need to make informed decisions at the polls. Our organizations worked hard to provide this service and support from Virginians is tantamount to our continuing this public service. You can visit our Web sites at http://www.LWV-VA.org and http://www.AARP.org. Vote on Tuesday. Remember, democracy is not a spectator sport. Olga Hernandez, President, League of Women Voters of Virginia. Bill Kallio, State Director, AARP Virginia. Richmond.