Raising Kaine

Moving on up...

2005-03-19T19:21:00.000-05:00

Hey folks (i.e., RSS readers) we have moved over to a Wordpress Blog at http://raisingkaine.com/blog/

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Come on over and join in the fun!

Republican Central Committee: Burn Potts at the Stake!

2005-03-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

The Republican Party of Virgnia may have a new, 21st century website, but their ideas are stuck in the Dark Ages of heretics and stake burnings. In this case, what we're talking about is the state GOP's continued attempts to banish Independent Republican candidate Russ Potts from the GOP, despite his lifetime in the party.

Today, believe it or not, the Republican Party "Central Committee" (I thought those were Communist or something!) of Virginia actually issued a formal resolution (filled with lots of "whereas"'es and "be it resolved's" to make it sound all legal and official-like), essentially: a) excommuninicating Potts from the Church, er, Republican Party; b) expressing the Committtee's "extreme disappointment at the betrayal of the Republican Party;" c) urging Potts to "resign immediately from his State Senate seat;" and d) "call[ing] upon the Republican Caucus of the State Senate to expel Senator Potts from Senate Republican Caucus."

We here at RaisingKaine, of course, can't help but laugh at all this. What this fatwa essentially accomplishes is nothing but more free publicity for the cash-strapped Russ Potts. Boy, is Russ Potts happy today - thank you Republican Central Committee (for his part, Potts has said he was born a Republican and will die a Republican)!

As Barnie Day wrote last week in the Hampton Daily Press:

the flat-earthers [have done] exactly the dumbest thing they could do if their intentions were to stop [Potts]. Rather than ignore him, they went after him tooth and high-decibel claw - they held news conferences and issued press releases and generally threw temper tantrums in public - and in the process gave him the kind of free media coverage that money can't buy.

In other words, the Republicans have managed, in one fell swoop, to do something arrogant, nasty, and self-defeating. That's fine with us, of course, given that we are no friends of either "flat earthers" in general or of Jerry Kilgore specifically. But, frankly, there are times that we actually start to worry about these people. Today was one of those times.

Tim 2005: Mark 2001 or John 2004?

2005-03-19T05:35:00.000-05:00

In this election, is Tim Kaine more like Mark or John -- Warner or Kerry, that is? Here are Warner's 2001 vs. Kerry's 2004 percentages in a few Southwest Virginia counties: Buchanan (66% for Warner '01 vs. 54% for Kerry '04), Dickenson (61% vs. 51%), Russell (60% vs. 45%), Wise (59% vs. 41%), Giles (57% vs. 41%), Tazewell (54% vs. 41%), Lee (53% vs. 41%), Pulaski (53% vs. 37%), Craig (50% vs. 35%). In Scott County, the home of the Kilgore clan, Warner won a respectable 43% of the vote in 2001, while Kerry won only 34% in 2004. In other words, Warner did quite well in Southwest Virginia, while John Kerry got totally trounced.

Meanwhile, in Northern Virginia, Warner and Kerry were running about even (i.e., 54% for Warner in Fairfax County vs. 53% for Kerry; 68% in Arlington County for both Warner 2001 and Kerry 2004). In the city of Richmond, it was 73% for Warner in 2001, 70% for Kerry in 2004. In the Hampton Roads area, Kerry generally ran about 3-6 percentage points behind Warner, but still outpolled Bush in the region. How a candidate does in Northern Virginia, Richmond City and Hampton Roads is critically important to his or her chances of victory, given that, combined, these three areas account for two-thirds of Virginia's population. Overall, Warner and Kerry performed comparably in these "Big 3" regions, but Warner far outperformed Kerry in the rest of the state. As a result, Warner won Virginia overall with 52% of the vote in 2001, while Kerry lost big time, with only a 45% share, in 2001.

True, 2001 and 2004 were different elections. Most obviously, of course, the candidates were different. In addition, voter particpation rates were much different. Virginia's gubernatorial contests, of course, take place in odd-numbered "off years," when there are no Congressional or Presidential races. Normally, voter turnout rates are highest in Presidential election years and lowest in off years. Not surpringly, then, statewide voter turnout was 47.8% (see graph, by Mark Rush of Washington and Lee University below) in the 2001 Mark Warner vs. Mark Earley contest, compared to 71.4% turnout in 2004 for the Bush vs. Kerry race.

Interestingly, although conventional wisdom suggests that Democratic candidates are normally helped when greater numbers of voters participate, Kerry in 2004 did far worse in Virginia than Warner did in 2001 despite a 24 percentage point increase in voter turnout between the two elections. The explanation is simple: Kerry got trounced in rural parts of the state, while Warner held his own (or better).

How did Tim Kaine do in 2001 running for Lt. Governor compared to Mark Warner at the top of the ticket? Overall, Warner outperformed Kaine by about 3 percentage points statewide in 2001, with a 5-point victory (52%-47%) for Warner over Mark Earley compared to just a 2-point margin (50%-48%) in the Tim Kaine vs. Jay Katzen race. The big difference was in Southwest Virginia, where Kaine consistently underperformed Warner by 3-6 points. In Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, Kaine did about 1 or 2 percentage points worse than Warner. Not surprisingly, Kaine did about 3 percentage points better in his home town of Richmond than Warner did.

Despite differences between the 2001 and 2004 elections, the question remains: will Tim Kaine perform more like Mark Warner in 2001 or John Kerry in 2004? In particular, there are two major questions for Kaine: 1) how will he do in Southwest Virginia in a lower turnout election this year; and 2) will voters who up in large numbers for him in the "Big 3" -- Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, and Richmond? So far, based on the Survey USA poll released about a week ago, we've got to say that it looks like Kaine has his work cut out for him. According to SUSA, Kaine is losing to Kilgore 50%-28% in Southwest Virginia (and 59%-24% in Central Virginia). No two ways about it: this does not look great for the Kaine campaign, at least for the moment.

But, before the SUSA poll has us Kaine supporters breaking out in cold sweats, let's keep a few things in mind. First, it's very early right now, with a long campaign ahead of us. A lot can happen over the next 7 months. Second, most people - aside from political junkies who write and read blogs - know relatively little about either Tim Kaine or Jerry Kilgore at the moment. Our guess is that they will grow to like Kilgore less the more they get to know him, and the opposite for Tim Kaine. Third, Tim Kaine doesn't have to win in Southwest Virginia, only perform respectably while racking up large margins in Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia. Fourth, given the far lower turnout seen in gubernatorial compared to presidential elections, this eleciton will be all about who turns out their base. And, frankly, a poll done in March is highly unlikely to have anything to say on this subject. Finally, there's the Mark Warner factor, as the popular governor presumably throws his full support behind Kaine in Southwest Virginia as well as the rest of the state. That will definitely help Kaine, but to what degree is the big question, given that Warner will not be at the top of the ticket as he was in 2001.

All this brings us to a snapshot analysis of the Kaine campaign strategy as it stands thus far. As we see it here at RaisingKaine, Kaine's strategy - at least based on the campaign kickoff speech we watched in Herndon on Wednesday - is clearly to run as Mark Warner II. Tramslation: fiscally conservative, business friendly, tough on crime, and strong on "values." In a red state like Virginia, running as a moderate or even conservative Democrat is certainly a defensible strategy. In fact, it may be the only POSSIBLE strategy for a Democrat to win statewide these days.

The challenge for Kaine, in our opinion, will be convincing rural and exurban voters that he truly is Mark Warner Part Deux and not John Kerry Redux. At the same time, he will need to figure out a way to stoke enthusiasm and turnout among the Democratic base, particularly African Americans, Hispanics, and women. Kaine's success in doing these things -- plus, of course, a strong grassroots effort aimed at "RaisingKaine" -- will determine whether, come election day, he turns out to be Mark Warner 2001 or John Kerry 2004.

"This is My Town" - Kaine Kickoff: Richmond 2005

2005-03-18T20:06:00.000-05:00

The Tim Kaine kickoff event in Richmond was at the Children's Museum. The parking lot was packed and people were walking to the event, to get in the door. By around 8pm, there were around 350-400 people there. The event was scheduled to start at 7:30. While we all waited for Kaine, there was a fabulous funk band playing for the crowd. They played everything from My Boogie Shoes, to RollerCoaster of Love.

Kaine arrived a little after 9 PM, and the crowd went wild. Kaine had his children in tow, later mentioning that he loved the people they were growing up to be and that they were the most important people in his life. They all arrived on stage to "This is My Town" by Bruce Springsteen. (How appropriate!)

The first speaker was Kaine's father-in-law, the former (first) Virginian Republican Governor Linwood Holton. Holton said that "he was a Republican, and he is a Republican,"but that he knows he when to make the right decisions.

Mark Warner spoke next and talked about how Kaine has the "courage" to be the next Governor of Virginia. He highlighted Kaine's strengths and that Kaine would bring "Democrats and Republicans together" in the legislature. Warner also said that he would not give Kaine "the present" of the deficit that he was left with when he came into office. He then introduced Tim and "the next governor of Virginia."

When Kaine began to speak, he seemed truly moved by the amount of support shown by the city where he formerly served as Mayor. Kaine highlighted the progress made in Virginia, in particular that in the past four years, tens of thousands of new jobs have been added in Richmond. In terms of what he would do as Governor, he talked about how his faith guided him, as evidenced by his service as Christian missionary.

Overall, the speech hit home with many middle of the roaders and conservative Richmonders, as well as diehard Kaine fans.

These signs were made by the Young Democrats at the Maggie Walker Governor School in Richmond.

Supriya Christopher in the 84th District (Virginia Beach)

2005-03-17T20:37:00.000-05:00

Brent from the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee writes RaisingKaine to inform us that, in our interview with David Englin (see below), we forgot to mention an open seat in the 84th district (Virginia Beach). According to Brent:

Supriya Christopher is a great candidate, a former news anchor, an army reserve officer, and the wife of a Navy pilot who is fighting in Iraq. She has a great chance of winning this race, it is a good district for a moderate Democrat vs a right wing extremist. The (R) is an attorney named Sal Iaquinto. He is so scared of the competition he has been calling Supriya's friends to find out information and accusing her of trying to "steal" his seat. He even called her "godchildrens'" parents in North Carolina. The gall of this guy to think he is entitled to the seat, Republicans need to be reminded that they are not kingmakers and that we live in a Democracy. Check out her site at www.electchristopherdelegate.com.

Thanks for letting us know about this race, Brent. We'll be keeping an eye on it and rooting for Supriya Christopher!

Tim Kaine Runs for Mark Warner's Second Term (Herndon, VA)

2005-03-17T17:53:00.000-05:00

Tim Kaine's campaign kickoff event in northern Virginia was held at the Herndon Municipal Center yesterday. A large crowd, including Ironworkers Local #5, packed the room to welcome and support our next governor.

One thing was abundantly clear from the remarks of everyone who spoke yesterday: Tim Kaine is running to continue the great progress made the past four years under the leadership of Governor Mark Warner. As Linwood Holton, the first Republican governor of Virginia in nearly a century when he was elected in 1969 (and Tim Kaine's father in law) stated, "Tim Kaine will be just like the governor we have now!" And as that very governor, a guy named Mark Warner, said yesterday in Herndon, "Tim Kaine is a good friend and a good person" - the right man for the job. In short, given that governors are constitutionally barred in Virginia from serving consecutive terms in office, Tim Kaine effectively is running for Mark Warner's second term.

What does that mean, exactly? First, that Kaine's campaign is not -- like his Republican rival's for instance -- all about bitter partisanship and dividing people. Instead, it's about bringing Virginians together and continuing to move the state forward in a positive direction, just as Mark Warner did the past four years. Second, that Tim Kaine will work with anybody in order to benefit Virginia, but that -- in Mark Warner's words -- he is NOT a "finger in the wind politician." Third, that - again quoting Mark Warner - "we're going to prove the press and the pundits wrong, just like four years ago," when they said a Democrat couldn't win in Virginia. Tim Kaine's going to win. Fourth, as Mark Warner said, that Tim Kaine is a "good man" with the "wisdom, experience, courage, committment, and toughness" to be a great leader for all Virginians. Fifth, that Governor Tim Kaine will work to bring prosperity to all parts of Virginia, not just one particular region, and to make sure people can afford to live here by cutting rapidly rising homeowner's taxes. And finally, that Governor Kaine will carry on the Warner/Kaine record of excellence, the one that has made Virginia the "best managed state in the country." In contrast, Jerry Kilgore would return the state to the fiscal recklessness it suffered through before Warner/Kaine were elected in 2001.

So what were all those iron workers doing there yesterday? Most importantly, they were there to help elect a governor who will work for people like them. In addition, they reminded us of where Tim Kaine comes from: the son of an iron worker himself; a man who has managed a business; a real human being who worked as a Christian missionary in Honduras as a young man; a leader who, as Mayor of Richmond, helped cut the city's homicide rate in half partly through his award winning "Project Exile" crime-fighting program.

In short, Tim Kaine is a pragmatist who will get things done for Virginia, unite us, and keep us moving forward as a state. If you like what you saw the last four years under Mark Warner's leadership, it's real simple: vote for Tim Kaine in November.

PS Thanks to Dominic Gabello for the photos!

Bumper stickers, petitions

2005-03-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

Leading Virginia ForwardYou've probably seen the Raising Kaine store, but don't forget to get your Tim Kaine bumper sticker, too. Just email me with your address, and I'll get one in the mail for you!

Also, check out the Kaine for Governor Action Center. You can donate money, tell the Kaine campaign about upcoming events in your neighborhood, write a letter to the editor, and more. Finally, please take a moment to collect a few petition signatures for Tim Kaine. You can learn more about that here, but hurry! They need the signatures ASAP!!! You can call Nick Kessler, their petition guru, at 703-528-8589.

Accent v. Effeminacy

2005-03-16T23:24:00.000-05:00

Just noticed here that Republicans were doing more than displaying Kilgore signs today at Tim Kaine’s Official Announcement in Wise, Virginia. Apparently, they were in the same building and prepared to spin whatever Kaine had to say.

Flanked by other Republicans following the Kaine campaign function in the student center lobby, Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney Chad Dotson told reporters Kaine was "supposed to come to Southwest Virginia to be someone he is not."

He said the Kaine campaign has "made fun of the way we talk," or more specifically poked fun at Kilgore's accent, "and consistently showed he is out of step with Southwest Virginia values."

To be fair, I have been hearing these arguments for the last month or so alleging Kaine and his supporters are attacking the Southwest Virginian accent. The important point to distinguish is that no one except the Republicans has said anything about Kilgore’s accent.

However, several people have noticed that he speaks effeminately. Thus, these people are examining an entirely separate characteristic of his voice.

Frankly, I have never really thought much about it or cared how he sounds, but they need to be defensive about the correct issues.

Kaine Kickoff Event (Wise, Virginia)

2005-03-16T17:50:00.000-05:00

Just got back from the Tim Kaine Kickoff Event in Wise. The story of the day was snow.

As you can see from this photo, Tim Kaine was unable to make it today because of the winter weather. The airport in Wise advised them it would be too dangerous to land. He and former Governor Linwood Holton both addressed the crowd via telephone. Kaine promised to return to Wise County on Sunday and personally thank supporters for coming out today.

The only estimate of attendance I heard was over 100, but less than 200. Considering how bad the weather was, I thought that was an excellent crowd. I did not try and count everyone, but the place was packed. We had to stand in line several minutes just to get our pancakes!

The thing that was most amazing is how energized the Democratic supporters are in Southwest Virginia. Even after Kaine addressed the crowd and things were obviously winding down, several people remained and discussed strategy. I was very impressed and anxious to help Tim Kaine be Virginia's next Governor.

The Kickoff tour now continues on to Roanoke.

However, Kilgore supporters must have been sneaking around too. The entrance to the college was marked by this Kilgore-supporting truck. This activity seems typical of Kilgore and his supporters.

I suppose this is the type of stunt we can expect from Kilgore and his crew this year.

Washington Post Article About Tim Kaine

2005-03-16T07:23:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post has a great article about Tim Kaine's bid for Governor today. We can't legally republish it on this site, but click here for the article. (Free Registration Required)

Also, just a reminder that today is Tim Kaine's big day - his campaign kickoff tour. Be there, or be...a Republican?

David Englin (45th District): Exclusive RaisingKaine Interview

2005-03-16T04:58:00.000-05:00

David Englin is running for Virginia House of Delegates from the 45th District. This Northern Virginia district is diverse (in terms of income, race, and ethnicity) and heavily Democratic, encompassing Fairlington, Abingdon and Shirlington precincts in Arlington; the central and Old Town portions of the City of Alexandria; the Mt. Vernon precincts of Belleview, Marlan, Kirkside, and Grosvenor; and the Lee District precincts of Mt. Eagle and Cameron in Fairfax County. The district was well represented for over 20 years in the Virgina House of Delegates by Marian Van Landingham, a progressive Democrat who is stepping down at age 67.

Now, there are six Democrats running for this "open seat," one of only a few open seats in Virginia this year (the others being the 57th District, comprising Charlottesville and parts of Albermarle County, the 26th District comprising Harrisonburg and Rockingham County; the 63rd district of Petersberg and Dinwiddie, the 41st district of Fairfax, and the Northern Neck 99th disrict). Contenders for the 45th District are David Englin, Libby Garvey, Richard Hobson, James Lay, Laura Mandala, and Elsie Mosqueda.

Note: RaisingKaine takes no position on who should win this race, and welcomes interviews with the other candidates (if interested, please contact poldir@raisingkaine.com). Having said that, we are grateful to David Englin for agreeing to an interview and for thoughtfully answering our questions.

David Englin has an impressive biography for a young man. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Englin joined the Air Force at age 17. According to his campaign website, "David voluntarily deployed to the Balkans to participate in counter-genocide and peacekeeping operations. Upon his return, David helped establish and eventually directed a $2.5 million program to assist the families and civilian employers of National Guard and Reserve airmen." In addition, David is an Eagle Scout, a "life Member of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America," a member of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, Equality Virginia, Planned Parenthood of Metro Washington, MoveOn.org, and the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). He was on duty at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

For the entire interview with David Englin, please see the RaisingKaine website. Here are some highlights:

Englin is running as a proud progressive who, nevertheless, describes himself as politically in sync with both Governor Warner and DNC Chair Howard Dean.

Englin describes himself as a "fiscally responsible Democrat...concerned with social justice and tolerance" and interested in "promoting fresh new ideas to improve people's lives."

Englin believes the death penalty should be abolished, that localities "should be able to enact their own reasonable gun safety measures," and that the so-called "Dillon Rule" (restricting localities from making their own decisions) should be repealed.

Englin supports Metrorail to Dulles, exploring "creative new ideas" for solving the region's transportation mess, and looking to "additional dedicated revenue sources for transportation." He supports maintaining "the current car tax structure" to avoid "the kinds of financial problems we had before Mark Warner turned things around."

More than anything, Englin says he is running to protect his five-year-old son Caleb's future "if the Republicans in the House of Delegates have their way."

Again, thanks to David Englin for agreeing to this interview. The primary election is scheduled for June 14.

How many degrees of separation?

2005-03-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

Q. What do Kilgore and Methamphetamine labs have in common?
A. They both rely on KING PHARMACEUTICAL to keep their operations running.

Kilgore’s TOP donor, who has given Kilgore a WHOPPING $250,000 since 10/02 (including $100,000 in 2004), is none other then Mr. Big Pharmaceutical himself, John Gregory, the founder of King Pharmaceuticals. This is company is based, not out of Virginia, but out of Tennessee.

Why is this a big deal? Because Kilgore started "Meth Watch" a program "designed" to combat the growing methamphetamine problem in Virginia, in 2004. When Kilgore took office in 2002, 5 meth labs were seized; in 2004, 78 were seized.

