WASHINGTON, DC –House Republican Leader John Boehner (OH) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) announced today that Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will give the Republican address following the President’s State of the Union address to Congress on January 27, 2010. Further details regarding location, coverage and exact time will be released in the days ahead.

In making the announcement, Leader Boehner noted the Governor’s leadership on the economy and offering solutions to help create jobs and put Virginians back to work:

“As the American people continue to ask, ‘where are the jobs,’ Gov. McDonnell has offered common-sense economic policies in stark contrast to Washington Democrats’ job-killing agenda. We don’t need a government takeover of health care or a ‘cap-and-trade’ national energy tax – we need a common-sense plan to help middle-class families and small businesses and allow them to keep more of what they earn so they can save, invest, and hire.”

Leader McConnell said the Governor understands the frustration of Americans and is a leader who offers common sense solutions:

“Gov. McDonnell understands that the American people are more interested in shrinking unemployment than expanding government. He is an impressive public servant and an excellent choice to offer Republican solutions for our country.”

NOTE: Bob McDonnell is the recently inaugurated 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In the 2009 gubernatorial campaign he received the most votes of any candidate for Governor in the history of Virginia. Prior to running for Governor, Mr. McDonnell served as the 44th Attorney General of Virginia. He represented the 84th District, Virginia Beach, in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1991-2005. Before his election to the House, McDonnell served as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. He also served 21 years in the U.S. Army, both active duty and reserves, and retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1997. He is married to the former Maureen Gardner of McLean, and they have five children, ages 18-29. Their oldest daughter, Jeanine, recently completed service in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005-2006.

In terms of the budget, Deeds had difficulty answering which programs he would cut and he mentioned that he would be utilizing the general fund to help address the budget crisis.  McDonnell laid out how he would cut spending by doing an internal review of each of the departments at the state level to see what’s working and what’s not.  McDonnell also mentioned that he would allocate a portion of the budget towards improving education in Virginia.

The question period, then turned to the negative campaigning by both candidates.  Creigh Deeds defended the thesis allegations and said that Virginians have a right to know where Bob stands on social issues.  Bob McDonnell talked about where he stands on the social issues.  McDonnell is against partial-birth abortion, and we need to adopt a fatherhood initiative.  McDonnell mentioned that his main focus will be on boosting employment and the economy.

The moderator called Deeds out on the 35 bills claim and clarified that it was only 8 bills.  Deeds tried to refute this.

Now, both candidates are back to focusing on the economy.  The question focused on the stimulus legislation and why we are last in spending the transportation funding.  McDonnell pointed out that it would help if we had a full-time governor to address these issues.  McDonnell said he would focus on improving the employment situation and boosting a job initiative.  McDonnell has talked with business owners across the Commonwealth and would reduce taxes to help stimulate the economy.

Deeds said that the Governor has done the best he could with the stimulus situation and blamed the lack of shovel ready projects.  Deeds mentioned that we need a tax credit for every job created.  The two pillars of infrastructure we need to focus on is education and transportation.

The moderator, then turned the questions, asked how they would fund higher education initiatives.  Creigh Deeds mentioned his plan to make college more affordable by saying if a student holds a B average, then they would receive lower tuition.

McDonnell indicated that we need to make college more affordable and accessible.  His plan is to create 100,000 degrees by allocating a portion of the budget to improving the education.

The next question focused on improving health care for Virginians.  McDonnell and Deeds are against the public option, but both indicated that they are committed to finding ways to help make health care more affordable in the Commonwealth.

In terms of climate change.  Deeds wants to ensure that our environment is going to last, so he is in favor of climate change legislation.  McDonnell mentioned MeadWestvaco, which is located in Deeds’ State Senate district, will be impacted by cap and trade.  McDonnell said it is bad policy, as it would harm the coal industry and drive businesses out of Virginia.

The next question focused on the Governor’s Opportunity Fund.  McDonnell, as Delegate, voted against the bill, but he mentioned that he would double the fund, as it would help with boosting employment in the Commonwealth.  McDonnell mentioned his strong business record.

Deeds dodged this question, and went back to climate change.  Deeds discussed his endorsements by the League of Conservation Voters and Sierra Club, and he said he is against the cap and trade bill.   (Note:  During his time as a legislator, Deeds voted for cuts to the Governor’s Opportunity Fund in 2007, 2008, and 2009.)

Nice question:  Who is the Governor you admire the most?  Deeds has learned from Doug Wilder, Mark Warner, and Tim Kaine, but he greatly admires Jerry Beliles.  McDonnell admired George Allen, because of his strong leadership and how he managed the state.

Closing Statements:  Deeds said he would work to create prosperity, hope, and growth within the Commonwealth.  Deeds said he would create jobs, improve education, and bring Virginians together to improve transportation.  Deeds attacks McDonnell for being a smooth talker and referring to him as being dishonest.  Deeds said he would operate in the Warner-Kaine tradition.

McDonnell talked about being a public servant and how he has outlined a strong vision for moving Virginia forward.  McDonnell wants a comprehensive energy plan, and said that we need to keep taxes low, while reducing spending.  He also highlighted his service as Attorney General and how he would work in a bipartisan matter.

My take on the debate:

Well, you can tell who will continue the Warner-Kaine legacy of raising taxes.  Creigh Deeds will continue this tradition, and during these troubling economic times, we definitely do not need this style of leadership.  Throughout the debate, I noticed at point that Deeds was getting frustrated and he even dodged an important question about the Governor’s Opportunity Fund.  It’s troubling that Deeds wants to place transportation improvements to a committee, instead of taking initiative and being a leader.  Being a leader means taking a stance and not backing down, and I just do not see that in Deeds.

On the other hand, Bob McDonnell did a good job defending his initiatives and proposing a solid vision for improving Virginia.  He has a plan for improving education, the economy, and boosting employment.  McDonnell has proven leadership, and even when times were challenging, he did not back down.  His endorsements from pro-business organizations and the Fraternal Order of Police proves that he is a committed leader.  Virginia will be in good hands with McDonnell as Governor.

Our economy is in a downward spiral, and we need more pragmatic solutions than raising taxes to address boosting our revenue.

“Deceitful”

“Working Woman”

The money belongs to the taxpayers, Creigh!

Reporter: Are we gonna see something a little bit more detailed before the debate up in Fairfax?

Deeds: You know, Jeff, I’ve laid out a pretty detailed plan.

Several newspapers (Waynesboro News-Virginian, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Roanoke Times, and The Washington Post) have all noted the lack of a transportation plan from Deeds. Crickets are still chirping and we are still waiting to see the Deeds transportation plan.

When are we going to see any of Creigh Deeds’ original ideas for improving the Commonwealth’s economic situation or the ideas for bringing new jobs to Virginia? (Crickets are still chirping)