Goode: GOP victory will 'send a message'

Confident of a party sweep on Nov. 3, about 50 Republicans gathered at Mary’s Diner on Tuesday night for their last official meeting of the year.

With a matter of days left to rally voters, local Republicans called on former 5th District Rep. Virgil Goode to speak alongside Delegates Danny Marshall, R-14th, and Don Merricks, R-16th. Among the comments were more than a few referencing the Democratic “book club” held Monday night to discuss Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell’s graduate school thesis.

“Has anybody got a book here tonight that we can review?” Merricks joked. He described voter apathy as “scary” but said he believed people were beginning to take notice.

Danville GOP chairman Nick Fowler encouraged Republicans to support the GOP ticket Thursday morning at a rally, which will also include Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

Goode, who received a standing ovation from supporters, thanked the volunteers and stressed that what happens in Virginia will send a message nationwide. He encouraged Republicans to reelect Merricks and Marshall along with the statewide ticket. Merricks is running unopposed this year; Democrat Seward Anderson is challenging Marshall.

“What you are doing is going to get us a victory on Nov. 3 and send a message,” Goode said.

“The only reason they are opposing Danny is because in his House of Delegates district, the Democrats carried it in 2008. So they think they can carry it again in 2009. What do you say in 2009, we send them our view that 2008 results were a mistake and elect Danny Marshall?”

Greeted with loud applause, Goode went on to criticize Deeds’ “flip flopping” views on guns and transportation — a factor in Deeds’ “slide in the polls,” he said — and praised McDonnell’s plan for transportation.

Goode also heavily criticized the proposed cap-and-trade legislation, which he said would increase gasoline, home heating and electricity bills, as well as what he called the “Harry Reid bill on socialized medicine — a more socialistic system than any of us can imagine.”

“If we prevail statewide,” Goode said, “…it will be a message to Washington. It’ll be a message to Harry Reid and it’ll be a message to the president and it’ll be a message to Nancy Pelosi. If it’s a wipeout — and I’d like to see that — they might be shaken Wednesday morning.”

Fowler, Goode, Marshall and Merricks — as well as a local party organizer — all stressed the importance of reaching out to voters and getting people to the polls Tuesday.

“I wouldn’t know how to act with a Republican governor,” said Merricks, who has served one term as delegate with Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine in office. “I think it’d be really neat… You talk about seeing something happen, that’s when it’s gonna happen.”