The Get-Away-With-It Governor

"I take my oath of office seriously, and I'll enforce the death penalty."
             ~ Candidate Tim Kaine, 2005

Today's announcement by Gov. Tim Kaine that he is putting a moratorium on all death penalty frustrated me not because of the intent, of which I am partially sympathetic as a fellow Roman Catholic., but rather as another example of Gov. Kaine once again skating scrutiny from what he ran on versus how he has governed.  Time and time again, the Governor has gone back on campaign promises and not one member of the media has called him out.  The budget is in tatters, he's tried to illegally use lottery money for other expenses, he was the author of the unconstitutional amendments in the Transportation Bill (not even given to the AG's office for proper vetting) that killed all the money coming to Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, he's proposed raising taxes over and over after campaigning that he wouldn't, and lastly promised not fool around with the death penalty.  On every plank that Kaine ran on, he's backtracked and he hasn't been called to the burner once.

Now I'm sure I sound like I'm complaining, but all I can compare it too is Gov. Jim Gilmore, the last GOP governor.  Gilmore was raked over the coals for actually trying to do what he campaigned on . . . cut taxes and get rid of the car tax.  Yet over and over the media portrayed Gilmore as a bumbler, and ideolouge, an inflexible tyrant.  Yet all he was doing was attempting to keep his promises.  The difference is the letter after each of their names.

What just kills me most about Tim Kaine is his inherent dishonesty.  I feel like he thinks were stupid.  He cynically promises one thing full knowing that he will go directly in the other direction.  Perhaps people just don't pay enough attention to local Virginia politics, but Kaine has constantly got away with one lie and broken promise after another. 

And yes, while I moan about the media, we Republicans share an even larger portion of the blame.  Our constant failure to get our side out, our unwillingness to challenge Democrats at every step, and our built in cynicism after our recent electoral defeats have essentially given Democrats a free ride.  While he brawled for our party, wrestling it away from the Chichesters of the party, we forgot that everyone was watching and nobody was impressed.  For a lot of Virginians, our party doesn't carry much credibility based on our inability to articulate a conservative vision that addresses the problems of the regular folks.

But I think we have gotten past the worst of it.  No doubt this Senate election will be difficult, but with our statewide leaders of '09 stepping up early now and unified, I think Republicans can get back into the trust of the folks.  But the very reality of Tim Kaine's entire governorship should be a warning to all Republicans.  The media will at all possible circumstances give Kaine and the Democrats every pass, every benefit of the doubt, and every excuse for his broken promises.  I have no doubt that Mark Warner, Brian Moran, Creigh Deeds, and any other D running for office in Virginia will receive similar treatment.  Its up to McDonnell-Bolling-Cuccunelli, as well as Bob Marshall and/or Jim Gilmore to fight this the way we did in the 90s, by winning back the folks.  What we have on our side now is unity.

Finally.

Comments

[Darius]

Excellent post Chris, my sentiments exactly! Could you elaborate on McDonnell not having access to the Gov's amendments for proper vetting or a link if possible? There's a Dem Town Hall meeting next week and I want to make sure I can place the blame fully on Kaine as I am sure they will just say that its unfairly all McDonnell's fault

[Chris]

Darius, here is what I was able to find:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/23/AR2008032301895_pf.html

http://connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=95138&paper=59&cat=104

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/155811

Hope it helps

My god, are you f'ing serious? He didn't commute all death sentences, he just said we're going to have a moratorium until the Supreme Court decides the lethal injection case that is before it right now. The court has issued a stay in every case that has come up since they took the lethal injection case and has all signs point to them doing it for every additional case that happens before the case is decided.

