1. Bob McDonnell’s Success in Rebranding the Republican Party
There are two crucial elements here.
First, he focused on “solutions” and plans to “solve problems,” and abandoned the “party of no” rhetoric that had been so destructive to GOP electoral chances.
Except, of course, for taxes.
Second, he was electorally successful without abandoning or repudiating conservatism in general. To be sure, he did not focus on divisive social issues and he repudiated some of the more egregious commentary in The Thesis. But his views on government spending, the Democrats’ federal policy agenda and on taxes in general were not those of someone running away from conservative beliefs.
For this reason, conservatives across the country are likely to be speaking about the McDonnell Model throughout 2010, largely because they will see it as a direct repudiation of the media-driven perspective that Republicans can’t be Conservatives and Winners simultaneously.
2. The Ultimate Deeds-aster
How did Democrats in Virginia simultaneously manage to:
A. Lose independents by an almost 2 to 1 margin
and
B. Depress the enthusiasm of the base
Who could have ever imagined last November that the Virginia Democrats were getting to ready to apply John McCain’s electoral strategy to the statewide elections?
3. Can the Poll-Waving White House Blame It All on Creigh?
Discussing Deeds’ impending defeat, presidential Press Secretary Gibbs cited a WAPO poll in which 70% of Virginia voters said Obama was not a factor in their decision.
Okay.
But does anyone not believe that the altered national environment and public discontent with “Washington” contributed significantly to the Democrats’ problems?
And does anyone really think that moderate congressional Democrats won’t be worried about an election in a state that Obama carried where independents swing almost 2-1 to the GOP?
It’s not all Creigh.
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