As you know, earlier this week WSLS sponsored the final gubernatorial debate of this campaign and I served as moderator. I’ve had some time to think about it and here are three points of that event that I think were quite telling.

First: transportation. There’s nothing really new here. We have a crisis and we know it. And, with two weeks to go, Democrat Creigh Deeds is still struggling to give an answer about how he’ll tackle it.

The plain-spoken state senator reverted to legislative speak during the debate. Here’s a sampling:

WARREN: “Don’t Virginians have the right to know exactly what they’ll be paying more for in taxes before they vote for you or Mr. McDonnell?”

DEEDS: “And what I’m saying and what the Washington Post and the Daily Press is saying is the only honest approach to transportation is that anything that has a nexus to transportation is on the table.”

WARREN: “What tax would we see increased under Creigh Deeds?”

DEEDS: “What tax would you see increased under Creigh Deeds?”

McDONNELL: “I can answer that.”

DEEDS: “No you can’t answer that Bob. What I have said Jay is whatever has a nexus to transportation is on the table.”

WARREN: “What does that mean? Sales tax on cigarettes, alcohol?”

DEEDS: “Anything that has a nexus to transportation is on the table, Jay.”

WARREN: “Gas tax?”

DEEDS: “Anything.”

Second: social issues. It was Republican Bob McDonnell who was unwilling to specifically state his position on abortion no matter how hard I tried to get him to.

WARREN: “When should abortion be legal in your view?”

McDONNELL: “Well, the point I was going to make there was at the first debate my opponent said he was not going to focus on social issues and yet that is really all he’s talked about since.”

WARREN: “Is there one instance where abortion should be legal in your view?”

McDONNELL: “Well, I’m going to follow the law, Jay. The law is very clear on when it should be allowed.”

WARREN: “Personally, what do you think on that?”

McDONNELL: “Well, I was raised in a middle class Catholic family in Northern Virginia. My parents taught me about respecting innocent human life, about protecting the family. Those are my personal views.”

Although he never said it during the debate, McDonnell thinks abortion should be legal only in cases involving the life of the mother.

Finally, the third illuminating point was health care reform.

When asked if the states were given the option to opt out of the so-called public option, McDonnell didn’t hesitate. He said yes.

And so did Deeds, sort of.

He said, “Public option isn’t required in my view.” He went on to say, “I don’t think the public option is necessary in any plan. I would certainly consider opting out if that were available to Virginia.”

While that might have appealed to moderate and conservative voters, Deeds’s answer did not appeal to the liberal base of the Democratic Party. Liberal bloggers have had a field day with that answer and already the Republican Governor’s Association has put out an ad on it.

Dr. Denton, my fellow questioner during the debate, and I covered a lot of topics and tried mightily to knock these candidates off their talking points during the debate. Sometimes (rarely) we succeeded. But it was worth the effort and those three exchanges may be the best examples of our success.