25ForTim

25.  Tim Kaine was a Christian Missionary who put his faith into action, teaching welding, academics and religion to poor children in Honduras. 

?In the middle of law school, I took off a year and worked with Catholic missionaries in Honduras. I met a real life-hero there, Jim O?Leary, who worked for 40 years among the poorest of the poor. He put me in charge of a school that taught kids carpentry and welding. That experience really changed my life by teaching me that I should measure my own life by the difference I can make for others. Since returning from Honduras 25 years ago, I have worked hard to serve my church, family, community, city and state. I wouldn?t be in public service today had I not had that experience as a young man. I recently went back to Honduras with my wife to visit Jim?s grave and see many of the missionaries I worked with so many years ago. It was a very powerful trip for both of us.? Tim Kaine Online Chat

#24:  Tim Kaine cuts crime while respecting the rights of gun owners.  As mayor of Richmond, Tim Kaine was a leader in creating the innovative and much-acclaimed "Project Exile".  "Project Exile" is widely credited with cutting Richmond's homicide rate in half by enforcing existing laws.  Project Exile won support from both the NRA as well as gun safety organizations, illustrating Tim Kaine's ability to build bridges across partisan divides.

?Tim Kaine strongly supports the Second Amendment. As the next Governor of Virginia, he will not propose any new gun laws. Instead Tim Kaine will guarantee strict enforcement of our existing criminal laws. He will also expand the use of such enforcement strategies as Project Exile that target criminals who use guns rather than law-abiding gun owners.? Tim Kaine Website

23.  Tim Kaine gives a great speech!  When you listen to Tim Kaine, you get inspired to roll your sleeves up and do the hard work to make Virginia and America better in the future..  When listen to Jerry Kilgore, you get inspired to roll up cotton and stuff it in your ears not only because Kilgore is so difficult to listen to, but because his politics are all about division and separation.  That's bad politics, bad for Virginia and bad for the future

... the common sense coalition that said "Yes" to Virginia, a coalition of strong Democratic leaders and some reasonable Republicans, defeated the forces of "No."

There?s been a lot of talk since the budget passed about who the winners and losers are. Was it this group or that group? Was it this politician or that one? Let me make it easy for you. When it comes to this state budget, there?s one group?and only one group?that won: the people of Virginia. That?s who won the budget battle.

The budget means that Virginia?s great record for job growth ? second best in the nation ? will continue. That?s why business leaders, labor unions and workers stood with us to do the right thing.

The budget means your children will get a better education in our public schools and that teachers will be more fairly paid. That?s why parents and teachers across the state stood with us to do the right thing.

The budget enhances our colleges and universities and makes higher education more accessible for your children. That?s why college students and higher-ed supporters stood with us to do the right thing.

... - For Tim Kaine's full speech at the Virginia Democratic Convention click here

22.  Tim Kaine champions transportation.  Tim Kaine has committed to protecting the Transportation trust fund.  He will lead a charge for a constitutional ammendment to protect Transporation funding from being cannibalized by other priorities.  This was a true priority for Tim Kaine, his opponent jumped on the bandwagon afterwards. 

Unlike his opponent, Tim Kaine has a trackrecord of success on transporation issues.

Tim Kaine is a proven leader on transportation with a record of getting results. As the Mayor of Richmond, Kaine successfully fought for the restoration of daily train service to the historic downtown Main Street Station, and he bridged a long-standing conflict between Richmond and Chesterfield County to build a regional partnership for bus service. He worked with regional leaders on road projects in Virginia?s third most populous region. As Lieutenant Governor, Kaine worked with Governor Warner to reform VDOT and forge the historic bipartisan budget agreement that allowed the state to make an $850 million investment in roads, rails, and transit in 2005. The 2005 investment, the largest one-time investment in transportation in Virginia?s history, would have been impossible if the opponents of budget reform had prevailed. - [For more, click here.]

