Polls find Wilder’s opinion means little to voters
P. KEVIN MORLEY/TIMES-DISPATCH
Last week, former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder declined to endorse either candidate for governor.
Two polls showed yesterday that an endorsement or non-endorsement by former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder means little to Virginia's voters.
"Wait until Election Day. We'll see," Wilder replied during a brief interview in his office at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Wilder, a Democrat, last week declined to endorse either Democrat R. Creigh Deeds or Republican Bob McDonnell for governor. President Barack Obama and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, had personally urged Wilder to back Deeds.
But Wilder criticized Deeds for his willingness to raise taxes during a recession and for favoring the repeal of a law that Wilder initiated in 1991 to limit handgun sales to one a month per customer.
A survey released yesterday by Public Policy Polling found that 23 percent of voters said they were less likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by Wilder. Only 8 percent said his endorsement would make them more likely to vote for the candidate. Sixty-nine percent said Wilder's opinion has no effect.
The poll found that Deeds' favorability rating among black voters -- 73 percent -- is higher than the 67 percent for Wilder, the nation's first-elected black governor.
A Rasmussen poll released yesterday found that 6 percent said Wilder's non-endorsement would make it more likely for them to vote for Deeds, while 10 percent said less likely. Eighty percent said it made no difference.
Wilder said he wasn't trying to exert influence on the Nov. 3 election but was trying to initiate a discussion of two issues that he thought needed to be discussed.
"It has caused people to think," said Wilder, who served as governor from 1990 to 1994 and as mayor of Richmond from 2004 to 2008.
"I wanted to let the voters decide themselves," Wilder said.
Wilder added: "A lot of people were upset because of it."
Obama, who placed a call to Wilder in August, had sent an emissary to meet with Wilder in Richmond in July.
Wilder said yesterday that he is even less likely to endorse Deeds now because of new information showing that the state will have to borrow over a billion dollars from the federal government because it is running out of unemployment insurance money. That makes a tax increase even more onerous, he said.
Deeds has said he would sign a tax increase to pay for transportation improvements as long as it emerged from a bipartisan consensus.
About Wilder's perceived influence, Public Policy Polling's communications director Tom Jensen concluded:
"Basically, the Wilder endorsement, or lack thereof, is something the chattering class is considerably more interested in than real voters."
The poll found that 36 percent of Virginians have a favorable opinion of Wilder, with 33 percent viewing him unfavorably.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or
.
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Reader Reactions
Ah, yes. I remember now it was E. F. Hutton. Something didn’t sound right about Merrill Lynch. Thank you for the correction.
Just goes to show you - nobody WAS listening (they’re gone!). Just like Doug.
“Anyone remember the old Merrill Lynch commercials?“
I agree with your analogy - but I think the commercials you are talking about are E.F Hutton…
“My broker is E.F. Hutton and he says…“ (dead silence) - narrators voice “when E.F. Hutton talks, people listen”
Check out this Washington Times Editorial titled “DIRTY DEEDS”: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/30/dirty-deeds/
DIRTY DEEDS By THE WASHINGTON TIMES
It is a rare politician who unites newspaper editorial boards across the political spectrum and across the state of Virginia. Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds has done just that : Throughout the state, observers agree that he is running a flatly dishonest advertising campaign that discredits his own claim to be worthy of the office. In return, the campaign of Republican Robert F. McDonnell trumpets the editorial rebukes, but the words of Virginia editorial writers speak for themselves. Consider, for instance, a Deeds ad that directly blames Mr. McDonnell for a series of rate increases by the Appalachian Power Co. The Lynchburg News and Advance calls the ad “an outright lie, and the good senator and his campaign operatives know it.“ The Roanoke Times chimed in that “Deeds’ ad is not honest.“ And: “The ironic thing is that Sen. Deeds voted for that bill ... that entitled Appalachian to its increase and now criticizes his opponent for enforcing that law. ... Deeds should be ashamed.“ Then there were several Deeds ads falsely accusing Mr. McDonnell of repeatedly supporting tax increases. The Virginian-Pilot in Hampton Roads analyzed the ads and called them “ludicrous.“ And it suggested, “Deeds20has deliberately concocted disingenuous and deceitful ads because he thinks voters are too stupid to know better.“ Most ubiquitous here in Northern Virginia have been a series of Deeds ads painting Mr. McDonnell as having a Stone Age approach to social issues. Even The Washington Post, which wasted an almost unimaginable amount of ink on Mr. McDonnell’s 20-year-old graduate thesis, found Mr. Deeds’ ads to be false. The ads say Mr. McDonnell “opposed birth control for married adults.“ The Post’s fact checkers wrote: “As a state lawmaker from Virginia Beach from 1992 to 2006, McDonnell voted for a bill to give pharmacists a ‘conscience clause’ allowing them to not fill prescriptions. He also voted for a bill barring the morning-after pill. ... We’re not aware of any legislation to keep contraception away from married couples.“ The Lynchburg paper also chimed in, calling the ads “a load of bunk.“ Those are harsh words, but Mr. Deeds deserves every one.
Anyone remember the old Merrill Lynch commercials? “My broker is Merrill Lynch. And Merrill Lynch says…“ (and everyone in earshot leans in to eavesdrop).
Who does Wilder think he is - Merrill Lynch? As IF we cared about his opinion, especially after being caught double dipping on his employer-provided vehicle, among other blunders.
And his “Wait until the election” comment is so typical. Avery time I ever heard him speak, his words were hollow and evasive.
He looks like Bob Barker just reminding us to get our pets spayed or neutered.
Or you can win a new caarrrr,,,,,allowance ,,,,, and diss yo co-workers at the same time. That seems to work out pretty good for him at tax payer’s expense. That is, if the price is right.
Bad move by your el Presidente to call ol GovMo Doug to support anything!
SERIOUSLY??? They SERIOUSLY had to do a poll to figure out nobody gives a crap what Wilder has to say??? Come on now!
All I have to say is, where do they do these polls? I wasn’t asked! But then again, I really don’t care what Wilder does, or does not do. He didn’t do anything as Governor of VA, or Mayor of Richmond! Actually, I think he was the worst mayor ever! :)
“Wait until Election Day. We’ll see,“ Wilder replied during a brief interview in his office at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Well, what does that mean?
Most Virginia voters will go to the polls with absolutely no idea who Wilder endorses or doesn’t endorse.
The average voter who is aware of Wilder’s non-endorsement will be completely unaffected by it because they knew long ago who they were voting for. The typical undecided voter who is aware of Wilder’s non-endorsement is be unaffected because they have no reason to value Wilder’s opinion. The average undecided voter who is aware of Wilder’s non-endorcement and who respects’s Wilder’s opinion is probably FAR more likely to be influenced by Obama’s endorsement. If McDonnell wins by 20 or 30 votes, get back to me. Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine a less important non-endorsement.
Doug Wilder has never made a move on anything unless there was something in it for him, and if the times didn’t offer him that opportunity, he’d stir the pot in hopes of creating one. His entire life has been spent exclusively to the benefit of himself. Why on earth would anyone at this stage of the game care what he has to say about this election?
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