Over the past few days, Virginia politicians have been tossing around the words "radical" and "extremist" like cheap immunizations at a whorehouse. First, Republican Party of Virginia chairwoman Kate Obenshain Griffin called Tim Kaine a "?flip-flopping liberal extremist." Then, just yesterday, Independent Republican candidate Russ Potts called the Kilgore-Bolling-McDonnell ticket "the most radical, extreme, far-right ticket ever in the history of Virginia politics."All this got me to thinking about what these words actually mean, so I looked them up. Here are some definitions.
rad?i?cal (rad'i-k?l)
adj.
Departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme: radical opinions on education.
Favoring or effecting fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions: radical political views.
ex?trem?ist (ik-stre'mist)
n.
One who advocates or resorts to measures beyond the norm, especially in politics.
By these definitions, is Tim Kaine a "radical" or an "extremist?" Well, considering the fact that his entire campaign can be boiled down to "4 more years of Mark Warner," that's pretty hard to believe. In fact, it's utterly ridiculous -- extreme, even! - to call Tim Kaine a "radical." I mean, c'mon, Tim Kaine is a guy who says he will not change gun laws, will not change capital punishment laws, will not change abortion laws, will not change current Virginia fiscal policy (except to provide tax relief to homeowners), and will not divide the people of Virginia by using "extreme' language or by proposing "radical" policies. If all that's "radical" or "extremist," than what on earth does the word "conservative" mean?
What about the so-called "conservatives" in this race - Kilgore, Bolling, and McDonnell? Are they "radical" or "extreme?" Well, looking at their records, they certainly do want to change "current practices, conditions, or institutions." And, there are several examples where their views depart "from the usual or customary." Examples?
1) In January 2003, Bob McDonnell declared that engaging in oral or anal sex -- i.e., heterosexual or homosexual sodomy -- "certainly raises some questions about the qualifications to serve as a judge." McDonnell's comments, made in the context of his opposition to a judge who he suspected might be a lesbian, "drew immediate criticism from legal scholars and gay rights activists." When asked whether he himself had ever engaged in sodomy, McDonnell then made the incredible statement, "Not that I can recall." Wow.
2) According to Waldo Jaquith's Virginia Family Values PAC,, "Years of work to make private, consensual sex a matter of government regulation earned [McDonnell] the nickname of 'Taliban Bob' and the head of the 'Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice' by columnist Jim Spencer in the Newport News Daily Press." I don't know, sounds pretty "radical" to me.
3) According to his own website, Bob McDonnell "co-sponsored legislation to repeal the 'restaurant ban,' which prohibits a person from carrying concealed weapons onto the premises of a restaurant." McDonnell also backed legislation which "prohibited local governments from regulating the storage of ammunition and firearms." Those two pieces of legislation certainly "depart markedly from the usual or customary." They are also "beyond the norm." The very definitions, in other words, of "radical" and "extremist."
4) Bill Bolling, meanwhile, has been busy trying to slap physicians with a Class 1 misdemeanor for failing to administer anesthesia to fetuses aborted during the first trimester. Talk about a departure from the "customary" or "normal" practice in this country. Sounds like we may have another "radical" and/or "extremist" here.
5) Bolling was also a founder of the Virginia Conservative Action PAC, the group which attempted during the recent primary election campaign to unseat Republican House of Delegates members who voted for Mark Warner's balanced budget package. Sure, Bolling has the right to oppose those Delegates, but the fact is that even the hard-core, most conservative, 4% of Republicans who voted this past Tuesday didn't agree with him. Of the 17 Republicans who supported Mark Warner, only six were challenged by anti-tax groups, and only one - Chris Craddock -- actually managed a victory. Again, sounds like Bill Bolling and his allies are out of even the Republican mainstream.
5) We've already covered Jerry Kilgore's proposal for turning our state into rule-by-referendum. We've also discussed the fact that he's apparently never met a constitutional amendment he didn't like. On other issues, like Confederate History and Heritage Month and the Taxpayer Protection Pledge (which Kilgore has refused to sign, even while claiming he opposes new taxes), the Republican gubernatorial nominee simply doesn't know where he stands. I believe that's known as a "waffler," possibly even a "flip flopper," but of course we would never engage in that kind of rhetoric here at RaisingKaine! Could Kilgore actually be that dreaded combination of "extremist" and "flip flopper" which he loves to hurl at Tim Kaine? (Note to self: interesting theme, must write more on this!).
Let's review: the Republican running mates want to institute "measures beyond the norm," to effect "fundamental...changes in current practices," and to depart "markedly from the usual or customary." In other words, by the dictionary definition, these guys are "radicals' and "extremists." Tim Kaine, meanwhile, wants to keep things about the same as they've been the past four years under Mark Warner.
This brings us to our last definition: con?ser?va?tive (adj.) avoiding excess; traditional or restrained in style: moderate, cautious. Now, ask yourselves who that definition describes in this race: the Democrats or the Republicans. Then, decide for yourself who the "radicals" and "extremists" really are.