It's premature to call the solid victories by Democrats Tim Kaine and Jon Corzine a bellwether for the 2006 elections. Much can happen between now and then to change the political landscape and there were many factors unique to their respective states that enabled Kaine and Corzine to win. But yesterday's results are certainly a promising sign for Democrats.
Tim Kaine's victory in Virginia was a resounding rejection of the Republican attack dog style of politics which has been employed so successfully in recent decades. Kaine's opponent, Jerry Kilgore, tried to tap deep into the Republicans' arsenal of wedge issues, bashing illegal immigrants and stoking fear of death row killers, most prominently. For some reason, he forgot to bash gays. Fortunately, Kilgore's vapid negative campaign failed miserably.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey Jon Corzine won an ugly, nasty election he was widely expected to win. No great lesson came out of Corzine's race other than a reminder that New Jersey is now a safely blue state.
What does all this portend for the 2006 election? Probably not much, but after the devastating loss of 2004 it feels good to be a Democrat again.
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Tim Kaine's win is terribly exciting news for Democrats in 2006 -- if they follow his lead. He ran a campaign that communicated authentic values, not wonkish policy. He openly discussed his Catholic faith and how that informed his politics in practical, meaningful ways. He was able to make God central to his message, without focusing on the Republican hot button issues of abortion and gay rights that divide us. House and Senate members are attending Faith Working Groups to learn how to reframe issues in values language. They and 2006 Democratic candidates would do well to get their hands on the Kaine campign speeches and literature. Today a majority of Americans say that they vote with their faith in mind, and most think that Democrats are at a minimum ambivalent to their faith and even anti-religious. Kaine's campaign strategy could provide just the right blueprint for many more successes in 2006. It's always been good to be Democrat, we just haven't been as good about saying why! Thanks to Kaine's team, we have a new framework and language.
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Your article was right on, and thankfully so - how nice to see Republicans get a comeuppance for their nasty campaign tactics!
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