James Taranto said the same thing of Cuccinelli as Rove did. It wasn't Cuccinelli's conservative bona fides that was the problem. It was how Cuccinelli presented. That's the x factor whether people will vote for a particular candidate. You do know a political race is a beauty contest, don't you?
Take the New York mayoral race, for instance. Joe Lhota was clearly the best candidate for mayor. Former chairman of the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority and former deputy mayor under Rudolph Giuliani. A ton of managerial experience but not the most attractive candidate. de Blasio, on the other hand, ran a 'baby talk' campaign. Lots of rhetoric and meaningless sloganeering taking the place of any substantive background or experience. He took 75% of the vote. Was he the best man for the job? No. But he had the x factor.
A modern candidate has to be not only principled, but pretty. Don't shoot the messenger. You know this is true. It wasn't just Reagan's conservatism that won over Democrats. It was conservatism packaged in a sunny disposition. Something Cuccinelli apparently lacked.
