In politics, as in romance, first impressions clearly matter. Images of first nimble baby steps of public servants in office tend to be lasting and formative. Often, they cast the die of public opinion that’s hard to shake afterwards. Just like the first few seconds of an ad on TV or a movie trailer, they capture our imagination and interest. Or, they lose us.

Governor McDonnell has now been in office for exactly one month. Yes, early days. But we’ve had a good chance to see him in action during an additional, fuller 60 days-plus of transition since his election in November.

So, how fares Virginia’s first GOP Governor in a decade? I spoke to a few learned folks to get an early sketch – such as Dr. Bob Holsworth, noted political commentator with Virginia Tomorrow; Mike Turner, Loudoun Democrat Chairman; and Randy Minchew, a well-known Loudoun GOP leader. I also had a chance to watch our new Governor in-person on his first visit to Loudoun Feb. 4.

Laurels…

Governors Cabinet:  High-marks to McDonnell for the selection of a Cabinet widely viewed as non-ideological, diverse, and based on competency and experience above all else. The Cabinet contains a good dose of women, African-Americans, a Hispanic-American, and one of the first Asian-Americans. It also has members who served under Democrat Administrations.

Local Composite Index: The LCI is the state formula that is used to determine how much state education funding flows to local school districts, and is adjusted annually. Outgoing Governor Tim Kaine (D) inexplicably upended this decades-long process in his final, December budget when he froze it. In doing so, localities in Northern Virginia stood to lose over $100 million in critical education funds. But LCI funding is a zero-sum game: more money for one area of the state means less for another. After much lobbying, McDonnell heeded the pleas from Northern Virginia to right a wrong, and unfreeze the formula. While good for Loudoun and our neighbors, the area that McDonnell represented in the Legislature for years – Virginia Beach – lost out big time in this reversal of fortune, to the tune of $15 million. Brave move on an extremely harsh political and fiscal decision.

State of the Union: McDonnell won accolades at the state and national level for his well-delivered, tempered, statesmanlike response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech in late January. His first foray onto the national stage, all eyes were on McDonnell, and he delivered. Not overtly partisan, he gave the national GOP a much needed boost by showcasing ideas and solutions. Further, when he was asked to jump into the media klieg lights the next day, he eschewed a round of national media interviews – tending to business instead in Richmond. That sent a wise and poised message to Virginians who grew tired of Tim Kaine’s AWOL last year as Governor when he chose to Chair the Democratic National Committee – and seemed to like that job a lot more.

Snow Response: Okay, not the issue of our times – but after several weeks in a harsh winter, it sure feels like it. This was the first major statewide crisis McDonnell faced, and he responded smoothly and appeared attentive and in control. Declaring multiple states of emergency, mobilizing the National Guard, cancelling out-of-state appearances, and asking for Federal disaster aid were some of McDonnell’s initiatives. VDOT plows were everywhere. McDonnell was a reassuring voice on the airwaves as waves of snow pummeled out state. Other Governors (and Mayors) in similar circumstances have not faired so well and paid a price.

Darts…

Sledd Appointment: This otherwise routine Cabinet appointment for he Commerce post ended up morphing quickly into one of those painful-to-watch, political shadow-boxing exercises – a raw power play between a new GOP Governor and a Democrat-controlled Senate. At issue was businessman Robert Sledd’s membership on several corporate boards, considered by Democrats to be a non-starter for confirmation (he refused to give them up). For too long, the Governor demurred while Rome (the massive $4.2 billion state deficit) burned. It was painful, and unnecessary, on both sides. Wasted time, and expunged political capital – which is at once so valuable, and so fleeting.

Discrimination Policy: Unlike Republican and Democrat Governors before him going back more than three decades, McDonnell has yet to issue the traditional executive order barring discrimination in the state workforce. His office has bungled up explaining why. They say it is in fact still in effect, except for the part enforcing protections based on sexual orientation. The Governor said, “I just consider that one provision to be invalid by my one provision opinion.” This is horridly ‘Clintonian’. What silly legalese jostling.  Perception should trump a too-rigid lawyerly reading of discrimination policy here. There is absolutely nothing faulty with simply saying discrimination in any form - against anyone, anywhere - is just plain wrong. Always ‘Nuff said.

Transportation Funding: McDonnell’s decision to avoid addressing transportation funding in his first budget cycle was of stark contrast to the attention he paid to it during the 2009 race. Virginia – and commuters – can ill-afford another year passing by without the Governor and Legislature making some tough, sorely-needed, decisions. It allowed Democrats to score political points by alleging he’s ‘punted’ on this issue. Ouch.

Public Access: The event on Feb. 4 in Loudoun was only McDonnell’s second major public event since Inauguration. At a time when citizens feel removed from - or ignored by - by their government and leaders, an up-close-and-personal presence is vital. The Governor showed great example in the days leading up to the Inauguration with several high-profile, public service events. That was sorely missing in the weeks afterwards. And, he gave slipshod treatment to local media while in Loudoun, and should have provided more time for give-and-take with the Fourth Estate on local issues

Thirty days in, the Governor appears to be governing as he campaigned: as a moderate. Or, at least, moderately. He’s making decent initial first moves in an exceedingly tough fiscal and partisan environment.

Of course, all of this pales in comparison to the one issue that is likely to have more impact on McDonnell than any other, by an exponential factor: the state budget. Get that under control in a bipartisan way, and the laurels will flow freely, and darts will stay on the corkboard. The budget will truly be the ‘longest yard’ – ever.