Sic Semper Tyrannis

SWxSE has posted an excellent round up of the conversation yesterday with Attorney General Bob McDonnell. My impressions of the call were largely the same -- McDonnell remains open and anxious to discuss issues with bloggers. But there were a few times in our talk yesterday where we got a peek at the McDonnell '09 campaign.

And if I'm Bill Bolling, I'd be taking notes.

After dispensing with the notion that he had any interest in John Warner's Senate seat and reaffirming his desire to run for Governor, I asked McDonnell how he would differentiate himself from Bolling in the primary.

As SWxSE notes below, McDonnell has only good things to say about his certain opponent. But he said that you have to be more than a good orator and believe in the "right" ideas to win. McDonnell went on to list the specific policies he's advocated as AG, in addition to the bills he either wrote or backed during his time in the General Assembly to show he's more than just a talker -- he's a doer. And if you don't believe him, here's the list of what he's accomplished.

On one level, this is entirely acceptable -- and expected. One of the major (though terribly shallow) knocks against Virginia conservatives is that they just say "NO" all the time. "NO" isn't a governing philosophy, the great and wise say (or at least they do inside their cubicles at the RTD). Instead, Virginia's want to "move forward," or "make history" or some such bumper sticker nonsense. That's why it's so important to show, at least to the great and wise, that you've accomplished something during your time in office.

McDonnell has this base covered. In spades. Bolling, as Lieutenant Governor and even before that as a state Senator much less so (or at least so it would seem).

I suggested that if Jeff Schapiro's Republican Doomsday Scenario came true, and Senate parity became the new reality, Bolling would automatically raise his profile, in effect becoming a key player based purely on the numbers. McDonnell dismissed that as a hypothetical, saying that past experiences in Senate parity didn't lead to any larger role for the LTG. And besides, the GOP would hold its majority (though perhaps more narrowly) anyway.

Fair enough.

So the first dim outline of a campaign platform emerges -- the "done a lot " McDonnell vs. the "Fine orator but not much to show for it" Bolling. Interesting dynamic. But the last time we had an election on "competence" versus belief, belief won (just ask Mike Dukakis).

Moving on.

Another interesting light emerged in the last part of the discussion about the new, improved traffic fines Virginians will pay in order to finance road construction. McDonnell said that Dels. Albo and Rust had not specifically asked him for legal advice on the matter, but that they probably studied states like New Jersey, which have similar fundraising mechanisms in place.

I asked another hypothetical: Were he still in the House, would he have voted for the transportation bill and this provision. He believed that "conceptually," it was a good idea, but he might have looked at other alternatives.

Again, very interesting.

We covered a lot of ground in a very brief time -- all of which has been ably discussed below. My general impression of the General is that he's still supremely committed to the task at hand, but is beginning to look much harder at defining himself and his future candidacy. It's no secret that making regular appearances on the blogs helps this effort. It's also no secret that the LTG is doing the same.

I wonder how all that will change if someone else decides to jump into the fray?