Jerry Kilgore's "Hypothetical" Leadership

By: Lowell
Published On: 9/18/2005 1:00:00 AM

?Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.? ?Edmund Burke (1729-1797), British Parliamentarian

This quote went through my mind the first time I read about Jerry Kilgore?s plan to hold statewide tax referenda. In debates, of course, Jerry Kilgore is sticking to his mechanical ?anti-tax? talking points. Instead of just being an automaton, however, perhaps Kilgore should stop for a minute and think about the Bush administration?s experience with tax cuts and huge budget deficits. Today, even in the face of disaster and war, President Bush is refusing to consider repealing tax cuts for the super-wealthy.  Meanwhile, the nation?s bills are skyrocketing, with no hope of being paid off in our generation, especially in the aftermath of Katrina, and with the continuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Think about it: if President Bush had been asked last year what he would do if a devastating hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, he probably would have said ? as Jerry Kilgore did in the debate the other day regarding abortion ? that this was a hypothetical question. Unfortunately for Bush and Kilgore, there comes a time when the hypothetical becomes reality. At that point, real leaders have to make tough choices for the greater good, and sometimes those choices aren?t particularly popular, especially before the benefits have been realized.

In contrast, what Jerry Kilgore is saying is that he will not make the tough decisions. What Jerry Kilgore is saying is that there will be no new taxes unless the people say they want them ? without regard for the comprehensive vision that is essential to gubernatorial leadership. By shirking the hard decisions, Kilgore absolves himself of any budgetary responsibility and sacrifices his judgment to public opinion. That, simply stated, is not leadership. We can do better. Vote Tim Kaine.

Written by Kate


Comments



Unlike Mr. Kilgore, (Jen Little - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Unlike Mr. Kilgore, we do have a duty to pay taxes and it is not only the responsibility of the government, but the function of the government to see that the expenses are covered. 

The lack of fiscal responsibility exhibited by the Republican Party is out of control - to put it mildly. 

Here’s the crazy thing that just clicked for me.  Think about the bankruptcy laws that were passed by the republican leaders!  It is insane!  Our government limited the ability of citizens and business to file bankruptcy to eliminate their debt, yet they don’t worry at all about how much they accumulate!  They have absolutely no plan to pay it off. NONE!

How much longer before China and Japan call the loans of the United States?  Then what?  Are we all made in Taiwan?

Jerry Kilgore is cut from the same cloth as the bunch in the White House.  Same cloth I tell ya!

The ONLY thing that makes life bearable during the Bush administration is all is well in Virginia – My Home Sweet Home.

Mark Gov. Warner, and Tim Kaine took care of business responsibly, and the approval rating of the Warner-Kaine administration reflect exactly this. 

Mark Warner & Tim Kaine worked hard with members across the aisle to balance the budget, and keep our services in place and funded.  Does anyone else grasp the immense efforts and diplomacy this took?  It has been a seriously partisan couple of years, yet the Warner-Kaine team pulled this off – AMAZING LEADERS!  Just Amazing!

This did not happen in DC! 

Now we have the awesome to opportunity to keep Virginia on the right track!  I feel damn fortunate – Thank you Tim Kaine!

Kate:  Well put – you rock!  The republicans have spent many years creating those boxes. 

Dorsett:  Since you decided to skirt the issue of the topic posted, I will do the same.  Tell me why Jerry the Duck ducked the very simple question on abortion in the Fairfax debate?  Then tell me why Jerry the Duck, LIED to his most faithful in an e-mail (with the subject line: “Jerry Wins Debate” another LIE from this lying bunch) blaming Tim Russert?  Then tell me if he really thought that Russert would never find out?  Did he not realize they get the Washington Post and internet where Tim Russert lives?  OOPS!



Also, Dorsett, how c (Alex - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Also, Dorsett, how can you bring up betraying constituents on the pro-life thing after Jerry's gaffe at the debates last week?


Alex: Whoever you a (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Alex:  Whoever you are, you're awesome!!  Please come back and write here more often!  Thanks.


Dorsett: Sorry, but (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Dorsett:  Sorry, but I have no DUTY to you on this issue!  No DUTY!!


Hey Dorsett, funny y (Alex - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Hey Dorsett, funny you would question someone's thinking when you don't even address or give retort to the issues raised in the initial post!  Instead you resort to spin, and then go on to question someone else's intellect?  Even funnier, is someone proporting to represent conservatives attacking someone for calling names and throwing from the gutter, when YOUR SIDE IS THE KING OF SUCH ACTIONS RIGHT NOW.

Like Lowell says, if you're going to duck the raised issue on the post, we have no duty to laughable little minions like you.



Wow Lowell, I think (Vineyard - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Wow Lowell, I think your last statement, in parentheses, demonstrates a) the intellectual level of this site b) how badly you must think things are going for Kaine. Aren't you Mr. "Republicans attack, Democrats have ideas?" And that is how you respond to my post? Seriously, when you end an argument with that you reveal a complete lack of intellectual firepower, and you say more about how this race is going than you could imagine. If you are resorting to attacking Kilgore in such a manner, than it might be close to curtains for Tim Kaine. I can remember all the many posts on this board about how Republicans just call people names, while you are above that and will stick to ideas. To see you resort to that last sentence is a shame. Just because you're losing doesn't mean you have to end up in the gutter.


Dorsett: No, unlike (Lowell - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Dorsett:  No, unlike you conservatives, we actually DO think things through over here.  And what we think is that radical right-wing Republicanism, as practiced by people like Jerry Kilgore, Pat Robertson, Tom DeLay et al. is dangerous extremism based on lies.  Or, to use a Jerry Kilgore word, it's "reckless!" (hands on hips, said with a lisp)


So does Tim Kaine be (Vineyard - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
So does Tim Kaine betray his constituents when he says he's pro-life and anti-death penalty, but won't act on those positions because they are against the will of the people? Seems like your Burke quote could be better used against Tim Kaine. I love this site. It's like no one here thinks through a daggone thing they write! Stream of consciousness bloggin!