Transportation Special Session Starts Today

Special Message to Legislators: 

Give Governor Abuser Fees the legacy he deserves.  NOTHING.

All he can propose is regressive taxes and fees.  In a Democratic sweep year in 2007 Chuck Caputo and David Poisson nearly lost their seats for backing this out of touch Governor.  By the next election Tim Kaine, and his crashing approval rating will be irrelevant- but your votes will not be.  If you can't find a plan that fixes transportation, under a progressive funding formula then don't pass anything. 

Give Governor Abuser Fees the legacy he deserves.

Comments

[charlie]

interesting. Bacon's rebellion also had a post up praising Kaine on his land-use proposals. I don't know much about them but they seem sensible.

it is amazing, however, how Governor Tin Ears has managed to enrage his own base.....

I'd love to see Tin Ears say to the people: If we just cut down driving by 5% that would solve our transportation problems AND the gas crisis.

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Charlie,

Nah, his base is not enraged, Ben is. I assume it's all due to Byrne in the primary, but he's still an excellent governor who has worked hard to work with an obstinate GA.

In addition, there is a moderate chance Kaine could be the next Vice President and a high chance that he will be a cabinet member of the next administration.

NLS has impact in Virginia, but not enough to sour Kaine's reputation, especially with the Democratic base.

[Sam]

Ditto to PiW. Kaine's been a great Governor. His political decisions, not his governing ones, is what has pissed off some in the base. That some, however, is a slim minority.

[While We're At It]

What was Warner's legacy on roads? Ah, yes, worse than nothing!

And Ben, if you can take a break from your incessant b*tching, maybe you can outline your own version of a reasonable transportation plan.

[Not Larry Sabato]

How has Kaine been a good Governor? On what issues? His record has been disgusting (estate tax), inept (Amendments that made 2007 bill unconstitutional), regressive (current proposal) and borderline evil (abuser fees).

[charlie]

Pete:

lay off the crack pipe. Kaine's not going to be VP. At best he'll be a cabinet pick -- but he has proven himself lead footed and tin eared. The sooner he gets out of VA politics the better for everyone.

[Not Ben]

You forgot the biggest transgression of all: he endorsed Gerry Connolly.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Good point. Put that in the "corrupt" section.

[Pete in Williamsburg]

Charlie,

I wrote "moderate" but really meant something lower on the possibility scale. Kaine is defintely on the short-list and there are good reasons for that. However, I don't think he's the top-pick.

As for Kaine and VA politics, no way. Kaine is here to stay. As an example, the Virginia GOP will be better off when Gilmore finally exits for good in November. However, Kaine has an unlimited future and will be a power player for as long as he wants.

kaine is not even a third tier option for VP. Maybe if obama thought he had a chance in VA (and believed kaine could help) it would be different. However, mobama has no chance in VA and even if he did kaine does not have the clout to put him over the top.
(not to mention the fact that the nation will have a hard time getting past a nerdy top of the ticket, and definitely would not want bookend nerds running the country)

[Church Hill Dem]

The sales tax hike he's phasing in excludes groceries and drugs, right? Where's the regressivity?

[Not Larry Sabato]

Wow, he will let poor people buy food and drugs? I am SO impressed.

"Let Them Eat Cake"?

[Not John S. Mosby]

Gee Ben, if your serial loser MoYLF (mother only you'd like to fuck) had won in 2005, she could be Governor next year if Kaine takes a spot in the Obama presidency. Too bad.

Why are you supporting all the old women this year? Definite mommy-sex fetish.

Libby Dole or Kay Bailey Huchison may be a top candidates for McCain's VP, if either one's selected I expect you to endorse and support that slate. Both are old white women with questionable hairstyles.

[Church Hill Dem]

The argument for regressivity is that is raises the cost of even necessities that lower income must buy (not "poor" as an elitist like you would call them).

Since those necessities are carved out, much of the regressivity of this sales tax increase is diminished.

Wait,
I think you forget, in your list of necessities: cell phone, HD tv (minimum 2), caddy, cable or satellite, high speed internet access, designer clothes, ipod, x-box/Nintendo/wii,
And all of the above should take priority over those secondary items such as food, heat, housing and school.

[charlie]

yeah, pete that is some good stuff you have there if you think Kaine's on any short list.

1. He is a sitting gov, with one year left, and a R would take over the seat.

2. He is a ineffective campaigner

3. Virginia is not a critical state for Obama.

4. His popularity in Virginia is falling through the floor

5. he comes across as a whining, hypocritical (see death penalty), suckup politican.

As I said, great for a cabinet pick. And he'll be gone in two years, and NOBODY will be running on Kaine's coat tails.

[Tatum]

Kaine was one of the first to find the Presidential candidate that would defer to political expedience over substance every time. I stopped supporting him when he endorsed Obama. As far as I'm concerned NOVA residents can rely on hope and the fierce urgency of now to get them to work.

Didn't Warner raise the sales tax, too? And the cigarette tax (most smokers are poor people)?

Why aren't those "regressive" NLS?

Its no wonder hes pushing a sales tax. In polling, again and again, property taxes are the most hated, then income taxes, then sales taxes.

[Not Ben]

Neither Tim Kaine nor Jim Webb stand any reasonable chance of being VP.

[Alex P Keaton]

I gotta agree with Ben on this one. Kaine has been as useless as Kilgore would have.

[charlie]

Hey, I just looked it up. Deval Patrick has a higher approval rating than Kaine!

[Not Wayne Rooney]

Kaine did one great thing as governor - he supported Connolly over the old bag Leslie Byrne. Granted, Connolly's victory over Byrne was so big it is hard to say that Kaine's support was what made the difference - but he did help.

[novamiddleman]

Kaine: "Do we want to solve this problem? I sense that the willingness is there to do it. We all come here to serve, but the reality is that other concerns begin to intrude--concerns about electoral or caucus politics, concerns that willingness to compromise might be frowned on or interpreted as weakness. If we let our actions be dictated by the insular concerns of Capitol Square, the problem could well be evaded until infinity. But, let's fit our actions to the standards that prevail outside Capitol Square--the standards of our citizens who send us here to solve problems and get things done."

Pot Kettle Black. What a pompous little (family blog edited out)

Tip of the Hat to

http://www.nvdaily.com/blogs/politics/

for the quote

[Not Tim Kaine]

An obstinate GA, Pete? I'm pretty sure the General Assembly sent Gov. F-Up a perfectly good CONSTITUTIONAL transportation bill LAST YEAR, that he amended to make make unconstitutional and sent it back, saying if they didn't pass it, they would get nothing...and this problem would've started last year. That, my non-friend, is bad GOVERNMENT, if not good politics. Knowingly changing an excellent, bipartisan piece of legislation and screwing it all to hell only to make the issue into a crisis so you can be Obama's little whipping boy soon is what I like to call obstinate. I actually (and this doesn't happen to often) agree with Ben on this one.

Governor Tim "Grinch" Kaine has been, is, and will be a lame duck governor with no results because all he does is piss everyone off. I hope he's shown for the POSER he is...emphasis on the P O S.