"Signs of Desperation"...

Once again the "Sign War" was waged at the Buena Vista Labor Day parade but few have ever seen it as blatant and one sided as seen by those attending the parade this year.

The placing of one parties candidates signs in front of the opposing candidates signs is nothing new but it was apparent this year that the Creigh Deeds campaign was in full desperation mode in their placement of their candidates signs. This was not just placing signs in the foreground of the opposing candidates sign to detract or overwhelm the original sign but an obvious act to block or cover the opposing candidates sign...

It is hard to believe that the workers placing the above large Bob McDonnell signs would have taken the extra effort to position these signs behind the Creigh Deeds yard signs if they were in fact there first. All along the parade route there was plenty of room to spread out the signs to be visible to all. Instead in many places it was an obvious and coordinated effort to block the Bob McDonnell and other Republican candidate signs. I was told the standard reply by a young man wearing a "Deeds Country" shirt that "somebody put some McDonnell signs in front of ours", and I asked him to please show me an example. I left him stuttering and still wait an example from him...

But while walking the entire parade route I only found one place where there were several McDonnell signs in front of a large Deeds sign. In fact this was a piece of property that I believe is owned by a Republican supporter and it appeared the Deeds sign was placed on a dirt hill behind the McDonnell signs that had already been placed earlier...

In fact this person wearing a Deeds shirt provides a visual example...

Interesting thing here is that the Ben Cline for Delegate (Republican) sign is being blocked by several Democratic Party Candidates signs who are not even running for that same office...

Imagine the amount of work it would have taken to place those large Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling 4x8 signs under those Creigh Deeds signs if they in fact were there first?...

Blocking campaign signs with other signs was not the only desperation attempt made by the Deeds campaign and workers. The above McDonnell sign had been damaged and smeared with mud and the handprints were still obvious showing that this sign had not just fallen in the mud...

I had the opportunity to walk with a reporter from ABC 13 and signs were one of the topics we discussed. I asked him if he thought that the McDonnell volunteers would have purposely placed their candidates signs behind the opposing candidates (Deeds) signs thus blocking their own candidates signs... He found that interesting and did the following segment...

"Liberty is too Precious a thing to be buried in books" For those going to Washington on September 12th...

Jimmy Stewart played the part of Senator Smith back in 1939 who discovers the corruption of a bill that will benefit the select few at the cost of many while diminishing the liberties of those they claim to represent...

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"Men should hold them up in front of themselves every single day to say I am free to think and speak"...

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"Positive" message and energy...

Positive message and positive energy as compared to the negativity and attacks from the competition. Voters are looking for solutions to problems and to the future instead of negative attacks and "mud~slinging"...

"S.A.W." ~Staunton~Augusta County~Waynesboro~ GOP Picnic 2009...

The three local Republican Committees from Staunton~Augusta County~Waynesboro "SAW" held their first joint GOP picnic this past Saturday in Fishersville VA...

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Good turnout of local Valley residents with many new faces coming into the party as well as several returning to their local committees to stand behind and support the Republican team this year...

Conversations started as soon as people arrived and continued from 2pm and even after agreed ending time of 6pm.

Had the opportunity to speak with many GOP supporters about the numerous campaigns both here in the Valley as well as the ones based out of Richmond including Bob McDonnell for Governor, Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor, and Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General...

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An impressive list of local GOP supporters and businesses stepped up to the plate to sponsor this picnic and it was interesting to see the new faces\businesses come forward looking to support the local and state committees. Many of these people have looked to find a way to support local GOP activities in the past and were happy to now find a strong bond between the "S.A.W." team welcoming all to the GOP effort to send strong conservative representatives to both local and statewide offices...

Ken Cuccinelli was one of many guest speakers and is seen here with Staunton Committee Chair Anne Taetzsch~Fitzgerald...

Senator Ken Cuccinelli with Delegate Steve Landes and "Team Landes" before the start of the picnic...

Waynesboro committee Chair Chris Darden with Senator Cuccinelli...

Augusta County committee Chair Bill Shirley...

Senator Ken Cuccinelli who is running for Virginia Attorney General, speaks to the crowd regarding his campaign and what Virginia faces in the future...

Scott Sayre, local GOP regular and board member of ~Restore the Founders Vision~ coordinated the speakers...

Emily Griffen was one of several volunteers who greeted people arriving to the picnic...

Feda Kidd Morton who is a candidate for Congress Representative for the 5th district talks to the crowd and the importance of returning the position once held by Virgil Goode to the Republican column...

Laurence Verga is also running for the 5th district seat and spoke to the crowd regarding what he sees happening on a local level as well as State and National and why he got into the race...

Delegate Ben Cline, Jackson, and Chris Darden...

Ken Cuccinelli speaks with Bob Stuart from the NewsVirginian newspaper who covered the event with this article...

Patrick McSweeney with Augusta Chair Bill Shirley...

