Senate candidates react to debt-ceiling compromise
Congress has reached an apparent compromise on a measure that will raise the federal debt ceiling, likely averting a fiscal crisis that had been feared if the U.S. government would have risked defaulting on its loan obligations.
The reactions of the three top candidates for the U.S. Senate seat representing Virginia up for grabs in the 2012 elections are telling as to how deep the divide is among the two leading political parties.
“While far from perfect, the current approach before Congress maintains economic stability by raising the debt ceiling and enacts important spending cuts that will help preserve our nation’s and Virginia’s credit rating. This is the beginning of a much longer process as we work to rebuild our economy,” Democrat Tim Kaine said.
“After months of pushing our economy to the brink, Washington has yet again failed to deliver a long-term solution to our debt crisis,” said Republican frontrunner George Allen. “This 11th hour deal fails to address the country’s serious fiscal problems, has no concrete Balanced Budget Amendment, and punts the tough decisions to yet another commission while adding nearly a trillion dollars more to our nation’s debt as they deliberate. ”
“I am both angered and dismayed by the total lack of leadership and courage this deal represents. Last week I warned that our biggest mistake would be falling for what I called the Debt Deal Sugar Rush. As I feared, our leaders could not resist, and they struck a deal that provides a temporary and deceptive feeling of relief,” said Tea Party leader Jamie Radtke, a candidate for the Republican nomination.
Radtke pushed a Tea Party talking point – the idea that a balanced budget amendment is needed to “put America back on strong financial footing.” “You can’t vote for a solution that doesn’t solve the problem, especially when it will result in making things worse for Americans,” Radtke said.
Allen, playing to the right flank, also talked up a balanced budget amendment, as he also worked in GOP boilerplate about “job-killing tax increases” that he says are on the horizon.
“Senate Democrats will use this new commission to continue their push for job-killing tax increases as the answer to our country’s problems. And if they fail to reach an agreement, significant cuts will be made to defense spending, risking our troop’s safety and seriously threatening Virginia jobs. Meanwhile, American job opportunities are diminishing, our economy is on a downward spiral, and Americans are paying high fuel prices that are hurting already strained family budgets,” Allen said.
Kaine, parroting President Barack Obama, is the one of the three using the word “bipartisan” without meaning to imply anything in the area of epithet.
“By establishing a joint committee with representation from both parties that is empowered to make additional cuts as well as raise new revenue, Congress has said that they also want a bipartisan and balanced result. And, I sincerely hope that negotiating without the specter of default or economic collapse will result in less partisan maneuvering and grandstanding and more pragmatic solutions,” Kaine said.
“I’m disappointed that my Republican opponents joined the Tea Party in choosing default over bipartisan compromise. As the next U.S. Senator from Virginia, my commitment will be to always put the best interest of the Commonwealth and the nation over politics, as many Members of Congress have done by standing behind this flawed but necessary agreement,” Kaine said.
Kaine: ‘It’s time this Congress took its responsibility seriously’
Tim Kaine issued the following statement in response to ongoing gridlock over debt ceiling negotiations and new reports that Virginia is increasingly vulnerable to a credit downgrade as a result of the stalemate in Washington:
“For months, Congress has engaged in irresponsible political maneuvering by using the debt ceiling deadline and our economic stability as bargaining chips. Thanks to Washington’s political games, we are just four days away from reaching our legal debt limit and entering a state of default for the first time in our nation’s history. And still, even as the clock winds down, Republicans in Congress continue to press for a plan that is not sufficient to protect our nation’s credit rating and ignores the need for a bipartisan bill that can pass both the House and Senate. The time for political games is over. The gridlock must end. Compromise is not an option, it’s the only option.
“Last week, we learned that credit rating agency Moody’s placed Virginia’s triple-A rating on Creditwatch. Now we learn that Moody’s has also placed all triple-A rated Northern Virginia localities — including Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Herndon and Vienna — on Creditwatch. Though no fault of their own, the Commonwealth and these localities are in jeopardy of a credit downgrade because of the uncertainty of the finances of the federal government. A downgrade would have severe financial ramifications, forcing local communities to cut back on building new roads and schools and investing in other projects that create jobs. A downgrade would also force Virginia and local governments to spend millions more a year in interest payments for no reason other than Congressional intransigence.