So now we have "Meth Watch," which is a VOLUNTARY program because Kilgore says that "Well you never want to require that individuals participate in certain programs." (Source: WSLS NewsChannel 10, Jan 25, 2005).

This program has worked well in all states where it is mandatory, Kansas and Washington State are fantastic examples of a mandatory program.

Why would Kilgore not want to make it mandatory?

How does one make meth? The first choice ingredient is ephedrine but since that is illegal to purchase, "drug dealers use pseudoephedrine, found in many over-the-counter medicines." (Source: http://www.kci.org/meth_info/making_meth.htm), which can be found in AT LEAST SIX products that KING PHARMACEUTICAL produces.

So I ask you, what stake would a millionaire in Tennessee have in a Virginia election, that he donates such a hefty amount to Kilgore?
Hmmmmm....good question. Maybe the Kilgore campaign can explain.

As a side note, Kilgore’s next highest donor has only given him $90,000, 65% less then John Gregory.

Not Your Father's Political Blog/Memogate

2005-03-15T04:52:00.000-05:00

The Kaine campaign now has a blog, and after just 2 days, it's already harder hitting (and better written) than just about any political blog I've seen. Perhaps that's because it's run by a real blogger, the man formerly known as "Hefty Lefty" (and "Newsreader"). Now he's just "John."

In John's latest post, aptly titled, "That's Real Mature, Guys," John blasts the Kilgore cmapaign for circulating a "JOKE" CAMPAIGN MEMO that looked like it came from the Kaine campaign. Fake memos? Is this classic Scott Howell, (aka "Kilgore's Scumbag Media Advisor" and the guy who tarred war hero Max Cleland as an unpatriotic traitor down in Georgia) or what? Tha's a rhetorical question, by the way. The answer is "yes!"

The only REAL question is how low will the Kilgore campaign stoop before this is all over?

Kilgore Thinks Money Grows on Trees

2005-03-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

There's a great editorial in today's Hampton Roads Daily Press which (rightfully) trashes Jerry Kilgore's supposed "plan" for fixing Virginia's transportation mess. Specifically, the Daily Press blasts Kilgore for, on the one hand, admitting that the state has "a huge need to bring on more roads now and in the future," but on the other hand being completely unwilling to do what's necessary to pay for them. The only thing Kilgore can really say, since taxes are anathema to the far right-wing part of his base (leaving aside the minor detail that Kilgore still refuses to sign the wingnuts' anti-tax "pledge"), is that he'll raid the state's general fund. This is, not to mince words, sheer lunacy.

As the Daily Press editorial puts it, "Historically, general funds have not been used to build roads." Why not? For starters, the Daily Press points out, the concept normally is that people who use the roads the most should pay the most. Hence, we have things like the gas tax (and tolls) to pay for roads. For everything else - schools, health care, police, parks, and much more -- we have the general fund. So what would raiding the general fund to pay for transportation -- the "Black Hole of state spending" -- do to all the other critical services the state funds? Well, let's put it this way: until money starts growing on trees, they're going to be hurting big time!

Let's make this real. If Kilgore gets his way and takes Virginia back to the fiscally irresponsible pre-Warner days, we can all sit back and watch our public schools and great universities deteriorate, our elderly and sick die from lack of adequate care, our state parks fall apart, and our law enforcement officers have to cut back on officers and equipment -- letting criminals get away with murder!

Does all this "Kilgore economics" sound like a good idea to you? If so, then vote for Jerry Kilgore in November! If not, you might want to try another option: Tim Kaine. In other words, you can vote for fiscal sanity, or you can vote to join Jerry Kilgore's "fantasy" world, the one in which money grows on trees.

PS Hey Jerry, didn't your Daddy ever teach you anything? I know mine always said, "money doesn't grow on trees ya know!")

Raising Kaine Store

2005-03-14T13:03:00.000-05:00

In case you have not noticed yet, we at Raising Kaine have added an online store (See link in Sidebar).

Just for the record, all prices are set at the "Base Price" and we do not make any profit from items purchased.

We will be adding new items in the near future, but for right now we have a few that will allow you to show your support for Tim Kaine and Raising Kaine.

NCAA Basketball Tournament

2005-03-13T20:24:00.000-05:00

This is totally off topic I know, but it's my blog so I can write whatever the hell I want, right? Anyway, here are my thoughts on the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Thank god it's March Madness time. I am SO sick of winter!

I'm psyched, my alma mater (Penn) is in, my graduate school (George Washington) is in, and the school of the state where I grew up is in (UConn). Oh yeah, my wife's alma mater (West Virginia) also made it. Now, I just wish Penn and GW had been seeded a bit higher...but I'll certainly take it!

I'm really, REALLY psyched that Maryland is OUT. First off, Maryland CHOKE simply CHOKE didn't deserve CHOKE to be in. Second, I just don't like that CHOKE school. Third, I don't like their CHOKE coach. Fourth, I don't like how Marylanders (or whatever they call themselves) are always bad-mouthing Virginia. Fifth, with Maryland and Georgetown BOTH out of the tournament, it's official: my alma mater George Washington is THE Washington DC area team for men's hoops. Shweet!

Now that Maryland and Georgetown have been taken down a notch or two, perhaps they'll finally lower themselves and agree to a DC-area "Big 5," just like in Philly? Unless, of course, they're AFRAID to play GW!

This has absolutely no basis in fact, but what the hell, let's start the tradition right here. In odd-number years in which UVA doesn't make the NCAA tournament, the Republican candidate for governor gets his butt kicked by the Democrat. Also, whenever the alma mater of Virginia's current governor makes the NCAA tournament and wins at least one game, his Lt. Governor goes on to become governor, while the current governor goes on to become...oh, I dunno, rich and famous maybe? Living in a big white house somewhere?

Wow, Virginia had a bad year in men's college basketball this year. Thank goodness for Old Dominion University -- go Monarchs!

Also, thank goodness for the ladies: Va. Tech, Richmond, Old Dominion (two-for-two!), UVA, and Liberty all made it this year. Good luck to all of you!

Virginia Grassroots Summit (VGC): Al Weed takes a Whack

2005-03-12T16:12:00.000-05:00

At today's Virginia Grassroots Coalition summit, which I attended, Al Weed of Public Policy Virginia gave a powerful talk on selling progressive values - and candidates - in a conservative state. Among other things, Weed spoke frankly of his 2:1 loss as the Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginia's 5th District in 2004. Here are some highlights of what Mr. Weed had to say, all of which is excellent advice for Democrats running in Virginia this year:

Strongly recommended that everyone read George Lakoff's classic, "Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think". Weed specifically stated that if he had read this book before 2004, he would have run a very different campaign than he did - possibly with different results.

Emphasized that the first key for Democrats/progressives if they want to start winning again is to recognize what Republicans/conservatives have accomplished. In particular, Democrats must understand that the Republicans have built up a massive machine, based in part on "framing" the issues their way, and have gotten great results from it. Echoing Joe Biden at the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in early February, Weed emphasized that Republicans have been serious, smart, and relentless in building their machine. However, according to Weed, that machine is now starting to sputter as people ask themselves, "What have [the Republicans] actually DONE for us?"

Argued that Democrats/progressives have the issues on their side, but they need a strategy. Democrats also need to understand the Republicans/conservatives' strategy against them, which is largely based on destroying the New Deal (the main target being Social Security) and the "leveraging" of U.S. power internationally through the frequent use of military power (i.e., lots of wars).

Explained that the main way Democrats/progressives have been failing is by being unwilling to talk about moral structure and to connect with people based on their shared values. Weed says point blank: "We need to talk to people where their hearts are, not where their heads are," or "we'll never get anywhere."

Made an obvious reference to the "echo chamber" effect of liberal blogs, imploring Democrats to talk to people across the political spectrum, not just to themselves. Right now, according to Weed, it's mainly a conversation among like-minded people.

Pointed out that the key to a Democratic/progressive moral counter-argument is the call to the common good (on health care, education, the environment, etc.), that we're "all in it together." This is in stark contrast to Republicans' belief in a Darwinian world in which it's every man (and woman) for themselves, every "tribe" against every other "tribe." Also, Democrats need to confront Republicans head-on in their belief that if you need help, there's something wrong with you.

Urged Democrats/progressives to discuss their issues using language from most peoples' main source for moral values -- the Bible. For instance, the Sermon on the Mount says that "Blessed are the poor" -- also the "meek," "the merciful," "the peacemakers," "those who show mercy," and "those who are persecuted because of righteousness." Does that sound like a Jerry Kilgore Republican to you?

Reflected that politics is not just about issues, it's about values and connecting on a "gut level" first. Weed specifically stated that Democrats/progressives can and must do this, and that if they don't, they will have nobody to blame but themselves.

Great stuff by Al Weed. Now, if only Democrats running for office are smart enough to take his advice.

Raising Kaine Lt. Governor Endorsement

2005-03-12T07:16:00.000-05:00

Now that Sam Penney has finished his series of profiles on the Democratic Lt. Governor candidates, in the next week or two, RaisingKaine is hoping to make an endorsement. We plan to consider, in oder, the following factors in making our decision:

Our analysis regarding which candidate we believe would help Tim Kaine the most as running mate

Our assessment of who would be the best Lt. Governor, if elected

Our perception as to which candidate has shown the most support so far in the campaign thus far, in terms of dollars raised, polling (including our own Raising Kaine non-scientific poll, which will be closing soon -- it has 443 votes right now and I'd like to see 500 or even 1,000 votes cast), and other indicators (i.e., media coverage, energy, enthusiasm)

The arguments made to us by the candidates as to why they should win our endorsement. So, please write us and tell us why you'd make the best running mate for Tim Kaine and the best Lt. Governor.

Other factors, like any possible unethical behavior, scandals, etc., that could hurt the candidate in the general election.

As I've said, we'll be debating this within the RaisingKaine community over the next week or two. We would very much like the candidates and their supporters to weigh in with their thoughts. Let me just emphasize that, at this point, I personally have NO PRECONCEIVED NOTION as to which candidate, if any, should win our endorsement. So, make your arguments and may the best candidate win!

Thanks.

PS You can either post here or contact us at poldir@raisingkaine.com

Phil Puckett for Lt. Governor (#4/4)

2005-03-11T18:21:00.000-05:00

The last candidate that we will profile for the Democratic Lt. Governor nomination is State Senator Phil Puckett. Disclaimer: I do web advertising for and intern with the Chap Petersen campaign, but I do my best to keep this series as balanced as possible.

Senator Puckett has a long and distinguished past in several careers, and his biography is an asset to his campaign. He is currently the Vice President of Business Development for the First Bank and Trust Company, and is an insurance agent. He is a former teacher in the Russell County School System, and is a member of the Russell County Chamber of Commerce. He is a firefighter and is active in Little League baseball. He is also currently a Democratic State Senator from a fairly Republican area. His fundraising places him second among the Democratic contenders, as he has raised over $167,000, and has about $138,000 on hand, trailing only Chap Petersen in both categories. His very moderate voting record causes some to consider him the most electable candidate.

However, there are significant drawbacks to a Puckett candidacy. First and foremost, his campaign has been somewhat lackluster up to this point. Although he has raised a fair bit of money, he is fairly reliant on PACs and companies for his money, as a quick check of his campaign finance reports will show. He is strongly against abortion rights, and has been endorsed by a major pro-life Democratic group. This will help him win over Republicans in November, but could also be a major turnoff for the Democratic base. Inquiring minds would also like to know why he asked the Scott County School Board "for an opinion and position concerning the possibility of reinstating corporal punishment in the public schools." Senator Puckett's website does not have an issues section, so I am unable to either praise or criticize him for his stands on the issues.

Senator Puckett has an impressive past, but he needs to show that he is a candidate who can win. His leisurely campaign this far has left many wondering if he has the fire in the belly or the ability to run an effective winning campaign, but if he kicked his campaign up a notch or two, he might be a force to be reckoned with.

Note: The Puckett Campaign declined to comment on this article, even for issue positions or the question I posed to them.

Evangelical Environmentalists and Political Shades of Gray

2005-03-11T05:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's New York Times had a great story which illustrates one of the themes I keep returning to: that people are not easily pigeonholed into stereotypical "left" and "right" categories. This includes politicians like Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean and, of course, Bill and Hillary Clinton. The point is that all of these politicans represent a mixture of beliefs and are in no sense "pure" on the ideological spectrum. All have areas where they might be considered "conservative," others where they might be considered "moderate," and still others where they undoubtedly fall into the "progressive" category. They're all over the spectrum not so much because they are political chameleons as because they happen to be human beings. For that simple reason, they are complicated, which I would argue makes them more interesting, likeable, and appealing than if they were simply rigid ideologues.

Speaking of complicated and intriguing, the New York Times article I mentioned is entitled, "Evangelical Leaders Swing Influence Behind Effort to Combat Global Warming." That's right, it now looks like the National Association of Evangelicals -- not exactly a bunch of stereotypical Birkenstock wearing, hippie tree huggers -- is coming out strongly on the side of protecting the environment. As Rev. Rich Cizik, the group's vice president of governmental affairs, puts it, "I don't think God is going to ask us how he created the earth, but he will ask us what we did with what he created."

Appropriately enough, the Christian Evangelicals have their own word for environmentalism which expresses exactly where they're coming from on this: "creation care." And, not suprisingly, the Evangelicals express their "environmentalist" or "creation care" activism in the language of their faith. For instance, there is the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign of Reverend Jim Ball, Executive Director of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). Yet another Evangelical, Reverend Rich Cizik, goes so far as to ask, "if we're for social tinkering to protect the sanctity of human life, ought we not be for a little tinkering to protect the environment?"

What I find particularly fascinating about this type of political "cross cutting" is its potential to blur the seemingly solid "red" and "blue" lines which divide us. As Barack Obama said so eloquently in his speech to the Demcoratic National Convention last summer:

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

This is the type of politics that Tim Kaine offers -- a politics of inclusion, a politics of hope, a politics which does not center on "red" and "blue" divisions, but on our "red, white and blue" union. This is certainly not a rigid right-wing politics as exemplified by Jerry Kilgore. And, as I've point out previously on this page, even the National Association of Evangelicals would appear to agree that politics is far more complicated -- for instance, that Evangelical Christianity can be strongly pro-environment/"creation care" -- than the Jerry Kilgores of the world seem to be saying.

The bottom line, which the Mark Warners and Tim Kaines of the world understand (and the Jerry Kilgores apparently do not), is that people aren't a bunch of "red and blue" stereotypes, and they certainly aren't rigidly "black and white." This does not mean, by the way, that Mark Warner or Tim Kaine are "flip floppers" or "political opportunists. Quite the contrary, it makes them human. Does that mean they sometimes appear to contradict themselves? Sure. But, I would argue, that's a good thing in this context. To quote Walt Whitman: "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."

Russ Potts knows the game

2005-03-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

Barnie Day thinks Russ Potts knows exactly what he is doing. Day uses a great analogy to sum up the political game Potts is playing in this year's election.

It goes like this: Two campers hike into the back-country. They get to their campsite late and turn in after dark. In the morning, the first camper is up early. As soon as he’s out of the tent, he spots a huge grizzly bear moving down the trail, headed straight for the campsite. He screams at his friend, 'A grizzly bear is coming!' The second camper peeps out of the tent, verifies that fact, and calmly proceeds to lace up his running shoes. The first camper screams at him, 'You damn fool, you can’t out run a grizzly bear!' The second camper levels a calm and steady gaze at him and says, 'I don’t have to out run the bear. I just have to out run you.'

Kilgore will be wishing he had just kept running instead of turning around to yell at Potts. Its a good thing Tim Kaine was still working and did not resign his job early enough to make the camping trip.

Kilgore in Culpeper: And They Say Blogs are Biased?

2005-03-10T05:09:00.000-05:00

A few comments on Jerry Kilgore's interview in today's Culpeper Star Exponent:.

Does the Culpeper Star Exponent have a policy of running political op-eds as straight news copy? One would certainly think so based on the gushing, uncritical article written about Kilgore. He's "cool, calm, and confident?" He "knows the value of open government" (because he was a school newspaper editor)? Oh, ok. And they say blogs are biased and irresponsible?

What a puff piece! Did you ever hear of asking tough questions and examing candidate's statements critically? We here at RaisingKaine believe it's called "Jouralism 101."

Kilgore says he thinks "people are so easily offended these days." Hey Jerry, you mean like when Russ Potts enters the governor's race as an "Independent Republican" and your campaign goes off the deep end into complete and utter freakout mode? (By the way, have you and your not-easily-offended right wing buddies succeeded yet in excommunicating Potts from the Republican Party? Or were you planning to burn him at the stake instead?)

How long are you going to keep contradicting yourself on Tim Kaine? One minute, you're saying he's trying to be just like you (uh, don't think so Jerry), then the next minute you're saying he's "the most liberal candidate Virginia has seen in a long time" (yeah, being fiscally conservative, religious, and personally anti-abortion is really "liberal!").

It's nice that you want to be not just "good," but "great." But, before you get to "great," how about starting with "mediocre" first? And, just as an historical aside, you DO realize that your comment about "just making the trains run on time" is normally used when referring to Italian Fascist World War II dictator Benito Mussolini? Perhaps you have found a new political role model for the far-right wing, irresponsible, and fiscally disastrous policies you advocate?

Kaine Kickoff Events

2005-03-09T08:58:00.000-05:00

On March 16, Tim Kaine will be out on the trail. Visit the Campaign site to RSVP for an event near you!

When: Wednesday, March 16, 9:00 AM
Where: UVA Wise - Bascom Slemp Student Center
RSVP
###

When: Wednesday, March 16, 11:30 AM
Where: Roanoke Fire Station #1 (13 Church Avenue, SE)
RSVP
###

When: Wednesday, March 16, 2:30 PM
Where: Herndon Municpal Center (777 Lynn Street)
Special Guest: Governor Mark Warner
RSVP
###

When: Wednesday, March 16, 5:30 PM
Where: Ted Constant Convocation Center, Old Dominion University (4320 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk)
RSVP
###

When: Wednesday, March 16, Entertainment begins at 7:30 PM
Where: Children's Museum of Richmond (2626 West Broad Street)
Special Guest: Governor Mark Warner
RSVP

Kaine, Christianity, and "Progressive Traditionalism"

2005-03-08T20:01:00.000-05:00

There's a very interesting post over at the centrist Democratic, DLC-sponsored blog "Bull Moose" (named after Teddy Roosevelt's Progressive Party of 1912). The piece is entitled "Progressive Traditionalists," and basically argues that the Democrats need to "find a way to forcefully and visibly be seen on the side of religious folks" if they are to have any chance of winning consistently. Specifically, "Bull Moose" warns that "should the GOP be successful in making inroads among 'progressive traditionalists'" (the pre-1968 "mainstream of the Democratic Party"), then "Democrats will only be visiting the Oval Office as tourists for the foreseeable future."

This is an important point, and I wholeheartedly agree with it. There is no doubt, for instance, that many religious people view the Democratic Party as overwhelmingly "secular," possibly even hostile to religion. Whether this is correct or not, the impression has definitely taken root since the 1960s. As a result, Democrats now have their work cut out for them in winning back people of faith to consider voting for them.

This task will be difficult, but not impossible by any means. For starters, being religious does not mean that ones' views are irretrievably locked into right wing Republicanism. No doubt, there are millions of religious folks who fall into the "conservative" camp on issues like abortion and gay marriage. However, these people have many other important interests and concerns -- jobs, crime, education, health care, the war in Iraq, terrorism -- as well. There is no reason that the Democrats should cede ground to the Republicans on any of these issues. Frankly, progressives have a strong case to make that they are better than conservatives on pretty much all of them. Now they just need to get out there and make that case.

