Kaine on Capital Punishment
By: Lowell
Published On: 1/30/2005 2:00:00 AM
Despite Virginia?s long history of acceptance for capital punishment, Jerry Kilgore and his crew seem compelled to turn it into a phony political issue.
Yes, Lt. Governor Kaine, a religious Catholic, has expressed his personal, moral opposition to the death penalty -- in line with the teachings of his church. Does this mean that once he is elected Governor he will suddenly try to repeal the Commonwealth?s capital punishment laws? Actually, Kaine has said numerous times that, to the contrary, he will enforce Virginia?s laws once elected Governor just as he has done while serving as Lt. Governor. Apparently, though, that is not good enough for Jerry Kilgore, who falsely wants you to believe that Tim Kaine will get rid of capital punishment after the Democrat becomes governor this November.
If the Kilgore camp keeps peddling this distortion, with their "flip-flop-label" guns at the ready, they are in for a big surprise. Unfortunately for Jerry Kilgore, Lt. Governor Kaine is rock solid on his position and is certainly not a "flip flopper" who bows to political opinion polls. When Stephen Farnsworth, a political professor at the University of Mary Washington, was asked about capital punishment as a campaign issue, he replied "[i]t?s unusual that a politician will admit to a personal belief that?s not politically popular."
Well, Tim Kaine?s rock solid beliefs may be unusual when it comes to being "politically popular" in this day and age, but they are exactly the reason why he will be elected as Virginia?s next Governor this November.
Cross posted at BrianPatton.org.
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