McCain Adviser Says Northern Virginia Not "Real" Virginia

October 18, 2008

It might be a good idea for the folks from the McCain campaign to take a day off, take a breath, and then return to work. Republicans unaffiliated with the campaign tell me the "bunker" mentality there is really starting to hurt them.

To wit: McCain senior adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer on MSNBC today.

"As a proud resident of Oakton, Virginia, I can tell you that the Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into northern Virginia," Pfotenhauer said, speaking of Democratic gains in that part of the state. "And that's really what you see there.

"But the rest of the state, 'real Virginia,' if you will, I think will be very responsive to Senator McCain’s message," she continued.

Pfotenhauer went on to make a totally valid point about Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., having to play defense in Pennsylvania, as areas in battleground states where Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., could do well.

"And remember that, you know, you’ve got places in other states like northern Wisconsin, the iron range of Minnesota, south-central and southeastern Pennsylvania, the St. Louis suburbs and the rural areas of Missouri that are very responsive to our message," she said. "And again we're taking it to them in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. He’s having to fight to defend there, as you can tell because he's deployed people like the Clintons out in Pennsylvania. And every speech Joe Biden gives, he says, 'I’m from Scranton.' You don't know what else he's going to say, but he sure gets that line in."

But the "real Virginia" line -- made in the wake of the nominee's brother, Joe McCain, referring to Arlington and Alexandria as "Communist country" -- is what's most likely to make news, and help Team Obama drive up Democratic turnout in the battleground state.

"Hey Nancy," said the MSNBC anchor, "I’m going to give you a chance to climb back off that ledge. Did you say 'real Virginia'?"

"I did say outside of north – well, I mean real Virginia, because northern Virginia is where I’ve always been, but real Virginia I take to be the – this part of the state that is more southern in nature, if you will," she said. "Northern Virginia is really metro D.C., as you're aware, Kevin."