For Virginia Democrats, the strategy for this year's statewide elections came into sharp focus after the Virginia Republicans' recent nominating convention. Step 1: explain to the commonwealth that the GOP slate is unusually radical, even by contemporary Republican standards. Step 2: make the case that there's no real difference between the various culture warriors who'll be on the same ballot.
To that end, E.W. Jackson, the unhinged candidate for lieutenant governor, did Virginia Democrats a pretty big favor today.
For those who can't watch clips online, Jackson appeared on a radio show this morning and was asked about possible areas of disagreement between himself and gubernatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli (R).
"We are in fundamental agreement. I've heard that this ticket is probably more homogeneous than almost any ticket ever in the history of Virginia. So there's no stark disagreement between us."
You can almost hear Virginia Democrats smiling.
Look, Wilson is just a bizarre political personality -- you've all seen the axe-melon video, right? -- who's so extreme, he's causing some Republican officials to "panic." Cuccinelli has said he supports his party-chosen running mate, but he refuses to comment publicly on anything Wilson has ever said or done. It's easy to imagine the underlying strategy: Cuccinelli doesn't want to be dragged down if Virginia's mainstream voters consider Wilson too ridiculous to vote for.
And then along comes Wilson to declare that he and Cuccinelli are just two peas in a right-wing pod.
Virginia voters can expect to hear this quote quite a bit between now and Election Day.
