AFL-CIO gets behind Kaine

[Freddie Stubbs]

Democrat secures unanimous backing; Kilgore stays away

BY TYLER WHITLEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 14, 2005


The Virginia AFL-CIO's committee on political education endorsed Democratic candidate Timothy M. Kaine for governor yesterday.

Daniel G. LeBlanc, president of the union organization, made the announcement at the group's annual legislative conference. He said the endorsement was unanimous.

The endorsement was not a surprise; the AFL-CIO backed Kaine for lieutenant governor four years ago.

Former Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for governor, declined the AFL-CIO's invitation to address the group, saying "the Virginia AFL-CIO consists of partisan Democrats who would not be open-minded to my candidacy."

more: http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031780807321&path=%21news&s=1045855934842

[demnan]

1. Kilgore is getting a luke-warm response

Republicans at my neighborhood Giant were trying to get signatures to put him on the ballot, they weren't having much luck.

[redsoxdem]

2. Kilgore and Warner

The governor's race is still early, and Kilgore is much stronger in the state than Kaine currently is. Kaine has an uphill battle IF he is to beat Kilgore. Kaine is pro-choice and anti-capital punishment in a state where most of the people in the state are in favor of capital punishment. Maybe Kaine needs to run an election like Virginia's current Republican-leaning Democratic governor did. Mark Warner kissed up to the NRA, and while governor he has allowed a number of executions and has appointed pro-business anti-environmental candidates to state agencies which are suppose to protect Virginia's environment. I thought there was supposed to be a difference between Republicans and Democrats. I guess not in Virginia.

[livinginphotographs]

3. Nice. Snubbing the AFL-CIO.

"Fuck you, workers, if you don't vote for me, I won't even give you the time of day!"

Reminds me of W snubbing the NAACP; typical elitist scumbag Republican behavior.

Even my mom, a die-hard Bush supporter, doesn't really like Kilgore. In her words, "Virginia Republicans are different than national Republicans." I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but at least that's one vote Kilgore won't have.