I'd like to expand on Lowell's post earlier today regarding the horrific transportation bill. First, a small passage from the WAPO article...
Statewide, the plan borrows $2.5 billion over the next eight years.The debt will be repaid over 20 years with money from the general fund, which is used to pay for education, public safety, social programs and other services.
"My main concern is an excess of general-fund dollars to support massive borrowing," Kaine said. "I am going to talk to folks, and then I am going to make a proposal. . . . We will do it in a very public way."
Reading literally and between the lines here's what I see:
[THE OBVIOUS] Gov. Kaine doesn't like the Transportation monstrosity any more than we do and he's going to talk about specifics to the people of Virginia. This is a good thing since this plan hasn't had a proper public airing. 'nuff said - this is the obvious.
[NOT SO OBVIOUS] The good people of Virginia, bless their hearts, really haven't been paying much attention and probably won't start just because the Governor is going on tour. Yes, transportation problems tick off almost everyone - but that doesn't mean they'll be easily engaged in the details and the politics in Richmond. People just want solutions. Herein lies the problem and my interpretation of "between the lines".
If the public clings to it's "just give us a solution" attitude the Governor will likely have to capitulate to the terrible solution the Republicans have put on the table because they have, like it or not, put a solution on the table. After making the transportation issue a centerpiece of his own election, and given the importance of upcoming elections, Kaine will be under great pressure to deliver a solution. And if the public isn't paying attention a veto will be seen as a Democratic failure by the Governor which will cascade onto many of the Democratic candidates.
So I suspect Governor Kaine will be using his tour to gauge public response as much as he's using it to sell his message. If he doesn't see public rejection of the Republican bill, or isn't able to quickly rally significant support against it, he'll be forced to accept it pretty much as it stands. This election year, Kaine and the Democrats simply can not be seen as the point of failure for this key issue and he'll do what he must from a political point of view.
That's where we, the grassroots, come in. We have an opportunity to generate public interest in this critical matter and help the Governor get out a simple message: The Republican solution sucks! We've done it before with the past two election cycles. The grassroots helped Kaine get elected and Webb would certainly NOT be in Washington today had it not been for the grassroots. We can make difference and this issue, leveraging Virginia's future and numerous public services for a quick and painless transportation fix, is one that's worth fighting against.
We'll have a very short window (30 days or less) to get the public's attention and help them understand just how bad this thing is. If we can do so, Kaine will have the backing he needs to shoot down this garbage. So let's make Transportation THE thing to focus our collective effort on for the next 30 days.
We need some real specificity to offer to the people of Va.
One more point: It's well past the time that Tim Kaine should feel that he has to tour the state to ask the voters if they have any ideas. He already knows what must be done; this is no better than changing positions according to what the polls say. What he, and we, must do is to articulate clearly and keep repeating the facts until the people understand and respond.
If we focus on the GOP plan to raid educational, policy, firefighter and other critical public services vs. accepting that we have to pay a little more in taxes and fees to restore crumbling transportation infrastructure then we can raise the anti-b.s. anger level high enough to get this job done. Comments ?
T.C.
All "fun" aside...the R's will emphasize that "We have a plan that fixes transportation" and waive a 100+ page bill in the publics face. Bill's bill was crafted in secret closed door fashion...without much light. Its up to Dems and allies to shine the light brightly !!