Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader figures you are probably sitting in front of your computer screen saying to yourself, “Self, I wonder what my Maximum Leader thinks of the hotly contested gubernatorial race in his great Commonwealth of Virginia?” Well that is an excellent question to ask.
Let your Maximum Leader state up front that neither candidate has gotten your Maximum Leader all worked up. Indeed, this is one of the few times in his memory that he wishes that a Governor could run for re-election. Most of the time your Maximum Leader is pleased as punch to get a new Governor every four years. But, quite honestly, your Maximum Leader would vote for Mark Warner (D-VA) for Governor again.
Let your Maximum Leader also state upfront that he is peeved at both Jerry Kilgore (former Atty General of Virginia - Republican) and Tim Kaine (current Lt. Governor of Virginia - Democrat). They both seem to be particularly adept at twisting the truth (or outright lying) during this election. In you Maximum Leader’s opinion, neither has used reasonable estimates of how much their proposed programs would cost (or save) as the case may be. Both verge on slander in discussing their rival.
Now this was not always the case. Early on in the electin cycle both Kilgore and Kaine were pretty much issues men. They didn’t go out for attacks on the other guy. They both stayed “on message.” All in all it was pretty pleasant.
Then they started to read polling data in August. The polls showed a dead heat. Well… Depending on how you did your poll and who did your poll it would show a slight advantage to one candidate or the other. If you looked at all polls in the aggregate it was a dead heat.
As you all surely know, when you are in a dead heat with your opponent and Election Day looms you’ve got to mix things up a little. By “mix things up a little” we really mean “go negative.”
Now your Maximum Leader doesn’t recall exactly who went negative first. Frankly it doesn’t make any difference. One goes negative to get a jump in the polls. If you can’t boost your own positives you can boost the other guy’s negatives. In a way, going negative can actually improve your positives because it shows you really want the job enough to go the extra mile to make the other guy look particularly distasteful.
Having said he didn’t remember who went negative first, your Maximum Leader does clearly remember the first negative ad that made an impression on him. It was the Kilgore Ad called “Kelly.” (If you have a high speed connection you can click here to watch it.) In the ad you have an attractive blonde widow telling the viewer how Tim Kaine doesn’t want to execute cop-killing drug dealers. It is pretty powerful stuff. Of course what makes it more powerful is that Tim Kaine has been very clear that he does support a moratorium on the death penalty so that all the people on Death Row in Virginia can have their cases reviewed. Tim Kaine furthermore has gone on the record saying that his Roman Catholic faith informs his strongly held moral conviction that the death penalty is wrong.
So. You have the law-and-order Republican painting the Democrat as not wanting to support the death penalty. The death penalty which, your Maximum Leader adds, is quite popular in Virginia. (We’re number two behind Texas. Watch out Lone Star staters! We’re on your heels on this one!) Your Maximum Leader, dear minions, is perfectly willing to let a man say that his faith has shaped his moral judgement on the death penalty. Indeed, for a candidate to high office to come out and say something that unpopular in Virginia shows that someone has got some big balls. Your Maximum Leader may disagree, but you’ll score some points.
Well, you’ll score some points until you go around saying that while your faith leads you to believe that the death penalty is wrong; your faith doesn’t inform your moral beliefs at all when it comes to abortion. Surely Tim Kaine is welcome to whatever religious beliefs he thinks are right for him. But what turns off your Maximum Leader is when you invoke your faith to score points in one area, and deny it in another. If you are going to do that, your Maximum Leader would honestly prefer you keep your faith to yourself.
We are all inconsistent in one way or another when our personal beliefs may differ from the doctrine of our chosen church. (Except for the Smallholder - who is Episcopalian. And as we all know, it’s all good when you’re an Episcopalian.) When those inconsistencies are personal it isn’t a problem. But when one touts one’s faith to gain political favour with one group, then reject your faith to curry favour with another group it is just… well… cheap. Instead just say you’re against the death penalty and for abortion; don’t bring faith into it.
The second attack ad run by the Kilgore campaign that seems to be working is one concerning illegal immigrants. Tim Kaine, the Democrat, has said that he favours extending state welfare services to illegal immigrants; and furthermore wants to give the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition at Virginia’s public universities and colleges. With a stated position like Kaine’s it is easy for Mr. Kilgore t tauntingly add to the end of his ad “What part of illegal doesn’t Tim Kaine understand?” Frankly your Maximum Leader agrees. Why should the children of illegal immigrants get in-state tuition at Virginia schools when the children of US citizens who live in different states not get that benefit? That seems like a fair question to ask.
Of course, Tim Kaine has run his own negative ads against Jerry Kilgore. The one that resonates with your Maximum Leader is the ad that states that Kilgore wants to outlaw abortion. All abortions. Even in cases of rape or incest. Well, actually there is an out for rape and incest. Kilgore would allow the abortion in cases of rape or incest if the crime was reported to police within 7 days of the occurance. That is a pretty extreme position to take if you plan on running for Governor one day. Of course the lucky thing is that so long as the Supreme Court stands by Roe - there isn’t a chance of there being completely illegal abortions. (BTW, if you want to see some of Kaine’s ads - they are here. But the abortion one isn’t on that page, don’t know why.)
Tim Kaine also runs a pretty effective ad against Kilgore on taxes. It basically states that while Kilgore is talking the talk about cutting taxes and spending by the state government; he is all in favour of letting localities raise local taxes as high as they want. It is a catchy little ad.
Your Maximum Leader will say one thing for Tim Kaine, he is doing a very effective job of using incumbent Governor Warner (who by the way has a 70% - or higher - approval rating) in personal apperances and job ads. Kaine is doing everything he possibly can do to wrap himself in the mantle of Mark Warner. In those ads Warner goes on and on about how Kaine was a big help to the Governor during the very nasty budget battles of a few years ago. The funny thing is, your Maximum Leader never remembers hearing Kaine’s name mentioned during the budget battles. Indeed, he seems to remember Kaine sticking to the sidelines and laying low - fearing (one supposes) that the deal could go bad. He had to maintain his own electability after all.
Anyhoo…
You may be asking yourself, why is my Maximum Leader going on and on about negative ads, the death penalty, abortion, taxes, and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants? Aren’t there more important issues facing the Commonwealth of Virginia? Indeed there are. In fact most non-partisan polling information indicates that Education and Transportation are the number one and number two issues in the Commonwealth. A few months ago the death penalty, abortion, and illegal immigration weren’t even in the top 15 issues on the minds of voters. But thanks to the ads, those issues are moving up.
So what do we have here in Virginia? We have a state that is pretty well run. One might even say that (at least financially) Virginia is the best run state in the Union. (We are the only one with a AAA Bond rating afterall.) The state’s economy is growing. There is a budget surplus projected for quite a while. All in all things are good.
So when things are going well, what can two men who want to succeed a popular governor do? They can say they are for education and new roads. Of course they are. Who isn’t for smart kids and roads? Voters don’t want to be bothered by difficult things like reading position papers or plans. They like the short sweet who do you love issues. So, both candidates have determined to bring to the forefront issues that most voters wouldn’t think were important if someone weren’t talking about them so much.
One of these men will be elected governor next Tuesday. Who ever the winner is will likely have a negative ad to thank for a tiny margin of victory.
Not much else to say on this subject except to urge those of you who are registered to vote in Virginia that you do so next Tuesday.
Carry on.
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