THE ‘REAL’ VIRGINIA…. It’s all about division. For Sarah Palin, it’s about dividing “pro-America” communities from those parts of the nation she’s less fond of. For Michelle Bachmann, it’s about dividing “un-American” members of Congress from the rest of the chamber.
And for the McCain campaign, it’s about dividing individual swing states, pitting one region against another.
On MSNBC this morning, McCain adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer asserted that “real Virginia” does not include Northern Virginia: “I certainly agree that Northern Virginia has gone more Democratic…. But the rest of the state — real Virginia if you will — I think will be very responsive to Senator McCain’s message.”
MSNBC host Kevin Cork gave Pfotenhauer a chance to revise her answer, telling her: “Nancy, I’m going to give you a chance to climb back off that ledge — did you say ‘real Virginia’?”
But Pfotenhauer didn’t budge, and instead dug a deeper hole: “Real Virginia, I take to be, this part of the state that’s more Southern in nature, if you will.
This comes just two weeks after Joe McCain, the senator’s brother and campaign surrogate, referred to Virginia’s two most northern counties as “communist country.”
Hmm. Virginia is a key swing state, with 13 electoral votes, and recent polling showing Obama with a modest lead. The state’s two most populous counties — Fairfax and Prince William Counties — are both in northern Virginia.
And the McCain campaign keeps insulting them.
If there’s a clever angle to this strategy, it’s hiding well.