Patrick McSweeney is the President of "Restore the Founders Vision" and was also a speaker at this event....

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Delegate Steve Landes...

Carl Tate involved with some intensive conversation regarding the local GOP efforts...

Candidate Dickie Bell with his wife Ann and Al Katz...

Delegate Ben Cline with Wife Elizabeth...
RightsideVA for Ben Cline

Ford...

S.A.W ~Staunton~Augusta~Waynesboro~ GOP Picnic 2009...

Staunton~Augusta County~Waynesboro Republican committees held their first annual joint GOP~Picnic today in Fishersville Virginia...

Good turnout and impressive list of speakers...

The people of the Valley are responding to the last eight months and it shows...

Dickie Bell for Delegate makes "The Hill"...

Republican Canidate Dickie Bell has made it to "The Hill" in Staunton next Wright's Dairy-Rite where he joins the rest of the Republican Team Bob McDonnell for Governor, Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor, and Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General...

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A four term City Councilmen for Staunton, Dickie brings a strong conservative background to his campaign for Virginia Delegate of the 20th district.

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While driving around several towns putting up GOP signs today I heard many good comments about Bell running for Delegate along with numerous requests for yard signs and larger signs for business locations...

Bob McDonnell ~Virginia Eneregy~

Creigh Deeds: "Fair, what fair"?...

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Last week the Daily News Record reported that both Candidates for Virginia Governor were in the area on the same day and what they decided to do with the ever dwindling time to campaign before the election in November...

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The News Record reported that Deeds "spent about an hour in the city's downtown visiting businesses during the afternoon" while Bob McDonnell went in "search of voters at the Rockingham County Fair"...

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One of the businesses that Deeds stopped at was the local coffee joint and "Deeds, speaking to an audience of about 30 people at the Old Dominion Coffee Co. across from Court Square, promised to create a tax credit for each small-business job created"...

Two different formats and obvious choice of the campaigns on how to spend their time reaching out and listening to potential voters...

Deeds chose to walk the town for an hour then talk to 30 people assembled at a local "Democrat" stronghold while Bob McDonnell chose to attend the largest fair in the Shenandoah Valley for over three hours on a day that had an attendance of 14,609 Valley Citizens as reported by the DNR...

Now working the streets and talking to local businesses is an important part of every campaign, but for only an hour and most of that time spent at the local Java-hut brings into question just what Deeds was looking to hear from the people...

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On the other hand Bob McDonnell spent more then half an hour talking issues with both the print and T.V. news people once he arrived at the fair and before heading into the fairgrounds to talk to any potential voter who had the opportunity to ask any question of the candidate.

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It is reported that Deeds "promised to create a tax credit for each small business job created" but this coming from a state Senator who has been on the side of national labor unions and higher taxes in the past. And what type of tax credit? What does that tax credit mean if Deeds favors labor unions and that "small business" has to work with union restrictions if Deeds is elected Governor and promotes a union workforce in Virginia?...

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Now it is a good idea and important that a Candidate for Governor "walks the streets" and talks to local business, in fact Bob McDonnell did the same during the week with his "New jobs, more opportunities" RV tour in Staunton as reported by the Newsleader...

But the key here is to talk to many different businesses and a valid cross section of the demographics in the area to hear what the business owners have to say...

Bob McDonnell walked the mainstreet of Staunton with Congressman Bob Goodlatte and other local Republican representatives and spent time with numerous business owners and shop patrons talking issues concerning Virginia Citizens...

While at the RockFair Bob McDonnell also walked the buildings with business and service booths to talk with those working the booths. He even stopped at the Harrisonburg Democratic Party booth and introduced himself to the two young workers who pretty much did not have any to say or ask the Republican Candidate. I did notice that the Democratic Party booth then did have three "Creigh Deeds" bumper stickers and one "Deeds Country" yard sign as compared to opening day of the fair when there was not one item with "Creigh Deeds" on it to promote the Democratic Party Candidate...

Maybe there is even a larger gap in the Valley then the 15~point advantage that McDonnell maintains in the majority of the polls taken so far?...

During his visit Bob McDonnell made his way into the Livestock barn during the auctions to meet and spend time with some of the farm families from the area. This opportunity was appreciated by many from the area and numerous topics were discussed. With McDonnell was Delegate Matt Lohr who is a working farmer from the area and introduced McDonnell to many people who were interested in meeting and speaking with the Republican Candidate for Governor...

Congressman... Tell it to the Marine...

Webb \ Warner coming to Augusta County?...

I read that local blogger David K. of Augusta Conservative has invited both of our Democratic Senators to a healthcare forum that he has set up at a local high school...

With that he intends to ask these Senators questions regarding how they stand on the everchanging healthcare package that is coming out of the Obama administration...

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I have to say I admire David K. of his actions and I hope they are of good and beneficial intentions, but after listening to and seeing Jim Webb for the last two years do you really think this guy wants to listen to what the people have to say or answer their questions?...