I don’t think Virginia is in play in 2008.

Democrats are huffing and puffing about their “big mo” and Republicans are wetting themselves.

Everybody needs to calm down.

Smallholder’s analysis:

Kilgore lost because:

1) People rememeber the fiscal catastrophe of the Gilmore administration. Vater Smallholder, who has not voted for a democrat in my lifetime, pulled the lever for Kaine. Not because my father has suddenly gone over to the dark side. He is just pissed about fiscal irresponsibility.

2) Kilgore is an idiot. You are supposed to go negative when you are losing, in order to increase the cyncism of moderates and suppress their turnout. Then it is down to base versus base. Kilgore had a lead, and then went negative. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

3) Kilgore is a liar. Kaine ran some questionable adds as well, but Kilgore insulted the intelligence of voters everywhere. And that pisses us off. He may not have lied in a Clintonian parsing of words, but his intent was certainly to mislead: “Tim Kaine says he lowered taxes in Richmond, but tax bills actually went up.” The intention was to make voters think Kaine raised taxes and is a lying poopyhead. But homeowners, who make up a huge portion of the voting population, know that rising property values lead to higher bills even though the tax rate was reduced. If you buy a $200,000 house and it increases in value to $600,000, your taxes will go up. People get mad when you insult their intelligence.

Note to the Maximum Leader: You should be glad Kiane won. You liked the fiscal responsibility of the Warner administration. Having a Democrat facing a republican legislature will keep the spending and revenue nuts balanced. For what might have happened to Virginia’s fiscal health, see: The United States government where one-party controlled has led to an orgy of tax cutting and spending. You migh recall my pre-election post pointing out that true conservatives ought to support a split government as a way to restrain federal power.

Note to Democratic Party: Smallholder is available as a strategist for reasonable rates. This one’s free: “We may be called tax and spend liberals, but look at the last eight yeats of BORROW and spend profligacy.”