“As Governor, I worked hard to successfully protect Virginia’s credit rating through the worst economic times in 70 years. And now, to see Virginia’s credit rating as well as the country’s at risk thanks to nothing more than the unwillingness of some members of Congress to reach a compromise is deeply troubling. Failing to raise the debt ceiling or merely passing an inadequate plan that would not protect our credit rating, risks a national state of economic emergency that would be felt by every family and business in America. A ratings downgrade would place a tax on virtually every American through higher interest payments on their loans and credit card debt. The United States Constitution charges Congress with paying our national debts and providing for the common defense and general welfare of our citizens. Prior Congresses have done so for over 200 years. It’s time this Congress took its responsibility seriously.”
Poll: Kaine has slight lead in Senate race
A new Public Policy Polling survey of Virginia voters gives Tim Kaine a slight lead over George Allen in their megawatt race for the U.S. Senate.
The PPP poll has Kaine, a Democrat, ahead of Republican Allen by a 46 percent-to-43 percent margin.
The two former governors are the presumptive frontrunners for their respective parties’ nominations for the Senate seat to be contested in 2012.
Inside the numbers, Kaine maintains a slight edge among independent voters, at 44 percent support to 43 percent among independents for Allen. Further inside the numbers, Allen has a favorability gap among independents that he will need to overcome if he is to have a good shot at winning in November 2012. Just 20 percent of independent voters have a favorable opinion of Allen, with 47 percent holding a negative opinion.
Kaine’s corresponding numbers are 43 percent favorable and 38 percent unfavorable.
The situation for Kaine improved as Barack Obama’s lead over his potential Republican opponents in Virginia narrowed a bit. Obama still leads his closest GOP rival, Mitt Romney, by four points, at 47 percent to 43 percent, but that’s down from an 11-point bulge (51 percent to 40 percent) over Romney in Virginia in May.
Obama leads Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry by nine points each (49 percent to 40 percent over Bachmann, 48 percent to 39 percent over Perry) and 14 points over former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
“Even as Barack Obama’s numbers in the state have worsened over the last 3 months, the state of the Senate race has remained the same,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. “This is a contest that seems likely to stay tight all the way to Election Day regardless of changes in the political winds.”
Kaine, Allen talk debt ceiling
George Allen sees the debt-ceiling issue as “leverage” for Republicans heading into the 2012 elections. Tim Kaine has raised issue with Allen on that stance, and on Friday Kaine offered a statement of support for Senate Democrats for their 51-46 party-line vote rejecting the so-called “Cut, Cap and Balance” plan that passed the Republican House earlier this week.
“I applaud the Senate’s rejection of the Republicans ‘All Cuts, No Balance’ legislation,” said Kaine, a Democrat and former governor and presumptive Democratic Party nominee to run for Virginia’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2012.
Allen, also a former governor, is the frontrunner for the Republican Senate nomination in 2012. Allen has offered consistent support for GOP efforts at brinksmanship on the debt-ceiling issue. President Obama and congressional Democratic Party leaders have raised the spectre of the federal government going into default if the debt limit isn’t raised by an Aug. 2 deadline.
Economists have suggested that the absence of a congressional agreement on raising the debt ceiling could also have disastrous effects on the U.S. economy.
“In 11 days, our country will reach its legal debt limit and, absent action in Washington, we will face drastic and lasting economic consequences. It’s time for Washington to put aside ideology-driven legislation like the “All Cuts, No Balance” proposal and do what is right for our nation: raise the debt ceiling to allow government to pay our bills and work toward a balanced approach to reducing spending and reducing the deficit,” Kaine said.
Kaine campaign announces staff additions
Today, Gov. Tim Kaine announced the second wave of key appointments to his campaign team for U.S. Senator from Virginia.
