I hope this is wrong

Barack Obama coming to Richmond on Monday?

NO TIM KAINE FOR VP.

Obamaone1
by dollarsandsense123

Comments

[Not Bill Howell]

At this point, I hope he does it, as it will assure Obama's defeat.

[Hans Bader]

Given the utter fiasco Kaine's handling of transportation has been, I hope Obama doesn't listen to any advice from Kaine (although it would be nice to see Kaine leave the Virginia governorship if Obama wins).

The mere fact that Obama is considering Kaine is a sign of bad judgment on Obama's part.

Nobody in Kaine's own party was interested in his transportation proposals, much less the opposing party, because they were so bad and ill-considered.

Kaine ignored sensible transportation proposals from Democrats and Republicans alike.

The Senate Democrats had tax proposals (like a gas tax increase) that sensibly reflected a user-pays principle and provided a stready stream of revenue for transportation.

Some House Republicans had sensible proposals that would have allowed the regions hardest hit by the transportation crisis, like No.Va., to tax themselves and keep the money they raise to fix local transportation problems.

They also sensibly proposed shifting a small amount of money from the general fund into transportation (which makes sense, given that revenue from general-fund taxes like income tax have outpaced inflation, while transportation-specific taxes have not risen much at all, leaving transportation shortchanged compared to the general fund).

Kaine could have combined elements of proposals from both parties to achieve a workable compromise. But would have none of it. He obstinately refused to offer sensible proposals, and the special session went down in flames.

Think about Kaine's ineptitude the next time you're stuck in traffic.

[David Englin]

What's with using my alert, Ben? While I have not been in talks with Senator Obama about being his VP, I suppose I would consider it if offered. Heck, Caleb wouldn't even have to change schools!

[Bubby Hussein, Hillbilly Sheikh]

If Hans thinks that it is a bad idea to pick Kaine as VP then there has to be merit in picking Kaine as VP.

[charlie]

Virginia, the mother of vice-presidents.

Some men rise to their level of mediocrity and stay there.

[CarolineProgressive]

Got any times or location for this event? Don't tease me, Ben!

[Dan]

Hans, think about the Republican leadership in the House the next time you are stuck in traffic.

After we elect a Democratic majority in the House in 2009 we'll have eliminated the major impediment to solving the transportation situation.

[Dan]

Why in the hell should Kaine resign if he is picked for Vice President. What a completely stupid idea.

But then, he did endorse Gerry Connolly!

[Not Larry Sabato]

Who's going to run the state for the next 3 months???? That's why he should resign. He was elected to do a serious job- not run around the country.

[Dan]

So, because you dislike the guy, he should be held to a standard that no previous candidate for President or Vice President has been held to before. When has any previous candidate ever been asked to resign the office they currently hold while running for national office?

That is just plain silly. And the more you say silly things like this you make yourself look silly. And small.

We get it. He endorsed Gerry Connolly.

[CarolineProgressive]

I don't know. I think I'd rather have a part-time Kaine than a full-time Bolling.

Chill Ben.

Its not Kaine. No announcement until after the Olympics.

And even if it was, why would you want to Gov. Bolling to become a certainty while if Kaine didn't resign, that would only have a 55/45 chance or so of that happening?

"Who's going to run the state for the next 3 months????"

Bill Clinton seemed to do fine running Arkansas in 1992. He didn't resign until inauguration day.

Good to see you're running an RNC ad. How much is McCain paying you now? I'm sure Leslie Byrne would be proud of that.

[t]

As t reported in a post below on July 29:

"t has inside intel about the deliberations for Dem VP.

There are five (only FIVE) states that are toss-ups and will decide the election, in this order: Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana and Colorado.

Obama MUST have a VP who can help deliver one of those states.

Ohio, Michigan and Colorado have no useable Statewide officeholders who can help the Democrats carry any of those states this year.

Virginia has Kaine and Indiana has Bayh; both necessary bland white guys who can deliver their respective home states.

Earlier, Kaine helped Obama strongly carry Virginia, while Bayh fought against Obama in Indiana, both critical primaries.

Either will help Obama, but Obama is going with the guy that was loyal to him in crunch time: Kaine.

This announcement will be made no later than Tuesday of next week."