It's easy to stand up and say over and over again "I'm going to widen Route 66" and "I'm the only candidate with a plan".  It's not so easy to actually effect change within a contentious State Senate.  Tim Kaine has done it.  Unlike his opponent, Tim Kaine is a leader with a history of successful results. 

21. Tim Kaine is consistent and strong.  Tim Kaine's positions on transportation, health care, responsible government and a host of other issues are consistent and strong.  His opponent seems too delicate to take a principled stand unless it suits the politics of division.

We're sure to draw fire on this particular issue, because the Jerry W. Kilgore campaign is taking notes from the Karl Rove playbook and working to undermine Tim Kaine's greatest strength.  Tim Kaine has consistent and strong positions on the issues.  You know where he stands and what he's going to do. 

This stands in stark contrast to Jerry W. Kilgore who should never go out in public without maple syrup he waffles so much.

For example, Tim Kaine's position on abortion is consistent and clear.  Tim Kaine has a faith-based opposition to abortion and will work to decrease abortions.  Abortion, however is the law of the land, and Tim Kaine will work to protect a woman's right to choose.  He will never criminalize the decisions made by a woman and her doctor.  While Tim Kaine has a deep and abiding faith in God, he makes no claim to speak or act in God's name.  This position honors the First Amendment of the Constitution, sometimes known as the Separation of Church and State.

Jerry W. Kilgore just won't say where he stands on abortion.  While he has gone across the state claiming a violent opposition to abortion, claiming that he would criminalize all abortions except in the cases of rape or incest, he simply will not say whether he would work to criminalize abortion if Roe v Wade were overturned by the Supreme Court.  His evasiveness earned him derisive laughter at the September 13 debate with Tim Kaine, and he still has not leveled with the people of Virginia or reconciled his position, er... positions.

20.  Tim Kaine likes the public.  Tim Kaine challenged Jerry Kilgore to a series of debates to give Virginians a chance to make a decision based on first-hand experience.  Jerry Kilgore ducked nearly every debate.  Ultimately, of the three debates, two will actually be held in VA, and only one will be televised.  Jerry Kilgore doesn't seem to want to be seen, heard, or questioned.  What's he hiding?

What does it mean when a candidate will stand up and will tell you things as he sees them?  It means he's trustworthy.  It's a simple choice.  Choose strong, proven leadership with a history of results.  Choose to move Virginia forward.  Choose Tim Kaine.

19.  Tim Kaine can make decisions.  Tim Kaine makes clear decisions and enacts them in his own name.  Jerry Kilgore would abdicate his responsibilities by opening any changes in the tax code to statewide
referrendum.  Tim Kaine is responsible.  That alone ought to earn every vote.

18.  Reasonable positions.  Tim Kaine is a man of faith, which informs everything he does, but on positions from aboriton to gun control, he never claims to speak for God, nor does he wish to undermine the law in favor of his religious faith.

17.   Tim Kaine has actually balanced a budget.  First as Mayor of Richmond, then as Lt Governor, Tim Kaine has managed and balanced large municipal budgets.  His opponent has no experience in these areas.

Management experience doesn't often come across as sexy or even as important in today's political discourse.  In light of Hurricane Katrina, Management isn't just important, it's a matter of life and death:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Timothy M. Kaine is asking voters to think about the sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina as they evaluate him and his opponents in the Nov. 8 election on the most mundane of political topics: their management skills.

Gingerly at first, and lately with more gusto, Kaine is making the hurricane's aftermath an issue in the final weeks of the 2005 campaign. In speeches and advertisements, Kaine is betting that voters are ready to care more about how a governor actually governs.

"We have all watched on television the last month or so, and we've all seen the consequences of poor management," Kaine said in a speech to donors last week. "We've all seen the difference that management can make. It's not just about boring details. Management can be life or death."

