Kaine vs. Kilgore

[swimboy]

Tim Kaine is running for Governor of Virginia. He's a good man I've known since he served on our local City Council. He is very smart and positive--helped bridge a lot of rifts in the city government.

His opponent is cut out of the same cloth as George Bush, mainly going negative on his rivals without offering anything of substance of his own. His current mantra is that he is the "Pro-Life, Pro-Death penalty candidate" and he's been busy trying to smear Kaine for being opposed to killing people to demonstrate that it is wrong to kill people. He is backed by a whole pack of mean-spirited 'religious' people. His negative ads have not been working and he is pulling them back. He also claims he will cut taxes and simultaneously pay for lots of new programs. Virginia tends to be behind the times but it would be catastrophic to usher in a Bush-league administration when we have just managed to recover fiscally from the recklessness of the last Republican administration.

I hope Virginians don't shoot themselves in the foot once again. I feel good about Kaine's momentum and hope the balance will continue to shift.

[FSogol]

1. I agree with everything you said, except..

the part about VA being behind the times. VA has a democrat Governor who recovered the state from a fiscal nightmare after a repub administration. I would argue that Virginians are ahead of the curve since they have (recently) been rejecting the "tax cut and increase spending" free lunch mentality of the right.

I feel good about a Kaine victory also.

[swimboy]

2. Thanks--

I'm in Richmond--so it usually seems behind the times here! I shouldn't project it onto the rest of the state. Virginians are also contrarian about electing a governor from the opposite party from that in the White House. That also bodes well for Tim. I hope a groundswell carries him to a victory that's a rout!

[FSogol]

3. NP. I'm in Northern VA myself, but

my parents live in the Shenandoah Valley and my work takes me all over the State. Kaine should have no problem winning Fairfax County. His latest slow growth message will probably allow him to win (or make it close) in Prince William and Loudoun Counties. My "take" on the election is: Moderates and Liberals will show up and vote for Kaine. Fanatics and Holy Rollers will show up to vote for Kilgore. True Conservatives and repubs (who are mostly embarrassed by Bush's handling of Katrina, Sheenan, Iraq, and oil prices) will stay at home or vote for Potts. I believe kaine will take this election with about 53% of the vote and Potts will get about 11%.

I've been interested in the local race a lot more. Democrat Dave Marsden is running against Repub Michael Golden. Marsden or one of his family members has probably knocked on the door of every house in his district. He was at back-to-school nights at both of my sons schools. He engages people and listens to them. Golden's negative advertising seems more suited to a national right-wing group of ideas more than anything local people care about (in their local government).

[VaYallaDawg]

4. I sure hope FSogol is right!

I'm in Richmond too, but also travel all over the state. Roanoke area (even tho religious and conservative) has traditionally been a blue-collar region that the Democrats could more or less rely on. However, the past 20 years have seen that whole part of the state become more "yuppified" and "mega-churched" - so it's hard to predict now. I see lots of Kaine signs out in that region, so keeping my fingers crossed. I have a scary feeling we can just forget about Tidewater this time - lockstep military down there. What's really amazing is the number of Kaine signs I'm seeing on Monument Ave.!!

[underpants]

5. HAve you caught the BIG Kilgore sign on Monument

west of 195?

Some one has it up on their second floor porch. I laugh every time I pass it...did these people actually watch the debate??

I laugh at every Kilgore bumpersticker I see.

[uhhuh]

6. Hey virginians!

I have signed up to recieve Ken Mehlman's e-mails, and he is trying to organize an "Adopt-a-precint" campaign to have people call voters in your state to make sure they get out and vote for Kilgore. Does our guy have something going like this? If not, maybe you should sign up, and NOT contact those voters, or contact them to vote for our guy?


I'm think it might be kinda fun, but I don't know if it's permissable.

What do you think?

You would have to register at GOP.com(ugh) but it would let you know what they're up to....

[VaYallaDawg]

7. Yes, I see it every morning on the way to work.

Fleabrains!

[underpants]

8. HA!

My father-in-law was just at a Kaine meetup in Roanoke. Big turnout.

[VaYallaDawg]

9. I have to go to Roanoke next week, so I'll be eager

to see how many Kaine signs I see in the landscape on the way down (I usually go the "country" route - 360-460 rather than I-64/I-81). Kaine's Roanoke campaign office is in the next block down from our company's Roanoke office - I always see lots of folks in there burning the midnight oil. It's also refreshing to see an occasional liberal perspective in the Roanoke Times after having my brain numbed so much by the uber-retrogressive T-D.

[underpants]

13. Yes the "low road" is easily the best

The Roanoke paper (at least the op-ed page) is a breath of fresh air for T-D sufferors.

[Butterflies]

10. I was at that Roanoke thing and Kaine sounded great

He was so upbeat and the crowd was excited too. Mark Warner was there and he spoke first about how much better Virginia is since he became governor and how Tim Kaine will continue the progress. Cree Deeds was there too, but I didn't hear him because I had to leave and get back to work.

The crowd was mostly retired people and people who work downtown and walked over (like me). It was good to see a group of energetic students giving out bumper stickers outside too.

Kaine mentioned that during the debate Kilgore wasn't able to promise to keep his campaign 50.1% positive. So the choice is someone with a positive message of moving the state forward or someone who mostly just attacks and lies. Kilgore was so stupid not to agree to be more than 50% positive because Kaine will be bringing that up every time he speaks from now until the election!

[Virginian]

11. Raising Kaine

I would like to put a Kaine sign in my front yard to balance out the neighbor's Kilgore sign. Where can I get one?

[underpants]

12. E-mail them or GO to an office (the best bet)

http://www.kaine2005.net/signUp.jsp?key=501

Offices
http://www.kaine2005.org/contact/

The Richmond office is just past the old Arby's and the S&K store on West Broad past Willow Lawn and Target.

[abluelady]

14. If you call the office

someone will personally bring a sign to your home. I'm sure the number is on their site.