Liberal group gives McDonnell 'turkey' award

The deer offering Gov. Bob McDonnell will accept from native Virginia tribes later this week comes with good intentions and a dose of tradition.

The frozen turkey left for him Monday?

Not so much.

A 12-pound gobbler was presented to McDonnell's staff by ProgressVA, a left-leaning interest group which named the governor its "Turkey of the Year" for what it deemed his use of accounting gimmicks and cuts to core government services to balance Virginia's budget.

In addition to the bird, the group left a framed resolution for the governor, accusing him of "maxing out the state's credit card" with borrowing and refusing to close tax loopholes "that benefit his corporate donors."

Figuring the governor wouldn't consume the turkey, ProgressVA recommended a donation to a local food bank, which is how his office will handle the gift.

"The fact is in this tough economy many Virginians could use a free turkey at Thanksgiving," McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said. "With that in mind we will donate the turkey to the Central Virginia Foodbank and we encourage all Virginians to support their local food banks this holiday season.”

But if officials had their druthers, Martin joked, instead of a turkey they “would have preferred a one year membership in the jelly of the month club, the gift that keeps on giving the whole year."

-- Julian Walker

(McDonnell's secretary, Pam Watts, receives a frozen turkey for the governor)

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