Bob McDonnell and son Bobby, after the verdict. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
The Youtube page of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is still up and running. Which, as something of an amateur student of history, I find valuable as a resource for future research. And, as something of an amateur aficionado of deeply cringe-worthy bits of nostalgia, I find valuable for other reasons.
McDonnell, you are no doubt aware, was convicted on 11 federal corruption-related charges by a jury earlier this month. The charges stemmed from his relationship with the head of a nutritional supplement company with whom, McDonnell's lawyers argued, the former governor's wife Maureen had a "strong emotional attachment." The McDonnell childen had a starring role in the trial -- with Star Scientific's Jonnie Williams paying for catering at one McDonnell daughter's wedding and gifts for the other as well as a new set of golf clubs for McDonnell's son, Bobby. But the focal point was the relationship between Bob and Maureen, with the general consensus being that Bob offered up her skin in order to save his own.
Which brings us to this ad from 2009, when McDonnell was first running for governor. It is called "Family."
Can't watch it? Suffice it to say that it ends with the whole family crowding around McDonnell on a front porch. "Honey," Maureen says, "we love you!"
This one ends with McDonnell standing alongside his family in the sun. "After all," he says, "we face the same challenges that you do."
Well, not quite.
Philip Bump writes about politics for The Fix. He previously wrote for The Wire, the news blog of The Atlantic magazine. He has contributed to The Daily Beast, The Atlantic, The Daily, and the Huffington Post. Philip is based in New York City.
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