16. Tim Kaine understands small business.  Tim Kaine grew up working in his father's iron welding shop, where he learned the value of hard work and of balancing a budget.  As Mayor of Richmond, Tim Kaine helped to make the city a recognized leader, nationally recognized as one of the best cities in which to do business.  As Lieutenant Governor, Tim Kaine worked with Governor Mark Warner and undertook a comprehensive review of the issues specific to Small Business.  The results lead him to a clear understanding of small business issues in general and to the dangerous threat of rising healthcare costs in particular:

Small businesses consistently rank the rising cost of insuring their employees as their number one business concern. As Lieutenant Governor, I created a bipartisan panel to hear the concerns of small businesses and make recommendations to address this difficult issue. The Lieutenant Governor?s Commission on Small Business Health Care Costs included representatives of small business, medicine, insurance companies and state and local government. I spent the summer listening to hundreds of small business owners during a series of community roundtable discussions across the state.  From the Tim Kaine Website

15. Tim Kaine puts people first.  Rather than use his Harvard law degree to get rich working as a corporate attorney, Tim Kaine went to work protecting civil rights and fair housing.

Here is what Tim Kaine's undergraduate Alma Mater, the University of Missouri has to say about Mr. Kaine:

 
 
 

Timothy M. Kaine   Lieutenant Governor Richmond, Va.   Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Timothy M. Kaine, AB ’79, has dedicated his career to advancing equality for all persons. Since taking oath in 2001, he has promoted educational funding reforms, worked to establish a new public university and expanded housing opportunities for Virginians with disabilities. He began his career as a civil rights attorney mainly fighting against housing discrimination. He won the largest fair housing verdict in American history and one of the largest verdicts ever in a civil rights case, which resulted in a $100 million verdict and sweeping changes in the way homeowners insurance is issued so that minority neighborhoods can be treated fairly. He received Lawyer of the Year awards from the Richmond Bar Association in 1996, the National Fair Housing Alliance in 1999 and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice in 1999.  As mayor of Richmond, he received the Innovation in Law Enforcement Award in 2000 from the International Association of Chiefs of Police for his work on Project Exile, a tough program that slashed gun violence in his city. He is an MU Alumni Association member. Kaine and his wife, Anne B. Holton, have three children: Nat, Woody and Annella.

14.  Tim Kaine understands the healthy relationship between government and business. Under his leadership, Richmond became one of the top 10 US cities in which to do business.  Under Warner-Kaine, Virginia was considered extremely business-firendly and rated the best managed state in the country.

'nuf said.

13.  Southside Virginia is the only area of Virginia that lacks a 4-year college.  Tim Kaine has championed the creation of a new public Southside university.

As the Martinsville Bulletin said, Kilgore's stand is "at issue".  There's no issue with Tim Kaine's stand.  He's been a champion of the new public Southside university for YEARS.

Kilgore college stand at issue
By GINNY WRAY
Bulletin Staff Writer

[...]

Kilgore spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the former attorney general continues to support the New College of Virginia proposal developed by Dr. Ronald Carrier for the Henry County-Martinsville area.

"His position has not changed," Murtaugh said.

But state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Ridgeway, and Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Collinsville, took issue with Kilgore's statement.

"What we need is to ensure there will be a four-year institution, not access to a four-year degree," Reynolds said. "The problem is not access to degrees; the problem is having a university in the community which students can attend without leaving. Tim Kaine made it clear he supports this and will fight for it.

"The remark made by Jerry Kilgore is not the kind of remark we really need if we want to see progress made on a four-year university now, not at some indefinite point in the future," he added.  Armstrong called Kilgore's statement "misleading to the public.".

"We know how to get to college. The problem is we don't have a college in Southside. Kilgore is not saying he's going to support the establishment of a four-year college in Southside. His silence on that is deafening," the delegate added.

