RPV's Mullins is either a liar or a complete idiot (or possibly both)

I got a strange e-mail today from Pat Mullens at the RPV. Entitled, "RPV Video: Creigh Deeds Refuses Questions At Own Campaign Event"

According to the e-mail:

Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins today released a new Internet video from Creigh Deeds' campaign stop at a restaurant in Tazewell County at which the Democratic candidate for governor refused to take standard questions from an audience of hand-picked supporters holding Deeds yard signs and wearing campaign stickers.  This further highlights reasons Deeds has refused to agree to a full debate slate with Republican Bob McDonnell.

"The guy is clearly unnerved by being asked about the issues of the day," said Chairman Mullins.  "If you can't take questions from a hand-picked audience at your own campaign event, how in the world are you going to be the leader of the Commonwealth?"

A link to the video was attached.

Well, this seemed strange. First, it didn't sound like Creigh. Perhaps, I thought, some rude teabagger had found their was to a Creigh event and the childish behavior we have been seeing at Congressional Townhalls had somehow leaked into the Virginia gubernatorial campaign.

Well, here's what it was. McDonnell's tracker was videotaping Creigh's speech, and Creigh is clearly being senstitive to the privacy rights of the folks who came out to hear him speak. Creigh offers to take questions, but gesturing to the tracker, acknoledges that the presence of a GOP camera might have a chilling effect on his audiences' willingness to do so.

Now, I have no problem with the tracker. That's politics, these days. But for Pat Mullins to somehow turn this into Creigh refusing questions is either a lie, or he s a complete idiot. (The layover of a cutsie bluegrass-sounding sounding song about being a tracker does not rescue this moronic effort as simply tongue-in-cheek harmlessness, though in that sataric spirit I rewrote the lyrics for your enjoyment -- see below).

I can't believe my Republican friends in Virginia cannot do better than this when it comes to party leadership.

The video is below. Judge for yourself. (Note - the song is kind of obnoxious. I've found that it is more tolerable if you replace the lyrics with these that I wrote):

Oh, Pat Mullins is a liar,
Yes, he has to be a liar
Mullins must be a liar
Or an idiot, oh.

He'll write you, e-mail, ask you for your vote,
But look out boys, he's a dishonest dolt.

Oh, Pat Mullins is a liar,
Yes, he has to be a liar
Mullins must be a liar
Or an idiot, oh.