[t]

As of 4:00 P.M., there were 74 votes in the above-referenced poll saying that Kaine should resign.

73 of those votes came from Ben.

1 of those votes cames from t.

[Hans Bader]

The fact that Obama is even considering Kaine makes me question his judgment.

Kaine is a disaster on transportion.

The centerpiece of Kaine's transportation proposal was an economically-inefficient tax increase, to the grantor's tax.

That tax is utterly unsuitable as a way of funding transportation because "it is a notoriously volatile revenue source that varies with the business cycle," as transportation writer Jim Bacon has noted.

Dan Genz, a reporter for the Washington Examiner, reported earlier this year on just how unreliable and volatile a source of revenue it is.

That might not make it inappropriate for funding the general fund, which contains a wide and diverse array of taxes whose revenues do not rise and fall in unison.

But it does make it utterly unsuitable for funding something not in the general fund, like transportation, that necessarily relies on a small number of transportation-specific taxes.

In proposing a statewide increase in the grantor's tax, Kaine blew off and ignored the advice of his own party leader in the Senate, majority leader Saslaw, who noted that the tax increase would unfairly, and disproportionately, burden certain regions in Virginia.

If Kaine had been willing to combine some of the tax increases advocated by Senate Democrats with some of the earmarks from the general fund for transportation proposed by House Republicans, there could have been a good compromise, as well as plenty of money for transportation.

But he wasn't, and Virginia motorists will suffer for many years as a result.

BEN = AHAB

WHITE WHALE = KAINE

Careful Ben, Ahab didn't do so well at the end of the book.

[Doug in Mount Vernon]

Oh Hans, spare us Jeff Frederick's daily talking points, would you?

The ravages of voters registering to vote and deciding to block every possible funding mechanism for bringing SOLUTIONS to Virginia's transportation problems.

Off to a great start!

[charlie]

"Ohio, Michigan and Colorado have no useable Statewide officeholders who can help the Democrats carry any of those states this year."

I think that should read Ohio and Colorado have popular Democratic governors who think serving their state is more important than serving as Vice President, and Michigan is run by an unpopular Democratic Governor who happens to be born a Canadian and not eligible to serve as VP"

Shame, Governor Kaine, for giving up your office. You are the only Virginia Governor since 1852 to do so. Shame.

Looks like Yes is crushing No in your little poll. Dipshit.

[Tom James]

I still what to know if Timmy does become the VP choice, will Anne Holton then become Mrs. Kaine?

What is she ashamed of?

Why did I ask........

I wonder how mom and daddy Holton feel about the whole thing?

[Tom James]

Also how will it play when the opposition points out Timmy is governor of one the top 10 Hate Crime States according to FBI stats, home of the largest mass murders on a US campus and the state tried to cover up their culpability. Along with taking metal care and mental health prejudice back decades.

His capital has one of the highest murder rates per capita.

SWVA still has the highest child abuse and suicide rates per capita, according to Timmy's own stats, because they have inadequate mental health care before, during and after the VT incident.

Now that would definitely be who I want running the Nation and defender of the free world. cough cough cough

Virginia is for lovers of what again?

[Larry Sabato's Hairpiece]

Jeff Frederick puts out daily talking points? Those must be unintentionally hilarious...

[David Englin]

Ben - Do you have any idea how much these ongoing personal attacks on Tim Kaine undermine your credibility? If you want to disagree with him about issues, that's fine. But when you excoriate him for everything that's wrong with the world, you look ridiculous. (And you make it harder for readers to tease out the nuggets of genuinely insightful analysis you occasionally provide!)

Tim has had a backbone on some tough issues, and -- much to the chagrin of Virginia Republicans -- rather than running for higher office this whole time, he's been totally devoted to changing the balance of power across Virginia to give Democrats the opportunity to govern. Mark Warner revived the brand of Virginia Democrats and deserves great credit for that. But Tim Kaine has done more to strengthen the party's organization and infrastructure across the state than any leader in years.

All of the potential VP candidates have their strengths and weaknesses, but at the end of the day, the best thing a VP candidate can do for the ticket is perform well as Obama's chief surrogate. On that front, Kaine would be tough to beat. Anyone who cares about beating John McCain and electing Barack Obama president ought to be excited about the prospect of Tim Kaine on the ticket.