In 2009, We Need A Fighter AND a Fundraiser!

In his argument for Creigh Deeds over at Blue Commonwealth, "Aznew" writes:

Mr. Moran is right about one thing: We don't need a fundraiser.

But we don't need a fighter, either.

We need a Governor.

Aznew is riffing off of Brian Moran's JJ dinner speech a couple weeks ago, during which he took a not-too-subtle swipe at former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe with the line, "We need a fighter, not a fundraiser." Now, let me just say that I like Brian Moran a lot, believe he's an excellent Democrat, and would be happy to see him as our next governor. However...you knew there was going to be a "however," right?...that "fighter not a fundraiser" line was one of the most ridiculous I've heard this entire election cycle (right up there with the brain-dead "Brian has a Boston accent" and "Terry McAuliffe's a carpetbagger"). Let me explain.

Back in Electoral Politics 101, or possibly even in 6th grade civics, we learned that to win an election, you need to convince voters that they should vote for you and not for your opponent. (I know, duhhhhhhhh....) We also learned that there are several ways to go about accomplishing these goals (this list is not meant to be comprehensive): through the force of your personality, the appeal of your message, the effectiveness of your campaign, the cogency of the case against your opponent, and the passion of your supporters.

Which brings us to Brian Moran's "fighter not a fundraiser" line. Aside from being completely inappropriate to attack a fellow Democrat at a UNITY dinner for Democrats (let alone right after President Clinton exhorted the candidates to be positive, not negative), this line simply makes no sense whatsoever. The fact is, what we Democrats need in a candidate against Bob McDonnell is going to be a fighter (big time) AND a fundraiser (also, big time). Without both of those things - plus a grassroots movement (which, as co-founder of the Draft James Webb movement and co-author of Netroots Rising, I'm all about!), plus a strong message, plus a strong messenger, plus a bit of luck - we will not win this November. Period. And here's the ironic thing: I'm sure that Brian Moran understands this as well as anyone.

Here's a quick review of a few recent victories by Democrats in Virginia and how they did it.

1. Mark Warner vs. Mark Earley (2001): According to VPAP, Mark Warner spent $20.8 million on that race, defeating Mark Earley, who spent a measly $8.5 million. Warner ran a strong campaign in many ways, including his appeal to bluegrass and NASCAR fans, but he also spent a boatload of money. A "fighter AND a fundraiser," in other words.

2. Tim Kaine vs. Jerry Kilgore (2005): According to Stateline.org, "The 2005 campaign was the most expensive gubernatorial race in Virginia history. Kaine raised $20.1 million, Kilgore $24.5 million and Potts $1.3 million – for a total of $46 million." Once again, we had a "fighter AND a fundraiser." And we won.

3. Jim Webb vs. George Allen (2006): Webb's campaign raised over $8 million, plus millions more that came in from the DSCC and other sources. We all knew that Jim Webb was a fighter, but he also had to be a fundraiser (as did Chuck Schumer over at the DSCC, which helped Webb a great deal) - as much as he hated it - to defeat George Allen.

4. Tim Kaine vs. the Republicans (2007): Tim Kaine's Moving Virginia Forward PAC raised $3.4 million in 2007 to help elect Democrats. The result? We took back the State Senate and picked up 4 seats in the House of Delegates. Obviously, our candidates had to fight, but the fundraising by Tim Kaine didn't exactly hurt matters. :)

5. Tom Perriello vs. Virgil Goode (2008): According to the News and Advance, "The 5th District congressional race between Democrat Tom Perriello and Rep. Virgil Goode was a $4.8 million affair in which the top spender won at the polls, pending a recount." I know this is sounding like a broken record here, but once again, we had a fighter AND a fundraiser, this time in the person of now CONGRESSMAN Perriello.

6. Barack Obama vs. John McCain (2008): Everyone knows that Barack Obama's a fighter, but he also is an amazing fundraiser. According to the New York Times, "President-elect Barack Obama brought in nearly $750 million for his presidential campaign, a record amount that exceeds what all of the candidates combined collected in private donations in the previous race for the White House..." Yet again, a "fighter AND a fundraiser." Starting to sense a pattern here? :)

Now, to the 2009 governor's race. According to WTOP, as of 12/31/08, Brian Moran had $769,605 on hand after raising $761,894 and spending $916,581 in the second half of 2008. In comparison, Creigh Deeds had $803,729 on hand after raising $610,533 and spending $404,004 in the same period. Terry McAuliffe had $718,079 on hand after raising $947,505 and spending $229,426 in a few weeks. And Bob McDonnell had $2,034,801 on hand after raising $2,098,610 and spending $747,993 during the last 6 months of 2008.

The bottom line here is that the 2009 governor's race is going to cost a fortune, certainly far more than the $46 million spent by Tim Kaine, Jerry Kilgore and Russ Potts in 2005. Bob McDonnell already has $2 million cash-on-hand, and you better believe that national Republicans are going to pour everything they've got into this one. Which means just one thing: whoever the Democratic nominee turns out to be this year had damn well better be a fundraiser - a prodigious one at that - or we can start imagining the nightmare words, "I, Bob McDonnell, do solemnly swear..."

P.S. By the way, I didn't even mention it because it's so obvious, but all three Democratic candidates have proven that they are fighters. For instance, Terry McAuliffe has spent nearly 30 years fighting for Democrats, including wrestling an alligator (now THAT'S dedication - lol) for Jimmy Carter (personally, I wouldn't have wrestled a poodle for Jimmy Carter). :) Creigh Deeds is fiery and feisty. So's Brian Moran. Which brings us right back to needing a fundraiser in addition to needing a fighter...

P.P.S. You're right, Aznew, we need a [Democratic] governor. And the only way we're going to get one is to make sure our candidate is both a fighter AND a fundraiser! :)