Reynolds and Armstrong both pointed out that Lt. Gov. Kaine, the Democratic candidate for governor in the Nov. 8 election, suggested 18 months ago that a Southside university was needed. Shortly after that, The Harvest Foundation issued its $50 million challenge grant to the state to open such a university within two years in Henry County or Martinsville.
[full story]

12.  Tim Kaine doesn't grandstand.  Unlike his opponent, when Tim Kaine talks about issues, they are issues of substantive impact on the Commonwealth.  The sleazy politics of fearmongering and divisiveness belong to his opponent, not to Tim Kaine.

Here's a good example of a contentious issue in which Tim Kaine keeps a reasoned position, while his opponent grandstands and reaches for the lowest most bigoted ignorant response in order to win votes:

The Politics Of Immigration

Washington Post Editorial, October 5, 2005

GIVEN THE rapid growth of Virginia's immigrant communities in the past 15 years, maybe it was inevitable that the combustible national debate over undocumented workers would seep into this year's governor's campaign. So it did, helped along this summer when the town of Herndon decided to establish a publicly funded gathering spot for day laborers, many of them illegal, who work in Northern Virginia's thriving construction industry. Former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore, the Republican nominee for governor, knew a wedge issue when he saw one; he pounced on Herndon's decision. He said it would "reward" illegal immigrants and thus subvert the state's laws and stability.

[...]

Mr. Kilgore's across-the-board hostility toward undocumented immigrants strikes us as gratuitous and over the top. Hounding Herndon on its day-laborer center is populist nonsense: Would he prefer the status quo ante, when day laborers thronged cars and clamored for jobs in a convenience store parking lot?

[...]

Mr. Kaine stayed out of the Herndon dispute, which he correctly called a local matter. He grasps that immigrants, documented and undocumented, have become an integral part of the state's labor market, especially in Northern Virginia, where there is almost no unemployment. He has placed the blame for the problem and the burden for its solution where it properly belongs: with the federal government. Mr. Kilgore, by contrast, prefers posturing on illegal immigration, without regard to the resentments that may be stirred up toward immigrants generally. In seeking to crack down on and evict undocumented workers, Mr. Kilgore should bear the burden of explaining how the employment market would replace them.

11.  As Lt. Governor, Tim Kaine created the  Commission on Small Business Health Care Costs.  That  issued a report calling for new ways to reduce the costs of health insurance for small businesses.  These included  a voluntary public-private small business insurance pool, tax cuts to help small businesses afford health insurance, and tools to help business owners and their workers become better health care consumers.

I'm not in much of a mood to use the words "Jerry W. Kilgore" in any sentence that doesn't include the words "Quivering Coward" today, but even I have to admit that it's a testament to the power of Tim Kaine's ideas that they were endorsed in Sunday's debate by the pantywaist himself, Jerry W. Kilgore.

10.  Fiscal Responsibility:  The Warner-Kaine administration got Virginia's financial house in order by making government more efficient and working with repbulicans to overhaul the tax system.  Tim Kaine helped preserve the state's AAA bond rating, with Jerry Kilgore fighting against his efforts every step of the way.

During the Warner-Kaine Administration, Virginia?s coveted AAA bond rating has been reaffirmed, Governing Magazine named Virginia the best-managed state in the nation, and Virginia was put back on solid financial ground. A stable financial environment for the state is good for business and for workers who are able to find good jobs in a growing economy. Financial stability attracts new private sector investments in the Commonwealth because businesses want the reassurance of stability and predictability. Investors respond to sound leadership and good fiscal policy, as they are now doing in Virginia due to the successes of the Warner-Kaine administration.

As Governor, Tim Kaine will continue to bring strong fiscal responsibility and accountability to state government. Government fiscal responsibility is just good business. [read more]

9.  Job Creation.  Tim Kaine talks about job growth because he knows he can deliver based on his track record.  Under the Warner-Kaine administration, Virginia saw unprecedented job growth.  In 2004-2005 alone the commonwealth gained over 50,000 jobs.

"When Mark Warner and I took office 3 years ago, our state was divided, our economy stalled, our budget a mess, our bond rating threatened. Only by showing bold leadership and by bringing Democrats and Republicans together were we able to turn things around. Now, we have a strong economy - we've created 190,000 new jobs and have the second fastest job growth in the United States."

