This seems to be the overall theme quickly emerging for the 2009 gubernatorial campaign.
From both parties.
Bob McDonnell will argue that he has spent two decades helping to solve Virginia’s major problems- welfare reform, juvenile justice, internet predators- and that he wants to be elected Governor to help fix the problems that Virginians are talking about today at the dinner table.
Isn’t this what his position on out-of-state college and unversity admissions- Virginia’s schools should be primarily for Virginia’s kids- is all about?
And if Terry McAuliffe turns out to be the Democratic nominee, isn’t “Putting Virginia First” a neat way of contrasting their respective backgrounds without having to call him an interloper?
Democrats have made it clear that they are not going to cede the Virginia First theme to McDonnell. Instead, whoever is the Democratic candidate- Deeds, Moran or McAuliffe- will try to paint McDonnell as an ideologue who puts a right-wing agenda before the interests of Virginians.
Just take a look at the press release the Democratic Party issued this week calling on McDonnell to repudiate Bobby Jindal’s decision not to take all the stimulus money due Louisiana.
The Democrats have also indicated that they intend to hammer McDonnell on his oppposition to the smoking ban as illustrative of how his ideological viewpoints leaves him at odds with the desires of most Virginians.
And its no surprise that McAuliffe has been the most outspoken critic of McDonnell on this.
Here’s the ironic twist that’s already developing about the 2009 campaign.
There’s going to be a ton of money dropped on Virginia. Every prominent national figure will find a way to make an appearance here. And the results will be read by the Washington media as the first referendum on Obama and perhaps the Reid/Pelosi Congress.
But inside the Commonwealth it’s going to be a back to basics contest. Virginians will have no interest in the national glitz and attention.
They’ll want to know which candidate can best restore a measure of a predicability, normality and hope at a time when all of these are in scant supply.
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