According to a press release from the Kaine campaign, two new radio ads by Jerry Kilgore are "wrong on the facts." Here's the entire release, with a point-by-point rebuttal of Kilgore's "lying liar" ads.
Richmond - For months the Kilgore for Governor campaign has been testing the limits of their credibility by stretching the truth on a number of issues.Today, they outdid themselves.
In two new radio attack ads airing around the state, the Kilgore dampaign makes claims that are simply not true.
Example #1: "Tim Kaine supports abortion on demand."
In one new radio ad, the Kilgore campaign accuses Tim Kaine of supporting "abortion on demand.
FALSE. Tim Kaine is Morally Opposed to Abortion and Supports Virginia's Reasonable, Existing Restrictions. Tim Kaine has said repeatedly that he holds a faith-based opposition to abortion, rooted
in his belief that all life is sacred. He supports the reasonable restrictions on abortion in place in Virginia today, including parental consent for a minor to obtain an abortion, informed consent, and a ban on public funding for abortions.In fact, Tim Kaine Supports a Constitutional Ban on Partial-Birth Abortion. "Kaine said he opposes partial-birth abortions but has not seen a bill yet that meets a constitutional standard of allowing such abortions if the life or health of the mother is at stake. Had the General Assembly adopted such a standard in 1998, when the issue first came up, instead of proposing constitutionally dubious bills that provide no exception, Virginia would have had an anti-partial-birth law on the books seven years ago, he said." [Whitley, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/1/05]
Example #2: He wanted the City of Richmond to start suing gun manufacturers.
In another new radio ad, the Kilgore campaign accuses Tim Kaine of wanting the City of Richmond to sue gun manufacturers.
FALSE: According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, "The Richmond City Council has asked the city attorney's office for a report on the feasibility of such a suit, Mayor Timothy M. Kaine said. However, he and other city officials believe it would be difficult to sue gun manufacturers here.
Under Virginia law, one is relieved from liability if there's an "intervening third party," said Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney David Hicks. And with gun violence, the shooter could be considered the intervening third party." [3/14/1999]
Hicks compared it to the state's no dram shop rule for alcohol: If someone who has been drinking in a bar kills someone on his way home, only he - not the bar - is liable for damages.
EXAMPLE #3: Tim Kaine "opposed posting "In God we Trust" in our schools, an idea he called 'ridiculous.'"
In a new radio ad, the Kilgore campaign accuses Tim Kaine of opposing putting "In God we Trust" in our schools.
FALSE: According to a questionnaire on the Daily Press website from the 2001 Lt. Governor's campaign, Tim Kaine said: "I support and will stand by the decisions of local schools and communities to make this decision. I do not support a state mandate."
"The Kilgore campaign is being very reckless with the truth," said Kaine campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee. "In 2001, Jay Katzen lost all credibility for making false charges about Tim Kaine. Jerry Kilgore seems to be following down that same path."
Of course, we here at RaisingKaine have been singing this tune for months now. If all that hasn't convinced you yet, perhaps today's garbage dump of lies from the Kilgore campaign will do the trick. If not, perhaps you're simply a die-hard Republican. If that's the case, you might seriously want to think about voting for George Fitch (RR, for "Reagan Republican") or Russ Potts (IR, for "Independent Republican") over Jerry "Pinocchio" Kilgore (L, for "Liar").