With each of the major candidates for Virginia governor officially in the ring, the race to November appears to have settled into a more focused routine, where each candidate's team will repeat its daily talking points about the latest dust-ups during interviews, rallies and conference calls. The goal is to have one candidate's message "win the day," which is important until the next day starts and no one remembers what happened the day before.
Today's dust-up is a good example of this professional political drudgery kicking in, only two days after the first debate. Republican candidate Bob McDonnell, you see, is "under fire" for a comment he made at last week's Shad Planking. Somehow, the Democratic Party of Virginia was there to capture it on video.
He said, "A lot of people in Virginia that are hurting, that are struggling with mortgage payments and college tuition, and jobs losses and so forth. We're raising five kids in Virginia, we're feeling a little bit of it as well. I'm actually now a retired state employee, sort of unemployed myself."
(He was referring to how he recently resigned as state attorney general, although that doesn't mention how he returned to a big law firm afterwards.)
Well, the Democrats are running with this. Out of touch! Hates the poor! Cue today's conference call:
Seizing on those words, Virginia Democratic Party chairman C. Richard "Dickie" Cranwell said McDonnell, a Republican running for governor, is "out of touch" with the roughly 291,000 unemployed Virginians.
"Where I come from, you can't be halfway anything," Cranwell said during a conference call today, alluding to McDonnell's remarks. "You're either employed or you're unemployed."
Good work, Dickie. You are now free to punch out for the day. But think of something creative to say about Bob McDonnell hating poor people, and have it ready for the 8 a.m. briefing tomorrow.
Jim Newell writes for Wonkette and IvyGate.
