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Hey
diddle diddle,
Kilgore
plays the fiddle,
And
Kaine jumps over the moon,
The
Blue Dog laughs to see such sport,
As
Potts runs away with the spoon.
--
By ‘Bon
The
blog session with Republican Party gubernatorial
candidate Jerry Kilgore was pleasurable, but this
week's session with independent candidate Russ Potts
was more interesting. He's a genuine character. As
I've written before, Potts, a Winchester state
senator, is Huey Long on steroids.
He's
a stand-up, gutsy politician as well.
Nevertheless, the Blue Dog was curious as to the
inner circles of the campaign.
Over
the past year, I've ascertained that Kilgore's staff
is top notch. It's the best campaign staff in the
state. Everybody has a task, and they're great at
following up with press contacts and releases.
The
Tim and Tucker show is the best one-two punch I've
witnessed on the campaign trail. I'm amazed how
these guys react --- although I'm still in need my
secret decoder ring.
They're
a
dynamitic political machine, yet they're accessible
to the average Joe and Jane. By contrast, the Russ
Potts campaign staff is chaotic and spastic,
spontaneous and awkwardly flexible. It's definitely
a learning curve - and on-the-job training, sort to
speak.
Does
the Potts campaign remind the Blue Dog of the 1992
Ross Perot presidential campaign? Not likely. That
campaign was a wonderful first-time political
experience. Perot had an entourage unmatched by
anything I've seen in my 25 years in politics. The
Blue Dog still remembers his staff manhandling and
escorting a CNN reporter out of the Perot rally in
Richmond. Go Ross, go. First rate, first class. And
the foremost in political campaign excellence - but
I'm guessing Perot's bank account fueled the
expertise on his staff.
Educrats
This
past Monday evening, Potts interviewed on the Blue
Dog Blog live.
So
we've had Potts and Kilgore - but Democrat Tim Kaine
continues to ignore the Blue Dog's request for
interviews. 'Nuff said.
Back
to the political soap opera ... The Blue Dog's
first question centered on Potts' education record
as a legislator, in light of the fact that recently
the Virginia Education Association did not include
Potts in the September issue of The VEA News
but did include interview campaign comparisons with
Kaine and Jerry Kilgore.
Potts
wrote, "The VEA leadership has sold its soul to
the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Their
endorsement process is a disgrace. I have been
honored as the 'Senator of the Year' by the
teachers, school boards and school superintendents.
I have sponsored 14 major pieces of legislation on
behalf of teachers and education, including teacher
salaries, pension, health benefits and numerous
other bills. I have very strong support from
rank-and-file teachers.
"The
VEA does not represent all of the teachers in
Virginia by a long shot!" Potts said.
The
Blue Dog says - Bingo! Bingo! Bingo! And I'm not
walking that fluffy-looking dog either.
Conservative
blogflogger Abitmorered fired back at Potts:
"As for the rank and file, the barking I have
heard from rank-and-file teachers is that Potts and
friends have made it harder to be a teacher because
of their 'hands tied behind their backs' SOL
requirements."
Please
show the Blue Dog a current legislator or statewide
candidate that doesn't support the Virginia
Standards of Learning. It's a slim-to-none
list. Someone needs to question
Abitmorered on that educated fact. (But I do
appreciate his input.)
Potty
time
Old
Yeller -- err, I meant to say the Valley Yellow Dog
-- questioned Potts: "Do you favor capping
assessments in some way or limiting year-to-year
increases in property taxes?"
Potts
responded, "Kilgore and Kaine are the worst
form of demagogues for their interference in a
strictly local issue. Any attempt to mess with
real-estate taxes at the local level will decimate
the localities' ability to pay for water and sewer
systems, schools, parks, garbage collection, etc.
City councils and supervisors must address this
issue themselves. We've already seen what a fiasco
the elimination of the car-tax issue has become. We
came within an eyelash of losing our AAA bond rating
because of the mess created by the car tax issue.
That is an emphatic NO! I strongly oppose the
state's involvement in this issue."
Demagogues,
you say? Whoa, Nelly!
One
Man's Trash blogger Norm Leahy, a guest interviewer
on the Blue Dog Blog, questioned Potts on his role
reversal and issue conversion considering the
abortion issue.
Potts
wrote, "The far right Family Foundation crowd
began pushing the envelope with these three radical
pieces of legislation: calling contraception a form
of abortion, banning the morning-after pill and
imposing more rigid restrictions on abortion clinics
- which I adamantly oppose. I supported, and still
do, banning partial-birth abortion, parental consent
and the 24-hour wait, but certainly insist upon
exceptions in the case of rape, incest and the life
of the mother. I also strongly support Roe v. Wade
and would veto any attempt to veto that precedent,
should the Supreme Court bounce it back to the
states. I told that far right crowd that I was out
of here. Forget it. They've gone over the ledge and
moved far out of the mainstream."
OK,
it's my turn, because that's being a demagogue, Sen.
Potts.
The
Blue Dog regrets not questioning the senator on why
his campaign hasn't aggressively sought the Virginia
NARAL endorsement after being rated 100 percent by
the pro-choice lobby organization.
Off
the record, a former statewide Democratic Party
official told the Blue Dog, "Potts is clearly
attempting to damage Kilgore, not Kaine, because he
has not actively sought after the NARAL
endorsement."
"Undoubtedly,
Potts doesn't like Kilgore's politics, and the Blue
Dog needs to question the campaign."
It's
a frying-pan social issue, and obviously not a Potts
issue.
Gang-tackling
blogger Abitmorered wrote that Potts "spent his
2003 re-election campaign boasting he had never once
supported a general tax increase while, at the same
time, deriding his opponent, Mark Herring, as 'the
tax man.' "
Good
question. But the better question is, "Why were
the Democratic governor and his political hacks not
fully supportive of Mark Herring's campaign against
incumbent Republican Sen. Russ Potts?" Oh, Gov.
Mollycoddle, the wicked political web you've woven
has not gone unnoticed by the Blue Dog and his
friends.
Raising
Kaine is so lame
The
Blue Dog is extremely upset at the Kaine campaign
staff - because it has continued a political blood
feud and ignored requests for interviews with the
column and the blog. Some have accused the Blue Dog
of having a huge ego problem. That's not true. I
could walk away from the political limelight and the
Blue Dog Tales column and never blink an eye.
Politics is the means of government, but not life's
end-all.
As
far as Tim Kaine is concerned, it's not my job as a
Virginia Democrat, or the Blue Dog Tales columnist,
to make you "look good" - or for that
matter make you look bad. How biased. How small. How
thin skinned… As a politician, you need to
grow up.
Furthermore,
as a candidate, you're making a huge mistake by
writing off any potential voter. That's not a
political leadership quality that I value. It's not
a winning campaign formula, either.
If
Republican Jerry Kilgore and independent Russ Potts
can find the time to interview and blog live, the
Blue Dog is not sure why Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine can't
enter a discussion with our diverse blogging
community.
As
a lifelong Democrat, I'm not a happy camper.
If you lose this election by one vote, it may well
be the Blue Dog's.
--
October 3, 2005
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