Aside from religious conservatives, there are many millions more religious folks out there whose understanding of Jesus, Moses, or Muhammed pulls them in a "progressive" direction. For these people, the focus tends to be less on abortion and gay marriage and more on compassion for the poor and downtrodden, on caring for the environment ("God's creation"), on resolving disputes without war if possible, and on seeking social justice. Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, these progressive people of faith tend to be less organized politically than their conservative equivalents.

For that, we must grant the Republican Party a degree of credit while redoubling our own efforts as Democrats. At the same time, we must hone our appeal to conservative religious people: a) by making it clear that we respect them and their faith; b) by emphasizing (and demonstrating) that we are not a stereotypical bunch of counterculture, bra-burning, ultra-secular, unpatriotic hippies, but instead are mainly moderate, reasonable people who love our families and our country; and c) by trying to find common ground -- without, of course, compromising core principles -- on "hot button" issues like abortion, gay marriage, and church/state separation.

This is where Democratic politicians like Mark Warner, Wesley Clark and Tim Kaine come in. Kaine, for instance, is a deeply religious Roman Catholic, with personal and political views that in many ways reflect the teachings of his church. Yet Kaine, in the end, is not a social conservative, although he undoubtedly holds certain views that are normally considered conservative (i.e., his personal views on abortion). Overall, however, it is obvious that Kaine's religious beliefs and life experiences pull him strongly in a progressive direction in the areas of community, service to others, compassion for the poor and less fortunate, environmental protection, and social justice.

In other words, Kaine's Christianity, at least as it is expressed in the political realm, appears to fit far more closely with the Jim Wallises, Jimmy Carters, and Reinhold Neibuhrs of the world than with the Pat Robertsons, Jerry Falwells and Jerry Kilgores. For those of you who haven't heard of him, Jim Wallis is the author of the current bestseller, God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, in which he argues that the true mission of Christianity is working for peace and righting societal wrongs. Wallis further argues that the right wing has hijacked the language of faith to push their own pro-rich, pro-war, pro-gun, pro-big-business and anti-environment political agenda.

Where in the Koran, for instance, does it speak of helping the rich and the privileged? Where in the Torah does it urge us to chop down the forests, foul the air and pave over the prairies? And where in the Gospels does it urge us to cast the first stone? Obviously, the sacred texts of Islam, Judaism and Christianity don't encourage these things -- quite the contrary, in fact. And, increasingly, leaders and laypersons in the faith community, such as those attending the the important meeting of Christian Evangelicals this week in Washington DC, are arriving at the same conclusion.

It is important to note in this context the oversimplifying mistake of conflating religious citizens -- as Bull Moose seems to do in the article cited above -- with economically liberal and socially conservative "progressive traditionalists." These people are not one and the same. Tim Kaine, for instance, is a fiscal conservative and economic centrist in the Mark Warner/Bill Clinton mold. On social issues, as we've mentioned already, Kaine's religious beliefs point him in the direction of seeking social justice, of helping the poor and downtrodden, and of respecting all life. This is in stark contrast to the harsh, punitive, even wrathful attitudes held by right-wing Republicans like Jerry Kilgore.

Significantly, Tim Kaine is a religious person who doesn't believe in forcing his religious beliefs on other people -- or in having THEM force their beliefs on HIM. Although his Catholic value system is of great importance to him, Kaine is a fairminded person, respectful of the law and of the constitution, and fully aware of what matters pertain to "Caesar" and what matters pertain to God. Although Tim Kaine is not a "traditionalist" per se, he is certainly not hostile to traditional values. Most significantly, Tim Kaine is his own man: a Democrat who is not perfectly aligned with his party on moral issues like the death penalty and abortion; a progressive in some ways, a moderate pragmatist in others, and a conservative in still others. All this is not to say that Tim Kaine is a perfect human being, but it does make him a highly attractive politician and future governor of Virginia.

Evangelicals: Closer to Kaine than to Kilgore?

2005-03-06T19:39:00.000-05:00

This week in Washington, DC, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) -- representing between 30 and 40 million Christians -- will release a manifesto and a book that "will help conscientious Christians carefully develop a biblical framework that guides their political involvement."

According to an article in The American Prospect magazine, "the group is not looking to influence policy on the margins but to become a major voice in the political process." Furthermore, according to the article, "The policy statement is broad in scope, has been years in the making, and has been vetted by hundreds of evangelical ministers from across the country." Finally, The American Prospect emphasizes that the NAE is not a "bomb-throwing religious-right pressure group," but a "middle road between mainline Protestantism and the separatist anti-intellectualism of fundamentalist Christianity."

In other words, this is a mainstream, Christian evangelical group with a well-thought-out set of public policy proposals. They are definitively not a bunch of wackos.

Which is why right-wing Republicans like Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay, and Jerry Kilgore might be squirming a bit this week. Just take the major section sub-headings, for instance, and some of the language that is used there:

Humility and civility

"We must match our high ideals with careful social analysis and critical reflection on our experience in order to avoid supporting policies that produce unintended and unfortunate consequences.."

Representative democracy

"God has blessed America with bounty and with strength, but unless these blessings are used for the good of all, they will turn to our destruction."

Just government and fundamental liberty

"A good government preserves the God-ordained responsibilities of society’s other institutions, such as churches, other faith-centered organizations, schools, families, labor unions, and businesses."

We work to protect religious freedom and liberty of conscience

"God has ordained the two co-existing institutions of church and state as distinct and
independent of each other with each having its own areas of responsibility...those who obey and those who disobey God coexist in society and share in its blessings (Matt. 5:45, 13:24-30)."

We work to nurture family life and protect children

"Government does not have the primary responsibility for guaranteeing wholesome family life." and "Good family life is so important to healthy human functioning that we oppose government efforts to trespass on its territory..."

We work to protect the sanctity of human life and to safeguard its nature

"Human dignity is indivisible. A threat to the aged, to the very young, to the unborn, to those with disabilities, or to those with genetic diseases is a threat to all."

We seek justice and compassion for the poor and vulnerable

"Jesus said that those who do not care for the needy and the imprisoned will depart eternally from the living God (Matt. 25:31-46). The vulnerable may include not only the poor, but women, children, the aged, persons with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, minorities, the persecuted, and prisoners. God measures societies by how they treat the people at the bottom."

Justice and compassion (part II)

"We further believe that care for the vulnerable should extend beyond our national borders. American foreign policy and trade policies often have an impact on the poor. We should try to persuade our leaders to change patterns of trade that harm the poor and to make the reduction of global poverty a central concern of American foreign policy."

We work to protect human rights

"While the United States has achieved legal and social equality in principle, the legacy of racism still makes many African Americans, Hispanics, and other ethnic minorities particularly vulnerable to a variety of social ills. Our churches have a special responsibility to model good race relations (Rom. 10:12)."

We seek peace and work to restrain violence

"The peaceful settling of disputes is a gift of common grace...As followers of Jesus, we should, in our civic capacity, work to reduce conflict by promoting international understanding and engaging in non-violent conflict resolution."

We labor to protect God’s creation

"We affirm that God-given dominion is a sacred responsibility to steward the earth and not a license to abuse the creation of which we are a part...[therefore we] urge government to encourage fuel efficiency, reduce pollution, encourage sustainable use of natural resources, and provide for the proper care of wildlife and their natural habitats."

This is powerful stuff, but it's certainly not, on balance, the stuff of right-wing Republicanism -- at least as defined by the Tom Delays and Jerry Kilgores of the world. In fact, the NAE language sounds awfully similar, in our (admittedly biased) opinion, to the deeply held beliefs of Tim Kaine, a religious Catholic. For instance, Tim Kaine is personally against abortion and capital punishment because he believes -- as do the Pope and the NAE, we would point out - in the sanctity and dignity of ALL human life. Also, like the Pope and the NAE, Kaine believes strongly in helping the poor, in promoting a just society, in safeguarding God's creation, in justice and compassion, and in non-violent resolution of disputes.

And what about Jerry Kilgore? What are his positions on the environment, on helping the poor, on social justice, and on the use of force? How consistent is he on the sanctity and dignity of life? What are Kilgore's views on "persons with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, minorities, the persecuted, and prisoners?"

We suggest you compare the records of Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore and ask yourself, "which one of these men comes closest to the tenets of my faith?" Could it be that Evangelicals are closer to Tim Kaine's beliefs than to those of Jerry Kilgore? As the saying goes, "politics makes strange bedfellows."

"Streamlining" our Forests Into Sawdust

2005-03-06T08:43:00.000-05:00

The grassroots Virginia environmental group Virginia Forest Watch, currently has an important "Action Alert" affecting the Virginia environment. We at RaisingKaine hope you will take a minute to go over there and electronically forward their letter to the Forest Service, the President, and your representatives in Congress right away -- the deadline for public comments is tomorrow!

While you're at it, you might want to think about who would be better on key environmental issues facing Virginia -- Jerry "No Tree Left Behind' Kilgore or Tim Kaine. Hint: according to the Virginia League of Conservation Voters 2004 Scorecard, Jerry's twin brother Terry was given a big fat "Legislator Zero" rating for 2004 based on his absolutely abysmal environmental voting record.

In contrast, Democrats Viola Baskerville, Creigh Deeds, and Chap Petersen all received 100% ratings in 2004 (Leslie Byrne received a 100% rating in 2003, her last year in the State Senate). Meanwhile, the Virginia LCV endorsed Tim Kaine in his 2001 run for Lt. Governor.

The bottom line? If you care about Virginia's environment and open space, the choice at the ballot box this November will not be a difficult one to make.

Meet Our Next AG: Creigh Deeds

2005-03-05T05:42:00.000-05:00

Now that State Senator John Edwards has announced he's dropping his candidacy for Attorney General, perhaps we should get to know Virginia's next Attorney General -- Creigh Deeds -- a bit better. Also, inquiring minds would like to know whether or not this is good news for Tim Kaine in his run for the governorship.

To begin with, Deeds is a 47-year-old attorney and former prosecutor who has served as a Virginia State Senator since 2001. Before that, Deeds was a member of the House of Delegates (starting in 1992).

Perhaps most significantly from the perspective of Tim Kaine, Deeds is from the rural, western part of Virginia (Warm Springs, located in rural, beautiful Bath County), adding a nice dose of regional and urban/rural balance to his ticket.

Also of signficance for the Democratic ticket's chances in November, Deeds has shown a great deal of energy and enthusiasm in his run for Attorney General, outraising John Edwards by a factor of five as of December 31, 2005 (the latest available data from VPAP).

Ideologically, the Richomnd Times Dispatch,, characterizes Deeds as having "generally compiled a moderate-to-conservative voting record" in the state legislature. One key to that characterization, no doubt, is Deeds' strong support for anti-crime measures. According to his website, Deeds was "the chief patron of Virginia’s 'Megan’s Law' to protect children from sexual predators," and received the "'Warren Stambaugh Award' for his legislative work" by the non-profit, crime victims' advocacy and support group "Virginians United Against Crime."

Deeds is a supporter of the death penalty, but is not fully "satisfied that punishment is handed down … in a way that is fair to all Virginians." That's why Deeds voted in 2001 for placing a "moratorium on capital punishment until a state study of it is completed."

On firearms, Deeds has received an "A rating" from the NRA for his strong support of second amendment rights. Deeds has called guns "the defining issue in rural Virginia", and believes that this issue is a key reason why Democrats have had difficulty winning in rural parts of the country. Deeds appears very close poltically on the gun issue to Gov. Mark Warner. Deeds argues that the "real issue is how do we reduce violent crime," while stressing that he "believe[s] in gun safety" and gun education in the schools.

Although Deeds is, no doubt, more conservative than many (most?) Democrats on guns, he did break with the NRA in 1988 when he co-sponsored HB 436, prohibiting "the possession of a firearm by a person convicted of stalking, sexual battery, or family member assault and battery, on a first conviction, for five years, and on a second or subsequent conviction, permanently."

On gay rights, Deeds' position can be classified as a moderately conservative. In May 2004, for instance, Deeds sharply critized Republicans for pushing a "mean-spirited and unnecessary" bill banning gay marriage and legal contracts between unmarried partners." On the other hand, in February 2005, Deeds voted for SJ 337, a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage in Virginia as "between one man and one woman." In committee, however, Deeds voted against a sentence in the proposed amendment which would also outlaw civil unions or other such measures which would "approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effect of marriage." In other words, Deeds holds the majority Democratic view (i.e., almost identical to John Kerry) supporting marriage as between a man and a woman, while also looking favorably upon other arrangements such as "civil unions."

In contrast to his stance on gay marriage, Deeds can be considered a liberal with regards to abortion. Deeds is strongly and unabashedly pro-choice, saying that, although "we ought to be about reducing the need for abortion - for reducing unwanted pregnancies," he strongly believes "we have to keep abortion legal and keep it safe."

On other issues, Deeds touts his support for Virginia's public schools and "the Commonwealth’s nationally respected system of higher education," emphasizing that "our state's higher education system is crucial to our economic vitality." On the environment, Deeds points to a strong record, including special recognition awards by the Nature Conservancy of Virginia and the Preservation Alliance of Virginia "for his legislation to create the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation." On health care, Deeds has been a strong supporter of helping the elderly and disabled afford the rising cost of prescription drugs. He has also pushed for expanded coverage to low-income children and to underserved areas of the state.

What does this all mean for Tim Kaine's chances in November? Mostly positive, as far as we can tell here at RaisingKaine. Adding a dose of energy and enthusiasm to the ticket certainly is a good thing, as is the regional diversity offered by Deeds. More importantly, Deeds complements Tim Kaine very well, in our opinion, as a moderately conservative, pro-education, pro-health care, pro-environment, pro-choice, anti-gay-marriage, tough-on-crime Democrat.

The bottom line is that Deeds is a young, interesting, energetic, "mainstream Virginia values" politician, not easy to pigeonhole ideologically, who is very likely to help Tim Kaine win election as Virginia governor 8 months from now.

A Californian's View of Virginia

2005-03-03T16:16:00.000-05:00

Virginia politics is on the radar at my home blog, BOPnews. I've written two posts there recently that talk about Virginia (here and here) and others have chimed in with excellent comments.

Why do I care, from 3,000 miles away, from the safe haven of my "blue" state? Quite possibly because Virginia seems to have some of the most tortured politics anywhere in the United States and I find that fascinating.

You've got a strong "blue" governor whom many Democrats would like to see run for president in 2008; and moderates like Tim Kaine, who would, in my humble opinion (and at this point, thanks to this site, it's a fairly well educated opinion) make a worthy successor to Mark Warner.

But then you've got whole swaths of red-zoners who seem to want to revive the second most offensive use of the letters "KKK" — that is to say the agonizingly repressive notion of "Kinder, Kuche, Kirche" (children, kitchen, church) expressed in a number of legislative measures that seem to want to set the clock back to before the Age of Enlightenment. Considering that our Founders, so many of them Virginians, were imbued with the Enlightenment spirit, this strikes me as being evidence of a self-contradiction in the collective cognitive process of Virginians.

I would like to see the South rise again — as it did when we elected Bill Clinton president. I was an early and vigorous supporter of Wes Clark. I'm also partial to Betty Castor in Florida. There's a great Democratic talent pool south of the Mason-Dixon line. I would like to see Virginia take a leadership role. So I'll keep watching this site (and thanks to Lowell's kind invitation, chime in from time to time), wishing Tim Kaine and the cohort the very best of luck.

I'd also like to see laws on the state's books confirming the enduring slogan, "Virginia is for Lovers" instead of making a mockery of it.

Ellen Dana Nagler
Santa Barbara, CA

Stop the Presses

2005-03-03T10:25:00.000-05:00

Breaking news!

Turns out this Jerry Kilgore is not so bad.

In fact, he is suddenly "more like Mark Warner than Tim Kaine will ever be." So now, the Republican front-runner thinks he is more like the ultra-popular Democratic Governor. Well, if he is that much like Warner, maybe I will just vote for him - nah, he is just making stuff up again.

It really is amazing what this guy will say to try and get elected.

(Also at: Waldo and Virginia Progressive)

Potts Pans Kilgore and "Dr. No" Republicans

2005-03-03T04:53:00.000-05:00

On yesterday's "Virginia Politics Hour" on WAMU radio, Russ Potts slammed Jerry Kill-more better than we at RaisingKaine every could. It's worth listening to the Potts interview, which is both informative and entertaining. Here are a few highlights.

Why is Potts running? He says he "loves Virginia" and wants to provide "leadership" for the state. Potts pans Kilgore as "promis[ing]...no solutions, and certainly no nitty-gritty."

Why is Potts running as an Independent when his party "already has a candidate?" Potts says, "What I see, quite frankly, from Mr. Kilgore, is no hope, no vision, no plan, no roads, no schools, just no. Every time we try to pin him down on just what are your plans and how are you going to pay for it, we get is broad platitudes like 'oh we're going to grow out of this problem' or 'when we're there, we'll address it.'"

Potts says he's we should not eliminate the car tax, but should return the issue back to the localities "where it was for some 60 years."

Potts believes we need to "put everything on the table" to solve Virginia's transportation problems. This includes a possible hike in the state's gas tax.

Potts points out that, to win this November, "we just have to get to 34 [percent]." Compares himself to Lowell Weicker, Angus King, and Jesse Ventura, but with "more experience" than most of them.

As to whether or not Potts is garnering GOP support, he points out that, just recently, a "promiment Republican in New York State" stepped forward and is going to host a major reception for Potts in New York. Potts slaims that, although he won't raise the most money in the race, he can "raise enough to win."

Potts says he is not a spoiler, but is "running to win." He adds that he also wants to "provide a little excitement" to the race.

Potts emphasizes that he is "not leaving the Republican Party, the party of my dad, chairman of the Winchester Republican Party." Potts stresses that the Republican Party is "the party of Dwight David Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan." He points out that the Republicans put Arnold Schwarzenegger, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani front and center at the Republican National Convention last summer, and that those guys are in the same place politically where he is -- Right in the middle of the road...Virginia is a moderate political state." Potts also cites Harry Truman as a model of "plain speaking."

Asked whether his candidacy exposed a "rift" in the Republican Party, Potts say "Well indeed it does, because there are not thousands, but millions of discontented Republicans who don't want this onslaught of legislation that tries to get in peoples' bedrooms...and brings this whole abortion issue to the forefront."

Also, Potts points out the "insanity of this whole no tax, no invest mantra" which ultimately boils down to "just no."

Potts' political philosophy? He says, "I happen to be a Mountain Valley Republican that's proud of the institutions in Virginia...[including] one of the finest public education systems in America."

Asked about some other Senate Republicans who demanded that Potts step down as Chairman of Education and Health Committee and from other committee assignments, Potts' responds passionately: "I was a Republican before most of those other Republicans were born, and I will die a Republican, and I stand on principle."

"I'm a member of the class of 1991...that gave the Republicans the majority" in the first place. Virginians want a "moderate, common sense, pro-public education" Republican Party "not dominated by social issues" and the "whole 'Dr. No' mantra."

"I'm an American first, a Virginian second, and a Republican third."

Asked if he is, as the Kilgore campaign has attempted to argue, the "second Democrat in the race," Potts answers, "It's very obvious that I'm stirring the pot a little bit...but I am much more conservative than the Democrat Tim Kaine. Case in point, I'm very much for the death penalty."

Potts points out that former Republican Governor Jim Gilmore promised that "the most the car tax would ever cost would be $650 million," but it has ended up costing "$2.4 billion." Potts says that Jerry Kilgore is, like former Gov. Gilmore, a member of the "free lunch bunch crowd" in Virginia.

Senator Potts, we couldn't have said it better ourselves!

Chap Petersen for Lt. Governor (#3/4)

2005-03-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

The third candidate that we will profile in the race for Lt. Governor is Fairfax area Delegate Chap Petersen. Disclaimer: I intern with and do web advertising for the Petersen campaign, but I am trying to make this series as nonbiased as possible.

