Gliding into the email inbox this afternoon was a note from Terry McAuliffe titled “It’s official.”
“It” being that, yes indeed, he is running for governor (of Virginia…he sometimes forgets that).
Because this is the inaugural email to list, McAuliffe sketches a few basic themes:
I’m running for Governor because I want to make Virginia home to the best educated, best-trained, and most-skilled workforce in the whole world. And I’m convinced that if we have real leadership in state government — leadership that’s focused on working with businesses to grow the economy and bring jobs to Virginia – there is no limit to what we can accomplish.
It almost sounds like he’s running for president of the chamber of commerce. But it’s simple, pro-business, and pro-growth. Bob was “4” jobs, Terry is, too. Mercifully, the copywriter did not mention “moving Virginia forward.” But it’s early, so odds are that chestnut will appear before long.
His opponent, Ken Cuccinelli, is not mentioned by name. But it’s not really necessary. Only one person in Virginia could possibly be this retrograde:
In this election, we will be running against a politician who is far outside the mainstream. He believes government should impose a radical social agenda that restricts women’s health, attacks science, and divides Americans. It is an agenda that often ignores mainstream issues like economic opportunity and a strong middle class.
And there you have the attack lines of every ad, text, facebook post, email blast and press release from now until next November. By the end, it could resemble a cross between the Scopes Monkey Trial and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Buckle-up folks.
