Obama makes pitch for Deeds at Norfolk rally

NORFOLK

Creigh Deeds is hoping the kind of energy President Barack Obama generated among a crowd of 5,700 on Tuesday is contagious enough to overcome polls suggesting he trails Republican Bob McDonnell and needs long presidential coattails to drag him to victory Nov. 3.

Obama told thousands of supporters at Old Dominion University's Ted Constant Convocation Center to set aside their cynicism and help put Deeds in office.

"A lot of people are saying polls don't look the way we want them to. Listen. Let me tell you something," Obama said. "I don't believe in can't. I don't believe in giving up. I don't believe we would turn our backs on the progress that Tim Kaine has made here in Virginia. I am absolutely confident that we can if you are willing to work in this last week."

Tuesday's visit to ODU was the second time Obama stumped on behalf of Deeds during this campaign. Earlier this year, he joined Deeds and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine at a rally in Northern Virginia.

A similar cast was onstage Tuesday.

Also speaking were the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general, Jody Wagner and Steve Shannon, respectively.

While the event was designed to galvanize Deeds' supporters, many said they were there to get a glimpse of the president - not to see the candidate for governor.

"We love Obama," said Norfolk resident Ed Neukrug, who took his 10-year-old daughter, Emma, out of school to attend the rally. "It's a real opportunity to see the president."

People at the event and those interviewed in nearby neighborhoods Tuesday said they weren't as enthusiastic about electing Deeds as they were about Obama one year ago.

Perhaps Obama returned to Virginia too late, Neukrug said. "You have to wonder what would have happened if he had come earlier."

Others said the attraction to Deeds isn't as strong.

Helen Brownlee, who lives a short walk from the arena, said there's been little neighborhood chatter about this year's race.

"I'm not hearing anything," she said, standing in her front yard on Killam Avenue.

People waited hours to get inside and hear Obama speak. At one point the line stretched more than three blocks.

But not everyone outside was an Obama fan.

Several dozen members of the Hampton Roads Tea Party stood on the sidewalk waving signs bearing slogans such as "Yes He Lied And We Want America Back." One of the protesters, Mark Ackermann, expressed dismay about Obama's leadership.

"We're here to save the future of our country," said Ackermann, from Hampton. "We feel we're being pushed into a socialist state. We feel like people are being blindly led into something."

Despite the presidential assist, Deeds' odds of winning appear long. For the past 32 years, Virginia has elected a governor from the party opposite the person in the White House.

A report released Tuesday by Public Policy Polling found that as Election Day draws near, the percentage of people polled who describe themselves as Democrats and likely voters has dwindled. While 94 percent of Republicans polled said they plan to support McDonnell for governor, just 84 percent of Democrats polled said they will vote for Deeds.

In addition to polling deficits, Deeds faces strong political headwinds.

The lingering recession has left many uneasy about their livelihoods. Also hurting him are debates about federal spending, health care and climate change that have seeped into this race. McDonnell has exploited those divisions.

Polling indicates those conditions seem to have reduced Obama's popularity in Virginia, a state that helped put him in the White House.

Deeds, a state senator from Bath County, urged those at the rally to ignore speculation that his campaign is over.

"I need your help to drag out every vote we can," he said. "I'll tell you this, if I believed every poll I ever looked at, I would have quit this process a long time ago. Reports of my demise are much exaggerated."

Obama leveled with the crowd about the election but said Deeds can still win.

"Let's be honest: This is going to be a tough race. We've got a tough economy. And even if it wasn't a tough economy, it's always tough in Virginia," the president said.

He also joked that Deeds is hardly the candidate from central casting, referencing his tousled hair and sometimes "askew" necktie.

"We don't need politicians who are more interested in scoring points than solving problems. We don't need folks who are slick," Obama said, taking a veiled shot at McDonnell.

The president also spoke of his own troubles and critics in Washington, as he deals with issues.

"When I showed up after the inauguration, they left a big mess on the floor. So I got a mop and I started cleaning up the mess. That's OK. I don't mind," he said to applause.

"But you know," Obama continued, "it does bother me when they start saying, 'You're not mopping fast enough. You're not holding the mop the right way.' My attitude is 'Why don't you grab a mop?' "

Hakim Davis, a Norfolk man who supported Obama last year, said he isn't impressed with what the president has done.

"He's just trying to tackle stuff everywhere," Davis said as he stood on the street nearby. "Take care of us... Represent the poor people. Get the people some jobs."

But Davis said he's still a Democrat and will back Deeds.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com

Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com