Kaine fires back at Kilgore, says rival 'too weak' to lead

[Freddie Stubbs]

Burst of negative ads shows gubernatorial race tight, analyst says

BY JEFF E. SCHAPIRO
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 19, 2005

Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is defending his faith-based opposition to abortion and the death penalty in a new radio commercial that blasts his likely Republican foe for governor as "not being straight" with voters and "too weak to lead Virginia."

The commercial represents a continuing escalation in the surprisingly early advertising battle between Kaine and former Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore over issues that both apparently believe resonate strongly among more conservative, Republican-leaning voters abundant in rural Virginia. The ad was released yesterday.

Invoking his "Christian faith" - Kaine is a Catholic - the Democrat says he personally opposes capital punishment and abortion. He vows to out carry out a death sentence "because that's the law" and repeats his support of restrictions on abortion.

"Those are my values, and that's what I believe," Kaine says in the ad.

more: http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782221651&path=!news!politics&s=1045855935264

[BrainRants]

1. This is a strategy that has legs elsewhere...

With the rubber-stamping mentality in the House and the Senate we should begin painting Republicans as weak individuals and unable to act with the interests of the people they represent over the interests of their party.

There is an abundance of evidence to support this tactic, I think it could be effective.

[livinginphotographs]

2. I don't like the "restrictions" on abortion....

But I'm sure that's better explained by Kaine, as opposed to the Richmond Times-Disgrace.

Of course, his own website spends the entire subject of abortion on the "partial-birth" abortion ban. :sigh:

[Virginian]

3. I don't know what the exact laws are in this state on abortion...

at my age, I personally don't need to know. But I do have some questions about where he stands, also.

I read Kaine's website and from what I believe he is saying, he is opposed to "partial birth" abortions unless they are necessary for the life or health of the woman. I take this to mean all late term, third trimester, abortions but I am not sure. He could be referring to that one procedure, but I don't think so.

Anyway, aren't all late term abortions now only done to preserve the life or health of the woman? I don't think too many women carry a pregnancy for six months and then, suddenly in the 7th month or later, decide, "Oops, I forgot, it's time to end this pregnancy."

The clinics don't perform abortions on women that late in the pregnancy, do they? Isn't this something that has to be worked out between a woman and her doctor? When considering the health of the woman, isn't the mental health also considered?

[livinginphotographs]

6. I'm almost 99% sure that you're right about late-terms.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere in the country where you could get one of these that aren't to protect the life of the mother. That's part of the reason why I think the uproar about so-called "partial birth" abortions is nonsense.

I have a feeling that he won't take any steps to limit abortion if governor, and could just be trying to appear more moderate (unlike the rest of us crazy, wild-eyed leftists who want to abort every straight white christian baby that is conceived /sarcasm).

I'm hoping the section on his site about his positions will be expanded a bit as we get closer to the election, maybe after the June primary.

[Poor Richard Lex]

4. "not being straight"

Kilgore sure doesnt SOUND straight, and that of course isnt going to play well in the sticks. I wonder if the choice of words was planned.

[T-Jeff_Dem]

5. Completely planned

'Not being straight with the voters' is a long-standing code phrase in my part of VA used to identify a candidate as being gay. It has often been used to try to denigrate US Rep. Boucher (D). It is repugnant and should be stopped with all due dispatch. I expect this cr@p from repugs, but not our folks.