RICHMOND
In the high-stakes world of politics, few lines of attack on candidates are off-limits - their business and personal dealings, even their families.
That's a lesson Democratic gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds is being reminded of as word of his son's upcoming court hearing on a misdemeanor alcohol possession charge has become public.
Austin Creigh Deeds, 20, is due to be arraigned next week on a charge stemming from a May 30 incident in his native Bath County.
The younger Deeds, whom family and friends call Gus, is a rising junior at the College of William and Mary. He is one of four children in the Deeds family.
His legal entanglement was unearthed through the research of political operatives. The national organizations of both parties are closely involved in this year's gubernatorial campaign, which pits Deeds against Republican Bob McDonnell.
A spokesman for Deeds confirmed that the candidate's son has been charged but declined to offer further comment on what he called "a family matter."
During his time in the legislature, Deeds, a state Senator, has voted to stiffen criminal penalties for underage consumption of alcohol.
The charge faced by the younger Deeds is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Under current law, conviction on that charge carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.
However, state law indicates that first-time offenders, such as the younger Deeds, can receive deferred sentences and have their records cleared if requirements imposed by the court are fulfilled.
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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Does the Pilot call this
Does the Pilot call this journalism??? The obvious liberal slant of this article is one reason I will not purchase this newspaper (if you can call it that). Why do they write "dug up" by political operative as a description of the methods use make this information public? Perhaps the journalists are the ones who should be "digging", not the political operatives. I thought that is what journalists were supposed to do.... provide the public with the truth, not give us editorials with every story.
Time Out
The story about the lethal flesh eating bacteria in the Chesapeake Bay has much more relevance to me than this boy's personal criminal melodrama. Your ink, your agenda. Nice try Pilot.
If convicted it should be mandatory jail, AA, community service, parole and public scorn.
Until then, so what?
No Fair
Okay, this is ridiculous. Creigh Deeds is running for Governor; not his son. This story isn't even worth reporting. Let's get to the issues and leave this type of reporting out of the politics. This young man is 20 years old and considered an adult (he can vote at 18 - he can go to war at 18). What he does in his private life should not reflect on his father's ability to lead this State. Let's stop attacking families of politicians. By the way: I'm a conservative and vote Republican every chance that I can, so I'm just trying to look at this situation as objectively as possible.
Kids?
In the eyes of the law they are no longer kids when they turn eighteen. The biggest difference being they go to jail as opposed to the juvenile court system.
Another round of . . .
That good old American game "My party's got fewer sinners than your party." Or maybe "My party's sins aren't as bad as your party's sins."
How about stopping the game and realizing we *all* have sinned. So, should we report on the families of candidates or not? One rule for all would do!!!
You are right, Mary.
It is a game. The real story here is why is this news? The Pilot is just a pawn in the game.
You Missed The Target By Just " That Much "
WE are the Pawns...
Like any other player in the Mass Media business, The Pilot’s objective is to deliver the Eyes, Ears, and Minds of its subscribers & on-line audience to its Advertisers. WE absorb the messages the Advertisers want to feed us... The Advertisers pay the Pilot for being the delivery vehicle & the Wheels of Life turn round, & round, & round...
political opperatives on this forum
Many of you do not state your actual political affiliations. Doesn't mean that it isn't obvious which side of the partisan divide you are on.
On PilotOnline "Breaking news" items are rarely complete stories about anything. They are usually works in progress that alert readers to unfolding stories. Full stories come later.
Not surprising that many of the same posters here go mum when Fox, Rush Coulter, Savage, etc... foster outright lies and disinformation.
Is the Pilot sloppy? Yes. They still are a far cry more ojective than the aforementioned entities.
Nice try, George
But your dodge isn't going to work.
The "breaking news, rarely complete" meme was legit yesterday, but no longer.
For your information, Rush, Coulter, Savage, etc. do not profess to be objective nor do they need to as they are commentators, not "journalists" as the VP professes to be.
Let's face the facts
kids are gonna be kids. Palin nor Deeds can be with there kids 24/7. I have a 20yr. old and I can not bee with her 24/7. You can only hope that you raised your kid with enough common sense and values not to get involved in these things, but let's face it, most the people posting on here probabaly had a drink before they were of legal age and had sex before they were married, you just didn't get caught. As for the underage drinking issue, there should be tougher laws, but not all cities enforce them. Many officers let kids go and send them home( unless of course they are driving) too much paperwork when you bust a party with 30 underage kids drinking. So think about what you did as a kid!
Whiners
Just listening to the Republicans whine and whine made me go and get my bucket. A high school kid with booze? You have got to be kidding. I am much more interested in the escapades of Palin's daughter. Only a matter of time when she will be pregnant again,and we can only guess with whom.
Comparing Teen pregnancy to alcohol possession
Republican Posters, are you seriously going to compare Palins' pregnant (unmarried) teenage daughter to Mr. Deeds son charged with alcohol possession. Has your family values gotten that distorted? Truly sad. I can't take it anymore.
Not that I support either
...but I think that the point is that nobody seemed to complain when Gov. Palin's family's situation was brought to the media's attention. Compare how that was handled by the Pilot (and the press in general) with the wording of this article.
Nobody accused Democrats, or anybody else in general, of "unearthing" that information about the Palin family.
That's my Pilot.
It is interesting that when it involves a Democrat it involves "political operitives digging for dirt", and when it's a Republican it's "Breaking News".
digging dirt
True. When liberals find flaws in conservatives; it is called revealing the truth and breaking news. But, when conservatives find info on liberals, the liberal media calls it dirty politics or mud slinging. So true.
Agreed,
Some more of the regulars could be fun.
It was good beer and good conversation.
I am surprised that the Pilot..
ran this story, given how they exist soley to advance the Dem Party's agenda only, and they usually reserve this kind of 'reporting' for the candidates of the party they so adamantly oppose, the GOP. Man, if this were a story about a Palin kid, or a Bush, one can only imagine the number of front page stories and the requisite editorials devoted to it.
"Dug up?"
By the way, interesting that this was "dug up" since he is due to be arraigned next week. This was bound to come out since his father is running for the top office in the Commonwealth. I love how words can be so loaded.
What's the big deal? If
What's the big deal? If people use this as a deciding factor in their vote, then they should be researching the candidates' politics more, not worrying about their family members. He's just a 20 year college kid who got caught with alcohol. Nearly all of us drank at that age, just not all of us got caught.
Perhaps Creigh Deeds should re-evaluate his candidacy...
I’m sure that most liberal Democrats would agree that it would be selfishly careerist of Mr. Deeds Sr., to continue to pursue the governorship when the public scrutiny & media attention of his electoral run is already having such an adverse effect on his family.
As many liberal Democrats here have often taken great pains to point out, former Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate, Sarah Palin, has been the author of her own family’s difficulties; as her selfish careerism, & inappropriate parenting style has left her children open to no end of public scrutiny, humiliation & discomfort.
Do the right thing Creigh. Stand down your campaign, your family needs you!