Chris Graham | Winners and Losers: Deeds, Al Groh, Balloon boy, The weather

PUSH: Creigh Deeds gets WaPo endorsement
It could be the push that Deeds needed to get over the hump in the Virginia governor’s race. Deeds had crept to within two points of Republican Bob McDonnell in a September Rasmussen poll before falling behind by nine in Rasmussen and the Washington Post and 14 points in a SurveyUSA poll in early October.
The latest poll, from Rasmussen, had the margin back at seven for McDonnell, who you might remember also had a healthy lead in the final days of his 2005 attorney-general race with Deeds before a late surge by the Democrat pushed the election into a recount.
Deeds, you might also remember, was down and out in his ’09 Democratic primary race with Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran before storming back on the strength of a Washington Post endorsement to win the primary going away.
How much influence does a Post endorsement carry? How many comebacks does Deeds have in his political life?

 

WINNER: Speaking of comebacks … Al Groh
Oh and three, a loss to I-AA William & Mary, a bye week heading into a game at UNC. Yeah, that Al Groh is toast. Might not even make it to Chapel Hill.
Just as happened each of the past two years, Groh’s UVa. football team rips off a winning streak.
It was seven and a trip to the Gator Bowl in 2007. Last year it was four and a brief stay atop the ACC Coastal.
This year it’s three and counting, with Georgia Tech coming to Charlottesville on Saturday to challenge the, yes, you heard it right, ACC Coastal leaders.
The chant heard emanating from the blue side of the Orange and Blue Ridge – Groh Must Stay! Groh Must Stay!

 

LOSERS: The balloon boy family
They’re not going to end up in the pokey. My guess is they’re going to get what they wanted.
Check that – they’ve already gotten what they wanted. “Larry King Live,” the run of the morning shows, et cetera.
It says a lot about our culture, eh? That we can let these idiots play us like that?

 

WINNERS: Us
The sun is out, the fall colors are vibrant, and it’s supposed to warm up as the week moves on.
Had enough of winter yet?

 

– Column by Chris Graham