Delegate Petersen is campaigning hard for the Democratic nomination. As of December 31, 2004, Petersen had raised over $313,000, the highest total among candidates for Lt. Governor. Petersen also led the Democratic field in cash on hand, with over $168,000 at the end of 2004. He has hired a campaign staff, and is traveling around the state almost nonstop in an attempt to win over voters.

Petersen started his political career in 1998, winning a seat on the Fairfax City Council; he was reelected in 2000. Petersen also served as the City's representative on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. In 2001, Petersen upset incumbent Delegate Jack Rust(R) in Republican-leaning territory 52%-48%. In 2003, he defeated Rust again, this time with 59% of the vote, despite the fact that the Republicans targeted the race. Also in 2003, Petersen was named the "Legislator of the Year" by the Virginia Commissioners of the Revenue.

Petersen is a personable moderate, running on a platform that includes fiscal responsibility, education, including all-day kindergarten, economic development, and environmental protection. He is not afraid to talk about his religion, which will probably help him in the general election. Recently, Petersen played a crucial role in getting life-saving AEDs into schools. He also introduced legislation that would hold big corporations accountable if they take state money and then leave, throwing people out of work.

Delegate Petersen has made several stumbles recently which could hurt him in his home base of Northern Virginia. First, he has refused to state whether he will run for reelection as well as for Lt. Governor in 2005. Recently, he told people at a town hall meeting that "you'll be the first to know when I make that decision." Second, Petersen's opposition to gay marriage could also hurt him among the liberal base. On the other hand, Petersen did introduce legislation that would allow basic contract rights to every Virginian without regard to sexual orientation. Third, although Delegate Petersen believes that abortion should remain an accessible, legal option for women, he is personally against it. Petersen't position on abortion could hurt him in the Democratic primary, but could prove beneficial to him in the general election.

The Petersen campaign made the following statement to RaisingKaine:
"Chap is a proven vote getter that can reach across party lines to appeal to all Virginians. He has a record of beating Republicans in conservative leaning areas. Chap will run a campaign for a better education and transportation system, sound fiscal management, a strong economy that creates jobs, the best university system in the nation, and a Virginia that creates opportunities for all. He will run this campaign to fight for the Virginia we all want. This campaign is not about one politician over another, but the hopes and dreams of every Virginian."

Chap Petersen has the money and the will to run the bare-knuckles campaign that will be required to win. The only question seems to be whether or not he will be able to excite the Democratic base to come out and vote for him on June 14.

The "Blue Dog" is Howling!

2005-02-28T20:47:00.000-05:00

Steve Sisson, better known as the "Valley Blue Dog Democrat," has a typically long, meandering, kind of wacky, yet fascinating article in today's Augusta Free Press. If you haven't read it, you might want to check it out. This guy, whatever his poltical persuasion (and he seems a lot more like a Republican than a "Blue Dog Democrat" to me!) is certainly plugged in to the Virginia political scene, no doubt about that.

Anyway, here are a few of the key lines -- at least the ones I agree with, or think are damaging to Jerry "SpongeBob" Kilgore, that is.

"Russ Potts has thrown the biggest monkey wrench into Virginia party politics and election campaigning since Harry Byrd fractured the Virginia Democratic Party in the 1970s."

"Republican Jerry Kilgore will probably lose the general election with the addition of the Potts candidacy."

"Since Friday, the Republican Party of Virginia and the Kilgore Communications Report have both fired off multiple hit-the-panic-button-type press releases condemning Potts....the multiple press releases condemning Potts are a sign of GOP desperation."

"Warrenton mayor Fitch is too legit to quit. Conservative Fitch's motivation could be to box Kilgore in a corner with the tax issue, and specifically, the no-tax pledge that Kilgore has attempted to publicly ignore..."

"Is Kilgore's new campaign slogan always an anti-tax bridesmaid, never an anti-tax bride?"

As I said in the title, the "Blue Dog" is really howling today. Could it be that "Blue Dogs" -- even if they are really Republicans, not Democrats -- like the snow?

Spongebob SquarePants Alert!

2005-02-28T14:50:00.000-05:00

Do right-wing nutjobs know who they're getting in Jerry Kilgore? I mean, it's bad enough that Jerry has refused to sign the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) pledge against raising taxes. But now, your intrepid RaisingKaine reporters have dug up an even more disturbing bit of evidence against Mr. Kilgore's hard-right, conservative credentials.

That's right, in a November 2003 interview, Jerry Kilgore admitted that his favorite cartoon is Spongebob Square Pants. Yeah, we're talking about THAT SpongeBob SquarePants, you know, the same one that two conservative Christian groups attacked for allegedly being part of a "pro-homosexual video."

Well, you ask, that's very funny and all, but what does this MEAN about Jerry Kilgore? Why are you digging up revelations like this, when we all know that Kill-more is a tough-on-crime, uber-masculine, arch-conservative hard-ass? Are you snarky little liberals at RaisingKaine trying to imply that, perhaps, Jerry is more like one of Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger's "girlie-men" or something?

I mean, just because Jerry is one of the most effeminate sounding "tough guys" you'll ever hear in your life doesn't mean squat. Nor does the fact that SpongeBob SquarePants, that infamous "gay lifestyle"-promoting liberal icon, is his favorite cartoon character. Nor does the fact that Jerry dreams of Keanu Reeves playing him in the movie version of his life mean anything. Anything at all.

Yeah, we know we're reaching here, but could it just be that Jerry Kilgore isn't the perfect crime-fightin', tax-cuttin', gay bashin', immigrant-slammin' right-wing ideologue he makes himself out to be? Just askin'...

Disclaimer and pre-emptive apology: RaisingKaine does not condone homophobia in any way, shape or form. Furthermore, we see nothing wrong with being a "girly-man," that is, if one happens to have chosen to live a "girly-man" lifestyle. It's just that, being the ultra-sensitive liberals many of us are, we worry that Jerry Kilgore -- with his taste in SpongeBob SquarePants (and Keanu Reeves) now fully exposed -- might not fit in very well among...uh...certain "elements" of certain political parties. Hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge. We're sorry for mentioning any of this, Jerry. We really are!

Russ-o-Phobia

2005-02-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

Russ-o-Phobia \Rus`so*pho"bi*a\, n.

Russ Potts

traditional, fiscally conservative

hyperbolic overreaction

Action Alert for NOVA Kaine Supporters

2005-02-26T21:22:00.000-05:00

Nick Kessler of the Kaine Campaign has sent out this email:

"Come join supporters of Tim Kaine at the Alexandria St. Patrick's parade! It's on Saturday, March 5, meetup time is 12pm at 1317 King Street. We'll march with signs, stickers and spirit, show our support for the next Governor, and get the chance to celebrate St. Patrick's Day early. For details or to RSVP, email nakessler@yahoo.com. See you next Saturday!
Nick Kessler"

Hope to see you there!

Jerry Kilgore Interview on WTOP

2005-02-26T12:55:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have never had the dubious "pleasure" of hearing Jerry "Ned Flanders" Kilgore speak, here's your chance -- an extensive radio interview (2/25/05) with Mark Plotkin on WTOP's "Politics Program." In the fast-moving, wide-ranging interview, Ned...er, Jerry discussed his views on the issues, from capital punishment to public schools to voting rights to the Confederate flag. Here are some highlights.

On education, Kilgore claims he's "commmitted to the public school system," that "We can never set the bar high enough," and that "we need to keep our better teachers and give them better pay." (Yeah, but Jerry, where are you going to get the money for that? Inquiring minds want to know!).

On his opinion of other Virginia politicians, Kilgore says that "Governor Gilmore and I have been friends for a long time." (heartwarming, ain't it?) Kilgore says he's "not worried" about Republican opponent George Fitch. He repeats his mantra (by the way, Jerry, don't you ever get tired of being so scripted and boring all the time? C'mon, get wild, go off message for a change, let that inner Ned Flanders come out!): "My opponent is Tim Kaine. We're focused on Tim Kaine."

In relation to newly-declared "Independent Republican" Russell Potts, Kilgore once again repeats his campaign's monotonous (and blatantly false) talking points: "I think there are two Democrats in this race for Governor -- Tim Kaine and Russ Potts;" "Potts will take more votes from Tim Kaine than from me;" "I don't care whether Russ Potts run or not." "I think he will take more votes from Tim Kaine at the end of the day...He and Tim Kaine agree on all the issues." To paraphrase Shakespeare, we think Jerry doth protest a bit too much here. Could that mean he's really worried? Hmmmm...

On gaining "moderate" support for his (far right) candidacy, Jerry says it's all about crime (so much for education, transportation, and every other issue people care about; this guy's so obsessed with crime we worry that he's been watching far too much local TV news!). What it boils down to is this: Kilgore will connect with "moderates" by making sreets safe, dealing with the state's gang problem, protecting our children online, and "leading" in cases like the DC-area sniper (not sure what he means exactly on the last point, since we didn't hear much from Jerry Kilgore during the several-week reign of sniper terror. Wasn't it all Charles Moose, all the time?). Now, how is this an issues that only "moderates" care about exactly? Is there anyone who likes gangs or snipers? We're looking, Jerry, and will let you know if we find anyone!

On gangs, Kilgore states categorically: "The bottom line is we have a serious gang problem in Northern Virginia." To deal with this, he supports "giving prosecutors more ability to win tougher sentences" as well as using the death penatly against gang leaders who order drug transactions in which, subsequently, a murder occurs. Ultimately, though, "it comes down to the local level." Whatever that means.

Kilgore is pressed on his support for the death penalty, despite its "capriciousness" and racial bias. His answer is that the death penalty marks a "huge difference between Tim Kaine and me," even though Kaine has stated that, as govenor, he will uphold the law even though his deep moral convictions as a Roman Catholic are against executing people. Kilgore claims that "Kaine has spoken at rallies, called for moratoriums against capital punishment."

Interestingly, for someone who is such a big fan of using the death penalty, the guy who just served as the state's Attorney General has NO IDEA how many people are on Virginia's death row. He's also "never recommended that any death sentences be commutated." Kilgore seems to have no doubts about the death penalty in any way, brushing aside many peoples' concerns regarding various aspects of the penalty's implementation, fairness, efficacy, etc. Kilgore simply says, unhelpfully, that "You should look at every case on a case by case basis."

On Tim Kaine, Kilgore seems to believe that he will let his personal, moral/religious views on the death penalty get in the way of his ability to enforce the law ("I think it is more unlikely that [Kaine] will allow the death penalty to be carrried out, even for the guilty people"). Kilgore further charges that Kaine is "now...trying to change his views to look more like me." That's fascinating, since Tim Kaine has been utterly consistent on the death penatly issue for years now: he personally opposes it for religious reasons but won't seek to overturn or sabotage it. What part of that don't you nderstand, Jerry? If you'd like, we could explain it to you sometime; just e-mail us at poldir@raisingkaine.com

One caller correctly pointed out that there are contradictions in conservative politics, specifically with regards to how intrusive the government should be in our lives. Libertarians, of course, believe that government should stay out of both our wallets AND our bedrooms. Jerry Kilgore, on the other hand, believes in a much more activist government role on certain social issues, like persecuting homosexuals of course, that's no big surprise coming from this guy (effeminate as he himself is). What is a bit surprising is that Kilgore says he "[does] support cameras for stoplight runners. These cameras save lives and prevent traffic accidents." But isn't that government "intrusion" into people's lives? Boy, this conservative philosophy sure is confusing! Thankfully, though, Kilgore does draw the line somewhere regarding goernment meddling in our personal lives, coming out bravely against the so-called "droopy drawers" legislation. Instead, Kilgore believes that it's up to parents to deal with ("I just encourage parents to take charge" and to encourage their kids to look "professional").

Asked about his philosphy of government, he boils it down to this: Government should "protect the health and safety of its citizens and protect Virginia values." Uh, Jerry, that's fascinating but do you think you could elaboate just a wee bit more? Sorry, maybe we're a bit dense, but we're still puzzled as to your governing "philosophy" -- could you be any more vague or less specific here? Let's just say that this guy's now John Locke!

Interestingly, Jerry states that he disagrees with Marlyand's Republican governor Robert Erhlich and opposes slots. ("No. I just disagree [with Gov. Erlich] on this issue.")

Well, then, Jerry is asked, how would you solve the state's revenue problems? First, he says he would set "priorities" -- transportation, public education, economic development, public safety. OK, that's very impressive Jerry, but isn't it true that you have supported taking money out of transportation? Jerry responds, les-than-helpfully once again, "We need to target some of the revenue growth in the general fund for transportation needs." Well that certainly clears THAT one up -- thanks Jerry!

There's a very interesting and REVEALING exchange on the issue of tobacco.First, Jerry says "We just increased the tobacco tax" and that "I don't think we need to raise the tobacco tax." When asked, whether or not smoking isn't a public health issue, Kilgore responds with apparent lack of concern: "Smoking is declining across Virginia." That's interesting, because Kilgore's wife apparently is involved with efforts to fight smoking by minors. It's also interesting, because Jerry has taken big, BIG money from tobacco interests (see below on campaign contributions).

On the hot-button issue of the Confederate flag, Kilgore believes that "we blow it out of proportion." He also says that the confederate flag is part of our history and heritage ("We can't rewrite history....We have to market our great tourist sites.") Yes, he "recognize(s) that African Americans see it as a symbol of slavery." But, having said that, he also recognizes that others see it as something from history." He does state unequivocally that he does "not plan to put it on the capitol grounds." Well, thank goodness for that!

On campaign contribution limits, and specifically taking money from large corporate donors, Jerry admits, "I have taken money from tobacco interests." In a fascinating comment that indicates either disingenousness or complete cluelessness, Jerry says that companies who give hime $100,000 do so not because "they want something," simply because "they just want good government." Ha ha ha ha ha ha haha ha. This is so funny becuase Kilgore has taken over $250,000 from tobacco interests but opposes raising cigarette taxes -- yet he sees no conflict of interests there. He also sees no contradiction with his wife Marty's involvement in discouraging kids from smoking, his receipt of big money from tobacco intersts, and his view that Virginia's lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax should not be increased, for public health or any other reason. Jerry simply says, in a true profile in courage, "These companies have the right to participate in the political arena."

On expanding the rights of people to vote, Kilgore strangely rambles on for a bit about how there used to be discrimination against Republican voters. Is Kilgore trying to argue that Republicans have been historic victims of discrimination here in Virginia just like African Americans? Maybe, maybe not, but he emphasizes that African Americans should support him in part because "I come from an area of the state where we had to fight for rights." Hmmmm....

On two other voting rights isseus, Kilgore OPPOSES same day voter registration (afraid too many Democrats might register, huh Jerry?), and argues that felon give up right to vote even after they've done their time and paid their debt to society ("Absolutely there's a litmus test"). Must be the "compassionate conservative" side of him coming out here.

On mandating a paper trail for electronic voting -- seemingly a commonsense issue; you get a receipt when you cast your vote -- Kilgore grudgingly says "I could support it" but also that "I would be very reluctant to mandate it on localities." Yet another "profile in courage" by Jerry "Tough Guy" Kilgore.

On extending voting rights and Congressional representation to residents of the District of Columbia, Kilgore says point blank: "I do not support voting rights for the District." Why not? Basically, because that's the way it's always been, and anyone who moves to the District knows the rules (qustion for Jerry: what about people who've lived in DC their whole lives? Is that "original sin" or something?).

Finally, on the widly hated car tax, Kilgore is asked how he would make up lost revenues if he completley eliminated it. Back to the talking points again: "Our economy is booming." Glad we got THAT straight!

Anyway, this is just an unofficial synopsis. We here at RaisingKaine urge you to listen to the interview yourself and draw your own conclusions. In addition, it's just nice to hear the sweet, dulcet tones of Ned Flanders...er, Jerry Kilgore's lilting voice. Enjoy!

Poll Numbers!

2005-02-26T12:10:00.000-05:00

A recent Emerson College poll found that Jerry Kilgore(R) is leading Tim Kaine(D) by a margin of 33% to 26%. So, how can this be seen as good news? Because a whopping 41% of Virginia's voters don't have the faintest idea who they'll support! In a "red state" like Virginia, before most folks have started paying attention to the race, one would expect Kilgore to be riding around 40-45%, just because the Republicans would say "yeah, sure, I'm voting Republican." These results prove that Kaine can and will win when voters get to know him. Also, the poll did not include "Republican Independent" candidate Russ Potts in the mix, and his candidacy will almost certainly hurt Kilgore.

Interestingly, the Emerson College poll also said that Governor Mark Warner(D) would defeat US Senator George Allen by a margin of 48% to 41% in the 2006 elections. Numbers like these could influence Warner's decision on whether to run against George Allen in 2006, or to seek the White House in 2008.

Russ Potts: Conservative

2005-02-25T20:12:00.000-05:00

The Kilgore campaign is now in full panic-attack mode over Russ Potts' announcement that he will run for governor as an Independent. They are so freaked out, in fact, that they have rolled out the heavy artillery against Potts, even though it's still only February. The core charge by the Kilgore campaign against the Republican from Winchester? That he's liberal liberal liberal liberal. Oh, did we mention that the Kilgore campaign is accusing Russ Potts of being a "liberal?"

Being the intrepid reporters that we are here at RaisingKaine, we decided to look into the Kilgore campaign's vicious charges for ourselves. So, we checked with the good folks at Project Vote Smart, an invaluable resource for finding out how our elected officials have voted on a wide range of issues, and also how they've been rated by various special interest groups. How did Potts do? Well, let's just say the Kilgore campaign is just a weeeee bit off base in its characterization of Potts as a liberal.

Let's start with abortion, where NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia group gave Potts a ZERO rating for 2004 on issues they consider most important. That's right: Potts got a zero, nada, zip on pro-choice issues. On the flip side, the anti-abortion Virginia Society for Human Life gave Potts a perfect, 100% rating during 2003. So much for Potts being a liberal on abortion!

How about Potts and pro-business groups? Well, Russ ain't to shabby there either, at least from a conservative perspective. In 2000-2001, for instance, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce gave Potts an 81% positive rating. Not bad for a supposed "liberal!" And another pro-business group, Virginia FREE, has given Potts an average positive rating of 71% over the past four years. Again, these votes don't exactly prove the Kilgore campaign's frantic, desperate charges against Potts that he's a "liberal" or not a "real Republican."

What about the Virginia Christian Coalition, you ask? Potts doesn't do too badly there either, clocking in at a respectable (for a conservative) 57% rating. Meanwhile, Americans United for Separation of Church and State gave Potts a ZERO rating for his votes between 2000 and 2002. Wow, what a liberal this guy Potts is!

Alright, so Potts is conservative on religion, business, and abortion. But what about other issues? Surely the Kilgore campaign must have a point there? Uh, well, no. On the environment, for example, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters gave Potts a pathetic 33% postive rating in 2003. And the Virginia National Organization for Women (NOW) gave him a big fat ZERO in 2000. Finally, the National Rifle Association (NRA) gave him an "A" the last time it rated him.

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry -- what are you so afraid of? Is it that Potts truly is a liberal, in which case you should be jumping up and down for joy instead of attacking him like he's a grave threat to you? Or is it that Potts is a conservative, just about as conservative as you in fact, with a voting record that's amazingly similar to your own brother, Terry Gene Kilgore?

Sorry, Jerry, but as hard as you try to paint Potts as a liberal, his voting record tells a 180-degree different story. Seems to us here at RaisingKaine that you've got big trouble on your hands - one mainstream, pro-business Democrat versus three conservative Republicans (you, Potts, and Warrenton Mayor George "Cool Runnings" Fitch). So much for your plan to focus solely on Tim Kaine. Looks to us like you've got a few problems in your own party to deal with first. Good luck, Jerry!

Thank You Frank Luntz!

