Dem Strategists on Soering: It’s A Valid Issue (But…)
By Shaun Kenney | Sunday, January 29th, 2012 | Politics, VirginiaFormer DNC Chairman Tim “Abuser Fees” Kaine has a Willie Horton issue times 10 lurking in his background. From the WaPo:
National Republican Senatorial Campaign strategist and longtime Allen ally Chris LaCivita says it’s a telling commentary on Kaine’s judgment, and it’s certain to be in the GOP’s arsenal later this year.
Not so fast, others say. Steve Jarding guided successful Democratic campaigns for Jim Webb and Mark Warner and says it’s a valid but secondary issue, one that could blow up on the Republicans if they overreach.
Short version? This is bad. As in Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man” bad (very bad).
How bad is it? This guy brutally murdered two people in Botetourt County in 1985, and Kaine turned him loose. Now the guy is selling books and comparing himself to Amanda Knox.
Of course, Kaine is trying to pawn this off as something else:
Kaine explained his decision earlier this month as primarily a fiscal consideration, telling reporters: “I basically decided, look, Virginia taxpayers have borne the cost of this German citizen’s incarceration for 20-plus years. I thought it was time for German citizens to bear the cost of his incarceration.”
The problem with this story? Kaine’s DNC connections plus Soering’s diplomatic connections in Germany make this story a bit more interesting than just a simple “catch and release” program.
Which, of course, makes the latent threat from Jarding and other Democratic strategists that much more compelling. Why the threat? What “overreach” are we talking about here? Are the circumstances off-limits to reporters and bloggers? Is Kaine’s position as Governor in question? Moreover, if the Kaine campaign is so concerned about this not becoming a story, why is the DSCC tossing folks a bone but warning of “overreach”? Why toss the press a bone and then warn “this and no further”? What is the real story here?
The MSM may not do the digging… but someone will.
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About the author
Shaun Kenney is the Chairman of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors, former Communications Director for the Republican Party of Virginia, and an active blogger since 2002. Shaun lives in Thomas Jefferson's backyard with his wife, six children, and a modest attempt at a farm in Kents Store, Virginia.
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7 Responses to "Dem Strategists on Soering: It’s A Valid Issue (But…)"
If anything, this could nullify Dems attempts to bring “maccaca” back.
That’s an idea I like more and more, Chris- bring this up (at a minimum) every time “macaca” gets mentioned. Say, well, Allen has apologized, but did you know Tim Kaine had his own “macaca moment”? It won’t matter that the two events are unalike, it’ll be a way to get the story out there. Targeted web advertising & direct-mail- “Tim Kaine’s “Macaca moment”?- will get it out even more, to voters who randomly connect the word with Allen but are more likely to find this distasteful. Sure, gatekeepers in the MSM will hate it, but it’s all about getting it past them.
Not sure it will nullify “macaca” — I think that issue is already dead — but it will serve to illustrate just how liberal (and ineffective) Kaine was as governor.
His priorities simply were not Virginia priorities.
How much money does Virginia want to spend on room and board for a murderer that Germany wants? It has been said that the murderer might be released in two years. The important word here is MIGHT. There’s no proof that that would happen. Why should MY tax money be spent on housing this particular prisoner? How long has it been now? 20+ years! How much does it cost to house prisoners in Virginia? I’d like to know the amount.
It is time for the Germans to bear this cost.
If that’s the case “Mormor” then why didn’t Kaine release this guy in 2009?
Or 2008?
Or in 2006 when he first became Governor?
I mean, when does the state BS detector go off, here?
How should I know why he didn’t release him earlier. The question is / Why didn’t any of the previous governors release him?
Horton times ten?
Nope.
It’s a point of vulnerability, but not that big of one.
Why did the Horton ad work? It Scared people.
Because Horton killed somebody AFTER Dukakis let him go and because, let’s face it, Horton was a big scary black guy.
Soering didn’t in fact get out, and he’s a little nebishy looking guy. No scare factor there.
On the other hand, I don’t know what Kaine was thinking about in turning the guy over to the Germans, who would have let him out a in a year or two.
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