Just to be clear: Conservatives, not moderates, crushed the Democrats in Virginia

November 4, 10:17 PMDC Republican ExaminerBill Dupray

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There seems to be some misconception by some, especially those on the left, that the big winners in Tuesday's elections in Virginia were moderate Republicans.

Let's disabuse them of that notion.

The charge is usually stated as a premise in a comment along the lines of "the right wing should not celebrate too much over these results, because had the Virginia guys been conservatives, they never would have won." Then, for the chaser, they throw out the Hoffman loss in NY-23 as the example of what happens to a conservative when he dares to run for office.

Make no mistake, the right-wingers have arrived in the Old Dominion.

The Washington Post ran at least a dozen hit pieces on the Governor-elect, Bob McDonnell, accusing him of being a bible-thumping, homophobic, misogynistic, anti-abortion zealot.

The Lt. Gov.-elect, Bill Bolling, was described (on his own site) in the context of the primary contest for the job, as follows.

Alternatively, Muldoon's approach to the race for the nomination was to place himself to the right politically of Bolling-not an easy task given Bolling's conservative credentials.

And another of his sites.

During his service in the Senate, Bill Bolling emerged as one of Virginia's most effective conservative leaders. He worked to keep taxes low and create a pro-business environment in Virginia. . . .

As Lieutenant Governor, Bill Bolling has promoted a conservative legislative agenda that focuses on the things he believes in - keeping government small and focused on its core responsibilities, keeping taxes low for families and businesses, making certain that Virginia remains a great place to do business, and finding solutions to the challenges that face our state.

Then this, also from Bolling's site, says of A.G.-elect, Ken Cuccinelli,

[He] is considered one of the most conservative members of the Virginia Senate, where he is a leading opponent of abortion and an advocate of gun and property rights.

.

Of course, the Washington Post went bat-sh*t crazy over the scary Cuccinelli.

[A]lthough Virginia has turned more moderate this decade, there's a good chance it will put a militant conservative in a high-profile office in Richmond while many voters are looking the other way.

As noted by NewsBusters.

For the benefit of readers outside of Virginia, Cuccinelli is a pretty standard conservative. He’s pro-life, pro-Second Amendment. He’s taken positions in support of lower taxes and restraining spending. Certainly, he’s no moderate. Referring to him as "very conservative" would also be fair.

So to those who would argue that the 2009 elections somehow showed that Republicans need to moderate their positions to appeal to the "normal people," just remind them that Virginia ran three proud, committed Conservatives . . . who crushed the Democrats by historic margins.