2005-02-25T05:16:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard already, we Democrats have managed to get ahold of the Republicans' secret political playbook, written by none other than Virginia's own Frank Luntz (he's based in Alexandria). That's right, this is the same Frank Luntz who helped develop Newt Gingrich's (in)famous "Contract with America," and who was "formally reprimanded by the American Association for Public Opinion Research" for his work on that project, according to Slate Magazine.

In addition to the Contract ON America, Luntz has worked for ultra-conservative think tanks like the Hudson Institute and also for far-right extremists like Pat Buchanan. In other words, when Luntz talks, the right wing listens.

So, it's great news that we now have a copy of Luntz' extensive playbook on how Republicans should market themselves and how they should attack Democrats. Top Democratic blogger Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, owner of the wildly popular DailyKos site, has covered this story extensively, so we won't belabor it. Suffice it to say that there are plenty of lessons here for the Tim Kaine campaign as it battles its two Republican opponents -- Russ Potts and Jerry Kilgore - this year in Virginia. As Slate Magazine says, in its article, "GOP Master Plan Revealed,": Luntz "literally tells you how to use words to manipulate people into being in favor of stuff that does them harm!"

Anyway, happy reading.

A 3-Way in VA: Potts to Run as Independent

2005-02-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

In just a few more hours, it will be official: State Senator H. Russell Potts (R-Winchester) will run as an independent candidate for governor of Virginia. In other words, what was a straight-up, 2-say race between Tim Kaine (D) and Jerry Kilgore (R) is now a 3-way in VA. And it's bad news for Jerry, no matter how desperately he tries to spin his way out of it.

OK, four guesses as to how the ever original Kill-more campaign will try to slime Potts. Let's see, could it be that they'll accuse him of not being a real Republican, of having "strayed from the Republican Party a long time ago?" Check. Or, might they claim that Potts is "hostile to the policies and agendas of President George W. Bush, U.S. Senator George Allen, then-Governor Jim Gilmore, then-Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Kate Griffin and others who believe in the Republican philosophy of trusting free people and free enterprise?" Yup. Or how about that nobody really likes Potts anyway, especially the people who "know [him] best?" Yesiree. Finally, might the Kilgore campaign go so far as to hurl the worst insult of all at Potts, that he's a -- gasp -- "liberal?" You got it!

As we said, the Kilgore campaign is nothing if not original.

But why would Jerry and his Right Wing Attack Machine need to rush out a nasty, attack-dog press release even before Russ Potts anounces his candidacy? Why, if nobody supports Potts anyway, if Kilgore isn't at all worried about Potts, and if the Kill-more campaign is so relentlessly "focused" on their "real opponent" (Tim Kaine), do they feel such an urgent need to pound on Potts? Could it be that little Jerry is just a little worried? Or maybe they're more than just a little worried? Could Big Bad Jerry be having a cold-sweat panic attack right about now, freaked out by the thought that Russ Potts is this year's version of Marshall Coleman, and that he - Jerry - is the 2005 edition of Oliver North?

Or, could it possibly be that the Kilgore campaign is the "Pott" calling the kettle black here? (sorry, couldn't resist) Frankly, we here at RaisingKaine find it absolutely fascinating as we listen to the extremely-right-wing-on-social-issues/extremely-irresponsible-on-fiscal-matters Kilgore campaign accuse Russ Potts of being the one who has supposedly "strayed" from the Republican Party. What a laugh THAT one is!

The fact is, Potts is the true, traditional Republican here, if you're of the "keep government out of our wallets AND our bedrooms" school. Potts is also the real Republican when it comes to budget matters, while Kilgore is of the "mindlessly cut taxes but spend like crazy anyway" wing of the party. Essentially, Potts is a John Warner/Marshall Coleman Republican, while Kilgore is of the Ollie North/Jerry Falwell stripe. And we already know, from past experience, which type of Republican Virginians prefer at the ballot box.

Anyway, welcome to the race, Mr. Potts. Oh, and next time you run into Jerry Kill-more, possibly at the debates next fall (if Jerry makes it that far), perhaps you could ask him why HE strayed from the party of Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and Dwight Eisenhower? Also, perhaps you might ask Big Jerry how he could be such a supposed tough guy on criminals when he's so terrified of a sniveling little "liberal" like yourself?

Finally, maybe you could ask Jerry the questions another one of his Republican opponents -- George Fitch -- is asking:

Jerry Kilgore, you tell people your views. Tell people what you mean when you say you're for less government. How are you going to reduce the government? What is your spending-cut package? What do you mean when you say we need new solutions to transportation? What are they? How are you planning to deal with growth?

That is, assuming Kilgore manages to defeat Fitch in the first place!

GOP: There They Go Again!

2005-02-23T05:09:00.000-05:00

Wow, from the sound of the right-wing spin machine, you'd think that Tim Kaine is just itchin' to raise our taxes. Basically, what the Washington Times and others seem to be saying is this: "See, those darn liberals are at it again, sticking their hands in our pocketbooks for their nefarious schemes. Just like we told you they'd do. So vote for us, not them -- we're good and they are BAD!"

Yes, it's only February and you can already hear one of Jerry Kilgore's major attack lines on Tim Kaine heating up -- "he'll raise your taxes and I won't." Boy, that's original. I mean, seriously, haven't we heard this one about a zillion times before from Republicans? And isn't it fascinating that the Republicans are gearing up their attack machine on Lt. Governor Kaine for holding essentially the exact same position as the Virginia Chamber of Commerce?

The Chamber -- that's right, that crazed bunch of left wing commies -- is worth quoting on this issue, because it sounds amazingly close to the Kaine campaign's position on revenues:

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce believes Virginia has reached the point where additional revenue is needed to meet the state’s core obligations. Furthermore, Virginia must take seriously the threatened loss of its AAA bond rating from one of the major credit rating firms. A lowered credit rating would harm Virginia ’s economic prospects and would force the state to spend more on debt service and less on priority services. As an economist noted in a recent interview, losing it would probably be worse than never having had it to begin with. No one is enthusiastic about raising taxes, but we believe that the other choices are as bad or worse.

In other words, Tim Kaine is, on fiscal matters, the de facto candidate of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Jerry Kilgore, meanwhile, is the all-but-de jure candidate of the far-right-wing Virginia Club for Growth (an ioteresting name, by the way, given the "Club's" policies, if implemented, would seriously harm growth in Virginia by starving the state of essential roads and other services).

So, what prompted this latest outburst of Republican outrage about (supposed) Democratic raids on your pocketbook? Specifically, Republicans are referring to Tim Kaine's comments the other day that: a) he would continue the car tax phaseout; and b) he would not be "talking about new revenue" until we "lock up the transportation fund." Still, Kaine committed the right-wing Republican heresy (burn him at the stake!) of failing to take revenue increases off the table for all eternity. Unlike Jerry Kilgore, who would rather grandstand and irresponsibly pander to voters in an election year. Sadly, grandstanding and pandering appear to be specialties of Republican politicians here in Virginia.

In contrast, Lt. Governor Kaine is a proud member of the reality-based community, unlike the Flat Earth Society Republicans. Which is why Kaine knows that, in order to deal with the sorry state of our state's transportation system and our rapidly growing population, we might actually - horror of horrors - have to consider raising revenues to pay for new roads, trains, etc. What a concept!

Apparently, though, the Jerry Kilgore/Jim Gilmore Republicans would rather sit in traffic for hours on end, while harming the attractiveness of Virginia as a place for businesses to locate, simply in order to hold to their irresponsible "no taxes but spend like crazy anyway" philosophy. We here at RaisingKaine are curious, though, what ever happened to fiscal conservatism. We could have sworn that this used to mean balancing the budget and paying your bills, but apparently that quaint notion went out of style in the Republican Party a while back, leaving the Democrats as the only major party with a smidgeon of fiscal discipline left to them, apparently.

Why don't the right-wing Republicans just make their argument crystal clear: they want to slash taxes (to zero, if possible) simply because they hate paying one red cent to the Evil Government. And, they will do this even if it means destroying our state's hard-won fiscal integrity, our roads, our schools, our hospitals, our environment, and everything else in the process. Just NO MORE TAXES!! That's it. That's the Kilgore/Gilmore Republicans' entire plan for running Virginia. Impressive, ain't it?

By the way, haven't we seen this B-movie before, back in the 1980s when the Republicans racked up trilions of dollars in natinoal debt? Or, in 2001-2005, as the Bush Administration turned a large and growing budget surplus during the Clinton years into a large and growing deficit as far as the eye can see? And the Republicans are seen as the party of "fiscal conservatism" for what reason exaxctly?

Let's face it, the Democrats are the party of fiscal responsiblity. The Kilgore/Gilmore Republicans? Well, frankly, they don't give a damn. Instead, they'd rather bankrupt the state while they cynically laugh all the way to the bank -- not to mention the governor's mansion (or so they hope). That's because Kilgore/Gilmore Republicans are the "We've got ours so screw the rest of you" people. To paraphrase a famous Republican from the 1980s: "There they go again!"

Leslie Byrne for Lt. Governor (#2/4)

2005-02-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

Next up in our continuing parade of Lt. Governor Candidates is former State Delegate, State Senator, and Congresswoman Leslie Byrne. Disclaimer: I do web advertising for and intern with the Chap Petersen campaign, but I do my best do fairly present the pros and cons of each candidate in this series. We all want the running mate for Tim Kaine who can most help him win this fall.

Leslie Byrne has a number of things going for her, not the least of which is a long and distinguished political career. Byrne has served in the Virginia House of Delegates for seven years, US Congress for one term, and the State Senate for four years. She strongly considered running for U.S. Congress in the 2004 Democratic primary against Congressman Jim Moran, but passed up the chance in order to work on the Howard Dean campaign. In Congress, she was elected Caucus Whip, and was able to pass more legislation than any other freshman. In the State Senate, she sponsored bills covering gun safety, consumer rights, and transportation safety. In 1985, she founded Quintech Associates, a consulting firm, making her a successful business owner.

Byrne is running on standard Democratic planks such as transportation, education, and protecting the environment. Her staunch pro-choice beliefs have won her many fans. Byrne is also the former president of the Fairfax Area League of Women Voters, and was the White House Director of Consumer Affairs for several years. She believes that "Governing isn't about finding fault, it is about finding solutions."

Unfortunately, there are downsides to a Byrne candidacy. First of all, some believe she lacks the easy-going personality that helps out candidates such as Viola Baskerville so much. Some are of the opinion that since she lost her race for reelection by a 50%-45% margin to Tom Davis, she would be "a drag on the ticket." However, a Northern Virginia candidate might also help Tim Kaine boost his vote totals in that crucial region of the state.

Byrne was a leader in elective office, yet she touts as her most memorable achievement a bill requiring all trucks carrying sand or debris to be covered with a tarp. We have no doubt that's a good law, but, frankly, it's not one of the most impressive things that we've heard from our Lt. Governor candidates.

As of December 31, 2004, Byrne had raised less money ($109,416) than any of her Democratic rivals, but had more cash on hand than three of her opponents -- one Democrat and two Republicans. As she is the only Democratic candidate who is permitted to raise money while the General Assembly is in session, she will probably close the gap somewhat by the close of the next reporting period.

Leslie Byrne is running as the "best liberal" or, as she says, "true Democrat" in the race, but in a year when Virginia Democrats are hungry to win in a relatively conservative "red state," she may not be the best choice. However, she has overcome long odds before, and may surprise us again.

About Me

2005-02-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

It has come to my attention that one or more campaigns for Lt. Governor have accused the Petersen campaign of paying me for my ongoing series about the candidates for Lt. Governor. That is not true. I am a student and an unpaid volunteer for the Petersen campaign. Neither Chap Petersen, his campaign, nor anyone on their behalf has encouraged me to write those posts, paid me for them, provided their contents for me, or otherwise compensated me for them. All material supplied for those posts by a campaign was quoted as being such, but all other opinions in those posts were mine. Prominent disclaimers were posted at the tops of those articles. I am very upset that accusations of that nature would be leveled against me, particularly since the campaign(s) did not contact me personally with their concerns.

Regards,
Sam Penney

Note to Jerry: Avoid telephone, tape recorder, etc.

2005-02-21T16:56:00.000-05:00

Hey, what is it with Republicans and communications technology, anyway? First, of course, there were the Nixon Whitehouse tapes (including the infamous "18-minute gap"). Second, there was Linda Tripp and her tape recorded conversations with gal pal Monica Lewinsky. Third, there was our own Jerry Kilgore's little telephone eavesdropping scandal (on a Democratic conference call). In that one, although several of Jerry's close aides took the fall for him, we still haven't gotten an answer to our question: "What did you know about this scandal, Jerry, when did you know it, and why did you do nothing about it?"

Finally, of course, there's the current case of President Bush's (former!) "friend," Doug Wead, and his own devious little tape recorder. In that one, Wead secretly recorded telephone conversations he had with then-governor Bush, who assumed that the discussions -- of past marijuana use, Bush's views on gays, etc. -- were private, between him and his "friend."

Sure, maybe we're reading too much into all this, but does anyone else out there sense a bit of a pattern developing here? Well, we here at RaisingKaine.com have been playing connect the dots this afternoon, and have noticed several things that seem to go together: Republicans, "friends," telephones, tape recorders, scandal!

The apparent lessons here? First, nobody in politics should ever trust their Republican "friends" to keep confidences private. Second, Republican politicians should avoid telephone, tape recorders, teleconferences, and telecommunications technology like the plague. Finally, if your name is Jerry Kilgore and you're running for Governor of Virginia, you might seriously want to think about speaking on the record AT ALL the rest of the campaign. (Note to Jerry: this is just a suggestion from your "friends" at RaisingKaine...don't forget, we Democrats are very sensitive and compassionate people!)

Crybaby Conservatives Criticize Dean

2005-02-19T14:50:00.000-05:00

Oh, the cries of outrage coming from conservatives these days, all over a sarcastic (but true) joke told by Howard Dean regarding the extreme scarcity of African Americans in the Republican Party. According to the Washington Times, a right-wing paper not exactly known for its political correctness (let alone sensitivity to black folks), two leading black Republicans -- Former Rep. J.C. Watts Jr. and Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele -- are "simply outraged over recent racially insensitive remarks made by Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean." At the same time, Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman called Dean's remarks "pretty racist."

Wow, since when did Republicans get so sensitive and whiny? I thought these were the tough, hard-ass, Abu-Ghraib-was-just-a-fraternity-prank dudes? And now it turns out that they're just a bunch of hypocritical crybabies. (Oh, by the way, can Ken Mehlman please explain what it means to be "pretty" racist? Or does Mehlman realize that he doesn't have a leg to stand on, and therefore resorts to weasel words like "pretty?")

And just what were those incredibly "insensitive remarks" by Howard Dean that have got certain Republicans in a sudden tizzy of "hurt" feelings and new-found "sensitivity?" I hope you're all sitting down, because they're absolutely shocking. A bit over a week ago, in a meeting with the Democratic Black Caucus, Dean said amidst laughter, "You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room? Only if they had the hotel staff in here." Message to crybaby conservatives: this is called "biting sarcasm," since obviously the roomful of African Americans who laughed knowingly as Howard Dean told his knowing "joke" are not "racist." They just know the truth when they hear it.

In what way were Dean's remarks "the truth?" First, according to the Associated Press, 87.3% of delegates to the Republican National Convention this past August were white, and only 6.4% African American. In comparison, 20.1% of delegates to the Democratic National Convention were black. And hey, you've got to hand it the Republicans: they nearly doubled the total of African Amerian delegates from their 2000 convention, from just over 3%. Such progress, it's stunning; I think I'd better go sit down!

Even more impressive, the Republicans have finally managed to get back to the high point in terms of African American party participation they last reached in 1912 -- that's right, 93 years ago! -- when a whopping 6% of the Republican National Convention delegates were black. Woo-hoo! But hey, George W. Bush did manage to garner a whopping 11% of the African American vote in 2004. So, congratulations to the Republicans -- you've come a long way in 100 years and are now a truly diverse party! (note to certain Republican readers: that was sarcasm too)

Now let's look at the Republican Party's less-than-impressive record on civil rights, voting rights, affirmative action, aid to poor minorities, aid to inner cities, etc., etc. Well, maybe we shouldn't look at it after all, because in all those areas, the Republican record has been abysmal. Vice President Dick Cheney, for instance, managed to vote against the release of Nelson Mandela from prison (while calling his anti-apartheid movement a "terrorist organization"), instituting a holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr., Head Start, and much more during during his sparkling tenure as a Republican Congressman from Wyoming. And just a year ago, the NAACP's Congressional "Report Card" awarded "F" ratings on civil rights issues to 228 Republicans in the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives and all 52 in the Senate (in contrast, not one Democrat received an "F" rating from the NAACP). Now THAT'S impressive!

Given all this, it is simply laughable for Republicans to claim to be "shocked, shocked!" that African Americans are well aware of their party's hostility to black interests. Next thing you know, these Republicans are also going to be "shocked" that blacks have voted consistently and overwhelmingly (90% or more) for Democrats over Republicans over several decades now. Or, are Republicans trying to argue that black people aren't smart enough to figure this all out? But of course the "politically correct" and "sensitive" Republicans would never suggest such a thing, now would they? (sorry, sarcasm again -- can't help myself!)

Perhaps it would help to quote a few leading Republican voices on racial issues just to see where these "sensitive" Republicans are coming from.

Rush Limbaugh on African American quarterback Donovan McNabb: "I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think he media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well... I think there is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve." In other words, McNabb got where he got because he was black and because of the NFL's affirmative action policies.

Trent Lott's 2002 comments on segregationist and arch-civil rights opponent Strom Thurmond: "I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either." Yes, we're talking about the same Strom Thurmond who declared as a "Dixiecrat" Presidential candidate in 1948, "All the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our schools, our churches."

Former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms' infamous "White Hands" ad, which ran against African American opponent Harvey Gantt in 1990. The ad showed a pair of white hands crumpling a piece of paper while the voice-over intoned darkly, "You needed that job and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota."

The copycat ad done by right-wing Republican Jerry's Kilgore top media strategist Scott Howell for the 2004 Oklahoma Senate race, dubbed "Black Hands," which shows a pair of hands that could be either Hispanic or African American receiving welfare payments. Hmmm....

The infamous Willie Horton ad used by President Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, back in 1988 against his Democratic opponent, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Willie Horton was a murderer and a black man who raped a white woman while free on a "weekend prson pass." The campaign of Bush "41" cynically used this terrible crime to attack Dukakis as "soft on crime."

We could go on and on, but we're sure you get the idea by now.

Just a couple more factoids. First, guess the current number of Republican African American U.S. Senators, Congressmen, or Governors. That's right: ZERO! Now, guess the number of African Americans on the African American Republican Leadership Council's Advisory Panel? Well, unless you count Grover Norquist, Sean Hannity and Gary Bauer as African American, it looks like a grand total of 3 out of 15 black people.

In other words, we have here exactly what Howard Dean articulated in his well-justified, drippingly sarcastic "joke" last week: a Republican Party with a racist past; a Republican Party which receives 10% or less of the African American vote; a Republican Party which has zero -- nilch, nada -- African American Senators, Congressmen, or Governors; and a Republican party which can claim only 20% African Americans on its own "African American Republican Leadership Council"'s Advisory Board!

So, let the hypocritical Republicans whine and cry, while Howard Dean and his mean, "insensitive" Democratic Party speak the truth. Let these Republicans attack the moderate, budget-balancing, "A Rating from the NRA" Howard Dean as too "liberal," while they push their ultra-conservative, fiscally irresponsible, and racially biased policies. And let them demand "apologies" for Dean's "racist remarks" from people like Tim Kaine, who has a stellar record on racial issues, while trying to deceive people about their own sordid racial past -- and present.

