Webb May Be Senate Maverick

[AuH2O]

Webb was very classy at his victory rally, praising Allen for his service in the Senate and some other things that quieted the crowd a bit. I do think it's possible Webb will wind up a little less like Kerry and Schumer than a lot of Democrats would like.

Virginia has been "trending left" for 175 years but has managed to stay center-right. Many uneducated observers of Virginia politics, i.e. most of the Democrats in this forum, mistake Virginia's unique political character for a trend.

While Duke won the white vote in Louisiana, Virginia elected the nation's first black Governor. People like Wilder and now Webb, in terms of their politics, have always been able to compete in Virginia. Nothing's changed. Hillary Clinton for one won't be competitive here.

[AuH2O]

Well Virginia is more fiscally conservative than socially. So the Republicans high-spending ways in Washington doesn't play well here.

The movement towards Democrats is national, not local to Virginia or anywhere else. The GOP has bled slowly for a while and in '06 got pasted. When one party has some national success, it makes it look like various states are trending their way, when in fact they are not.