“I’m proud to announce that Mike Henry will be joining our team as campaign manager. His expertise when it comes to Virginia is unmatched. I look forward to seeing the campaign benefit from Mike’s extraordinary leadership,” Kaine said.
“I’m also pleased to announce Eli Kaplan as key member of our new media team. Eli and his firm Rising Tide Interactive will spearhead our online efforts and will be tasked with running an aggressive campaign to expand and further engage our grassroots network of supporters.”
In addition, Kaine announced three key appointments to his finance team:
“I’m thrilled that Warren Thompson, Jody Wagner and Austin Ligon have agreed to serve as senior members of my finance committee. In addition to being trusted advisors and friends, each of these individuals brings a wealth of diverse experiences that will prove invaluable in our campaign for United States Senate.”
Full list of campaign team appointments:
Mike Henry, Campaign Manager
Henry has a long and successful history in Virginia politics, beginning with his involvement in the Virginia House and Senate Democratic Caucuses and later leading Virginia’s Democratic party’s coordinated campaign efforts during Mark Warner’s gubernatorial campaign. Henry previously served as Kaine’s campaign manager during his successful 2005 gubernatorial run. In 2006, Henry managed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s independent expenditure effort, which helped Democrats regain control of the Senate. Henry served as Hillary Clinton’s deputy campaign manager in 2008, before accepting a position as Mark Warner’s Senate campaign manager. In 2009, Henry managed Terry McAuliffe’s campaign for Governor of Virginia. Most recently, Henry served as Senior Director for U.S. Campaigns at ONE.
Eli Kaplan, New Media Consultant
Kaplan is one of the leading new media strategists in Democratic politics. He has managed the new media operations of U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns in various states, including Mark Warner’s 2008 US Senate race and Terry McAuliffe’s 2009 bid for Governor of Virginia. Kaplan has raised millions in online contributions and delivered cutting-edge digital content to millions of voters. Rising Tide Interactive, Kaplan’s firm, is a full-service digital advertising agency that brings a wealth of experience working with political campaigns, non-profit organizations, and technology companies.
Finance Committee Appointments:
Warren Thompson – Treasurer
Thompson’s impressive business background began when he joined his family’s Windsor, Virginia hog business at just ten years old and, after five years in his own lawn mowing business, made enough to buy the business from his father. In 1992, Thomspon started Thomspon Hospitality Corporation, the nation’s largest minority-owned food service company. In 1997, he formed a new division, Thompson Hospitality Services L.L.C. and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Thompson, who grew up in Virginia and attended college and graduate school in the Commonwealth, currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Darden School of Business and Federal Realty Investment Trust.
Jody Wagner – Deputy Treasurer
Wagner began her career in corporate law, before establishing a successful independent side business and becoming a member of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Small Business Authority. Wagner served as Treasurer of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and was elected President of the National Association of State Treasurers during her tenure. In 2006, Kaine appointed Wagner as Virginia’s first female Secretary of Finance, a position she held until her resignation in 2008. Wagner was her party’s nominee for Lt. Governor in 2009.
Austin Ligon – Finance Chair
Ligon is the co-founder and former president and chief executive officer of CarMax, the nation’s largest used car retailer, which opened in Richmond, VA in 1993. CarMax has been named a “Top 100 Company to Work For” by Fortune now for its seventh consecutive year and was named Fortune Magazine’s “Most Admired” company in automotive services and retailing. In 2007, Kaine appointed Ligon to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors. Ligon also served on the governing board of St. John’s College, was the advisory board chairman for the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University, and was an advisory board member of the Yale School of Management, his alma mater.
Kaine campaign announces second-quarter money numbers
Kaine for Virginia will file its quarter ending financial report showing that, since the campaign started on April 5, more than 4,600 supporters have contributed approximately $2.25 million to help Tim Kaine be Virginia’s next senator.
More detailed information will be available when the campaign files its report on July 15.