Besides cutting the homeowner tax, Kaine outlined his goals of building on the progress of the last three years to improve education and transportation in order to help create better jobs. [read more]

8.  Tim Kaine has a workable plan to manage tax assessments.   Kilgore's proposal will short-change localities so that they will have no chioce but to raise local taxes.

Given a choice between the two proposals, however, we?d endorse Kaine?s over Kilgore?s any day. We don?t believe in hamstringing local government by taking away their greatest source of revenue. Kilgore?s proposal is a recipe for disaster that will gut our schools and any quality of life we now enjoy in our towns, cities and counties. - Staunton News Leader, comparing Kaine?s and Kilgore?s plans to address rising home assessments August 16, 2005

Check out this piece on the issue [here].

7.  Tim Kaine is both style AND substance.  When Tim Kaine says something you know he can back it up.  When his opponent uses a tag line, you know he's hiding something.  When Tim Kaine promises to take you forward, you know he will, because Warner-Kaine did just that.  When Jerry Kilgore says he's for families and for the future, he's hiding the fact that he sees fully funding public education as "damage" and that that he sees the future in the light of backward policies of his ideological predecessor Gov Gilmore.

Fiscal Discipline

My parents taught me to meet my responsibilities and to pay my bills. My parents also taught me to be tight with a dollar ? mine and yours. I also believe that we must not pass on our obligations to future generations of Virginians.

That is why, in 2004, I supported the budget and tax reform that invested in schools and in public safety, balanced our budget, and saved Virginia?s AAA bond rating. That bond rating saves taxpayers millions of dollars every year in interest costs.

As Governor, I will continue to work to ensure that the Commonwealth meets its obligations and doesn?t spend beyond its means. I will also lead the fight to ensure that we prioritize our children first. More [here].

6.  Tim Kaine is strongly for children and for education.  Tim Kaine?s signature ?Start Strong? plan will provide universal pre-K access to Virginia 4-year-olds.  This is not just the right thing to do, it's also highly cost-effective. As Kaine points out, "We spend at least $5 for remedial education right now for every dollar we put in early childhood education. All the studies on early childhood education show this is going to pay for itself.?

In fact, studies show that for every $1 spent on pre-k education that state saves $17 in service expenditures over the lifetime of those children.  This isn't just a smart thing to do, it's the right thing to do.  Tim Kaine is the right man to get it done.

5.  Budget Reform.  Warner-Kaine managed to combine effective, responsible, and innovative government in moving Virginia forward.  The Warner-Kaine tax reform package, which passed with strong bi-partisan support, cut taxes for most Virginians while moving the state budget decisively from Gilmore deficits to Warner-Kaine surpluses.  This tax reform package was combined with smart cuts in unnecessary government spending, including 30% of Kaine's own salary.

Before Tim Kaine and Mark Warner took office in January 2002, Virginia?s fiscal situation had deteriorated due to a failure by the previous administration to make tough choices about the state?s priorities. Virginia also suffered from an overload of ideological posturing that got in the way of pragmatic and responsible action.

[...]

Facing down political risks and ?naysayers,? Governor Warner and Lt. Governor Kaine worked together to build a bipartisan coalition of legislators and citizens to forge a budget reform that restored Virginia?s reputation for fiscal responsibility and laid the groundwork for future economic growth.

Immediately upon entering office, the Warner-Kaine administration got off to what Governing Magazine called a ?running start? by instituting performance contracts for top state government officials so that each agency could be held accountable for its specific goals.

By 2003, the administration had closed a $6 billion budget shortfall by reducing the size of government. It eliminated almost 5,000 positions, reduced non-education state agency budgets by an average of 20 percent, abolished 50 unnecessary boards and commissions, and established business management principles throughout state government. [read more]

Vote for Tim Kaine for Governor on November 8.  Keep Virginia Moving Forward.