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, -- a much, MUCH different kind of Republican who lived in the seemingly ancient past -- today's right-wing Republicans can fool some of the people some of the time, and...well, you know the rest.

The Republicans' Base is Slipping

2005-02-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

Folks like Teddy Goodson give Karl Rove and Scott Howell headaches. The Northern Virginia realtor was a Republican for over 60 years, but she left the party in time for the 2004 elections becuase of the "...sort of vicious, lying, negative campaigns the Republicans started running." Now, she's donating to MoveOn.org, calling Jerry Kilgore a "weenie," and writing feisty letters to the editor.

Take this one for instance:

Isn't Kaine Allowed To Hit Back?
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
The article, "Candidates Asked to Ease Off the Attacks," took note of the increasingly negative campaigns for Virginia's Governor that the Republican Jerry Kilgore and Democrat Tim Kaine are running. Reporter Tyler Whitley provided supposedly equal examples of negativity from each, noting that "the candidates say they are so different that negativity results."

Whatever happened to the Virginia tradition of disagreeing without being disagreeable? The "new" Republicans have beaten it to death starting, as Steve Farnsworth noted, with the "Washingtonization" of local politics by the Republicans. I myself received some very early mailouts from Kilgore and can attest they were loaded (as Kaine says) with nasty attacks on Kaine's religion, career, and integrity; full of innuendo and paranoia; and crammed with reactionary zealotry and code words, obviously designed to scare the socks off any patriotic, middle-of-the-road Virginian. Much of it duplicated the sort of furious attacks we were hearing from Republican political guru Karl Rove's minions on a national level, which makes me wonder if the same folks were writing the literature for Republicans in both the country and Virginia. "Washingtonization" indeed.

Now they're upset because Kaine fought back? How dare he! Nothing Kaine has said to set the record straight and point out the facts comes close in negativity to the panic attacks we get from Kilgore. Considering Kilgore's recent early resignation from his position as Attorney General (after assuring us of the overwhelming importance of that office when he ran for it) I suspect it won't be long before he cranks out a tsunami of scurrilous attacks. Too bad he doesn't have anything better to say about the issues.

Theodora Goodson. Fairfax.

Wow! Remind me not to get on her bad side!

Semi-related is this statment by conservative blogger Will Vehrs, made in reference to my post over at PolState.com. "I'd vote for Kaine if the choice was Potts or Kaine." Mr. Vehrs has always impressed me as a thoughtful conservative, and that statement just reaffirms what we here at RaisingKaine.com have been saying:

Run, Russ, Run!

Virginia Republicans Fracture on Social Issues

2005-02-18T04:56:00.000-05:00

Two votes yesterday in the Virginia Senate's Education and Health Commmittee, one on abortion and the other on illegal aliens in college, starkly highlighted Republican fracture lines over social issues. Most notably, the differences between the moderate wing of the Republican Party -- yes, there still is a moderate wing! -- led by Russell Potts, Jr. (R-Winchester), and the far right wing of the GOP, led by former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, could not be clearer on these two issues: abortion and immigrants.

To put it bluntly, the Jerry Kilgore-led far right wing is vehemently against: 1) abortion, even if it hurts the life and health of the mother; and 2) illegal aliens attending Virginia state colleges and universities, even if it makes far more sense for these people to be getting an education than, as Senator Benjamin Lambert III (D-Richmond) stated, "on the streets, robbing people."

On both votes -- to ban illegal aliens from state colleges and to require Virginia doctors to tell women that their fetuses could feel pain (and to offer anesthesia) -- Senator Potts, who is seriously talking about running for governor this year as either a moderate Republican or Independent, voted "no."

The Washington Post reported that "Much of the ire of the abortion opponents was aimed at committee Chairman H. Russell Potts Jr....As [Potts] voted against each of the measures, abortion opponents groaned in exasperation." On the illegal aliens vote, the Washington Times cited Potts' belief that "barring those who are here illegally [from getting an education] hurts the American dream."

Interestingly, the Washington Times reminds us that just two years ago, "the office of Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore...issued a letter to state colleges suggesting that they not admit illegal aliens as a matter of policy." The article also points out that "No other states ban illegal aliens from their colleges." In the end, the Senate Education and Health Committee defeated the bill by an overwhelming 12-3 margin.

Once again, the Jerry Kilgore-led far-right wing of the Republican Party been defeated, thanks to a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans like Russell Potts. We at RaisingKaine expect that the two votes yesterday in the Virginia State Senate neatly foreshadow the outcome of state elections this November: victory for mainstream Democrat Tim Kaine and defeat for right-wing extremist Jerry Kilgore.

Republicans: We're the Torture People!

2005-02-17T12:42:00.000-05:00

Come join us, we're Republicans. We don't take shit from nobody. That's why we promote people like John "Honduran Death Squads" Negroponte to positions of high authority, like U.S. National Intelligence Director. Because we don't care about trivial nuisances like the Geneva Conventions, human rights, civil liberties, or even the U.S. Constitution. Hey, we're at war, so anything goes. Right?

And for all you sniveling liberals who think that a few jolts of electricity to the gonads of a terrorist before you throw him out the helicopter into the ocean is the worst thing in the world, we've got news for you. If it weren't for the fact that we Republicans are willing to get a bit "rough" now and then with "the enemy," the Sandinistas would be swarming all over the the southern United States like killer bees by now. And if Alberto Gonzales hadn't told us it was ok to "waterboard" at Abu Ghraib who knows, Saddam Hussein could still be torturing his own people (yeah, it's bad in Saddam's case but alright in ours), Osama bin Laden could still be on the loose (yeah, he technically IS still on the loose, but we've got him cornered!), and Iraq could still be in chaos (well, sure, it IS in chaos but imagine how bad it could be if not for the fine work of our interrogators at Abu Ghraib).

You see, what you liberals don't understand is that the world is a ruthless, brutal jungle. It's kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, torture or be tortured. The difference between you liberals and us is that we have a clear-eyed view of things, while you guys are just a bunch of dreamers and starry-eyed idealists. What, the next thing you'll be telling us is that "all men are created equal" or some such nonsense. Or that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

See, what you wussy liberals don't understand is that those words in our great Declaration of Independence were never meant to apply to savages, or slaves, or terrorists. That's why we always say you've got to go back and figure out the framer's "original intent," but you guys always want to re-interpret what they said in light of 200 years of progress or something. That's why you always lose, and we always win. Might makes right, especially on the far right!

Someday you silly, misguided liberals will thank us for hard-assed, take-no-prisoners Republicans like George "Bring 'Em On!" Bush, John "Honduran Death Squads" Negroponte, Tom "The Exterminator" DeLay, Alberto "Waterboarding" Gonzalez, and even Jerry "Fry 'Em First and Let God Sort 'Em Out Later" Kilgore. This is a tough world we live in, with no place for people like Eleanor Roosevelt and her quaint "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." You know, the one with all that high-minded rhetoric like this:

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law...

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Blah blah blah, and so forth and so on. You see, all that "ringing" language about human rights and other such claptrap is why you guys are Democrats and we're Republicans. Some day, maybe you'll see the light. Until then, just be thankful you've got us keeping you safe and secure, taking no prisoners and torturing those we do.

Viola Baskerville (1st Article in a Series)

2005-02-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

Lowell has asked me to look into the Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor, thinking that we might sometime endorse one of them. First in our series of four, or perhaps five if Jim Dyke of someone else joins the race, is State Delegate Viola Baskerville. I'll continue on in alphabetical order. Disclaimer: I do web advertising for the Chap Petersen campaign.

Delegate Baskerville has a lot going for her. She is eloquent and comes across as extremely intelligent and friendly. I have met her several times, and she is perpetually upbeat. She says that she believes that "slow and steady wins the race," and often wears a silver turtle brooch, her "mascot." Baskerville can get away with lines that other candidates cannot, such as "Honey, I am the best," when asked who she thinks would make the strongest running mate for Tim Kaine. Phil Puckett or one of the other candidates would probably be branded as arrogant if one of them used that line. Baskerville is an African-American, and would probably boost the African-American turnout in November if she wins the primary.

Viola Baskerville's personal story is compelling: She was raised in a house that her parents built in the East End of Richmond, and left at the age of 13 to attend Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts on a full scholarship. Her political career is also impressive. Upon returning to Richmond, she became a community leader, and, in 1994, ran for City Council, and won. The city council also elected her Vice Mayor. In 1997, she ran for State Delegate, and won. Since then, she has served admirably in the House of Delegates. In 1998, the Richmond YWCA awarded her their "Outstanding Woman Award in Government and Politics." She was also inducted into the National Honor Society of Omicron Delta Kappa.

Baskerville's platform is made up of standard Democratic planks, including environmental protection, equal access to health care, and campaign finance reform. She also wants to make it easier for small businesses to compete for state contracts and will work to make Virginia more friendly to military families.

However, a Baskerville candidacy would have some drawbacks. She is running as an unabashed liberal in a state with a definite conservative bent. She has placed third in the money hunt among the four Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor, with just over $137,000. With only $61,000 in the bank, she lags behind all of the others in both parties, beating only Republican Gil Davis. In a Democratic district, she also has never had to campaign hard against a Republican. The last Republican she faced was T.C. Elliot, who she beat 76%-24%. Her home district popularity reflects well on her, no doubt.

Baskerville’s campaign made the following statement to RaisingKaine:
"Viola Baskerville is the strongest candidate in this race. This position is not a stepping stone for her, it is her chance to use the bully pulpit to continue her fight for small businesses, military families, and quality healthcare for all Virginians. Her compelling life story makes her the best possible advocate not only for Virginia's central cities but also for its rural communities. Viola Baskerville is not a poll driven candidate, she is a woman of principle who will fight for progress in Virginia while respecting and upholding Virginia's traditional values."

The Race for the Lieutenant Governorship

2005-02-16T16:56:00.000-05:00

In the next few days, I will be posting a series of articles on our fine candidates for Lt. Governor. Every candidate was/will be given the opportunity to respond to an article about them that I have drafted. The articles contain factual information mixed with a dash of wit, and mention both positive and negative points about each candidate. I hope that I will be able to also provide the candidate's response. Also, let me put out this disclaimer: I do web advertising for the Chap Petersen campaign, and also intern for Chap. That said, I honestly believe that you will find the articles to be both truthful and informative. In the comments section, please share your thoughts on whether or not we should consider making an endorsement in the race, what questions we should ask the candidates, and how we should determine who to endorse. If you want to send something to me privately, click here.

That's D'Amore!

2005-02-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

According to Jeff Shapiro in today's Richomnd Times-Dispatch, State Senator H. Russell Potts, Jr. (R-Winchester), has moved one step closer to ruining Jerry Kilgore's year. Potts, who has been seriously considering a run for Virginia governor as a moderate Republican or as an Independent, has now hired Thomas J. D'Amore, Jr., former Chief of Staff to Connecticut's popular ex-Governor and ex-Senator, Independent Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (side question: why are so many of these guys "Juniors?").

In other words, it is sounding like Potts, who the Richmond Times article describes as having "moved to the center, decrying Republican hostility to taxes and emphasis on social issues," is leaning heavily towards a run for Virginia governor. If so, this will represent a serious, moderate Republican challenge to Jerry Kilgore's "flat-earth policy" wing of the party, as Potts calls it. As we discussed a few days ago, Russell Potts could be "This Year's Marshall Coleman", a candidate who "would greatly damage Kilgore," according to UVA political science professor Larry Sabato.

In Thomas J. D'Amore Jr., what Potts is getting is a serious dose of political experience and a track record of proven success. For those of you who aren't familiar with his career, D'Amore's former boss, Lowell Weicker, ranks with Jesse Ventura as one of the few politicians who have ever won statewide office running as an Independent candidate. Like Potts, Weicker was a loyal Republican who grew increasingly unhappy with his party's drift to the far right. In addition, Weicker was angered by the behavior of Republican President Richard Nixon, culminating in the Watergate scandal.

Does any of this sounds familiar? If not perhaps it should, because today we have a Republican Party even further to the right than ever, and a President (Bush) who has divided the country and led us to war on false pretenses. And here comes Russell Potts, a political soulmate of Lowell Weicker's (and Marshall Coleman's), looking like a candidate for Governor in Virginia this year.

For Jerry Kilgore, that is bad news, no two ways about it. But for Russell Potts, and especially for our man, Tim Kaine, "That's D'Amore!"

Happy Valentine's Day, Jerry!

2005-02-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

Dear Jerry: We here at RaisingKaine don't like you. And we certainly don't love you. But, as the good, bleeding-heart liberals that we are, we still wanted to wish you a Happy V.D. That's "Valentines Day," of course, but somehow it sounds better as "V.D." given your beliefs on contraception and sex in general.

So, what are you doing for V.D., Jerry? Something really romantic, like maybe attending an execution or something? Well, if you haven't thought of anything to do yet, here are a few suggestions from your friends at RaisingKaine. Don't say that we liberals never did anything for you!

Take your wife out for a nice dinner and make sure you carry your concealed weapon to the restaurant. Hey, you never know when those liberal waiters and waitresses might lose it (they're all probably on drugs) and start running amok. Then, you might need your AK-47 to defend yourself against flying bottles of French wine or plates of foie gras or whatever!

Go to a local store and buy some chocolates and roses for your wife. On second thought, maybe you should order them over the internet instead. That way, you can avoid the state sales tax you hate so much. Oh wait, didn't a lot of Republican moderates and GOP allies in the business community support RAISING the sales tax to pay for improvements to transportation and education here in Virginia. And don't you need their support to get elected? D'oh!

Charge up a few thousand dollars on your credit card -- spare no expense! Spend even more than you can afford and throw yourself into massive debt. You know, just like your plans for Virginia's finances if, god forbid, you ever become governor.

Invite your buddy (and top media strategist) Scott Howell over for a nightcap and celebrate the end of the "day of love" by thinking up the nastiest, slimiest, meanest possible ways to attack Tim Kaine. Scott will really enjoy this, since he's such a master at the politics of personal destruction and all. Perhaps you could think of ways to attack Kaine for being a religious Catholic, or maybe even imply that he's not really a Catholic at all! Yeah, don't hold back, Jerry, let your inner Pit Bull out! And don't worry, this won't be hard with Scotty Boy there egging you on; after all, think about what your buddy Scott did to Vietnam War hero (and triple amputee) Max Cleland in Georgia, basically calling him a disloyal, Saddam- and Osama-loving traitor for his service to our country. You know what I'm saying?

Anyway, whatever you decide to do for Valentines Day, and whoever you share it with, we at RaisingKaine hope you have a great time. See, we liberals may not like you in the least bit, but we do have a heart - a big bleeding one in fact. Anyway, Happy V.D. Jerry!

Love,

RaisingKaine.com

Howard Dean: Southern Comfort?

2005-02-13T10:35:00.000-05:00

At first glance, yesterday's election of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) may appear to be less-than-good news for Tim Kaine and other moderate-to-conservative southern Democrats. After all, Dean has been portrayed by the Republican Party and by the right-wing media as as a gay-marriage-supporting, fiscally irresponsible, typical northeastern, far-out liberal. Dean's also been portrayed, frankly, as a screaming nutcase. But we here at RaisingKaine believe that these are all false stereotypes that couldn’t be further from the truth. We also believe that the Republicans are in for some seriously unpleasant surprises in coming months and years as their illusions and fantasies are shattered one by one.

First of all, let’s do away with the notion that Vermont is some weird, urban, ultra-liberal haven for a bunch of Woodstock/Birkenstock counterculture hippies. To the contrary, Vermont is one of the most rural states in America. Several years ago, my wife and I visited the state and were struck by just how little city there is there. As we drove out of Burlington, Vermont's largest "city" (in quotes because it's actually a town of just 39,000 people, smaller than Charlottesville or Blacksburg, Virginia), we quickly found ourselves in agriculture country. Another thing we noticed very quickly as we drove across the state was the many farms displaying “Take Back Vermont!" signs on their property, in protest against what they saw as the recently passed "civil unions" law for homosexuals in the state. So much for liberal stereotypes of Vermont.

And Howard Dean is certainly no dyed-in-the-wool, tax-loving liberal. At the least, Dean certainly didn’t govern like one during his years at the helm of Vermont, where he won an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and was endorsed by that group eight times! As Stephen Moore, a Senior Fellow at the Libertarian-Conservative Cato Institute (and President of the anti-tax, ultra-conservative "Club for Growth") relates in The Weekly Standard, "an obscure Democratic governor" named Howard Dean came to the Cato Institute several years ago as a guest speaker and "charmed nearly everyone in the boardroom." According to Moore, when Dean left the room, everyone agreed that they had "finally found a Democrat [they] could work with." How can this be?

For starters, Dean convinced the ultra-conservative, "hardened cynics" (in Moore’s own words) at Cato that he truly was "a free-market enthusiast, a tax cutter, and an enemy of big-government excess." In his article, Moore extols Dean for being "frugal" as the "business-friendly" governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2002. Moore further heaps {Libertarian} praise on Governor Dean for "cut[ting] formerly sacrosanct welfare spending to keep the state out of debt," for approving "millions of dollars' worth of incentives to lure smoke stacks back into the Green Mountain State," for launching a school voucher program, for supporting "electricity deregulation to take monopolistic pricing power away from big utilities," for leaving Vermont with $10 million budget surplus when he left office in January 2003, and generally for governing as "a very right-wing Democrat." Moore even goes so far as to call Dean "Bill Clinton, but without the skirt-chasing." And Moore means that as a compliment!

So what on earth was Howard Dean talking about during the Democratic primaries when he emphasized the importance of appealing to "guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks?" Rather awkward and blunt-spoken, no doubt. On the other hand, it’s also rather obvious what message Dean was articulating loud and clear: namely, that Democrats badly need to win back southern, white male voters, the same folks who voted reliably Democratic from Reconstruction through the late 1960s.

It is worth noting, by the way, since Dean's remarks have been taken wildly out of context and distorted by the media, that the former Vermont Governor received a standing ovation for his February 2003 speech, from a roomful of Democrats no less, with the following remarks: "White folks in the South who drive pickup trucks with Confederate flag decals on the back ought to be voting with us, and not [Republicans], because their kids don't have health insurance either, and their kids need better schools too." You can say that again, Dr. Dean!

After being (predictably) attacked for his remarks by his Democratic rivals for his remarks, Dean elaborated further, in words that actually could have been spoken by President Bill Clinton, Governor Mark Warner, Senator John Edwards, General Wesley Clark or Lt. Governor Tim Kaine: "We have working white families in the South voting for tax cuts for the richest one percent while their children remain with no health care…[t]he only way we're going to beat George Bush is if Southern white working families and African-American working families come together under the Democratic tent, as they did under FDR." Truer words were never spoken.

And what about Dean’s other controversial comments in November 2003, that Southern voters were growing tired of incessant Republican demagoguery on issues related to "guns, God and gays?" Again, Dean’s words were a bit awkward and bluntly honest (starting to sense a pattern here, that this guy’s not just another blow-dried politician?), but Dean’s analysis also got directly at an important, even fundamental truth of current American politics. Namely, Dean cut right to the hear of Republican strategy: to use "guns, God and gays" as divisive "wedge issues," and as a way of confusing people into voting against their own self interests -- on jobs, health care, taxes, and education. Frankly, we’ve got to hand it the right-wing Republican strategists: although this has been an extremely cynical strategy, it has also been a highly effective one – up until now, that is.

In other words, by falsely and cynically painting the Democratic Party as anti-God, anti-gun and for the so-called "homosexual agenda," Republican strategists know exactly what they’re doing -- playing their favorite politics of "divide and conquer," while appealing to the "lesser angels" of human nature -- rather than seeking to "unite and govern." They do this, of course, strictly and for no other reason than to win election. And they are good at it, too.

