Because the best things in life are free.

 

More Green in This Red State

Talk about buzz. Word leaked yesterday that DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe will hand over today $1.5 million to Tim Kaine for his Virginia gubernatorial bid somewhere in Arlington.

It’s unclear if the handover will be done publicly or in private. What is clear would be McAuliffe’s desire to up the ante on the Republicans and demonstrate that Democrats can win in the South. After all, numerous Southern governors are Democrats. But somehow, there is the belief that down in the heartland you can’t win by being liberal and usually you can’t win by being a Democrat.

This is why McAuliffe is so eager to pony up. He is eager to dispel that myth and show the main reason Democrats lose in Dixie is that they are outspent. By matching the Republicans in out of state money, McAuliffe thinks Kaine ought to win in a walk. It is early enough to say that such hopes are premature. So much of the campaign is defined by the candidate himself. So why can The DNC Chair give this money with such a cavalier attitude? Does the phrase “red state” mean anything to you? Democrats are tired of appearing equivocal and soft. They want nothing more than the chance to aggressively take the fight to the “red states”. No matter how the election goes, most Democrats believe making a stand will be a moral victory if not an actual one. And unless Kaine is blown away, ala Janet Reno in 2000, critics of this strategy will be hard to find.

posted by Thomas at 1:58 AM 0 comments