4.  Natural Resource Stewardship.  Tim Kaine is an avid outdoorsman who loves Virginia's streams, rivers, moutains, and other natural beauty.  For that reason, Kaine will protect Virginia's environment, including the Chesapeake Bay.  Not surprisingly, Tim Kaine has been endorsed by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters,  Jerry Kilgore's record on the environment?  Don't ask!

3.  Warner Kaine turned a $6 billion budget deficit into a $2 billion surplus.  Tim Kaine's strong fiscal management is a matter of record, not conjecture.  Virginians deserve Tim Kaine's leadership to continue moving forward and not go back to the bad old days of Big Deficit Republicans.

2. We're #1.  The  Warner-Kaine Administration is wildly popular in Virginia and strongly deserves a second term, but Mark Warner is barred by Virginia's constitution from succeeding himself.  That's why we need Mark Warner's loyal Lieutenant, Tim Kaine, to carry on the policies that have done more to make this Commonwealth a place to be proud of than any other management team in memory. 

Mark Warner's approval ratings are the highest of any exiting Governor in Virginia since polls have been taken.  The approval for the bipartizan tax reform package of the Warner-Kaine Administration hovers around 70%.  Virginia is the best managed state in the union. 

Look, when you're the best there is, you don't fire your managers, you don't fire your stars.  When you win the superbowl, you don't can the quarterback.  When you win the world series, you don't throw out the pitcher.  When you win the NBA championships you don't trade your point guards.

We're #1, it's not the right time to bring in the b-team.

In an age of violent partisan division, fiscal mismanagement, and general executive incompetence on the national level, Virginia has been an island of cooperation, excellence and responsibility.  As his consistent lies and slime-ball politics have shown, Jerry W. Kilgore is a nasty little piece of the radical national GOP sent her to drive Virginia closer to their Culture of Corrpution and Incompetence.

Tim Kaine will continue the excellence of the Warner-Kaine Administration.  Tim Kaine is a principled, able administrator, and a man of dignity and character.  The choice is clear and each of us must do our utmost to ensure that Tim Kaine is elected Governor on November 8.

1.  Guts and Heart.  The number one reason to vote for Tim Kaine is that he embodies the best of what American politics has to offer; a winning combination of Guts and Heart. 

It took a lot of Heart for Tim Kaine to take a year out of his promising legal career to work as a Christian Missionary in Central America.  It took a lot of Guts to use his Harvard Law degree to pursue a carrer as a Civil Rights attorney, and not go for the easy money working as a corporate schill.

As Mayor of Richmond, it took a lot of Heart to turn the school system around, and it took a lot of Guts to cut gun violence by over 50%.

When Tim Kaine and Mark Warner set about to reform Virginia's tax system it was unpopular but necessary.  Tim Kaine had the Guts to stand up for the interests of the commonwealth, and the Heart to work with Republicans and Democrats to see it through.

When he started his campaign for Governor, Tim Kaine took some unpopular positions.  It took a lot of Heart to stand by his faith-based opposition to abortion and the death penalty, while supporting them because they're the law.  It took a lot of Guts to face down sleezy attacks from his opponent. 

During this campaign, it has taken a lot of Guts to face all of the people of the commonwealth every day in the open, and it took a lot of Heart to answer every question without evasiveness so that we all know where he stands.

As Governor, Tim Kaine will have the Heart to work for the best interests of All Virginians, and he will have the Guts to make the tough decisions we elect him to make.

For these and for all of the reasons we have stated over the last few months, Tim Kaine firmly deserves every vote, while his opponent deserves not a single one.  This is going to be one of the tightest elections in the history of Virginia politics.  Every vote counts and your efforts on behalf of Tim Kaine will pay for themselves a hundred times over. 

Elect Tim Kaine Governor of Virginia on November 8 to move forward with a leader who has always demonstrated both Guts and Heart.

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