Dumbest Noncontroversy of Campaign 2009

In what surely will go down as the dumbest noncontroversy of Campaign 2009, the Democrat-ick Party of Virginia, the campaign of Creigh “What’s In Your Wallet?” Deeds and his sycophantic supporters are feigning outrage that BET co-founder Sheila Johnson, who has endorsed Bob McDonnell, mocked Deeds’ speaking style.  (Johnson has since apologized.)

Never mind that the WashPo’s Sunday profile of Deeds began with talk of his stammering and stuttering as he attempted to answer questions about issues.

DPVA rushed out with the following statement:

STATEMENT FROM THE DPVA ON THE MCDONNELL CAMPAIGN’S REFUSAL TO APOLOGIZE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 5, 2009

Contact: Allison Jaslow, 571-235-3485

STATEMENT FROM THE DPVA ON THE MCDONNELL CAMPAIGN’S REFUSAL TO APOLOGIZE FOR COMMENTS THAT SURFACED TODAY

RICHMOND- The following is a statement from DPVA spokesperson Allison Jaslow on the refusal of Bob McDonnell’s campaign to apologize for comments that were exposed in a web video earlier today:

“It’s disappointing that the McDonnell campaign made such unacceptable comments in the first place, but it’s down-right appalling that they refuse to apologize now that this video has surfaced.”

###

Wait, it gets better than this.  Ben Tribbet of Not Larry Sabato ilk has been posting on Twitter that Deeds’ stuttering (in all seriousness, I simply attributed it to him being confused as to where he stood on a particular issue at any one moment in time) is the result of a medical condition stemming from a tractor accident:

Ever since he was hit by a tractor he has had that stutter.

BREAKING: Hearing a couple advocacy groups are considering a Deeds endorsement after the McDonnell rally mocking of the disabled.

No, they only said they didn’t know if it was caused by the accident. No one remembers him stuttering before that in Bath.

You should interview some people from Bath County- almost all who knew Creigh prior to his coma don’t ever remember a stutter.

People who come out of two week comas typically don’t look to get “diagnosed” for something as minor as a stutter.

Creigh Deeds is an honest, hardworking, smart man. A slight disability should NOT disqualify him from being Gov.

Way to go to help your guy there, Benny.  First of all, I have a hard time buying Ben’s outrage.  After all, Tribbet is the guy who was calling Deeds’ supporters “Creightards” in the primary, so we’re not dealing with the most sensitive of people here.

Second, does he really think that implying his party’s nominee for Governor suffers from some sort of brain damage will help get him votes?  Only if he thinks that the people of Virginia want Cousin Eddie as their next governor.

Finally, what a wonderful way for the Democrats to remind people that one of Gov. Timmy!’s top supporters has abandoned ship and is now supporting McDonnell.  Ms. Johnson, as she herself recognized in her apology, should have used other means to convey Deeds’ inability to convey any sort of coherent policy message to the electorate.  But the Dems’ attacks upon her may only serve to further alienate her from the Democrat-ick Party.  And her apology puts this matter to rest.

(This is much simpler than when I was working for Steve Forbes and Joan Rivers was campaigning on his behalf.  She called Pat Buchanan a Nazi and we had to pull her off the campaign trail.)