I know it shouldn't be all about winning...but that doesn't mean it doesn't feel great tonight as Republicans sweep in the Old Dominion.
My fear is that national Republicans will trumpet this as a sign that America is rushing back to them. Let's face it, they're not-Independents are merely turning away from Democrats and Republicans, tired of losing, were motivated to get out and vote this year. But it shows that people are willing to listen to the Republicans and give them a chance. If they're smart they'll use it as an opportunity, and Republicans in 2010 and beyond would be very wise to use the McDonnell campaign as a template for future success. His oft-discussed thesis, in which he espoused some fairly antiquated ideas and what became the centerpiece of the Deeds' campaign, should have signaled the death knell of his gubernatorial (sorry, CW) hopes. Astonishingly, it had virtually no impact.
Why? People just don't care about that stuff in 2009. Liberal fatigue in Washington helped McDonnell, but the candidate himself deserves a lot of credit for running a brilliant campaign. Positive, disciplined, cheerful to the point of corny, and in tune with the electorate's concerns. He focused like a laser on those concerns and images of McDonnell just screamed 'competence.' Remarkably, he only slightly retracted some of the thesis comments, and otherwise made no apologies for any of them. This isn't Utah-this is a very purple state and it just elected an unapologetic social conservative.
The social conservatism is a whole other discussion, and I'm straying from my point, which is this: if the GOP runs good candidates, those candidates have a clear, concise and consistent message that is reflective of the public mood, and execute a positive and focused campaign, they will win. Period.
Hey, let's hear it for my state, NJ. Finally, the voters got it right.
ReplyDelete"No statements will be made by the White House until tomorrow." If I'm Corzine or Deeds, I'd be looking out for the bus.
ReplyDeleteSally - Nicely done. I wished there had been a news crew present at my election poll today and that they had interviewed me.
ReplyDeleteQ: Sir, I see that you've cast your vote. Do you mind telling us how you voted?
A: No, I don't, I voted for McDonnell.
Q: Was your vote a repudiation of the Obama Administration policies as many have suggested?
A: No, my vote was for the candidate I considered to be more qualified to be the Chief Executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia. But had there appeared on my ballot, an entry stating "Do you repudiate or support the policies of the Obama Administration and the Democrat-led Congress of the United States?", I would have marked the block next to "Repudiate". And I would have pushed the touch screen extra hard to make sure there were no hanging cyber-chads. EXTRA hard."
CW-
ReplyDeleteFirst--those who underestimate Ed Gillespie do so at their own peril.
Second--I think your comments are pretty much on target. Contrast this election with the previous one in VA. Kilgore made Kaine's catholic faith and views on the death penalty the centerpiece of his campaign...and got whipped. Deeds made McDonnell's old paper the centerpiece of his campaign to similar effect. Kaine ran as Warner Part II basing the campaign upon fiscal management, transportation, and education and won. McDonnell focused on bread and butter issues like jobs, taxes, spending, and new ideas for transportation and won by a larger margin than anyone predicted.
Sorry Sally--I need to pay more attention to the byline. BTW, I agree with Mudge...nice piece of analysis.
ReplyDeleteSally--I think you're onto something.
ReplyDelete