Failure-in-chief Tim Kaine
Yet for some reason he is still around. So someone finds him appealing. Even though most people would rather watch paint dry than listen to him talk, and even though most teenage boy scouts have more public service accomplishments than Tim Kaine, he still is competitive. Luckily for all of us he has the same inefficient and incompetent consultants running his campaign who were behind the Bob McDonnell-college-homework-strategy for Creigh Deeds.
The campaign has a long way to go, but I doubt the Democrats will have a Macacca served up to them on a silver platter. Let’s be honest Jim Webb never would have come within 10 points of George Allen had that not of blown up. It’s almost like a Final Destination scenario where a mistake in time was made and now death is desperately trying to correct that mistake. If nothing exciting happens, George Allen will retake the Senate seat he lost in 2006.
Courtesy of the George Allen for Senate Campaign:
As Governor….
- Left office submitting a $75 billion “shoddy little trick” of a two-year budget and a $2 billion tax increase that was unanimously rejected by the House of Delegates.
A Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial Said Kaine’s Budget Proposal Was A “Shoddy Little Trick” And The Budget Process Needed To Be Fixed. “Departing Gov. Tim Kaine’s shoddy little trick last week adds another item to the General Assembly’s to-do list: Fix the state budget process.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 12/2/09)
A Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial Called Kaine’s Budget An “In-Your-Face, Tax Hiking Budget.” “Kaine put together an in-your-face, tax-hiking budget knowing full well it would not meet with the approval of the General Assembly or the incoming governor, Bob McDonnell. McDonnell made it quite plain throughout his campaign that he was not going to entertain tax hikes.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 12/2/09)
Virginia’s House Of Delegates “Soundly Rejected” Kaine’s Budget, Defeating The Tax Hike Plan Unanimously 97-0. “After prolonged debate and partisan finger-pointing, the House of Delegates yesterday soundly rejected former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s $2 billion proposal to increase the income tax in connection with a plan to complete the phaseout of the local car tax. The measure, which a GOP-dominated committee pushed to the floor to force Democrats to vote on it, was defeated 97-0. Del. Robert H. Brink, D-Arlington, the bill’s sponsor, abstained.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/22/10)
- Proposed over $4 billion in tax increases during his tenure as Governor
Jan. 20, 2006 – Kaine “Proposes Taxes And Fees To Raise $3.7 Billion For Transit Over Four Years.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/3/10)
Jan. 10, 2007 – “Kaine Again Urges Lawmakers To Enact A Long-Term Roads Fix, Resurrecting His $850 Million Plan To Increase Taxes And Fees.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/3/10)
May 12, 2008 – “Kaine Tries Again, Proposing Taxes And Fees To Raise About $1 Billion Annually For Roads And Rails.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/3/10)
Dec. 17, 2008 – “Kaine’s Proposal To Close A $2.9 Billion Shortfall For Fiscal 2008-10 Includes 531 Layoffs And Doubling The State’s Cigarette Tax.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/3/10)
Dec. 18, 2009 – “Kaine’s Plan To Close A Projected $4.2 Billion Shortfall For Fiscal 2010-12 Includes 664 Layoffs. He Proposes Scrapping The Local Car Tax And Replacing It With An Increase Of 1 Percentage Point In The State Income Tax.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 1/3/10)
- Shut down 19 rest stops to push for higher taxes despite hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent funds
“Virginia Has A $2.6 Billion Shortfall. Closing 19 Rest Stops In The State Is Projected To Shave About $9 Million From That.” (Manassas Journal Messenger [Virginia], 7/15/09)
“A Savings Of $9 Million Simply Isn’t Enough To Warrant The Closing Of 19 Rest Stops.” “A savings of $9 million simply isn’t enough to warrant the closing of 19 rest stops. A severe consequence is being levied for a minimal reward. If this is the way the governor works, then there is little chance that Virginians will be able to work our way through the remaining $2.591 billion shortfall and get to the stable economic light on the other side.” (Manassas Journal Messenger [Virginia], 7/15/09)
“An Audit Of The Virginia Department Of Transportation (VDOT) Revealed $877 Million Of Available Funding, Gov. Bob McDonnell Announced On Thursday.” (Virginia Statehouse News, 9/27/10)
“The Exhaustive 137 Page Study Says VDOT Left Nearly A Billion Dollars Collecting Dust In A Transportation Bank Account.” (NBC 12, 9/23/10)
Lost nearly 100,000 jobs during his four years (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Data)
As Chairman of the Democratic National Committee…
- He was a vocal advocate of the failed $800 billion jobless stimulus
President Obama “Enlisted” Kaine To Pitch The Stimulus Package. “President Barack Obama is enlisting Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, to help make his case for the economic stimulus package via video. The president and Kaine appeared yesterday in separate videos e-mailed to Obama’s network of 13 million supporters developed through his presidential campaign.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/8/09)
- Championed President Obama’s $1.5 trillion government takeover of healthcare
Chairman Kaine “Echoed” Obama’s “Call For Congress To Take Swift Action” And Pass ObamaCare. “Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tim Kaine today echoed the President’s call for Congress to take swift action to finish the job and deliver hard-working Americans the health insurance reforms they so desperately need.” (Democrat National Committee, 3/3/10)
- Supported Big Labor and opposed Wisconsin’s budget reforms
“The White House Political Operation, Organizing For America, Got Involved Monday, After Democratic National Committee Chairman Timothy M. Kaine Spoke To Union Leaders In Madison, A Party Official Said.” (The Washington Post, 2/18/11)
Kaine Talked To Labor Bosses For Days. “Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine and new DNC executive director Patrick Gaspard, a former union official and onetime White House political director, have been talking with Wisconsin labor leaders for several days, according to two labor officials.” (Politico, 2/18/11)
“OFA, Now An Arm Of The DNC, Has Been Providing Help To Man Phone Banks And Working To Find Transportation For Thousands Of Protesters In Madison.” (Politico, 2/18/11)
Mobilized Thousands To Protest. “The president’s political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to mobilize thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.” (The Washington Post, 2/18/11)
- Advocated for a big-government agenda that has made trillion dollar deficits the norm – including a record-setting projected $1.65 trillion this year alone
Chairman Kaine Called Obama’s Budget A “Blueprint For Success.” “In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to join him in two major efforts designed to help America win the future: making the tough choices and budget cuts required to reduce America’s deficit and restore fiscal stability while also making bold investments in education, innovation, infrastructure and other areas critical to economic growth. President Obama’s 2012 budget proposal is a blueprint for success in both those efforts.” (Democrat National Committee, 2/14/11)
Obama’s Budget Ignored The Recommendations Of His Own Deficit Reduction Commission. “With the budget he is to unveil Monday, President Obama has not opted for the bold, comprehensive approach to reining in the fast-growing federal debt that his own fiscal commission has said is needed, now.” (The New York Times, 2/13/11)
Current Fiscal Year Deficit To Reach $1.65 Trillion, Largest Amount “Ever.” “The White House projected Monday that the federal deficit would spike to $1.65 trillion in the current fiscal year, the largest dollar amount ever, adding pressure on Democrats and Republicans to tackle growing levels of debt.” (The Wall Street Journal, 2/14/11)
