A quick followup on my post yesterday.
As expected, it didn't take long. Today's Washington Post carries a story headed "Contest Will Play Out On National Stage In The Fall," although if you read the story itself, you'll see it says next to nothing about what features of our Virginia election make it nationally germane. That's because there aren't any.
In light of Creigh Deeds 's victory as the Democratic candidate, the claim of national significance is even more preposterous now than two days ago. Deeds is no Obama Democrat; he's a pragmatist who's progressive in some areas but staunchly conservative in others. Likewise, his Republican opponent is no pure Republican play either - he too is positioning himself as a pragmatic problem-solver.
This similarity of the two parties' and candidates' approaches is the real lesson Virginia offers, and it can be learned now: Voters will look for someone they think can address their practical concerns (they used to be called "pocketbook issues"). Candidates who ignore such concerns, or worse, subordinate effective solutions to political dogma of the extreme left or right, need not apply.
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