To his credit, Howard Dean isn’t fooled in the least bit by this unsavory-yet-effective strategy and has called the Republicans on it in no uncertain terms. Of course, the Republicans predictably have fired back by even further distorting Dean’s words, if that is possible, and also by "shooting the messenger" -- another favorite strategy of our friends on the (far) right. But Republican political tactics can’t change the fact that the core Dean/Edwards/Warner/Kaine message itself – that Democrats are people of faith and values fighting for ordinary working Americans, not just the rich, powerful, and well-connected -- is as true as it's ever been.

The bottom line here regarding Howard Dean’s election as DNC Chairman is that it is, against the wildly wishful thinking of the radical right wing (and conventional wisdom among the so-called-liberal media, or SCLM), very good news for southern moderate/conservative Democrats like Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.

For starters, Southern Democrats now have an ally in Washington: someone who understands the critical importance of the South, and someone who believes in the same things that they do – fiscal responsibility, faith and family. They’ve also got someone willing to fight hard for the South, who has pledged to rebuild the Democratic Party in the most conservative parts of America, and who emphasized all this by stating, "I'll pretty much be living in red states in the South and West for quite a while." Finally, the Tim Kaines and Mark Warners of the world now have someone in Washington DC who believes, as they do, in being a real "uniter not a divider" -- as opposed to certain other politicians in Washington who, it turns out, are "all hat and no cattle" on this issue.

We here at RaisingKaine.com would like to congratulate Dr. Dean on his election as DNC Chairman, wish him well, and invite him down here to Virginia both early and often. Because, in Howard Dean, what we’ve got is some serious "Southern Comfort" by way of Vermont. Welcome to the South, Governor Dean!

Russ Potts: This Year's Marshall Coleman?

2005-02-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

Today's Washington Times reports that moderate Republican State Senator H. Russell Potts, Jr. has opened an exploratory committee and is seriously considering a run for Virginia governor. According to the Times, Potts may run either as a Republican against Jerry Kill-more (aka Kilgore) and George "Cool Runnings" Fitch in the June primary, and/or as an Independent candidate in November. Either way, this could badly hurt Kill-more.

Why do we say this? First, Potts is from the sane, fiscally responsible wing of the Republican Party. (Yes, the Republicans still have such a wing here in Virginia; the problem is that the other wing -- the RIGHT wing -- is nearly as strong as the left and it's flapping away frantically). As evidence, Potts voted for last year's state budget package, including a tax increase on cigarettes, sales and real-estate. In other words, it's going to be hard for Kilgore to train his rhetorical firepower solely on Tim Kaine with Russell Potts, fiscal moderate (translation: willing to vote for tax increases to balance the budget) in the race.

Second, Potts is from the small, sickly, but not-quite-dead-yet, socially moderate part of the Republican Party. Listen to Potts on abortion, for instance:

"The reason that we are so divided is because you have these attempts to infringe upon the personal privacy of women," he said after denouncing several bills that restrict abortion. "It's madness; this is absolute madness."

Yes, Russell Potts is pro-choice. In other words, what we have here is a traditional, fiscally responsible, personally libertarian Republican. You know, the sane kind we used to have before the radical right took over the party and drove people like me out of it (yes, Virginia, I was a Teenage Republican!). You know, like a lot of Republicans in heavily populated Northern Virginia.

Oh, and Potts is also a moderate on other social issues. For example, Potts opposes legislation to prevent illegal immigrants from attending Virginia state colleges and universities. And, according to the gun nuts, Potts is a for such radical concepts as closing gun show loopholes, limiting gun purchases to one-per-month, and banning certain assault weapons. Horror of horrors!

So what effect could Potts have on Kill-more, an extreme right-winger on all these issues? Possibly a fatal one in November (or earlier), according to UVA political science professor Larry Sabato:

"It would greatly damage Kilgore," Mr. Sabato said. "There are a lot of moderate Republicans in Virginia who are unhappy with the drift of the party in the last 10 or 15 years, and they will probably vote for [Mr. Potts]. It won't be nearly enough to win, but it would be mainly bad news for Jerry Kilgore."

Sabato also comments in the Washington Times article that Potts could be the Ross Perot of 2005, siphoning far more votes away from Kilgore than from Kaine, splitting the Republican Party, and allowing Kaine to win easily.

Actually, come to think of it, maybe the analogy isn't to Ross Perot, but to Independent/moderate Republican Marshall Coleman (backed by popular Republican Senator John -- not Mark! -- Warner) in the 1994 US Senate race here in Virginia. That race, of course, pitted the (in)famous Oliver "Iran-Contra Scandal" North (far-right "R") against incumbent Democratic Senator Chuck Robb. Final results? Robb 46%, North 43%, Coleman 11%.

The bottom line from RaisingKaine's perspective? Run Russ Run! And please, PLEASE be this year's Marshall Coleman!

George Fitch: "Cool Runnings?"

2005-02-09T05:05:00.000-05:00

Like the famous Jamaican bobsled team he founded in the 1980s, Warrenton Mayor George Fitch starts his race against Jerry Kilgore as a decided underdog but popular/grassroots favorite. Just as in the case of the Jamaicans, Fitch knows that "there are those who have dismissed my candidacy," but he also knows that fighting for what you believe in can be inspirational to millions.

In the Jamaicans' case, it was bobsledding. In Fitch's case, it's running against heavy favorite, the former Atty. General (and now full-time money grubber) Jerry Kill-more (aka Kilgore) for Virginia governor on a platform of "tax relief, a more efficient state government, more control for local governments and conservation of open space, clean water and historic heritage." Both Fitch and the bobsledders faced struggles -- uphill in Fitch's case and downhill in the Jamaican bobsled example. Unfortunately for Fitch, if this parallel continues it's not all good news, though, because as we all know the Jamaicans lost big-time in their first Olympics appearance (they lost again, but by a lesser margin, in their second Olympics in 1992).

The question for Fitch, then, is how precisely he'll follow the course of his beloved Jamaican bobsled team. Will his candidacy crash due to inexperience, lack of money, and a ruthless foe? Or will he rise above it all and pull a major upset, possibly providing Disney with an excuse for a sequel to "Cool Runnings," its movie about the bobsled team. Will Fitch live up to the immortal words of Chris Stokes, a member of the 1988 team that inspired the movie, when he spoke at Fith'ss announcement ceremony this Tuesday:

"Every now and again you meet people who, through their courage and vision and commitment, do things that change the world," Stokes said. "George is such a man."

Well, that may be a bit overblown, but we here at RaisingKaine certainly look forward to finding out. We hope that, at the minimum, George Fitch gives Jerry Kilgore, in true Jamaican bobsled team fashion, a "cool" run for his money!

JJ Dinner Summary

2005-02-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner fundraiser held by the Democratic Party of Virginia last Saturday (Feb. 5), provided quite a few interesting points about what we need to do to make 2005 a winning year for Democrats. They are:

Capitalize on the fact that the Governor's race is a marquee race in the nation. The nation will be watching us, and we need to feed on their support and dollars.
We need to work together after the primaries and run as a close-knit ticket, just as we did in 2001. Tim Kaine will have coattails, and they can be used to elect Democrats to the Lt. Governor's and Attorney General's offices, as well as down-ballot candidates like Greg Werkheiser. Kaine will have more money than other Democratic candidates, and he needs to use some of it on their behalf. Pooled resources let unknown candidates be competitive.
We will have divisive primaries for the Lt. Governor and Attorney General nomination. We have to heal quickly after them and get behind our nominees.
The American public knows what the Republicans claim to stand for, even if they rarely follow through on their promises. We cannot let the Republicans define us!
We cannot and will not concede the religious voters to Kilgore and Company. Tim Kaine is a religious man, and he can reach out to them. This is important, not just for this election, but the long term.
There is an incredible amount of energy out there among the Democrats. We must harness this energy, and get people out of their living rooms and out into the streets, knocking on doors, talking to their neighbors about Kaine, wearing lapel stickers, etc.
Even as the rest of the nation finds itself in a less than perfectly peachy economy, Virginia's economy is doing well, thanks largely to Mark Warner. We have the second highest economic growth among the states, second only to Nevada. And, as Warner said, "Tim has promised me he's not going to make gambling and prostitution legal!"

So those are my main points. Use the blog to add your favorite ones.

JJ Dinner Pictures

2005-02-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

Photos of the JJ Dinner are avaliable here. (These photos are hosted on my website for now. I'm working to get them on RaisingKaine.com)

Also, thumbs up to Lowell for his analysis below.

Joe Biden: Most Significant Struggle Since 1932

2005-02-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

In a 45-minute speech at last night's Jefferson Jackson Day dinner in Richmond, covered by two members of RaisingKaine, Joe Biden gave a powerful, blistering keynote address which tore into the Republicans as dangerous extremists who "say things that sound crazy, but are absolutely serious."

Before getting to the core of his speech, Biden teased the crowd that he and Mark Warner could run in 2008 ("My name is Joe Biden and I'm here to audition for Vice President of the United States of America" and even more obviously, "When I'm Mark Warner's Vice President"). Biden also hinted strongly that Mark Warner might run in 2008, and that if he did he would make a fine candidate.

In the core of his speech, Biden focused on the Republicans' plans for this country and how we Democrats underestimate them to our own grave peril. Some of Biden's key points included:

He has studied neoconservative philosophy (Strauss, etc.), and has concluded that these are "serious people," albeit greatly misguided, who believe in "leveraging power" - using our military strength UNILATERALLY, even better in the face of the world's' opprobrium, to send a message to our enemies (Iran, North Korea, etc.) that we are not afraid to act and that nobody can stop us so they had better "fall in line."

In ominous tones, Biden stated bluntly that the neo-conservatives had "badly miscalculated," specifically in that they did not have a big enough military to do the job, and also that they have overextended America and created huge budget deficits as far as the eye can see

The Iraq war has been incredibly mismanaged. In particular, the United States has "mortgaged our credibility at a time when we may need it badly." Biden specifically pointed to a scenario in which North Korea threatened to launch one of its No Dong long-range nuclear tipped missiles at the West Coast. In that case, if we go to our allies, "who's going to believe us" after we lied to them on Iraq?

The chances in success in Iraq at this point -- and he's been to Iraq more than any other Senator by a factor of two -- are at best 50/50, even after the election.

In Iraq, we are at serious risk of creating "an Afghanistan in the Middle East"

Domestically, the neo-cons believe in "devolution of government," which basically says that "anything that CAN be done at the local level should NOT be done at the Federal level."

Neo-cons are so committed to their domestic "devolution of government" ideology that they are even willing "to vote against things that are popular in their states and that they know will work!"

The Bush Administration is "the most ideological...in modern history."

The assault on Social Security is "not a scare tactic," but "about eliminating Social Security" and the New Deal in general." This is a "direct assault on everything we stand for;" aimed "consciously and strategically at unraveling the social contract" - and along with it the Democratic Party.

Democrats should "beware: this is the single most significant political struggle between the two parties since 1932"

The next four years are not going to be "business as usual," so the Democratic Party "better figure out what in the hell we stand for."

Right now, the United States finds itself in a "full blown war" against "radical fundamentalists," yet "none of us -- except for the families of soldiers in Iraq -- are asked to make any sacrifices."

9/11 was an "epiphany" for the United States, in which non-state actors "became an existential threat to a nation state for the first time in history"

Bush should have, but didn't, call for us to get off foreign oil

"Our [Democratic] values are under wholesale assault by leading right-wing ideologues." The battle is, among other things, over "how we value work," the "relative place of women in society," and the "elimination of collective action abroad as a means of enhancing our security."

"The world has changed utterly in the last decade," and "what [will] win the day will not be our necessary military might, but our values."

We must engage the "1 billion, 120 million" Muslims of the world

"Today offers us a unique opportunity to can change the world for the better"

Mark Warner: "08 08 08 08!"

2005-02-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

At last night's Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner in Richmond, attended by two represenatives from RaisingKaine, Mark Warner was received with great enthusiasm and chants of "08 08 08 08!" In his speech, Warner was alternatively wistful "my last JJ Dinner as governor"), humourous (his joke about him being "Mark [Warner] not John," and someone asking him "what part of the Bible is that from?"), teasing (he talked to his wife and children about running for governor in 2001, and "maybe sometime we'll have to have that conversation again" - hmmm), and proud of his accomplishments ("what we have done together" in enhancing education, putting in place a "fairer tax policy," protecting "our most vulnerable citizens," giving police officers "the pay and equipment they need," and making Virginia the "best managed state in the nation -- straight A's!").

In general, Warner emphasized that "the state of the Commonwealth is strong," and that "Democrats in Virginia are strong." Warner lavished praise on Lt. Governor Tim Kaine as a "great partner" who has "fought for Virginia," and who understands that the state's future "lies in excellent public schools. " Warner stressed that "we must elect Tim Kaine," and that Kaine would not cede one county across the state to the Republicans but will run "the same kind of campaign that I ran...Kaine can win anywhere, not just in northern Virginia."

Jim Moran: "Mark Warner Rescued This State"

2005-02-06T08:47:00.000-05:00

At the Jefferson Jackson Day dinner in Richmond last night, Congressman Jim Moran spoke of Mark Warner and also of what makes us Democrats. I n a hard hitting, emotional speech, Moran pounded home several main points:

Mark Warner "rescued this state from a right-wing ideological disaster."

Virginia's previous governor, Republican "No Car Tax" Jim Gilmore, was "worse than imcompetent" in that he launched a deliberate attempt to force Virginia to renege on its commitments to education, healthcare, and the needy.

Mark Warner took over this mess but did not "make excuses" or "whine" -- "he acted."

"What Mark Warner has done for our state is exactly what the Democratic Party needs to do for our country." (hint hint)

In contrast, President Bush is assaulting Social Security while turning the huge surplus he inherited from President Clinton into a massive deficit.

We Democrats rescued the world from Nazism, Fascism and Communism in the past century, largely based on our commitment to the ideals and values of Democracy

"Farmers, factory workers, the middle class and the underclass -- they are the Democratic Party and they look to us for leadership."

Kaine: "Leadership and Vision, not Fear and Division"

2005-02-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

At the Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner in Richmond last night, Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Tim Kaine, who RaisingKaine spoke with (his eyes lit up when he saw the "RaisingKaine" logo on our business cards, by the way), gave a rousing speech and emphasized the following points:

Democrats are coming back in Virginia, in the aftermath of Mark Warner's victory in 2001, as well as picking up seats in special elections for a change. In sum, "This is a state where Democrats are alive and well!"

Democrats have proven they can govern the state well, and this has implications for the Democrats both within Virginia and nationally

What Democrats have shown in Virginia is that they are a) fiscally responsible (even after the Republicans have driven the state into a financial ditch), b) willing to "buckle down" and make hard decisions while investing to build Virginia's economy; c) the "pro-business" party that will keep the Virginia business climate strong; d) truly "uniters not dividers," unlike the Republicans who merely say they are while pitting urban vs. rural, black vs. white, nonbelievers vs. believers, etc.; e) pro-faith and pro-family ("Religious faith is at the core of my life")

He will not cede the label of the "faith and values party" to the Republicans, and that Democrats need to connect with voters in that way.

It is important not to trash the "religious right," but to criticize bad ideas instead.

Although he has been attacked by his opponent for his religious beliefs, Kaine is "not changing my beliefs...I'm proud of who I am."

He is not going to "stand by while I'm attacked" and is not afraid of attacks from his opponent

Jerry Kilgore has not shown leadership on fiscal matters, trying to scuttle a bipartisan budget deal that even his own twin brother supported ("Is that leadership?", Kaine asks rhetorically)

His campaign is about "Leadership and Vision, not Fear and Division"

"Education is the key to success in life," which is why Kaine has visited 116 out of 134 cities and counties in Virginia to talk about education. Meanwhile, "Kilgore fought K-12 and higher education funding."

Democrats are about being "humble," plus "extending a helping hand, not handouts," as he learned during his year in Honduras with Father Patricio. "This race is about giving."

This is going to be a hard race, but "nothing good in life is easy." Kaine added that "I've always been the underdog but I've never lost" and that "I'm not going to lose this [race] with your help."

Jim Dyke to Throw his Hat in Lt. Gov. Race?

2005-02-06T08:10:00.000-05:00

RaisingKaine spoke with Virginia State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, Democrat of Arlington, for several minutes last night at the Jefferson Jackson Day dinner in Richmond. Whipple hinted that Jim Dyke of Reston, former Virginia Secretary of Education under Governor L. Dougas Wilder and chairman of the Northern Virginia Business Roundtable, was mulling throwing his hat in the already crowded ring for Lt. Governor. Who would this help or hurt among the current crop of candidates? Given that Dyke is an African American man from Northern Virginia, with extensive business experience, it seems to us that he could pose a threat to Chap Peterson and Viola Baskerville more than anyone else...stay tuned!

Viola Baskerville: Slow and Steady Wins the Race?

2005-02-06T07:50:00.000-05:00

Two members of RaisingKaine.com spoke with Viola Baskerville, candidate for Lt. Governor of Virginia, last night at the Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner in Richmond, and discovered a personable, energetic, charismatic woman who believes that:

"slow and steady wins the race" -- Baskerville pointed to the turtle pin she was wearing as symbolic of this, as she all but acknowledged that she was trailing in the race for Virginia Lt. Governor (we presume that Chap Peterson is the "hare" in this extended metaphor?)

if she wins the nomination, she will add racial and gender diversity to the ticket, which otherwise could end up being "just three white males" -- the implication being that this would not be a good thing (we at RaisingKaine found that comment a bit jarring; imagine if a white man had said he didn't want a ticket with 3 African American women on it?)

she brings ideological balance to the ticket, given that Kaine is significantly more conservative than she is (in other words., she's running as an unabashed liberal -- is that a good thing in the "red state" of Virginia?)

based on her family background in Richmond ("born and raised"), Mecklenburg (her husband), and other parts of the state, she is qualified to "build bridges" between rural and urban areas

the race is going to be "nasty"

Our conclusion on Baskerville: nice, smart lady, but running as a liberal who will prevent the ticket from being "just 3 white men" probably isn't going to cut it in a "nasty" race in Virginia this year.

Fitch, Kilgore, and Dillon

2005-02-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

Fitch, Kilgore and Dillon. No, that's not a new Republican law firm we're talking about here, but the two contenders for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, plus the rule that Fitch wants to change (and Kilgore doesn't).

First off, what on earth is the Dillon Rule? According to the National League of Cities website:

Dillon’s Rule is derived from written decision by Judge John F. Dillon of Iowa in 1868. It is a cornerstone of American municipal law. It maintains that a political subdivision of a state is connected to the state as a child is connected to a parent. Dillon’s Rule is used in interpreting state law when there is a question of whether or not a local government has a certain power. Dillon’s Rule narrowly defines the power of local governments.

In short, the Dillon Rule expressly severely limits the power of local government vis-a-vis the state. Under Dillon, in fact, local governments -- cities, counties, etc. -- only have power that is expressly granted to them. The default assumption under Dillon, in fact, is that if there is any doubt about what the state has expressly permitted them to do, localities are assumed NOT to have that power.

This is where things get interesting in the Republican race for governor, for Dillon cuts very much against the grain of conservative philosophy. Thus, instead of assuming that the people know at the local level what is best for them, the Dillon Rule expressly holds the opposite -- that the STATE knows best for localities and that "one size fits all" is the way to go.

Let's say, for instance, that your town or county would like to exempt the first $100,000, or $200,000, or whatever, of homeowners' property tax. Can it do it? Not so fast, whipper-snapper! According to a recent article in the Sun Gazette, under Virginia's consitution, commercial and residential property must be taxed at the same rate and assessed at 100% of fair-market value. This means, effectively, that localities cannot provide targeted tax relief aimed at homeowners, many of whom have seen their taxes go up sharply in recent years, along with the booming real estate market. That's why counties like Arlington are pushing for a constitutional amendment permitting it to do so.

