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It's
big news in the state. Tim Kaine is the
"Five Million Dollar Man."
Rumors
had been floating around about a huge contribution
windfall earmarked for Kaine's gubernatorial
campaign, which is looking more and more like the
frontrunner in the race.
Contribution-wise,
that is.
That
left the opposition to reply in-kind.
Jerry
Kilgore and his entire GOP campaign was busy
spinning away in the media and within the 'Net pages
of the Virginia political gadflies claiming that
Kaine is an understudy of Howard Dean and the
Democratic left wing.
Not
true, says the Blue Dog, because Lt. Gov. Kaine
supported conservative-minded U.S. Senator Joe
Lieberman during the primary season.
And
it's a fact, Joe Lieberman was not even close to the
Howard Dean message of liberalism and bigger
government.
Neither
is the Richmond choirboy Kaine, because he's more of
a political moderate--mainstream, so to speak--and
doesn't qualify as a left-wing liberal.
In
retrospect, Dean was blindsided by the Democratic
Leadership Council and by John Kerry in the Iowa
caucus. How much money did the DLC send to Iowa in
order for Dean to blow a $40 million bank account? I
doubt seriously he's behind the Tim Kaine
contribution.
Sorry
I had to clear the air--that misinformation dog
doesn't hunt in Virginia.
Here's
the real dope on the contribution. Members of Gov.
Mark Warner's staff were assigned to the Democratic
National Committee fund-raising unit about three
weeks ago because the stakes have risen.
Right
now, fund-raising efforts for General Assembly
candidates during the session are illegal, so don't
expect many dollars to be circulated for either top
statewide candidate.
It's
all coming from outside the state contributors and
sources.
It's
a fact of political life that Gov. Mollycoddle needs
Tim Kaine to win in order to challenge U.S. Sen.
George Allen in 2006 or run for president in 2008.
The DNC and DLC are vested members in the Warner
campaign. He's their last gasp of ever hoping to be
able to win a Southern state.
But
the state GOP committee has been obviously caught
flatfooted--again.
Republican
chair Kate Obenshain Griffin's press-release
response was really lame. The GOP chair should stop
crying and whining about the contribution and ought
to act like a leader by rallying her troops to match
the donation.
If
given the proper motivation, the GOP political
machine in Virginia could do that in a day.
If
you're going to make an argument against the
Democratic contribution, it should be based on the
need for more stringent and restrictive state
campaign-finance reform, and not the same old
political name-calling from past campaigns.
Large
political contributions from outside the state are
not right, but they are allowed within the current
state law. As Virginians, we the public need to
question whether big money has a say and should
influence future elections in the Commonwealth.
Both
state and federal laws regarding political action
committees are in need of a major fix.
Federal
PACs in Virginia provide nothing more than a
money-laundering operation for national candidates.
The Commonwealth has become a cesspool for that
political mob activity.
The
first gubernatorial candidate that advocates
legislation correcting the system will have my vote.
The Blue Dog says action speaks louder than words.
Rid
your individual campaigns of the out-of-state
political baffle-garbage and bling-bling.
Otherwise,
I'll consider your lackluster campaigns only deeper
pockets for the special interests.
--
January 31, 2005
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