Brandi Hoffine, campaign press secretary, released the following statement:
“Tim Kaine has laid out an optimistic vision of bringing Virginia answers to Washington to help address serious national problems. We are pleased with how many people are responding to this campaign in its first weeks. Our primary focus for the coming months will be building on our strong network of grassroots supporters who have already committed to helping elect Governor Kaine to the U.S. Senate and making sure every Virginia voter has the opportunity to hear his plans for creating jobs, growing our economy and restoring fiscal discipline in Washington.”
Kaine: Washington can learn from the Virginia lesson
Democrat Tim Kaine is in a dead heat in his 2012 U.S. Senate race with Republican George Allen. This qualifies as good news for Kaine given his run of close political races.
“I’ve never seen myself tied in a poll until about seven days before an election, so for me, it’s like, Wow, this is fantastic,” said Kaine, like Allen a former governor, and like Allen a former national party leader.
Kaine headed up the Democratic National Committee from his final year in the governor’s office in 2009 until announcing earlier this year that he was running for the Democratic Party nomination to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by fellow Democrat Jim Webb.
Kaine entered the race, he told a group of 75 local supporters at Wright’s Dairy Rite in Staunton on June 18, because he feels that Virginia has answers to the problems facing America today.
“Not that we’re doing everything right. We can always do better. But I’m really convinced that there are so, me things about Virginia that, if we can bottle them, and I can take them with me to Washington, we’ll be able to solve some of the problems at the national level,” Kaine said.
First and foremost: the economy. Since President Obama took office in 2009, the GDP has grown its way back to pre-recession levels, the economy has been adding jobs consistently and the stock market is in the 12,000 range, “and Democrats had to do all of that with no help from the other side,” Kaine said.
“But we know we’re not where we want to be yet,” said Kaine, who drawing on the lesson of Virginia advocates continued investments in education as a cornerstone to economic development and economic growth.
“It’s education that helps our workforce have the skills that they need to attract jobs. It’s our education system that attracts great brains and entrepreneurs and innovators to want to come to Virginia,” Kaine said.
“The other side will talk about how cutting taxes is all you need to have a strong economy. Again, you’ve got to have fair taxes, but remember, in the 1950s, Virginia was a low-tax state, but our economy was at the bottom. It was education that brought us back,” Kaine said.
Drawing next on his experiences in the governor’s office, during which he had to oversee billions of dollars of cuts to the state budget as a result of declining state revenues at the height of the national recession, Kaine said “there’s a right way and a wrong way” to go about making spending cuts.
“The right way to do it is to not have any sacred cows and find cuts wherever you can. The wrong way to do it is to shred the safety net. I will never shred the safety net in this country, and I’m not going to privatize Medicaid and Medicare, and I’m not going to privatize Social Security,” Kaine said.
A key difference between the current approaches advocated by Republicans and Democrats in Washington: “We know you’ve got to make cuts, but we also know that you’ve got to make investments,” said Kaine, noting efforts in his administration to continue funding for expansions at state-supported colleges and universities to increase the number of spaces available to students and increases in funding for pre-K programs to give kids a head start on education.
Kaine conceded in an interview with AugustaFreePress.com after the event at Wright’s Dairy Rite that it would be naive of him to think that he can go to Washington and alone change the political dynamic on Capitol Hill.
“But the only way the dynamic will change is if individual people get elected and go into office with a commitment to do better. And we’ve got to do better,” Kaine said.
A key to doing better is by reaching across the political aisle to work with Republicans toward solutions to the challenges facing America.
“I’m a proud Democrat, and I will never be ashamed to be a Democrat, and I’ll never be ashamed to be a great supporter of President Obama. But I know my job, if I get elected, is to work with anybody who wants to solve problems,” said Kaine, citing his experience as governor, which for two years had him working with Republican majorities in the House of Delegates and State Senate, then his final two years had a split with the GOP in control of the House and Democrats in charge of the Senate.
Kaine will go to Washington “to solve problems.”
“We have big problems, and the way we solve problems is by working together,” Kaine said.
His message to fellow Democrats: It’s time to get to work.
