Maybe the party has learned the biggest lesson of the 2009 elections:
Kaine said the key to victory for Democrats in a highly competitive Virginia is recognizing that party members need not be "apologetic" about their affiliation to find success. He noted that about 200,000 more people voted in the Democratic primary for president on a frigid February day in 2008 than cast ballots for Deeds this year, and said McDonnell successfully spooked Deeds by suggesting that Virginians had grown anxious about the Democratic agenda.
"I think the issue of being nervous about the Virginia electorate was overdone and I think Creigh did exactly what the McDonnell campaign hoped he would do, which was distance himself from the president and national issues," Kaine said.
2010 will be a base election. Any Democrat hoping to meet a fate similar to Deeds' should follow his campaign plan and abandon the party and its agenda. No one doubts Republicans will be energized. Failure or success next year will come down to whether our side turns out.