And here is where Fitch and Kilgore come in. Mayor Fitch believes strongly that the Dillon Rule should be repealed. In January, Fitch was quoted by Chris Graham in the Augusta Free Press as calling for a fundamental change "in the way the state government and local governments deal with problems." Fitch emphasized that:

It's a bedrock Republican principle that it is best to let local governments decide, because they know what is going to work best in their communities. It's perverse that in a Republican-controlled state like Virginia that things would be as centralized as they are with the Dillon Rule.

And what about Jerry Kilgore? As state attorney general, he has repeatedly invoked the Dillon Rule to prevent localities from such actions as: banning concealed weapons in playgrounds, establishing a "living wage,", and prohibiting anti-gay discrimination.

However you feel on any one of these particular issues, the point is that the Dillon Rule, which Kilgore supports and Fitch opposes, allows the state to override localities. This dispute cuts right to the core of conservative philosophy, for if the state can prevent localities from such "liberal" ideas as banning concealed weapons or prohibiting discrimination, it can also do so for cities and counties wishing to, say, slash their tax rates for residential property owners.

In other words, when GOP voters go the polls in June to select a nominee for governor, they will have a fundamental choice to make: more local control and George Fitch, or more top-down state control with Jerry Kilgore. For conservatives who believe in letting the people decide what's best for them, the choice should be clear.

Kilgore has Competition

2005-02-04T23:29:00.000-05:00

So much for the cakewalk to the Republican gubernatorial nomination that Jerry Kill-more was counting on. Nope, not gonna happen, Jerry. This past Tuesday, the popular mayor of Warrenton, George Fitch, announced that he would run as a tax-cutting outsider and offer a "stark contrast to Jerry Kilgore." In a January 6 interview with Chris Graham of the Augusta Free Press, Fitch said that, in contrast to Kilgore, he believed in "solutions, not soundbites." Fitch added, in an obvious slam at Kilgore, "I believe that to get the support of the voters, you have to tell it exactly like it is. You can't get away with saying that you believe in limited government, holding the line on taxes and promoting family values."

What does the arch-Conservative, tax-hating Virginia Club for Growth have to say about Fitch vs. Kilgore? On November 28, 2004, the Club's Vice President, Phil Rodokanakis, wrote that Kilgore "better watch out" for the guy who created the "Warrenton miracle." Rodokanakis praised Fitch for his program of "lower taxes and smaller government," "reforming the [Warrenton] government from the ground up," and creating an "economic miracle" by, among other things, cutting real estate taxes 80%. Rodokanakis enthuses that "now George wants to bring his economic miracle to Richmond."

In contrast, the Club for Growth Vice President has nothing but bad things to say about Jerry Kill-more. Among other things, Rodokanakis calls the former Attorney General, now full-time candidate and money grubber, "an uninspiring and disappointing candidate for the grassroots activists of the party." Specifically, Rodokanakis argues that Jerry is the "status quo" candidate with nothing new, original, or inspiring to offer: "Other than stating that he’s against higher taxes, Kilgore has not articulated any concrete policy proposals." We couldn’t agree more.

Even worse, from a right-wing Republican point of view, Rodokanakis fears that Kill-more is on the side of "Sen. Chichester and other tax-and-spend Republicans." In contrast, Rodokanakis gushes that "the grassroots [Republican] activists who yearn for a candidate that will uphold the Republican Party’s core beliefs in lower taxes and smaller government should rejoice when George announces his candidacy."

Well, I don't know about the hard-core right wingers, but over here at RaisingKaine.com we are definitely rejoicing over the prospect of intra-Republican Party fratricide and carnage. As Democrats and Independents unite around the moderate, fiscally responsible, Virginia mainstream Tim Kaine, we can sit back and enjoy the spectacle of the Republicans tearing themselves to bits over who is more extremist. This should be loads of fun!

National PACs in Virginia

2005-02-02T19:45:00.000-05:00

Virginia’s statewide elections in November are shaping up to be very interesting. With only one other state (New Jersey, a "blue" state) electing a new governor this fall, most people's eyes -- and the political parties' money -- will be focused on Virginia. This alone would make Virginia a race to watch.

However, Virginia is unique in another way. In Virginia, state law does not limit the amount of campaign contributions a political advocacy group can make. These advocacy groups are commonly labeled "527s" because of the section in the Tax Code under which they register. Further, unlike in the last presidential election where federal law prevented such 527s from working directly with the parties and candidates, Virginia does not have a similar law. Thus, advocacy groups will be able to organize directly with the candidate and state party officials.

How is this good news for Lt. Governor Kaine? One of the most recognized 527s has expressed possible interest in working in Virginia on behalf of Kaine.

Steve Rosenthal, chief executive officer of the anti-Bush Americans Coming Together, said the idea of working in off-year state or local elections might appeal to the organization.

When the Kaine campaign was asked whether they would be aligning with any 527s, the communications director, Mo Elleithee, said, "Kaine is building his own operation to deliver his message." However, a group as large and strong as A.C.T. wanting to help might be hard to turn down.

The fact that national groups, like A.C.T., are expressing so much interest in Virginia’s election is evidence of its importance.

What do Kilgore's supporters have against anti-gun violence measures?

2005-02-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

Oh, boy! More vicious rhetoric from the group "Sportsmen for Kilgore." This time, they're setting their sights on Tim Kaine's record as mayor.

Here are the undiluted facts. They're pretty simple:

While Kaine was mayor of Richmond, he did propose using about $6,000 of the city's money to send a group to the Million Mom March.
When the people he represented made it clear that not all of them agreed with that, he decided to use private funds instead.

"Sportsmen for Kilgore" says that this shows that he is a stereotypical liberal, but one has to wonder what they have against the Million Mom March and other reasonable gun control groups. What do they have against getting illegal handguns off our streets?

PS: The following disclaimer appears on their web site: "This web site was created by a concerned Virginia gun owner." So, in other words, this is not a broad-reaching group, this is just one more gun owner too blinded by the NRA to see the light: That 99.9% of Democrats have absolutely no problem with him owning guns that he uses to hunt deer, geese, ducks, etc. with. Go ahead! Click the link above to email him and let him know that Tim Kaine, who has a "Hunting and Fishing, an American Tradition," bumper sticker on his truck, is a gun friendly candidate. He just supports reasonable measures to keep law abiding citizens like you and me from getting shot in a hold-up.

Jerry Kilgore "way over the top"

2005-02-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

Two updates from the Virginia governor's race. First, ReThug/Wingnut candidate Jerry Kill-more (Kilgore) has officially resigned as state Attorney General in order to raise money full time. You know, what ReThugs do best. Lt. Governor Tim Kaine, his Democratic opponent, commented that Kilgore was "abdicating his responsibility to the citizens of the Commonwealth" in order "to raise money." You said it, brother Tim!

Second, the Kilgore campaign is sending around "way over-the-top" e-mails and snail mails (see below) about Tim Kaine, according to Stever Sisson, the "Blue Dog Democrat" in the Augusta Free Press. Do these attacks sound familiar?

"… Tim Kaine's campaign will consist of limousine liberals, Hollywood leftists, radical special interests and the angry Clinton/Kennedy/Kerry national Democrats."

"... Tim Kaine is a typical liberal Democrat who will always place the 'values' of the radical left over yours and mine."

"… Tim Kaine certainly shares his liberal Democratic Party’s twisted conviction that each of these God-given rights (gun ownership, worship freely, etc.) are somehow a threat to our Republic."

We at RaisingKaine particularly love the parts about the "God-given right" to gun ownership and how Tim Kaine, a moderate Democrat who opposes abortion and gay marriage, is part of the "radical left."

Apparently, this was too much even for Steve Sisson, no friend of Tim Kaine's by any means. Should be a fun campaign, especially with slimeball Scott Howell, the guy who did the smear job on Max Cleland in Georgia, as Kilgore's media chief. Anyway, stay tuned to RaisingKaine for the latest news. We've got it covered.

The Long Road Back Starts Here?

2005-02-01T09:52:00.000-05:00

In an article out today, Chuck Raasch, political editor for Gannett News Service, writes from Virginia that:

The Democrats' long road back might start here, in a Southern state with a tough governor's election in November. That is, if the Democrats' national message ever catches up with the money machine Terry McAuliffe is leaving them.

Arguing that the Democrats in 2004 were "done in by a lack of message, not resource," Raasch writes about Lt. Governor Tim Kaine's run for VA governor this year:

That's where Virginia in '05 comes in. It's a quintessential red state, Southern and perpetually Republican in presidential elections...Values play big and could be the decisive front in a Virginia governor's race between Kaine and former Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore.

A practicing Roman Catholic, Kaine is being touted as a prototypical values Democrat who could win in the South, and elsewhere.

He's pro-business and talks as openly as George W. Bush about his faith. In 1980, he took a year off from Harvard Law School for missionary work in Honduras. He describes politics as "part of the spiritual mission I am on."

Interesting, the guy (Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine) who the Republicans are trying to paint as a typical soft-on-crime, tax-and-spend Lib'rul, is here portrayed as the "prototypical [Southern] values Democrat," the type of person that Howard Dean as DNC Chair will need to court as he does his "fence mending" after he "teed off some Southern Democrats when, as a presidential candidate, he used the pickup-truck, Confederate-flag stereotype to talk about the kinds of voters Democrats needed to go after."

I'm not sure I agree completely with this analysis, but it's interesting nonetheless. Can the unlikely alliance of Tim Kaine, Howard Dean, and Mark Warner lead a southern Democratic resurgence in 2008? Guess we'll just have to stay tuned -- as those of us at RaisingKaine.com are already doing -- and see how this all plays out.

Wouldn't it be ironic, though, if the doctor from Vermont helps discover the cure for what ails the Democrats in the South? Does the secret have something to do with Virginia, a governor's race between Tim Kaine and Jerry "Kill-More" (Kilgore), a run at the nomination by current Governor Mark Warner, and even a possible Mark (Warner)-(Wes)Clark ticket in 2008? As I said, stay tuned, and if you can, help us Raise Kaine here in Virginia this year.

Return of the Political Pander Bear

2005-01-30T18:38:00.000-05:00

Although snow lies thick on the ground, believe it or not it's already the start of an election year in Virginia. It's also the time of year when a hungry animal is known to awake from hibernation and begin prowling for food. And make no mistake, this beast is voracious! No, we're not talking about normal animals like deer, foxes or coyotes, but about a much more insidious, unctuous, slithery creature. Yes, it's the return of the dreaded Political Pander Bear.

Rare in the wild, the Political Pander Bear more commonly resides in urban areas, particularly state capitals and anywhere that politicians gather. Biologists and political scientists hypothesize that the Political Pander Bear, made famous by Paul Tsongas back in 1992, lives in a unique symbiotic or possibly parasitical relationship with human politicians. A few biologists have even speculated that the Political Pander Bear and the human politician may be members of the same species, but this has not been confirmed due to the elusive, slippery nature of both creatures.

Still, scientists are certain that Political Pander Bears and human politicians have a great deal in common, including a voracious and even insatiable appetite for pork, among other things. One particularly dangerous sub-species of the human politician/Pander Bear species is known by the Latin name, Politicalus Republicanus Virginianus, and also by the more common name, "Pander Bear Republicans." This sub-species of Political Pander Bear and human politician has become extremely active recently, prompting concerned citizens to write their local newspapers in fear and dismay.

Patrick Smith of Spotsylvania, for instance, worries that the Pander Bear Republicans in Virginia might completely eliminate the car tax without any way to pay for it, and then spend all of our money on pork, leaving nothing for roads, schools, and hospitals. Specifically, Mr. Smith is concerned with the disturbing, seemingly irrational behavior of House Speaker Scott Howell and his buddy, gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore, both leading Pander Bear Republicans. Kilgore in particular has been acting strangely of late, running as a fiscally ruinous "tax-cut-and-spend Republican" in a strange, misguided attempt to set himself apart from the moderate, responsible, budget-balancing current governor, Mark Warner, and his equally responsible and moderate Lieutenant Governor, Tim Kaine.

Why would Howell and Kilgore propose a plan that would plunge Virginia deep into red ink once again, especially after so much bipartisan hard work over the past three years to restore the state to fiscal health and sanity? Are Howell and Kilgore unaware, perhaps, of the terrible effect that slashing health care and social services would have on the elderly, sick, and poor in our state? Do Howell and Kilgore not care about worsening traffic gridlock in our state? Or are Pander Bear Republicans simply not the most sensitive creatures in god's creation, particularly when they are hungry for pork -- not to mention for higher political office? Finally, the most disturbing possibility of all: could it be that the slobbering and drooling of Politicalus Republicanus Virginianus at the scent of pork (and political power) is an indication that they are infected with "political rabies," the most dangerous and deadly form of that dreaded disease?

While biologists, political scientists, and intrepid bloggers investigate this phenomenon, they recommend that you take extreme precautions. For starters, if you see a rabid Pander Bear Republican, officials advise that you not go anywhere near it, but instead run the other direction as fast as you can, screaming as loudly as possible and waving your hands in the air for help. If, god forbid, you find yourself trapped by one of these rabid creatures and can't get away, experts advise that you should cover your eyes, ears, and especially your nose, given that their sight, sound, and smell, particularly during election season, is reported to be intolerable. As a further precaution, experts recommend that you turn off your television and radio at the first sound of a rabid Pander Bear Republican. Believe it or not, there have been reports of citizens becoming extremely sick from watching and listening to this creature speak.

Finally, just to be safe, you might want to lock up your wife, children and pets for the entire election season. With rabid Pander Bear Republicans on the loose in Virginia, can any of us truly feel safe? Meanwhile, let us all pray that these creatures go back quickly and safely to their lairs, and not return to bother us ever again.

Kaine on Capital Punishment

2005-01-30T16:26:00.000-05:00

Despite Virginia’s long history of acceptance for capital punishment, Jerry Kilgore and his crew seem compelled to turn it into a phony political issue.

Yes, Lt. Governor Kaine, a religious Catholic, has expressed his personal, moral opposition to the death penalty -- in line with the teachings of his church. Does this mean that once he is elected Governor he will suddenly try to repeal the Commonwealth’s capital punishment laws? Actually, Kaine has said numerous times that, to the contrary, he will enforce Virginia’s laws once elected Governor just as he has done while serving as Lt. Governor. Apparently, though, that is not good enough for Jerry Kilgore, who falsely wants you to believe that Tim Kaine will get rid of capital punishment after the Democrat becomes governor this November.

If the Kilgore camp keeps peddling this distortion, with their "flip-flop-label" guns at the ready, they are in for a big surprise. Unfortunately for Jerry Kilgore, Lt. Governor Kaine is rock solid on his position and is certainly not a "flip flopper" who bows to political opinion polls. When Stephen Farnsworth, a political professor at the University of Mary Washington, was asked about capital punishment as a campaign issue, he replied "[i]t’s unusual that a politician will admit to a personal belief that’s not politically popular."

Well, Tim Kaine’s rock solid beliefs may be unusual when it comes to being "politically popular" in this day and age, but they are exactly the reason why he will be elected as Virginia’s next Governor this November.

Cross posted at BrianPatton.org.

No on Gonzales!

2005-01-26T05:40:00.000-05:00

I realize this is a bit off topic from the Kaine-Kilgore race, but all people of good will – Democrats, Independents, and moderate Republicans (there are still a few of those left, I hope!) – should be opposing the nomination of Alberto "Waterboard" Gonzales for Attorney General. That’s why I’m signing on with Armando of DailyKos and declaring that I oppose Alberto Gonzales’ nomination as Attorney General. Here’s what Armando has to say on the subject:

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. In this case, we, the undersigned bloggers, have decided to speak as one and collectively author a document of opposition. We oppose the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to the position of Attorney General of the United States, and we urge every United States Senator to vote against him.

As the prime legal architect for the policy of torture adopted by the Bush Administration, Gonzales’s advice led directly to the abandonment of longstanding federal laws, the Geneva Conventions, and the United States Constitution itself. Our country, in following Gonzales’s legal opinions, has forsaken its commitment to human rights and the rule of law and shamed itself before the world with our conduct at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. The United States, a nation founded on respect for law and human rights, should not have as its Attorney General the architect of the law’s undoing.

In January 2002, Gonzales advised the President that the United States Constitution does not apply to his actions as Commander in Chief, and thus the President could declare the Geneva Conventions inoperative. Gonzales’s endorsement of the August 2002 Bybee/Yoo Memorandum approved a definition of torture so vague and evasive as to declare it nonexistent. Most shockingly, he has embraced the unacceptable view that the President has the power to ignore the Constitution, laws duly enacted by Congress and International treaties duly ratified by the United States. He has called the Geneva Conventions "quaint."

Legal opinions at the highest level have grave consequences. What were the consequences of Gonzales’s actions? The policies for which Gonzales provided a cover of legality - views which he expressly reasserted in his Senate confirmation hearings - inexorably led to abuses that have undermined military discipline and the moral authority our nation once carried. His actions led directly to documented violations at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and widespread abusive conduct in locales around the world.

Michael Posner of Human Rights First observed: "After the horrific images from Abu Ghraib became public last year, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld insisted that the world should 'judge us by our actions [and] watch how a democracy deals with the wrongdoing and with scandal and the pain of acknowledging and correcting our own mistakes.'" We agree. It is because of this that we believe the only proper course of action is for the Senate to reject Alberto Gonzales’s nomination for Attorney General. As Posner notes, "[t]he world is indeed watching." Will the Senate condone torture? Will the Senate condone the rejection of the rule of law?

With this nomination, we have arrived at a crossroads as a nation. Now is the time for all citizens of conscience to stand up and take responsibility for what the world saw, and, truly, much that we have not seen, at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. We oppose the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States, and we urge the Senate to reject him.

Does Mark Warner’s future hinge on Tim Kaine?

2005-01-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

There's a very interesting article by Chris Graham in the Augusta Free Press on the potential importance of the Virginia governor’s race this year for the 2008 Democratic nomination contest. In the article, Graham asks the question, "For Virginia Gov. Mark Warner to be able to run a viable campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2008, does he need to see his top lieutenant win his job in November?"

Kilgore’s Scumbag Media Advisor

2005-01-18T05:23:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs to be ready for a vicious campaign this year. Why do I say this? Besides the fact that this is just the way the far right wing acts, it’s because Jerry Kilgore has hired as his top media advisor one of the nastiest, dirtiest, most vicious men in politics. Specifically, we’re talking about Scott Howell – yes, this is THE Scott Howell who was responsible for smearing triple-amputee and Vietnam War hero (and former Senator from Georgia) Max Cleland as a disloyal, unpatriotic, Saddam- and Osama-loving traitor. Oh yeah, Howell was also the guy behind the controversial Bush/Cheney ad that exploited images of rescue workers removing bodies on 9/11. As if THAT wasn’t bad enough, Howell was also behind the racist "black hands" ad in the recent Oklahoma Senate race for his far-right-wing extremist client, Republican Tom Coburn (yeah, the same guy who favors the death penalty for doctors who perform abortions and is obsessed with "rampant lesbianism" in the schools of southeastern Oklahoma). And now this Howell character brings his unique brand of political advertising to Virginia. Oh joy.

So what do we do about this situation? First, don’t be "shocked, SHOCKED!" when the slime starts to fly. Second, get ready RIGHT NOW to fight back with defenses of Kaine and attacks on Kilgore. For that, we need to develop an FAQ of sorts for Kaine and Kilgore, with all lines of possible attack thoroughly covered. Finally, get ORGANIZED at the grassroots level, because as we’ve learned from so many Democratic campaigns, we can’t count on the "professionals" to do the job right. That’s one reasons we’ve set up www.RaisingKaine.com.