Why the hell should we not just say we won't execute anyone until they decide? Why go through the trouble of having the AG's office have to prepare briefs for the Supreme Court, the jail have to prepare for the execution on the off chance that the Court doesn't grant a stay and the poor condemned man having to wait for a stay that is extremely likely, but not completely guaranteed? Virginia has in fact executed multiple people since Kaine took office. He has kept his pledge. The other examples you cited are indeed good examples of Kaine going back on his word. We should have called him on them. If the Court rules that lethal injections are legal and Kaine doesn't lift the moratorium, he will have broken his word and we should call him on it. But this decision just common sense and it will save the state time and money. Why not do it?

[Chris]

Well why didn't he just say he was going to do this all along! Thats what angers me, since I am in sympathy with his cause to a point. But Kaine went out of his way to say he would "uphold" the law and he would never muck with the capital punishment system. Its his condescending campaign that told voters what he knew they wanted to hear, without any intention of ever going through with it.

A little honesty, thats all I'm asking for.

[Isophorone]

Parris Glendening put in a moratorium on the death penalty in Maryland. That sure helped Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in her Gubernatorial bid!

Seriously, while I do think Tim Kaine has played a bit of "bait and switch," the Republicans should not get too consumed with this issue. That kind of thinking (instead of talking about schools and transportation) cost Kilgore the 2005 election.

[Justitiae Tenax]

This is one place where I think Kaine acted reasonably. He's not commuting sentences to life in prison or anything like that; he's waiting to hear what the Supreme Court does in Baze v. Rees. This scenario is not just playing out in Virginia, but around the country. He's not the first one to come up with a sit and wait approach since last September when the case was granted cert.

As McDonnell himself says in his statement on the matter, Kaine as Governor has the clear authority to issue reprieves. Indeed. Period. End of thought. However, things are rarely so simple. McDonnell is correct that Baze is a lethal injection case and some of the Virginia inmates who are covered by the Governor's order may not lethal injection cases.

Justitiae tenax, as the old maxim goes, indeed, but it can stand a little patience and a little reprieve from partisan posturing. Waiting a little while the Supremes decide this one is not what I would call "messing with capital punishment" or "going back on a campaign promise."

I agree with Iso... that this is not an issue worth spending much cyber ink on. Darius, no one's fault here. Both the Governor and the Attorney General had said reasonable things, but Attorney General has admitted that reprieves are something the Governor gets to do. Now we wait and see.

[novamiddleman]

Agree this isn't worth talking about

The RPV folks in Richmond should be focused on other issues like ISO suggested.

This kind of gotcha politics is for the RK and NLS immature kids. It will not send any indis over to our side.

Not to once again sound like a broken record but to win we need to prove WHY we can GOVERN better.

What the heck is going on with the transportation issue where is the leadership.

[NOVALEFTMAN]

Shouldn't waiting to see what the SCOTUS does be considered "upholding the law"? Isn't deferring to the highest court in the land before killing a man the very definition of "upholding the law"?

[Indeed!]

I cannot critize the Governor for doing something I myself would do in his shoes. Waiting for the Supreme Ct to issue its decision is reasonable. Come on, blog host, this has nothing to do with Kaine being a Catholic. He's made clear his personal opinion on capital punishment some time ago. I am also Catholic and I also have moral reservations about capital punishment. I must also respect the law. I think Kaine knows he must respect the law. He's not interfering because he can here, he is waiting because he should while the highest court in the land decides a constitutional issue. That's not making a moral or religious statement, that's not going back on a promise to anyone. This is not partisan school yard nonsense worthy of those other blogs run by Democrats.

Republicans have to show why they can lead better and how and not just moan about what the other guys do just because the other guys did it.

So, assuming the Supreme Court upholds the death penalty (and/or lethal injection), we'll have to see if Kaine lifts his moratorium. What if he doesn't? He will ending up creating an issue where none existed (though, again, the Republican candidates shouldn't be too consumed with it).

So maybe we should just bring back the guillotine? (Just kidding!)

[Gerardo]

The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That's pride f*cking with you. F*ck pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps.
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[Kegan]

The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That's pride f*cking with you. F*ck pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps.
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