A common theme in endorsements for Deeds: higher taxes

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds has received the endorsements of several editorial boards from across Virginia – not nearly as many as Republican Bob McDonnell, but he did receive the nod from some pretty well-known papers, such as the Washington Post and the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.

But the endorsements all have one element in common – they give their support to Deeds because they expect him to raise taxes.

The Washington Post wrote:

“Following a road map used successfully in 1986, [Deeds] would appoint a bipartisan commission to forge a consensus on transportation funding, with the full expectation that new taxes would be part of the mix.” They continued with “Mr. Deeds’s position is nothing more than common sense. It is fantasy to think that the transportation funding problem, a generation in the making, will be addressed without a tax increase.”

From the Farmville Herald:

“In truth, the best way to address Virginia’s transportation problems is through revenue generation for necessary construction and that means tax revenues and it takes political courage to honestly say so prior to an election.”

The Roanoke Times continued the praise for raising taxes:

“Deeds could have shown more political leadership by putting forth a specific proposal with clear sources of revenue. But he at least has the guts to tell Virginians the truth: Either the state’s transportation system gets a large infusion of new revenue or the consequences will be dire.”

And, the Virginian-Pilot concluded the cavalcade for “new revenue” by writing:

“[Deeds’] mantra that “all options are on the table” has become tiresome, but the senator’s voting record confirms he’s not afraid to back unpopular yet necessary measures, including a gas tax increase…. If Deeds is elected and breaks his promise to pass an adequately funded transportation plan, that failure will fall directly on his shoulders. He’s not asking that accountability be passed to future governors or postponed for more prosperous times. He’s willing to take on that responsibility here and now.”

None of the editorials actually heaped praise on Deeds, as you can tell by the lukewarm statements above. Yet, they also gave a head-nod to his years in the senate and his “folksy” demeanor.

The bottom-line is that their basis for endorsing Deeds rests in one word: taxes.

If you accept the premise that there is nowhere in the state’s billions to find additional revenue for transportation, or that public-private partnerships cannot be formed, or that additional sources for revenue are impossible without raising taxes on consumers, then you probably should agree with the editorialists.

But, if you think that government is wasteful and inefficient, that we should at least try to constrain spending during a recession, and that we should only invest in our highest priorities, clearly you possess superior intellect and agree with more than fourteen other newspapers across the commonwealth, including the Hampton Roads Daily Press, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Washington Times.

A knee-jerk reaction to raising taxes in the middle of a recession is no basis for choosing a governor; you would hope the Post, Roanoke Times or Pilot could come up with more compelling reasons to vote for Senator Deeds.

Unfortunately, in this campaign, Deeds neither gave them nor the public any other reason.

Crossposted at The Washington Times: Virginia Battleground

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About the author

JR Hoeft

Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.