McDonnell Gives Republican Response To Obama Address

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By Tyler Whitley Published In The Richmond Times-Dispatch

Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell talked about jobs and even had faint praise for President Barack Obama yesterday as he delivered the Republican response to Obama's weekly radio and Internet address.

Obama touted his plan for health-care reform as critical to the nation's long-term economic strength.

Standing in front of one of his campaign signs, McDonnell said "our main goal is to bring Virginians together to create jobs and more opportunities all across our state."

McDonnell attacked Obama for his health-care, cap-and-trade and union-organizing proposals, but he had kind words for the president's education policy.

"I've said the president is right in his call for real education reform, with more charter schools and performance pay for great teachers and principals. Now that's a bipartisan reform that will help all our children get the education they need today to get those good jobs of tomorrow," he said.

An aide said the speech was written by McDonnell's staff and filmed in Richmond. It was prepared before the campaign knew what Obama was going to talk about. That is standard procedure for such responses, the aide said.

In his address, Obama sought to rebut "outlandish claims that reform will promote euthanasia, cut Medicaid or bring about a government takeover of health care. . . . This isn't about putting government in charge of your health insurance; it's about putting you in charge of your health insurance."

Obama said the status-quo approach favored by opponents "is almost guaranteed to double health costs over the next decade, make millions more Americans uninsured, leave those with insurance vulnerable to arbitrary denials of coverage and bankrupt state and federal governments."

In his address, McDonnell said the Obama plan would nationalize the system with a costly government-run plan.

Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, the House minority leader, chose McDonnell to deliver the address. It raises McDonnell's national profile just two days after Obama appeared in McLean to campaign for McDonnell's Democratic opponent, state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County.

It also gave McDonnell, a former state attorney general, an opportunity to spotlight federal issues that he thinks are unpopular in Virginia and could hurt Deeds.

McDonnell brought up another federal issue he has been trying to link to Deeds. So-called "card-check" legislation, which would help unions organize by foregoing a secret ballot is a jobs-killer, he said. Deeds, who has union backing, says the issue is federal, not a state one.

"Together, we will use innovation and free markets to bring new jobs and more opportunities to Virginians, and America," McDonnell concluded.

The Republican embarked yesterday on a monthlong RV tour of Virginia. The tour began at the Patrick County Peach Festival in Stuart and is scheduled to conclude at the Labor Day parade in Buena Vista on Sept. 7. The first week will take McDonnell from South Boston to Hampton. He also will go to the Eastern Shore.

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