“President Obama and his team are going to take Virginia even more seriously in 2012 than in 2008, and that’s good news for us. But the other side will, too. The other side will pour a lot of resources into Virginia,” Kaine said.
Virginia is now a battleground state, which for Democrats in Virginia, who lost 12 state presidential elections dating back to 1964 before Obama’s win here in 2008, is welcome news. But with being in a battleground state comes pressure, Kaine said.
“We’ve got to really work hard. We’ve got to put our best foot forward,” Kaine said.
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Chris Graham: Draft Perriello?
It seems to me that Tim Kaine is the logical choice for Virginia Democrats looking for a Senate candidate in 2012 – and I wouldn’t call myself a political genius for thinking that way.
The conventional wisdom isn’t stopping a group of Virginia Dems who are pushing recently unseated former congressman Tom Perriello for the 2012 nomination.
“From job creation to health care to energy, Tom Perriello has worked for solutions to America’s biggest challenges,” said Aimee Fausser, a member of the Albemarle County Democratic Committee. “While we’ll support whoever wins the Democratic nomination, Tom has proven that he can both rally the progressive base and earn the support of independent voters.”
A Draft Perriello movement has indeed sprung up. A Facebook group for the movement has more than 800 members, and hundreds more have signed a petition at DraftPerriello.com.
“Tom Perriello arrived in Congress just as the GOP’s failed economic policies, championed by George W. Bush and George Allen, were stripping America’s economy of nearly a million jobs a month,” said Lowell Feld, editor of BlueVirginia.us and one of the founders of 2006′s Draft Webb movement. “But instead of shying away from the crisis, Tom took the challenge head-on. We need more leaders like Tom in the Senate.”
My take: Perriello would be a wonderful choice for Democrats if Kaine, a former governor and lieutenant governor, decides against running. (Which I don’t expect will be the case.) I can make the argument for a successful Perriello effort even in the wake of his loss in November to Republican Robert Hurt given his strong showings in 2008 and 2010 in the conservative Fifth District. The formula for successful Democratic campaigns in Virginia dating back to Mark Warner’s 2001 gubernatorial win is do well enough in Southside and Southwest and then clean up in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. Perriello could run that kind of campaign.
The key distinction here is that while we can make the argument that Perriello can run that kind of campaign, Kaine has run that kind of campaign, twice, and been successful twice in statewide races.
To me, if Kaine runs, it would make the most sense for Democrats if the race for the Democratic nomination is a one-candidate race. Republicans will clearly be bitterly divided on their side of the ledger. I think Kaine wins straight up against George Allen (who I presume will emerge from the Republican dustup as the GOP nominee) by 5-7 points, and if somehow a second or third option emerges from the Republican side who is more to the liking of the Tea Party base, then we could be talking a Mark Warner-Jim Gilmore-level butt-whupping in the making.
A Perriello challenge to Kaine wounds both, but Kaine still emerges to run in November 2012, and maybe Perriello’s career ends up being set back a few years.
Bottom line: I don’t see it happening unless Kaine steps aside. At which point the Draft Perriello movement gets to be very, very interesting.
More columns from Chris at TheWorldAccordingToChrisGraham.com.
Chris Graham: Misread on 2012?
Posted by afp on February 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment
“If Kaine is the candidate, he better have some god damn good consultants and ads, because he won’t have volunteers knocking on doors for him!”
That has been the sentiment on the forum attached to my weekend column. For perspective, it’s a small sample, so I don’t want to overgeneralize to the point of saying, Yeah, that says it right there, the netroots have spoken, there’s the end of Tim Kaine.
But we’re pretty much doing the same thing in our early analyses of the Republican Senate race. George Allen is the presumptive frontrunner there, Tea Party leader Jamie Radtke has the support of some conservative bloggers, and all hell is breaking loose, or so we’re all trying to say.
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with draft perriello, george allen, george allen senate, jamie radtke, tim kaine, tim kaine senate, tom perriello, tom perriello senate, virginia senate