Candidate Clinton is the headliner at this year’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner, and it’s making national news…but not for the reasons it should be:
The Virginia event is another sign that Clinton is taking primary challengers seriously — including former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who has gained little steam in polls but could clash with Clinton in debates over foreign policy.
Clinton’s campaign already has a staffer in Virginia organizing training programs for volunteers there. It’s one of the only states with important elections in 2015, with control of the state Senate up for grabs.
Coming to NoVa to help the DPVA raise money has very little to do with Jim Webb (who is still doing his Hamlet act about a White House run).
Clinton comes because old family retainer Terry McAuliffe is Governor. It’s a favor, and a sign of favor — not to mention a plug for his effort to retake “his” Senate.
In the longer term, though, this visit is about Virginia’s electoral votes and the absolutely essential role they play in any Republican’s path to victory in 2016.
Mrs. Clinton is signaling that she intends to keep Virginia’s electors in the Democratic column. She wins here, the GOP nominee is cooked. Pretty basic stuff.
But to judge from the content of things I’m seeing coming out of official GOP spokeshumans, they don’t quite understand that. Instead, it’s a litany of “why won’t she answer press questions?” “What about the Foundation’s books?” And so on.
In other words, stuff the voters Republicans need to show up on election day don’t care about, and never will.
You want to make her uncomfortable? Ask about the results of four decades of Clintonism, and who would benefit if we tacked another four on to the total. Besides the Clintons, their friends, assorted courtiers and Matt Drudge, that is.
