VIRGINIA SHAPING UP NICELY FOR 2008-- THEIR STORY IS PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE NATION'S

The last time Virginia supported a Democrat for president it was 1964 and LBJ trounced Barry Goldwater. A new Washington Post/Rasmussen poll indicates that 2008 could be the end of a red tradition in the commonwealth. The disdain in which Virginians hold the current occupant of the White House is unprecedented (a 35% job approval rating) and "by a margin of 11 percentage points, Virginians would prefer that the next president be a Democrat, indicating that even a reliably red state could flip in 2008."

But that ain't nothin' compared to the race that's shaping up to replace John Warner in the U.S. Senate. First off, it doesn't matter if the GOP puts up a far right extremist, ex-Governor Jim Gilmore III, or a mainstream conservative, Congressman Tom Davis (also the III); the polls shows Mark Warner absolutely romping to a landslide victory-- probably with a 30 point margin.

Tomorrow Virginia's 84-member Republican State Central Committee will get together and decide whether to pick their sacrificial lamb by convention or primary. Primary means Gilmore is the candidate. "If a primary were held today, the poll shows, Gilmore would beat Davis by 19 percentage points." The Post perpetuates the myth that Davis is a "moderate," which his voting record proves is untrue. Example: Davis has participated in 54 roll calls regarding Iraq. So how many times did this "moderate" just rubber stamp the Bush Cheney position? Once, a February 2007 nonbinding resolution. So he's a moderate because he only rubber stamped Cheney's demands for endless war 53 times instead of 54 times? And it certainly doesn't look like he's "moderate" on women's choice. He participated in 23 votes and he voted the religionist right position against choice all 23 times. I'm sure the Post has some reason they call Davis and other wingnuts moderates. Maybe it's because they have never been photographed in a KKK or Nazi costume.

But like I said, it doesn't much matter which of these pathetic yutzes the GOP picks or how they pick him.

In the Senate race, Warner leads Gilmore 61 percent to 31 percent, a 2 to 1 margin replicated in nearly every region of the state. Warner leads Davis 63 percent to 28 percent. In vote-rich Fairfax County, where Davis argues that he would have more appeal than some recent statewide GOP candidates, Warner is up by 24 percentage points over the congressman (57 percent to 33 percent).

Gilmore and Davis say they are confident that Warner's lead will significantly diminish as the race heats up.

Warner's large advantages are a testament to his broad popularity, voters' unfamiliarity with his likeliest opponents and the state's current Democratic trend.

...Warner has a 67 percent favorability rating, and his appeal crosses party lines.

More than 7 in 10 Democrats have a favorable impression of the former governor, as do 69 percent of independents and 61 percent of the state's Republicans. Even 4 in 10 self-described conservatives said they would vote for Warner, who was elected governor in 2001 as a pro-gun Democrat who appealed to voters in traditionally GOP counties.

UPDATE: DAVIS WILL PROBABLY NOT BOTHER RUNNING FOR SENATE

Damn! I was hoping Tom Davis would run and give Democrats an opportunity to pick up his Northern Virginia congressional district while he got trounced by Mark Warner. But the neo-fascists in the Virginia GOP opted for a state party convention rather than a primary to select their nominee. And since the convention will be dominated by far right radicals, Jim Gilmore will be the nominee.