Bob McDonnell - The GOP's New Hope?

The National Journal has an article that looks at Bob McDonnell - the presumptive GOP nominee for Virginia governor - and speculates as to whether McDonnell can help turn around the GOP's fortunes. As I have mentioned before, McDonnell is masquerading as a moderate in the lead up to the November 2009 election, yet in reality he's about as moderate as Attila the Hun. His real policies are guided by Pat Robertson and The Family Foundation, the Virginia affiliate of James Dobson's Christianist organization, Focus on the Family. McDonnell is wrong on social issues and seems utterly incapable of understanding the concept of separation of Church and State. When voters hear McDonnell's pitch, they need to close their eyes and picture James Dobson standing in McDonnell's place to appreciate what McDonnell really stands for. Should he somehow be elected Governor, it will be a HUGE set back for Virginia. For the real story on McDonnell, visit "The Real Bob McDonnell." Meanwhile, here are some highlights from the National Journal story:

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For Republicans eager to reverse their sinking fortunes, Bob McDonnell could hold the key. But you won't find him in any of the traditional positions of power -- and the national media has barely found him at all. He's on the campaign trail in Virginia, where he's the likely GOP nominee for governor. . . . Not only are they counting on him to change their downward trajectory, but they could be relying on him to block the rise of a dread party foe: Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chair and Clinton confidant who has an early edge in fundraising, if not the polls, for the Democratic primary on June 9.

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McDonnell, 54, a former state attorney general, has his work cut out for him -- and not just because of his awkward comparison of himself to former Sen. George Allen (who won the '93 governor's race). Republicans may still be smarting from their national defeat last fall, but the party has been in retreat in Virginia for a decade. Since the last GOP governor was elected in 1997, the party has lost the state Senate majority, a slew of state House seats and both U.S. Senate seats. Last fall, they lost the majority of congressional seats. Barack Obama last fall became the first Democrat to carry the Old Dominion since 1964.

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McDonnell hails from the wing of his party that's under the most relentless attack. A retired Army officer who was groomed for politics at the Rev. Pat Robertson's Regent University law school, McDonnell compiled a staunchly conservative voting record during seven terms in the state House, especially on social issues. "The question becomes, can he transform himself the way the Republican Party has to transform itself?" Sabato said. "He needs to de-emphasize the social issues, break his connection with Robertson and run as a moderate conservative. Virginia will still vote for a moderate conservative, but it's not going to support a hard-right candidate."

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Indeed, McDonnell is making every effort to do so. Taking a page from the playbook of Sen. Mark Warner, a popular Democrat whose strategic lurch to the political middle helped him win the 2001 gubernatorial race, he's steering clear this year of potentially explosive topics like abortion, gay marriage and gun rights.

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"A leopard cannot change their spots even if they run for governor," said Richard Cranwell, the state Democratic Party chairman. Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent, financed a round of TV ads attacking McDonnell on gun control.

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It will be crucial that Democrats make sure that voters understand who Bob McDonnell is and that despite the current moderate play acting, he is a member of the extreme Christian Right who MUST be defeated in November.